01.12.2014 Views

Introduction to Tantra Sastra - Aghori

Introduction to Tantra Sastra - Aghori

Introduction to Tantra Sastra - Aghori

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

88<br />

INTRODUCTION TO TANTRA ŚĀSTRA<br />

unsteady vibrations of the sheaths of the worshipper,<br />

thus transforming him, but from it arises the form of<br />

the Devatā which it is. 1 Mantra-siddhi is the ability <strong>to</strong><br />

make a mantra efficacious and <strong>to</strong> gather its fruit 2 in<br />

which case the mantra is called mantrasiddha. Mantras<br />

are classified as siddha, sādhya, susiddha, and ari,<br />

according as they are friends, servers, supporters, or<br />

destroyers—a matter which is determined for each<br />

sādhaka by means of cakra calculations.<br />

THE GĀYATRĪ-MANTRA<br />

The Gāyatrī is the most sacred of all Vaidik mantras.<br />

In it the Veda lies embodied as in its seed. It runs:<br />

Oṃ bhūr-bhuvah-svah: tat savitur vareṇ yāṃ bhargo<br />

devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayāt. O ṃ. “Let us<br />

contemplate the wondrous spirit of the Divine Crea<strong>to</strong>r<br />

(Savitṛ ) of the earthly, atmospheric, and celestial<br />

spheres. May He direct our minds, that is ‘<strong>to</strong>wards’ the<br />

attainment of dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa, Oṃ.”<br />

The Gāyatrī-Vyākaraṇ a of Yogi Yajnavālkya thus<br />

explains the following words: Tat, that. 3 The word yat<br />

(which) is unders<strong>to</strong>od. 4 Savituh is the possessive case of<br />

1 Śṛ ṇu devī pravakṣyāmi bījānām deva-rūpatāṃ<br />

.<br />

Mantroccāra ṇamātreṇa, deva-rūpaṃ<br />

prajayate.<br />

—(Bṛ had-gandharva-<strong>Tantra</strong>, chap. v.)<br />

2 Ya ṃ<br />

Ya ṃ<br />

prāthayate kāma ṃ<br />

Taṃ<br />

tamāpnoti niścitam.<br />

(Whatever the sādhaka desires that he surely obtains)<br />

—Prāṇa-<strong>to</strong>ṣinī, 619.<br />

3 Tat is apparently here treated as in the objective case agreeing, with<br />

varenyaṃ<br />

, etc., but others holding that the vyāhṛ ti (Bhūr-bhuvah-svah) form<br />

part of and should be linked with, the rest of the Gāyatrī treat tat as part of a<br />

genitive compound connected with the previous vyahṛ ti, in which case it is<br />

teṣām.<br />

4 It may, however, be said that yat is there in Yo nah.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!