workshop presentation- Maciej Karasinsky

INTEGRATING ANTAGONISTIC PATHS: IS Śrī Vidyā A DISSIDENT STREAM IN KAULA TANTRA?

Maciej Karasinski
Research scholar
Department of Sanskrit
Calicut University



Many early Śākta scriptures claim to belong to so-called Kula or Kaula tradition Abhinavagupta in Tantrāloka (TĀ_1.7) ascribes the origin of this tradition to Macchanda (5c.) who is also declared as the founder of Yoginīkaula school ( a kaula sub-sect). However, in the same chapter (TĀ_1.8) Abhinava recognizes Tryambaka and his daughter as another source of the Kaula revelation. According to Sanderson, the Kula tradition belonged primary to ascetic groups who lived near cremation grounds and performed Tantric rituals similar to those known to the Kāpālikas. On the other hand, Kaula can be called a reformed version of Kula mārga which became suitable for householders.

The term kula can be rendered as community or clan and it refers to family of yoginīs. As stated in many tantras, Yoginīs are closely related to the mothers (mātṛs) - seven or eight embodiments of god's energies.Several inscriptions from Cālukya period describes the Mātṛs as a group (gaṇa) of frightening spirits (ḍakinīs) that can grant supernatural powers if propitiated. It is noteworthy that kula can also mean a body. Thus, Tantras associate kula with the universal body and an adept who is initiated into kula tradition becomes an embodiment of cosmic powers and identifies himself with the mātṛs.

As typical for Tantric traditions, the circumstances of the origin and development of Kaula school is problematic. The scriptures of the tradition trace the source of their sacred teachings to a group of sages who were chosen by a divine in time immemorial. However, the Tantric revelation is frequently contrasted with the primeval Vedic one. In some texts one can find statements suggesting that Kaula Tantrism is more suitable for a new era in which people are not capable of understanding the secrets of the Vedas. Yet other scriptures claim that Vedas contain only partial knowledge suitable for common folk and Tantras were composed for advanced disciples, seeking true knowledge. Tantrāloka ( TĀ_29) downgrades the Vedas and opposes later religious movements which tried to revive the Vedic orthopraxy.

This problematic and ambiguous opposition of Tantric / Vedic orthopraxy is again questioned by those who claim that Tantric ritualism can be deduced from Saubhāgyakāṇḍa of the Atharvaveda. Although there is no strong basis to hold the view that certain practices of Tantra were a direct development from Atharvaveda, some Tantric teologists suggest a continuous evolution of works on magic from Vedic to Tantric times. Madhusudan Kaul, stresses the fact that ceremonies derrived from Vedas were performed side by side with those of Kaula Tantra in Kashmir. Furthermore, they were sometimes intermixed which practice was advocated by a popular notion that Tantras were either imitation or an improvement upon the Vedic rites. This idea was certainly put forward by those philosophers who wanted to strenghten the authority of their sect by reference to Vedas. The best example of this tendency is a curious case of Tantric Śrīvidyā school which was 'de-tantrisized' and 'vedāntized' by scholars like Bhāskararāya who tried to derrive principles of Tripurā worship from Ṛgveda (5.47.4). Similarily, Lakṣmīdhara claims that the source-book for Śrīvidyā philosophy is Taittirīya-āraṇyaka (1.11.54 ; 1.12.32; 1.23.1; 1.32.127). This unfortunate tendency to reconcile Vedic and Tantric mode of worship by producing futile hypothesis of their common origin was followed also by other philosophers.






Controversy of Kaula liturgy

Salvation seen as immersion of the duality in unity is one of the main lessons of Tantric scriptures. The worshipper becomes the deity he worships and his body is transformed into divine one. The deity is equated, by the process of meditation, with cosmic consciousness. Act of identification leads therefore to direct realization of nonduality and evokes in adept a salvatory awareness. The adept attains the main deity which is again identified with the true reality, his personal soul or consciousness which is the prejection of the Mātṛs. In Kaula cult this mental ritual (antar-yāga) was corroborated by external rites (bahir-yāga) with offerings of wine, meat and other substances forbidden by orthodox traditions.

Impure offerings were enjoined in Kaula rites not only as means of transgression of the orthodox customs but because these substances stimulated sensual experience of the worshipper. According to this tradition, the employment of intoxicating substances can result in greater aesthetic experience of transcendental bliss . This spiritual path leads to recognition of ultimate reality which is beyond sight of common people. Above-mentioned practices of so called kaula mārga with meat and wine offerings were however advocated by Brahmins like Abhinavagupta . In the course of time, certain Vedic concepts have been incorporated into Kaula mode of worship and the secret rites which could be considered as anathema for orthodox Brahmins were viewed rather as amplification of earlier tradition and its essence. Kulārlnava tantra (KT.2.10) states that dharma of Kaula tradition was churned from the ocean of Veda with a stick of knowledge. It obviously referrs to the well-known myth about the nectar of immortality(amṛta) which was produced at the churning of the ocean of milk by devas and asuras. In this case, the kuladharma is considered as the essence of sacred knowledge and the ambrosia itself. This wisdom is declared in KT as sacred and to be given only to dedicated disciples.

Śrīvīdyā and Kaula tradition

This early Kaula tradition developed further four lines of transmission:eastern (pūrva), northern (uttara), western (paścima) and southern (dakṣiṇa). The last one is the tradition called Śrīvidyā or Saubhāgyasaṁpradāya. Śrīvidyā is sometimes classified as a secondary variety of the Kaula school and an off-shoot from Kashmirian tradition. Furthermore, in later literature Kaula mārga is divided into two schools, namely: Śrīkula (cult of Tripurasundarī) and Kālīkula (tradition of Kālī).

Śrīvidyā tradition is the cult of the goddess called Lalitā. Śrī or Tripurasundarī in her beningn and motherly form. She is consdiered as an embodiment of the highest Śakti,the supreme, eternal principle of the universe, and her worship includes usage of śrīcakra and pañcadaśi mantra. Śrīvidyā as a later religious movement based on doctrines originated from Kashmir became popular in South India. One of the earliest records of the cult of Tripurasundarī can be found in Tamil work Tirumantiram of Tirumular (7th c C.E). Many other scriptural evidences from different stages of development of this tradition were written in 9th c.in the South as well as in Kashmir . In 13th and 14th c. Śrīvidyā occupied an important place among religious sects of Śākta denomination in many states of India, including Tamilnandu and Bengal . A historical connection with Tantric philosphy of Kashmirian Śaivas can be seen primary in philosophy of Śrīvidyā and the terminology used by authoritative scriptures of this tradition. A famous Śrīvidyā text Yoginihṛdaya (YH) uses terms like prakāśa( manifestation), vimarśa (reasoning), praspandasamvid (vibration of consciousness) in the same way in which they were used by Kashmirian philosophers of Pratyabhijñā school.

It should be noted that a division of Śrīkula was put forward by Lakṣmīdhara who distinguished between Samaya and Kaula ācāra (spiritual discipline) of Śrīvidyā. This notion was upheld by Bhāskararāya who adds that Samayins' mode of worship of śrīcakra is different from the one of Kaulas. Therefore the śrīcakra of Samayācara should be constructed 'upside down' with triangles representing Śiva turned downward. The idea however gained no popularity among contemporary followers of Samaya tradition. The division of Śrīvidyā into samaya and kaula is also significant as it reflects notions of purity and impurity that onced organized mode of worship in Tantric systems of Kashmir. The texts of Śrīvidyā were also in many instances written or commented upon by Kashmirian scholars like Jayaratha or Saubhagānandanātha .

Śrīvidyā as a dissident stream of spirituality within Kaula mārga?

The relation between Śrīvidyā and so-called Kaula tradition needs investigation. While some authors claim the tradition to be a sub-sect of Kula other texts adhere to Lakṣmīdhara idea of samaya / kaula distnictive modes of worship and downgrade the later one. It is vital however to note that Kashmirian commentators of Śrīvidyā texts use the term 'kaula' as a synonim of Tantrism and indicate the values of 'Kaulism' while speaking of their own tradition. For that reason, texts like KT are mentioned as a authoritative guide books by some Śrīvidyā philosophers. Also Jayaratha in his commentary on TĀ equates kula with śaktā tradition in general and calls it nityā (eternal) which in turn can be understood as an indirect referrence to
Śrīvidyā concept of nityā deities of śrīcakra

As we can see, in broader sense the term kaula indicates the basic principles of early Tantras. By the time of Lakṣmīdhara term kula and its derrivates like kaula and kaulikā took on new meaning and began to be associated with anti-brāhmaṇical elements of Tantrism. Thus followers of Lakṣmidhara's line of interpretation stressed inappropriateness of Kaula rites for adepts from higher strata of society. The symbolic usage of 5Ms and other changes in rituals were gradually introduced for that reason. Lakṣmīdhara distinguished also between Pūrvakaula nad Uttarakaula tradition and considered the latter as more radical

Thus, for contemporary Śrīvidyā practitioner the problem whether to be or not to be a kaula is a question of acceptance or rejection certain aspects of liturgy, particularly the pañcamakāras. The rejection brings about however certain dangers like 'neo-vedāntization' of Śrīvidyā or a necessity of editing controvertial parts out of the authoritative scriptures.

Thus for example, in one of the well-known paddhatis of Śrīvidyā Paraśuramakalpasūtra (Parks), the main goddess is named (inter alia) Kaulinī (Parks_3.20) and the kaula mode of worship is evident from the description of rituals. To give an example, the text proclaims that an adept can worship the goddess mentally (internally) in case there are no 5Ms available By saying so text obviously reveals that infamous 5Ms of the Kaulas were usually employed during the rites. This practice is advocated by another statement that impure subastances can be used only for spiritual upliftment not for enjoyment of senses and the adept should not use the ma-pañcakas according to his mere wish or desire. Moreover, Parks instructs adepts to use 5Ms during the śrīcakra pūjā (navāvaraṇa pūjā) and Gaṇapati pūjā. Finally, the last verse of Parks names the guruparamparā of the author and calls him a great teacher of kaulācara.

YH seems also to propagate the kaula mode of worship by proclaiming that knowledge of kaulācara is a conditio sine qua non for Śrīvidyā adept The chapter of YH entitled Mantrasaṁketa deals with 'meanings' (artha) i.e mystic identifications of Śrīvidyā with six wordly entities. Among those arthas text mentions kaulikārtha i.e. secret relation (identity) between śrī cakra (mystic diagram), vidyā (main mantra of the goddess), guru and the personal soul of an acolyte. Then YH continues to identify the goddess in her phonic form (vidyā) with cosmic spheres and the deities of Sanskrit alphabet. The series of identifications necessarily lead to realization of non-duality and are followed by a reflecion upon sounds and mystic meanings of letters. These concepts are clearly based on long-standing tradition of Kashmirian Tantric exegetic literature rendering homage to the goddess in her Mātṛkā - 'Mother of Speech' aspect.

Śrīvidyā in Kaula context

Śrīvidyā can be seen as a religious movement within the Kaula mārga. However in the broad sense kaula can denote any early Tantric tradition thus the interpretation of certain liturgical elements differs from one lineage (paramparā) to another. Obviously, contemporary Śrīvidyā adepts recognize Lakṣmīdhara idea of left-handed (vāmācāra) and right-handed
(dakṣinācāra) Tantra. The left-handed one, defined by the use of impure ritual substances is in turn identified with Kaula mārga. However, the vāmācāra elements can be found in early texts of the Śrīvidyā tradition which are still consideed as authoritative by many adepts of various Śrīvidyā paramparās. Thus, it seems that the acceptance or rejection of theological or ritualistic ideas of the Kaulas is a problem that indeed should be resolved on the basis of authority of preceptorial lines (guru-paṅktis). Therefore, contemporary adepts of Śrīvidyā (a complex, well-standarized religious system of Śaktism) may freely choose between kaula-oriented or samaya-oriented gurus according to their personal disposition. The samaya tradition seems more prevalent in the South India where Vedic ideas are superimposed on kaula mode of conduct . In some instances, the worship of śrīcakra is reformed and ancient scriptures of Śrīvīdya reinterpreted. Thus, contemporary vedāntized tradition can be seen as reformed kaula cult. On the other hand, once Śṛṅgerī is the center of 'de-tantrisized' (as called by Padoux) Śrīvidyā, the modern kaula cult of Tripurasundarī can be considered as sectarian movement within this tradition.


References
KT - Kulārnava Tantra -edited by Arthur Avalon, Delhi 2004
Parks - Paraśuramakalpasūtra- ed. by A. Mahadeva Sastri, Baroda : Central Library 1923
(Gaekwad's Oriental Series, 22), GRETIL analytic text version by Claudia Weber,
YH - Yoginīhṛdaya with setubandha commentary by Bhāskararāi, Varanasi
T• - The Tantrāloka of Abhinavagupta, Edited by R. D. Dwivedi and N. Rastogi, Delhi 1990

BROOKS 2001 - Douglas Brooks, Auspicious Wisdom, 2001
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KINSLEY 2003 - David Kinsley, Tantric visions of the divine feminine, Delhi 2003
PADOUX 2003 - André Padoux, The Śrīcakra according to the first chapter of the Yoginīhṛdaya, in: Gudrun Buhnemann, Mandalas and Yantras in Hindu tradition, Delhi 2003
PADOUX 1992 André Padoux, Vāc, the concept of the word in selected Hindu tantras, Delhi 1992
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SANDERSON 1995 - Alexis Sanderson, Meaning in Tantric ritual, Paris 1995
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Törzsök 2007 - Judit Törzsök ,Helping the King, Ministers and Businessmen
- Apropos of a Chapter of the Tantra of Magic Female Spirits (Siddhayogeśvarīmata), in: Cracow Indological Studies 2007