Chapter Two. Shakti. The World As Power : Chapter Two Shakti: The World as Power There is no word of wider content in any language than this Sanskrit term meaning 'Power'. For Shakti in the highest causal sense is God as Mother, and in another sense it is the universe which issues from Her Womb. And what is there which is neither one n...
Chapter Eleven. Shakti In Taoism : Chapter Eleven Shakti in Taoism The belief in Shakti or the Divine Power as distinguished from the Divine Essence (Svarupa), the former being generally imagined for purposes of worship as being in female form, is very ancient. The concept of Shakti in Chinese Taoism is not merely a proof of this...
Chapter Fourteen. Cit Shakti : Chapter Fourteen Cit-Shakti (The Consciousness Aspect of the Universe) Cit-Shakti is Cit, as Shakti, that is as Power, or that aspect of Cit in which it is, through its associated Maya-Shakti, operative to create the universe. It is a commonly accepted doctrine that the ultimate Reality is Samvid...
Chapter One. Indian Religion As Bharata Dharma : Chapter One Indian Religion As Bharata Dharma A FRIEND of mine who read the first edition of this book suggested that I should add to it an opening Chapter, stating the most general and fundamental principles of the subject as a guide to the understanding of what follows, together with an outline...
Chapter Fifteen. Maya Shakti : Chapter Fifteen Maya-Shakti (The Psycho-Physical Aspect of the Universe) Spirit, Mind and Matter are ultimately one, the two latter being the twin aspects of the Fundamental Substance or Brahman and Its Power or Shakti. Spirit is the substance of mind-matter, the Reality (in the sense...
Chapter Three. Tantra Shastra And Veda : Chapter Three What Are the Tantras and Their Significance? A VERY common expression in English writings is "The Tantra"; but its use is often due to a misconception and leads to others. For what does Tantra mean? The word denotes injunction (Vidhi), regulation (Niyama), Shastra generally...
Title Page : SHAKTI AND SHKTA Essays And Addresses On The Shkta Tantrashstra By Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), London: Luzac & Co., [1918]
Chapter Nineteen. Creation As Explained : Chapter Nineteen Creation as Explained in the Non-dualist Tantras A Psychological analysis of our worldly experience ordinarily gives us both the feeling of persistence and change. This personal experience expresses a cosmic truth. An examination of any doctrine of creation similarly reveals two...
Untitled : SHAKTI AND SHKTA By Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), [1918] Title Page Chapter One: Indian Religion As Bharata Dharma Chapter Two: Shakti: The World as Power Chapter Three: Tantra Shastra and Veda Chapter Four: Tantra Shastra and Veda Chapter Five: The Tantras and the Religion of the Shakt...
Chapter Twenty Two. Vedanta And Tantra Shastra : Chapter Twenty-two Vedanta and Tantra Shastra When your representative asked me to speak this evening, he suggested to me as my subject, that Shastra which is a practical application of the Vedantic teaching. Mere talk about Vedanta is nothing but a high form of amusement. If more than this is...
Chapter Thirteen. Sarvanandanatha : Chapter Thirteen Sarvanandanatha The Sarvollasa, a copy of which came into my possession some three years ago, is a rare MS. It is a Samgraha by the Sarvavidyasiddha Sarvanandanatha who, though celebrated amongst the Bengal followers of the Agama, is I should think, almost unknown to the general...
Chapter Nine. The Tantra Shastras In China : Chapter Nine The Tantra Shastras in China Adopting for the purpose of this essay, and without discussion as to their accuracy, the general views of Orientalists on chronology and the development of the Buddhistic schools, the history of the Buddhistic Tantra is shortly as follows. The Mahay...
Chapter Twenty Four. Shakti As Mantra : Chapter Twenty-four Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti) This is in every way both a most important, as well as a most difficult, subject in the Tantra Shastra; so difficult that it is not understood, and on this account has been ridiculed. Mantra, in the words of a distinguished Indian, has been...
Chapter Twenty Three. The Psychology Of Hindu : Chapter Twenty-three The Psychology of Hindu Religious Ritual The word "religious" in the title of this lecture has been inserted in order to exclude magical ritual, with which I do not deal, though I have a word or two to say on the subject. As regards the word "Hindu," it must be remembered th...
Chapter Twenty Seven. The Pacatattva : Chapter Twenty-Seven The Pacatattva (The Secret Ritual) The notoriety of the Shakta Pacatattva ritual with wine and women has thrown into the shade not only the practical topics with which I have dealt, but every other, including the valuable philosophical presentment of Vedanta contained...
Chapter Eighteen. Shakta Advaitavada : Chapter Eighteen Shakta Advaitavada I have often been asked -- In what consists the difference between Vedanta and 'Tantra'. This question is the product of substantial error, for it assumes that Tantra Shastra is not based on Vedanta. I hope that, after many years of work, I have now made it...
Chapter Eight. Cinacara : Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) It has been the subject of debate whether the Tantrik Pacatattva ritual with wine and so forth is a product of Buddhism, and whether it is opposed to Vaidika Dharma. Some have supposed that these rites originally came from yellow Asia, penetrated...
Chapter Twenty Five. Varnamala : Chapter Twenty-five Varnamala (The Garland of Letters) The world has never altogether been without the Wisdom, nor its Teachers. The degree and manner in which it has been imparted have, however, necessarily varied according to the capacities of men to receive it. So also have the symbols by which...
Chapter Twenty Eight. Matam Rutra : Chapter Twenty-Eight Matam Rutra (The Right and Wrong Interpretation) In connection with the doctrine and Sadhana just described it is apposite to cite the following legend from Tibet, which shows how, according to its Sadhakas, it may be either rightly or wrongly interpreted, and how...
Chapter Five. The Tantras And The Religi : Chapter Five The Tantras and Religion of the Shaktas (What follows this bracket is a translation, done in literal fashion, from the German, of an article by the learned Sanskritist, Professor Winternitz, entitled "Die Tantras und die Religion der Saktas" published in the Berlin monthly...
Chapter Twenty Nine. Kundalini Shakta : Chapter Twenty-nine Kundalini Shakta (Yoga) The word "Yoga" comes from the root "yuj which means "to join" and, in its spiritual sense, it is that process by which the human spirit is brought into near and conscious communion with, or is merged in, the Divine Spirit, according as the nature...
Chapter Thirty. Conclusions : Chapter Thirty Conclusions Brahmanism or Hinduism, as in its later development the former has been called, is not merely a religion. It is a Socio-Economic System, the foundation of which is the Law of Caste and Stages of life. That System has its culture of which several forms of Religi...
Chapter Sixteen. Matter And Consciousness : Chapter Sixteen Matter and Consciousness The subject of my lecture to-day is Consciousness or Cit, and Matter or Unconsciousness, that is, Acit; the unchanging formlessness and the changing forms. According to Shakta Advaitavada, man is Consciousness-Unconsciousness or Cit-Acit; being Cit-Shakti...
Chapter Ten. A Tibetan Tantra : Chapter Ten A Tibetan Tantra [This Chapter is an admirably understanding review (reprinted from "The Theosophist "of July 1919) by Mr. Johan Van Manen, the Tibetan scholar. It was written on the seventh volume of Tantrik Texts which contains the first Tibetan Tantra to be published. The Tantr...
Chapter Twenty Six. Shakta Sadhana : Chapter Twenty-Six Shakta Sadhana (The Ordinary Ritual) Sadhana is that, which produces Siddhi or the result sought, be it material or spiritual advancement. It is the means or practice by which the desired end may be attained and consists in the training and exercise of the body and psychic...
Chapter Twenty. The Indian Magna Mater : Chapter Twenty The Indian Magna Mater Introductory On the last occasion that I had the honor to address you, I dealt with the subject of the psychology of Hindu religious ritual from the particular standpoint of the religious community called Shaktas, or Worshippers of the Supreme Mother. To-day I...
Chapter Four. Tantra Shastra And Veda : Chapter Four Tantra Shastra and Veda In writing this Chapter I have in mind the dispute which some have raised upon the question whether the Agamas, or some of them, are Vaidik or non-Vaidik. I do not here deal with the nature and schools of Tantra or Agama nor with their historical orig...
Chapter Six. Shakti And Shakta : Chapter Six Shakti and Shakta Shakti who is in Herself pure blissful Consciousness (Cidrupini) is also the Mother of Nature and is Nature itself born of the creative play of Her thought. The Shakta faith, or worship of Shakti, is I believe, in some of its essential features one of the oldest...
Chapter Twenty One. Hindu Ritual : Chapter Twenty-one Hindu Ritual It is well said that Ritual is the Art of Religion. As practiced by the Hindus, it is not rightly judged, because the religious and philosophical doctrines of which it is a practical expression and method are either unknown or misunderstood. If we add to incapacity...
Chapter Seventeen. Shakti And Maya : Chapter Seventeen Shakti and Maya In the Eighth Chapter of the unpublished Sammohana Tantra, it is said that Shamkara manifested on earth in the form of Shamkaracarya, in order to root out Buddhism from India. It compares his disciples and himself to the five Mahapreta (who form the couch on which...
Chapter Seven. Is Shakti Force : Chapter Seven Is Shakti Force? There are some persons who have thought, and still think, that Shakti means force and that the worship of Shakti is the worship of force. Thus Keshub Chunder Sen "(New Dispensation, "p. 108), wrote: Four centuries ago the Shaktas gave way before the Bhakt...
Chapter Twelve. Alleged Conflicts Of Shastras : Chapter Twelve Alleged Conflict of Shastras A NOT uncommon modern criticism upon the Indian Shastras is that they mutually conflict. This is due to a lack of knowledge of the doctrine of Adhikara and Bhumika, particularly amongst Western critics, whose general outlook and mode of thought is...
