Kularnava Tantra

The Kularnava is perhaps the foremost Tantra of the Kaula School and is constantly cited as an authority in Tantric literature. It is worthy of close study by those who would understand the tenets and practice of the tradition of which it is a Sastra.

The Introduction by Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon) gives a concise outline of the work.

Sri M.P. Pandit who is a keen student of the Tantras and Vedas has rendered the work in English in eleven chapters. The Readings are free translations - with annotations where necessary - omitting technical details but preserving the spirit and essential import of the original in his characteristically lucid style.

The complete text is given in Devanagari for those who wish to study the book in the original Sanskrit.

Tantra is a major development in the evolution of Indian spiritual thought inasmuch as it represents a determined attempt at reconciling the apparent points of conflict among the different schools of philosophy that came up after the age of the Epics. Tantra seeks to synthesize the monism of the Advaita with the dualism of the Samkhya, enrich Jnana with the ram of Bhakti, join Nature to her Lord in the person of the human individual, harmonize the claims of the Spirit with the rights of Matter. It recovers the lost heritage of the ancient Veda which lays emphasis upon the commonalty of man, Nature and God and the equality of status between Mother Earth and Father Heaven. The principle of Tantra is to reject nothing that God has created, to utilize every means to raise the human consciousness to the Divine. Unlike many of the older systems Tantra is highly rational in its approach; it asks for no faith in advance. It is a self-verifying science of the development of natural energies into their supernatural terms leading to a cosmic enjoyment of life in a spiritual consciousness. In a word it is the highway of mukti and bhukti in the highest sense.

The Kularnava is an important text in one of the traditions of Tantra with a pronouncedly practical bent of thought. It calls upon man to wake up to the rare privilege that has been given to him, e. g. human birth in which the being becomes conscious of himself and is offered a choice: a choice between stagnation and rapid progression towards his Godhead. He is warned of the consequences of losing himself in the rounds of transient excitements and pleasures He is also put on guard against the many pseudo-paths that abound in this world. He is asked to purify himself and told how to do it. In un- ambiguous terms he is told that a wine-drinker is different from the drinkers of ecstasy; the union of delight is between the ascending Sakti and the presiding Lord above, and not between man and woman. In issuing these warnings, the adepts of the Tantra would seem to have anticipated the modern turn of mixing up sex with spirituality. It is a pity that a text like this has not received adequate publicity in the west where tantra-enthusiasts are on the wrong track.

The Kularnava prescribes the modes of preparation for the high quest; it draws upon ethics, religion, philosophy, yoga to elevate human life gradually to the level of godly life. It comprehends the multiple personality of man and provides for the healthy growth of his mental faculties, purification of his emotions and passions, orientation of his physical faculties through ritual, japa, mantra and upasana. Who is fit for the path of Tantra? Who is competent to guide the novice on the double-edged razor path? What is the responsibility of a Guru to a disciple? These and other relevant questions are raised and answered in a satisfying manner.

An attempt has been made in the following selections to present such contents as are eminently helpful to the needs of the awakened man of today. Portions relating to rituals, technicalities of special types of japa, etc. have been kept out of the treatment so as not to tax the aspirant of the present times who has little time or energies to devote himself to those practices, especially when it is possible to achieve the same results by more psychological means suited to the modern age and so elegantly presented in this text. Definitions of most of the important concepts and terms in the Tantra Sastra, as given in the text, will be found highly educative.