Dattatreya, the incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

Picture: Dattatreya, the incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - painting by Raja Ravi Varma

Dattatreya, also known as Datta, is considered by Hindus as an incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who had ‘given’ (Datta means ‘given’) themselves in the form of a son to the couple Sage Atri and his wife Anusuya. Dattatreya is one of the oldest of the incarnations of the Divine Trinity, the first reference of whom is found in Hindu epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. Dattatreya is the author of Tripura Rahasya, the best treatise on Advaita Vedanta, which was given to Parashurama.

In the Nath Tradition, Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of the Lord Shiva and as the Adi Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Naths. Although Dattatreya was at first a Lord of Yoga with distinct Tantric traits, he was later adapted into the more devotional (Bhakti) Vaishnava cults, and worshipped as a benevolent god rather than as a Guru.

According to legends, Sage Narada praised Anusuya's ‘pativratyam’ (devotion to her husband) a lot before the wives of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The wives became jealous and asked their husbands to reduce her pativratyam. So, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva went to Anusuya disguised as guests when Sage Atri was not at home and asked her to serve them food. When she agreed to do so, they said that they would accept it only if she served them without wearing any clothes. Anusuya got trapped in a dilemma: if she comes nude in front of other men her pativratyam will be reduced. If she refuses it is dishonouring the guests and that can take away all the powers of Atri. Anusuya felt that the three guests were not ordinary men. Anusuya prayed to her husband silently and said that she did not fear serving them in nude, as she was not affected by lust. She considered them as her children and served them as requested. By the time she came to serve food the three gods became small children and her breasts started producing milk. She then breastfed them and put them to sleep in a cradle. Atri returned home, and hearing the story from Anusuya, praised the three gods sleeping in the cradle. They woke up in their original form and praised Anusuya's pativratyam and gave her a boon, for which Anusuya requested that the three gods be born as her children - the incarnation of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma as Sage Durvasa, Dattatreya and Chandra (Moon God).

In Mahabharata, Dattatreya is referred to as from the family tree of Sage Atri, not as his son and the epic Shishupal Vadha (execution of Shishupala) written by poet Magha also refers to Dattatreya to be from Atri's family tree and not as his son.

Child Dattatreya left home to wander naked in search of the Absolute. It is believed he spent most of his wandering life in the area encompassing North Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, and regions up to the Narmada River in Gujarat. It is believed that he attained realization (enlightenment) at a place near the town now known as Gangapura in Karnataka. The original footprints of Datta are believed to be located on a peak at Girnar, also known as Girnar Hills, the mountains situated near Junagadh, about 330 km from Ahmedabad. The Tripura Rahasya refers to Parasurama finding Datta meditating on Gandhamadana Mountain.

According to Brahma Purana, on the advice of his father sage Atri, Dattatreya sat on the banks of River Gautami and prayed to Shiva and finally attained the Brahmagyaan (Eternal Knowledge). This is possibly the reason why Dattatreya is considered as Adisiddha in Natha Sampradaya (Nath Tradition).

The Dattatreya Upanishad starts by referring Dattatreya's identity with Vishnu, but ends with the Mantra, ‘Om Namah Shivaya’, identifying him with Shiva. At the end of the third chapter, Shiva alone is said to pervade reality and shine in the heart of every man. He alone is ‘in front, behind, to the left, to the right, below, above, everywhere and at the center’. Finally, Shiva is identified with Dattatreya, an Avatar of Shiva.

Dattatreya idols are usually depicted with three heads, ‘symbolizing Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; past, present and future; creation, preservation and destruction; and the three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep’ (see the painting above). He is usually portrayed with his Shakti beneath the 'wish tree' (Kalpavriksha) with the 'wish cow' (Kamadhenu) in attendance. In front of him is a 'fire pit', the receptacle of the oblation of 'sacrifice' (Yajna), and around him are four dogs.

The four dogs, of different colours, often found in Dattatreya iconography, is said to represent the four Vedas. Dogs also held the cultural significance of 'dog eaters', the lowest possible forms of human existence, those who existed beyond the confines of Varnashrama Dharma. Dogs are also wild, tame and symbols of fidelity and 'devotion' (Bhakti).

In the Dattatreya Upanishad which is a part of the Atharva Veda, he is described as able to appear in the form of a child, a madman, or a demon in order to help his devotees achieve Moksha (liberation) from the bonds of worldly existence.

There are many traditions and systems of followers of Dattatreya, and their traditions, practices and beliefs vary considerably, and many of them follow the Tantric traditions which prevailed in India in the first millennium.

The Natha Sampradaya of Dattatreya devotees is a continuation of the Siddha or Avadhuta Sampradaya. The establishment of the Naths as a sect was purportedly began around the 8th or 9th century by a fisherman, Matsyendranath. His disciple Gorakshanath (also known as Gorakhnath, 11-12th century) departed from the Aghori traditions and strengthened the Nath Sampradaya as an acceptable, civilized form of society. Gorakshanath, considered the greatest of the Naths, wrote the first books on Laya Yoga. According to Bhagawan Nityananda, the Samadhi Shrines (tombs) of both Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath reside at Nath Mandir near the Vajreshwari temple, about a kilometer from Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra.

In the Datta Sampradaya the first Avatar is Shripad Shri Vallabh and the second is Narasimha Saraswati. They also consider Akkalkot Swami Samarth, Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati (Tembe Swami, Sawantwadi) Manik Prabhu, Krishna Saraswati, Shirdi Sai Baba and Ganapathi Sachchidananda (Mysore, Karnataka) as incarnations of Dattatreya.

The Tripura Rahasya (The Secret of the Goddess Tripura) is believed to be an abridged version of the original Datta Samhita or Dakshinamurti Samhita, traditionally ascribed to Dattatreya. Tripura Rahasya is divided into three parts. The first part, the Mahatmya Khanda is concerned with the origin, Mantra and Yantra of the Goddess Tripura. The Jnana Khanda (the section on knowledge) elaborates the themes of consciousness, manifestation and liberation. The last part, Charya Khanda (section on conduct) has been lost, and some people believe it is destroyed.

In Tantric tradition, the Tripuropasti-Paddhati is supposed to be written by Dattatreya, as it is mentioned in Tripura Rahasya. The summary of Tantra in the Parashuramkalpasutram is also supposed to have been written by Dattatreya.

The Avadhuta Gita, based on the principles of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism), is the sublime realization sung by Dattatreya and transcribed by two of his disciples, Swami and Kartika. It was originally a work of seven chapters, and ‘a spurious and misogynistic eighth chapter may be a later attempt to append sexual morality to the Nath Tradition by a conservative ascetic’. Some of the ideas in Avadhuta Gita are common to both Shaivite and Buddhist Tantras, and Vaishnava Agamas.

Girnar, in Saurashtra region of Gujarat is a famous place for the Datta Sampradaya. The temple of Narasimha Saraswati in Baroda continues this tradition of Dattatreya devotion. The main Dattatreya devotees who spread the Datta-panth in Gujarat were Pandurang Maharaj of Naareshwar and Shrirang Avadhut.

The town of Gangapura, where Dattatreya is said to have attained realization lies on the banks of River Bhima in Gulbarga District of North Karnataka. There have been numerous disciples and Dattatreya devotees from there, and places such as Borgaon, Chikodi, Kunnur, Sadalaga, Balekundri, Shahapur, Nipani, Hubali, Hangal, Dharwad, etc. have Dattatreya temples, or temples of Narasimha, also considered an incarnation of Dattatreya. Shri Narasimha Saraswati and some of his disciples used to worship this form of Dattatreya.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda and Tiger Skins

Swami Paramahamsa Nithyananda, who was arrested in Himachal Pradesh and now undergoes his ‘spiritual seclusion’ under police custody in Karnataka, is now reported to be a ‘lover of wildlife’, as he is fond of skins/ hides of wild animals such as tigers, leopards, spotted deer and wild dogs.

Nithyananda, now credited with fancy titles such as Swami Sexananda, Sex Swami, and many other names, used to tell his followers, “I am Lord Shiva”, “I am Lord Krishna”, etc. When I read these statements after he was made ‘enlightened’ by Lenin Karuppan, and sex videos on YouTube, I thought that he made such claims when he was under a divine trance. I had to make such a wild guess just because he earlier claimed that he was under a similar trance when he was served by Ranjitha, Gopika, and some other men and women, as some jealous TV channels and journalists reported.

I have the bad habit of Googling up every thing, when I find myself in unknown territories such as California sex, Tantric sex, Bidadi sex, so on and so forth. My search led me to the Wikipedia page that said, “Nityananda (Sanskrit: nitya, eternal + ananda, bliss) may refer to:

Nityananda, the Vaishnava saint (born 1474 CE),
Bhagawan Nityananda, the Ganeshpuri Guru (1897-1961),
Mahamandaleshwar Nityananda, Mahamandaleshwar of the Mahanirvani Akhara, Haridwar India, disciple of Muktananda of Siddha Yoga,
Nitya Anand, a scientist,
Swami Nithyananda (Dhyanapeetam), Alleged Sex scandal figure and spiritual Guru from Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu (1978–)”.

My attention was caught by “Alleged Sex scandal figure and spiritual Guru from Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu…”, because that had something to do with what I read in the news. My search also ‘enlightened’ me on Tantric Sex Rites. It is one of the most organic things, as ‘the male partner visualizes himself as Shiva and the female partner visualizes herself as Shakti. Now I understood why he often said, “I am Lord Shiva”, and the name Gopika to ‘I am Lord Krishna’. Also, I came across two pages of what people call a Tantric Sex agreement in which they agree to undergo all kinds of sexcapades and also not to disclose their divine experiences to anyone, else they might encounter instant Samadhi. “A few dots in the eternal ocean of love and oneness with the universal conscience”!

Now I am convinced that Sun TV, Lenin Karuppan, Douglas McKeller of San Jose (US) and the Karnataka Police talk about the same Nithyananda, and not the four others listed above. So, I join the dots to see what figure emerges, though I do not expect a size zero. So, it emerges something as follows (sorry for any factual errors, your corrections and comments welcome!):

Secret Tantric Rituals have been going on in his Ashram, as the seized ‘sex agreements’ that were signed by the Tantric’s followers show. And that seems to be the reason why a top official of the Karnataka Police said that there is no evidence to prove rape or forced sex, and there is nothing in law to punish a swami who enjoyed sex with the consent of his partners. The videos uploaded by Sun TV and many others also do not show any ‘forced sex’. In fact, from the standards of what is shown in Indian cinema and popular TV shows, what Nithyananda does on the videos is just expressions of love. One can see more offending and obscene scenes in most of Indian films and TV serials. So, I wonder, what the big deal is! Some of my friends tell me that the godman misguided his devotees by assuring them that he is a celibate. Some others say that he was trading in Hinduism in wholesale and attributed all his dirty deals to Hinduism, the Vedic scriptures, and he even placed everything under the Nithya brand, like Nithya Yoga, Nithya sex, Nithya Temples, etc.

Then I came across Nithyananda’s biographer ('Glimpses of a Master', republished as 'Nithyananda' Vol 1: by Ram S Ramanathan, formerly Swami Advaithananda, who runs a business in Singapore), who was the speech writer, all other things he dispensed with his devotees, and his many volumes of biography. The biographer now distanced himself with Nithyananda, and says, “So, the so-called 'enlightenment' experience perhaps was a Tantric initiation from the Aghori babas. Certainly not one that would allow anyone to declare himself a Paramahamsa and initiate unsuspecting innocents into Sanyas and Brahmacharya… As his biographer, people have accused me of lying on all these facts including the birth-date. I have to accept those accusations as I was foolish to believe, as I was equally foolish to teach over a thousand people in turn to believe”.

So, I consider Nithyananda as a Tantric, who is trying to attain Tantric superpowers through Vamachara Tantra Rites, which are associated with the pancha-makara or the ‘Five Ms’, also known as the pancha-tattva’. These are Madya (wine, addictive substances like drugs, etc.), Mamsa (meat), Matsya (fish), Mudra (cereal), and Maithuna (sexual intercourse, all varieties and poses, but animals included or not, I do not know). In Vamachara or Vamamarga Tantric practices, most of the practitioners insist on the use of these ‘Five Ms’. These are props to make Tantra practitioners successful in their ‘quest for ‘Life Bliss’ and union with Param Shiva’. Because these practices are not approved of by most spiritualists and the cultured society, the Vamamarga Tantrics, Aghoris, and sects and cults like Kapalikas practice these rituals in utmost secrecy.

The props used in some extremely secret Tantric practices include cannibalism (eating human flesh), smearing the ash collected from burned dead bodies, using human skulls and bones, consuming various organs of animals like tigers, leopards, etc. which many people believe to have magic properties to cure diseases, defy aging, increase sexual endurance and pleasure, etc. And this is one of the reasons why the tiger population of countries like China has decreased to the level of extinction and there are large scale poaching and smuggling of tigers and their body parts to China and other countries.

Further, as most of us see in the posters and other visual representations of Gods and Goddesses, animals and animal parts like the tiger skin form essential items in their make-up and accessories. For instance, Lord Shiva wears leopard skin and many gods are depicted as seated on tiger skins. So, if a self-proclaimed ‘enlightened Paramahamsa Nithyananda’ who claims to be Shiva possess skins of tigers, leopards, etc., it only shows his Tantric origins. But the problem is with the legal restrictions and ethical questions on the possession and use of body parts of some of these wildlife species.

Swami Nithyananda, after his arrest in Himachal Pradesh, is now in police custody for his alleged involvement in several criminal cases relating to obscenity, criminal intimidation, rape and hurting religious sentiments. But now he seems to be a bit more in trouble following the recovery of a CD, which was seized from his Bidadi ashram. It has visuals of Swami Nithyananda using wildlife products including a tiger pelt, skin of a leopard, spotted deer and a wild dog.

"The CD is with forest officials. The swami will land in deep trouble if wildlife sleuths decide to investigate how and where he procured the wildlife products," said an official from the forest cell of the Karnataka CID. He added, neither the swami nor his ashram had declared any of the products that are seen in the CD.

Also, said an official, "We couldn't interrogate Swami Nithyananda as he went into hiding. But now that he has been arrested, we will go ahead with the case". And Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B K Singh is reported to have said, "I'll ask my subordinates to proceed with the investigations. They will also be asked to get details of wildlife products found in the CD."

After reading these reports, one can understand the dilemma the officials face. The crimes alleged against the swami involve various departments of the Government. These reports simply suggest that there is no proper coordination between various departments. For example, “local forest officials who are probing the case were reluctant to comment”, a report said.

If Nithyananda went into hiding it was the wisest thing he could do to save his life, because violent mobs vandalized his Ashram and set many things on fire, when his sex tapes were aired. The police just failed to protect him and his Ashram. After all, he is just an ordinary mortal, though he claims to be Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna, etc. But, they are just jargons of his trade, just as some politicians, actors, cricket czars, etc. say blatant lies to the public to promote their businesses.

For example, what I viewed on video about former Andhra Governor Narayan Dutt Tiwari is more ridiculous than what Nithyananda did with the actresses and others. The 84-year-old N D Tiwari was shown in bed with three women by Telugu language cable news channel ABN Andhra Jyothi, though he said that he ‘is framed’ and ‘it is a political conspiracy’. But, no one vandalized anything of Tiwari, nor was he jailed. He did everything for pure BLISS of his own enjoyment, but if Paramahamsa Nithyananda did every thing for saving the humanity from calamities like earthquakes around the Pacific Ring of Fire (work in progress in his Malaysian and Singapore Ashrams in the Pacific Ring), and he was about to stop the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökul from erupting when Douglas McKeller of San Jose, California put a stop to it by claiming ‘California Sex’ is ineffective, even if each participant has to shell out $400,000 for participation and a certificate of enlightenment.

Geetanjali V, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Ramanagar Division) was more concerned about the violations as she said, "Earlier, sandalwood pellets were also recovered from the swami's ashram. We'll conduct an investigation in that case. However, to take appropriate action in case of other wildlife products the swami is evidently seen with, we'll require orders from higher authorities."

But Nithyananda, though Tantric rites may need animal skins, don’t you think that it is only common sense to respect the laws of the country that you live in and by selling the Vedic wisdom of that country you made several millions and as such all your godly programs have to be redesigned to respect the laws and the sentiments of the people? After all, all well-meaning religions, including Hinduism, consider that animals too are creations of God, and they too need to be loved and cared for. You cannot get skins of animals unless you (or others) kill them for your petty, fanciful “Bliss” programs!

I think I am more confused about the business of BLISS through animals! But, where are the animal rights activists and PETA? The law seems to be helpless! For Nithyananda, enhancing ‘Nithyanandam’ for his dollar-spinning followers is more of a thing of union with universal consciousness and enriching the lives of his inmates than kindness to animals, and being a responsible law-abiding citizen!

Tantra for experiencing mystic powers

Photo: Tantric goddess Kali at Dakshineswar, West Bengal, India along with her Yantra

Tantra (Tantram or anglicized as Tantricism or Tantrism) is a spiritual practice and ritual form of worship according to which Shakti is usually the main deity worshipped, and the universe is regarded as the divine play of Shakti and Shiva. Tantra aims at liberation from ignorance and the cycle of death and birth. Tantra has been practiced in countries such as India, Nepal, China, Japan, Tibet, Korea, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia and Mongolia, and has influenced the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain religious traditions.

The Tantrika, or Tantric practitioner seeks to use the Prana (divine power) that flows through the universe, including one's own body, to attain spiritual goals, material goals, or both. The Tantric uses various tools, including yoga, to activate processes that connect the practitioner to the divine. Also important are visualizations of deities and chanting mantras for experiencing mystic powers within the individual, resulting in an ever increasing awareness of cosmic vibration.

Tantrism is also a quest for spiritual and magical powers, by achieving complete control of oneself, and control over all the forces of nature, in order to attain union with the cosmos and with the divine. Arduous training is required to master Tantric methods, into which pupils are initiated by an enlightened guru. Yoga, including breathing techniques and Yoga postures (asana), is employed to train the body to the control of the will. Mudras (gestures), Mantras (syllables, words and phrases), Mandalas and Yantras, which are symbolic diagrams of the forces at work in the universe, are all used as tools for meditation and for the achievement of spiritual, magic and supernatural powers.

During meditation, the follower of the Tantric guru identifies herself or himself with any of the gods or goddesses representing cosmic forces. The follower visualizes them and takes them into her or his mind so that she or he unites with them in a process akin to sexual courtship and consummation. Some Tantric monks (saints, babas, swamis, etc.) use female partners to represent goddesses. In left-handed Tantra (Vamachara), a ritual of sexual intercourse is practiced, not for pleasure as the Tantrics claim, but as a way of entering into the underlying processes and structure of the universe, as scientists deal with the big bang and black holes, etc.

The Tantric tradition may run either parallel to or intertwined with the Vedic tradition, though some orthodox Brahmans who accept the authority of the Vedas reject the authority of Tantras. The source of written Tantric wisdom is the agama, which mainly consist of four parts; delineating metaphysical knowledge (Jnana), contemplative procedures (Yoga), ritual regulations (Kriya) and ethical and religious injunctions (Charya).

Though the paths of Tantra and Yoga are contradictory, they have some common philosophies and goals. During his discourse on ‘Vijnana Bhairava Tantra’, Osho tried to differentiate between these two paths thus, “Yoga is suppression with awareness; Tantra is indulgence with awareness.”

As Robert Svoboda summarizes the three major paths of the Vedic knowledge, “Because every embodied individual is composed of a body, a mind and a spirit, the ancient Rishis of India who developed the Science of Life organized their wisdom into three bodies of knowledge: Ayurveda, which deals mainly with the physical body; Yoga, which deals mainly with spirit; and Tantra, which is mainly concerned with the mind. The philosophy of all three is identical; their manifestations differ because of their differing emphases. Ayurveda is most concerned with the physical basis of life, concentrating on its harmony of mind and spirit. Yoga controls body and mind to enable them to harmonize with spirit, and Tantra seeks to use the mind to balance the demands of body and spirit.”

Tibetan Buddhist Tantric master Lama Thubten Yeshe said, “Each one of us is a union of all universal energy. Everything that we need in order to be complete is within us right at this very moment. It is simply a matter of being able to recognize it. This is the Tantric approach.”

According to Tantra, ‘being-consciousness-bliss’ or Satchidananda (Sat-chit-ananda meaning existence-consciousness-bliss) has the power of both self-evolution and self-involution. Prakriti or ‘Reality’ evolves into a multiplicity of creatures and things, yet at the same time always remains pure consciousness, pure being, and pure bliss. In this process of evolution, Maya (illusion) veils Reality and separates it into opposites, such as conscious and unconscious, pleasant and unpleasant, and so forth. If not recognized as Maya or illusion, these opposing forces can bind, limit and fetter the individual (jiva).

Evolution or the ‘outgoing current’ is only half of the function of Maya. Involution or the ‘return current’ takes the jiva back towards the root of Reality, revealing the infinite. Tantra teaches the method of changing the ‘outgoing current’ into the ‘return current’, transforming the fetters created by Maya into that which ‘releases’ or ‘liberates’. This view upholds two pillars of Tantra; ‘One must rise by that by which one falls,’ and ‘the very poison that kills becomes the elixir of life when used by the wise.’

The Tantric aim is to sublimate rather than to negate relative reality. This process of sublimation consists of three phases: purification, elevation and the ‘reaffirmation of identity on the plane of pure consciousness’. The methods employed for attaining this goal by Dakshinachara (right-hand path) and the Vamachara (left-hand path) of Tantra are different.

It is difficult to describe Tantric practices definitively, but they can be broadly classified as ‘Ordinary Rituals’ and the ‘Secret Rituals’. The Ordinary Ritual or pooja may include elements of Mantra and Yantra, which are instruments to invoke specific Hindu deities such as Shiva, Shakti, or Kali. Similarly, pooja may involve focusing on a Yantra or Mandala associated with a deity.

Tantra, as an offshoot of early Vedic thought, embraced Hindu gods and goddesses, especially Shiva and Shakti, along with the Advaita philosophy that each represents an aspect of the ultimate Param Shiva, or Brahman. The deities may be worshipped externally with flowers, incense and other offerings, such as singing and dancing. But these deities are engaged internally as attributes of Ishta Devata meditations. The practitioners either visualize themselves as the deity, or experience the Darshan (the vision) of the deity. These Tantric practices also are believed to be the foundation of the Ritual Temple Dance of the Devadasis.

Secret Tantric Rituals may include any or all of the elements of Ordinary Rituals, along with other sensate rites such as a feast (food, or sustenance), coitus (sex and procreation), the charnel grounds or cremation grounds (representing death and transition) and defecation, urination and vomiting (representing removal of waste, renewal and fecundity). It is this sensate nature that prompted the German thinker, Indologist and historian of South Asian art Heinrich Zimmer praise Tantra as, “In the Tantra, the manner of approach is not that of Nay but of Yea, the world attitude is affirmative, man must approach through and by means of nature, not by rejection of nature.”

Tantric Sexual Rites of Vamamarga may have emerged from early Hindu Tantra as a practical means of catalyzing biochemical transformations in the body to facilitate heightened states of awareness. These constitute vital offerings to Tantric deities. Sexual rites may have also evolved from clan initiation ceremonies involving transfer of sexual fluids, by which the male initiate is inseminated with the sexual emissions of the female consort, sometimes mixed with the semen of the guru. The Tantrika is thus transformed into a son of the clan (kulaputra) through the grace of his consort. The clan fluid (kuladravya) or clan nectar (kulamrita) is conceived as flowing naturally from her womb. Later developments in the Sexual Rites emphasize the primacy of bliss and divine union, which replace the more bodily connotations of earlier forms. Although popularly equated with Tantra in its entirety in the West, such sexual rites were historically practiced by a minority of sects and cults. For many lineages, these Maithuna practices (sexual union) progressed into psychological symbolism.

The Tantric sex rituals culminate in a sublime experience of infinite awareness for both the participants. Tantric texts specify that sex has three distinct purposes: procreation, pleasure, and liberation. Those seeking liberation avoid frictional orgasm for a higher form of ecstasy, as the couple participating in the ritual lock in a static embrace. Several types of sexual rituals are practiced by Tantrics, involving elaborate and meticulous preparatory and purifying rites. The sexual act itself balances energies coursing within the Pranic Ida and Pingala channels in the bodies of both the partners. The Sushumna nadi (spinal chord) is awakened and Kundalini (instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti that lies coiled at the base of the spine, often called the ‘serpent power') rises upwards within it. This eventually culminates in Samadhi, wherein the individual personalities and identities of the participants are completely dissolved in cosmic consciousness. The male and female participants in Tantric sex are conjoined physically and represent Shiva and Shakti. Beyond physical sex, a subtle fusion of Shiva and Shakti energies takes place, resulting in a unique energy field. On an individual level, each participant experiences a fusion of one's own Shiva and Shakti energies.

The first Western scholar to take the study of Tantra seriously was Sir John Woodroffe (1865-1936), who wrote about Tantra under the pen name Arthur Avalon, who is considered as the ‘founding father of Tantric studies’. Woodroffe was an ardent advocate for Tantra, defending Tantra against its many critics and presenting Tantra as an ethical philosophical system greatly in accord with the Vedas and Vedanta. Woodroffe himself practiced Tantra as he understood it and, while trying to maintain his scholastic objectivity, was considered a student of Hindu Tantra (in particular Shiva-Shakti) tradition.

Following Sir John Woodroffe, a number of scholars of comparative religion and Indology began to investigate Tantric teachings, including Agehananda Bharati, Mircea Eliade, Julius Evola, Carl Jung, Giuseppe Tucci and Heinrich Zimmer. According to Hugh Urban, Zimmer, Evola and Eliade viewed Tantra as "the culmination of all Indian thought: the most radical form of spirituality and the archaic heart of aboriginal India", and regarded it as the ideal religion of the modern era. All three saw Tantra as "the most transgressive and violent path to the sacred." Other popular authors such as Joseph Campbell brought Tantra into the imagination of the peoples of the West. Tantra came to be viewed by some as a ‘cult of ecstasy’, combining sexuality and spirituality in such a way as to act as a corrective force to Western repressive attitudes about sex.

For many modern thinkers, Tantra has become a synonym for ‘Spiritual Sex’ or ‘Sacred Sexuality’, a belief that sex in itself ought to be recognized as a sacred act which is capable of elevating its participants to a more sublime spiritual plane.

According to Hugh Urban, “Since at least the time of Agehananda Bharati, most Western scholars have been severely critical of these new forms of pop Tantra,” and this ‘California Tantra’ as Georg Feuerstein calls it, is “based on a profound misunderstanding of the Tantric path”. “Their main error is to confuse Tantric bliss with ordinary orgasmic pleasure.” Urban said that he himself doesn't consider this ‘wrong’ or ‘false’ but rather ‘simply a different interpretation for a specific historical situation.’

Vamachara system of Tantra is considered to be on the fringes of extreme and associated with the pancha-makara or the ‘Five Ms’, also known as the pancha-tattva. Literally, they are Madya (wine), Mamsa (meat), Matsya (fish), Mudra (cereal), and Maithuna (sexual intercourse).

Vamachara Tantric traditions impose strict ritual limits on the use of these literal forms and warn against non-sanctioned use. If practiced without the guidance of a highly learned Tantric guru, the practitioner will end up committing sins or crimes. So, practitioners of Vamachara Tantric rituals may make symbolic substitutions for these actual things, which are not permitted in orthodox Hindu practice, and certain practices can be legally prohibited. Tantric practices can be done without involvement with the actual pancha-makara is emphasized by Swami Madhavananda, and by numerous other Tantrics.

The 'Charnel Ground Sadhana' (Shmashan Sadhana) practiced by Aghoris, identifies it as principally cutting through attachments and aversion. They are often viewed as uncultured and undomesticated. The gurus and disciples of Aghor believe their state to be primordial and universal. They believe that all human beings are naturally born Aghori. Hari Baba has said that human babies of all societies are without discrimination, they will play as much in their own filth as with the toys around them. Children become progressively discriminating as they grow older and learn the culturally specific attachments and aversions of their parents. Children become increasingly aware of their mortality as they bump their heads and fall to the ground. They start to fear their mortality and then palliate this fear by finding ways to deny it altogether. In this sense, Aghor Sadhana is a process of unlearning deeply internalized cultural models. When this Sadhana takes the form of Shmashan Sadhana, the Aghori faces death as a very young child, simultaneously meditating on the totality of life at its two extremes. This ideal example serves as a prototype for other Aghor practices, both left and right, in ritual and in daily life.

The symbolism of the Khatvanga that entered esoteric Buddhism was a direct borrowing from the Shaivite Kapalikas who frequented places of austerity such as cremation grounds as a form of 'left-handed path'. The form of the Buddhist Khatvanga derived from the emblematic staff of the early Indian Shaivite Yogins, known as Kapalikas or 'skull-bearers'. The original Kapalikas were criminals who had been sentenced to a twelve-year term of penance for the crime of inadvertently killing a Brahmin. The penitent was prescribed to dwell in a forest hut, at a desolate crossroads, in a charnel ground, or under a tree. They were also ordered to live by begging, wear a loin-cloth of hemp, dog, or donkey-skin. They also had to carry the emblems of a human skull as an alms-bowl, and the skull of the Brahmin they had slain mounted upon a wooden staff as a banner. These Kapalika ascetics soon evolved into an extreme outcaste sect of the 'left-hand' Tantric path (Vamamarg) of Shakti or goddess worship. The early Buddhist Tantric Yogins and Yoginis adopted the same goddess or dakini attributes of the Kapalikas.

And finally, here is an advisory!

The extreme types of Tantric practitioners are condemned by cultured and educated people because of their cannibalistic rituals, and rituals like sacrificing animals and even human beings in their secret practices. Many Tantric practices are banned by law in many countries for practices bordering on crime, forced sex, and similar practices. Also, some of the claimants of divine or supernatural powers are just practitioners of black magic or hypnotism, and it is very difficult to separate them from true masters. Their activities come to light only when they are exposed by their own people or by the victims who escape from them. So, if attracted by divine powers, make proper enquiries before joining them for any purpose. There are many reputed spiritual leaders and organizations that have helped people on their paths to meditation and bliss! So, be selective and don’t let your quest for eternal bliss end up in eternal suffering at the hands of fakes!

Tantra, Karma and Love - video