Ratan Lal Basu
Copyright 2011 Ratan Lal Basu
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Contents
Part-IV: Sex, Greed and Failure
No body could tell when the tantra cult originated. It appeared as a parallel to yogic cult which contained similar physiological postures and breathing exercises and also the ultimate goal of self realization and unification with the supreme was the same. But they differed radically as regards the approach towards our desires, emotions and passions, especially those pertaining to food and sex habits. The yoga cult considered all our physical desires as vices and suggested repression and abstention from the very beginning. On the other hand tantra considered our worldly desires as natural and endowed us by god. They are vices so long as they remain crude and confined to transitory gratification of desires. So the tantric is recognize them as reality and without repressing them he are to be taboo free about all desires for sex and food. His endeavor should be to transcend the crude aspect and get all these desires sublimated to a higher plain. In this way sex ultimately transcends to a level where the physical union of the male and the female transcends to the cosmic union of 'purusa' and 'prakriti'.
The first evidence of these esoteric cults dates back to about 5000 B.C. Sculptures of yogic postures have been discovered in excavations pertaining to Indus valley civilization. The first literary evidence of esoteric cult is Atharva Veda which is not considered as pious by the orthodox Vedic school. Later on there are innumerable evidences in Buddhist and Jain texts and the most systematic compilation in Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutra' composed between 100 B.C. to 100 A.D. Tantric cult evolved and took various forms under Vazrajan and Zen schools of Buddhism, and Sakta, Vaisnab and Saiba schools of Hinduism. During the fifteenth century the Hat Yoga cult emerged borrowing heavily from the physical rites of tantra.
The rigorous tantra cult of the Sakta school is popularly known as tantrism in India. This school belong to the Vamachari Sakta cult. Their descriptions of inner human anatomy and physiology are the closest to modern bio-scientific discoveries of human economy. The tantra cult developed through of millennia long trial and error but the tantrics had no scientific theoretical knowledge and so they mixed up mysticism and extra mundane speculative philosophy with tantra. Their goal too was mystic, to resolve the mystery of life and death and union with the creator of the universe.
Tantra cult describes seven chakras (wheels) in human body. Their locations are: coccyx (muladhar chakra), sacrum (swadhisthan chakra), lumbar close to the navel (manipur chakra), thoracic close to the heart (anahata chakra), cervical close to the throat (visuddha chakra), base of the scull in between the angle of the eyes and the pituitary gland (ajna chakra) and top of the cerebrum (sahasrar chakra).
These chakras rest at important nerve plexuses, major points of contact between the central, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and some major endocrine glands.
The tantrics like the yogis believe that our main source of life force and vital energy is stored in a dormant form in the coccyx. They get this shrouded in mystery by visualizing that goddess kundalini as the source of our life force lies dormant in the coccyx in a three and a half fold coil.
In fact this is nothing but our life force in the form of genetic code of the DNA. For ordinary persons only an insignificant fraction of the genetic possibilities become manifest. Moreover the coccyx region is one of the two most important feedback centers (the other is at the top of the cerebrum) for the central and autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic) nervous systems.
Central nervous system relates to our conscious knowledge. But most of the vital functions are performed without our conscious knowledge by the autonomic nervous systems. They are like an extremely powerful computer mechanism with programs embedded in the genetic code. Only a tiny fraction of these programs are operative.
The tantric rites through breathing control and auto suggestions endeavors to retrieve from the hard disc stored in the coccyx the dormant genetic possibilities. They, however, define this as awakening of the kundalini goddess, the supreme mother goddess responsible for giving shape to the palpable universe and the energies that flow through this universe. She is lying dormant in three and a half coil inside the muladhar chakra. We are to break her sleep and let her move upwards along the path of the chakras toward the sahasrar chakra at the top of the cerebrum where the supreme god 'purusa' (the inert and invisible creator by whose command and will the supreme mother goddess has created this visible universe.) With the ascent of the mother goddess along the path defined by the chakras the tantric acquires extra ordinary supernatural powers and ultimately if the goddess can get untied with the supreme god, the tantric becomes one with the supreme and gets free from the cycle of birth and death.
The tantrics or yogis learnt about the immense power that could be acquired by the methods of postures, breathing and meditation methods through millennia long trial and error process. Without any scientific knowledge, they ascribed this to be the manifestation of power of the goddess kundalini who after being awakened moves upwards with continued efforts of the tantric and upper and upper she moves the man is endowed with more and more spectacular powers.
Breathing processes are very crucial to the awakening of the kundalini. The breathing tracks are called nadis (rivers). Three rivers are visualized by tantric cult. The first river ida starts from the left side and the second river pingala from the right side of the muladhar chakra and the third rive susumna passes along the spinal column. They cross at each chakra, ida and pingala alternating sides. Ida passes through the left nostril and crossing the ajna chakra reaches the sahasrar chakra from the right side. Pingala on the other hand, passes through the right nostril and crossing the ajna chakra reaches the sahasrar chakra from the left side. Susumna unites with them from the middle.
These nadis (rivers) may be compared with the sympathetic, parasympathetic and central nervous systems. It is believed that with tantric practices the kundalini force rises along the susumna river toward the cerebrum.
Now in reality with the rigorous breathing, postures, meditation and auto suggestions our dormant genetic possibilities open up gradually and we have gradual access to the hitherto autonomic nervous systems. More and more we have command over the autonomic system along the spinal column from coccyx to sacral, sacral to lumber and so on our latent genetic possibilities open up more fully.
Part-IV: Sex, Greed and Failure
From the very beginning of this awakening the tantric experiences tremendous energy and power which the ignorant person considers as supernatural. Majority of the tantrics fail after the initial achievements and because of their degeneration they cannot continue further practices properly. Their minds do not elevate in conformity with the elevation of the genetic possibilities. The most important reason is the freedom from taboos resulting in abject surrender to passions. The yogis fail because of ruthless repression of natural desires and tantrics fail because of over indulgence of these desires.
The most important hindrance is sex. Sex is the most powerful aspect of our vital force as nature demands from us in the first place that we procreate for continuation of the species. Therefore the initial success of tantric practice is accompanied by empowerment of libido and sexual capabilities and the power to attract the females into sex orgies. So the tantric is carried away by obsession with sex and this disables him to continue further practice successfully.
Some tantrics start making a show off of their acquired power through magic described by them as supernatural power. They attract people in large numbers to become his disciples. This guru cult fulfils his greed for money and power and he loses his way.
Now his limited power cannot be enhanced through tantric practices but his greed demands more capabilities and he now resorts to invented ideas of worship like offering sacrifices of animals and even human beings to the goddess Kali whom the superstitious tantrics consider as a blood thirsty goddess.
Tantra practices like all exercises, yogic asans and simple pranayams have immense beneficial effects as they set free our dormant genetic potentials. But our outlook in this regard should be scientific rather than mystic and superstitious. The cult has been associated with mysticism and supernatural. These are simply falsehood.
There is nothing mystic about tantra power. The power we gain by tantric rituals are simply physiological like all other exercises or asans. No goddesses or gods are involved in the seven chakras (nerve plexuses) and their base at coccyx. The dormant genetic potential at the coccyx is simply associated with our bio-genetic system and no kundalini goddess is involved here.
There are innumerable invented stories and myths about supernatural powers gained by tantric practices. Most of them are false and creation of the figment of imagination or hype targeting at befooling gullible people. The powers that could be achieved by tantric rituals are to be proved by evidence of actual achievements. Power could be achieved indeed. But how much and what type of power? This should be based on real experience of those who practice the rituals consistently and with sincerity.
For practicing these finer asans, breathing exercises, meditation and auto suggestions one should not go to the forests, hills or cemeteries, nor should one worship gods and goddesses. Necessity of rituals with human skulls or skeletons, animal or human sacrifices to the goddess, alcoholic or hashish addiction, dirty sex orgies all are the creation of perverted and deranged minds. These criminal and unclean activities do not help tantric achievements. On the contrary they lead to further degeneration of mental and physical health.
Honesty and ethics should be associated with tantric practices. The mind should be elevated to a higher ethical plain along with tantric achievements. Otherwise power achieved by these practices would be harmful for the society. Physical exercises, boxing, martial art all these give one physical prowess. Unless the mind is controlled, the strength thus acquired would turn a man into a bully and powerful criminal. Similarly tantric powers could be used to deceive people by magic, and thereby seduce innocent females into dirty sex orgies, or collect a large group of disciples with blind faith for the guru and use these man power to earn money and social & political power.
So ethics and morality are essential for deriving social benefits from tantra. A weak unethical and dishonest person is not as harmful for the society as a strong one. So ethics (freedom from greed for money or social & political power, jealousy, pride, sexual obsession etc.) is more important with one gaining power by tantra practices than an ordinary person.
Be free from self deception by associating myths, superstitions and mysticism with tantra and don't deceive others by magic, false stories of achievements (which you yourself have not experienced) for personal gain (money, social and political power, sexual orgies etc.)
Remember that 'Bhakti Yoga' (sakta, vaisnab, sufi etc.) calls for the most sacred and magnanimous mind. Association of bhakti (devotion) with addiction to drugs and alcohol, dirty sex orgies and killing living beings (for sacrifice) in the name of bhakti rituals are grave sins from the standpoint of 'Bhakti' cult.
Addiction results in derangement of intellect and sex orgies lead to perversion of senses and no yogic, tantric or devotional achievement is possible with a deranged or perverted mind. In sakta 'Bhakti' cult Kali is conceived as the universal mother. Not only human beings but also all other living beings are her children. Can a mother be thirsty for her children's blood?
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The Author
The author of this story is a Ph.D. in economics and professionally an economist but his passion for literature compels him at times to eschew the arena of economics and escape into the world of love romance and adventure. From his very childhood his favorite hobbies included swimming in turbulent rivers during the rains, small game hunting, boxing, hill trekking and adventure in wild animal infested deep forests. Later on he gave up hunting and boxing considering them to be cruel sports. In course of his hill treks he came in contact with various hill tribes and he could feel the heart bits of these honest and simple people, especially the charming girls. Many of his romantic short stories are based on these hill people and the hilly charm amidst which they are born and brought up. Dr. Basu may be contacted at rlbasu@rediffmail.com.