Mark S. G. Dyczkowski (29 August 1951 – 2 February 2025) was an English

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...

, musician, and scholar of

Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

and

Kashmir Shaivism Kashmir Shaivism tradition is a 20th century umbrella-term for a body of Sanskrit learning, Sanskrit exegetical literature from several Nondualism, non-dualist Shaivism, Shaiva-Shaktism, Shakta Tantra, tantric and Monism, monistic religious t ...

. He has published multiple translations and commentaries, most notably the 12-volume Manthanabhairava Tantra and an 11-volume

Tantrāloka ''Tantrāloka'' () is a treatise of Abhinavagupta, a writer and philosopher of the Kashmir Shaivism school of Hindu philosophy. Overview The work contains the synthesis of the 64 monistic '' āgamas'' and the different schools of tantra. It d ...

including the commentary by Jayaratha. Dyczkowski also played the

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

and collected over 1,500 compositions for sitar.

Life and career

Mark Dyczkowski was born in London on 29 August 1951 to a Polish father and Italian mother. He discovered India at a young age and was deeply influenced by its cultures and religions. At age fourteen, Dyczkowski read the writings of

Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figure in th ...

, Yogananda, and

Ramakrishna Paramahansa Ramakrishna (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886——— —), also called Ramakrishna Paramahansa (; ; ), born Ramakrishna Chattopadhay,M's original Bengali diary page 661, Saturday, 13 February 1886''More About Ramakrishna'' by Swami Prab ...

, along with texts like the ''

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

'' and ''

Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra The ''Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra'' (Sanskrit: लङ्कावतारसूत्रम्, "Discourse of the Descent into Laṅkā", , Chinese: 入楞伽經) is a prominent Mahayana Buddhist sūtra. It is also titled ''Laṅkāvatāraratnasūt ...

''; and started playing the sitar. When he read Walter Evans-Wentz's books '' The Tibetan Book of the Dead'' and the ''Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines,'' he found them to be too complex to understand and realized the need for a

Guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

. After finishing school at the age of 17, Dyczkowski, now 18, traveled to India. He visited Guru Maharaj Ji's ashram in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, which had been established twelve years prior, as recommended by two fellow hotel guests, and remained there for six months. Dyczkoswki went to London to assist Maharaj in his sermons, and stayed there until the Guru suggested he go to college in India. He enrolled in the

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

in 1970 at the age of 19, where his professor was

Acharya Rameshwar Jha Acharya Rameshwar Jha (20th century) was an Indian traditional Sanskrit scholar and considered an authority on Nyaya, Vyakarana and Vedanta. He later became an exponent of non dualistic shaivisim and is often credited with establishing and prop ...

and a fellow student was K.D. Tripathi. Dyczkowski met Pandit Hemant Chakravarti in

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

in 1971. Chakravarti was a student of

Gopinath Kaviraj Gopinath Kaviraj (7 September 1887 – 12 June 1976) was an Indian Sanskrit scholar, Indologist and philosopher. First appointed in 1914 a librarian, he was the Principal of Government Sanskrit College, Varanasi from 1923 to 1937. He was also ...

, who in turn was a student of Vishuddhananda Paramahansa and

Anandamayi Ma Anandamayi Ma (born Nirmala Sundari; 30 April 1896 – 27 August 1982) was an Indian saint, teacher, and mystic. She was revered as an incarnation of Hindu goddess Durga. She was described by Sivananda Saraswati (of the Divine Life Society) ...

. Dyczkowski studied

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, philosophy, and

under his guidance, while simultaneously learning the ''sitar'' from

Budhaditya Mukherjee Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee () is an Indian classical sitar and surbahar maestro of the Imdadkhani gharana (school), recognizable by his intricate vocalic playing complemented by spectacular high speed playing. He holds a unique distinction of ...

. Dyczkowski also studied with Vrajvallabh Dwivedi and Pandit

Vagish Shastri Vagish Shastri (born Bhagirath Prasad Tripathi; 15 July 1935 – 11 May 2022) was an Indian scholar specializing in Sanskrit grammar, linguistics, and tantra. A scholar of ancient Indian texts and philosophy, Shastri also worked in yoga. In 20 ...

(who taught him

Sanskrit grammar The grammar of the Sanskrit language has a complex verbal system, rich nominal declension, and extensive use of compound nouns. It was studied and codified by Sanskrit grammarians from the later Vedic period (roughly 8th century BCE), culminatin ...

). By 1974 Dyczkowski had obtained a BA and MA in

Indian Philosophy Indian philosophy consists of philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. The philosophies are often called darśana meaning, "to see" or "looking at." Ānvīkṣikī means “critical inquiry” or “investigation." Unlike darśan ...

and Religion with distinction from Banaras Hindu University. He returned to England and was admitted to

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

to conduct doctoral research into Kashmir Shaivism. His doctoral advisor was

Alexis Sanderson Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson (born 1948) is an English indologist and Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford. Early life After taking undergraduate degrees in Classics and Sanskrit at Balliol College from 1968 to 1971, ...

, one of the few scholars in the West who knew of its existence. His supervisor was

Richard Gombrich Richard Francis Gombrich (; born 17 July 1937) is a British Indologist and scholar of Sanskrit, Pāli, and Buddhist studies. He was the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford from 1976 to 2004. He is currently Founder-Preside ...

. In 1976, Dyczkowski traveled to

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

and was formally initiated into Kashmiri Shaivism by Swami Lakshman Joo, who became his guru, and with whom Dyczkowski would stay for six months out of the year to attend his lectures. Dyczkowski returned to India in late 1979 after receiving his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

. He worked towards a second

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

at the Banaras Hindu University, where he studied as a Commonwealth Scholar. In 1985 he enrolled at the

Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya (IAST: ; formerly Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya and Government Sanskrit College, Varanasi) is an Indian university and institution of higher learning located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It is one of t ...

for the Vachaspati (

DLitt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

) degree. He started learning the sitar and

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...

from Dr. Gangrade (the head of the music faculty at BHU) and Omir Bhattacharya, and learned vocals from Pashupatinath Mishra. Dyczkowski published his

doctoral dissertation A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

, ''The Doctrine of Vibration'' as his first book, which introduced many people to Kashmir Shaivism and was reprinted multiple times. Sanderson gifted two books to Dyczkowski on his wedding. One of these books was the ''Kubjikāmata'', which sparked his curiosity and led him to research the '' Kubjikā'' tradition in Nepal, which he would visit once or twice a year. His research was the first such exposition of a secret Tantric tradition and led to multiple other such efforts. Dyczkowski primarily focuses on the ''Trika,

Kaula Kaula may refer to: People * Prithvi Nath Kaula (1924–2009), Indian librarian * William J. Kaula (1871–1953), American watercolor painter * William M. Kaula (1926–2000), Australian-born American geophysicist Other uses * USS ''Kaula'' ( ...

, Krama,

Bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

'', and '' Siddhānta'' schools of Tantra, among others. He is also notable for digitizing many previously inaccessible Sanskrit manuscripts and scriptures in association with the Muktabodha Indological Research Institute. Dyczkowski died in February 2025, at the age of 73.

Works

Books

*
The Doctrine of Vibration: an analysis of the doctrines and practices of Kashmir Shaivism
' (1987, State University of New York Press, Albany, New York). . *
The canon of the Śaivāgama and the Kubjikā Tantras of the western Kaula tradition
' (1987, State University of New York Press, Albany, New York). . *
Kubjikā, Kālī, Tripurā, and Trika
' (2000, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart & The Nepal Research Centre, Kathmandu). . *
The cult of the goddess Kubjika: a preliminary comparative textual and anthropological survey of a secret Newar goddess
' (2001, The Nepal Research Centre, Kathmandu). . *
A journey in the world of Tantras
' (2004, Indica Books, Varanasi). . *
Self Awareness, own being and egoity
' (1990, DK Book Agencies, Varanasi). .

Works edited or translated

*
The stanzas on vibration: the Spandakārikā with four commentaries
' by

Vasugupta Vasugupta ( – 850 CE) was the author of the '' Shiva Sutras'', an important text of the Advaita tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, also called ''Trika'' (sometimes called ''Trika Yoga''). Biography Little is known about Vasugupta's life, other th ...

(1992, State University of New York Press, Albany, New York). . *
The aphorisms of Śiva: the ŚivaSūtra with Bhāskara's commentary, the Vārttika
' by Vasugupta, Bhāskarabhatta (1992, State University of New York Press, Albany, New York). . *
Manthānabhairavatantram Kumārikākhaṇḍaḥ = Section concerning the virgin goddess of the Tantra of the churning Bhairava
' (2009, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts & D.K. Printworld, New Delhi). . * ''Tantraloka – The Light on and of the Tantras'' (2023, self-published at Varanasi) by

Abhinavagupta Abhinavagupta (Devanāgarī अभिनवगुप्तः; c. 950 – 1016 CE) was a philosopher, mystic and aesthetician from Kashmir. He was also considered an influential musician, poet, dramatist, exegete, theologian, and logicianR ...

. Vol. I: . Vol. II: . Vol. III: . Vol. IV . Vol. V. . Vol. VI. . Vol VII. . Vol VIII. . Vol IX. . Vol X. . Vol XI. . * ''Tantrasadbhavatantra – on the basis of Nepalese palmleaf manuscripts NAK 5-1985 / NGMPP A42/6'' (2005, Muktabodha Indological Research Institute Digital Library). * ''Ūrmikaulārṇava –'' on the basis of NAK MS no: 5-5207 (sic. 5-5202) and NGMPP reel no: B 115/9 (Muktabodha Indological Research Institute Digital Library). * ''Ciñcinīmatasārasamuccaya'' – on the basis of (MS) NAK 1-767; (MS) NAK 1-245; (MS) NAK MS 1-145; (MS) 1-99 (Muktabodha Indological Research Institute Digital Library).
The Samvitprakasa
by Vamanadatta (1990, Ratna Printing Works, Varanasi). .

Articles

*
The Khacakrapañcakastotra, Hymn to the Five Spheres of Emptiness: Introduction, Edition, and Translation
' in Tantrapuspanjali (2018, pp. 67–131, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts). .
The doctrines and practices associated with the Kashmiri Śaiva concept of Spanda
(PhD Thesis). (1986, British Library, London). .

References

External Links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. 1951 births 2025 deaths British Indologists English Indologists Kashmir Shaivism Shaivites Indian sitar players English people of Polish descent English people of Italian descent