Hindu tantric literature refers to esoteric scriptures in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

Classes

The word ''

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 ...

'' is made up by the joining (''sandhi'' in

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 ...

) of two Sanskrit words: ''tanoti'' (expansion) and ''trayati'' (liberation). Tantra means liberation of energy and expansion of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, an ...

from its gross form. It is a method to expand the mind and liberate the dormant potential energy, and its principles form the basis of all yogic practices. Hence, the Hindu tantric scriptures refer to techniques for achieving a result. The Hindu tantras total 92 scriptures; of these, 64 are purely ''Abheda'' (literally "without differentiation", or

monistic Monism attributes oneness or singleness () to a concept, such as to existence. Various kinds of monism can be distinguished: * Priority monism states that all existing things go back to a source that is distinct from them; e.g., in Neoplatonis ...

), known as the

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 ...

Tantras or Kashmir Śaivite Tantras, 18 are ''Bhedābheda'' (literally "with differentiation and without differentiation"

or dualistic), known as the

Rudra Rudra (/ ɾud̪ɾə/; ) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the ''Rigveda'', Rudra is praised as the "mightiest of the mighty". Rudra ...

Tantras), and 10 are completely ''Bheda'' (literally "differentiated" or dualistic), known as the Tantras. The latter two (''Rudra'' Tantras and ' Tantras) are used by the Śaiva Siddhāntins, and thus are sometimes referred to as

Shaiva Siddhanta Shaiva Siddhanta () is a form of Shaivism popular in a pristine form in Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka and in a Tantrayana syncretised form in Vietnam and Indonesia (as Siwa Siddhanta). It propounds a devotional philosophy with the ultimate goal of e ...

Tantras, or Śaiva Siddhānta '' Āgamas''. Tantra are mainly two types: Agama and Nigama. Agamas are those texts in which Goddess asked questions and the God replied. In Nigama texts, God asked questions and Goddess replied. This dialogue between God and Goddess is special feature of Hindu Tantra.

Origin

In the Nāth Tradition, legend ascribes the origin of tantra to

Dattatreya Dattatreya (, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, incarna ...

, a semi-mythological yogi and the assumed author of the Jivanmukta Gita ("Song of the liberated soul").

Matsyendranath Matsyendranātha, also known as Matsyendra, Macchindranāth, Mīnanātha and Minapa (early 10th century) was a saint and yogi in a number of Buddhism, Buddhist and Hinduism, Hindu traditions. He is considered the revivalist of hatha yoga as we ...

is credited with authorship of the Kaulajñāna-nirnāya, a voluminous ninth-century tantra dealing with a host of

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...

and magical subjects. This work occupies an important position in the Hindu tantric lineage, as well as in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.

Function

In distinction to Vedic ritual, which is traditionally performed out-of-doors without idols or emblems, the Tantric ritual is largely a matter of temples and idols. The tantras are largely descriptions and specifications for the construction and maintenance of temple structures with their resident idols and lingas, for example is the ''Ajita Māhātantra''. Another function was the conservation of esoteric texts for the exclusive use of rulers in rituals directed to deities controlling political affairs, for example the ''Śārada-tilaka Tantra''.

Texts

Tantric texts are usually associated with a particular tradition and deity. The different types of Tantric literature are tantra, Āgama, saṃhitā, sūtra, upaniṣad, purāṇa, tīkā (commentaries), prakaraṇa, paddhati texts, stotram, kavaca, nighaṇṭu, koṣa and hagiographical literature. They are written in Sanskrit and in regional languages. The major textual tantra traditions with some key exemplary texts is as follows: *

Śaiva Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

– Sadaśiva (Śivagama), Vāma or

Tumburu Tumburu () is the foremost among the gandharvas, the celestial musicians of Hindu mythology. Accounts depict him performing in the courts of the deities Kubera and Indra, and as singing the praises of Vishnu. He is said to lead the gandharvas in ...

, Dakṣiṇa or

**Kularnava Tantra **Amṛteṣaṭantra or Netratantra **Netragyanarṇava tantra **Niḥśvāsatattvasaṃhitā **Kālottārā tantra **Sarvajñānottārā ** Ṣaivāgamas **Raudrāgamas **Bhairavāgamas **Vāma Āgamas **Dakṣiṇāgamas *Śivaśakti traditions – Yāmala (also part of Bhairava tradition) **Brahma yāmala ** Rudra yāmala **Skanda yāmala **Viṣṇu yāmala **Yama yāmala **Yāyu yāmala **Kubera yāmala **Indra yāmala *

Śākta Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the deity or metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, manifestations, or personification ...

–

Kālī Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major Devi, goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses ...

traditions (

, Kālī Viṣṇu,

Kāmākhyā Kamakhya (), a mother goddess, is a Shakta Tantric deity; considered to be the embodiment of ''Kama (desire)'', she is regarded as the goddess of desire. Her abodeKamakhya Temple is located in the Kamarupa region of Assam, India."Seated on top ...

Kubjika Kubjika ( Kubjikā, also known as Vakreśvarī, Vakrikā, Ciñciṇī) is the primary deity of Kubjikāmata, a sect of non- Siddhāntika mantra marga sect. The worship of Kubjikā as one of the main aspect of Adishakti was in its peak in 12th ce ...

, Tārā and Others), Śrīkula tradition **Varahi Tantra **Shakta Agamas **Muṇḍamālā tantra **Toḍala tantra **Cāmuṇḍa tantra **Devīyāmala **Mādhavakula **Yonigahavara, **Kālīkulārṇava tantra **Kaṇkālamālinī tantra **Jhaṃkārakaravīra, **Mahākāla saṃhitā **Kālī tantra **Kālajñāna tantra **Kumārī tantra **Siddhalaharī tantra **Niruttārā tantra **Kālīvilāsa tantra **Utpatti tantra **Kāmadhenu tantra **Nirvāṇa tantra **Kāmākhyā tantra **Tārā tantra **Kaula tantra **Matsya Sūkta / Tārā Kalpa **Samayā tantra **Vāmakeshvara tantra **Tantrajā tantra ** Yoginī tantra *Kula - Kulamārga and Other tantras **Kulārṇava tantra **Mahānirvāṇa tantra **Kulacūḍāmaṇi tantra **Guptasādhana tantra **Mātṛkābheda tantra *

Vaiṣṇava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Sh ...

– Vaikhanasas,

Pancharatra ''Pancharatra'' (IAST: ''Pāñcarātra'') was a religious movement in Hinduism that originated in late 3rd-century BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatar and forms of Vishnu as their central deities.

bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

-oriented tantras of

Kṛṣṇa Krishna (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is wi ...

and

Rāma Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

**Pāñcarātra saṃhitā texts **

Ahirbudhnya Saṃhitā The Ahirbudhnya Samhita () is a Hindu Vaishnava text belonging to the Pancharatra tradition. It is a Tantrika composition, composed possibly over several centuries within the 1st millennium CE, most probably at 200 CE. Ahirbudhnya Saṃhita lit ...

**Jayākhya saṃhitā **Pārameśvara saṃhitā **Pauśkara saṃhitā **Pādma saṃhitā **Nāradīya saṃhitā **Haṃsaparameśvara saṃhitā ** Lakṣmī tantra **Vaihāyasa saṃhitā **Śrīkālapraā saṃhitā **Vaikhānasa Āgamas **Gautamīya tantra **Bṛhadbrahma saṃhitā **Māheśvara tantra **Sātvata tantra ** Rādhā tantra **Agastya saṃhitā and Dāśarathīya tantra **Īśāna saṃhitā and Ūrdhvāṃnāya saṃhitā *

Mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

śāstra ''Śāstra'' ( ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The word is ge ...

- textbooks on Mantras, metaphysics of mantric sound, related practices and rituals **Prapañcasāra tantra and its commentaries and Ṭīkās **Śāradatilaka tantra by Lakṣmaṇa Deśikendra **Mantramuktāvali of Paramahaṃsa Pūrṇaprakāśa **Mantramahodadhi of Mahīdhara **Mantradevaprakāśikā of Viṣṇudeva **Mantrakamalākara of Kamalākara Bhaṭṭa **Mantraratnākara of Yadunātha Cakravartin **Mantramahārṇava of Mādhava Rāya Vaidya **Tantrasāra of Kṛṣṇānanda āgamvāgiśa *Nibandha - handbooks on ritual worship, sadhana and puja **Kriyākalpataru of śaktinātha Kalyānakara **Kaulāvalīnirṇaya of Jñānānandagiri Paramahaṃsa **śāktanandataraṃgiṇī of Brahmānanda Giri **śāktakrama of Pūrṇānanda **śrītattvacintāmaṇi of Pūrṇānanda **āgamakalpadruma of Govinda **āgamakalpalatikā of Yadunātha **āgamatattvavilāsa of Raghunātha Tarkavāgīśa, and āgamachandrikā of Rāmakṛṣṇa **Tantrachintāmaṇi of Navamīsiṃha **Prāṇatoṣiṇī of Rāmatoṣaṇa Vidyālaṃkāra **Śhivarahasya **Śaivakalpadruma * Saura tantras *

Ganapatya Ganapatya is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Ganesha (also called Ganapati) as the Parabrahman, Saguna Brahman.Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra The ''Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra'' (VBT, sometimes spelled in a Hindicised way as ''Vigyan Bhairav Tantra'') is a Shiva Tantra, of the Kaula Trika tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, possibly authored by Guru Keyūravatī. Singh notes that it is di ...

, which according to Christopher Wallis, is atypical of most Tantric scriptures.

Sir John Woodroffe Sir John George Woodroffe (15 December 1865 – 16 January 1936), also known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon, was a British Orientalist whose extensive and complex published works on the Tantras, and other Hindu traditions, stimulated a wide- ...

translated the ''Tantra of the Great Liberation (Mahānirvāna Tantra)'' (1913) into English along with other Tantric texts. Other tantras which have been translated into a Western language include the Malini-vijayottara tantra, the Kirana tantra, and the Parakhya Tantra. Some translation of Tantra texts #The Kulachudamani Tantra and Vamkehwar Tantra, Louise M. Finn #Kularnava Tantra, Paramhansa Mishra #Kularnava Tantra, Ram Rahim Rai #Yogini Hridaya, Vraj Vallabh Dwivedi #Yogini Tantra by GangaVishnu ShriKrishnadas #Maheshwar Tantra Sarala Hindi Vyakhya Sudhakar Malaviya Chowkambha (Narada Pancrata) #Kamratna Tantra, Hemchandra Goswami Tantric Texts Series Arthur Avalon (John Woodroffe) #Tantrabhidhanam with Bijanighantu & Mudranighantu - A Tantric Dictionary #Shatchakranirupanam (Serpant Power) with 2 commentaries - Taranatha Vaidyaratna #Prapachasaratantram (reprinted as volumes 18 & 19) #Kulachudamani Tantra - Girish Chandra Vedantatirtha #Kularnavatantram edited by Taranatha Vaidyaratna #Kalivilasatantram edited by Parvati Charana Tarkatirtha #Shrichakrasambhara edited by Kazi Dawa samdup (Buddhist Tantra) #Tantraraja Part 1 commentary by Subhagananda Natha #Karpuradistotra with intro & commentary by Vimalananda Swami #Kamakalavilasa of Punyananda, commentary by Natananadanatha #Kaula & Other Upanishads with commentaries by Bhaskararaya & others #Tantraraja Part 2 commentary by Subhagananda Natha #Mahanirvanatantram with commentary of Hariharananda Bharati #Kaulavalinirnayah of Jnanananda Paramahamsa #Brahmasamhita with commentary of Jiva Gosvami & Vishnusahasranama #Sharadatilakatantram of Lakshmana Desikendra with commentary Part 1 #Sharadatilakatantram of Lakshmana Desikendra with commentary Part 2 #Prapachasaratantram Part 1 #Prapachasaratantram Part 2 #Chidgaganachandrika - Swami Trivikrama Tirtha #Tarabhakti Sudharnava - Panchanana Bhattacharya Tarkaratna #Sataratna samgraha, with Sataratnollekhani - Edited by Panchanan Sastri

Classes

Origin

Function

Texts

See also

References

Notes

Works cited

Further reading

External links