Kularnava Tantra - Arthur Avalon.pdf

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Kularnava
Tantra
Introduction
ARTHUR AVALON
(Sir John Woodroffe)
Readings
M.P. PANDIT
Sanskrit Text
TARANATHA VIDYARATNA
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS
PRIVATE LIMITED • DELHI
Reprint: Delhi, 1984,1999, 2000,
First Edition: Delhi, 1965
2007
© MOTILAL
BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS
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ISBN: 81-208-0972-6 (Cloth)
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PREFACE
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
rasa
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 tradi-
tions 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
viii
PREFACE
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
Kulanarva
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 aspi-
rant 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 presen-
ted 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.
M. P. PANDIT

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