Tantras

	Part of a series on; Hindu scriptures
	Vedas Rigveda · Yajurveda · Samaveda · Atharvaveda; Divisions; Samhita · Brahmana · Aranyaka · Upanishad
	Upanishad Aitareya · Brihadaranyaka · Isha · Taittiriya · Chandogya · Kena · Maitri · Mundaka · Mandukya · Katha · Kaushitaki · Prashna · Shvetashvatara
	Vedanga Shiksha · Chandas · Vyakarana · Nirukta · Jyotisha · Kalpa
	Itihasa Mahabharata · Ramayana
	Other scriptures Smriti · Śruti · Bhagavad Gita · Purana · Manu Smriti · Agama · Pancharatra · Tantra · Akilathirattu · Sūtra · Dharmashastra · Divya Prabandha · Tevaram · Ramacharitamanas · ; Yoga Vasistha
	This box: view; talk; edit;

Tantras ("Looms" or "Weavings") refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Although Buddhist and Hindu Tantra have many similarities from the outside, they do have some clear distinctions.

Classes of Hindu Tantra

The word Tantra also means technique or method. Hence, the Hindu Tantra scriptures refer to techiques for achieving a result, which in most cases is self-realization.

The Hindu Tantras total ninety-two scriptures, where sixty four are purely Ābheda (literally "without differentiation", or monistic), known as the Bhairava Tantras or Kashmir Śaivite Tantras, eighteen are Bhedabheda (literally "with differentiation and without differentiation" or monistic cum dualistic), known as the Rudra Tantras), and ten are completely Bheda (literally "differentiated" or dualistic), known as the Śiva Tantras. The latter two (Rudra Tantras and Śiva Tantras) are used by the Śaiva Siddhantins, and thus are sometimes referred to as Shaiva Siddhanta Tantras, or Shaiva Siddhanta Āgamas

Revelation

Hindus consider the tantras to be divine revelations, or Śruti, imparted by Śiva (Śiva) in the form of Svacchandanath, who created each tantra as a combination of his five universal energies, or shakti: cit śakti (energy of all-consciousness), ānanda śakti (energy of all-bliss), īccha śakti (energy of all-will), jñāna śakti (energy of all-knowledge), kriya śakti (energy of all-action). The Tantrika Parampara, or 'Tantric tradition' may be considered parallel or intertwined with the Vaidika Parampara or 'Vedic tradition'. It is said that Svacchandanath illuminated the universe, beginning the Sat Yuga, or 'golden age', by revealing these tantras. Through the ages, as the mahasiddha or 'great masters' of the tantras hid themselves to escape the touch of the increasingly worldly people, these teachings were lost during the Kali Yuga or 'degenerate age'. As a part of Śiva's grace, Śiva took the form Śrikanthanatha at Mount Kailaṣ and revealed the ninety-two Hindu tantras to Durvasa and then disappeared into the Ākaśa or ether.

Origin

In the Nath Tradition, legend ascribes the origin of Tantra to Dattatreya, a semi-mythological yogi and the assumed author of the Jivanmukta Gita ("Song of the liberated soul"). Matsyendranath is credited with authorship of the Kaulajnana-nirnaya, a voluminous ninth-century tantra dealing with a host of mystical and magical subjects, and occupies an important position in the Hindu tantric lineage, as well as in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.

Function

In contradistinction to the Vaidik ritual, which is traditionally performed out-of-doors without any idols nor emblems, the Tantrik ritual is largely a matter of temples and idols. The Tantra-s are largely descriptions and specifications for the construction and maintenance of temple-structures together with their enclosed idols and linga-s—an example of type of text is the Ajita Mahaatantra.^[1] Another function was the conservation as state-secrets of texts for use by royalty to maintain their authority through rituals directed to deities controlling the political affairs-of-state—an example of this is the S`aarada-tilaka Tantra.^[2]

Notes

References

Lakshmanjoo, Swami. Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme. ISBN 1-58721-505-5
Dhallapiccola, Anna. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. ISBN 0-500-51088-1
Walker, Benjamin (1983). Tantrism: Its Secret Principles and Practices. Borgo Press. ISBN 0-85030-272-2