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TANTRAS: IMPARTIAL CRITICISM OF TANTRAS
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ance than their teachers, be that capacity in any particular case more or less. Some of them care nothing for their Shastra. Others do not understand it. xxx The Indian who has lost his Indian soul must regain it if he would retain that independence in his thought and in the ordering of his life which is the mark of a man, that is of one who seeks Svarājyasiddhi.
"Again the cause of this ignorance is the fact that the Tantra Shāstra is a Sādhana Shāstra, the greater part of which becomes intelligible only by Sādhanā.”
SZIMPARTIAL CRITICISM OF TANTRAS
An impartial criticism of Tantras may be summed up in the few words that together with what has value, it contains some practices which are not approved and which have led to abuse (for these see post).
TANTRAS THEIR CONTENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS
We have mentioned in the beginning that “ Sri Bhairava Padmāvati Kalpa ", the work here published, is a Tantra. We would, therefore, consider the characteristics and contents of Tantras. We do not propose to enter into a learned discussion about the etymology of the word ' Tantra'. Readers interested in such discussion will find it in the beginning of chapter II of 'Shakti and Shakta ' by Sir John Woodroffe. According to the said chapter Tantra means a particular kind of religious scripture. Kāmika Agama there quoted gives the following definition:
तनाति बिपुलानर्थान् तत्त्वमन्त्रसमन्वितान् ।
प्राणं च कुरुते यस्मात् तन्त्रमित्यभिधीयते ।। "It is called Tantra because it promulgates great knowledge concerning Tattva and Mantra and because it saves."
CONTENTS “The Tantra deals with all matters of common belief and interest from the doctrine of the origin of the world to the laws which govern kings and societies which they have been divinely appointed to rule, medicine and science generally. The Tantra is not
