Agarchand Nahta Abhinandan Granth Part 2

Author(s): Dashrath Sharma
Publisher: Agarchand Nahta Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 126

under the garb of the Tantric Sadhana. The result was obvious. The divi e Tantras came to be stigmatised as a libidinous phallic necromancy.
Lakşmidhara, in his commentary on the thirty-first verse (śloka) of Saundarya Lahari of Sankarācārya ahs given the names of sixty-fore Tantras, i. e. Candrakala, Jyotsnavati, Kalanidhi, Kularnava, Kuleśvari, Bhuvaneswari, Barhaspatya and Durvā samata, in which the Brāhmaṇas, the Kşatriyas, the Vaiśyas, the Sūdras and even the mixed castes have been given equal rights to perform meditation.1 The first three are advised to attain Siddhi through Dakşiņācara practices and the Śüdras and the mixed castes are required to undergo Sādhana through Vámācāra. It is due to this liberal attitude that there has been no sect-rivalry since hoary past to the present day. One finds Saivas, Sāktas and Vaisnavas living together in perfect harmony in one and the same family. Whenever fish or meat is prepared in one family the members, though belonging to the different sects, sit together in one row and take their meals ungrudgingly, the only difference being that the Vaişnavas keep away from taking fish or meat. The Brāhmaṇas daily worship the Sālagrama (Visņu) and rub Srikhandacandana and ashes (bh7sma) of Siva on their forehead, arms, ears and other parts of body. Side by side with these gods, they worship Istadevī, the symbol of Sakti and also put vermillion marks on their forehead. Durga Pūjā is celebrated with the same zeal and vigour as Křsņāstami or Janmāştami and Sivarātri.? All this has resulted in wonderful blending of different religious sects and perfect harmony among their followers, a feature hardly to be seen elsewhere. Even the most orthodox Brāhmaṇas participate in Muslim religious festivals and also those of the low castes, and vice-versa. It is, therefore no exaggeration to say that in this part of the country we have the real Indian culture in all its broad aspects, still flourishing, to which the celebrated Tantric religion has made its singular contributions.
1. Umesha Miśra, op. cit., p. 18ff. 2. U. Thakur, op. cit. p. 45.
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इतिहास और पुरातत्त्व : ८९