________________ PREFACE The Buddhist Tantra is specifically known to be in four orders as, Kriya, Carya, Yoga and Anuttarayoga. Foremost of these is the Anuttarayoga. As of auxillary nature the three other orders must not be considered to be less significant, rather they are the successive steps which are leading upward are conducive to the highest ground of Anuttarayoga. In an implied order, all of these together call for unprecedented bliss. . It is a fact that Tantrika texts of Buddhist import in Sanskrit became non-existent in India before several centuries, so that not a trace of these has been found for a very long time. Fortunately, there has been a basic shift in this field since many Tantrika works of Buddhism were discovered in Nepal in the vicinity which posed enormous difficulty in scientific investi. gation in the beginning. But about fifty years ago, a great many scholars of Bengal procured precious manuscripts from Nepal and Tibet. Some of these illustrious men were Rajendra Lala Mitra, Mm. Hara Prasad Shastri and Prabodha Chandra Bagchi. There have also been scholars from out of Bengal as Mahapandita Rahula Sanksityayana and others who brought such inexhaustible treasure, During recent ten years, I have made four attempts to bring rare texts from Nepal and, thus, contribute to the field of exploration. Presently, there are many rare mss. in my possession among which the Kalacakra Tantra is most conspicuous in point of antiquity, size and as a treasure of all the tantras. Its perceptive commentary Vimalaprabha, literally of immaculate light, was not available till the present time. The work and commentary both are in five books (Patala) each. It may appear strange that despite an unusual response neither the work nor its commentary have been found completely in any collection. The fifth patala of the commentary remained, entirely obscure till it has been recovered by me partially. While determining the age of the composition of the VimalabrabhaTika of the abridged Kalacakra Tantra, we glimpse through relative episodes implicit in its chronology. The tika dwells on the transmission of Buddha's expositions upto Dasabala who prophesied the small Kalacakra Tantra based on the original expositions of the Adi Buddha. This Tantra was further delineated by Manjusri in the Kalapa Desa (unidentified). In former days the commentary of this Tantra had been done by King Sucandra
