History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.163

v7.c92.163

The matters that distinguish Tāntrik works from other religious literature in Sanskrit are the ¹⁷⁶⁸ promise of the attainment of miraculous powers, the Realization of the one Supreme Principle in a short time by means of the Tāntrik *sādhanā* 'method or procedure' (vide Intro. to 'Principles of Tantra' p. XIV), by their insistence on the worship of Devī with makāras alone as yielding the desired results (as in Mahānirvāṇa V. 24 'pañcatattva-vihīnāyāṁ pūjāyāṁ na phalodbhavaḥ') and on their peculiar ritual of mantras, bījas (syllables meaningless to ordinary men), nyāsas, mudrās, cakras, yantras and similar things for attaining their goal The condemnation poured on Tāntricism is principally due to their insistence on wine, meat and sexual unions as the best and the only means for the effective worship of Devī, their theory that by merely repeating some mantra or mantras over wine, meat and other tattvas, by offering them to Devī and by meditation on her, one may drink wine or eat meat, when in the same breath they say emphatically that partaking of wine and meat is sinful without this ritual. This antagonizes those who are not *kaulas* and who hold that this persistent teaching is very dangerous for the common run of men and savours of hypocrisy.