History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.187

v7.c92.187

The Paraśurāmakalpasūtra, Jñānārṇavatantra, the Śāradātilaka and almost all Tāntrika works say that mantras possess wonderful and inconceivable powers,¹⁷⁸⁵ that a follower of Tantra secures all powers by following the practices of the school of his guru traditionally handed down and by faith, that mantras are the means of securing the fruits desired, that the authoritativeness of Tantraśāstra depends mainly on the faith of the followers of the śāstra, that the sādhaka should come to feel that guru, mantra, the deity, his own soul, mind and life-breaths are all one and then he will possess the knowledge of the Highest Self. Some of the Tāntrik works contain most exaggerated praises of mantras, particularly the śrīvidyāmantra of sixteen letters; e. g. Jñānārṇava says ‘Even crores of Vājapeyas and thousands of Aśvamedhas are not equal (in merit) to even the utterance of Śrīvidyā and so also gifts of crores of Kapilā cows cannot be compared to one utterance of Śrīvidyā (24th paṭala, verses 74-76). Vide Agnipurāṇa 125. 51-55 for mantras employed in killing an enemy, chapters 134 and 135 for Trailokyavijayavidyā and Saṅgrāmavijayavidyā respectively.