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An Introduction to Tantric Buddhism c10: Chapter V. The Element of Esoteric Yoga

An Introduction to Tāntric Buddhism c10

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English

Contents

Chapter V. The Element of Esoteric Yoga

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In the previous chapter we have made an attempt at studying, on textual basis, the theological ideas that are associated with the yogic practice of the Tāntric Buddhists. If we sum up the above we shall see that the fundamental standpoint of the Tāntric Buddhists is more or less the same as that of the Hindu Tāntrikas. We hear from the time of the Āranyakas and the Upaniṣads that bliss is the quintessence of Brahman, the ultimate Being. From bliss proceeds the universe, it is sustained in bliss and it again dissolves in bliss.

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According to all schools of Tantra, bliss is the nature of the Absolute, which is conceived both positively and negatively. The Absolute is realised by us when we realise our self as perfect bliss. The ultimate aim is, therefore, to attain a state of perfect bliss. In all our ordinary experiences of pleasure we have but a momentary glimpse of the same bliss which constitutes the ultimate nature of our self. But these experiences of pleasure, because of their extremely limited and defiled nature, bind us to a lower plane of life, instead of contributing to our advancement towards self-realisation. Herein comes the question of Sādhanā which may transform even gross sense-pleasure into the boundless serenity of perfect bliss.

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In our ordinary life we have the experience of the most intense pleasure in our sex-experiences. Wide is the difference between this sex-pleasure and perfect bliss which is the ultimate nature of the self and the not-self; yet the distinction can be wholly removed by a total change of perspective and process. The sexo-yogic Sādhanā of the Tāntrikas is a Sādhanā for transforming this sex-pleasure into a realisation of infinite bliss in which the self and the world around are lost in an all-pervading oneness. This immersion of the self and the not-self in the all-pervading oneness of bliss is what is conceived as Nirvāṇa by the Tāntric Buddhists. Let us now see what practical processes of Yoga were enjoined by the Tāntric Buddhists for the realisation of this end.

(i) Body—The Medium for Realising the Truth

(A) The Theory of the Plexus

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On the practical side, which obviously is the fundamental side of the Tantras, the most important thing is the stress laid on the body as the medium in and through which truth can be realised. The Buddhist Tāntrikas, in unison with the other schools of Tantra, hold that the body is the abode of all truth; it is the epitome of the universe or, in other words, it is the microcosm, and as such embodies the truth of the whole universe. Attempt has actually been made in many Tantras to identify the universe completely with the body even by locating the seas, rivers, mountains, etc. in the different parts of the body. Whether we are ready to accept them in toto or not, the fact remains that the importance of the Tantras, as a science of religious methodology, consists in its analysis of the body and the discovery of all *tattva* in the nervous system and in the plexus and thus making the body, with the whole physiological and biological process, a perfect medium (*yantra*) for realising the ultimate truth.

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Let us now see how the Tāntric Buddhists discovered the different *tattvas* within this corporal structure. This question itself will naturally lead us to the physiological analysis of the nerves and the ‘lotuses’ and this will also help us a good deal in understanding the yogic process of the Tāntric Buddhists.

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This analysis of the physical system starts with the spinal cord, widely known as the *Merudaṇḍa*, which is taken to be one bone from the bottom of the back up to the medulla oblongata. The name *Merudaṇḍa* is significant, and the analogy involved in the name is clearly brought out in the *Śrī-sampuṭikā*, where it has been said that in the form of the skeleton-bone the great mountain Sumeru remains in the body.¹ This spinal column, compared to the mountain, is said to be very profound. It is the cave of the highest truth where all the world vanishes away.² The next thing is the theory of the *cakras* (plexus) or the lotuses as they are also called. According to the Buddhist Tāntrikas there are four such plexuses. The first is the lumbar plexus situated in the navel region. The next is the cardiac plexus in the heart. Next is the laryngeal and pharyngeal plexus at the junction of the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata; the last and the most important is the cerebral plexus called the *uṣṇīṣa-kamala* (the lotus of the head). In the Hindu Tantras, however, there are six *cakras* or plexuses in addition to the *Sahasrāra* or the highest cerebral plexus.³

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¹ *sthitaḥ pāda-tale vāyuḥ bhairavo dhanurā-kṛtiḥ |* *sthito'sti kaṭi-deśe tu tri-koṇo-ddharaṇan tathā ||* *vartulā-kāra-rūpo hi varuṇas tridale sthitaḥ |* *hṛdaye pṛthivī caiva caturasrā samantataḥ ||* *kaṅkāla-daṇḍa-rūpo hi sumerur girirāṭ tathā |*

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² *vara-giri-kandara guhira jagu tahi saala vi tuṭṭai |* Dohākoṣa of Kāṇhu-pāda, Dohā No. 14.

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³ The first is the *Mūlādhāra-cakra*, or the sacro-coccygeal plexus, situated between the penis and the anus and facing down; it has four petals of red colour with the four letters "v, ś, ṣ and s". Next is the *Svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra* or the sacral plexus, near the root of the penis with six petals of the colour of vermilion with the letters "b, bh, m, y, r and l". Next is the *Maṇipura-cakra* or the lumbar plexus in the region of the navel; there are ten petals of the colour of the cloud, with the letters "ḍ, ḍh, ṇ, t, th, d, dh, n, p and ph" on them. After that is the cardiac plexus or the *Anāhata-cakra* in the heart, with twelve petals of the colour of the *Bandhuka*-flower (red) with the letters "k, kh, g, gh, ṅ, c, ch, j, jh, ñ, ṭ and ṭh" on them. Next is the laryngeal and pharyngeal plexus (*Viśuddha-cakra*) at the junction of the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata with sixteen petals of smoky colour with the sixteen vowels on them. Above it is the *Ājñā-cakra* between the eye-brows; it is the seat of the mind or the centre of all sense knowledge and dream knowledge. There are only two petals of white colour with the letters "h and kṣ" on them. Above all is the *Sahasrāra-cakra* in the highest cerebral regions. It is of thousand petals of

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Of the six *Cakras* described in the Hindu Tantras only three are found in the Buddhist Tantras, viz., the plexuses in the navel region, in the heart and in the region just below the neck (i.e., *Maṇipura-cakra*, *Anāhata* and *Viśuddha-cakra*). The *Sahasrāra* of the Hindu Tantras corresponds to the *Uṣṇīṣa-kamala* of the Buddhists. But the most remarkable thing in the Buddhists' conception of the *Cakras* is the location of the three *kāyas*, viz., *Nirmāṇa-kāya*, *Sambhoga-kāya* and *Dharma-kāya* in these *Cakras*. Thus the lowest *Cakra* in the navel region represents the lowest *kāya*, i.e., *Nirmāṇa-kāya*; the *Cakra* in the heart is identified with the *Dharma-kāya* and the *Cakra* just below the neck is said to the *Sambhoga-kāya*. In the natural order the *Cakra* in the heart being next to the *Cakra* of *Nirmāṇa-kāya* ought to have been the *Sambhoga-kāya* and the *Cakra* below the neck ought to have been the *Dharma-kāya*; but we do not know why the order has slightly been changed. The *Sahaja-kāya* is located in the *Uṣṇīṣa-kamala* or the *Sahasrāra* of the Hindus. It is also called the *Mahāsukha-cakra* or the *Mahāsukha-kamala* being the seat of great bliss.

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In this theory of the *Cakras* there are some anomalies as regards the number, location and the other descriptions. Let us therefore discuss some of the descriptions of the *Cakras* found in the different texts. In the *Heruka-tantra* (thirty-first *paṭala*) we find that in the *Mahāsukha-cakra*, situated in the head, there is a lotus of four petals representing the four noble truths or the four categories (*catuṣkoṭi*); it is pure, of the nature of a circle of enlightenment (*bodhi-maṇḍala*) as the re-

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white colour and is facing downwards. On the petals the fifty letters including the vowels and the consonants are placed in twenty rounds. In the six *cakras* (excluding the *Sahasrāra*) there are six presiding goddesses, viz., *Ḍākinī*, *Rākiṇī*, *Lākiṇī*, *Kākinī*, *Śākinī* and *Hākinī* respectively. In the *Sahasrāra* there is the union of the *Śiva* and *Śakti*. Vide *Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇa* of Pūrṇānanda (with the commentaries of Kalicaraṇa, Śaṅkara and Viśvanātha), edited by Arther Avalon. (Tantric Text. Vol. II). See also,—*Śiva-saṃhitā*, Ch. V.

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ceptacle (ādhāra) and the seed (bīja) of all ; outside is a lotus of thirty-two petals, and inside it is the letter “ha” in the downward way which is of the nature of the Bodhicitta and the fifteen digits of the moon. Inside is the Yoginī of sixteen kalās or digits of the moon, carrying intense bliss with her. By the two sides are lalanā and rasanā of the nature of āli and kāli ; and the supreme goddess herself is of the nature of Sahaja-bliss and non-duality.¹ The description seems to be rather significant. The sixteen kalās of the Bodhicitta, doubled in day and night seem to be represented by the thirty-two petals of the lotus in the head ; and lalanā and rasanā by the two sides of the Parameśvarī (referring to Avadhūtikā) of the nature of āli and kāli are but the two nerves (corresponding to the Iḍā and Piṅgalā of the Hindu texts) by the two sides of Avadhūtikā, who is of the nature of Sahaja-bliss and non-duality. Next in the neck is the Sambhoga-cakra with sixteen petals of red colour, within it is the syllable “hum”; above it nectar flows down incessantly through a tunnel.² In the heart is the Dharma-cakra with eight petals ; it is a viśva-padma which is the double lotus, one facing upwards and the other facing downwards ; within it is the syllable “hum” downwards ; a little above there is a white lotus, representing the universe (brahmāṇḍa-sadṛśa-kāram) ; within that is pure consciousness (vijñānaṃ) which is ever manifest, all-pervading ; it is the receptacle of all, and the source of all self-produced knowledge (*svayambhū-jñānā-dhāram*), it is the great Lord (*parameśvara*).¹ In the navel region is a lotus of sixty-four petals of blue colour; within that is the syllable “aṃ” like a dazzling pearl. Slightly below is the *kanda* which is the receptacle of all the nerves numbering seventy-two thousand in all. From this *kanda* rise the nerve *lalanā* of the nature of Prajñā and *rasanā* of the nature of Upāya; and in the middle is the Goddess in the form of the universe, represented by the syllable “aṃ”, she is of the nature of the four ‘bodies’ and grants all perfection and supreme bliss.²

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¹ śirasi mahāsukha-cakre catur-ddala-padmaṃ śuddhaṃ mada-sthāne sarvasyā’dhāra-rūpatvāt / bodhi-maṇḍala-svabhāvam / bīja-bhūtam / bāhye dvā-triṃśad-dala-padmaṃ / tan-madhye ha-kāro’ dho-mukhaḥ bhavati / bodhicittā-tmakam ce’ndu-kalā-pañca-daśā-tmakaṃ / mahāsukhaṃ vahen nityaṃ yoginī ṣoḍaśī kalā || lalanā-rasanā dvayoḥ pārśve āli-kāli-svarūpiṇī / sahajā-nanda-svabhāvaṃ ca advayaṃ parameśvarī || Heruka-tantra, MS. (R.A.S.B. No. 11279) pp. 78(B)-74(A).

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² Cf. kaṇṭhe sambhoga-cakran tu ṣoḍaśa-dala-raktakam / tan-madhye huṃ-kāram / tasyo’rddhve ghaṇṭikā-randhra-mārgeṇa amṛtaṃ śravati nirantaram / Heruka-tantra, MS. p. 74(A).

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¹ Heruka-tantra, MS. p. 74(A).

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² Ibid., pp. 74(A)-74(B).

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According to the *Sekoddeśa-ṭīkā*, the *Uṣṇīṣa-padma* possesses four petals, the lotus in the forehead possesses sixteen petals, the lotus in the heart possesses thirty-two petals and the lotus in the navel region possesses sixty-four petals.³

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³ G.O.S. p. 27.

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In the *Śrī-sampuṭa* we find that the four *Cakras* are associated with the four *Mudrās*, viz., *Karma-mudrā*, *Dharma-mudrā*, *Mahā-mudrā* and *Samaya-mudrā*, which are again associated with the goddesses *Locanā*, *Māmakī*, *Pāṇḍarā* and *Tārā* respectively who again in their turn are the presiding goddesses over the elements (confused with the *skandhas*, as we have already seen) of earth, water, fire and air; these are again represented by the syllables “*e*, *vaṃ*, *ma* and *yā*” (*Cf. evam mayā śrutam* etc.). Thus the *Nirmāṇa-cakra* in the navel region stands for the element of earth represented by the syllable “*e*” and presided over by the goddess *Locanā*, who is associated with the *Karma-mudrā*. In this way the elements with their syllabic symbols and presiding deities and the associated *Mudrās* are located in the other three *Cakras*.⁴

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⁴ *ekāraṃ pṛthivī jñeyā karma-mudrā tu locanā | mahā-kṛpā maho-pāyā viśva-rūpā viśva-gocarā ||*

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It may be noted in this connection that according to the Hindu Tantras also we find that the *Cakras* or the *Padmas* are associated with different goddesses, viz., Ḍākinī, Rākiṇī, Lākinī, Kākinī, Śākinī, and Hākinī, and we also find that the *Mūlādhāra-cakra* represents earth, *Svādhiṣṭhāna* water, *Maṇipura* fire, *Anāhata* air and *Viśuddha* ether.¹ Again goddess Locanā in the *Nirmāṇa-cakra* represents universal compassion (*karuṇā*), Māmakī in the *Sambhogā-cakra* represents universal brotherhood (*maitrī*) and concentration (*praṇidhi*), Pāṇḍarā represents self-contentment (*muditā*) and Tārā represents absolute indifference (*upekṣā*).² These descriptions of the *Cakras* are also confirmed by the *Hevajra-tantra*,³ and the *Hevajra-tantra* reminds us in this connection that as the *Cakras* are four in number, all the *tattvas* are four. Thus four are the moments,⁴ viz., *vicitra, vipāka, vimarda* and

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¹ Vide *Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇam*, ed. by A. Avalon. Cf. Also,—*Ānandalaharī* quoted in the commentary of the verse No. 8 of the *Ṣaṭcakra-vivṛti* of Viśvanātha, ed. by A. Avalon. ² See f.n. 4 of the previous page. ³ e-kāreṇa locanā devī vaṅ-kāreṇa māmakī smṛtā| ma-kāreṇa pāṇḍarā ca yā-kāreṇa ca taruṇī || karmamudrā-dharmamudrā-mahāmudrā-samayamudrāḥ/ nir-māṇa-cakre padmaṃ catuḥ-ṣaṣṭi-dalam/ dharma-cakre aṣṭa-dalam/ sambhoga-cakre ṣoḍaśa-dalam/ mahāsukhe dvātriṃśaddalam | ⁴ For the interpretation of the ‘moments’ see Infra.

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sthitā nirmāṇa-cakre vai nābhau viśva-paṅkaje ||
vaṃ-kāraṃ tu jalaṃ jñeyaṃ dharma-mudrā tu māmakī|
maitrī praṇidhi-rūpā tu devi vajra-mukhe sthitā ||
dharma-cakre tu hṛdaye aṣṭa-dalā-mbuje ||
ma-kāraṃ vahnir uddiṣṭo mahā-mudrā tu pāṇḍarā|
muditā-bala-yogena devī padma-kulo-bhavā ||
sthitā sambhoga-cakre tu kaṇṭhe dvy-asta-dalā-mbuje ||
yā-kāro vāyu-rūpo'stu sarva-kleśa-prabhañjakaḥ|
mahā-samaya-mudrā vai devī karma-kulā mukhyā ||
upekṣā jñāna-yogena tārā saṃsāra-tāriṇī|
mahāsukha-cakre tu dvā-triṃśad-dala-paṅkaje ||
Śrī-sampuṭikā, MS. p. 10(A).

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Cf. tatra nābhyabje bhuvaḥ pañca-guṇā gandha-rūpa-rasa-sparśa-śabda-lakṣaṇāḥ/ hṛdayābje toyasya catvāro guṇā rūpa-rasa-sparśa-śabda-lakṣaṇāḥ/ kaṇṭhābje agnes trayo guṇā rasa-sparśa-śabda-lakṣaṇāḥ/ lalāṭābie maruto dvau guṇau sparśa-śabda-lakṣaṇau/ uṣṇīṣābje śūnyasya śabda-mātram eko guṇaḥ/ Sekoddeśa-ṭīkā (G.O.S.) p. 51.

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vilakṣaṇa; four are the aṅgas (stages in the methods of the Sādhana), viz., sevā, upa-sevā, sādhana and mahā-sādhana, four are the noble truths (ārya-satya), viz., sorrow, its cause, its suppression and the way of suppressing it; four are the tattvas, viz., the tattva of the self (ātma-tattva), the tattva of the Mantras (mantra-tattva), the tattva of the gods (devatā-tattva) and the tattva of knowledge (jñāna-tattva); four are the ānandas (states of bliss), viz., ānanda, paramā-nanda, viramā-nanda, and sahajā-nanda; four are the Nikāyas, viz., Sthavira-vāda, Sarvāsti-vāda, Saṃvidi-vāda and Mahāsāṅghika; sixteen (which is a multiple of four) are the Saṅkrāntis,¹ sixty-four (multiple of four) are the daṇḍas, thirty-two nerves, four praharas and thus all are four (or multiples of four).² About the number of the petals of these Cakras or lotuses the Hevajra-tantra holds the same view. As in the Hindu-tantras, here also there is the scheme of arranging the letters on the petals of the lotuses.³ But in some texts the Nirmāṇa-cakra, instead of being located in the navel region, is located in the region near about the sex-organ. Thus it is said in the Hevajra-tantra (the verses being found also in the Sampuṭikā) that four are the kāyas, viz., Dharma, Sambhoga, Nirmāṇa and Mahāsukha, of which the first three are situated near the sex-organ, the heart and the neck respectively. Nirmāṇa-kāya is the region whence all the animate and the inanimate originate and therefore it is located near the sex-organ. The Dharma-cakra is of the nature of the consciousness of all the dharmas and is located in the heart. Sambhoga means enjoyment of the six rasas; the Sambhoga-kāya is of the nature of all-existence (as pure delight) and is situated near the neck; the Mahāsukha-kāya is in the head.¹ Then it has been said that *Sthāvarī* is in the *Nirmāṇa-cakra* wherefrom all the static (*sthāvara*) originate. What is exactly meant by this *Sthāvarī* we are not sure; but it seems from the context that it may refer to the old *Sthavira-vāda* or *Thera-vāda* (the school of the elders). The *Sarvāsti-vāda* or the Realistic School which originated from a scrutiny into the nature of the *dharmas* (things) is said to be in the *Dharma-cakra*; *Saṃvidi-vāda* is in the neck, whence are all our perceptions (*saṃvedana*); *Mahāsaṃghī* is in the *Sukha-cakra*, and *Mahāsukha* is in the head.² The *Saṃvidi-vāda* generally refers to the school of *Vijñāna-vāda*, but in the commentary of the *Hevajra-tantra* *Saṃvidi* is explained as referring to those who realise high emotions; *Mahāsukha* being the ultimate unity of all the *dharmas*, *Mahāsukha-cakra* is the *Mahāsaṃghī*.³ Again it is explained that the body (*kāya*) is called the *Nikāya* which is explained in the commentary as the assemblage of the *Bhikṣus* (*Bhikṣu-saṅgha*), and the udara (literally the belly, but explained in the commentary as the womb of the mother, mātuḥ kukṣiḥ) is called the monastery (vihāra).¹

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¹ See Infra.

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² Hevajra-tantra, MS. pp. 4(A)-4(B).

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³ Vide Hevajra-pañjikā or Yoga-ratnamālā. MS. (Cambridge Add. No. 1699) p. 6(B).

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¹ *tri-kāyaṃ deha-madhye tu cakra-rūpeṇa kathyate |* *tri-kāyasya pañca-jñānaṃ cakraṃ mahāsukhaṃ matam ||* *dharma-sambhoga-nirmāṇaṃ mahāsukhaṃ tathaiva ca |* *yoni-hṛt-kaṇṭha-madhye tu trayaḥ kāyāḥ vyavasthitāḥ ||* *aseṣāṇāṃ tu sattvānāṃ yatro’tpattiḥ pramīyate |* *tatra nirmāṇa-kāyaḥ syāt nirmāṇaṃ sthāvaraṃ yataḥ ||* *utpadyate nimīyate anena nirmāṇikaṃ matam (not found in the Sampuṭikā)* *dharma-citta-svarūpaṃ tu dharma-cakraṃ tu hṛd bhavet ||* *sambhogaṃ bhuñjānaṃ proktaṃ ṣaṇṇāṃ vai rasa-rūpiṇām |* *sarva-dharmeṣu dṛḍhatvāt sarvam asti-svarūpakaḥ (not found in the Hevajra-tantra)* *kaṇṭhe sambhoga-cakraṃ ca mahā-sukhaṃ śirasi sthitam ||* *Hevajra-tantra, MS. p. 50(A); Sampuṭikā, MS. p. 46(B). For the location of the Nirmāṇa-cakra in the region of the sex-organ see also Śrī-kāla-cakra-tantra, MS. Cambridge, Add. 1864) p. 24(A).*

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² *sthāvarī nirmāṇa-cakre tu nirmāṇaṃ sthāvaraṃ yataḥ |* *sarvāsti-vādo dharma-cakre ca dharma-vāda-samudbhavaḥ ||* *saṃvidi sambhoga-cakre ca kaṇṭhe saṃvedanaṃ yataḥ |* *mahāsaṃghī sukha-cakre ca mahāsukhaṃ mastake sthitam ||* *Hevajra-tantra, MS. p. 50(B); Sampuṭikā, MS. p. 46(B).*

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³ *mahatt vāt sarva-dharmāṇāṃ saṃghatvāt mahāsukha-cakram* *mahāsaṃghī/ ata evam āha/ (masta)ke śirasi sarveṣām upari sthitam/* *Hevajra-pañjikā, MS. (Cambridge Add. No. 1699) p. 59(A).*

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¹ nikāyaṃ kāyaṃ ityuktam udaraṃ vihāram ucyate | Hevajra-tantra, MS. p. 50(B); Sampuṭikā, MS. p. 46(B).

(B) The Nerve System

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After the discussion on the Cakras the next important thing is the analysis of the nerves. In general the nerves are said to be seventy-two thousand in number (excluding the smaller nerves, i.e., the upa-nāḍīs, which are innumerable). The Hindu Tantras and the Yogo-paniṣads in general agree with the Buddhist Tantras as to the total number of the nerves (though controversies are also found). Of these, again, thirty-two are said to be more important,² and of these thirty-two, again, three are the most important,—these are Lalanā, Rasanā and Avadhūtī corresponding to Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumnā of the Hindu system. Lalanā is the nerve in the left side and Rasanā in the right side. There are pairs of names for them, of which some of the more important are:—Āli and Kālī, e and vaṃ, Gaṅgā and Yamunā, Candra and Sūrya, Dhamana and Camana, Grāhya and Grāhaka, Prajñā and Upāya, etc.³ About the position of these nerves we find in the Hindu Tantras that inside the passage of the spinal cord (according to some outside the spinal cord) flows the nerve *Suṣumnā*, which in reality is made up of three nerves, *viz.*, *citriṇī* of the nature of *Sattva-guṇa* (intelligence stuff), *vajrā* of the nature of *Rajas* (energy), and *Suṣumnā* of the nature of *Tamas* (inertia). All the nerves start from a seat called the *Kanda* which is situated about one inch above the anus and one inch below the penis. The *Suṣumnā* seems to be a sort of duct inside the spinal cord and encases within it the nerve *vajrā*, which again encases within it the *citriṇī*, which again has an aperture called the *Brahma-randhra* running to the *Sahasrāra*. The *Iḍā* and the *Piṅgalā* are outside the spinal cord and proceed from the left and the right sides respectively towards the nasal region in a symmetrical course encircling all the *Cakras*. According to other views, the *Iḍā* and the *Piṅgalā* proceed from the right and left testicles respectively and pass on to the left and right of the *Suṣumnā* in the bent form of a bow. The *Iḍā* is also called the moon, of white colour, and the *Śakti*; the *piṅgalā* the sun, of red colour and the *puruṣa*; *Suṣumnā* is of the nature and of the colour of fire. The three are again said to be the rivers, *Yamunā*, *Sarasvatī* and *Gaṅgā* respectively and the three meet at a point at the root of the penis, which is regarded as the *triveṇī* or the juncture of the three rivers. Through these *Iḍā* and *Piṅgalā* blow the vital winds *prāṇa* and *apāna*.

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² For a list of these thirty-two principal nerves, see Śrī-sampuṭikā, p. 8(B).

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³ If all the names given to these two nerves in the left and the right are classified into two groups, the two groups will stand thus:— i Dakṣiṇa (right)—rasanā, piṅgalā, sūrya, ravi, agni, prāṇa, camana, kāli, bindu, upāya, yamunā, rakta, palita, sūkṣma, retas, dharma, sthira, para, dyau, bheda, citta, vidyā, rajas, bhāva, puruṣa, śiva, nirmāṇa-kāya and grāhya. ii Vāma (left)—lalanā, iḍā, candra, śaśin, soma, apāna, dhamana, āli, nāda, prajñā, gaṅgā, śukra, bali, sthūla, rajas, adharma, asthira, apara, pṛthivī, abheda, acitta, avidyā, tamas, abhāva, prakṛti, śakti, sambhoga-kāya and grāhaka. Vide Studies in the Tantras—by Dr. P. C. Bagchi, p. 69.

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In the Buddhist Tantras we find that the nerve *Lalanā* or the *Āli* starts from the neck and enters the navel region from the left side, and from the navel again starts the *Rasanā* or the *Kāli* and enters the neck from the right. Within these two and passing through the lotus in the heart (*hṛt-saroruha-madhya-gā*) is the *Avadhūtī*, through which flows the Bodhicitta, and this *Avadhūtikā* gives the Sahaja-bliss, and it itself is often described as the Sahaja-bliss. The most important thing is that the nerves in the left and the right have been identified with *Śūnyatā* and *Karuṇā* or Prajñā and Upāya, the two cardinal principles of Mahāyāna Buddhism; and the Avadhūtī, as their commingling, is the Bodhicitta or the goddess Nairāt-mā or the Sahaja-damsel.¹ We have discussed at length the question how these nerves Lalanā and Rasanā are identified or associated with Śūnyatā and Karuṇā, Prajñā and Upāya, Ali and Kālī, etc. In the Ekalla-vīra-caṇḍa-mahā-roṣaṇa-tantra we find that the Lady (the female counter-part of Caṇḍaroṣaṇa) asks the Lord (Caṇḍaroṣaṇa) how the bliss produced through Prajñā and Upāya can be enjoyed in the body. In reply the Lord says that there is the nerve in the left, named Lalanā which is of the nature of Prajñā and in the right is the nerve Rasanā of the nature of Upāya.² Through the commingling of these two nerves in the middle nerve the bliss of Prajño-pāya is to be realised. We should also notice that these three nerves Lalanā, Rasanā and Avadhūtī have also been identified with the three Kāyas, viz., Sambhoga, Nirmāṇa and Dharma. Again, we have seen that the Lalanā is said to carry the seed and Rasanā the ovum and Avadhūtī to carry Bodhicitta (which is a mixture of the seed and the ovum). Again Prajñā and Upāya mean subjectivity and objectivity or the grāhaka and the grāhya, and so these two nerves are also called grāhya-grāhaka.³ About the names Gaṅgā and Yamunā we may also compare the Hindu Tantras where Iḍā is said to be the river Yumnā, Piṅgalā the river Sarasvatī and Suṣumnā the Ganges.¹ The names Lalanā and Rasanā and Dhamana-camana seem to be rather technical.²

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¹ Heruka-tantra, MS. (R.A.S.B., No. 11279) p. 8(A), pp. 18(B)-15(A). Cf. Vajra-vārāhī-kalpa-mahā-tantra, MS. (R.A.S.B., No. 11285) p. 26(B).

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² lalanā prajñā-svabhāvena vāma-nāḍī prakīrtitā | rasanā co’pāya-rūpeṇa dakṣiṇe samavasthitā || Ekalla-vīra-caṇḍa-mahā-roṣaṇa-tantra, MS. (R.A.S.B., No. 9089) p. 15(A). Cf. Also,—Akulāgama-tantra, quoted in the Studies in the Tantras of Dr. P. C. Bagchi, p. 69.

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³ gaṅgā-yamune’ti sandhyayā candrā-bhāsa-sūryā-bhāsau grāhya-grāhakau | Comm. on Song. No. 14, Caryā-pada (Śāstri’s edition).

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¹ iḍāyāṁ yamunā-devī piṅgalāyāṁ sarasvatī | suṣumnāyāṁ vased gaṅgā tāsāṁ yogas tridhā bhavet || Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇam, Comm. on the first verse. Saraha said in a Dohā,—‘here (within the body) are the Ganges and the Jumna’. Saraha’s Dohākoṣa, Dohā No. 47.

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² Dr. P. C. Bagchi, however, suggests that dhamana may be derived from √dhmā which indicates a forward or outward movement, whereas camana may be derived from √cam which means ‘to eat’, i.e., taking in. Vide Studies in the Tantras, p. 65.

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The most common names for the pair of the nerves in the right and the left are the sun and the moon. These names are found in the Buddhist and the Hindu tantras alike. The nerves in the left and the right are called the Āli and the Kāli which represent the vowels and the consonants, which again in their turn are associated with the night and the day; the night and the day are again associated with the moon and the sun,—and thus the nerves in the left and the right are also called the moon and the sun. The Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā speaks of these two nerves as day and night.³ The Sammohana-tantra says that the left nerve is the moon because of its mild nature, whereas the nerve in the right is called the sun because of its fierce nature (raudrā-tmikā). We have also seen that the left nerve is said to carry the seed and the right the ovum; the seed is said to be the Śiva—it is the moon,—and the blood is the Śakti,—it is the sun.⁴ In the commentary on the Dohākoṣa of Kāṇhu-pāda we find that the moon originates from the seed and the sun from the ovum.⁵ These two nerves are also said to carry the vital winds *prāṇa* and *apāna* and the *prāṇa* has again been said to be the *Rāhu* and the *apāna* to be the ‘fire of time’ (*kālāgni*).¹ About the names *Ali* and *Kāli* we find in the commentary of the *Marmakalikā-tantra* that *Ali* and *Kāli* represent the vowels and the consonants which are forty-nine in number (‘*kṣ*’ being a mere combination of the letters ‘*k*’ and ‘*ṣ*’ is excluded), and forty-nine are the *Vāyus* (winds) and thus *Ali* and *Kāli* denote the winds and are thus associated with the two nerves in the right and the left.² In the Vaiṣṇava Sahajiyā cult of Bengal we find *Iḍā*, *Piṅgalā* and *Suṣumnā* identified with *Vāyu*, *Pitta* and *Kapha*.³

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³ divā na pūjayet liṅgaṁ rātrau caiva na pūjayet | sarvadā pūjayet liṅgaṁ divā-rātri-nirodhataḥ ||

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⁴ binduḥ śivo rajaḥ śaktir bindur indū rajo raviḥ | Gorakṣa-siddhānta-saṁgraha, ed. by Gopīnātha Kavirāja, p. 41.

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⁵ śukrād utpadyate candro raktāt sūrya-samudbhavaḥ | Comm. on Dohākoṣa of Kāṇhu-pāda, MS. p. 88(B).

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¹ *prāṇato rāhu-niṣpattiḥ kālāgnir apy apānataḥ* || Ibid., MS. p. 88(B).

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² MS. B.N. Sans. No. 88, p. 9(B).

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³ *iḍā, piṅgalā, suṣumnā tina nāḍī haya*| *vāi pitta śleṣā bali loke yāre kaya* || Nāyikā-sādhana-ṭīkā, quoted in the Post-Chaitanya Sahajiyā Cult, by M. M. Bose, M.A., p. 71.

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In the *Sekoddeśa-ṭīkā* of Nāda-pāda we find mention of five important nerves, presided over by the five Tathāgatas. According to it, the left nerve in the upper region, which is the moon, the *Lalanā* or the *Iḍā*, which carries water, is of the nature of the Tathāgata Amitābha; the right nerve, which is the sun, the *Rasanā*, which carries fire, is of the nature of Ratnasambhava; in the middle of the lower region is the nerve (passage?) for stool, carrying earth, and it is ‘of the nature of Vairocana; the left nerve (in the lower region) is the nerve for urine and carries air and is of the nature of Amogha-siddhi; the middle nerve of the upper region is the nerve *Rāhu* carrying *Śūnyatā* and is of the nature of Akṣobhya; the left nerve below it is the channel for semen; it carries knowledge (*jñāna-vāhinī*) and is of the nature of the Vajrasattva.⁴

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⁴ G.O.S., p. 51.

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The middle nerve is generally called the *Avadhūtī*. The word has been explained in the following way,—*Avadhūtī* is that which destroys through its effulgent nature all the sins.¹ In the commentary of the *Caryāpada* also *Avadhūtī* is described as that which washes away all the beginningless thought-construction of existence.² It has also been said to be *Avadhūtī* as it removes all the evils of afflictions very easily.³ It is also called, as we have already said, the goddess Prajñā, or the Nairātmā, the Yoginī or the Sahaja-damsel.

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¹ *avaṁ pāpaṁ dhruvaṁ (?) dhvastaṁ prabhāsvara-rūpatvāt anaye'ty avadhūtī* Comm. on the *Dohākoṣa* of Kaṇhu-pāda (Dohā No. 4), MS., No. B. N. Sans. 47, p. 89(B).

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² *avadhūtī śabda-sandhyayā anādi-bhāva-vikalpañ ca dhūtvā prakṛti-pariśuddhā-vadhūti-rūpeṇa*, etc. Comm. on Song No. 2.

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³ *avahelayā anābhogena kleśā-di-pāpaṁ dhūnoti ity avadhūtī* Comm. on the *Dohākoṣa* (Dohā No. 4) of Kaṇhu-pāda (ed. by MM. H. P. Śāstri).

(ii) Selection of the Preceptor

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Yogic practice is always indispensable for the attainment of the Bodhicitta. It is said in the *Pañcakrama* that the vows and practices (*vrata-caryādikam*) are indeed useless without the *tattva*; but perfect enlightenment again can never be attained without practice. As the fire in the log of wood never manifests itself without friction, so the *Bodhi* (which is already within) will never be produced without proper practice.⁴ In this practice great importance has been attached to the selection of the preceptor,—for it is neither by much reading nor by penances, nor by any amount of labour undertaken in innumerable practices that a *Sādhaka* can get at the truth; it has been repeated over and over again that truth can never be attained without the blessings of the preceptor. Common sense will allow us to understand that where there is anything practical to be performed, there naturally comes the question of adopting a proper guide,—and Indian religions, from the very beginning in the Vedic time down to the modern era, invariably involve some kind of practice either ceremonial and ritualistic or yogic ; hence is the importance of the *Guru*. The *Guru* is very often regarded higher than God himself, for God is something absolutely fictitious to a man unless he has been blessed by the practical instruction of the *Guru* which enables a man to realise what God or the ultimate reality is. The Tantras, as we have seen, lay the greatest emphasis on the practical aspect of religion and the practices enjoined in the Tantras are very secret and complex,—there is the chance of physical or mental aberration at every step. As on the one hand, these practices, when properly and systematically carried out, will lead a man to the highest spiritual elevation through the realisation of the truth ; on the other hand, they may lead a man to the darkest abyss of hell, if these are not very cautiously and methodically carried out with the directions of the experienced *Guru*. Because of this difficulty in carrying out these practices and because of the great dangers they may very easily lead to, these practices have always been kept most secret and there is no other way to learn them than the blessings of the well-experienced *Guru*. It is for this reason that we find in most of the Tantras chapters devoted to the selection of a good preceptor and a good disciple. Even the *Caryā*-songs and the Dohās of the Siddhā-cāryas refer to this importance of the *Guru* every now and then. This *Guru-vāda* in India, current from a very old time and emphasised in the Tāntric ages, has also flowed on in all the minor religious sects of India.

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⁴ *yathā'gnir dāru-garbhastho no'ttiṣṭhen manthanād vinā | tathā'bhyāsād vinā bodhi(r) jāyate ne'ha janmani ||* MS. p. 24(B).

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After securing a suitable preceptor and also a suitable *Prajñā* (woman) the Yogin should approach the reverend *Guru* and propitiate him by worship, hymns, etc. Then follows the ceremony of *Abhiṣeka* or initiation into the cult. This Abhiṣeka is a very old custom of initiation with religious rites and ceremonies and it is also found in early Buddhism in the initiation to the vow of *pabbajjā* (*pravrajyā*, literally, going out, i.e., the vow of renunciation) and the initiation to *upasaṃpadā* (literally, arrival, i.e., the entry into the circle of the fully accredited members of the Saṅgha or monastery). Even now this ceremony of Abhiṣeka is current in all schools of Buddhism in all the countries. This Abhiṣeka is held to be indispensable for the Sādhana in esoteric Buddhism. It is said that the Yogin who wishes to attain the Yogihood without proper initiation only darts a blow to the sky with fists and drinks the water of mirage.¹ The Abhiṣeka in the secret cult is generally known as the *Vajrā-bhiṣeka*.² In some texts we find Mantras for four kinds of Abhiṣeka, viz., *Kalaśā-bhiṣeka* (i.e., initiation by outward purification by the water of the jar, etc.), *Guhyā-bhiṣeka* (initiation into the secret cult), *Prajñā-bhiṣeka* (initiation to perfect wisdom) and *Vajrā-bhiṣeka* (i.e., initiation to the adamantine truth).³ In the *Sekatā-nvaya-saṃgraha* we find that this *Kalaśā-bhiṣeka* comprises within it six Abhiṣekas, viz., initiation with *Udaka* (water), *Mukuṭa* (a crown), *Vajra* (the thunder), *Ghaṇṭā* (the bell), *Nāma* (name) and *Ācārya* (the preceptor), and these six Abhiṣekas are of the nature of the six Tathāgatas.⁴ Thus the initiation with water is of the nature of ideal knowledge, and so of Akṣobhya⁵; the initiation with the crown is of the nature of equalising knowledge (*samatā jñāna*), and so is of the nature of *Ratna-sambhava*; initiation with the thunder is of the nature of discriminative knowledge and represents *Amitābha*; the initiation with the bell is of the nature of the performance of duties and so represents *Amogha-siddhi*: the initiation with a name is of the nature of the knowledge of the perfectly pure *dharma-dhātu* and represents *Vairocana* and the initiation by the *Ācārya* is of the nature of the adamantine knowledge (*vajra-jñāna*).¹ But in general *Kalasā-bhiṣeka* seems to be the rite of initiation by pouring the water of the jar. Next is the *Guhyā-bhiṣeka* or the initiation into the secret cult. Here the preceptor explains all the secret processes of the yogic *sādhana* by which Bodhicitta should be produced through the union of the *Upāya* and the *Prajñā*, how its downward tendency should be checked, how it should be sent upward to the *Uṣṇīṣa-kamala* and how *Mahāsukha* of the nature of *nirvāṇa* is to be attained. After the *Guhyā-bhiṣeka* the preceptor explains to the disciples the void nature of the self (*pudgala*) as well as of all the objects (*dharma*), and also how this yogic process leads a man to the realisation of that perfect knowledge (*prajñā*). This part is, therefore, called the *Prajñā-bhiṣeka* or the *Prajñā-jñānā-bhiṣeka*. But as Vajra is the ultimate adamantine reality and the ultimate principle of purity, the initiation ends with an initiation into the *Vajra-jñāna* called the *Vajra-jñānā-bhiṣeka*.

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¹ *nā’bhiṣikto hi yo yogī yogitvam abhivāñchati|* *hanyate muṣṭinā’kāśaṃ pivet ca mṛga-tṛṣṇikām ||* Quoted in the *Kriyā-saṃgraha-pañjikā*, MS. p. 5(A).

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² For this Abhiṣeka, see *Prajñā-pāya-viniścaya-siddhi*, Ch. V, *Jñāna-siddhi*, Ch. XVII; *Sampuṭikā*, first paṭala of the second *Kalpa*, etc.

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³ Vide the Ch. on Abhiṣeka in the *Kriyā-saṃgraha-pañjikā*, MS. pp. 4(A)-6(B); *Sekatā-nvaya-saṃgraha*, collected in the *Advaya-vajra-saṃgraha* (G.O.S.), *Hevajra-tantra*, *Maṇḍala-krama*; *Śekoddeśa-ṭīkā* (G.O.S.).

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⁴ Vide *Śrī-cakra-saṃbhāra-tantra*.

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⁵ *Advaya-vajra-saṃgraha*, pp. 86-87.

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¹ For the *Abhiṣekas* also see *Vajra-valī-nāma-maṇḍala-pañjikā*, MS. R.A.S.B., No. 13855, pp. 80(A)—81(A) and 98(A)—100(A).

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After initiation the Yogin with his Mudrā is led to the *Maṇḍala* or the mystic circle and is then permitted to perform the Yoga in company of the Mudrā or the Prajñā.² In some texts, however, the intiation is performed within the *Maṇḍala*.

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² For details see *Hevajra-tantra*; also *Sekoddeśa-ṭīkā* (G.O.S.), p. 25. The Prajñā here is called Mudrā as she is instrumental to the attainment of bliss (*mudam sukha-viśeṣam ratim dadātīti mudrā—Sekoddeśa-ṭīkā*, p. 56).

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In some texts again we find other preparatory rites of killing or driving away the disturbing ghosts and spirits and all other evils of the ten quarters through the help of Mantras and other practices, and of placing the ten Buddhas in the ten quarters for safety in Yoga. We have already seen that in this yoga-sādhana the Yogin has to be a god,—he must realise himself as the god or the Supreme Lord Buddha, and the woman to be united with, must be realised to be nothing but the embodiment of Prajñā or Śūnyatā-knowledge. For this realisation the Yogin places the five Tathāgatas and their female counter-parts with their respective bīja-mantras in the different parts of the body (both of himself and of the Mudrā), and during all these processes he should meditate and recite that he is of the nature of adamantine knowledge.¹

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¹ Cf. The Piṇḍi-krama of Pañca-krama; Jvālā-valī-vajra-mālā-tantra, MS. pp. 14(A)—14(B); Citta-viśuddhi-prakaraṇa, Verses 76-78.

(iii) The Production of Bodhicitta and Its Regulation

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After all these preparatory rites follows the esoteric practice, which is strictly prohibited to be taken in the ordinary sense; it should be performed only as a process of Yoga for the attainment of the Bodhicitta or for the realisation of the ultimate Sahaja-nature of the self and the dharmas.² Through the yogic union of the Prajñā and the Upāya, the Bodhicitta is produced within, and after it is produced its flow must be checked in the navel region which is the Maṇipura-cakra or the Nirmāṇa-kāya-cakra.³ It is held that as long as the Bodhicitta remains restless, it binds us to the world of existence and non-existence; but when its movement is stopped once for ever in the lotus in the head, it produces the state of supreme bliss which is of the nature of liberation. Thus this Bodhicitta has got two aspects; in the ordinary restless aspect it is called the saṃvṛta and in the motionless aspect of intense bliss it is called the vivṛta or the pāramārthika. It is said in the Hevajra-tantra,— "One should produce Bodhicitta in the form of both vivṛta and saṃvṛta; the saṃvṛta is like a Kunda flower (i.e., white in its physical form), and the vivṛta is of the form of bliss."¹ We have seen that the Mādhyamikas believe in two aspects of the reality, the saṃvṛti-satya, i.e., the phenomenal or the provisional truth and the pāramārthika-satya which is the ultimate truth (corresponding to the vyāvahārika and pāramārthika of the Vedantists). These twofold aspects of the Bodhicitta, the physical or the phenomenal aspect (in the form of semen virile) being the saṃvṛta and the ultimate aspect (in the form of incorporeal all-pervading Mahāsukha as the ultimate nature of the dharmas) being the pāramārthika or the vivṛta seems to be drawn in analogy with the twofold conception of the

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² Cf.,—manthayet kamalā-mbhodhiṃ sahajā-mṛta-kāṅkṣayā / Jvālā-valī-vajra-mālā-tantra, MS. p. 18(B). This line is quoted in the Marmakalikā-tantra as belonging to the Guhya-vajra-vīrāsinī-sādhanā, MS. (B.N. Sans. No. 88) p. 26(A).

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³ Vide Śrī-kāla-cakra-tantra, MS. (Cambridge, Add. No. 1864), p. 104(B). Cf. Comm. on Caryā-pada No.2, pīṭhake vajra-maṇau patat dharaṇaṃ na yāti.

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¹ bodhicittaṃ utpādayet vaivṛtti-saṃvṛtti-rūpakam | saṃvṛtaṃ kunda-saṃkāśaṃ, vivṛtaṃ sukha-rūpiṇam || Hevajra-tantra, MS. pp. 17(B)—18(A). Cf. Also Heruka-tantra, MS. (R.A.S.B., No. 11279) p. 74(A).

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vajra-maṇi-śikhara-suśire bodhicittaṃ . . . . . vandhayati/
Comm. on Caryā-pada, No. 3.
maṇi-kule bahia oḍiāne sagāa || Song No. 4.
maṇi-mūlād ūrdhvaṃ gatvā gatvā mahāsukha-cakre antar-bhavati| Comm. on Song No. 4.
maṇi-mūla-dvāra-nirodhaṃ kartavyam| Ibid.
kacchika-maṇi-mūlaṃ gataṃ, tad eva bodhicittaṃ sahajā-nandena vidhṛtaṃ sad vaimalyaṃ cakro-ddeśena pravāhaṃ kuru/
Comm. on Song No. 13.

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See also Pañca-krama of Ghaṇṭāpāda quoted in the Subhāṣita-saṃgraha of Bendall, p. 72; Kriyā-saṃgraha-pañjikā, MS. p. 75(A); Marma-kalikā-tantra, MS. p. 4(B).

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truth of the Mādhyamikas.¹ For the attainment of the Mahāsukha the flow of Bodhicitta must be arrested. It is said that as long as the Yogin does not discharge Bodhicitta, he enjoys intense and unruffled bliss arising from the joyous sensations; but if Bodhicitta, which is the cause of all perfection, flows down, it cannot be made to rise through the middle nerve and no perfection is attained.²

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¹ In the Hevajra-tantra it is clearly explained how to produce the gross Bodhicitta through the physical process and how to turn it to the Vivrta form through the yogic process. Pleasure may also be realised through the discharge of the Bodhicitta, but that has unreservedly been condemned by all the Buddhist Tāntrikas; and it has been said that instead of delivering a man it binds him to the realm of gross sense-pleasure. It is, therefore, that we find in all the texts repeated warnings not to discharge the Bodhicitta; if it be discharged, the Mahāsukha is never realised and if the Mahāsukha be not realised, the ultimate Sahaja-nature can never be realised, and if the ultimate nature be not realised, a man is not liberated from the world of illusion. MS. pp. 48(A)—49(A).

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² “There is no greater sin than discharge and no greater merit than bliss (arising from the motionless Bodhicitta).” Again, “Discharge is the progenitor of detachment (virāga) and from detachment arises sorrow, and from sorrow is the loss of the vital element and from the loss of the element comes death”.

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How then to check the downward flow of the Bodhicitta? For this purpose Haṭha-yoga is resorted

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na virāgā(t) paraṁ pāpaṁ puṇyaṁ na sukhataḥ paraṁ |
tathā ca,—cyutir virāga-sambhūtir virāgād duḥkha-sambhavaḥ |
duḥkhād dhātu-kṣayaṁ puṁsāṁ kṣayāt mṛtyuḥ prajāyate ||
Quoted in the Comm. on the Marma-kalikā-tantra, MS. p. 5(A).

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Also quoted in the Comm. on the Dohākoṣa of Kāṇhu-pāda as belonging to the Ādi-buddha, MS. (B.N. Sans. No. 47) p. 49(B).

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In the Sekoddeśa we find that the Sahaja-form of the Lord is nothing but the motionless state of the fluid.

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yāvan na(o, sic.) patati prabhāsvaramayaḥ śitā-ṁśu-dhārā-dravo
devī-padma-dalo-dare samarasī-bhūto jinānāṁ gaṇaiḥ |
sphurad (sic. sphurjjad) vajra-śikhā-grataḥ karuṇayā
bhinnaṁ jagat-kāraṇam
garjjadd hi karuṇā-balasya sahajaṁ jānihi rūpaṁ vibhoḥ ||
Quoted in the Comm. on the Caryā-pada, Song No. 8.

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Śrī-kāla-cakra definitely declares that salvation is impossible through the discharge,—so the Yogins should always shun worldly pleasure.

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bindor mokṣe kva mokṣo gata-parama-sukhe yogināṁ janma-bīje
tasmāt saṁsāra-saukhyaṁ kṣaṇamiha yatibhiḥ sarvadā varjanīyam ||
MS. Ch. V. (jñāna-paṭala), Verse 126.

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19. In the commentary of the *Marma-kalikā-tantra*, we find that the flow of the Bodhicitta is to be checked by the help of *Ṣaḍaṅga-yoga* or the Yoga with six parts; these are: abstraction (*pratyāhāra*), meditation (*dhyāna*), restraint of the breath (*prāṇāyāma*), attention (*dhāraṇā*), remembrance (*anusmṛti*) and final absorption (*samādhi*).¹

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¹ *pratyāhāras tathā dhyānaṃ prāṇāyāmo'tha dhāraṇā |* *anusmṛtiḥ samādhiś ca ṣaḍ-aṅgo yoga ucyate ||* *Śrī-guhya-samāja-tantra* (G.O.S.), Ch. XVIII, p. 168. Cf. *Maitrāyaṇīya Upaniṣad* (Cowell's Edition, Ch. VI, p. 129) where the six Aṅgas are described as *Pratyāhāra*, *Dhyāna*, *Prāṇāyāma*, *Dhāraṇā*, *Tarka* (self-examination) and *Samādhi*.

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In the *Śrī-guhya-samāja* (Ch. XVIII) we find detailed description of these six parts of Yoga, and these descriptions are again fully commented on in the *Sekoddeśa-ṭīkā* of Naḍo-pāda. The first part of Yoga, viz., *pratyāhāra* means the restraint of the ten senses from their respective objects through a process of abstraction. Through *pratyāhāra* the *Sādhaka* develops an aversion to all physical forms and perception, and he further develops an insight whereby he can view all objects of the world from the *Śūnyatā* perspective. The second part, viz., *dhyāna* means viewing the *pañca-kāmas* (five objects of desire) as of the nature of the five Buddhas. The five objects of desire stand here for all the objects of the world (*sarve bhāvāḥ sthira-calā-tmakāḥ*) and the five Buddhas stand for Buddha in general. *Dhyāna* here then means meditating on all existence as of the nature of Buddha in the ultimate essence. This *dhyāna* is again of five kinds, viz., *vitarka*, *vicāra*, *prīti*, *sukha* and *ekāgratā*. *Vitarka* means *guhya-trayo-daya*, i.e., the sudden flash in the *citta* of a general ideal reflection (*caitya-sthūlā-kāreṇa*) of the three elements of three times. *Vicāra* means meditating on the specific nature of objects as of the nature of perfect enlightenment. *Prīti* means an agreeable state of mind resulting from the taking in of the objects; *sukha* means the delight resulting from such meditation; *ekāgratā* means the fixing of the mind in the *Śūnyatā*, *i.e.*, the one-pointed state of mind which remains steady in the realisation of the *Śūnyatā*-nature of all objects.

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The third part of Yoga is *prāṇāyāma*, which means the control and arrest of the vital wind (*prāṇa-vāyu*). This *prāṇa-vāyu* is of the nature of the five elements (*pañca-bhūta*) as well as the five Buddhas. The wind that flows through the left nostril (which is *lalanā*) represents the principle of the five *skandhas* (which are identified with the *pañca-bhūtas*) and the wind flowing through the right nostril (which is *rasanā*) represents the principle of the five Buddhas. These two courses of the vital wind must be united and made into a subtle body, as it were, and made flow through the middle nerve passing through the lotuses in the navel, heart, neck and the forehead. Then this vital wind must be made steady in the lotus between the two eye-brows. This is what is meant by *prāṇāyāma*.

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This process of *prāṇāyāma* is regarded as very important in the esoteric Yoga of the Buddhists and is variously described in different texts. We have seen before that in the *Pañca-krama* the vital wind has been described as the vehicle (*vāhana*) for our defiled nature (*prakṛti*) and this *vāyu* is described as the root of all the principles of defilement and as such the root-cause of the *saṃsāra* or the cycle of birth and death. In the *Vajra-jāpa-krama* of the *Pañca-krama* we find that *mantra-tattva* is nothing but the *vāyu-tattva* (the science of the vital wind). This *vāyu-tattva* comprises within it the five *tattvas* (which when combined together constitutes the ultimate truth); these are the *tattvas* of the five Dhyāni-Buddhas and, therefore, of the five *skandhas*. It is said in the text *Vajra-mālā* that from the air of the right nostril issues forth a lustre of red colour; it is the circle of fire and *Padma*- nātha is the presiding deity here; from the left issues forth the lustre of deep green colour in an aerial circle and Karma-nātha is the deity here; the lustre issuing forth from both the nostrils is of yellow colour and it is said to be the circle of Indra and presided over by Ratna-nātha. The steady wind within, of the colour of the white Kunda flower, or the moon, is the circle of Varuṇa, prescribed over by Vajra-nātha, and the wind pervading the whole physical system and prompting all the active tendencies is of the nature of Vairocana.¹ These five kinds of lustre of the nature of the five Buddhas are to be thought of in the region between the two brows, i.e., at the starting point of the nose (nāsāgra) and they are to be thought of united into the form of a mustard seed (sarṣapa); in this mustard seed, however, the whole universe of the static and the dynamic should be meditated on,—it is also to be thought of as the place of all wisdom—of all the mysteries of knowledge.² This mustard seed, however, represents the Lord himself of the nature of the five wisdoms.³ This small figure of the form of the mustard seed representing the five kinds of winds of the nature of the five elements and the five kinds of wisdom, is meditated on in the region of *nāsāgra* and itself is called *prāṇāyāma*.¹ In many places of the *Śrī-Samāja* we find mention of this theory of the five kinds of winds of the nature of the five elements and the five *jñānas*, which are to be meditated on in the region between the brows in the form of the mustard seed.² It may be noted in this connection that in the Hindu texts also we find five kinds of vital wind, viz., *prāṇa*, *apāna*, *samāna*, *vyāna* and *udāna* and in the *Maitrāyaṇī Upaniṣad* we find that before the world of the animate was created Prajāpati (the creator of all beings) looked on his creation and found all around that his objects of creation were stones, mindless, lifeless, stark as stocks; he then reflected,—“I will enter within”, but as one, he could not animate them and, therefore, divided himself in five and hence he is named by five names, viz., *prāṇa*, *apāna*, *samāna*, *vyāna* and *udāna*.³ We also find in this connection that the five senses are but the five lustres from within.⁴

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¹ dakṣiṇād vinirgato raśmir hutabhuṅ-maṇḍalañ ca tat | rakta-varṇam idaṁ vyaktaṁ padma-nātho’tra devatā || vāmād vinirgato raśmir vāyu-maṇḍala-saṁjñitaḥ | harit-śyāma-saṅkāśaḥ karma-nātho’tra devatā || dvābhyāṁ vinirgato raśmiḥ pīta-varṇo mahādyutiḥ | mahendra-maṇḍalaṁ caitad ratna-(nā)tho’tra devatā || stabdho manda-pracaras tu sita-kunde-ndu-sannibhaḥ | maṇḍalaṁ varuṇaṁ caitad vajra-nātho’tra devatā || sarva-dehā-nugo vāyuḥ sarva-ceṣṭā-pravartakaḥ | vairocana-svabhāvo’sau mṛtakāyād viniścaret || Quoted in the Pañca-krama, MS. p. 16(B).

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