From ancient times, two streams have existed in Indian spiritual thought, Vedic and Tantrik. The basis of the Vedic stream are the Vedas and Upanishads. The basis of the Tantrik stream are a large number of Tantra texts. The Vedic stream finds completion in the Bhagabad Gita. The Tantrik stream finds a final destination in the Sati Sapta-Shati or Sri Sri Chandi.
Another name for the Vedas is Nigama, and another for Tantra is Aagama. Nigama and Aagama both words have a similar meaning, that from which all knowledge arises or comes. Both are universal stores of knowledge. In the eyes of the seers, they are both apaurusheya – not composed by any human. The rishis felt that truth could not be created. Whatever is created at any time, or is demarcated by any space or age, would be transient and non-truth. Whatever is True, exists for all time, there is never a dearth of it in any time-frame.
The Gita says, ‘naasato vidyatay bhaabo naabhaabo vidyatay satah’, that which is non-truth could be scarce, there is no scarcity of truth.
The truth had no creator, could not have one. Truth has a seer or viewer, truth is observed, truth is remembered, truth is not created. The tantras and the Vedas are both stores of true knowledge, they have no composer. In most Tantras, Siva is the speaker, Parvati the audience. The Primal Father speaks, and the Primal Mother listens. This also sets the idea of absence of a composer. There is no real meaning to try to determine the age of what is Apaurusheya. Much effort is now seen in determining the ages of the Vedas and the Tantras. In the eyes of the Aryan seer these are meaningless. The tree comes from the seed and the seed from the tree. Whether the tree came before or the seed came before; such questions have no satisfying solutions, similar to the question of who or when created the earth.
Knowledge can be twofold – philosophical and scientific. There are two components in knowledge – the knower and what is known. The subject is the Knower, the object , what is known. The attempt of philosophy is inquiry about the knower. The question for science is about the object of knowledge. I see a flower. What is the ‘I’ – this is the objective of philosophical query. What is the ‘flower’ is the question for science.
Philosophy is synthetic, science analytic. Philosophy turns towards the whole, science looks at the segments. One takes a total view, the other at the separate parts. To see the whole garden is a philosophical view, to study each plant is a scientific task.
The Tantrics have a scientific sense and vision. Their efforts led to much deep investigative sciences. The contributions to advancement of science from Tantra is somewhat seen in ‘History of Hindu Chemistry’ by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy and ‘Positive Science of Hindus’ by Sri Brojen Shil. The word ‘Tantra’ connotes scientific investigation and logical, systematic determination of facts. For example, surgery is about the scientific discussion of use the of instruments. The contribution to a detailed analysis of the body by the ‘Sushruta Sanhita” is no less than that of Gray’s anatomy from the West. Western science has not yet reached the fine analysis of the Tantra masters about the subtler parts of the body. Information about Ira, Pingalaa, Sushumnaa, Mulaadhaar etc. is still in the dreams of occidental science.
Geology, botany, biology, astronomy, psychology, sociology, have all had contributions from Tantra. In India, mathematics, number theory, geometry and trigonometry have all been enriched from Tantra.
The Tantras study things that are transient and changeable. That which is sentient is the focus of the Vedas. All things in this world can undergo changes, so anything in this world is in the scope of the Tantras. To the common person, sputum and urine are things of disgust. To a scientist they are valuable as clue to health and disease. For common people, discussion about sexual organs is pornographic, to the science of Tantra, they are valuable clues to the mystery of creation.
Another name for the Vedas is Nigama, and another for Tantra is Aagama. Nigama and Aagama both words have a similar meaning, that from which all knowledge arises or comes. Both are universal stores of knowledge. In the eyes of the seers, they are both apaurusheya – not composed by any human. The rishis felt that truth could not be created. Whatever is created at any time, or is demarcated by any space or age, would be transient and non-truth. Whatever is True, exists for all time, there is never a dearth of it in any time-frame.
The Gita says, ‘naasato vidyatay bhaabo naabhaabo vidyatay satah’, that which is non-truth could be scarce, there is no scarcity of truth.
The truth had no creator, could not have one. Truth has a seer or viewer, truth is observed, truth is remembered, truth is not created. The tantras and the Vedas are both stores of true knowledge, they have no composer. In most Tantras, Siva is the speaker, Parvati the audience. The Primal Father speaks, and the Primal Mother listens. This also sets the idea of absence of a composer. There is no real meaning to try to determine the age of what is Apaurusheya. Much effort is now seen in determining the ages of the Vedas and the Tantras. In the eyes of the Aryan seer these are meaningless. The tree comes from the seed and the seed from the tree. Whether the tree came before or the seed came before; such questions have no satisfying solutions, similar to the question of who or when created the earth.
Knowledge can be twofold – philosophical and scientific. There are two components in knowledge – the knower and what is known. The subject is the Knower, the object , what is known. The attempt of philosophy is inquiry about the knower. The question for science is about the object of knowledge. I see a flower. What is the ‘I’ – this is the objective of philosophical query. What is the ‘flower’ is the question for science.
Philosophy is synthetic, science analytic. Philosophy turns towards the whole, science looks at the segments. One takes a total view, the other at the separate parts. To see the whole garden is a philosophical view, to study each plant is a scientific task.
The Tantrics have a scientific sense and vision. Their efforts led to much deep investigative sciences. The contributions to advancement of science from Tantra is somewhat seen in ‘History of Hindu Chemistry’ by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy and ‘Positive Science of Hindus’ by Sri Brojen Shil. The word ‘Tantra’ connotes scientific investigation and logical, systematic determination of facts. For example, surgery is about the scientific discussion of use the of instruments. The contribution to a detailed analysis of the body by the ‘Sushruta Sanhita” is no less than that of Gray’s anatomy from the West. Western science has not yet reached the fine analysis of the Tantra masters about the subtler parts of the body. Information about Ira, Pingalaa, Sushumnaa, Mulaadhaar etc. is still in the dreams of occidental science.
Geology, botany, biology, astronomy, psychology, sociology, have all had contributions from Tantra. In India, mathematics, number theory, geometry and trigonometry have all been enriched from Tantra.
The Tantras study things that are transient and changeable. That which is sentient is the focus of the Vedas. All things in this world can undergo changes, so anything in this world is in the scope of the Tantras. To the common person, sputum and urine are things of disgust. To a scientist they are valuable as clue to health and disease. For common people, discussion about sexual organs is pornographic, to the science of Tantra, they are valuable clues to the mystery of creation.
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