Kaulajnananirnaya Tantra

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Kaulajnananirnaya TantraAs soon as one has seen a jar with intoxicating liquor, women with a redcolour, a lion, a corpse, a red lotus, a fight between a tiger and anelephant, one's guru or the king, one should bow to Mahamaya - KalikaPurana, van Kooij translation.

This chapter of an ancient text attributed to Siddha Matsyendranath, saidto be the founder of the Natha lineage, deals with the characteristics ofthe linga and discusses the flowers, centres or chakras within the body inthe light of the Yogini Kaula tradition.

A translation of the entire text is in print. It is an important text because itseems to unite the earlier Siddha tradition with the Natha tradition, andMatsyendranath expounds the Yogini Kaula line.

The girls attempt to distract Matsyendranathfrom his meditation. Photo of wall picture at Mannath ashram inRajasthan, photographed by MM with mahant's permission

The topic deals with, amongst many other familiar Kaula topics, the 64yoginis and the different sacred sites (pitha) held important in both thisand later tantras.

Chapter Three

Devi said - Great Lord, I have questions concerning the characteristics ofKula, the Self, and consciousness chiefly. Be gracious, O Shankara Nath !(1 )

Bhairava said - Listen with concentrated mind to the characteristics ofKula. Where there is mind, there too are the senses, the sense objectsand the body - these are permeated by one's own Shakti, one's embodiedbeing, and the (five) elements. (2-3)

It is said that the place and inner part of meditation is a clearunderstanding of puja. All proceeds from the letters (of the alphabet), andin this is voidness. (4)

Dearest, (in the pinda exist) the (cakras) of five lines, 16 lines, sixty fourpetals, the truly beautiful 100 petal (lotus) and the beautiful thousand petallotus and above this is a very brilliant 10,000,000 petal lotus. Above the10,000,000 petal lotus is a 30,000,000 petal lotus, each pericarp of whichis similar to a flame. Above this is the all encompassing, eternal,undivided, independent, steady lotus- pervading all, stainless. By its will(sveccha) it causes creation and dissolution. Both the animate andinanimate are dissolved in this linga. (5-10)

It is the all-pervading sphere, still, without Kalas. It should be understoodthat being lettered (implies) ignorance of this, whilst one who has come toknow this is liberated from the fetters. It is destitute of both mind and non-mind, free of meditation and dharana. Clearly it bestows all, is eternal, likean atasi flower, the divine essence having both colour and colourless,attained only by knowledge, through being in the line of succession(parampara). (11-13)Devi, the characteristics of the Kula Laksha have been declared - thatlinga which is not made of wood, stone, clay, jewel, brass, gold, iron,copper, crystal, clay, tin, lead or copper - which gives rise to the various

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blossomings of the red flowers, worshipped by all the worlds. (14-15)

Devi, one should not concern oneself with the eighteen lokasastras suchas adhyatmika and so forth. Mahdevi, this (sort of preoccupation) is thecause of a person being a pashu, devoid of knowledge. All people on thepath of spiritual knowledge (divyas) should not associate with theignorant, those on useless paths, devoid of Kula knowledge. (15-18)

Brahma and so forth, all the gods and asuras, the saintly, yakshas,gandharvas, siddhas, plants, trees, insects, planets, siderealconstellations, stars and all the rest, all which is in the cosmos - eithermoving or fixed, elements and so forth, all manifest from the centre of thebindu. (19-20)

This linga, the cause of both creation and dissolution, worshipped bysiddhas, shining by its own light, pure, eternal, completely immeasurable,is like the flame which is the fire (at the end of time), like lightning in thesky. One becomes liberated after knowing and perceiving this boon givinglinga. (21-22)

This linga is eternally erect, a vajra linga, and my not be destroyed byraging fire, landslide, or torrent. ( 23)

Devi, a Kaulika should worship this to achieve the wished for siddhi,employing mental flowers, sweetly scented incense and so forth. (24)

The first flower is non-harmfulness, the second sense restraint, the thirdgenerosity, the fourth right disposition, the fifth compassion, and the sixthfreedom from cruelty. The seventh flower is meditation, and the eighthflower is knowledge. Knowing these rules relating to flowers, one shouldworship this mental linga. (25-26)

Worshipping this body linga, one may obtain both liberation andenjoyment. Devi, it is the linga giving siddhi, stationed in the body, steadyand strong. Whosoever should always meditate on this mental linga, forsuch a one is achieved the pre-eminent and highest self knowledge. (26-28)

Thus, O Devi, have been declared the characteristics of the Kaulika bodylingam. Any other (external linga) one should abandon, such as thosemade of stone, wood or clay. The ordinary path is devoid of success andliberation. (28-30)

The inner meaning of this, placed in the body, belongs to the Kula Agama.Whosoever takes the meaning as placing (a linga) outside himself entersthe arena of pashus. (31)

Devi, the inner meaning of this knowledge has been declared to you. Oneshould never give it to the undevoted, but only to devoted persons. (32)

Artwork is © Jan Bailey, 1996-2006. Translations are © Mike Magee 1996-2006. Questions orcomments to mike.magee@btinternet.com

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