Essay name: Devi Tantra, Mantra, Yantra (study)
Author:
Srider Basudevan Iyer
Affiliation: University of Mumbai / Sanskrit, University Department
This essay studies the history of Devi (the Goddess) in relation with worship using Tantra, Yantra and Mantra. The study explores the concept of the 'Female Principle' or Goddess, examining her role and significance in ancient Indian society.
Chapter 4 - Worship and The Worshipper
45 (of 95)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Worship & worshipper 346 the grandmasters of tantra, separate rosaries should be used for different
deities. Rosary is a personal possession and should not be shared or given to
someone else not even shown to another person.
80 79
It is stated in the MLRK that a sadhaka should do a hundred and eight count
of the japa or fifty counts the least necessary minimum is twenty seven
counts". The worship of the goddess done by the means of Japa is the most
excellent one as it does not involve any trouble or killing 78. Three types of
doing japa" are mānasika, vācika and upāmśu are already dealt with in the
introduction elaborately, here the benefits of the mantra japa is stated. The
MLRK states that the purpose of doing manasika japa is for those desirous
of success, the those desirous of prosperity, abundance should resort to the
upāmsu type while the vācika is undertaken for māraṇa, ie. to destroy the
enemy. The procedure of doing a japa is that the pronunciation between the
different letters should neither be too long nor extremely fast but a moderate
mix of the two. A japa in which the pronunciation process is slow results in
suffering for the sädhaka due to disease and the one which is too fast results
in loss of penance for the sädhaka. The different syllables which together
constitute a mantra should be repeated like the pearls in the strings. A
mantra is a unit composed of specific parts. The SVT82 lists the different
components of undertaking a mantra-japa. The different components of a
mantra which occur in order are bija, śakti and kilaka.
77 MLRK ch. XVII. 20
78 MLRK ch. XVII.24
79 MLRK ch. XVII.17
80 MLRK ch. XVII.27
81 MLRK ch. XVII.39
82 SVT ch. II
