Essay name: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
Author: William James Arraj
The essay represents a study and partial English translation of the Svacchandatantra and its commentary, 鈥淯ddyota鈥�, by Kshemaraja. The text, attributed to the deity Svacchanda-bhairava, has various names and demonstrates a complex history of transmission through diverse manuscript traditions in North India, Nepal, and beyond.
Page 119 of: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
119 (of 511)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
113
also in his entire scriptural revelation. 1 This view of revelation
has been incorporated into the text of Svacchandatantram in its
traditional promulgation of the scripture (tantr膩vat膩ra岣�)
section. 2 According to this scripturally sanctioned and
authoritative model, Svacchandatantram, or any particular
scripture represents only a fractional manifestation of the
totality of revelation. K峁mar膩ja岣�, naturally, shares this view,
in which each scripture, limited by grace in order to offer an
accessible means for salvation, becomes, as it were, a chapter
in the total book of revelation. Concretely, this entails and
1 Thus just as Sad膩艣iva岣� manifests as the formula, so, the
text declares (Bk. 8, p.20, vss.31b-32a) he manifests as scripture:
鈥済urusi峁apada sthitv膩 svayam deva岣� sad膩艣iva岣� //
p奴rvottarapadairv膩kyaistantram膩dh膩rabhedata岣�. "K峁mar膩ja岣�
also bases his introductory remarks (Bk.1, pp.6-7) about the
nature of scripture on this verse.
On the magical use of etymology, v. Jan Gonda, "The
Etymologies in the Ancient Br膩hma峁嘺s," pp. 49ff.; on formul忙, v.
Gonda, "The Indian Mantra," in Selected Studies 4 History of
Ancient Indian Religion (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1975): 248-301, esp.,
284-285.
According to the cosmology found in the Saiva scriptures,
the universe has emanated in six interconnected and parallel
paths (sa岣峚dhv膩), divided into sonic (nama) and physical (r奴p膩)
sets of three, further ranked hierarchically by the size and
number of their divisions. Thus the sonic path manifests
successively in phonemes (varna岣�), formul忙 (mantra岣�), and
words (padam), the physical in portions or energy phases (kal膩),
planes (tattvam), and worlds (bhuvanam). Most importantly,
each division in some way pervades contains all the others. Thus,
an initiation via one path liberates from all the others as well.
(V. Brunner-Lachaux, Somasambhupaddhati, troisi猫me partie,
pp. xxiii-xxii. On the pre-Saiva use of the term adhv膩, v. Jan
Gonda, 鈥淲ays' in Indian Religions," in Selected Studies 4: 317鈥�
336, esp., 320鈥�322.)
2 V. bk.8, pp.17ff; cf. supra section 1.1.1 for a discussion of
traditional models of revelation.
