Vedic Predecessors of One Type of Tantric Ritual
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/CIS.16.2014.16.06Keywords:
Vedic ritual, Tantric ritual, ritual application, ritual variationAbstract
Verses 9–16 of the Parātriṃśikā prescribe a ritual application of the hr̥ dayabīja mantra ‘sauḥ’. In this case the mantra ‘sauḥ’ has different effects according to durations of the mental recitation of it. This is a very simple example of one type of tantric ritual where a limited number of mantras of a certain deity are used in different ways to accomplish a variety of efficacy by changing ritual elements of them. In Hindu tantric texts we find more similar cases. In the newest layer of Vedic texts such as the Ṛgvidhāna, Sāmavidhāna Brāhmaṇa and the Atharvavedapariśiṣṭa there are some similar examples of this kind. The Taittirīyasaṃhitā describes in two succeeding chapters various applications of two mantras called rāṣṭrabhr̥ t and devikāhavis respectively. In this paper I examine more Vedic examples and elucidate the basic idea underlying this type of ritual.
PlumX Metrics of this article
References
Primary sources:
Amoghapāśakalparāja. T. Kimura, N. Otsuka and T. Sugiki (1998). Transcribed Sanskrit Text of the Amoghapāśakalparāja, Part I. Annual of the Institute for Comprehensive Studies of Buddhism, Taisho University, No. 20: 304–251.
Amoghapāśakalparāja. A. Suzuki, N. Otsuka and H. Kimura (2000). Transcribed Sanskrit Text of the Amoghapāśakalparāja, Part III. Annual of the Institute for Comprehensive Studies of Buddhism, Taisho University, No. 22: 372–309.
R̥gvidhāna, see Bhat 1987.
Sāmavidhānabrāhmaṇa. Sāmavidhānabrāhmaṇa with Vedārthaprakāśa of Sāyaṇa and Padārthamātravivr̥ ti of Bharatasvāmin ed. by B. R. Sharma. Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha Series, No. 1. Tirupati: Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, 1964.
Vīṇāśikhatantra, see Goudriaan 1985.
Secondary sources:
Amano, K. 2009. Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā I–II: Übersetzung der Porsapartien mit Komentar zur Lexik und Syntax der älteren vedischen Prosa. Bremen: Hempen Verlag.
Bhat, M. S. 1987. Vedic Tantrism: A Study of Ṛgvidhāna of Śaunaka with Text and Translation. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Bisschop, P. and A. Griffiths. 2007. The Practice Involving the Ucchuṣmas (Atharvavedapariśiṣṭa 36). Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik 24: 1–46.
Bodewitz, H. W. 1990. The Jyotiṣṭoma Ritual: Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa 1.66–364, Introduction, Translation and Commentary. Orientalia Rheno-Traiectina 34. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
Bolling, G.M. and Negelein, J. von. 1909. The Pariśiṣṭas of the Atharvaveda, Vol. I: Text and Critical Apparatus, Part I. Leipzig: Otto Harrassowitz.
Caland, W. 1900. Altindisches Zauberritual: Probe einer Übersetzung der wichtigsten Theile des Kauśika Sūtra (Reprint, 1967, Wiesbaden: Dr. Martin Sändig oHG.).
Caland, W. 1908. Altindische Zauberei: Darstellung der altindischen “Wunschopfer” (Reprint, Wiesbaden: Dr. Martin Sändig, 1968).
Caland, W. 1928. Das Śrautasūtra des Āpastamba, Sechszehntes bis Vierundzwanzigstes und Einunddreissigstes Buch (Reprint, 1969, Wiesbaden: Dr. Martin Sändig oHG.).
Caland, W. 1931. Pañcaviṃśa-Brāhmaṇa. The Brāhmaṇa of Twenty Five Chapters. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society of Bengal.
Caland, W. 1953. Śāṅkhāyana-Śrautasūtra being a major yajñika text of the R̥gveda translated into English for the first time by W. Caland, edited with an introduction by Lokesh Chandra. Nagpur: The International Academy of Indian Culture.
Caland, W. and Henry, V. 1907. L’agniṣṭoma: Description complete de la forme normale du sacrifice de soma dans le culte védique, tome second. Paris: Ernest Leroux.
Dange, S. S. 1993–94. Devikā-offerings in Vedic Rituals. Vishveshvaranand Indological Journal 31–32: 1–8.
Einoo, S. 1988. Die Cāturmāsya oder die altindischen Tertialopfer; dargestellt nach den Vorschriften der Brāhmaṇas und der Śrautasūtras. Monumenta Serindica 18. Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa.
Falk, H. 1986. Bruderschaft und Würfelspiel: Untersuchungen zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des vedischen Opfers. Freiburg: H. Falk.
Gonda, J. 1951. The R̥gvidhāna. English Translation with an Introduction and Notes. Utrecht: N. V. A. Oosthoek’s Uitgevers Mij.
Gonda, J. 1965. The Savayajñas (Kauśikasūtra 60–68, Translation, Introduction, Commentary). Amsterdam: N.V. Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij.
Goudriaan, T. 1978. Māyā Divine and Human. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Goudriaan, T. 1985. The Vīṇāśikhatantra. A Śaiva Tantra of the Left Current, edited with an Introduction and a Translation. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Heesterman, J. C. 1957. The Ancient Indian Royal Consecration. Disputationes Rheno-Trajectinae 2, ‘S -Gravenhage: Mouton & Co.
Hillebrandt, A. 1880. Das altindische Neu- und Vollmondsopfer. Jena: Gustav Fischer (Reprint: 1977, Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt).
Hillebrandt, A. 1897. Ritual-Litteratur. Vedische Opfer und Zauber. Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner (Reprint, 1981, Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt).
Keith, A. B. 1914. The Veda of the Black Yajus School Entitled Taittiriya Sanhita, Part 1: Kāṇḍa I–III, Part 2: Kāṇḍa IV–VII Translated from the Original Sanskrit Prose and Verse. = Harvard Oriental Series, Vols. 18 and 19. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Reprint, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,1967).
Konow, S. 1893. Das Sāmavidhānabrāhmaṇa. Ein altindisches Handbuch der Zauberei. Eingeleitet und Übersetzt von Sten Konow. Halle a. S.: Max Niemeyer.
Krick, H. 1982. Das Ritual der Feuergründung (Agnyādheya). Wien: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaft.
Muller-Ortega, P. E. 2002. Becoming Bhairava: Meditative Vision in Abhinavagupta's Parātriṃśikā-laghuvr̥tti. In: K. A. Harper and R. L. Brown (Eds). The Roots of Tantra. Albany, State University of New York Press: 213–230.
Rau, W. 1957. Staat und Gesellschaft im Alten Indien nach den Brāhmaṇa-Texten dargestellt. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
Scheftelowitz, I. 1906. Die Apokryphen des R̥gveda (reprint 1966, Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung).
Schoterman, J. A. 1982. The Ṣaṭsāhasra Saṃhitā, Chapters 1-5. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Schwab, J. 1886. Das altindische Thieropfer, mit Benützung handschriftlicher Quellen. Erlangen: Verlag von Andreas Deichert.
Van Gelder, J. M. 1963. The Mānava Śrautasūtra belonging to the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā, translated by Jeannette M. van Gelder. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture.
Vishva Bandhu. 1959. A Vedic Word Concordance, Vol. I Saṃhitās, Part IV. Hoshiarpur: Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute.
Vishva Bandhu. 1973. A Vedic Word Concordance, Vol. II Brāhmaṇas, Part II. Hoshiarpur: Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute.
Whitney, W. D. 1905. Atharva-Veda-Saṃhitā Translated into English by W. D. Whitney, 2 Vols. (Reprint: 1962, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
