THE TANTRIC REVIEW

BULLETIN OF TANTRIC LITERATURE

01/2015

THE TANTRIC REVIEW

BULLETIN OF TANTRIC LITERATURE
01/2015
Published in Italy by Lodge Sothis
Official Lodge of Dragon Rouge Ordo Draconis et Atrii Adamantis
April 2015
Under Creative Commons International License Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Cover Image originally in A.Sanderson, Maalas and gamic Identity in The Trika of Kashmir, in Mantras et

Diagrammes Rituels dans lHindouisme, Paris, 1986, pp. 169-204

II

The texts we are going to comment on will

AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE

not be restricted to any particular frame or

This initiative has been conceived in the

order; we will indifferently present old and

ongoing

to

new works alike, with a definite interest to

contribute to the Draconian Current. Such

compare, analyse and provide suggestions

contributions can be of a practical magical

based on our perception and practise of the

nature or as in this case of a theoretical

Tantric tradition.

one, yet not less important.

The Tantric Review will also include specific

The Tantric Review project sees the light as

focuses

integral part of our Lodges Tantric Project,

specifically created and edited to support both

which first saw the light in structured and

the novice and the veteran student of the

deeply magical form in 2010 and has since

Tantric tradition.

then been a fundamental pillar of our

If these reflections and reviews will inspire

initiatory work and research. We have since

you, our aim will have been accomplished.

effort

from

Lodge

Sothis

on

particular

concepts:

it

is

then held several long and short-term projects

based on the Tantric tradition, both in Italy
and in other countries: the Magical Week in
Gotland and in Greece, hosted by Lodge
Typhon.
We also had the chance to hold a public
introductory theoretical course to the study of
the Tantras in some Italian cities, which gave
us the possibility to understand the kind of
confusion and misunderstandings surrounding
the Tantras likely to arise in the esoteric
milieu as well.
This publication, available to the Order via
the forum, wants to be an overview of texts
published on the Tantric tradition, a middle
ground

of

sorts

between

reviews

and

commentaries, with the aim of promoting

interest,

sharing wisdom and providing

insights to those interested in such endeavours

as the different paths of Tantric lore.

Naples-Rome, April 2015

WENDY DONIGER OFLAHERTY

the study of Indology and Tantras with

iva: The Erotic Ascetic

patience and an open mind.

Oxford University Press, 1973

For those interested in the technical aspects of

English

OFlahertys

386 pages

by Professor

method,

the

introduction presents her overview of the

Forty years later, this impressive piece of

work

scholarly

Doniger

OFlaherty

(eminent Indologist at the University of

Chicago, where she has taught since 1978)
still stands as a landmark in aiva studies,
especially on a theme of such profound
interest as the dichotomy between asceticism
and the erotic drive, both on a mundane and
on an exquisitely initiatory plane.
The author presents in this vast volume an
impressive array of sources and textual data
through which she explores the references to
iva as the great ascetic and to his erotic
counterpart, Kma. The structuralist approach
OFlaherty used in this book possesses, in my
opinion, a double-edged quality. On one hand,
we have a book conceived in the dry
approach of the structuralist method

- an

analysis and display of motifs and sub-motifs:

basically following the procedure in which a
theme or a work is broken down in several
layers and the interaction of the different
layers is crucial in the overall interpretation
which might at a first approach discourage the
scholars of religion and especially of
Esotericism; but, on the other hand, the
painstaking and highly erudite work of the
author makes this volume worthwhile for all
researchers and practitioners who approach

different problems which arise in the study of

Hindu mythology, focusing especially on
what she sees as its inherent character of
paradox and contradiction, often resolved by a
transcendental bhakti approach - but after all
the very theme of this work is a strong
dichotomy (still hard to sublimate from a
Western perspective), perhaps the strongest of
all: the one between the desire to transcend
and the urge of earthly (or allegedly so)
desires.
Chapter II presents a comprehensive overview
of these two recurring themes in early Indian
mythology, facing subjects as the power of
chastity - exemplified by the creative tapas
and

the

apparently contradictory erotic

powers of the ascetics (both male and

female!) apparently counterpoised to the
importance of procreation.
Chapter III is one of the most interesting
sections,

as

it

deals

with

the

Vedic

antecedents of iva, focusing on Rudra, Indra

and Agni, defined as the erotic fire,
providing excellent textual references to
original Sanskrit literature on these less
known aspects, or predecessors, of the great
Hindu god.
The book then follows with a thorough
exploration of ivas multiform nature, both

IV

in opposition and identification with Bhram

on a deep knowledge and possession of the

and, obviously, with Kam, analyzing in

source material. A further proof that strictly

depth his incarnations as ascetic and dweller

academic material can provide esotericists

of the mundane abode par excellence, the

with a never-ending well of lore and reliable

householder.

information.

The important theme of the constant tension

Definitely recommended.

between sexuality and control is further

developed in Chapter VIII, with an interesting

[A.B.]

presentation of sources on the transformation

of desire by self-temptation, as in this
enlightening passage:
ivas lust for Mohin deludes him until he spills his
seed; then he realizes his delusion, becomes spent, and
refrains from his low act, whereupon Viu praises him
for being the only one ever to have conquered his
delusion in this way. The release the shedding of the
seed is not in itself a sufficient cure; it must be
accompanied by the conquest of delusion, the
attainment of indifference. When this is attained, the
devotee who indulges in sexual pleasures is saved
rather than dammed by them (pp. 259-260)

Of great interest to the attentive and open

minded scholar of the Left Hand Path is also
the theme of Chapter IX and its inherent focus
on the cyclic nature of urges, may them be
mundane or transcendental: in particular I
recommend the paragraphs A and B, which
revolve around the dangers of both ivas
excessive chastity and sexual indulgence.
In brief, this volume presents a
massive source of information, and it can be
read as it is or used as reference material: it
nonetheless provides scholars and esotericists
alike with a clear, learned information based

ABHINAVAGUPTA

the concept of ignorance as stain in the

Tantrasra - Essenza dei Tantra

sacred texts, and how to avoid it through

Translated by Raniero Gnoli

different kinds of knowledge. These can be

Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli, 1990

obtained through different means, known as

Italian

the way without means, which is the

277 pages

enlightment by a single instant and the rarest

The Tantrasra (Essence of the Tantras) is
generally considered a shorter or abridged
version of the much longer and complete
Tantrloka (Light of the Tantras) by the
Kamiri

philosopher

and

Tantrika

Abhinavagupta, who lived in Kamir in the

tenth century. The text was published in the
Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies no. XVII
by Mukund Rm Shstr, Bombay 1918. This
is Raniero Gnolis direct translation from
Sanskrit to Italian; Gnoli was Full Professor
of Indology at the University of Rome
Sapienza, internationally known as one of
the best Sanskrit and Indian philosophy
specialists of the last centuries. The text is

(Can the evershining Sun shine in a vase?

Who, with a noble glaze, in a single instant
can discriminate this, then he can penetrate
into iva); the following means, known as
the

divine

means:

according

to

Abhinavagupta, those yogis that cannot

penetrate directly the divine, can compenetrate it gazing into its power, made of
freedom

and

its

own

reflection;

the

empowered means are meant to be used to

purify through specific

meditations

the

discursive knowledge, which is actually a way

to break representations or to avoid incorrect
representations of the mind; the last, the
minimal means, are those used at the

completed by a full introduction to Kamir

beginning of the way, such as the body, the

aivism,

external symbols, the rites and the breath. The

the figure of Abhinavagupta, a

comment by the translator and six appendixes

(including one about the Sanskrit language
and pronunciation) useful to understand the
context and concepts presented in the text.
In these 22 chapters Abhinavagupta explains
the doctrine of the Tantras, which is to him
the way of Kamir aivism, based upon
different schools, including the Krama and
the Spanda. The Tantrasra is written, as its
longer brother, as a manual both for the
Master and the Student. It starts explaining

following chapters are about time, space,

mantras, different kinds of initiation (dk)
and post mortem rites in the Trika school,
which is according to Abhinavagupta the final
and most complete school of all traditions.
According to him (Chapter 19: On the
Probative Value of the Holy Texts) every
school, being it aiva or not, is a good school,
suitable for a specific time or type of man,
even if the Trika is considered superior. The
final chapter, The Sacrifice according to the

VI

Kula School, Abhinavagupta explains the six

main sacrifices: on the external reality, on the
power, on the body, on the sexual union, on
the breath of life, on the consciousness. This
chapter is mainly an abridged version of
specific

principles

and

practices

better

explained in both the Partriik and the

Tantrloka, Gnoli using the latter one to
integrate the translated text, which is roughly
hard to understand originally, being written in
the crepuscular language typical of many
Tantras, especially the ones explaining sexual
rites.
Its hard to say if the Tantrasra can be read
by a novice of the Tantras, or if using
different texts by Abhinavagupta may result
more suitable, and probably theres no correct
answer. As many of the real meaningful texts
on the Tantras, it should be read and literally
practiced upon many times, giving every time
a different (or, more advanced) result.
One thing, by the way, should be always said
about Abhinavagupta: in the Tenth century, in
his Tantrloka, he already warned the young
practitioners about the corrupted gurus that
used the Tantras for material gains, especially
of the sexual kind. Its a lesson we should
always keep in mind, especially today.

[A.V.]

VII

UTPALADEVA

varapratyabhijakrik1. What made this

Meditations on Shiva. The Shivastrotavali of

encounter even more peculiar was my state of

Utpaladeva

mind at the time, profoundly immersed in

Translated by Constantina Rhodes Bailly

Tantric workings and meditations: this is what

State University of New York Press, 1995

hits when reading Utpaladeva verses, the

English

immediate feeling of pure poetry flowing

133 pages

directly from sdhana, or spiritual practice

The ways of initiation and inspiration are

multifold. Sometimes a life-changing book
can reside on the shelves of the Occult
section of your local bookstore (especially in
your early twenties), later on you might find
some among rigorous scholarly works, or in
the visionary art and music of some talented
individuals. As for me, I hadnt thought I
could ever find deep spiritual enlightenment
and insights into works of poetry but, again,
we are talking about Tantric authors, for
whom no means are unworthy to praise the
fantastic journey through the consciousness of
My encounter with the peaks of Hindu
mystical poetry happened when I stumbled
upon the works of Utapaladeva (c.ca 900
950 CE), theologian, mystic and philosopher
of the Kamir Pratyabhija school of aivism
and a great example of a gifted tntrika; in the
words of the Italian Indologist Raffaele
Torella, Utpaladeva shines as a passionate
and deep mystic in the ivastotrval as he
been

an

epistemologist

inflexible
in

dialectic

We find in this small booklet, beautifully

translated and introduced by Constantina
Rhodes Bailly of the State University of New
York,

the

rendition

of

Utpaladevas

ivastotrval (Garland of Songs to iva),

so named by the great siddhas disciples who
gathered in this volume his devotional stotras,
or songs.
As already mentioned, Utpaladevas words
strike chords for those who have savored the
depths of meditation, as they record his
experiences of what is known in Indian
aesthetic theory as sambhoga, the sweet and

separation, union, and what is in between.

had

and experiences.

and
the

expansive intoxication of encountering the

divine beloved (Introduction, p. 3). What is
beautifully Tantric in this is the concept that
to truly achieve union with the divine the
mystic, once achieved the highest state of
consciousness (turiya or the Fourth State),
one mustnt try to remain there in a static and
impossible detachment, but to bring back to
the

world

the

wisdom

and

inner

enlightenment, as the liberation does not

coincide with the immersion in a state - how

R. Torella, Introduzione to A. Padoux, Tantra,

Einaudi 2011, pp. IX XIX, p. XIX. Translation from
Italian is ours.

VIII

high as it might be - , but with the total

adhesion to the very movement of Power2.
This is the real gift of initiation and the
dynamic nature of the left hand path itself.
But even the reader who approaches these
verses without having ever experienced
Tantric practices might benefit from them; as
Rhodes Bailly remarks, the Kamiri tradition
places an even subtler and more germane
value on Utpaladevas poetry, for not only is
it said to assist the sdhaka in progressing
toward the goal, it plays a part in initiating the
whole process. (Introduction, p. 6).
This is a reading that influenced me deeply,
and I wish many of you can benefit from
these sublime verses as I have.

The only

concluding words that can have meaning are

better left to the great siddha himself:
With the restless joy
Born of rapture and devotion
May I perceive, entirely through the
senses,
The whole world in the form of iva
And every action to consist of worship

[A.B.]

Ivi, p. XVIII-XIX.

IX

KEMARJA

akticakravibavaprabhava,

Spandasadoha

Kemarja in eleven different ways, including

Translated by Enrica Garzilli

in them some influences by the Krama

Istituto Universitario Orientale, Napoli 1989

school

Italian

as

his

by

guru

Abhinavagupta, was initiated probably in

44 pages

almost all the schools of non-dualistic

Spandasadoha (Totality of Spanda, which

can be roughly translated as vibration) is a
text by Kemarja, probably the most
important author of the Spanda school of nondualistic

(Kemarja,

explained

Kamir

aivism.

The

original

Sanskrit text was published in the Kashmir

Series of Texts and Studies no. XVI by
Mukund Rm Shstr, Bombay 1917, hereby
presented in its first translation into a western
language by Enrica Garzilli, later editor of the
International Journal of Tantric Studies,
formerly

Affiliate

Researcher

at

the

University of Delhi, Senior Fellow at the

Center for the Study of World Religions,
Lecturer at Department of Sanskrit and Indian

Kamir aivism), substantially defining the

Spanda as movement in the subject itself,
vibration, the wave in the sea of knowing,
the dynamic energy of consciousness, the
pure action.
The Krama influence is particularly evident in
the tenth and eleventh interpretations, in
which the use of the aktis (powers) is
explained.
The Spandasadoha is a very difficult text,
that can be read and progressively understood
by novices having a good confidence with
other aiva sacred texts, but its undoubtedly
a text full of philosophical and practical hints
for the devoted tantric student.

Studies and Editor-in-Chief of Harvard

Oriental Series, Opera Minora (Harvard

[A.V.]

University).
The Spandasadoha is a comment about the
first stanza of the main Spanda text, the
Spandakrik (The stanzas on vibration),
which is on its own a comment on the first
official aiva sacred text, the ivastra.
The author commented the first stanza, as he
wrote in the last pages, because the content
of the entire treatise is a unique phrase which
comprehends the whole. Practically, the text
is

especially

about

the

first

verse

SHASHIBHUSAN DAS GUPTA

many scholars of the Left Hand Path with

Obscure Religious Cults

several gems of information and especially

Firma Klm Private Limited, 1946

worth of notice following a thorough

English

historical and doctrinal structure. Another

436 pages

merit of the Indian scholar is reserving a part

of the book to an overview of the Bal sect of

Creativity surely is a pillar of magical and

spiritual endeavours, but when tracing back
and trying to really get to the core of systems
of thought and spiritual world views, Lodge
Sothis and Dragon Rouge a whole have
always stressed the importance of primary
sources. Reality is much more interesting than
immature fantasy trips or endless, useless
strifes on vague genealogies. Tantra makes no
exception to that: what the popular Western
approach would like it to be is by far less
interesting the myriad of facets it possesses.
Shashibhusan Das Gupta (1911-1964) in this
great classic from 1946 (which constituted his
doctoral dissertation) presents us with a
wonderful primer to the less known schools
and sects of tantric Hinduism and Buddhism.
In particular, we have thanks to his researches
a comprehensive outlook on the esoteric

Bengal, the tantric bards of Indian culture,

singers and cantors who shunned pedantic
academic treatises of the Divine, preferring to
devote their endeavours into chanting the
word of the Transcendental. Worth of notice
is also the lengthy examination of the
problems and speculations on the complex
problem of Dharma in Indian thought.
Das Guptas systematic approach makes the
huge load of information easy to absorb even
for the uniformed reader, and the amount of
data which is here presented can easily be
consulted in separate parts, as the themes are
many and manifold. Commenting on each
part would deserve a commentary volume in
itself, so I strongly suggest all scholars and
practitioners of Tantra to get hold of this
pivotal book and use it a life-long reference
for their studies and inspiration.

stream of doctrines, such as the rarely

touched-on Buddhist and Vaiava Sahajiy

[A.B.]

cults (and the transition between them); an

extensive share of the book is dedicated to the
legendary Nth siddhas, miracle workers and
extreme yogis widely mentioned in Western
occult literature but seldom appropriately
studied in all their fascinating aspects: this
volume surely presents a comprehensive
research on the matter, which could surprise

XI