Vaishnava Tantra As Outlined in the Bhagavata Krishna Kshetra Swami
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Shukadeva Narrating Bhagavata Vaishnava Tantra As Outlined in the Bhagavata Krishna Kshetra Swami f you ask a vaishnava whether she or he generally an integral feature of Vaishnava cul- PAINTING: practises tantra, the answer is likely to be: ture and practice. This is particularly the case ‘No, absolutely not. I practise bhakti!’ In- in the area of formal or ritual, practices, which Y I ANN / deed, it is safe to say that most Vaishnavas con- Vaishnavas often identify asarchana —the con- N sider devotion, bhakti, to Vishnu, Narayana, stellation of activities centred on the worship of A or Krishna to be the defining feature of Vaish- Vishnu as embodied in a physical form, graphic TIONAL navism. What may be less known even within representation, or feature of physical nature. M current Vaishnava circles is that tantra—or as- Here I want to sketch some features of Vaishnava USEUM, pects of what can be identified as tantra—is tantra, particularly as these are found in one of N the most important sacred texts for Vaishnavas, EW Krishna Kshetra Swami is the dean of studies, D Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium and a research namely, the Bhagavata. I hasten to add—and ELHI fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, this is one reason mainstream Vaishnavas may Oxford, uk. reject the idea that they practise tantra—that 178 PB January 2016 Vaishnava Tantra As Outlined in the Bhagavata 189 the Vaishnavism I describe here firmly rejects the initiation from a qualified guru or acharya con- sorts of transgressive practices associated with veys divine grace to the sadhaka, practitioner, some forms of tantra, sometimes referred to as facilitating devotional, reciprocal exchange that ‘left-handed’ tantra, or thevama-marga . comes to be the dominant ideal of the various Without lingering on attempts to define tan- Vaishnava bhakti traditions. Within these trad- tra as such, let us very briefly look at the Vaish- itions, along with the recitation of appropriate nava scriptural corpus in which tantra plays mantras, the worship of physical images of the a part. Here the beginning point of inquiry divinity is common, and the particulars of wor- must be the classical locus of the tradition, a ship continue, to the present day, to be drawn group of texts known as Pancharatra Samhitas from Pancharatra and related or derivative lit- or Pancharatra Agamas. Srivaishnavas, in par- erature. Thus, the emphasis on bhakti may some- ticular, have regarded these texts as revelation, what obscure practitioners’ conscious awareness on a par with the revelatory Vedic Samhitas. that their ritual practices are tantric in character. Pancharatra is, broadly speaking, concerned Still, one can speak of these practices as Vaish- to link the phenomenal world with the tran- nava tantra, recognising ‘family resemblances’ to scendent realm, where Narayana rules as the su- more explicitly tantric traditions. preme divinity, with whom a practitioner seeks In a much different genre of Sanskrit texts to gain some form of union or communion, than Pancharatra literature, is arguably one and whose eternal association and residence of the most important and popular works for in his realm is sought. A key principle in Pan- Vaishnavas of several traditions, the Bhagavata, charatra literature that links this world with also known as the Srimad Bhagavata Purana or the transcendent world is the notion of vyuha, Srimad Bhagavatam. The time and place of this whereby a fourfold expansion of Narayana—as work’s provenance is much disputed, but most the deities Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, agree that at least by the tenth century ce its and Aniruddha—bring into manifest form the present form and content were fixed. Evidence fundamental constituents of this world, thus of its popularity can be found—aside from its bridging the otherwise unbridgeable chasm wide-ranging interpretation in the performing between the phenomenal and transcendent and graphic arts throughout India—also in the realms. Also important in Pancharatra for es- high degree of Sanskrit commentarial attention tablishing a connection to transcendence is the it has received from representatives of several dif- employment of mantra—sacred incantations— ferent Vaishnava traditions, because the Bhaga- in meditation and audible recitation, as regular vata is a springboard for reflecting on Vaishnava practices for divinisation of the practitioner, tantra, broadly conceived. bringing her or him to the level of purity fit for Here I will not make a detailed examination approaching the divinity. of the Bhagavata in terms of tantra. Suffice to In later Pancharatra literature, possibly after note that throughout most of the Bhagavata 500 ce, the application of mantra is seen less as there are occasional allusions to Pancharatra a matter of mechanical recitation and more as a elements, such as reference to the four vyu- vehicle for the realisation of bhakti, devotion, has, initiation into the practice of mantra reci- in relation to the deity. In this view, the care- tation, and—more on this later—allusions to fully recited mantra, properly received through circular graphic shapes, mandalas, conducive PB January 2016 179 190 Prabuddha Bharata for meditation. However, we find one chap- to one who has received a ‘second birth’ in the ter in particular, in the eleventh, out of twelve form of initiation, diksha, which in Vaishnava skhandhas or books, that expressly focuses on tantra is possible for anyone who accepts and ser- ritual worship, overviewing practices that the iously follows a qualified guru’s guidance, regard- narrator—Sri Krishna, addressing his devotee less of one’s family background. Tantra is also Uddhava—explicitly refers to as a mixture of implied in the second of the two restrictions, both Vedic and tantric elements. Here I offer namely, that the worshipper must be ‘imbued my translation of a few selected verses from the with devotion’. Although bhakti, devotion, is twenty-seventh chapter of book eleven of the typically contrasted with tantra, in Vaishnava Bhagavata, and I provide brief elaborations and tantra traditions, a proper mood of selfless devo- explanations in pursuit of a broad understand- tion must be the driving force and basic principle ing of how many Vaishnavas from both early and of all tantric practices. contemporary times engage with tantra. ‘It is declared that there are eight types (of ‘In an image, on the ground, or in fire; in the sacred images appropriate for worship), namely, sun, in water, or in one’s own heart, the twice- those formed of stone, of wood, of metal, of born, imbued with devotion, may forthrightly clay, of sand, of jewels, as a painting, and in the worship me—one’s own guru—with physical mind’ (11.27.12). One might well wonder: ‘How objects and substances.’1 The idea of ‘worship’— is it possible to have devotion for a lifeless image here the Sanskrit term archana is used—can have made of material elements?’ In the practice of a variety of associations. Here the emphasis is Vaishnava tantra, one learns to regard all ‘mat- on ritual practices involving the presentation of ter’ as energy, shakti, of the supreme energetic, physical objects and substances considered pleas- shaktiman, person, Bhagavan or Vishnu. Since ing to the divinity, in this case Sri Krishna, since all energy originates in Vishnu, he can transform it is he, speaking to Uddhava, who refers to him- or perhaps better, ‘transubstantiate’, any material self. In turn, such physical objects and substances substance for his own purposes, or for benefiting are to be offered to the divinity seen as present his devotees. The Vaishnava tantra texts,Pan - in a physical object—image, ground, or sun—or charatra Agamas, provide detailed ritual proced- substance, fire or water. ures for invoking Vishnu into an image, either The inclusive spirit of the Bhagavata is indi- temporarily or permanently. The aggregate of cated here: Sri Krishna offers a variety of options these procedures is called prana-pratishta, liter- regarding physical and non-physical objects and ally ‘establishing life’. But equally important as forms in which he is willing to receive worship. such formalities is the devotional attitude of the But he also indicates two restrictions. First, he practitioner, by virtue of which her or his eyes stipulates that one must be dvija, ‘twice-born’, are said to be ‘smeared with the salve of love’, en- referring to the Vedic rather than the tantric sys- abling the practitioner to see the object of wor- tem, wherein birth into what Vedic-brahmin- ship as the divine subject. ical culture regards as one of the three higher ‘The ritual worship of me in images, and so varnas—brahmana, kshatriya, or vaishya—is a on, is done with prescribed items; yet for the prerequisite for initiation into Vedic study and desireless devotee, (ritual worship is done) with ritual practice. However, more broadly and ac- whatever items can be readily obtained, as well commodating of the tantric system, it may refer as by mentally fashioned offerings’ (11.27.15). 180 PB January 2016 Vaishnava Tantra As Outlined in the Bhagavata 191 Vaishnava tantra facilitates becoming free from ‘O Uddhava, in the worship of images, ritual selfish motivation while uncovering the supreme bathing and decoration are most pleasing; for Self or Subject, residing in the heart. Here ‘de- a graphic design on the ground, tattva-vinyasa sireless’ translates amayin, literally ‘void of trick (ritual invocations with mantras) is most pleas- or guile’. In this understanding, the Vaishnava is ing; for worship in consecrated fire, oblations so absorbed in the spirit of selfless service that of food grains soaked in ghee is most pleasing.’3 she or he can very easily please the Lord, Vishnu, The devotional Vaishnava engaged in Vaishnava by offering him simple, easily obtained items.