UNDERSTANDING TANTRIC RITES AND RITUALS OF THE DAŚA MAHĀVIDYĀ TRADITION

Back to Page Authors: Sneha Das

Keywords: Tantra, Rituals, Dasa Mahavidya, Anthropology of Religion

Abstract: Rituals can be performed in two ways. Firstly, in a rather discreet manner accompanied by mental chanting of hymns in closed confinement and secondly, performance with great pomp and show of devotion or bhakti to the deity in a communal setup. In the Tantric tradition, the first form of ritualistic performance has always been held on higher grounds. Secrecy is one of the characteristics which make Tantrism stand out as a theological philosophy in the larger Hindu tapestry. While on one hand, presence of secrecy in the Tantric fold creates a niche for itself as a special philosophy in the Puranic theological nexus; on the other hand, it proves as a daunting challenge in the study of rituals and their implications. This research is an attempt to analyze the anthropology of the Tantric religion within an Indian environment steeped in Brahmanical patriarchy and caste-class differences. The rituals are associated with esoteric rituals where there is a transgression of social norms by undertaking meat eating, secret sex rites, etc. These substances stand as an epitome of the transgression of what has been determined as ways and mores of a civilized and Brahmanical religious and cultural setup. It will analyze the various aspects of the Tantric rituals like Balī or sacrifice, Kāmakala or the sex ritual, Mantra and Yantra, taking the pantheon of Daśa Mahāvidyā- a highly Tantric Mother Goddess pantheon, as the focal point of the research.