Tantric Ritual Procedures – II
Following on from the previous post in this occasional series, here’s a look at an example of bhūtaśuddhiḥ – the purification and divinization of the body. This practice is a core component of tantric daily practice, and examples are found both in scriptures and ritual manuals of the Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions. There are also similar practices in tantric Buddhism.
In bhūtaśuddhiḥ practice, regions of the body are homologized with the five elements, tattvas and kalās. What follows is a condensed description of bhūtaśuddhiḥ compiled from Śaiva texts such as the Kāmikāgama, Īśānaśivaguradeva, and Somaśambhu-paddhati. There are very similar accounts of this rite in both the Jayākha Saṃhitā and the Laksmī Tantra, two texts of the Vaiṣṇava Pāñcarātra.
This essay will appear in my next Twisted Trunk release: Wheels within Wheels: Chakras and Western Esotericism. I’m hoping to have it published before the end of the year.
Karanyāsa
Assuming a straight-backed posture, facing North, and invoking the presence of Śiva, the practitioner begins with the purification of the hands, smearing them with sandal-paste. He then performs karanyāsa – the imposition of mantras onto the fingers and hands. According to the Kāmikāgama, householders should perform this beginning with the thumb and ending with the little finger; whereas forest-dwelling ascetics begin with the little finger and end with the thumb. The former represents the evolution of the tattvas, and the latter, their dissolution, and is appropriate for those desiring final liberation. This practice endows the practitioner’s hands with the nature of Śiva, making them efficacious for all other ritual activities. The hands are ‘rubbed’ with the fiery Astra (weapon) mantra that destroys all impurities.
The Brahmantras and Aṅgamantras
The five Brahmantras are in actuality the five acts (and faces) of Śiva. These are Īśāna (grace), Tatpuruṣa (concealing), Aghora (reabsorption), Vāma (maintenance), and Sadjoyāta (emission).
The Aṅgamantras are the ‘limbs’ of Śiva. They are Netra (eye), Hṛd (heart), Śiras (head), Śikhā (topknot), Kavaca (armour), and Astra (weapon).
Application of the Brahmantras and Aṅgamantras
| Position | Brahmamantra | Aṅgamantra |
|---|---|---|
| Thumbs | Īśāna | Astra |
| Index fingers | Tatpuruṣa | Kavaca |
| Middle fingers | Aghora | Śikhā |
| Ring fingers | Vāma | Śiras |
| Little fingers | Sadjoyāta | Hṛd |
| Palms | Netra |
The practitioner then meditates upon the nature of Śiva present in the heart-cave, or, alternatively, with Śivasakti, above the brahmarandhra. He then contemplates his body being incinerated by fire, annihilating any accumulated karma. This kind of meditation is sometimes referred to as Kālāgnirudra – the Rudra who is the fire of time. The power of Kālāgni resides in the left big toe, and is meditated upon spreading throughout the body.
The practitioner then contemplates the tattvas in relation to the body. Each of these five tattvas is pervaded by a kalā and located in the body. The five elements are the least subtle of the 36 tattvas that constitute the cosmos. They are related in the body to the modes of perception. At the same time, the five elements are the supports for the kalās (see below).
Firstly, the practitioner contemplates the Prithvi tattva (Earth). It is to be visualized as having the form of a square; gold-coloured, marked with the vajra. Its seed-syllable is Lam. The presiding deity is Brahmā. It is pervaded by nivṛitti kalā. It is raised with five repetitions of the seed-mantra hlam.
Next, the jala tattva (Water). It has the form of a half-moon, white in colour, marked with a lotus. The presiding deity is Viṣṇu. The seed-syllable is Vam. It is pervaded by pratiṣṭhā kalā. It is raised through four repetitions of the mantra hvim.
Then, the agni tattva (Fire). It has the form of a triangle, red in colour and marked with a svastika. It’s seed-syllable is Ram. It is associated with vidyā kalā. It is raised through three repetitions of the mantra hrum.
Now, the vayu tattva (Air). It has the form of a hexagon, black in colour, marked with six drops (bindu). The presiding deity is Isvara. It is associated with sāntā kalā. The seed-syllable is Yam. It is raised with two repetitions of the mantra hyaim.
Finally (in this sequence) the akasa tattva (Space). It has the form of circle, and is unmarked. It is the colour of smoke. The presiding deity is Sadāśiva. The seed-syllable is Ham. It is pervaded by sāntyātītā kalā. It is raised through one intonation of the mantra haum.
The locations of the tattva in the body are as follows.
Tattva locations in the body
| Tattva | Body location | Alternative location |
|---|---|---|
| Earth | Heart | From the feet to the knee |
| Water | Neck | From the knee to navel |
| Fire | Root of the uvula | From navel to the neck |
| Air | Mid-point of the two eyebrows | From the neck to top of face |
| Space | brahmarandhra | Above the face |
In this short sequence, the progression from earth to space up the body folds each element into its preceding aspect and emits the corresponding sense-capacity. Again, this recapitulates the reversal of the tattva schema; the practitioner ascending through the elements. Breath, visualization, mantra, and focusing awareness on the senses act in combination.
The Kalās
Here, kalā indicates limited action. In the Śaiva philosophy, it is kalā tattva that separates us from the unlimited potential of our true nature into differentiated reality. From the earth element to the Śiva tattva, there are five circles or enclosures that encapsulate the thirty-six tattvas. Nivṛitti kalā corresponds to the element of Earth. NB: Nivṛitti also implies cessation or withdrawal of the senses or from worldly activity. Pratiṣṭhā kalā enscapsulates the tattvas from water (jala tattva) to prakṛti. Vidyā kalā encompasses puruṣa and the six kañcukas (‘coats of armour’) comprising of kalā (limited action), vidyā (limited knowledge, i.e. discursive thought), rāga (attachment), kāla (time), niyati (necessity), and māyā (veiling). The kañcukas are so named as they cover the Self. Sāntā kalā encapsulates suddha vidyā tattva to śakti tattva. Sāntyātītā kalā is the domain of Śiva in his most subtle (highest) form.
The ritual practice continues with the ‘untying’ of the knots (granthis) of the central channel. At each cakra where there is a ‘knot’ the practitioner contemplates that he is freed from the obstruction caused by the knot, accompanied by pranayama. Raising awareness up the central channel, he identifies his self with Śiva, located at the crown of the head, twelve fingers’ length above the meeting of the eyebrows (dvādaśanta). He then meditates upon his body as though it were an inverted tree, the roots in his head, and branches reaching down below. He visualizes the tree nourished by water, flowering, and bearing fruit. He then cuts down the tree with the sword of detachment and contemplates it being burnt to ash in the fire of knowledge, from the big toe to the head. The ash is scattered in the ten directions, and he meditates upon the absorption of the body-tree into pure space (akasa).
The subtle body contains three subtle channels (nāḍi) through which the breath flows – iḍā, piṅgāla, and the central suṣumnā. These channels are joined at five points – the granthis (‘knot’, ‘joint’). They are visualized as lotus buds, and each has a presiding deity, known collectively as the Kāraṇeśvaras. They are, in ascending order, Brahman (the heart), Viṣṇu (throat), Rudra (palate), Īśvara (eyebrows), and Sadāśiva (brahmarandhra).
The practitioner then contemplates the body remade as pure Śaktī. It is drenched in the nectar that pours forth from the thousand-petalled cakra. He invokes his own self as a body of mantras, with iccha, jnana and kriya saktis as the three eyes; making the goad gesture (ankusa mudra). He places a sequence of mantras along the central axis of his body, with appropriate mudras. Īśāna mantra on the head; Tat-puruṣa mantra on the face; aghora on the chest; vamādeva on the genitals; Sadjoyāta on the feet. These are the five faces of Śiva.
This is followed by an extensive placement of 38 kalā-mantras upon the body. These kalās are śaktis, particularizations of Śiva’s divine power. They are grouped in relation to his five faces. For example, Īśāna has five kalās – Śaśinī; Aṅgadā; Iṣṭā; Marīci; and Jvālinī. The practitioner then prepares the invocation of Isvara, meditating upon an inner shrine within his heart. Visualizing a fire pit in his navel, he offers oblations of nectar, kindling the fire with the flow of the breath. Focusing awareness at the mid-point of the eyebrows, he meditates upon a Śivalinga of pure crystal. Contemplating union with that linga and the presence of Śiva within it, he breathes in through the left channel and offers the oblation of consciousness, through the outbreath (pingala nadi). Raising his self through the body to the point between the eyebrows, he meditates upon Lord Sadāśiva, his body made of knowledge, pure as crystal, five-faced, with ten arms.
Further Reading
Richard H. Davis. 2000. Worshipping Śiva in Medieval India: Ritual in an Oscillating Universe. Motilal Banarsidass.
Gavin Flood. 2006. The Tantric Body: The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion. I.B. Tauris.
Andre Padoux. 1990. Vac: The Concept Of The Word In Selected Hindu Tantras. State University of New York.
Sthaneshwar Timalsina. 2015. Tantric Visual Culture: A cognitive approach. Routledge.
