In Vedic times, mother goddess was worshipped as uShas and Aranyani in Rig Veda and as Sri Gayatri in Yajurveda and Durga in other Vedas and in Upanishads as Uma, Hymavathi, Narasimhi and Tripura. The epic Ramayana of Valmiki has said to be embedded in it Sri Gayathri of twenty-four letters in the twenty-four thousand verses of the epic. In Puranas, Samhitas, Agamas and Tantras, she is worshipped as Sri Mahakali, Sri Mahatripurasundari and as Sri Rajarajeshwari. Thus from the prehistoric times (2000 BC) up to date there is an unbroken tradition of the Godhead being worshipped as Mother. Even today it is rare to find a Hindu home where she is not worshipped as Mother Sri Durga, Lakshmi, Kali, Saraswati or at least as Gramadevatha i.e. a small village deity. In this long line of Shakti worship, two aspects of the goddess can be clearly discerned.

1. The fierce form of the deity that is dreaded.

2. The benign aspect of her love and kindness.

These two broad aspects are common in the concept of God in other religions also. The first one is more primitive and is an active and violent form - Rajasic or Tamasic personification of Shakti. Fear is the predominant emotion of the Sadhaka in worshipping this aspect, fear of natural calamities, ill-health, death, enemies, poverty and even ignorance. Even her form is imagined with many heads and hands each carrying deadly weapons like sword and mace, riding on wild animals like tiger, lion and even corpse. She usually resides in wild places, lonely forests, hilltops and cremation grounds.

She is generally represented with a gesture of allaying fear - Abhayamudra. She is offered sacrifices of living things such as fowls,goats, buffaloes and probably even human beings. Wine is offered in many cases. She is frequently worshipped to gain limited personal objectives, sometimes even of an evil nature. It is this fierce aspect of Shakti, which Arjuna sees at the end of Vishwaroopa Darshana and gets frightened.

The second form of Shakti is the Satvic one, a latter and sublimer concept that is the product of Upanishadic thought. Here the Sadhaka, through greater knowledge and practice largely sheds the fear of the deity and loves her as his own mother. She is generally imagined as seated on a lotus and surrounded by beautiful lakes and gardens. She is worshipped with the object of reaching and realizing higher and higher levels of consciousness and knowledge.

But in the various forms of Murtis that are being worshipped as Shakti these two aspects are intermingled to a more or less degree as can be gathered from the form of Sri Gayatri extolled by the Vedas. She is contemplated as having five heads, three eyes, and also having in her hands a mace, a goad, a skull, two lotuses and Abhayamudra. The sadhaka, as he advances in his discipline, as his practice becomes Satvic and more sublime, finds himself drawn irresistibly drawn towards the second or the Satvic form. This is the form in which Parashakti is worshipped in Samayachara. Each one of the Tantras is an elaborate compendium or a system of philosophy, worship, ritual and a code of conduct suited and prescribed to various individuals and groups, of various capacities. During the Puranic period, Buddhism and Jainism were living religions. Naturally, there was mutual enrichment between the various systems of discipline.

The Tantras and Agamas are held in the same high esteem as the Vedas and Upanishads. Upanishads include texts like Brhvaca, Nrisimhatapini, Kena, Brhadaranyaka, Tripuaratapini, Tripura, Bhaavana, Srichakra and other Upanishads. There are Samhitas like Sri Dakshinamurti Samhita and Bhuvaneshwari Samhita which are almost of the same status as Vedas in authority. There are Tantras like Mahanirvana and Vamakeshwara extolling the cult of Shakti. There are some Tantras like Rudra Yamala, which are said to be older even than Vedas. It may be mentioned here that there is an impression among the common people that Tantra is some form of black magic associated with immoral practices with sex and drink, condemned by Vedas. There appears to be some ground for such an impression. The Kaula and Vamachara path is probably an echo of the primitive ritual with which the terrible aspect of the mother goddess was worshipped in pre-historic times. Latterly it found sanction in some Tantras, which are banned by Vedas. In Vamachara, Rishi is Bhairava and Bhairava-Bhairavi are the deities. The worship of the Shakti component of the Shiva-Shakti one Parabrahman is stressed more here. Vamachara generally uses the Panchamakaras. The origin of these can be traced to the evolution of the Shakta path itself. The fierce tribal goddess of Shakta cult was offered meat and toddy or whatever the worshipper wanted to eat and drink such as fish and wine. However, the capacity of these ingredients to coarsen the intellectual faculties especially in spiritual pursuit was soon discovered. But if one cannot escape the lure of them they were permitted as an article of worship by certain classes of people who were used to nothing but this. This is probably how this has crept into Shakta mode of worship.

Some justify Vamachara on the ground that it seeks to sublimate the grosser nature of man through satiation of senses. But this is a very strange argument. Because human nature becomes grosser and grosser as the senses are satisfied further and further. There are some who extol Vamachara as having been practiced by great ones like Sri Ramakrishna. This argument is actually against Vamachara. It is only highly evolved souls like those mentioned above that can withstand its temptations and pitfalls. It is not for ordinary Sadhakas and the evolved souls do not need it.

Whatever might be the origin of this Vamachara; it was evolved as a part of Sadhana for certain classes of Hindus and has a place in their spiritual growth, at any rate in the beginning. The Tantras themselves give adequate warning about the pitfalls and prescribe for Sadhakas with Pashu Bhava, who are at the lowest rung of spiritual ladder.

On an examination of the historical evolution of the Tantras, sex as an article of worship seems to have been introduced for the first time in the Guhyasamaja Tantra of Buddhist origin. In this Tantra, in its Eighteenth chapter mention was made of Prajnabhisheka or initiation of a disciple with a woman. There it was said that the Guru takes the hand of a beautiful woman agreeable to the disciple and after citing the Tathagatas as witnesses, places it in the hand of the disciple. Thereafter placing his own and on the head of the disciple, he will say, ‘Since Buddhahood is impossible of attainment to you, you should accept this Shakti’. Thus it looks as though this was the result of a reaction to the high moral and monastic ideals of Buddhism and Hinduism. From the name of Tantra itself, it is evident that it advocated secret societies where this cult was practiced. This is the beginning of what is known as Vajrayana Buddhism. Incidentally these secret societies, where in the name of religion orgies of sex, drink and gluttony were practiced, were mainly held to be responsible in bringing Buddhism into contempt amongst the Hindus and driving it away from the land of its birth.

The credit goes to Sri Bhagavatpada Shankaracharya for rescuing these various schools of Hindu religious worship, more especially the Saakta path, form these odious practices and establishing it in its pristine Vedantic purity as Samayamata. This Samayachara is the main ritual in the monastic institutions established by Sri Shankara and prescribed to Hindus since his time. Acharya in Saundaryalahari calls the discipline of Samayamata, Swatantra Tantra. This Samayamata is a system integrating within itself the Yogas of Mantra, Laya, Bhakti, Karma and ultimately the desired Jnana. This path harnesses besides our intellect, other faculties of mind such as faith and emotion in our efforts. The Samayachara condemns Vamachara and the worship of Shakti is according to sacred texts called Shubagama Panchaka. Here the Rishi is Dakshinamurti; Kameshwara-Kameshwari are the deities. The sadhaka has to completely identify himself with Srividya-Srimata-Guru and Srichakra. The Pooja prescribed here is called Antaryaga.

Depending on the Samskara, capacity, tradition etc of the sadhaka, Tantra Shastra prescribes six ways of worship of the same Parabrahman. These are Shaiva, Vaishnava, Koumara, Ganapatya, Soura and Shakta. The most expansive of these is undoubtedly Shakta. The great Parabrahman is here known as Lalita, parA or ahamtA etc. The main upAsyA-s or deities worshipped are: Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala with their respective Shiva-s or Mithunas being Mahakala, Akshobhya, Panchavaktra, Kameshwara, Tryambaka, Kabandha, Dakshinamurti, Maharudra, Matanga and Sadashiva or Mahavishnu. Dhumavathi is a widow without a Purusha Mithuna. Other than these Mahavidya Goddesses, Navadurgas, Kaamakhya and others in the fifty-one Shakti-Peethas, Mahalakshmi-Mahasaraswathi-Mahakali are all indeed forms of the same great mother Mahatripurasundari. Each Vidya has its own Rishi, Nyasa, Devata, meditation form, mantra, Yantra, Aavarana, Sadhana, Kavacha, Hridaya, Sahasranama etc. I have mentioned elsewhere, the various deities worshipped in Srichakra as tutelary deities to Mahatripurasundari.

There is not a single God or Goddess that is not worshipped in the Srichakra as a part of Srividya. Srividya includes Pratimaa puja, Linga pooja, Yantra pooja, Saligrama puja, Nyasa, Kundalini yoga, Mudra paddhati, Shodasha Samskara, Homa, Bali, Kamakala Dhyana and what not?

The great galaxy of Devi worshippers includes Devas and seers- among who are the celebrated are Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Manmatha, Lopamudra, Sage Agastya, Skanda, Dattatreya, Indra and sage Durvasa. Some texts also mention Nandikeshwara, Surya, Yama, Shankara and Vishnu as well. Each of them has propagated their own schools regarding the worship methodology and significance of Srichakra and also the pattern of Srividya Mahamantra. Upasana is possible by three ways, namely:

1. Kaadi vidya - Kali krama or Samayamata or Kundalini yoga.

2. Haadi Vidya - Sundari krama or Hamsavidya or Kaulamata.

3. Saadi Vidya - Tara krama or Samavarodhini vidya or Mishra marga.

The two most prominent schools of Srividya are Kadi Vidya which traces back to Manmatha and Hadi Vidya, with Sri Lopamudra as its propagator. Sadi Vidya is also prevalent to a certain extent in some places in Andhra Pradesh. Among the three schools, the five Sandhyas are devoted to different divinities. The first one is also accepted by some Shastras as being identical with Dakshinachara, but that is purely a misconception. In Samayachara, Shiva is called Samaya and Shankari as Samayaa. This is the path of pure consciousness leading to sure success in spiritual staircase. The best and the knowledgeable, who are free form most Malas or the impurities except for the most subtle one and also at the same time belonging to the first three Varnas are eligible for this path which is unanimously declared to be supreme not only by Samaya Tantras and Agamas but also by many Vama Shaakha Tantras. The worship here is in the Daharakasha and only internal. For those Sadhakas who are not capable of complete internal worship may begin with worship in the Bahyakasha as laid out in the Samhitas and Kalpasutras or other pramANas guiding one’s sampradAya.

It may of interest to note there that though Saundaryalahari has been interpreted to be the source Tantra for both Vama and Dakshina Tantric concepts by venerable commentators, there is no doubt that Acharya has clearly explained Samayachara practice to be adopted rather than its counterpart. With every verse dealing with Vaama concepts, there is also a hidden warning about its various pitfalls, which are much greater than the benefits it offers, if at all any. Saundaryalahari is surely inspired by Subhagodaya and Srividya Ratnasutras of Sri Gaudapadacharya, Paramaguru of Srimadacharya which are classic texts of Samayamata.

Samayachara aims at reaching beyond the three Gunas beginning with Satva. Vaama is Tamasic where as Mishra is Rajasic. Though most commentators on Saundaryalahari have criticized Sri Lolla Lakshmidharacharya for degrading Vamachara, he is correct in most of the places if not all. As he says, most of the Vama Tantras deal only with Muladhara Chakra and awakening Kundalini. Panchamakara practice is literal in Uttara Kaulas whereas symbolic substitutes are used by the Purva Kaulas. Purva Kaulas actually have some concept of Mithuna ob Bhairavi and Bhairava but in the pose of Pradhana and Apradhana. However, the Uttara Kaulas do not recognize Shiva Tatva at all. Then where comes the question of the great Shiva-Shakti communion in the Sahasrara? Here only Shakti is said to be Upadana Karana and Sadhana involves just the waking up of Kundalini with Yoni puja, Chakra puja etc. The Siddhi obtained in this path is called Kshana mukti. This is because just awakening Kundalini is said to be Moksha here. There are various sects under Vamachara. Kapalikas follow Chandrajnana, Hridbheda, Bhairavashtaka, Panchamrita, Sarvajnanottara, Mahakalimata, Arunesha, Medinisha, Vikuntakeshava and other Tantras. Vamacharis, in the strict sense follow Vamajushta, Mahadeva, Veena, Kalasana, Sambhoga Yakhsini, Kubjika and other Tantras. Kshapanikas and Digambaras follow Purva-Daksha-Uttara-niruttara-vimala-vimalottara-devimata and other Tantras. These Tantras expound some practices, which are obscene, degenerating, and are condemned by the Vedas.

The Tantra path of external rituals involved several practices, which were antinomian and outlandish in character, such as the use of five things forbidden in decent society (liquor, meat, fish, promiscuous sexual congress and Mudra), baseless sexual mysticism, religious debauchery, licentious living in the name of religion, pious rejection of all conventional norms and constraints, black magic and repulsive sorcery. Getting inebriated in the Bhairavi Chakra and indulging in uninhabited carnal satisfactions to the accompaniment of weird rites in total defiance of social prescriptions, nocturnal adventures in the crematoria with rituals associated with corpses and goblins, resorting to perilous practices of witchcraft and sorcery such as the six occult deeds or Shatkarma and the employment of mantras towards covetous and unrighteous ends characterized the Tantra in practice during the time when the Tantrik outlook needed reformation. There was naturally revulsion among the laity towards the Tantric cults in general; and even among the Tantrik devotees and need was keenly felt to eliminate the evil influence and set the house in order. It was in this context that the Tantra ideology was sought to be pruned and cleared of occult encrustations. An attempt was made to reinterpret the details of Tantra practices in terms of abstract symbolisms, so as to keep away the grossly licentious vagabonds and the wicked adventurers seeking to exert evil influence by occult means. The texts began to caution that the tantrik path was by no means easy or attractive. The Kularnava Tantra proclaimed that the Kaula path was more arduous than clinging to the neck of a tiger, walking on the edge of a sword, or holding a venomous viper in bare hand. The same text provides the actual purport of the five Makaras: liquor is actually the oozing out of nectar from the center on top of the devotee’s head; meat is the animal nature of the devotee consisting of merit and demerit, which has to be sacrificed; fish is the breath that goes in the twin channels of Ida and Pingala. Maithuna is the union of Shiva and Shakti in Sahasrara or the mingling of the breath with the Sushumna. Mudra or parched grain actually refers to drying up of our base and mundane association. This means complete exit from the lower two Chakras: Muladhara and Swadhishtana, which actually are the most important Chakras in non-samaya schools. Thus, Samayachara, which involves only Manipuraka even in the initial stages, finds support even here.

Sadi Vidya, also called Mishra Vidya, mainly relies on concepts of Samayamata, though some beneficial practices and some deities are borrowed here from Hadi Krama. The Tantra followed here is mainly Chandrakalashtaka. In the Kadi School, also called Kali Krama, Kamakala Kali is worshipped in the morning, Bhuvaneshwari in the afternoon, Chamunda in the evening, Samayakubjika at night and Kadi Vidya at midnight. In the Hadi School, also called Sundari Krama, the divinities worshipped in these Sandhyas are respectively Adya kali, Tara, Chinnamasta, Bagala and Hadi Vidya. The scriptures do not recomment this worship for householders. The Tara Krama or Sadi Vidya invokes Dakshina Kali, Tara, Bala, Jnana Saraswati and Sadi Vidya in these Sandhyas. The Kadi School is Satvic, Hadi is Rajasic and Sadi is Tamas as described in Tantraraja.

As far as Srividya is concerned, the three traditions are Dakshinamurti - Hayagriva - Anandabhairava. Dattatreya Sampradaaya, if it may be called so, actually is a mixture of these three main Sampradayas and as such the Tantras do not recognize it as a primary tradition of Srividya. These Sampradayas are not contradictory to each other but instead are complimentary. The main differences are in the construction of Srichakra, Guru Mandala, Patra Sthapana in Srikrama etc. In the Hayagriva Sampradaya, the worship is conducted as per Dakshinachara. In the Ananda Bhairava Sampradaya, Kaula or Vamachara methods are followed. In the Dakshinamurti Sampradaya, worship is conducted according to Samayachara. The third procedure is declared to be the best by the Tantras. The differences in these Sampradayas with respect to the construction of Srichakra and its worship have been dealt in detail in another article. Srividya is the combination or essence of sixty-crore mantras. Again this credit is not given to any other Mantra by any of the Tantras.

Muladhara and Swadhishtana are regions of darkness. The external worship of Sridevi is countenanced here, exclusively by the Kaulas. As per Kaula doctrine, Bindu is in the Muladhara triangle. This triangle is again of two types: one is the central triangle of the Srichakra and the other is the reproductive organ of a damsel. Poorva Kaulas worship the former, drawn or engraved in Bhoorja leaf, gold, quartz or silver or on a silk cloth. Uttara Kaulas worship the actual female organ. However, both these Kaula methods are exclusively external and involve no internalization. Thus, the Kaula worship mainly pertains to Muladhara Chakra. The Kundalini residing there is referred to as Kaulini. Thus, the worship of Moola Trikona is actually the worship of the sleeping Kundalini. Her awakening itself is Moksha or salvation for the Kaulas. Hence the Kaulas, during Bindu Puja and Diksha, observe nudity and indulge in liquor, meat, fish and the other Panchamakaras as per the leftist mode. Some of these practices are so obscene and derogatory that they cannot even be mentioned! Since these practices are rejected by the Vedas, they should be considered reprehensible. In Samaya worship, the Chatushkona (central quadrilateral) itself is the disc of moon (Chandramandala) in Sahasrara. The six Chakras of Srichakra correspond to the six Chakras in the body. The Baindava Sthana in the centre of the quadrilateral (which is identical with the basic triangle starting from which we design the Shatkona) is the ocean of nectar (Sudhasamudra) referred to as Saragha by the Sruti. Hence it should be noted that the worship of Sridevi and Srichakra is in the thousand petalled lotus only. The goddess is called Samayaa and the Lord is referred to as Samayeshwara. Thus, the external worship of Trikona by either of the Kaula systems is totally irrelevant in Samaya doctrine. The very basis of Samaya doctrine is the five-fold unity between Shiva and Shakti. They are:

1. Adhishthanasamya - both reside in the Adhara Chakra or in the Srichakra as Bindu and Trikona.

2. Anushthanasamya - Both are involved in the same occupation of creation.

3. Avasthanasamya - since both are dancers (enacting Lasya and Tandava), their identity of state or condition is established.

4. Roopasamya - their identity in form is well established by Sruti/Agamas like Chandogya, Shaunaka etc.

5. Namasamya - Identity of name is clearly seen in pairs like Shiva & Shivaa, Samaya & Samayaa etc.

Samayins do not worship the lower six Chakras. The actual worship is in the Sahasrara. The lunar disc in the middle of Sahasrara is the Chaturashra and the Bindu in its centre is the supreme Sadakhya Kala which transcends all the twenty-five Tatvas. This Supreme Tatva represents the undifferentiated union of Sadashiva and Parashakti. The modes of external worship like Shodasha Upachara etc. are irrelevant and unnecessary. The secret of the Samaya doctrine lies in the realization of the four identities.

1. Identity between the six Chakras in the body and the six Chakras of the Srichakra.

2. Identity between Sahasrara and the Chaturashra containing the Bindu.

3. Identity between Shiva and Devi.

4. Identity between Srichakra and Srividya Mantra.

The Anusandhana of this four-fold (Six-fold according to some Sampradayas) is revealed by an accomplished Guru to a competent disciple only. By perfect establishment of this identity, one merges into the transcendental Sadakhya Kala. Due to meditation on these identities and the secret Shambhava Mahavedha Samskara performed by the Guru, Sridevi appears directly in Manipuraka Chakra all of a sudden. The actual method of worship in the higher Chakras has to be learnt from Sadguru. Sridevi appears in Manipooraka with ten hands sporting bow, arrow, Pasha, Ankusha, poses of Abhaya and boon, book, Akshamala rosary and Veena. This vision has been confirmed by great Yogis like Sanaka, Sanandana and Sri Narasimha Bharati Mahaswamigal of Sringeri in the recent days. The description of the six Chakras and their corresponding elements, as described by Srimadacharya in Saundaryalahari is supported by both Sruti and Agamas like Shuka Samhita etc. The Samayins worship Sridevi in the form of Srividya, meditating on the several connotations of the Mahamantra like the Nigarbhartha, Sampradayartha, Rahasyartha, Bhavartha etc. With external associations completely restricted, they pour out all Vasanas in the Poorna Ahamta fire of sacrifice with the feeling of Soham or Shivoham. The worship is purely in Daharakasha (Spiritual Sky) as contrasted with Mahakasha or the external space worship of the Kaulas.

The Shodasha Chandra Kala Archana of Sridevi is performed in the Vishuddhi Chakra. Some Kaula schools claim that Samaya does not advocate the return of Kundalini from Sahasrara. It does advocate the return of Kundalini back to Sahasrara but not to the lower regions of Muladhara or Swadhishtana. In Kaula schools, where is the question of return when there is no ascent till Sahasrara at all? Also, the various Kaula schools which claim the superiority of the Kaula path over the Vedas insist on things like the necessity of Vaidika Sandhyavandana before the commencement of Tantriki Sandhyavandana etc. The observation of Tantriki Sandhya is totally unnecessary as Srimadacharaya of Sringeri suggests. It has been introduced for the benefit of those who are not eligible to perform the Vedic Sandhya. It is unfortunate to see people skipping their Nitya Karma and performing various Tantric rites! Sri Chidanandanatha of Guhananda Mandali essentially advocated Srividya in all its purity. He warned several of his close disciples about the various pitfalls of the Kaula system and stressed on the fact that the final Salvation is possible by understanding the Upanishadic Truth as advocated by Advaita. Later, some members of the Mandali introduced their own notions and impressions into his teachings, stressed on the usage of liqour and other Makaras in Sadhana and gave it a strong Vama Flavor. The living God, Sri Mahaperiyaval had warned him about how degeneration would set into the Mandali after his Siddhi. It is very unfortunate to see that most people belonging to Chidanandanatha Shishya Sampradaya advocate a misinterpreted Kaula path and indulge in rites like gross Panchamakara Sweekara etc. The actual worship or Antaryaga advocated by 'Sir' as per the guidelines of Sruti and Agamas is totally forgotten. With great displeasure, it may be recalled that a great scholar and an Upasaka of the Mandali, passed away recently owing to a bad drinking habit. The previous Acharya of Sri Sringeri Sarada Peetham had also expressed his concern to a highly advanced disciple of Chidanandanatha regarding the growing trend of external worship as per Kaula mode. Being a direct disciple of Sir, she confirmed that Chidanandanatha did not approve of these rites and rituals like Panchamakaras in the form practiced today as his worship was purely based on the teachings of Srimadacharya.

Srigurubhyo namaH