Ritual

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Solar orb. An astronomical chart used to determine the sun's altitude, zenith, distance and declination, principally for ascertaining correct hours for rituals. Rajasthan, c. 18th century. Ink and colour on paper. "5
Astrolabes. The two discs or tablets are engraved with azimuth circles, hour circles for various latitudes, etc. Jaipur, Rajasthan, c. 18th century. Brass. 116 'extreme atoms', are generally measured as being between 1/1,000,000 to 1/349525 inch. Mathematical units of time were considered an integrated category for recording observations of a constellation correct to one second. There were three ranks of time. The first, cosmic or epochal time, is referred to the eternally recurring cosmic ages. The four ages, or yugas, are calculated to be in the order of ratio of 4:3:2:1, each of which precedes the other until the universal cataclysm. The first cosmic age, called Krita or Satya-yuga, is 1,728,000 solar years, the second, Treta-yuga, is 1,296,000 solar years long, the third, Dvapara-yuga, is 864,000 years long, and the last, Kali-yuga, the present age of mankind, is 432,000 solar years long. We are passing through the sixth millennium of the Kaliyuga, and so there are still about 427,000 years for it to run, after which the cycle will be renewed and the four ages will commence once again. The second range of time is the solar or lunar calendar which determines the days, weeks, months and seasons. The third rank, the smallest unit of duration, is horologic time. To achieve accuracy in calculation, the span of a day was converted into smallest atoms of time. Thus, a day is conceived of as lasting for 86,400 seconds and is further divided into 46,656,000,000 moments, a number arrived by the following time-scale: 1 day = 60 Ghatika (or 24 hours comprising 60 units of time); 1 Ghatika = 60 Vig-Ghatika; 1 Vig-Ghatika = 6o Lipta, 1 Lipta = 60 Vilipta; 1 Vilipta = 6o Para; 1 Para = 60 Tatpara; therefore, 1 day = 46,656,000,000 Tatpara or moments. Among various methods to ascertain the mean position of a particular planet in its revolution, one of the most frequent of the Hindu calculations, known as the equation of the centre, is perhaps the most illuminating. The calculation entails considerable skill, but can be explained simply as being determined on the basis of assuming epicycles. The mean position of the planet is calculated in relation to the number of revolutions during a yuga, or age. In order to find the 'true place' of a planet certain epicyclic motions were assumed, that is, the planet was hypothesized as moving in a second circle whose centre is carried round the circumference of the mean circle. Errors were further corrected by obtaining results from combining two equations arrived at from two separate epicycles. They were the equation of conjunction (when two bodies have the same celestial longitude) and the equation of 'apsis' (the point of greatest or least distance from the central body). In this way the average is obtained by combining the results of these two equations and correction could compensate for discrepancy.
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$9.95 Printed in England The life-a
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Frontispiece: Manuscript leaf illus
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Archaeological Surv
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Introduction Tantra is a creative m
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number of tantric texts were assemb
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Saktas (worshippers of Sakti, or fe
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The basic tenets of tantra can be e
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the union of opposites, the male an
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notions concerning time and space,
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Cosmic energy symbolized as the ser
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Tantric asana, or sexo-yogic postur
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The washer-maid represents the prim
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the five ingredients beginning with
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32 but at the same time maintains p
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Om, the cosmic sound, is a combinat
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Brahmanda, cosmic spheroid, a symbo
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Hari-Hara. Painting illustrating Vi
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ART The art which has evolved out o
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spective, tantric imagery is not an
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Symbolism and Imagery Tantric forms
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visible and eventually apprehended.
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figurative representation. The Sukr
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uilt up in stages during the entire
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The Universe and the terrestrial sp
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Point, and signifies the starting-p
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The Sri Yantra is a configuration o
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The Sri Yantra is called 'Nava Chak
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The seventh chakra, consisting of e
Page 65 and 66: 64 The mandala indicates a focaliza
Page 67 and 68: The Kundalini Sakti, symbol of coil
Page 69 and 70: The creative spiral, Kundalini. 68
Page 71 and 72: A cosmographical schema showing Jam
Page 73 and 74: Cosmogram: an astronomical computat
Page 75 and 76: Cosmographical scheme showing Jambu
Page 78 and 79: so they signify the action of karma
Page 80 and 81: The terrifying aspects of these ima
Page 86 and 87: Modern research into the compositio
Page 88 and 89: 'Krim', the bijamantra, almost an e
Page 90 and 91: consciousness, came spontaneously i
Page 92: tantric art and their own. Like the
Page 95 and 96: 94 ancient Hindus. Some inferences
Page 97 and 98: Bindu. The universe in its unmanife
Page 99 and 100: 98 units of energy called tanmatras
Page 101: V Astronomical equations, based on
Page 106 and 107: Samkhya's view that it is possible
Page 108 and 109: Atoms The atomic hypothesis of the
Page 110 and 111: matter or the remaining sediment of
Page 112 and 113: The Siddhayoga of Vrinda is an Ayur
Page 114 and 115: The science of mathematics was clos
Page 118 and 119: Extant astronomical charts were use
Page 120 and 121: (beginning with the new and full mo
Page 122 and 123: ecorded in 1954. Though science has
Page 124: Being residing in heaven. The real
Page 127 and 128: 126 Moscow Institute of Oriental St
Page 129 and 130: 128 of realization. Harmony is the
Page 131 and 132: Symbolic marks painted on wooden ma
Page 133 and 134: Yantra with mantra. 132 guru select
Page 135 and 136: Chakras in the etheric body. Rajast
Page 137: IX A practising Tantrika from north
Page 143 and 144: 142 Both mudras and nyasas are exte
Page 145: Schematic representation of how a y
Page 148 and 149: absorbed within the system and a gr
Page 150 and 151: object of concentration. Meditation
Page 152 and 153: After such a survey of various tech
Page 154 and 155: (from the root nad meaning motion,
Page 156 and 157: a red triangle 'radiant like the ri
Page 161 and 162: XVI
Page 164 and 165: to balance the dialectical process
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that involves the sperm's odyssey t
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inner spiritual urges to flow natur
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chaksuratatam'. He then salutes his
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Only when she is seen through divin
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IV Ram vanhyatmakam dipam sasaktika
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Sakti worship It is not physiologic
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om anaisvaryaya namah om avairagyay
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om Im madanaye namah om Im utpadiny
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haga, which means both female organ
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That Power who exists in all beings
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either position, both the adepts en
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the Ida and Pingala subtle channels
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outgrow the merry-go-round of self-
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of beings and forms; (6) Chinnamast
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of the discipline may even abandon
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chants mantras, nor performs mudras
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BHUTA, any of the five elemental co
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PARA, last stage of consciousness.
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Bibliography Abhinavagupta, Tantras
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Panday, K. C, Abhinavagupta, Varana
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Index Abhinavagupta, 80 Absolute, 1
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Mercury, 19, 73 Mevlevi Dervishes,
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Ritual

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