What is Tantra?

Tantra is one word for ritual action in Hinduism. It denotes the different acts of worship: pujas, upacharas, kriyas, yajnams, and prayogams performed for realization. If Yantra relates to the body and Mantra to the mind; Tantra relates to the soul. The Sanskrit root "tan" means "to weave," "to spread," "to compose," or "to put forth." Tantra is a word used for the techniques, the system, the philosophy, and the actions of the tantric aspirant.

​Every action of the true tantric is worship; it is done for the benefit of every living being and offered to the Lord for the sake of self realization. The texts from which the teachings have been revealed are called Tantras. The tantras are 92 in number. Tantric teachings are also derived from the Agamas, Puranas, and other scriptures. Tantra employs mantra and yantra. It is through tantra that mantras are used to empower the yantra.        

The Tantric Tradition has Replaced the Vedic Tradition 

The whole of the orthodox tradition of the Sanatana Dharma (Hindu Dharma) is no longer Vedic in nature. It is tantric. The puja and yajnam rituals we observe at home and in the temples are not the Vedic form of worship. These ceremonies are all laid out in the tantric texts; the Tantras, the Agamas, and the Puranas. The deities we worship are all tantric in form. They are vastly different than the Vedic deities. Gods and Goddesses like Ganesha, Vishvaksena, Shiva, Bhairava, Murugan, Vishnu, Sudarshana, Narasimha, Padmavati, Lakshmi, Durga, Sarasvati, Tripurasundari, Shakambhari, etc. are all tantric in form, and their names, appearances, mantras, and worship vidhis all come from the tantric texts. The tantric system followed today does employ the Vedic hymns and it has its own version of popular Vedic ceremonies and rites of passage.

In this Kali Yuga (dark age), it is said that people's intelligence and spiritual awareness has decreased. People were no longer able to remember the vast amounts of information required for the Vedic system of worship. They became less able to connect to the Infinite through the Vedic forms of God. Many of the Vedic Gods were natural forces like Agni (fire), Savitri (the Sun), Vayu (wind), Parjanaya (Rains), Ratri (Night), Usha (Dawn), Rudra (Dark and Harmful forces) etc. In Kali Yuga, people are more attached to their human form and less able to commune with nature. Their attachment to human nature prevents them from connecting with their more universal nature. So the Sages created simpler forms of worship and they created anthropomorphic meditation forms for the Devatas. These forms have been created to help people where they are now to transcend, since the ancient Vedic system was not easy for people to apply in modern times. It is through these newer revelations of Tantra that people have been able to remain connected to the Vedic tradition.   

Dakṣiṇācāra Tantra and Vāmācāra Tantra 

When many people hear of Tantra, they automatically think of Vamachara (black magic / the "left-handed" path). The vast majority of Tantric practice is of the Dakshinachara marga (the right-handed path). We follow the dakshinachara path. The dakshinachari works to humble themselves by doing service to others. This path grants spiritual insight and freedom from suffering. The vamachari serves the selfish inclinations of the ego. They seek to increase worldly pleasure for themselves often by hurting or hindering others. This path leads to increased egoism and personal suffering. 

But there are a few people in India and the West now who practice black magic, drug use, murder, cannibalism, rape, and various sexual practices in the name of tantra. The vast majority of tantric scriptures do not deal with these subjects at all, but the very few which do use the concepts of death and killing as a metaphor for the annihilation of egoism and never intended for people to kill each other. Texts that speak of intoxicants and sexual pleasure use these things as an analogy for the blissful state attained in meditation, just as wine is used symbolically in Christian ritual. Intoxicants dull the mind. They bring a feeling of numbness which helps a person caught in sufferings find solace. When a person feels badly, numbness appears desirable; it seems like bliss though it is solace and not comfort. Tantra brings about a higher state of bliss which comes from within the practitioner. It occurs within as the practitioner comes to rest in their true nature. It is not dependent upon outer support. It is the natural state of the soul.

Practices involving sex or narcotics were not meant to be indulged in lightly as a spiritual practice. Tantra points out that Divinity can be found within everything because the Lord is both transcendent and immanent. Some people had developed an aversion to sexuality. They thought that sex is bad and that certain things were evil and apart from the Divine. To help people to see the Divine in its entirety, the Sages pointed out that God dwells in all things including those that were held as taboo by the orthodox tradition. Certain Kaula Tantras and other tantric texts do talk about sexual practices, but these practices are not understood now and the masters for these teachings are no more. These teachings were given to show people that any act done in the right way, with disciplined effort and selflessness could lead to realization, even acts thought of as taboo or contrary to spirituality. But these practices were done only after years of sadhana and preparation, with great discipline, with the blessing of a guru, and in a very limited way.

Shri Ramakrishna was initiated into these practices, yet he remained a lifelong brahmachari (celibate). He used to receive the wine and take a drop with the finger and place it at the point of the third eye. The bliss he experienced from his sadhana was much deeper than the lesser joys of sex or intoxication. He viewed these things very much as a distraction from the goal. But teachers like him do not remain for these traditions, so we have false teachers promoting reckless partying and orgies as a path to realization. What was given by the Sages to help free the embodied soul from bonds has become another way that people create karma which binds them. This is why it is important to have a realized master who has walked the path to its conclusion, who has realized God, and who displays the qualities of God to teach these techniques. The danger is great on this path. The orthodox tradition is much safer and easier. Let us all promote and follow the dakshinachara marga.  

The esoteric traditions of vamachara were largely unheard of until Christian missionaries sent from Europe to convert people in India to Catholicism came and began translating the texts. These European translators placed a big emphasis upon these few unknown texts, because it furthered their purpose of claiming that Hinduism was immoral. Though this was hundreds of years ago, people still think of these things immediately when they think of tantra, and they understand them through the eyes of the Christian missionaries. Though tantra teaches that God is in all and to Love and serve the Lord in all, many have turned it into its opposite and made it about taking selfishly for oneself. The damage done by the early translators of the tantras is so far reaching that Christian concepts like "good" and "evil" are taught in many Hindu schools in India today. Few have any idea about the true nature of tantra which is very mystical and profound, though its practices are commonplace in the Hindu traditions. In the West now many people think tantra relates to sex on account of the early work of Christian missionaries to translate the tantras. Though every aspect of life is contained within the vast scope of tantric teachings, people focus on this alone. We must understand that nearly every modern practice of the Hindu Dharma is tantric in origin.

​We must work to promote the true nature of tantra. It is the mystical path of coming into our true Divine nature by the deliberate sacrifice of our lower tendencies. Tantra has never been about hurting other or taking advantage of others or using others for self aggrandizement. It is by overcoming the attachment to the lower self that one comes to know the higher Self, which is one with God and which pervades the universe.    

The Practice

Objectives of Tantra​

The objective of the Tantric is to go deep within. The practices are a means to this end. The Dakṣiṇācāri does this for the benefit of the world due to wisdom and spiritual maturity.  Even the vāmācāri does this in order to hurt other and to seek their own selfish desires out of ignorance and immaturity.  Both paths require great dedication, discipline, austerity, and sacrifice. Whatever the work in the world, the Tantric must go deep within to attain a result. They must sacrifice themselves in that effort and give up the things of the world in order to invoke the power of another world. In this way, the true Tantric offers themselves to the service of the world. They happily trade their pleasure for the suffering of others. They become like a candle which burns itself up to offer light to the world. For themselves, their practice takes them deeper and deeper within. Because they are deep within themselves, the mantras and tantras and yantras bring powerful healing to humanity. They help people avert calamities. They remove the difficulties and disease of the people. All this is done in service to the Lord for the explicit purpose of attaining freedom from the suffering arising from egoism and closeness to the Lord.       ​

Requirements for Study ​

The student of Tantra must be very humble. They must have self-control and discipline, and great willpower. They must be compassionate and empathetic. They must be mindful and motivated. They must be very altruistic in nature and have great faith in the Scriptures, the practices, and the Guru. They must be obedient to the Guru, but the Guru must be selfless and a living embodiment of the teachings. There are few suitable students for the study of Tantra and even fewer qualified teachers.  ​

Tantric Rituals for World Peace​

The Soma Matha Spiritual Center organizes Tantric rituals for the peace of the world. We conduct rituals to help ease societies troubles around the world. Many unseen spiritual forces influence peoples lives for better or for worse. These rituals help to mitigate karmas and pacify spiritual forces that lead to suffering. All people with a sincere desire to go within themselves and to support the efforts to increase peace in the world are welcome to attend our rituals. Everyone is welcome regardless of race, caste, creed, nationality, gender or age. Those who want to learn more are encouraged to participate by donating or contacting us to see how they might be able to help with the ceremonies we conduct. Through service the aspirant demonstrates their readiness to learn.    ​

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