Dr. David Frawley - Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses: Spiritual Secrets of Ayurveda

SPIRITUAL SECRETS OF AYURVEDA

D r . Dav i d Fr a w ley

1994 by David Frawley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may bereproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,e lectron ic or mechanical, including photocopying,recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission.

eBook Edition 2015
Second Edition 2003

Published by
Lotus Press
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ISBN: 978-1-6086-9051-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2002116557
Printed in the United States of America.

May Uma, the Mother of the Universe with love, by the nectar of her moonlight smile, grant her grace to we who are afflicted by ignorance and pain.

Ganapati Muni, Uma Sahasram 1.1

To the great modem seer Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni, whose wealth of spiritual knowledge written in the most pure Sanskrit verses has hardly yet been touched a Vedic, Vedantic and Tantric teacher and practitioner of the highest order.

May the publication of this book lead to a greater examination of his teachings and the ideas he set forth the restoration of the full field of Vedic and Yogic knowledge, including Tantra.

To Ganapatis guru, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, for as a true devotee the Muni would only speak of himself as Maharshis disciple.

And to the Goddess whom Ganapati adored, the Divine Mother Uma, the bestower of Knowledge.

Table of Contents

Modem Tantra and its Misconceptions; Tantra and the New Age; Tantra and Sex; Tantra and the Body; Tantra and the Reality of the World; Tantra and Emotions; Tantra and the Use of Intoxicants; Tantra and Crazy Gurus; Tantra and the Worship of the Goddess; Tantra and Kundalini; Tantra and Art; Tantra and Science; Traditonal Hindu Tantra; For the Future

Right and Left-Handed Tantra; The Third or Direct Path

The Meaning of Shakti; Tantra, Mantra and Yantra; Yantra and Mandala; Meditation Forms; Worship and Yoga; External Methods: Ritual; Internal Methods: Yoga Practices; Direct Methods: Meditation; The Four Levels of Speech

The Goddess as Knowledge; The Ten Wisdom Forms of the Goddess; Origin of the Ten Wisdom Goddesses

Kali and Time; Kali as Being; Kali as Nirvana; Kali as the Element of Air; Kali as the Power of Action; Kali as Beauty; Kali and Shiva; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches; Ramakrishna

The Savioress; Tara as Om; Sound and Breath; Tara as Knowledge; Tara as Speech; Tara and Gauri; Ugra Tara/Nila Sarasvati; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches

The Beauty of Pure Perception; The Goddess of Vedantic Knowledge; Tripura, The Three Cities; Lalita, She Who Plays; Rajarajesvari, the Supreme Ruler of the Universe; Sundari as a Young Girl; Sundari as Knowledge and Consciousness; Soma and the Moon; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches; Ramana Maharshi & Anandamayi Ma

The Goddess as Space; The Goddess of the Universe; Maya; As the Power of Love; As Peace; As the Void; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches

Bhairavi as the Supreme Goddess of Speech; Bhairavi as Tapas; Bhairavi as the Woman Warrior; The Three Forms of Bhairavi; Bhairavi and Rudra; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches

The Image of the Severed Head: Going Beyond the Mind; Prachanda Chandika; Indrani; Lightning or Electrical Force; The Power of Destruction; Chhinnamasta and Kundalini; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches; Ganapati Muni

The Grandmother Spirit; Primordial Darkness; The Void; The Power of Suffering; Dhumavati and Kali; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches

The Power of Silence; The Weapon of Brahman; The Reversal of Opposites; Location Within the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Yogic Approaches: Bagalamukhi as the Goddess of Yoga

Matangi as the Spoken Word; Matangi and Sarasvati; Matangi as the Guru; Matangi and Ganesha; Matangi as the Outcast; Matangi and Joy; Matangi as the Minister; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches

The Goddess of the Lotus; Kamala and Sundari; Material and Spiritual Wealth; Kamala, Lakshmi and Kali; The Last of the Ten Wisdom Goddesses; Location in the Body; Meditation Form; Mantra; Meditation Approaches

Beneficent and Terrible Forms; Kali, Tara and Sundari

The Three Bodies; Primal Matter and the Self; Brahman, the Absolute; The Five Sheaths and the Seven Levels of Existence; The Seven Chakras; The Nadis; The Five Pranas in the Subtle Body; Beyond the Astral Body

Signs of Opened Chakras; Manifestations of the Subtle Sense Organs; Misinterpretations of the Chakras

I. Agni and Soma: The Key to Yogic Processes; II. Prana, Tejas and Ojas: The Spiritual Energies of Air, Fire and Water; Mental Components of Speech (Vak) and Breath (Prana); Examining Prana, Tejas and Ojas; Tantric Deities for Prana, Tejas, and Ojas

General Regimen for Yoga Practice; Ayurvedic Health Regimens; The Right Attitude; Specific Regimen for the Practice of Yoga

Tejas and Speech; Tejas and Will; Yogic Practices; Herbs and Diet; Gems

Yogic Practices; Herbs and Diet; Gems

Yogic Practices; Herbs and Diet; Gems: Protecting Ojas

Integral Practice; The Solar Yoga; Meditational and Kundalini Disorders; Drugs; Additional Movements of Prana, Tejas and Ojas

Tara; Chhinnamasta/Vajra Yogini; General Connections Between Hinduism and Buddhism

Tantrism has a long and illustrious history in India, Tibet, Assam, Kashmir, and Nepal. Once widely celebrated, it acquired during the British Raj a notoriety that led to its suppression and almost complete disappearance in India. Today Tantrism is thriving only in the form of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana).

One of the principal reasons for the decline of Hindu Tantrism was the inclusion of sexual practices in its rich repertoire, which offended the sensibilities of Hindu puritans. Although these practices were pursued by only a small Tantric minority, in the minds of the influential Hindu brahmins Tantrism and sexuality became almost synonymous.

A similar confusion exists nowadays in the West where Tantrism has been experiencing a moderate renaissance ever since the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s. Here, however, it is precisely the sexual orientation of Tantrism that attracts Western seekers who have tired of the sex-negative attitude prevailing in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Many Western seekers think of Tantrism solely in terms of its sexual practices, and not a few who actually immerse themselves in Tantric teachings do so merely for hedonistic reasons. Tantrism, however, is not about selfish pleasure but about ego-transcending bliss, and it is not about sex as such but about the transmutation of sexual energy.

Today we find ads for Tantra Yoga in a variety of publications, and those who happen to have their names on a New Age mailing list can expect to receive junk mail inviting them to Tantric celebrations in idyllic settings, promising pleasure and fun. This comeback, questionable though it is in some respects, represents a significant change from the 1920s when the first English translations of Tantric scriptures (called Tantras ) were published ... and largely ignored.