Pandit Rajmani Tigunait - Śakti Sādhanā: Steps to Samādhi

AKTI S DHAN

Steps to Sam dhi

ALSO BY PANDIT RAJMANA TIGUNAIT, PhD

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Shakti Sadhana: Steps to Samadhi

(A Translation of the Tripura Rahasya)

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AKTI S DHAN

Steps to Sam dhi

A Translation of the Tripur Rahasya
by Pandit Rajmani Tiguniat, PhD

with an Introduction by Swami Rama

Himalayan Institute Press
952 Bethany Turnpike
Honesdale, PA 18431

www.HimalayanInstitute.org

1993 by Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA

All rights reserved. No part of this book in any manner, in whole or in part, in English or in any other language, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Second Printing 2008

ISBN-13: 978-0-89389-140-4
ISBN-10: 0-89389-140-1

Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.

LCCN: 93045897

Dedicated to The Mother alone

Sanskrit vowels are generally the same pure vowel sounds found in Italian, Spanish, or French. The consonants are generally pronounced as in English.

Vowels . Every vowel is either long or short. The diphthongs e, o, ai , and au are always long. Long a, i , and u are indicated by a horizontal line over the vowel. The long form of a vowel is pronounced twice as long as the short form.

Consonants . Sanskrit has many aspirated consonants, that is, consonants pronounced with a slight h sound: bh ch h dh gh jh kh ph h th. These apirated consonants should be pronounced distinctly. The retroflex consonants, h h, are pronounced with a hitting sound, as the tip of the tongue is curled back to the ridge of the hard palate. The dentals, d dh n t th , are pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the upper teeth.

Accentuation . There is no strong accentuation of syllables. The general rule is to stress the next-to-last syllable of a word, if that is long. A syllable is long if (a) it has a long vowel or (b) its vowel is followed by more than one consonant. If the next-to-last syllable of a word is short, then the syllable before that receives the stress.

by Swami Rama

ALL HUMAN BEINGS EXPERIENCE the waking, dreaming, and sleeping states, but only a fortunate few, the yogis, attain the fourth state, called tur ya. These rare ones reach the summit and have a profound view of all states experienced by human beings.

The aspirant who has attained such a lofty state is rare and knows the mystery of life here and hereafter. Nothing remains unknown to him. Such a great yogi does not belong to any caste, creed, sex, or ethnic group because he has already transcended all such superficial limitations. The knowledge that enlightens such an aspirant is called Tripur Rahasya.

The text by that name is one of the most significant scriptures in the tradition of tantra yoga. Its beauty lies in the fact that it expounds the lofty knowledge of inner truth while systematically offering practical instructions on akti s dhan . In akti s dhan , the aspirant learns to apply all of his resources to the task of awakening the dormant fire within and leading it to higher awareness, finally reaching the highest cakra , the thousand-petaled lotus. In advanced stages of practice, the aspirant knows all about his future, even in the next life. This is the glory of