The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga

558 Pages·1974·23.66 MB·English

by  Arthur Avalon

he serpent
POWER

the secrets of
tantric and shaktic yoga

arthur avalon

(siz John woodrof|
THE SERPENT POWER
BY THE SAME AUTHOR

Principles of Tantra
Shakti and Shakta
The World As Powe
Reality
Life
Mind
Matter
Causality and Continuity

Consciousness
Garland of Lelters
(Studies in Mantra Shagtra)
The Great Liberation
(Qakanirvana Tantra)
Wave af Blias
(Anandalahart)
Greatuess of Shiva
(Mahimnastava)

Hymus lo the Goddess
Isha Upanishad

pear £ The Centses or Latusee Frontia pie
THE SERPENT POWER

BEING THE

SHAJ-CHAKRA-NIRUPANA AND
PADORA-PANCHAKA

TWO WORKS ON TAYA YOOA, TRANELATED VROM TIL
SANHKAUT, WITH ISTRODLOLION ARD COMMENTARY

By
ARTHUR AVALON
(81R JOHN WOODROFFE)

{Fourth Edition)

Pourasuans
GANSU & Co. (MADRAS) Dro.
1950
ERINTMD RY 0. BUBAARAYUDU, Arr atte Vanuners Bruns,
‘Ee Tusbeorwiess Boclere, Abyax, Mabuan
PREFACE

ix my work “Shakti and Shaka” 1 outlined tor the first
sime the: principles of “ Kundali-Yoga” so much discussed
in some quarters, but of which so little was known.

This work is @ deserjption and explanation in fuller
detail of the Serpent Power (Kundaly Shakti), and tho
Yoga effechal thiough it, a subject oveupying a pre-eminent
place in the Tuutye Shastea, 1 consists of a vrangintion
oF te Sunskrit works published some years ago in the
second volume of my sotios of Tantrik Texts, but hitherto
untrnsiated. The first, entitled “Shatchakranirtpans ”
(Deseriplion of and Invostigation into the Six Bodily
Centres”), has as its anthor the oolobyated Tantrik Parna-
panda Svimi, « short note on whose life is given later. It
forma the sixth chapter of his extensive and unpublished.
work on Tantrik Ritual entitled “ Bhritatlyachintanant".
‘This has been the subject of commentaries by among others
Shungkara ond Vishvanatha cited in Volume IE of the
Tantvik Texts, and used in the making of the present
translation, The commentary here translated from the
Sanskrit is by Kalicharana.

The second text, called “ Paduku-Panchaka” (“ Vive-
fold Footstool of the Gutu, deals with one of the Lotuses
described in the larger work. ‘To it is appended a transla-
tion from the Sanskrit of a commentary by Kalicharaua. To
the translation of both worl | have added some further
explanatory uotes of my own. As the works translated
are of a highly reoandite character, and by themselves
_snintelligible to the English reader, I have prefaced the
vi THE SIX CENTRES AND THE SRRTENT POWER

translation by a general lubrodnotion in which I have
endeavoured to give (within the limita both of a work of
thia kind and my knowledge) a description and explanation
of this form of Yoga. I have also included some plates of
the Coutres, which have becu ‘drawn and painted according
to the description of them as given in the first of these
Sanekeit Teale. :

It hag not been possible in the Introduction to do more
than give @ genoral and summary slatemont of the prin
ciples apou which Yoga, and this particular form of it, rests.
Those who wish to puraue the subject in greater detail
are referred to my other published books ou the Tantra
Shastra. In Principies of Tanira will be tound yoneral
Introductions to the Shastra and. (in connection with the
present subjeat} valuable chapters on Shakti and Mantras.
In my recent work, Shakti and Shakta (the secoud edition
of whioh is as { write reprinting), T have shortly summarised
the teaching of the Shikta Tantras and their rituals. In
my Studies in the Mantra Shastra, the first three parts ol
which have beon reprinted irom the “ Vedinta Kes,” in
which they first appeared, will be found more detailed des-
oriptions of such technical terns as Tattva, Causal Shaltis,
Kuli, Nada, Binda, and so forth, which are refined to in
the prasent book, Other works published by me on the
Tantra, including the “Wave of Bliss,” will be found in
the page of advertisernents,

The following account of Parninanda, bbe velebrated
‘Tantrika Sidheka of Bengal, whd author of the “Shat-
chakranirapana,” has been collected from the descendants
of his eldest son, two of whom aro connected with the
work of the Varondma Research Sooiety, Rajsbahi, to whose
Director, 8}. Akshaya Kumara Maitra, and Sooretary,
Sj. Radha Govinda Baisik, I am indebted for the following
dotaila:
PRERACE vii

Pornénanda was # Ralsi Brihmans of the Kusbyapa
Gotre, whose ancestors belonged to the village of Pakrashi,
which bay not as yet been identified. His seventh ancestor
Anantachirya is said to have migrated trom Baranagare,
in the districh of Murshidubud, to Kaitali, in the district
of Mymenaingh. in his family were born two celebrated
Tantrika Sadhakas—namely, Servinands and Purninanda.
The descendants of Sarviuunda reside at Mehar, while
those of Parninauda resiie mostly in Uhe district of My-
mensingh. Little is Igown aboul tbe worldly life of
Parnimanda, except that he bove the name of Jagadinands,
and copied a manuseriph of the Vishaupuranai in the
Shika year 1448 (.n, 1626), This manuscript, now in the
possession of ono of his descendanta named Pandit, Hari
Kishore Bhuttachiya, of Raitali, is still ina fair state of
preservation. li was brought for inspection by Pandit
Salis Chandra Sidabéulabhashana of the Varendr Hesearch
Society. ‘he colophon states thut Jagadinanda Sharma
wrote the Purina in the Shika year 1448,

This Jagadinands assumed the name of Paruapanda
when he obtained his Diksha (Initiation) ftom Brahma.
nanda and weut to Kamaraps (Assam), in which province
he is, believed to have obtained his “ Siddhi” or state of
spiritual perfection in the Askrama, which still goes by
the namo of Vashishthishrwma, situated at a distance of
ahout seven miles from the town of Gavbati (Assam).
Parninenda never returned home, but led the life of a
Paramahangsa and cofupiled several ‘Tantrika works, of
which the Sbritattvachintimaui, composed in the Shaka
your 1499 (s.n. 1577), Shydmirabasya, Shaktakrama, Tattea-
nandatarangini, and Vogasira are known.’ His commentary
on tho Balikakérakuta hymn is well-known, The Sbat-
chukranirapana, here ireuslated, ix not, however wn inde
pendent work, but « pert of the sixth Patala of the