Kashmir’s Shaiva Tantra Resonates in Kerala

Shri Ramanand ji, in his welcome address at Rajanaka Puraskar (distribution at Thiruvananthapuram on March 8, 2024 on the occasion of Mahashivaratri) has clearly elucidated the idea and inspiration behind instituting this award. This has made my task easy. However, I would like to approach the idea from a different perspective.

This award, I feel, quintessentially is an expression of our cultural identity and values – our Svatva. We often translate Rashtra as a nation. But these are not the same. Our concept of Rashtra has evolved over a period of 7,000 years or more. For us, Rashtra is not defined or determined by mundane political or territorial boundaries. Rashtra is a cultural and spiritual entity that transcends beyond the political boundaries. Rashtra etymologically means an instrument or tool to attain moksha. It has a universal purpose also.

Krinwanto Vishwamaryam (Ennoble humanity). This has been clearly stated by none other than Swami Vivekananda. He states, I quote, “This is the theme of Indian life-work, the burden of her eternal songs, the backbone of her existence, the foundation of her being, the raison d’être of her very existence — the spiritualisation of the human race. In this life-course she has never deviated, whether the Tartar ruled or the Turk, whether the Mughal ruled or the English.”

The philosophy and practices of Kashmir Shaiva Tantra find resonance in Kerala, where we embrace the tradition with reverence. Our State boasts 13 Shakta temples following the Kashmir Kula-Krama Tantra tradition

The name given by our Rishis to our Rashtra was Bharat. One of its meanings is ‘It’s that which revels in knowledge’. Bha + ratam. There was recently a debate over India and Bharat and their antiquity. Some people argued that Bharat is a post-British (or even post-2014) phenomenon. Our rishis had even defined the geographical contours of Bharat. In

Vishnupurana, it says:

उत्तरं यत् समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् |
वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र सन्ततिः ||

The landmass that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhāratam; there dwells the descendants of Bharata.

So, from time immemorial there existed a cultural connection. Dr Ambedkar had called this The Indubitable Cultural Unity of Bharat. He stated, “It is the unity of culture that is the basis of homogeneity. Taking this for granted, I venture to say that there is no country that can rival the Indian peninsula with respect to the unity of its culture. It is not only a Geographical unity, but it has over and above all a deeper and a much more fundamental unity- The Indubitable Cultural Unity that covers the land from end to end.” And the glue that ensured the cultural unity is Sanatana Dharma. In his famous Uttarapara speech, Maharshi Aurobindo stated:

I quote: “This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatan Dharma, with it it moves and with it it grows. When the Sanatan Dharma declines, then the nation declines…”

As we all know, Sanatana Dharma is not a creed or a dogmatic idea. It is a university of several schools of thought, Darshanas, philosophies, rituals and practices. It firmly believes the diversity we see around us are not differences but the manifestation of the sacred Unity inside. Ours is one Rashtra with one culture having multilayers. And this was precisely the life’s mission of Adi Shankaracharya.

As Keralites, we take pride in the legacy of Adi Shankaracharya, who hailed from our soil. His propagation of Advaita Vedanta not only enriched our spiritual heritage but also served to unify this ancient land. Rising from Kerala, he ascended the Sarvajna Peetha in Kashmir, symbolising the harmonious integration of our nation’s age-old ideals, as envisioned by our revered seers and sages.

Beyond Advaita Vedanta, Tantra has also played a significant role in connecting Bharat from North to South.

It was present in the Tantric Schools they exerted a tremendous influence on popular worship. Thus we have got the legend of Shakti landing in 51 places throughout the sacred landmass of Bharat that are now the sites of Shakti Peethams. The body of Sati, means Shakti so the story goes, fell all the way from Neelayadaakshi Kovil in Deep South to Vaishno Devi in high North.. from Pavgharh to Kamakhya and other 47 places.

The philosophy and practices of Kashmir Shaiva Tantra find resonance in Kerala, where we embrace the tradition with reverence. Our State boasts 13 Shakta temples following the Kashmir Kula-Krama Tantra tradition. Tantra, often regarded as a philosophy that bridges the microcosm (Pinda) with the macrocosm (Brahmanda), has been aptly described by Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya, a Marxist historian, as ‘Dehavada Metaphysics.’

The Brahmayamala Tantra, a seminal text in the Tantric tradition, reverently quoted by Acharya Abhinavagupta in his Tantraloka, emphasises the importance of internalising and externalising Tantric practices. It elucidates how the inner yoga transforms into external rituals, pujas, and temple practices, embodying the essence of our nationhood.

As the great Tantrik Sadhaka and senior pracharak of Kerala Madhavji once remarked, ‘sadhakasarira is rashtrasaria,’ likening the workings of the individual body with the vitality of prana to that of the nation. In the Tantraloka, the Acharya asserts, ‘nādhyātmena vinā bāhya nādhyātma bāhyavarjitam,’ emphasising the interconnectedness of the internal and external realms in spiritual attainment. This underscores the Bharateeya Vidya’s focus on rectifying the prana channel to address any disorder in the body. Similarly, we find in the Brahmayamala Tantra the concept of Saktitantu or Saktisutra—Tantraloka (Chapter X, Verse 43):

नाध्यात्मेन विना बाह्यं नाध्यात्मं बाह्यवर्जितं ।
सिद्धये ज्ञानक्रियाभ्यां तद्द्वितीयं संप्रकाशते ॥
(श्रीब्रह्मयामले देव इति तेन न्यरूपयत।) the thread, The ShaktiTantu, that connects the chakras, the vital points of the body, from the crest to the feet. Brahmayamala Tantra speaks
पादांगुष्ठाग्रतो व्यक्ता नाभितो हृदयं गता ।
सुषुम्ना नाम सा ज्ञेया ब्रह्मरन्ध्राब्ज निर्गता ॥

Rectifying this Saktitantu ensures alignment and harmony within the individual. Here, the Abhinavagupta Institute of Advanced Studies, through the Rajanaka Puraskar, endeavors to connect the crest of our nation, Kashmir, to its feet, Kerala, thereby reaffirming the cultural and spiritual integration of our beloved nation.n

(Excerpt from his speech at Rajanaka Puraskar)