Essay name: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
Author: William James Arraj
The essay represents a study and partial English translation of the Svacchandatantra and its commentary, 鈥淯ddyota鈥�, by Kshemaraja. The text, attributed to the deity Svacchanda-bhairava, has various names and demonstrates a complex history of transmission through diverse manuscript traditions in North India, Nepal, and beyond.
Page 355 of: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
355 (of 511)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Svacchandatantram by references to the P奴rva艣膩stram. The
change in his commentary may reflect the divergence at this point
between the two texts, which though still exhibiting general
parallels, differ in particulars. Both discuss the emergence of the
celestial eye, for example, but each presents a different basis for
the meditation on matter. Although for the first time mentioning
a duration for the exercise, in the style of the P奴rva艣astram, the
text, for example, gives a different length. 1
In addition, K峁mar膩ja岣� redirects his commentary in order
to concentrate on reinterpreting the statements of the text on the
nature of matter and of the soul. Breaking with the apparent
sense of the text, he interprets, for example, the declaration that
the exercise related to matter is the highest (para岣�) exercise
which causes liberation to mean that the exercise causing liberation
is beyond (para岣�) the exercise related to matter. 2 In the same
way, he takes the subsequent description of the person or soul
(pp. 50-55) as if a separate meditation, although the text appears
to connect the section on the person to the preceding meditation on
matter. 3
In this section, the text describes the person as a subtle,
pure consciousness, which lacks the normal attributes of objects,
and which resides in the lotus of the heart. It animates the body,
experiences pleasure and pain, and undergoes transmigration.
1 V. M.K. Shastri, ed., M膩lin墨vijayottaratantram 16, vs. 14,
p. 104, where the celestial eye emerges in three years:
"divyacak峁ran膩y膩s膩tsiddhi岣� sy膩dvatsaratray膩t.
鈽�
2 V. p.50, vs. 104b, and commentary: "mok峁kara岣� para岣�, '
para iti m膩y膩khya岣� prak峁泃e岣� s膩k峁Ｄ乼k膩rayog膩dapi para ukta岣�.鈥�
3 As an example of a theistic meditation where matter
represents the highest level v. Bh膩gavatapur膩峁嘺m 2, 2, vss. 22-38,
in Sastri, K峁涐梗峁嘺艣ankara, et al., eds., Srimadbh膩gavatapur膩峁嘺m
1(2): 85ff. There in a progressive ascent through the planes of the
universe, the adept becomes united with the supreme self and
liberated when he surpasses matter.
