A History Of Indian Literature, Volume Ii: Epic And Sanskrit Religious Literature, Fasc. 2: Hindu Tantric And śākta Literature

A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE TEUN GOUDRIAAN and SANJUKTA GUPTA HINDU TANTRIC AND gAKTA LITERATURE OTTO HARRASSOWITZ • WIESBADEN A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE EDITED BY JAN GONDA VOLUME II Fasc. 2 1981 OTTO HARRASSOWITZ • WIESBADEN TEUN GOUDRIAAN and SANJUKTA GUPTA HINDU TANTRIC AND SAKTA LITERATURE 1981 OTTO HARRASSOWITZ • WIESBADEN A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE Contents of Vol. II Vol. II: Fasc. 1: Fese. 2: Epics and Sanskrit Religious Literature J. Gonda Medieval Religious Literature in Sanskrit T. Goudriaan and S. Gupta Hindu Tantric and !§akta Literature O. Botto Sanskrit Epics L. Rocher Pur anas ^CIP-Kurztitelaufnahme der Deutschen Bibliothek A history of Indian literature / ed. by Jan Gonda. - Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. NE: Gonda, Jan [Hrsg.] Vol. 2. Epics and Sanskrit religious literature. Fasc. 2. —*• Goudriaan Teun: Hindu tantric and Sakta literature Goudriaan, Teun: Hindu tantric and Sakta literature / Teun Goudriaan and Sanjukta Gupta. - Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. 1981. (A history of Indian literature ; Vol. 2, Fasc. 2) ISBN 3-447-02091-1 NE: Gupta, Sanjukta: © Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1981. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Photographische und pbotomechanische Wiedergabe nur mit ausdrucklicher Genehmigung des Verlages. Gesamtherstellung: Friedrich Pustet, Eegensburg, Printed in Germany. Sigel: H I L PREFACE The authors are very grateful for the kind permission given by the authorities of the German-Nepal Manuscript Preservation Project to make use of the manuscript material collected within the scope of the Project; and for the good services of the Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz at Berlin, and especially of Dr. Dieter George, in preparing microfilm copies from the Project's collections. Sincere thanks are also due to Dr. Michael Witzel, Dr. Karel van Kooy and Drs. Jan Schoterman for their activities in procuring or interpreting rare or unique manuscripts. CONTENTS PREFACE V PART I: TEUN GOUDRIAAN, Hindu Tantric Literature in Sanskrit CHAPTER I General Characteristics CHAPTER II The Early Tradition CHAPTER III Tantras of the Srikula IX 1 32 58 Tantras Devoted to Kali and Some Other Goddesses . . CHAPTER Some Other Kaulatantras and Tantras on Restricted Subjects CHAPTER VI Vaisnavatantras and Tantras of Other Sects CHAPTER VII Tantras of Magic CHAPTER VIII Digests of Mantrasastra CHAPTER IX Ritual Compilations CHAPTER X Monographs on Miscellaneous Subjects CHAPTER XI Some Works of Speculative Contents CHAPTER IV V 75 92 105 112 130 141 157 162 PART II: SANJUKTA Languages CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III Abbreviations Bibliography Index GUPTA, Tantric J§dkta Literature in Modern Indian Introduction Tantric Literature in Bengali Tantric Literature in Hindi and Related Languages .. 173 175 185 202 215 219 224 PART I TEUN GOUDRIAAN HINDU TANTRIC LITERATURE IN SANSKRIT CHAPTER I GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS It is self-evident at first sight that the literature of Hindu Tantrism comprises those Hindu texts which proclaim Tantric doctrines and ritual. But there is a problem as to the extent of "Tantrism". What is most often called by this term is a systematic quest for salvation or for spiritual excellence by realizing and fostering the bipolar, bisexual divinity within one's own body. This result is methodically striven after by specific means (kinds of sddhand): the recitation of mantras or bijas1; the construction of geometrical cosmic symbols (mandala); the making of appropriate gestures (mudrd); the assignment or ' 'laying down" (nydsa) of powerful sounds or syllables on the body; the meditation on the deity's concrete manifestation (dhydna); the application of these and