Tantra and Indo-Aryan Civilization (tantrics only)

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The northern Indian orthodox Aryans, full of Aryan chauvinism (actually they too were Tantrics, but outwardly displayed an enamel coating of Aryanism), were reluctant to accept the highly Tantric areas such as Aunga [Monghyr and its adjacent areas], Vaunga [Bengal]),* Kaliunga [Orissa], Mithila and Magadha [Bihar] as part of their A'ryavarrta. For them Ka'shii [Benares] served as the eastern border of the A'ryavarrta.
These orthodox, but internally Tantric, people could not avoid being influenced by the Tantric civilization of eastern India even in their external life. The predominance of the Bengali script of east India (Shrii Hars'a Lipi) extended up to Praya'ga in the far west. Most Sanskrit books on Hindu and Buddhist Tantra were written in this Bengali script. After the Muslim invasion, the influence of east India upon north India began to wane gradually. At about that time some Nagar Brahmans from Vedic Gujrat went to northern India to propagate the Vedas and the Sanskrit language. They used Na'grii script for writing Sanskrit, and under the Brahman's influence the Na'grii script too gradually became popular in northern India. The use of Bengali script became confined to eastern India only. It is worth noting that many of the Na'gar Brahmans of Gujrat were followers of Tantra, particularly Vaes'n'ava Tantra.
The greatest difference between the Aryans and the non-Aryans was in their outlook. The Aryans wanted to establish their dominance on the basis of their racial superiority, whereas the non-Aryans, following the precepts of Tantra, did not recognize any distinction among people. the identity of everyone was the same: all belonged to the same family, the family of Shiva. In the first stage of sa'dhana', everyone is an animal. To merge in Brahmatva [Cosmic Consciousness], after first elevating themselves to devatva [god-hood], was their sa'dhana'. But in the first stage, while still rising above crude animality, their adorable Shiva was known as "Pashupati", "Lord of Animality".
Here it is necessary to remember that Tantra is not a religion, but a way of life, a system of sa'dhana'.

* Editor's note: The va sound was later changed to ba under the influence of Muslim pronunciation, so the letter was changed as well. In modern Bengali there is no difference in pronunciation between ba and va, but the difference in spelling persists.

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Possible Pashupati Shiva on a seal found in the Mohenjo-daro excavations, dated at about 2350-2000 BCE.

Shiva_Pashupati.jpg

 

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To merge in Brahmatva [Cosmic Consciousness], after first elevating themselves to devatva [god-hood], was their sa'dhana'. But in the first stage, while still rising above crude animality, their adorable Shiva was known as "Pashupati", "Lord of Animality".
Here it is necessary to remember that Tantra is not a religion, but a way of life, a system of sa'dhana'. The fundamental goal of this sa'dhana' is to awaken the dormant jiivashakti [unit force], known as kulakun'd'alinii, and, after elevating it stage by stage,to merge it in Brahmabha'va [Cosmic Consciousness]. Tantra is a science of spiritual meditation or sa'dhana' which is equally apllicable to anyone no matter what their religious affiliation might be. Tantra is certainly older than the Vedas. Just as the shlokas or mantras of the Vedas were handed down from guru to disciple in a genealogical tradition, the Tantra sa'dhana' of the Mongolo-Dravidian society was handed down from guru to disciple hereditarily. The Vedas are theoretical - full of ritualistic ceremonies and formalisms. It would be incorrect to regard Tantra as a more recent version of those Vedic rituals: Tantra's esoteric practices had long been known in the society of sa'dhakas. Its theoretical portion was not as elaborate as that of the Vedas, which took years and years to memorize.
When the Aryans came to India, roughly during the period of the Atharvaveda, they learned Tantra sa'dhana' to some extent after coming in contact with the Indian Tantrics. This resulted in the Atharvaveda being pervasively influenced by Tantra. Even if the orthodox Vedics try to reject the many Tantra-influenced portions of the Vedas as later interpolations, they will not be too convincing, for Tantra has now infiltrated into the marrow of the so-called Aryans. Although during the post-Vedic Buddhist era as well as the post-Vedic Brahmanical era changes in the religious outlook of the people were apparent, the process of sa'dhana' remained Tantric as it does even today, for without Tantra spiritual sa'dhana' is impossible. Yoga, which is the paramount factor in spiritual practices, is itself based on Tantra.

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A continued plea for the centrality of Tantra in all spiritual practices (including Yoga) as well as in the significant parts of the Vedas.

 

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Although during the post-Vedic Buddhist era as well as the post-Vedic Brahmanical era changes in the religious outlook of the people were apparent, the process of sa'dhana' remained Tantric as it does even today, for without Tantra spiritual sa'dhana' is impossible. Yoga, which is the paramount factor in spiritual practices, is itself based on Tantra.
The great Tantric Vashis't'ha, when he returned from China after learning the Chinese techniques of sa'dhana', brought about a great improvement in Tantra sa'dhana'. He was widely acclaimed as a geat yogi. His book Yogava'shis't'ha is a philosophical exposition of the subtle spirituality of Tantra sa'dhana'.
There are many who try to make a distinction between Hindu Tantra and Buddhist Tantra. This is absolutely wrong, for as I have said earlier, Tantra is one and only one. It is based on one sentiment, on one idea. The Buddhist and Hindu Tantras express the same thing in different words. For example, Hindu Tantras use the word kulakun'd'alinii for the dormant force and id'a, piungala' and sus'umna' for the three psycho-spiritual channels.They state that the kulakun'd'alinii pierces through the six cakras - (1) mu'la'dha'ra [situated above the perineum], (2) sva'dhis't'ha'na [in the region of the genital organ], (3) mani'ipura [in the region of the navel], (4) ana'hata [in the region of the heart], (5) vishuddha [in the region of the vocal cord] and (6) a'jina [between the eyebrows], and finally unites with Paramashiva at the seventh cakra, the sahasra'ra cakra [at the crown of the head], giving the sa'dhakas, or intuitional practitioners, the bliss of Cosmic Consciousness. The Buddhist Tantrics say the same thing in different words. They have named the man'ipura cakra, nirma'n'a cakra, the ana'hata cakra, dharma cakra, the vishuddha, sambhoga cakra, and the sahasra'ra cakra, us'niis'a kamala or maha'sukha cakra.
Some have named the mu'la'dha'ra, man'ipadma. In both the Buddhist and Hindu Tantras, hummm is the acoustic root of the unit force, the kulakun'd'alinii, lying dormant in man'ipadma. The so-called Buddhist Tantrics also say, Onm' mani'ipadme hummm. To them id'a', piungala' and sus'umna are lalana', rasana' and avadhu'tika' respectively.

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When you look at spirituality from a rational or scientific viewpoint, the differences between traditions are only cosmetic. This is the big contrast with religions who will fight each other because they are based mostly on theory or intellectual speculations that have no solid basis in introspective science.

 

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Some have named the mu'la'dha'ra, man'ipadma. In both the Buddhist and Hindu Tantras, hummm is the acoustic root of the unit force, the kulakun'd'alinii, lying dormant in man'ipadma. The so-called Buddhist Tantrics also say, Onm' man'ipadme hummm. To them id'a', piungala' and sus'umna are lalana', rasana' and avadhu'tika' respectively. So where, in reality, is the ideological difference between the Hindu Tantras such as Maha'nirva'n'a Tantra, Kular'n'ava Tantra, Rudraya'mala Tantra, Bhaerava-ya'mala Tantra, Niila Tantra, etc., and the Buddhist Tantras such as Hevajra Tantra, Vajra-va'ra'hii Kalpamaha' Tantra, Ekallaviira Can'd'aros'an'a Tantra, D'a'ka'rnava Tantra, Advaya Siddhi Tantra, etc.? Kaunkalama'linii Tantra cannot be called either a Hindu Tantra or a Buddhist Tantra with any clear certainty.
Even the popular assumption that the Hindus borrowed idolatry from the Buddhists is totally wrong. Although there was a conception of gods and goddesses among the Aryan Vedics, there was no custom of modelling images for worship. But in the lowest stratum of Tantra sa'dhana' (that is, the lowest of the low grade) idolatry was prescribed:

Uttamo Brahmasadbha'vo
Madhyama' dhya'na dha'r'an'a';
Japastu'ti sya'dhadhama'
Mu'rtipu'ja' dhama'dhama'.

- Kula'rn'ava Tantra​

[Ideation on Brahma is the best, dhya'na and dha'ran'a' are second best, repetitious incantation and eulogistic prayer are the worst, and idol worship is the worst of the worst.]
The word uttama in the first line of the shloka is interchangeable with sahaja'vastha'. Sahaja'avastha', the "tranquil state" of the Buddhists, is no different from the ideation of Brahma of the Hindus.
According to their respective intellectual strata, the primitive non-Aryan Tantrics utilized all the practices, from the lowest-of-the-low image worship to the highest-of-the-high Brahma sa'dhana'. Thus idolatry is as much a part of Hindu Tantra as it is of Buddhist Tantra. Neither has borrowed it from the other.

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So the idea that idolatry came via Buddhism (I think an idea of the Arya Samaj?) is wrong, it was already a part of the lowest form of Hindu Tantra.

 

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According to their respective intellectual strata, the primitive non-Aryan Tantrics utilized all the practices, from the lowest-of-the-low image worship to the highest-of-the-high Brahma sa'dhana'. Thus idolatry is as much a part of Hindu Tantra as it is of Buddhist Tantra. Neither has borrowed it from the other.
I have just referred to the ideological unity of the Hindu and the Buddhist Tantras. So far as the goal is concerned, the ultimate object of both is to merge the unit force in the introversial force and the introversial force in Parama Purus'a. In various places in the Hindu Tantra, Parama Purus'a has been called Paramashiva, Purus'ottama and Krs'n'a, and Parama Prakrti has been called Ka'lii, Ra'dha', etc. In the Buddhist Tantras Parama Purus'a or Bhagava'n Sareshvara has been called Shriiman Maha'sukha, Vajrasatva, Vajradhara, Vajreshvara, Heuka of Hevajra - or in places Can'd'aros'an'a - and the Maha'shakti of Maha'kaola has sometimes been called Bhagavatii Sarvareshvarii, sometimes Vajrava'ra'hii, sometimes Vajradha'tviishvarii, sometimes Prajina' Pa'ramita', and sometimes, in sandhya' bha's'a',* D'ombii, Can'd'a'lii, etc.
In both the Hindu and the Buddhist Tantras, men and women are permitted to do sa'dhana' together. In the Hindu Tantras, males are advised to ideate that they are Bhaerava, and sa'dhika's [female spiritual aspirants] to ideate that they are Bhaeravii. Buddhist Tantras prescribe the same thing. There the sa'dhaka is Vajradhara and the sa'dhika' is Vajrayos'ita.

Nara'h Vajradhara'ka'ra'h s'os'itah Vajrayos'itah.

- Ekallaviira Can'd'aros'ana Tantra​

[The male aspirants are called Vajradhara, and the female aspirants Vajrayos'ita.]​

Actually Tantra is one. Therefore it is as much a mistake to distinguish between the Hindu and the Buddhist Tantras as it is to grope in vain for any differences in the inner import or final goals of the Hindu Tantras such as Shaeva Tantra, Sha'kta Tantra, Saora Tantra, Ga'n'apatya Tantra, Vaes'n'aviiya Tantra (Ra'dha' Tantra), etc.

* Editors note: A "twilight language" of dual meanings.

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It may seem as though only Buddhist and Hindu Tantras are the subject matter, but in fact these two are also indirectly used as an illustration of the unity of Tantra in whichever form it is found, so also in Sufism or any other mystic practice of a Tantric nature. The Ananda Marga mission started by Anandamurti is a modernised blending of all the five Tantra forms mentioned at the end of the last sentence.

 

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Actually Tantra is one. Therefore it is as much a mistake to distinguish between the Hindu and the Buddhist Tantras as it is to grope in vain for any differences in the inner import or final goals of the Hindu Tantras such as Shaeva Tantra, Sha'kta Tantra, Saora Tantra, Ga'n'apatya Tantra, Vaes'n'aviiya Tantra (Ra'dha' Tantra), etc.
The similarity between the gods and goddesses of the Hindu Tantras and those of the Buddhist Tantras is also particularly noteworthy. Each Tantra has either absorbed or discarded the other's gods and goddesses according to its own convenience. Ta'ra' is one of the famous deities of the Buddhist Tantras. The worships of Bhra'marii Ta'ra' in China, Ugrata'ra' or Vajrata'ra' in Mongolia, and Niila Sarasvatii Ta'ra' or Ekaja'ta' Devii in Tibet, date from very ancient times. Tibet's Niila Sarasvatii Ta'ra' has been absorbed in Hindu Tantra as the second Maha'vidya' of the Ten Maha'vidya's, and today those Hindus who worship idols do not regard Ta'ra' as a non-Hindu deity.
Ka'lika' Devii, the first Maha'vidya' of the so-called Hindu Tantras, has been accepted by Buddhist Tantra. Clad in betel leaves (parn'a means "betel leaves" or "turmeric leaves"), Parn'a Shavarii Devii of the Buddhist Tantra is one of the names of the goddess Durga' of Hindu Tantra. Prajina' Pa'ramita', the Buddhist deity, continues to be worshipped in post-Buddhist India as Sarasvatii. The bull-mounted Sarasvatii of the Vedas has not even a hint of similarity with the swan-mounted Sarasvatii, either in appearance or in nature.*
There are some goddesses whose sources - Buddhist or Hindu - are impossibble to determine. That is to say, they are deities common to both schools of Tantra, such as Va'ra'hii, Kaover'ii, Bhiima', Kapa'linii, Chinnamasta', etc. Goddesses of the Hindu Tantras such as D'a'kinii, Ra'kinii, La'kinii, Ka'kinii, Sha'kinii, Ha'kinii, etc., have been accepted by the Buddhist Tantras.

* Editor's note: There was a Vedic Sarasvatii in existence before the Buddhist Prajina' Pa'ramita', but the swan-mounted Sarasvati modelled after Prajina' Pa'ramita' is not the same goddess.

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I have a Buddhist friend who can choose his own favourite deities in his practices.

 

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Just a handful more pages to go. I think this discourse is also painting a good picture of the distinction between Tantra and religion. Tantra is not a "part of" any particular religion, but can stand very well on its own. Like mysticism it is by nature trans-sectarian or universal in nature. This is because it is based on experiments with the mind and not a product of fantasy or theoretical philosophy (the "word" is not superior over experience but ideally a reflection on or description of it).

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There are some goddesses whose sources - Buddhist or Hindu - are impossibble to determine. That is to say, they are deities common to both schools of Tantra, such as Va'ra'hii, Kaover'ii, Bhiima', Kapa'linii, Chinnamasta', etc. Goddesses of the Hindu Tantras such as D'a'kinii, Ra'kinii, La'kinii, Ka'kinii, Sha'kinii, Ha'kinii, etc., have been accepted by the Buddhist Tantras.
The savikalpa sama'dhi [trance of determinate absorption - or vacuity] of the Hindu Tantras is the prabha'svara shu'nyata' [luminous vacuity] of the Buddhists. The Hindus' nirvikalpa [trance of objectless or indeterminate absorption - or vacuity] is the Buddhists' vajra shu'nyata' [complete vacuity]. And the goddess of vajra shu'nyata', of the unmanifested Prakrti, is Vajrava'ra'hii, D'ombii, Naera'tma Devii or Naera'man'i in the language of the Buddhists. The different stages of savikalpa sama'dhi related to the upward movement of the kulakun'd'alinii are called sa'lokya [within the same loka], sa'miipya [closest proximity], sa'rupya [identity], sars't'hi [the stage between savikalpa and nirvikalpa], etc., in the Hindu Tantras; and in the Buddhist Tantras, vis'a'ya'nanda [objective bliss] in the nirma'n'a cakra, parama'nanda [supreme bliss] in the dharma cakra, vira'ma'nanda [intermittent bliss] in the sambhoga cakra and sahaja'nanda [absolute bliss] in the maha'sukha cakra. In this maha'sukha cakra, Naera'tma Devii is Bhagavatii Prajina' Sareshvarii, an embodiment of sahaja'nanda [bliss]. This sahaja'nanda is the Brahma'nanda [absolute bliss] of the Hindu Tantras.
After the Aryan settlement in India a great man was born into the non-Aryan society. Born into a Mongolo-Aryan family, this great man had a high nose and fair complexion. He was a great Tantric - a great yogi. The name of this Maha'purus'a of the non-Aryan society was Shiva. For one man to have so many qualities and endowments at the same time was beyond the comprehension of the people, so He was called Gun'a'tiita or Nirgun'a [Transcendental or non-Attributional] Purus'a. As a result of His Tantra sa'dhana' He attained extraordinary powers, which He employed for the good of humanity. It was He who systematized the science of Tantra and thus He was the guru or the father of Tantrics and yogis. To this Self-realized Maha'purus'a there was no distinction of high and low. People of all classes, from the highest to the lowest were dear to Him.

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So Shiva was not born in an Aryan environment but in a family of non-Aryans, His ancestry seems to have been a mix of Aryan and Mongolian, hence his fair complexion. His Tantric indiscriminate approach to people reminds me of that of Jesus/Yeshua (whose teachings in Q-lite are also purely Tantric).

 

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As a result of His Tantra sa'dhana' He attained extraordinary powers, which He employed for the good of humanity. It was He who systematized the science of Tantra and thus He was the guru or the father of Tantrics and yogis. To this Self-realized Maha'purus'a there was no distinction of high and low. People of all classes, from the highest to the lowest were dear to Him.
Irrespective of class - Aryan, non-Aryan, Dravidian, Austric or Mongolian - all flocked to Him. He showered His grace on them all equally. As the battles raged between the "gods" on the one hand and the "demons" and "monsters" on the other (needless to say, "gods" meant the handsome Aryan leaders, and "demons" meant the non-Aryans in general, the non-Aryan "demons" and "monsters" became more and more powerful through the blessings of this Shiva. Alle the ra'ks'asas and asuras were Shiva's obedient devotees and followers. With the help and blessings of Shiva they destroyed the might and power of the "gods". According to Sanskrit stories, when the gods would seek the help of Brahma and Vis'n'u, even those two would not dare to oppose Shiva; rather they would save the gods through a compromise with Him.
Shiva had such a forgiving nature, born out of His spirit of benevolence, that even the most wicked could easily draw on His kindness. That is why to everybody He became "A'shutos'a" ("Easy to Please"). Due to Shiva's pervasive influence over their society, the non-Aryans, that is, the Tantrics, used to worship Him as God, and according to their respective intellectual strata they regarded and accepted Him in His different bearings. Just as the Aryans began to identify Shiva with their own gods and godesses, the kaola maha'ta'ntrikas [great Tantrics in the tradition of kulakun'd'aliniii yoga] began to regard their Shiva as identical with Nirgun'a Brahma. The foremost cause behind this conception of theirs was the absolute detachment and self-forgetful bearing of Shiva, the lord of supernatural and miraculous power. Shiva's self-sacrificing nature earned Him the name "Bhola'na'tha" ["one absolutely indifferent to his own status"] among the non-Aryans. All were attracted to Shiva's supernatural power, His imposing personality, His limitless qualities and the calm, tranquil radiance of His features.

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I find it hard to imagine how the life of such a single personality could shift the direction of a whole human society, given that only few people would have been able to actually meet Him in person during their lifetime. It must have taken centuries before the Aryans started to accept Shiva as somehow related to their own gods.

 

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The foremost cause behind this conception of theirs was the absolute detachment and self-forgetful bearing of Shiva, the lord of supernatural and miraculous power. Shiva's self-sacrificing nature earned Him the name "Bhola'na'tha" ["one absolutely indifferent to his own status"] among the non-Aryans. All were attracted to Shiva's supernatural power, His imposing personality, His limitless qualities and the calm, tranquil radiance of His features.
Enthralled by the physical grace and the virtues of Shiva, Princess Gaorii, the daughter of the Aryan king Daks'a, was attracted towards Him. King Daks'a was not at all in favour of his daughter marrying a non-Aryan, but eventually he gave way before her adamant attitude. And so Shiva and Princess Gaorii were married. But envy born out of his knowledge of Shiva's formidable infuence over both the Aryan and the non-Aryan societies had already made King Daks'a mad. Thus one day he publicly insulted Shiva at a large sacrifice specially planned for the purpose. Shiva's devotees, unable to bear the insult, made a pandemonium of Daks'a's ceremonial sacrifice. It is written in the books of the Aryans that Shiva's two servant-spirits, Nandi and Bhrngii, destroyed Daks'a's yajina. Actually, Nandii and Bhrngii, the alleged spirits, were none other than two ardent non-Aryan Tantric devotees of Shiva.
Many Aryans supported the marriage of Gaorii and Shiva, because, on account of Shiva's extraordinary influence, they felt it would be more in their interest to establish kinship with Him than to remain hostile to Him. Whatever the reason, after Daks'a's yajina, in Shiva's presence, all the Aryans and non-Aryan clashes and disputes came to a permanent end. In other words, the Aryans accepted the predominance of Shiva.
The non-Aryans were very happy to have Gaorii in their midst. Just as they revered Shiva as their god, they regarded Gaorii as their goddess. The non-Aryans were yellow-, black- or brown-complexioned, but Gaorii, being of purely Aryan origin, was white-complexioned. It was for this reason that she was named "Gaorii" [which means "white-complexioned"]. After the marriage, Gaorii lived in the Himalaya Mountains, and was thus often called "Parvata Kanya" ["Daughter of the Mountains"], or "Pa'rvatii" in common language.

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Peculiar that those non-Aryans started to revere Gaorii or Pa'rvatii, the wife of Shiva as a goddess after her mariage to Him.
So it seems that Shiva by His (first) marriage brought peace between the Aryans and non-Aryans.

 

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The non-Aryans were very happy to have Gaorii in their midst. Just as they revered Shiva as their god, they regarded Gaorii as their goddess. The non-Aryans were yellow-, black- or brown-complexioned, but Gaorii, being of purely Aryan origin, was white-complexioned. It was for this reason that she was named "Gaorii" [which means "white-complexioned"]. After the marriage, Gaorii lived in the Himalaya Mountains, and was thus often called "Parvata Kanya" ["Daughter of the Mountains"], or "Pa'rvatii" in common language.
I told you a little while ago that the non-Aryans used to do Tantra sa'dhana' according to their respective intellectual development. They worshipped a pair of gods - Purus'a and Prakrti. Whatever their intellectual and spiritual standards, all of them regarded their primary god as Shiva, or, in subsequent periods, some avata'ra [incarnation] of Shiva; and their primary goddess as Gaorii, or, later, some partial manifestation of Gaorii.
Among the backward non-Aryan society, phallus worship was prevalent. Although originally there was some social history behind this phallus worship (due to the perpetual warfare between the various clans and tribes, each group felt a constant necessity to increase its numerical strength, and thus they began to worship both the genital organs); in later periods, under the influence of Tantra, it took on a more subtle spiritual form. When, due to the influence of Shiva, everyone began to accept Shiva as their chief god, this liunga pu'ja' [worship of genitals] became [the worship of] Shiva-liunga and Gaorii-piit'ha, or Gaorii-pat't'a. Subsequently the Aryans also accepted phallus worship and gave it a philosophical interpretation: Liungate gamyate yasma'd talliungam ["The entitiy from which all things originate is called liunga"].
After Daks'a's yajiina Shiva's influence over the Aryans increased more and more. The Aryans began to feel that, being so indebted to Shiva, they could no longer afford to disregard Him. It was Shiva who had taught them spiritual sa'dhana', a'sanas and pra'n'a'ya'ma; the secret of good health; the science of medicine; and the developed art of dance and music. For His excellence in dancing, both the Aryans and non-Aryans used to call Him "Nat'ara'ja", and for His proficiency in vocal music, "Na'datanu". No one has counted the number of medicines He invented for every kind of disease.

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I didn't realise that Purusha and Prakriti had been the names of non-Aryan gods before, I thought they were purely spiritual-philosophical concepts right from the start.
Nice to know more about the origins of genital worship and how its meaning was made more subtle spiritual-philosophically.
It's amazing how fluid traditions were and how things were always adjusted in all sorts of ways.
It must seem like a horror-scenario for people with a fundamentalist way of thinking who think that traditions should remain static "the way they were once intended" for eternity.

 

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It was Shiva who had taught them spiritual sa'dhana', a'sanas and pra'n'a'ya'ma; the secret of good health; the science of medicine; and the developed art of dance and music. For His excellence in dancing, both the Aryans and non-Aryans used to call Him "Nat'ara'ja", and for His proficiency in vocal music, "Na'datanu". No one has counted the number of medicines He invented for every kind of disease.
He was the first preceptor of the a'yurveda'ca'ryas [teachers of a'yurveda, the science of medicine to increase longevity]. The asuras were cured of many serious diseases due to His grace. Both the Aryans and the non-Aryans thought that since Shiva knew so many remedies, He was perhaps immortal, and so they named Him "Mrtyuinjaya" ["Conqueror of Death"]. When, even today, people come across some incurable disease, they say, "Even Shiva has no cure for this disease." Like the non-Aryans, the Aryans eventually accepted Shiva as their god and Gaorii as their goddess.
The tiger is one of the oldest animals of India. In the distant past these tigers came into India from the non-Aryan countries of China, Tibet, etc. Lions came much later from the Aryan countries bordering on the northwest corner of India. It is noteworthy that in the dhya'na mantra of Shiva, he has been described as wearing a tiger skin, that is, the skin of an animal of the non-Aryan countries (vya'ghra-krttim' vasa'nam'); and the daughter of the Aryans, Gaorii, has been depicted as sim'ha-va'hinii ["riding on a lion"].
In all the Aryan books of knowledge the word Shiva was invariably used to describe Parama Purus'a.[*] The racially chauvinistic Aryans could not remain at peace after their acceptance of Shiva as God. Thinking that the non-Aryans would make capital of this and boast about their triumph over the Aryans, they threw themselves into the task of proving that Shiva was an Aryan. The non-Aryan Shiva used to live in cemeteries, cremation grounds, lonesome plains and on the different peaks of the Himalayas. (That is why even today the non-Aryans, pointing to the Himalayan peaks such as Kailash, Gaurishankar, Everest, etc., say, "There lives our Hara-Gaorii.") But the Aryans turned Him into a full-fledged divinity of the scriptures. To prove that he was Aryan they hung a sacred thread on his left shoulder. (Needless to say, the non-Aryan Shiva had no such sacred thread; he wore a snake around his neck.)

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So the Aryans turned the real Shiva into a more mythical scriptural Aryanized version of Shiva over time.
Just like the early Christians turned the original Tantric Yeshua the Nazarene into their christianized Jesus Christ.
* Parama Purusha translates as Supreme (Great) Consciousness.

 

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The non-Aryan Shiva used to live in cemeteries, cremation grounds, lonesome plains and on the different peaks of the Himalayas. (That is why even today the non-Aryans, pointing to the Himalayan peaks such as Kailash, Gaurishankar, Everest, etc., say, "There lives our Hara-Gaorii.") But the Aryans turned Him into a full-fledged divinity of the scriptures. To prove that he was Aryan they hung a sacred thread on his left shoulder. (Needless to say, the non-Aryan Shiva had no such sacred thread; he wore a snake around his neck.)
Stangely enough, the image of the Aryan god Brahma' shows no sign of any such sacred thread. No one doubted that Brahma was an Aryan by race, but in the case of Shiva, the only wy to prove that he was an Aryan was to hang a sacred thread on his shoulder.
We can still observe today that Shiva is the god of all, regardless of caste or colour, high or low, learned or ignorant, Brahman or pariah. No other deity in India enjoys such tremendous universal popularity. Even if one does not know a mantra, one can worship Shiva. Young maidens model earth into images of Shiva and worship Him; the philosophical sa'dhakas of old used to attain sama'dhi in Shivatva [Cosmic Consciousness]; and the so-called low castes such as Dom'a and Can'd'a'la become sannya'siis of Shiva. No other divinity would even touch the shadows of these so-called pariahs.
The present social system in India (which is fundamentally Tantric) was developed by Shiva. After accepting Shiva as God without any reservation, the Aryans appropriated everything good of the Dravidians and the other non-Ayans. Of course this did not diminish the Aryans' prestige - rather it enhanced it. After this appropriation there was a propaganda attempt to prove that Tantra was originally propounded by the Aryans themselves. The Aryans used to say:

A'gatam' shivavaktrebhyoh gatainca Girija'shrutao;
Matainca Va'sudevasya tasma'da'gama ucyate.​

That is to say, "This Tantra, or A'gama Sha'stra, was actually composed by Va'sudeva [Krs'n'a, who was considered Aryan], and Shiva only revealed it to Pa'rvatii." A're Ba'ba'!* - if Va'sudeva had at all been the propounder of this doctrine, why on earth would He have put it into the mouth of the non-Aryan Shiva instead of saying it Himself? In the beginning the Aryans used to recognize the superiority of Tantra sa'dhana' but practise it in secret; but after acknowledging Shiva, they openly declared themselves to be Tantrics.

* Editor's note: An exclamation, like "Good Lord!"

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The author or speaker by no means places Shiva above Krishna, Krishna simply lived at a much later time in history.

 

[Marcion]

Page 173 & 174
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That is to say, "This Tantra, or A'gama Sha'stra, was actually composed by Va'sudeva [Krs'n'a, who was considered Aryan], and Shiva only revealed it to Pa'rvatii." A're Ba'ba'!* - if Va'sudeva had at all been the propounder of this doctrine, why on earth would He have put it into the mouth of the non-Aryan Shiva instead of saying it Himself? In the beginning the Aryans used to recognize the superiority of Tantra sa'dhana' but practise it in secret; but after acknowledging Shiva, they openly declared themselves to be Tantrics.
Not only in India, but in quite a large part of the world, in every sphere of life, the laws and injunctions of Shiva alone prevailed for a long time. Even today the civilization of modern India is intrinsically Tantric. On the outside only is there a Vedic stamp. Or if we take the Indian civilization as an enamelled ornament, then its gold is Tantric, and the enamel is Vedic. For both the wandering sannya'siis of the cemeteries and cremation grounds, and the householders, this Shiva alone is the ideal man, and Gaorii the ideal woman. Shiva is the universal father and Gaorii the universal mother. Shiva's household is the three worlds.

Hararme pita' Gaorii ma'ta' svadesho bhuvanatrayam.​

[Hara is my father, Gaorii is my mother, and the three worlds of earth, heaven and hell are my native land.]
When the Indians were about to forget the teachings of Shiva due to their fascination with the mundane activities of the world, there came another sublime entity like Shiva, who reminded them of those teachings. That great personality was Shrii Krs'n'a. The question as to which of the two wa greater, Krs'n'a or Shiva, does not arise, because all knowers of Brahma are one: all are Brahma. Shrii Krs'n'a was the supreme teacher and ideal politician of the world, what to

* Editor's note: An exclamation, like "Good Lord!"

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speak of India alone. Shiva was the guru, the father, of the human society of the world - a completely different kind of role. Shiva is the universal father. Just as Ca'nda' Ma'ma' [The Uncle in the Moon] is the uncle of all, Shiva is the father of all.
All the three worlds are Shiva's family. His reputation is not confined to any particular country. Yet if anyone is to be singled out as the father of Indian civilization, or of Indian society, or of the so-called Indian nation - then I can say emphatically that Shiva alone is eligible to be the father, not only of the Indian nation, but of the universal human nation. Ancient Shiva alone, and no one else, can qualify to be the father of this more-than-five-thousand-year-old so-called Indian race.

May 1959, Muzaffarpur, RU
A Few Problems Solved Part 1​

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So Shiva is not just a Hindu god but more the universal father of all of human civilization.
It is said that in His lifetime He travelled to the Alps and many other places also.
It was He who introduced a proper marriage system for the first time.
The so-called Indian race came about by the mixing of the four main human races of this planet, Negroid, Austric, Mongolian and Caucasian. In that sense India seems like a kind of navel point of human civilization.