Thread on Tantrik Paradigm:

Most people think that they are very distinct from animals.
They think they were born humans and they die human. But Tantra doesn't look at you this way.

These are fundamental observations for any person who wants to find fulfilment.

There were Vibhūtis that laid down the Tantravidhāna from time to time from the time the Saptaṛṣis were initiated by Adiyogī. They saw that the human condition was not established. It was an amalgamation of animals. Humans in their eyes were mixture of all preceding animals.

Through humans, these lesser evolved animals found expression. For a human to really be a human, he needed to disassociate with the residue of animalistic spirits within him.

So every beginner on the path of tantra, was called a Paśu. Pashu means bound by a Paśa or a rope. Rope of the past. Rope of the memory. So all of us are Paśu, in the eyes of tantra. For us to transgress paśutva, we are given systems of practices.

प्रागस्वाप्समिति प्रबोधसमये यः प्रत्यभिज्ञायते
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये

And it is our dakshinamurti, our adiyogi adiguru adideva Shiva that gave us these methods. Otherwise we would never ever be able to be free.

So the first stage of what a Paśu like us should do. This whole preliminary system which is quite elaborate was called pashvachara which means the ācāra or (way of life) for a Paśu to move ahead and become something better.

A Paśu is someone who is bound. Who has no control. Animals drive him. So a svaan will be expressed through him, a matsya or a Simha or a makara and so on... Such preceeding life forms will govern his whole life in various levels.

That is one reason why in many hatha yoga sadhanas - asanas and Kriyas are associated with life forms which are non human.

According to Kularnava Tantra, there are major 7 margas to unbound yourself. Our of these, 3 were for ordinary people called pashus - Bhakti(Vaishnava) , Jnana(Shaiva) and Karma (vaidika). Out of these Saiva was considered a very direct way to address the problem.

The pashupatas kept these realisations as very important. Pashupata meant one who is above the pasu nature. This consists a lot of bodily and mental sadhanas. Hatha yoga and Manasik tantra played an important role.

Hatha yoga was about balancing your Surya and Chandra nadis leading to entry of prana into sushumna central channel. Mental sadhanas were meant to purify the mind of all it's fetters so that this ascent was unobstructed and didn't lead in madness or psychological retardation.

Later sections of this ascent were called Veerachara and Divyachara. In Kalivilasa tantra, Shiva explains these sections giving their overview to Devi. No tantra book contains complete picture. They only serve as guidepost. Only a guru can really lay out the proper plan.

These three also correspond to trigunas and Three tattvas of Prithvi, vayu and Tejas. Vajragya, brahmacharya, bhakti and brahmajigyasa were part of the mental Sadhana too.

Preparing the body and mind to sit still enough to start to mentally or intellectually understand your problem. This was one of the aims. Understanding your problem is the first step. Solution will come if understanding is proper. This was later called rajayoga by Vivekananda.

The pashvacharins addressed their ideal, their Guru - Śiva as Pashupati. Veeracharins as Vireshvara or the Epitome of Valiantness. Kapalika Kalamukhas involved the viracharya sadhanas. Will go into that seperately.

Then the divyacharins called Shiva as Shivadvaita. Their Sadhana was in direct pursuit of Sahajavastha or effortless state of existence. They're also a whole topic by itself.

A these sections were a way to awaken the Kulakundalini which is our own individual energy and meet it with Shiva or the cosmic energy.

Who can start with this? Gandharva tantra laid out he Yama niyamas for tantra sadhakas. It was purely dependant on your Guna and your way of being. Not on your other identities of caste, race, nation, creed etc. It was all inclusive but with rules and regulations.

Tantra was always a very sophisticated and precise system. There was no room for indiscipline and whacky behaviour. Katha Upanishad says it's like walking on the razor's edge. But with Guru everything becomes possible. This was overview of a unique way of looking at the paradigm.