महामनुस्तवः

THE TWO PATHS

The Tantra recognises the deficiencies of the individual and has devised the paths of sadhana accordingly. It speaks of three types, pasu, the animal, vira, the warrior and divya, the godly. The pasu is one who has predominantly physical leanings, vira, has a well-developed vital, while the divya type is evolved enough to live in his mental and higher mental being. The doctrine is that he who begins as a pasu flowers very shortly as a vira or divya type according to his temperament. The vira’s is the left hand path, Vama Marga, while the divya treads on the right hand path, Dakshina Marga. In the Vama Marga, progress is sought by the very things that degrade the soul. It is like walking on a razor’s edge, asidhara vrata. Only the valiant ones, strong in heart and firm in faith, can follow this path without any mishap. The Vamachara has been much misunderstood and maligned mainly because of the ignorance of the significance of the audaciously misleading nomenclature that is used. This is purposely done to confound the critic and confuse the nonbeliever. When the follower of the Vamachara talks of drinking Madhu, he means experiencing the basic Bliss in everything, the essence of existence, Rasa, the very sap of life.

Vama Marga is also known as Kulacara where the stress is laid on the waking up of the Kundalini and its being led to Sahasrara to join with the Siva there. Dakshina Marga is also famous as Samayacara. Here the path is through knowledge, through inner worship. The Goddess is worshipped as Samaya equal in all respects, samam yati, with her consort Siva. In the cult of Sri Vidya, both the left-hand and the right-hand paths are followed. The Goddess is in both the paths, savyapasurya margastha, and is worshipped by both the practices dakshinadakshinaradhya. Kaula Marga or Kulachara devolves round external worship and the personal effort of the sadhaka while the Samayachara is successful by inner contemplation and complete surrender to the Deity: In Samayachara, the Goddess as Samaya reveals on the path at the proper time the Supreme to be experienced. When Kulachara is done, the portion of the Divine Force in oneself manifests marvellous things⁴²