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MOUNT KAILĀSA
The scene of the revelation of Mahānirvāņa-Tantra is laid in Himalaya, the " Abode of Snow, " a holy land weighted with the traditions of the Āryan race. Here in these lofty uplands, encircled with everlasting snows, rose the great mountain of the north, the Sapta-Kula-Parvata. Hence the race itself came, and there its early legends have their setting. There are still shown at Bhimudiyar the caves where the sons of Pāņdu and Draupadi rested, as did Rāma and his faithful wife at the point where the Kosi joins the Sitā in the grove of Aśoka trees. In these mountains Munis and Rsis lived. Here also is the Ksetra of Siva Mahadeva, where his spouse Parvati, the daughter of the Mountain King, was born, and where Mother Ganges also has her source. Form time immemorial pilgrims have toiled through these mountains to visit the three great shrines at Gangotri,1 Kedarnath2 and Badrinath.3 At Kangri, further north, the pilgrims make the parikRāma of Mount Kailasa (Kang Rinpo-che), where S'iva is said to dwell. This nobly towering
1. Source of the Ganges. 2. A matha and temple dedicated to S'ri Sadāśiva in charge of the Saiva ascetics called Jangama. The Devatā is also worshipped at four other places along the Himālayan chain—Tungnath, Rudranath, MadhmaheSwar, and Kalpesvar. These and the first-named form the " Panchkedar ". 3. A celebrated temple dedicated to an incarnation of the Deva Vişņu, who from Kūrmācala is said to have descended in his Kūrmā form. As to Badarika see Mahābhārata c. 92 Āraņya-Parvan. peak rises to the north-west of the sacred Manasarowar Lake (Mapham Yum-tso) from amidst the purple ranges of the lower Kangri Mountains. The paradise of S'iva is a summerland of both lasting sunshine and cool shade, musical with the song of birds and bright with undying flowers. The air, scented with the sweet fragrance of Mandhara chaplets, resounds with the music and song of celestial singers and players. The Mount is Gana-parvata, thronged with trains of Spirits (devayoni), of which the opening chapter of Mahānirvāņa-Tantra speaks.
And in the regions beyond rises Mount Meru, centre of the world-lotus. Its heights, peopled with spirits, are hung with clusters of stars as withv wreaths of Malati flowers. In short, it is written:1 " He who thinks of Himācala, though he should not behold him, is greater than he who performs all worship in Kasi (Benares). In a hundred ages of the Devas I could not tell thee of the glories of Himācala. As the dew is dried up by the morning sun, so are the sins of mankind by the sight of Himācala. "
It is not, however, necessary to go to the Himālayan Kailasa to find Siva. He dwells wheresoever his worshippers, versed in Kula-tattva, abide,2 and His mystic mount is to be sought in the thousand-petalled lotus3 (sahasrārapadma) in the body of every human jlva, hence called S'iva-sthāna, to which all, wheresoever
1. Skanda-Purana. 2. Kularnava-Tantra (chap. IX). 3. See TripurasSra, cited in Bhaska araya's Commentary on Lalita-sahasranaraa, verse 17. Guroh sthanam hi Kailasam as the Yogtnl-Tantra (chap, i) says. situate, may repair when they have learned how to achieve the way thither.
Siva promulgates His teaching in the world below in the works known as Yamala, Damara, Siva-Sutra,1 and in the Tantras which exist in the form of dialogues between the Devatā and his Sakti, the Devi in Her form as Parvati. According to the Gayatri-Tantra,2 the Deva Ganesa first preached the Tantra to the Devayoni on Mount Kailasa, after he had himself received them from the mouth of Siva.
After a description of the mountain, the dialogue opens with a question from Parvati3 in answer to which and those which succeed it, S'iva unfolds His doctrine on the subjects with which Maha-nirvana-Tantra deals.
1. Of which the S'iva-Sutra-Vimarfini is a Commentary. 2. Chapter X. 3. As the Devi is here the sisya, this Tantra is in the form called Agama. |
