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THE THREE TEMPERAMENTS
The Tantras speak of three temperaments, dispositions, characters (bhava), or classes of men— namely, the pasu-bhava (animal), vira-bhava (heroic), and divya-bhava (deva-like or divine). These divisions are based on various modifications of the gunas (v.ante) as they manifest in man (jiva). It has been pointed out1 that the analogous Gnostic classification of men as material, psychical and spiritual, correspond to the three gunas of the Samkhya-darsana. In the pasu the rajo-guna operates chiefly on tamas, producing such dark characteristics as error (bhranti), drowsiness (tandra), and sloth (alasya). It is however, an error to suppose that the pasu is as such a bad man; on the contrary, a jiva of this class may prove superior to a jiva of the next. If the former, who is greatly bound by matter, lacks enlightenment, the latter may abuse the greater freedom he has won. There are also numerous kinds of pasu, some more some less tamasik than others. Some there are at the lowest end of the scale, which marks the first advance upon the higher forms of animal life. Others approach and gradually merge into the vira class. The term pasu comes from the root pas, " to bind". The pasu is in fact the man who is bound by the bonds (pasa), of which the Kularnava-Tantra enumerates eight— namely, pity (daya), ignorance and delusion (moha), fear (bhaya), shame (lajja), disgust (ghrnt), family (kula), custom (sila), and caste (varna). Other
1. Richard Garbe, " Philosophy of Ancient India," p. 48, as also before him, Baur. enumerations are given of the afflictions which, according to some, are sixty-two, but all such larger divisions are merely elaborations of the simpler enumerations. The pasu is also the worldly man, in ignorance and bondage, as opposed to the yogi, and the tattva-jnani. Three divisions of pasu are also spoken of—namely, sakala, who are bound by the three pasas, called anu (want of knowledge or erroneous knowledge of the self), bheda (the division also induced by maya of the one self into many), and karma (action and its product). These are the three impurities (mala) called anava-mala, maya-mala, and Karma-mala. Prataya-kala are those bound by the first and last, and Vijnāna-kevala are those bound by anava-mala only. He who frees himself of the remaining impurity of anu becomes S'iva Himself. The Devi bears the pasa, and is the cause of them, but She too, is pasupasa-vimo-cini,1 Liberatrix of the pasu from his bondage. What has been stated gives the root notion of the term pasu. Men of this class are also described in Tantra by exterior traits, which are manifestations of the interior disposition. So the Kubjika-Tantra2 says : " Those who belong to pasu-bhava are simply pasus. A pasu does not touch a yantra, nor make japa of mantra at night. He entertains doubt about sacrifices and Tantra ; regards a mantra as being merely letters only.3 He lacks faith in the guru, and thinks that the image is but a block of stone. He distinguishes one deva from another,4 and worships without flesh and fish. He is always bathing, owing to his
1. Lalita-sahasra-nama (verse 78). 2. Chapter VII. 3. Instead of being DevatS. Similarly the NityS-TantrS (see PrSna-tojini, 547 et seq). 4. Not recognizing that all are but plural manifestations of the One. ignoranee,1 and talks ill of others.2 Such an one is called pasu and he is the worst kind of man." 3 Similarly the Nitya-Tantra4 describes the pasu as—"He who does not worship at night nor in the evening, nor in the latter part of the day,6 who avoids sexual intercourse, except on the fifth day after the appearance of the courses6 (rtukalam vina devi vamanam parivarjayet); who does not eat meat etc., even on the five auspicious days (parvana)"; in short, those who, following Vedachara, Vaisnvacara, and Saivacara, are bound by the Vaidik rules which govern all pasus.
In the case of vira-bhava, rajas more largely works on sattva, yet also largely (though in lessening degrees, until the highest stage of divya-bhava is reached) works independently towards the production of acts in which sorrow inheres. There are several classess of vira.
The third, or highest, class of man is he of the divya-bhava (of which, again, there are several degrees—some but a stage in advance of the highest form of vira-bhava, others completely realizing the
1. That is, he only thinks of external and ceremonial purity, not of internal purity of mind, etc, 2. That is, decrying as sectarian-minded Vaisnavas do, all other forms of worship than their own, a common fault of the pas"u the world over. In fact, the Picchila-Tantra (chap. XX) says that the Vaisaava must worship Paramesvara like a paiu. 3. All the Tantras describe the pashi as the lowest form of the three temperaments. NityS-Tantra, and chap. X. of Picchila Tantra, where pasu-bhava is described. 4. See Prana-tosinI, p. 547. 5. As Tantrika vlra do. 6. Taking their usual duration to be four days. This is a Vaidik injunction, as to which sea post. The Vlra and Divya are not so bound to maithuna on the fifth day only; that is as to maithuna as a part of viracara. deva-nature), in which rajas operates on sattva-guna to the confirmed preponderance of the latter.
The Nitya-Tantra1 says that of the bhava the divya is the best, the vira the next best, and the pasu the lowest; and that Devatā-bhava must be awakened through vira-bhava. The Picchila-Tantra2 says that the only difference between the vira and divya men is that the former are very uddhata, by which is probably meant excitable, through the greater prevalence of the independent working of the rajoguna in them than in the calmer sattvik temperament. It is obvious that such statements must not be read with legal accuracy. There may be, in fact, a considerable difference between a low type of vira and the highest type of divya, though it seems to be true that this quality of uddhata which is referred to is the cause of such differences, whether great or small.
The Kubjika-Tantra3 describes the marks of the divya as he " who daily does ablutions, sarhdhya; and wearing clean cloth, the trpundara mark in ashes or red sandal, and ornaments of rudraksa-beads, performs japa and arcana. He gives charity daily also. His faith is strong in Veda, Śāstra, Guru, and Deva. He worships the Pitri and Deva, performs all the daily rites. He has a great knowledge of mantra. He avoids all food, except that which his guru offers him, and all cruelty and other bad actions, regarding both friend and foe as one and the same. He himself ever speaks the truth, and avoids the company of those who decry the Devatā. He worships thrice
1. Loc. cit. 2. Chapter X and so also Utpatti-Tantra (chap. Ixiv). See Pranatosinl, p. 570, where also bhava is described as the dharma of the manas. 3. Chapter VII. daily, and meditates upon his guru daily, and, as a Bhairava, worships Parāmesvari with divya-bhava. All Devās he regards as beneficial.1 He bows down at the feet of women regarding them as his guru2 (strinām pāda-talam drstvā guru-vad bhāvayet sada). He worships the Devi at night,3 and makes japa at night with his mouth full of pan,4 and makes obeisance to the kula vrksa.5 He offers everything to the Supreme Devi. He regards this universe as pervaded by stri (sakti), and as Devatā. S'iva is in all men, and the whole brahmanda is pervaded by S'iva-S'akti. He ever strives for the attainment and maintenance of Devatā-bhāva, and is himself of the nature of a Devatā.
Here, again, the Tantra only seeks to give a general picture, the details of which are not applicable to all men of the divya-bhāva class. The passage shows that it, or portions of it, refer to the ritual divya, for some of the practices there referred to would not be performed by the avadhûta, who is above all ritual acts, though he would also share (possibly in irrtenser degree) the beliefs of divya men
1. He worships all Devas, drawing no distinctions. For instance, an orthodox, up-country Hindu who is a worshipper of Rāma cannot even bear to hear the name of Krsna, though both Rāma and Krsna are each avatara of the same Vişņu, who is again himself but a partial manifestation of the great S'akti. 2. He is even stri-khanda-pankaja-rudhira-bhaSitāh, for he is unaffected by the pasa of ghrna or lajja. 3. Vaidik worship is by day. 4. That is, after eating, pan being taken after meals. 5. An esoteric term, as to which see TantrSbhidhana. Similarly (in Nitya-Tantra), he does obeisance to the kulastri, who is versed in Tantra and mantra, whether she has been brought by a dnti, is pUrhschali, or vesya" and whether youthful or old. of all classes—that he and all else are but manifestations of the universe-pervading Supreme S'akti.
According to the temperament of the sadhaka, so is the form of worship and sadhana. In fact, the specific worship and sadhana of the other classes is strictly prohibited by the Tantra to the pasu.
It is said in this Tantra1 and elsewhere 2 that, in the Kali-yuga, divya and pasu dispositions can scarcely be found. It may be thought difficult at first sight to reconcile this (so far as the pasu is concerned) with other statements as to the nature of these respective classes. The term pasu, in these and similar passages, would appear to be used in a good sense3 as referring to a man who though tamasic, yet performs his functions with that obedience to nature which is shown by the still more tamasic animal creation free from the disturbing influences of rajas, which, if it may be the source of good, may also be, when operating independently, the source of evil.4
The Commentator explains the passage cited from the Tantra as meaning that the conditions and character of the Kali-yuga are not such as to be productive of pasu-bhava (apparently in the sense stated), or to allow of its acara (that is, Vaidikacara). No one, he says, can, fully perform the vedacara, vaisnavacara, and saivacara rites, without which the Vaidik, Pauranik mantra, and yajna are fruitless.
1. Chapter I, verse 24. 2. See S'yamarcana-candrika, cited in Hara-tattva-didhlti, p. 343. 3. So verse 54 speaks of the pasu as one who should himself procure the leaves, fruits, and water for worship, and not look at a S'udra, or even think of a woman. 4. For this reason it is possible, in certain cases, that a pas"u may attain siddhi through the Tantra quicker than a vira can. No one now goes through the brahmacarya asRāma, or adopts after the fiftieth year that called vSnaprastha. Those whom the Veda does not control cannot expect the fruit of Vaidik observances. On the contrary, men have taken to drink, associate with the low, and are fallen; as are also those men who associate with them. There can therefore be no pure pasu. Under these circumstances the duties prescribed by the Vedas which are appropriate for the pasu being incapable of performance, S'iva for the liberation of men of the Kali Age has proclaimed the Agama. Now, there is no other way." The explanation thus given, therefore, appears to amount to this. The pure type of pasu for whom vedachara was designed does not exist. For others who though pasu are not purely so, the Tantra is the governing Śāstra. This however, does not mean that all are now competent for vlracara.
It is to be noted, however, that the Prana-tosim 1 cites a passage purporting to come from the Maha-nirvana-Tantra, which is apparently in direct opposition to the foregoing:
Divya-vira-mayo bhavah kalau nasti kada-cana.
Kevalam pasu-bhavena mantra-siddhirbhaven-rnam.
" In the Kali Age there is no divya or vlrabhava. It is only by the pasu-bhava that men may obtain mantra-siddhi."
This matter of the- bhava prevalent in the Kali-yuga has been the subject of considerable discussion and difference of opinion, and is only touched upon here.2
1. Pp. 570-571. 2. The subject is a difficult one, and I have given the above-mentioned account with considerable diffidence as to complete accuracy. |
