The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
There is perhaps no subject in the Indian Shāstra which is less understood than Mantra. The subject is so important a part of the Tantra-Shāstra that its other title is Mantra-Shāstra. Commonly Orientalists and others describe Mantra as “prayer,” “formulæ or worship,” “mystic syllables,” and so forth. These are the superficialities of those who do not know their subject. Whilst I am not aware of any work in any European language which shows a knowledge of Mantra and its science, yet there is perhaps no subject which has been so ridiculed—a not unusual attitude of ignorance. Mantra science may be well founded or not, but even in the latter case it is not the absurdity which some suppose it to be. Those who think so might except Mantras which are prayers, and the meaning of which they understand, for with prayer they are familiar. But such appreciation itself shows a lack of
1 The first is the subtle, the second the gross form. See as regards the subject matter of this Chapter the Author’s “Garland of Letters”.
understanding. There is nothing necessarily holy or prayerful about a Mantra. Mantra is a power (Mantrashakti) which lends itself impartially to any use. A man may be injured or killed by Mantra;¹ by Mantra a kind of union with the physical Shakti is by some said to be effected;² by Mantra in the initiation called Vedhadīkshā there is such a transference of power from the Guru to the disciple that the latter swoons under the impulse of it;³ by Mantra the Homa fire may and, according to ideal conditions, should be lighted;⁴ by Mantra man is saved, and so forth. Mantra, in short, is a power (Shakti); power in the form of Sound. The root “man” means “to think”.
The creative power of thought is now receiving increasing acceptance in the West. Thought-reading, thought-transference, hypnotic suggestion, magical projections (Mokshana), and shields (Grahana),⁵ are becoming
1 As in Māranam and other of the Shatkarma. To quote an example which I have read in an account of an author nowise “suspect” as an Occultist, Theosophist, etc.—General J. T. Harris noticed a scorpion close to the foot of a Sādhu. “Don’t move,” he said; “there is a scorpion by your foot.” The Sādhu leaned over, and when he saw the scorpion he pointed at it with his fingers, on which the animal immediately and in the presence of the General shrivelled up and died. “You seem to have some powers already,” the General said; but the Sādhu simply waived the matter aside as being of no importance (“China Jim”: “Incidents in the Life of a Mutiny Veteran,” by Major-General J. T. Harris, p. 74. Heinemann).
2 An extraordinary use to which it is put, I am informed by some worshippers of the Bhairava Mantra. The man projects the Mantra on to the woman, who then experiences the sensation of a physical union. The Vishnu Purāna speaks of generation by will power.
3 As the Kulārnava Tantra says, and as may be readily understood, such a Guru is hard to get. The disciple who receives this initiation gets all the powers of his initiator. It is said that there are Gurus who can at once make their disciples fit for the highest aims.
4 As is stated to have actually happened lately in the house of a friend of a collaborator of mine. A man is alleged to have lit the fuel in Kushandikā Homa simply by Mantra and the Bīja of fire (“Ram”) without recourse to light or match.
known and practised, not always with good results. The doctrine is ancient in India, and underlies the practices to be found in the Tantras, some of which are kept in general concealed to prevent misuse.¹ What, however, is not understood in the West is the particular form of Thought-science which is Mantravidyā. Those familiar with the Western presentment of similar subjects will more readily understand² when I say that, according to the Indian doctrine here described, thought (like mind, of which it is the operation) is a power or Shakti. It is, therefore, not only as real, but in a sense more real than outer material objects, which are themselves but the projections of the creative thought of the World-thinker. The root “man,” which=to think, is also the root of the Sanskrit word for man, who alone of all creation is properly a thinker. Mantra is the manifested Shabdabrahman.
5 This Sanskrit term expresses not so much a “fence” to which use a Kavacha is put, but the knowledge of how a man may “catch” a Mantra projected at him.
But what is Shabda or “sound”? Here the Shākta- Tantra Shāstra follows the Mīmāngsā doctrine of Shabda, with such modifications as are necessary to adapt it to its doctrine of Shakti. Sound (Shabda), which is a quality (Guna) of ether (Ākāsha), and is sensed by hearing, is twofold—namely, lettered (Varnātmaka shabda) and unlettered, or Dhvani (Dhvanyātmaka shabda).³ The
There is perhaps no subject in the Indian Shāstra which is less understood than Mantra. The subject is so important a part of the Tantra-Shāstra that its other title is Mantra-Shāstra. Commonly Orientalists and others describe Mantra as “prayer,” “formulæ or worship,” “mystic syllables,” and so forth. These are the superficialities of those who do not know their subject. Whilst I am not aware of any work in any European language which shows a knowledge of Mantra and its science, yet there is perhaps no subject which has been so ridiculed—a not unusual attitude of ignorance. Mantra science may be well founded or not, but even in the latter case it is not the absurdity which some suppose it to be. Those who think so might except Mantras which are prayers, and the meaning of which they understand, for with prayer they are familiar. But such appreciation itself shows a lack of
1 The first is the subtle, the second the gross form. See as regards the subject matter of this Chapter the Author’s “Garland of Letters”.
understanding. There is nothing necessarily holy or prayerful about a Mantra. Mantra is a power (Mantrashakti) which lends itself impartially to any use. A man may be injured or killed by Mantra;¹ by Mantra a kind of union with the physical Shakti is by some said to be effected;² by Mantra in the initiation called Vedhadīkshā there is such a transference of power from the Guru to the disciple that the latter swoons under the impulse of it;³ by Mantra the Homa fire may and, according to ideal conditions, should be lighted;⁴ by Mantra man is saved, and so forth. Mantra, in short, is a power (Shakti); power in the form of Sound. The root “man” means “to think”.
The creative power of thought is now receiving increasing acceptance in the West. Thought-reading, thought-transference, hypnotic suggestion, magical projections (Mokshana), and shields (Grahana),⁵ are becoming
1 As in Māranam and other of the Shatkarma. To quote an example which I have read in an account of an author nowise “suspect” as an Occultist, Theosophist, etc.—General J. T. Harris noticed a scorpion close to the foot of a Sādhu. “Don’t move,” he said; “there is a scorpion by your foot.” The Sādhu leaned over, and when he saw the scorpion he pointed at it with his fingers, on which the animal immediately and in the presence of the General shrivelled up and died. “You seem to have some powers already,” the General said; but the Sādhu simply waived the matter aside as being of no importance (“China Jim”: “Incidents in the Life of a Mutiny Veteran,” by Major-General J. T. Harris, p. 74. Heinemann).
2 An extraordinary use to which it is put, I am informed by some worshippers of the Bhairava Mantra. The man projects the Mantra on to the woman, who then experiences the sensation of a physical union. The Vishnu Purāna speaks of generation by will power.
3 As the Kulārnava Tantra says, and as may be readily understood, such a Guru is hard to get. The disciple who receives this initiation gets all the powers of his initiator. It is said that there are Gurus who can at once make their disciples fit for the highest aims.
4 As is stated to have actually happened lately in the house of a friend of a collaborator of mine. A man is alleged to have lit the fuel in Kushandikā Homa simply by Mantra and the Bīja of fire (“Ram”) without recourse to light or match.
known and practised, not always with good results. The doctrine is ancient in India, and underlies the practices to be found in the Tantras, some of which are kept in general concealed to prevent misuse.¹ What, however, is not understood in the West is the particular form of Thought-science which is Mantravidyā. Those familiar with the Western presentment of similar subjects will more readily understand² when I say that, according to the Indian doctrine here described, thought (like mind, of which it is the operation) is a power or Shakti. It is, therefore, not only as real, but in a sense more real than outer material objects, which are themselves but the projections of the creative thought of the World-thinker. The root “man,” which=to think, is also the root of the Sanskrit word for man, who alone of all creation is properly a thinker. Mantra is the manifested Shabdabrahman.
5 This Sanskrit term expresses not so much a “fence” to which use a Kavacha is put, but the knowledge of how a man may “catch” a Mantra projected at him.
But what is Shabda or “sound”? Here the Shākta- Tantra Shāstra follows the Mīmāngsā doctrine of Shabda, with such modifications as are necessary to adapt it to its doctrine of Shakti. Sound (Shabda), which is a quality (Guna) of ether (Ākāsha), and is sensed by hearing, is twofold—namely, lettered (Varnātmaka shabda) and unlettered, or Dhvani (Dhvanyātmaka shabda).³ The
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