TANTRIC SHRINES and the story of DAKSHA

Tantric shrines have their own unique story to explain the existance. Try and find the intentional language present in them, and determine the connection between the Tantric shrine and the religion of Shaivism, the ancient rites of nature.

The sacrifice of Daksha evokes a conflict between the vedic city religion of Brahmanism and the Aryanites, and Shaivism.

Daksha, a Vedic sovereign and sage, arranged a great sacrifice in honour of all the gods, except Shiva. Shiva was considered to be an unclean, non-Vedic deity, even though Daksha had previously given, for political reasons, the hand of his daughter Sati (Fidelity), in a union symbolising the disputed acceptance of the ancient Dravidian god amongst the Aryan gods.

According to the Bhagavata Purana, Daksha says, "Against my own will, at the instigation of Brahma, I gave my daughter to this unclean being, the destroyer of rites and social barriers, who teaches the sacred texts to men of low birth, to shudras. Like a madman, he haunts horrid cemeteries, surrounded with ghosts and evil spirits. He is naked, his hair is in disorder. He laughs, he weeps, he smears himself with ashes and wears as his only ornament a necklace of skulls and human bones. He claims he is of 'good omen' (shiva), but he is in reality 'of ill omen' (ashiva). He is mad, adored by madmen, and reigns over the spirits of darkness. May this so-called sovereign, last of the gods, never receive a part of the offerings of this sacrifice."

According to the Shiva Purana Daksha is in turn cursed by Nandi (Joyful), who is the companion and personification of Shiva in the animal world. "The ignorate mortal hates the sole God who does not return hate, and he refuses to recognise the truth. He worries only about his homelife, and all the comprimises it implies. In order to satisfy his interests, he practises interminable rites with a mentality degraded by Vedic prescriptions. He forgets the nature of the soul, since he is occupied by quite different things. The brutish Daksha, who thinks only of his wives, shall hence-forth have the head of a he-goat. May this stupid being, swollen by the vanity he draws from his knowledge, togerther with all those who withy him oppose the Great Archer Shiva, continue to live in their ignorant ritualism.

"May the enemies of 'Him who soothes pain', whose spirit is troubled by the odour of sacrifices and the flowery words of the Vedas, continue to live with their illusions. May all these priests, who think only of eating, who neglect knowledge except in their own interests, who practise austerities and ceremony only to earn their living, who seek riches and honours, end up only as beggars."

The Vedic sage Bhrigu, who presided over the sacrifice, replied, "All those who practise the rites of Shiva and follow him are but heretics who oppose the true faith. They have renounced ritual purity. They live in error. Their hair is tangled; they wear necklaces of bones and smear themselves with ash. They practise the initiation rites of Shiva, during which the use of intoxicating liqour is consodered to be sacred. Since they despise the Vedas and the Brahmans - the pillars of social order - they are heretics. The Vedas are the only ways to virtue. May they follow their god then, King of evil spirits."

The priest-king, the proud Daksha, who had invited Vishnu and the other gods to participate in the rites of sacrifice, invited neither Shiva nor his own daughter, Sati. Although not summoned by her father, Sati returned to her home. Seeing that no part of the offerings had been set aside for her husband, and insulted by her father, she killed herself.

Then Shiva, in his affliction, created a terrifying spirit called Virabhadra, who, at the head of Shivas' companions, the Ganas, destroted all those at the sacrifice, sparing none. Having cut off the head of Daksha, Shiva threw it into the fire.

Shiva himself tore out the beard of the sage Bhrigu, who poured the oblations onto the sacred fire, he squeezed out the eyes of Bhaga (Aryan god of inhereted goods) and broke the teeth of Pushan (god of acquired riches).

It is here that the Tantras become involved, including the dance of Shiva and the foundation of the first Pitha shrines.

After acting out his vengeance, Shiva took up the body of his wife over his shoulder, and in mournful delerium danced endlessly throughout the heavens with her corpse.

In an effort to relieve his suffering, Vishnu stealthily followed the maddened Shiva, and one small portion after another cut away at the dead goddess, each bit falling to the earth until nothing remained. Shiva, released of his burden, fell into an exhausted slumber. Each place where a peice of the goddess fell became a powerful place, many of which became shrines and temples.

The four great primary pithas: Oddiyana, Srihatta, Purnagiri and Jalandhara are the places where her pudenda, nipples and tongue alighted.

There are also four types of pitha described. A temple or stupa can simultaneouls serrve as a Tantric pitha. They are numerous, some open, some concealed.

1. Atmapitha - shrine of the self, one's personal kula-shrine.

2. Parapitha - shrine of the Supreme, a temple.

3. Yogapitha - shrine devoted to action and learning.

4. Guhyapitha - a secret and esoteric shrine.