28 - Discourses on Tantra Volume Two

Chapter 6 The Dialogues of Shiva and Párvatii – 2 (1)

Once Párvatii posed a question to Shiva: “Who is competent for mokśa [non-qualified liberation]? Who can attain mokśa?” Shiva answered,

Átmajiṋánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam; Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

[Self-knowledge is the greatest means to attain salvation. People are born as human beings due to their past good saḿskáras, but to attain non-qualified liberation they will have to attain self-knowledge.]

The Formulation of Ágama and Nigama

Questions related to spiritual practice and spiritual progress – questions not simply for inquiry’s sake but for the sake of understanding and for the sake of following the instructions given – are known as pariprashnas (for example, questions put by disciples to their gurus as to how to sit, how to bid prańáma [respectful salutations], and how to repeat mantra). Prańipátena pariprashnena seváyá [“By surrender, spiritual questioning, and servicefulness”]. Questions put only for logic’s sake are not pariprashnas; with such questions the time of the questioner and that of the answerer is wasted. And sometimes questions are put not in order to know but in order to test the scholarship of the guru – such questions are not pariprashnas either.

If pariprashnas are put and answered, and then recorded, or if people somehow get acquainted with such questions and answers, people will be benefited. But during the time of Sadáshiva nobody was there to put such questions. Párvatii learned sádhaná from Shiva (as did their son Bhaerava). Párvatii and Shiva decided that the former would pose the questions, and the latter would reply, and thus people would get acquainted with the questions and answers and be benefited.

They decided to formulate these questions and answers for the all-round development of human society. They decided to cover all branches of knowledge – art, architecture, literature, medical science, spiritual science, etc. For example, you know that in ancient times there was [a simple form of] giita [song]. There was also [vádya, basic instrumental music]. And people were performing some mudrás unconsciously with their hands and feet. So Lord Shiva and Párvatii decided to coordinate and systematize giita, [vádya] and mudrá. Párvatii began to pose questions, and Shiva began to answer; and the saḿgiita shástra [science of music] was produced. (The combined name of nrtya [dance], giita and vádya is saḿgiita.)

Dance was known in quite a primitive age. This kind of dance was rhythmic. Even now the dances of soldiers are mainly rhythmic. There is no important role of mudrá in their dance. The rule is that rhythmic dance requires strength; only males can do it; because it is tiring. But Párvatii gave lalita nrtya, in which mudrá has an important role. Indian dances and other Oriental dances are mudrápradhána [dominated by mudrá]. And Occidental dances are chandapradhána [rhythmic].

They decided to categorize mudrá. So Párvatii questioned and Shiva answered. Párvatii would ask, “What is the meaning of such and such mudrá?” and Shiva would reply. In this way mudrá shástra came about, saḿgiita shástra came about. Shiva invented a rhythmic dance and Párvatii created a dance dominated by mudrá. In Shiva’s rhythmic dance one has to jump. In Sanskrit tańd́ú means “to jump”.(1) So the dance dominated by jumping is known as táńd́ava. The dance of Shiva is táńd́ava – “dominated by jumping”.

(1) As rice jumps in the process of being separated from the husk (implying that the nature of rice is to jump), in Sanskrit it is called tańd́ula. Tańd́ula means “uncooked rice” – cooked rice is odana.