81 - Discourses on Tantra Volume One

Chapter 21 Throughout the Ages (4)

Now, the letter ae (one of the twelve vowels) is called the vágbhava biija [acoustic root of speech]. A sprout emerges from every seed, and the seed from which the sprout of wisdom emerges is called the seed of the spiritual guide, the guru; so aeḿ came to be the acoustic root of the guru. Shiva was generally accepted as the guru. So in the age of Jain, Buddhist and Post-Shiva Tantra, aeḿ became accepted as the acoustic root of Shiva. The incantative rhythm of Shiva’s worship became Aeḿ Shiváya namah. But in the Vedic Age it was m.

Now let us consider the Jain Shiva. Nowadays large-size Shiva-liuṋgas are being excavated in different parts of India, especially in the Ráŕh area. These are images either of the Jain Shiva or of the Shiva of the Post-Shiva Tantra of the Jain Age. In that age, there was intensive cultivation of knowledge throughout India. People considered this aeḿ (the root of wisdom and speech) to be an ideal acoustic root for knowledge. A long time later, when the worship of Sarasvatii, the goddess of learning, was introduced, she was given the same acoustic root (aeḿ – the acoustic root of speech). Aeḿ Sarasvatyae namah [“Salutations to the goddess Sarasvatii”].

Thus far I have been talking about the Jain Shiva. The Jain Shiva has not been accepted in Shaeva Dharma but is accepted in Jain society because it was impossible to establish any doctrine without the influence of Shiva. In later times, Jain society was divided into different sections and sub-sections, and it influenced the contemporary Post-Shiva Tantra also. And then divisions arose regarding the worship of Shiva, and also differences of opinion about the system of Shiva-liuṋga worship which had been practised since the Jain period. Some special types of Shiva-liuṋga were called jyotirliuṋga, other types were called ádiliuṋga, others were called anádiliuṋga – thus there were many different branches of Jainism, each with its own Shiva-liuṋga and its own style of worship. Another distinct type of Shiva-liuṋga is the Váńaliuṋga, but it was of a much later period, the Puranic Age. King Vána, the monarch of north Bengal (then called Varendrabhúmi), invented the Váńaliuṋga Shiva. In this way, the worship of Shiva underwent many changes in the Jain Age.

Now, the followers of Jainism are all vegetarians. The followers of Shiva are also vegetarians. But the Shiva Cult was more practical and thus it became the valuable asset of human beings, while Jainism became estranged from the people because of its impractical nature. For example, according to Jainism, tilling the land is not permitted because it would kill many worms and insects, thereby violating the principle of non-violence. But Shaeva Dharma is quite practical. Lord Shiva said Varttamáneśu vartteta [“Live in the present”]. In other words, “Never ignore the practical realities of life.” So even in the age of Jainism, the followers of the Shiva Cult used to cultivate the land, because to refrain from agriculture was not common sense. Again, the followers of Jainism covered their faces with a piece of cloth so that insects might not enter their noses and die. The followers of the Shiva Cult did not do such things, and they even fought if necessary, for they strictly followed the instructions of Shiva. There was much similarity between these two cultures, but in comparison with the culture of Shiva, the Jain culture had some serious drawbacks.