in potential forms in the common people, on the other hand, becoming the defining theme of Tantric vision the world.
On a metaphysical level, the "divine couple" corresponds to two essential aspects of each cosmic principle: in it, the male god symbolizes a stable, immovable principle, and the female deity symbolizes the energy, the active force of manifestation (i.e., "life", as opposed to "being", which associated with a man), an immanent aspect of reality. The appearance of Shaktism in the ancient Indo-Aryan world during the period we are concerned with can thus be seen as evidence of a change of orientation: everything here speaks of an interest in the "immanent" and active aspects of the world, and a relative decline in interest in the purely transcendent sphere.
However, the name of the Goddess, Shakti, which comes from the root “shak” (= “to be able to do”, “to have the power to do in order to act”), denotes power, potency. On a speculative level, it follows from this that the concept of the world, which sees the highest principle in Shakti, is tantamount to understanding the world as power, potency. Tantrism, and above all the school of Kashmir, linking this concept with traditional Hindu metaphysical constructions and reformulating on the basis of this the theory of cosmic principles (or "tattvas") characteristic of Sankhya and other darshans, produced an extremely interesting metaphysical synthesis, and isolated from elements common to all schools, a special system of tantric disciplines and tantric yoga. Here Shakti has almost completely lost her original "maternal" and gynecocratic features, and acquired the metaphysical features of First Principle. Subsequently, the theory of Shakti entered the complexes of the Upanishadic or Buddhist-Mahayanistic doctrines, the emphasis in which, respectively, began to fall on the "active" and "energetic" aspects.
It is easy to understand that in such a situation, Shaktism and Tantrism contributed to the development in the Hindu and, above all, the Tibetan sphere of purely magical practices, sometimes of a rather low level, bordering on witchcraft. Often this was facilitated by the return of ancient practices and rituals characteristic of the pre-Indo-European cultural substratum. But even these practices themselves, especially the rituals of an orgiastic and sexual nature, have as a result been transferred to the highest level of initiation.
Various goddesses, all the variety of manifestations of Shakti, are divided into two types: there is a “light”, blessed type, and a dark and terrible type. The first includes, for example, Parvati, Yuma, Lakshyami, Gauri, the second - Kali, Durga Bhairavi, Chamunda. However, the distinction here is not strict, and the same goddess can act at different moments in one or another role, depending on the context in which she is considered. Be that as it may, some “devotional” religious folk movements, parallel to Tantrism and endowed with a common intolerance towards stereotypical rituals and purely rational speculation (although this intolerance is of a lower nature compared to Tantrism). In this direction, the main emphasis fell on "devotionalism" ("personal devotion", "bhakti") and on the cult ("puja"), the purpose of which was to achieve a mystical emotional experience ("rasa"). Naturally, for these reasons, the goddess in her light aspect becomes the center of attraction here, like the “Mother of God” in Christian mysticism. It should be noted that this orientation was not entirely new: one of its central points was Vishnuism (the religion of Vishnu). What was new was its development and spread beyond the lower strata of the population of India, where it prevailed earlier, up to identification with the "path of piety", "bhakti-marga", which found its own a fundamental exposition in Ramanuja and in which one rightly sees analogies with Christianity, if only because of its theistic context.
But actually tantric are the manifestations of Shakti (primarily Durga and Kali) in the tradition of the so-called. Left Hand Paths. On this path, Tantrism merges with Shaivism, with the religion of Shiva, to the same extent that, in the case of luminous goddesses, it merges with Vaishnavism and with the Path of the Right Hand. It is believed that Shiva also does not have Vedic roots: however, in the Vedas there is Rudra, who can be considered as his analogue and which became the basis for introducing Shiva into the Hindu pantheon proper. Rudra, "Lord of Lightning", is the personification of the deity in his destructive aspect, or, more precisely, in the aspect of "destructive transcendence", which at a lower level can be understood as "the god of death", "one who kills." Shaivism endows Shiva with all the attributes of the supreme deity, and, consequently, he is also the creator, and the famous symbol of the "dance of Shiva", which served as the theme for the richest and most amazing iconography, symbolizes in this case the rhythm of both creation and destruction of the worlds. But in tantric practices, Shiva retains the specific features of the god of pure transcendence. He appears to be essentially united with a Shakti of a terrifying nature, primarily with Kali or Durga, who are the personification of his violent and frenzied manifestation. The meaning of the two paths, the path of the Right Hand and the Path of the Left Hand, becomes clearer if we consider that Hinduism canonized the doctrine of Trimurti, that is, the trinity aspect of the Principle, manifested in the three deities - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The first term in the Trimurti is Brahma, the creator god; the second is Vishnu, the god who "preserves" creation, the cosmic order; the third is Shiva, the god who destroys (already due to the effect that his transcendence naturally has on everything that is finite and conditioned). The Right Hand Path is based on the cults of the first two deities, the first two aspects of the divine. The Left Hand Path is oriented towards the symbolism of the third deity, Shiva. This is the Path, which essentially consists of the combination of Tantrism with Shaivism.
Summarize. First, on an intellectual level, Tantrism is characterized primarily by the presence of a special metaphysics or theology of Shakti, the Principle Power, "active Brahman." Then, it emphasizes the value of "sadhana", practical realization. Closely associated with the metaphysics of Shakti is the emphasis on the magical and realization aspect in the vast traditional ritual heritage, which has often entailed its esoteric and initiatory interpretation. A doctrine developed on the basis of the metaphysics of the Word, “mantras” is considered especially tantric: once a “mantra”, from a liturgical formula, a mystical prayer or a sound, it turns into a real “word of power” and acquires such a central meaning that tantrism (especially in lamaist-Buddhist forms, however, not always authentic) are sometimes called "Mantrayana", that is, the "Way of Mantras". The emphasis on the practical side of Tantrism brought him closer to Yoga. The most tantric character is hatha yoga ("cruel" yoga - this is the literal meaning of this term, and in no case "physical yoga"), understood as "yoga of the serpent power", like kundalini yoga, based on awakening and "liberation» Shakti, which is in its original, latent state in the human body. Related to this is the development of all disciplines dealing with the "occult body", hyperphysical anatomy and physiology of the human organism in the picture of correspondences between man and the world, between microcosm and macrocosm. Breath and sex are here seen as two unique paths still open to the man of the Kali Yuga. "Sadhana" is concentrated on them. In yoga in the strict sense of the word, basically reproducing the classical Yoga of Patanjali, the emphasis is primarily on breathing ("pranayama"). The use of women, sex and sexual magic, play an important role in another sector of Tantrism, where, as already noted, even the dark practices of the ancient pre-Indo-European substratum are reproduced, transformed, integrated and elevated to an initiatory level. First of all, in Siddhanthakara and Kaulakara, schools regarded by such authoritative texts as the Kularnava Tantra (oneone,7,eight) and the Mahanirvana Tantra (IV, four3-four5, XIV, one79-oneeight0) as the highest esoteric organizations belonging to the Left Hand Path, the emphasis shifts from the perspective of "liberation" to the freedom of a human-god, one who has overcome human limitations and who stands by that side of every law. The highest task of all Tantrism is to achieve the highest state, understood as the copulation of Shiva with Shakti, this is an impulse aimed at reuniting "being" (Shiva) and "power" (Shakti). Tantric Buddhism relates to this unity, or rather to its realization, the so-called "mahasuka-kaya", "body" or "state", higher than the state of the "dharma-kaya" itself, that is, the cosmic ray from which every "Awakened One" radiates, every buddha.[one2]

2. Secret ritual. Orgy. Sexual initiatory magic

In Hindu and Shaivist Tantrism, the so-called "secret ritual," reserved exclusively for those who have attained the state of "vira," the Hero,[one3] is called "panchatattva." Its significance is so great that in some texts it is stated that the "cult" of Shakti cannot be performed without "panchatattva".[onefour] Due to the use of intoxicating drinks and women in the ritual of "panchatattva", it is attributed to an orgiastic and depraved character - and for some in the West this is enough to cast the whole of Tantrism in a negative light. However, the use of sex for initiatory, ecstatic, and magical purposes is by no means unique to Hindu Tantrism. It is also attested in Buddhist Tantrism, in the various Tantric practices of Vaishnavism, in the teachings of the so-called Sahajiya school, among the adepts of the Nata Siddha, and in many other places. Below we will separately consider the use of sexuality at the yogic