Thus, Ganesha uses his tusk [essentially a bone suggestive of the Essence that is Consciousness] to write the Mahabharata as Sage Vyasa dictates. This tusk wears off and transforms to become the Essence of the Whole World Order or Creation. As this Essence is Sonancy it is also the Veda. Thus the Veda is also the Cosmos. Like the DNA that forms the blueprint of a living being, this aspect of Sonancy, or graphically Ganesha, is the DNA or the Essence of the Material Cosmos.
In fact, as it is the Luminosity of the Sonancy that initially lends Corporeality or Materiality to form this Manifestation, it is said that Ganesha is the initiator of this World Order. Thus the Shamkara-digvijaya and its Commentary maintain that Ganesha initiates Manifestation. In fact, the Consciousness that reflects this Luminosity originates from the Objective or Idam aspect of the Primordial Unsullied Transcendental Conscious Absolute and, at this point or instance, Manifests as the Artha or Essence of the Sonancy or Shabda. Thus as the Objective or Idam aspect appears within the Conscious Absolute, due to the awareness of Shakti, the notion of materiality or the Cosmos Manifests. Since this is the incipient manifestation of Corporeality or Materiality it is held that Ganesha is the prime Divinity. Only after Ganesha does there eventuate even the sense of the various Divinities as prior to the advent of Ganesha there was merely the Transcendental Consciousness. One must remember that in this instance we are accounting the origin of the Cosmos before the Cosmos became. In fact, as it is this Objective or Idam aspect of the Conscious Absolute or Ganesha that for the first moment reveals the Pure Transcendental Consciousness [Rudra-Shiva] apart from the Sonancy [Devi], he is worshipped first by the Vedists and Tantrics. Thus the descandants of the Vedists and hence the Tantrics, who today are the so-called Hindus, faithfully observe worshipping Ganesha before undertaking any rite or activity. Since Ganesha or the Brillance of the Sonancy arises from the Objective side in the Original Consciousness and prompts the World Order or Creation, he is also known as the Lord of Inception. Thus, he is given the epithet the Incomparable or Vinayaka. It is to affirm this primordial act of the Sonancy or Ganesha that the adherents of the Veda worship Ganesha first in any undertaking as without the Ganesha notion the World would not have Manifested and there would not be any auspiciousness. As it is this aspect of the Absolute that prods Manifestation, Ganesha is presented as an elephant-headed Divinity. Elephants denote opulence and thus Creation or Manifestation. Since Ganesha prods Manifestation or figuratively the Elephant, he is vested with a goad for an instrument. As the goad prods the Elephant, Ganesha prods Manifestation.
Copyright © 2001 Bhagavan Shri Shanmukha Anantha Natha and Shri Ma Kristina Baird taken from “Divine Initiation” pp. 202-3 by Shri Kali Publications. All rights reserved.
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Mela
The Mela or the Tantra Mela is short for Tantra Samelan.
It refers to Tantric congregations. These are occasions where Tantrics meet and celebrate life.
Tantra is a spiritual science that teaches one to optimize living to complete one's purpose of birth. Therefore, Tantra teaches one to live to one's maximum potential.
The purpose is not to intellectualise or even teach. Tantrics or aspirants are welcome to come and celebrate together.
These congregations give avenues for people of all denominations (Indic, Buddhist and Taoist) to meet and express themselves as Tantrics.
A good source to access Indic Tantra is Nik Douglas in the US or our own Tantra at www.shrikali.org.
Tibetan masters are well established all over the world and one can learn from them the science of Tantra.
The Tibetan Master Namkhai Norbu teaches a complete system known as Dzogchen (see www.dzogchen.org).
The Vajrayana masters too teach a complete system of Tantra.
However, currently, the Tibetan masters do not teach the “Left-hand systems.” In other words, they do not usually teach the sexual aspects of Tantra. In the main, they teach philosophy and metaphysics to those who aspire to learn Tantra.
One of the most famous Tibetan Tantric monasteries is the Namdroling Monastery at Bylakuppe near Mysore in South India (see www.palyul.org). One may approach this monastery to learn Tantra from the Tibetans in the Nyingma tradition.
If otherwise, one can approach the teachers at Shri-Kali Ashram and learn the Left-hand path of Tibetan Tantricism with the view to incorporating it within the practices taught by one's own Rinpoches or Lamas.
The Taoist systems are available throughout the world. Master Mantak Chia has his “Healing Tao” organizations almost throughout the world (see www.universal-tao.com).
Tantra is the only system of spirituality that does not ignore sexuality. Sexuality is part of nature and therefore we cannot pretend it does not exist. Just refraining from dealing with it does not ensure immunity. It is due to this that Tantra prods one to resolve one's sexuality spiritually.
Both the Right and Left-hand systems of Tantra deal with sexuality. Right-hand Tantras teach sexuality within a monogamous relationship. The Left-hand path does not believe in monogamy.
In fact, Tantra offers an alternative option to those of us who do not want our lives to be overrun by archaic, temporal parameters (socialism, capitalism) and who want something more as an ideology (spiritualism) to live by. It also teaches one not to abide by narrow value sets.
This does not mean that Tantra promotes immorality but that it teaches one to go beyond subjective interpretations of life. It is after this that one is able to be truly giving and loving.
Those who strive for a quality existence will find Tantra an alternative to current thinking dominated by neo-conservative forces.
Those who want to experience life without psychological difficulties and who want to experience a fair and wholesome lifestyle will find this a good avenue.
Tantra also provides avenues for women to express themselves as Goddesses and uphold the Goddess culture as defines present-day feminism.
Aspiring Tantrics and Tantrics from all over the world are welcome to meet and live the Tantric way of life.
Since the restriction to specific denominations of Tantra restricts the number of events and people, we decided to have an “an all systems mela.”