Skandha appears profusely in the Mahabharata [Mhb. III, IX, XIII]. The Mahabharata being a sort of commentary on the Veda had only amplified the doctrines of the Rg Veda. Thus Skandha or Warrior [lit. Skandha means the attacker] is elaborately presented in the Mahabharata.
In fact, Skandha, like Ganesha, is another attribute of the Sonic Absolute or Ambika. Ganesha is the Objective or Idam aspect of the Sonic Absolute that gives the Essence of Materiality or the World Order within the Manifested Realm. Similarly, Skandha is the Subjective aspect of this same Sonic Absolute or Ambika that reveals Manifestation. In other words, the Subjective aspect of Sonancy manifests the Noumenon that reflects this World Essence or Order. Since this Noumenon originates from the total exuberance of the Sonancy or Ambika it is held that Skandha or Noumenon is the offspring of Ambika. As Ambika in her Creative state manifests and exhibits numerous attributes as the Sonic Mothers or Matrkas it is also held that these Matrkas are Skandha's Mothers. However, as the Sonancy or Ambika contains also the Objective or Artha aspect of Manifestation this is projected as the other set of Skandha's Mothers known as the Sagely Mothers. In simple words, the Subjective sense of Sonancy or Ambika is the set of seven Sonic Mothers or Matrkas and the Objective sense of Sonancy or Ambika, or the Artha aspect, emerges as the set of seven Sagely Mothers of Skandha. Thus, it is from the Subjective and Objective notions of Sonancy or Ambika that there emerges this twin set of mothers. In fact, it is the Subjective aspect of Sonancy or Ambika that for the first time manifests the notion of Noumenon or Mindness in the otherwise attributeless Transcendental Consciousness. This Noumenon is Skandha.
Thus, the Subjective notion of Sonancy in its full exuberance is accounted for in Vedism as the set of seven Sonic Mothers or Matrkas. They are namely, Brahmi [Infinite Essence], Maheshvari or Raudri [Absolute Energy Essence], Kaumari [Incipient notion of Noumenon or Mindness], Vaishnavi [Parama Atman in the Yin phase], Varahi [Boar or Atman in the Yin phase], Aindri [Potency or Indra's Essence] and Yogini [Mind Essence]. In fact, it is the Essence of Kali Devi that manifests as these seven Sonic Mothers or Matrkas. In other words, it is Kali Devi or Ambika that gives birth to Skandha. However, as the seven Sonic Mothers or Matrkas convey the numerous attributes of the Transcendental Conscious Absolute the Mahabharata presents an infinite number of them. Thus, the Mahabharata presents about two hundred Matrkas who accompany Skandha in battle but names ninety-two of them [David Kinsley, Hindu Goddessess 153].
Similarly, the Objective aspect of Sonancy manifests as the set of seven Sagely Mothers. The Mahabharata maintains that these seven Sagely Mothers are the Essential Mothers of Skandha [Mhb. III. 219. 1 ff.]. These Mothers are in fact the Objective side of the same Sonancy or Ambika as the previously mentioned seven Sonic Mothers. They are in reality the other aspect of the seven Sonic Mothers. In fact, the reason for the Mahabharata to assert that the Sagely Mothers are Skandha's Essential Mothers is to highlight that it is the Objective aspect of Sonancy that actually triggers the Manifestation of the primordial Noumenon or Skandha. To highlight that Skandha is a Noumenal occurrence the Mahabharata presents Agni as merely mentally cohabitating with six of the other Sages' wives to originate Skandha. These six Sages' wives and Agni's own wife Svaha make the seven Sagely wives that Mother Skandha. As the Objective or Artha sense of Sonancy mainfests the gross sense of Manifestation the Mahabharata presents Agni as the father [Mhb. III. 15-16] and Svaha as the Mother [Mhb. III. 214. 1ff.; Mhb. III. 215. 1-5] of Skandha. However, essentially it is the Primordial Consciousness or Rudra-Shiva and his attribute the Sonancy or Ambika that Parent Skandha. Thus the Mahabharata, the other Puranas and also the other Vedic scriptures maintain that Rudra-Shiva and Ambika are the Essential Parents of Skandha [Mhb. III. 218. 25-30; Mhb. III. 220. 8-13]. This is so because it is in fact the Manifesting Rudra-Shiva and his Shakti Ambika that emanate as Agni and Svaha in the lower realm of Creation. This not only explains the rationale of Skandha's parentage but also makes redundant the following uncalled for statement of Thomas B. Coburn: “In sum, the Mahabharata version obviously has not sorted out who should be the right mother of this new God” [Devi Mahatmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition 317].
Copyright © 2001 Bhagavan Shri Shanmukha Anantha Natha and Shri Ma Kristina Baird taken from “Divine Initiation” pp. 210-11 by Shri Kali Publications. All rights reserved.
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Tantra
Tantra highlights life from a wholesome perspective. It, therefore, doesn't ignore sexuality. It teaches the enhancement of sexuality from this wholesome sense so as to optimize living.
Its techniques are unique. It employs Tantric-type practices to enhance sexuality to achieve its goal of wholesomeness.
Tantra understands the human psyche well.
Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, adapted techniques of orientating the self from Tantra.
Jung's classic work Memories, Dreams, Reflections, in the following passage, reveals that Jung was influenced by India in the search for the truth of himself.
“My journey to India, in 1938, was not taken on my own initiative. It arose out of an invitition from the British Government of India to take part in the celebrations connected with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the University of Calcutta.
By that time I had read a great deal about Indian philosophy and religious history, and was deeply convinced of the value of Oriental wisdom. But I had to travel in order to form my own conclusions, and remained within myself like a homunculus in retort. India affected me like a dream, for I was and remained in search of myself, of the truth peculiar to myself.”
(Memories, Dreams, Reflections by C.G. Jung recorded and edited by Aniela Jaffe and translated from the German by Richard and Clara Winston, pp. 274-5.)
Jung was also a friend of Heinrich Zimmer and talks about sharing his views on India with Zimmer in his classic work Memories, Dreams, Reflections, p. 278.
Zimmer (1890-1943) was a German Indologist who came to the United States in 1940 and lectured at Columbia University. His published works in the Princeton Bollingen series include Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilisation (New York, 1946). Jung met Zimmer in the 1930's when Zimmer was Professor of Sanskrit at Heidelberg University, Germany. Zimmer introduced Jung to the ideas of Bhagavan Shri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), who was a traditional practitioner of advaita (nondualism)(see www.ramana-maharshi.org).
Tantra, however, teaches reintegration with the Whole.
It is, therefore, important not to modify Tantra as any interfering only brings fragmentation, which then binds us to a limited experience. In its adhering to the Whole, Tantra teaches freedom and optimal expression of life.
For those who are new to Tantra, it is best to take it as a Mini-fest and from there learn the Tantric practices and science from traditional teachers.
Many see Tantra as offering the only way to resolve the value of narcisissm that besieges modern existence.
The exegetes of the Tantras (traditionalists) understand that “Goddess Tantra” is the preliminary step in the path towards the acceptance of the spiritual science of Tantra. This is not to disparage the Goddess movement.
The evolution of the Goddess movement lead many in the US and elsewhere to look towards learning a traditional form of Tantra (Tibetan, Indic or Taoist).
There are several reasons for this. One is that however we attempt to balance our inner male and female, there is always the problem of balancing them from a relative perspective. It is more easily said than done. The inner male and female are notions that we inherit from the effects of time, environment and our parents. They emerge as our very mental make-up and manifest as a myriad of fabrics of relative existence. This is the nature of an “uncultured identity.” Unfortunately, the perfection we seek in balancing the inner male and female as proposed by Jung becomes an ideal. We may spend our whole lives correcting this balance but will not be able to achieve harmony between the anima and animus, as they are merely a relative conception.
Traditionalists believe that instead of grappling with this head on it is actually important to ignore it. The traditionalists provide other avenues for dealing with this dichotomy. In fact, having a spiritual identity dissolves many problems of narcisissm or this uncultured identity (ahamkara). With the relinquishing of the sense of this uncultured identity, we learn to relinquish all temporal notions (for instance, identity as a male, a female, or identity according to racial origin or geographical location). With the realisation of this new identity, one sees the truth accurately. This is the age-old reason for going through the process of spiritual initiation (diksha) in the spiritual traditions. On realisation of the spiritual self, the assumed limited identity that “I am an Indian” or “a Scandinivian Yogi” is dispensed of. With the vanishing of the ego, life's purpose becomes defined. Therefore, one who is spiritually mature sees no difference between human beings and desires the same for all. It is this that forms the foundation for true love, that is, non-qualitative love. Otherwise, it is this assumed selfhood that asserts its needs. Love is not the craving of the assumed selfhood that seeks mere sense gratification.
This is not the same as the worship that adores the partner as the Divine Goddess as the Tantrics (Vajrayana, Vama, Mata, Kula or Kaula) experience.
The inner realisation and not the mere intellectualization of the self leads to the understanding of the validity of spiritualism.
To get to this level, one needs an educated teacher (acharya) belonging to a valid tradition (sampradaya). If one is a Buddhist, one needs to learn from an educated Lama or Rinpoche. This goes for Taoism too. Otherwise, one will only waste one's time. An educated traditionalist always puts the student's life first. This is because a spiritualist has erased the narcisisst self and has unconditional love for all sentient beings. Therefore, they often economize learning time. In other words, what one thinks one can learn in a couple of years can often be learnt in a few months in the hands of a traditionalist. Their experience and practical living of the spiritual science helps in helping others learn effectively.