The Essence of Tantra

In the fifth the author deals with the Ānavupāya the third means, giving a detailed account of the functions of the Prāna out-breath and the Apāna in-breath, the two vital spirits of the body, in the form of recitation of prayers, postures of the body, and contemplation of mind.

The sixth contains an elaborate description of the Kālādhva path of time or the significance of Kāla time, beginning from the second, the minute, the hour, the night, the day, the tithī lunar day (time from one moon-rise to another moon-rise), the month, the year, in short up to the Mahā Pralaya great cosmic dissolution as based on the working of the Prāṇa, and shows thereby the way of recognition.

The seventh shows how by stability of meditation on the significance of the Tattvas (namely: from Pṛithvī earth Tattva to Shaktī power Tattva), enwrapped as they are with the five-fold aspects of Parama Shiva’s power and glory—Nivṛitti cessation, Pratishṭha establishment, Vidyā knowledge, Shāntā peace, and Shantyatītā transcending peace—and on the relation existing between them and the Kālāgni-Rudra a form of Shiva associated with the fire of time and other representatives of the Lord’s supremacy as also on the extent etc., of all the Bhuvanās worlds/realms, the individual self can realize oneself as the Supreme Self. This is known as kalādhvā path of parts/manifestation.

The eighth deals with the way of contemplation on the above-mentioned Tattvas and shows how by attaining perfection of knowledge therein, the vision of the Highest Reality dawns on the mind of the individual self.

In the ninth the forms of all the Tattvas, taken one by one, are described and it is distinctly stated that stability of meditation thereon is the way to recognition of oneself as Parama Shiva.

The tenth describes the three ways—Padādhvā path of words, Mantrādhvā path of mantras, and Varanādhvā path of letters—as penetrable in Kalādhva referred to above, and laying special stress on their relation with the Lord’s five-fold power and glory, points out the means for Self-knowledge.