About the Seminar
Tantric traditions of India — ancient and diverse though they are — are a subject of much misconception. The earliest accounts of Tantra to reach the West were colonial descriptions from India penned by missionaries/administrators who presented its practices as particularly abominable excrescences of Indian superstition. Their descriptions often included shocking images in which every taboo was broken and all human propriety perverted. While the works of Sir John Woodroff slightly changed the image of Tantra — from that of a magical/orgiastic cult to a more refined philosophy — the foundational importance of transgression to the tradition continues to be denied. Furthermore, the purveyors of Tantra, who have no compunctions about appropriating a misguided nineteenth century polemic to peddle their shoddy wares, sell Tantra for profit.
Neither the sensationalist colonial representations nor the unsatisfactory monothetic responses to them stand up against reality. The real picture that emerges is rather one of a complex array of ritual, theoretical, and narrative strategies that are specific to their various religious, cultural, socio-political geographical, and historical contexts.
French Indologist Andre Padoux defined Tantra like this: “[Tantra is] an attempt to place kāma, desire, in every sense of the word, in the service of liberation… not to sacrifice this world for liberation’s sake, but to reinstate it, in varying ways, within the perspective of salvation. This use of kāma and of all aspects of this world to gain both worldly and supernatural enjoyments and powers, and to obtain liberation in this life, implies a particular attitude on the part of the Tantric adept toward the cosmos whereby he feels integrated within an all-embracing system of micro-macrocosmic correlations”.
Tantric traditions are of different types — Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina, and folk religions. The Hindu Tantras are divided into Śaiva, Śākta, and Vaiṣṇava. The purpose of this seminar will be to discuss the general features of the three important Tantric traditions of India i.e. Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, and Śākta; its origin, philosophy, cosmology, rituals, and the broader social aspects of Tantrism.
Since most of the Tantra texts are subject to distortion or misrepresentation today because the original intention of the sacred aspects of these traditions is not popularly known, organizing this seminar will be an invaluable source of understanding the traditionally-grounded approach to Tantra.
Dates: Dates to be announced soon.
Venue: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kasavanahalli, Carmelaram P.O., Bengaluru – 560035.
Purposes of the Seminar
- To recognize and revitalize the concept of Tantra which plays a pivotal role in Indian studies, spiritual cultures and traditions across centuries.
- To create a platform for meaningful dialogues and intellectual exchanges between scholars, students and wider communities who are interested in this field for further researches and studies.
- To form a systematic documentation on this aspect of traditional knowledge systems through publishing the proceedings with contributions from eminent scholars and researchers.
Themes and Suggested Topics (but not restricted to)
- Śaiva Tantra
- Śākta Tantra
- Vaiṣṇava Tantra
- Gāṇapatya Tantra
- Saura Tantra
- Bauddha Tantra
- Jaina Tantra
- Veda and Tantra
- Purāṇa and Tantra
- Yoga and Tantra
- Arts forms and Tantra
- Sculptures and Tantra
- Yantra-Mantra and Tantra
- Tantra Manuscripts
- Daśamahāvidyā
- Ancient Indian Sciences and Tantra
Distinguished Speakers
- Dr. G.C Tripathi
- Dr. V.S. Shukla
- Dr. S.A.S. Sarma
- Dr. T. Ganesan
- Dr. Shalvapille Iyengar
- Dr. Abhirama Sundaram
- Śrī. Aravind
- Dr. Syama
- Dr. Nirmala Athul
- Dr. Anish Nayar
- Śrī. Murali Krishnan
- Dr. Sangamesan
- Dr. Kamal Kumar Jain
and more …
Who Can Attend
All those who are interested in studies related to Tantric traditions are welcome.
The workshop is organized in association with Amrita Centre for Research and Development.
Venue: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bengaluru Campus