Diksa (Initiation)

Diksa is defined as a process of imparting real knowledge (jnana) and a perceptorial instruction which removes the karma-vasana (acts-latencies) of a pasu as mentioned in Tantraloka^[1] ,. Guided by the guru a Sadhaka applies himself to passing successively beyond the behavior patterns and values meant for pasu (the bonded soul). In order words the social and moral rules which apply to a layman on longer apply to the aspirant. Infact diksa is a process which witnesses a transformation to another mode of being who strives towards a spiritual upliftment by following the rules and rites of the order in which the person is initiated. It is supposed to “kill the pasu” in jiva and to lead him to moksa. It creates so to say a new body,a “mystical body” which enables the aspirant to enter the transcendent mode of being.

The incarnation of Siva as Lakulisa by entering a corpse is probably the best mythical example of this rite. One has to be dead to the world to rise as Siva.

Svachhanda Tantra^[2] suggests that for ordinary aspirants or samayis there is the provision of reciting vacanas, listening to oral discourses, vedic studies, japa, dhyana and so on and their souls are purified by these traditional practices but the case for an ascetic aspirant is very different and follows a strict code of conduct. This Putraka Diksa is for those who desire to attain liberation from the bondages, who want to break all the fetters (pasa) which bind them to their physical existence. Regarding the “Putraka” which derives from the term “Putra” (son) SvaT^[3] says that Putraka is the son of the guru who is not his biological issue but is born of the womb of Vagisi and whose vasanas (desires) are subdued by the divine grace. It seems that the history of Putraka goes back to the period of Brahmanas when it was thought that the Acarya himself bears the child. By placing his right hand on the disciple’s head the guru was supposed to have conceived the disciple and hence the latter became his mind-born son. The Vedic, Puranic as well as Tantrik texts are full of references to such mindborn sons which seem to have been the worthy disciples who carried the knowledge acquired the guru further thus maintaining the lineage from antiquity. This Sparsa Diksa was meant for highly developed disciples and after being blessed by the guru the disciple was supposed to take his “new birth” as a Brahmana alongwith Savitri who seems to have been introduced to emphasize the sharpening of his intellect. The guru seems to divinize the Sadhaka by his mystic touch and this touch is highly venerated in most of the religious texts. The idea of re-birth is of prime importance and hence the concept of “death” assumes a major significance.

According to Eliade^[4] , Yoga techniques aim at escaping the limitations of the body, allowing the soul (atman) to rise above maya and reach the Sacred (nirvana, moksha). Imagery of "freedom", and of death to one's old body and rebirth with a new body, occur frequently in Yogic texts, representing escape from the bondage of the temporal human condition.

Considering the purpose of diksa as the imparting of jnana, the means to obtain it, the spiritual exertion by the guru to wash off the impurities accumulated in the disciple’s inner heart (antastala), communication of right knowledge and a mantra in a systematic way, we have a list of a number of diksas quoted in Tantraloka. One of these called Pranatakramana diksa, whereby the disciple’s body falls off to attain moksa in a body less from has been mentioned. Through the performance of Jalandhara a dead disciple was traced out and initiated at the place where he lay after his death^{[5] [6]} .

Quite in the same vein KM ch 3.4, 3.5 says

Ankekrtvachatambalam gatasajalasanidau
Devkhatetataudevi! siptosauvipulejale
Nitauasau kachhapedevi! Yatrajalesvarah
Jalmadhye mahalingamtisthate chavaranane^[7]

Holding the child to her bosom she went to the water body and immersed the corpse of her son upside down in the devkhat lake;

O devi, that child (Lakulisa) then was taken to the Jalesvara linga in the middle of the water body by a group of tortoises

The pattern followed here too is the death of the miraculous child and then the resurrection of the same when thrown in the waters or when taken to Jalesvara linga. It is quite tempting to read this entire episode as the mythical explanation of the Jalandhara. The entire idea of Siva entering a corpse points at the initiation after the physical death.

The next line which talks about “Pretanjali” too focuses on the aspect of death very clearly.

Pretanjalitattodattva haputra! Tvamkutaugattva?^[8]

After giving Pretanjali to his dead son he said, O My son where did you go?

The severing of bonds is clear in this section and later on too when the child (Lakulisa) refuses to return home and instead says:

Kumara uvaca:
Mamasparsantimunyau mammatapitatatha
Astikaryamparamkincit srnvantaumuniuttamah
Tayajsokamvishalaksi! Namematakadachan
Srnvanturishiyah sarveitihasampuratanam^[9]

Kumara (Lakulisa) said:
O Munis, my mother and my father, don”t you touch me
O great Munis there is something great to be done, listen carefully
O long eyed lady, stop grieving, I never had a mother
O Rishis listen properly to me, I will enlighten you with ancient knowledge (history)

The importance of diksa comes across clearly by an Agamic injunction which suggests that diksa is the only knowledge which without internal jnana has capacity to emancipate the aspirant

Looking more closely we see that the mystery of liberation which is nothing but return of the elements (tattvas) to Siva tattva, signifies an anticipation of death. The Yogico-tantrik exercises and rituals are only an anticipatory visualizations of the merging and return of elements in the higher Sivatattva, a process set in motion by purification through Diksa. Abhinavagupta too has amplified the concept of such a diksa which according to him is the diksa leading to the separation of the body or death and attaining Sivahood.

Explaining this Drabu^[10] writes

“When death approaches a disciple, he through Samkari diksa goes to Siva. Thus to reach Parama-Pada the aspirant has to raise himself to another mode of being and to reach it, he must die to this life and sacrifice the personality that has issued from temporality, that has been created by history.”

Thus by initiating a disciple, his guru withdraws the aspirant from the outside reality into his own self, awakens his kundilini which lies dormant in uninitiated people and sets him on a way on which he can get united with the supreme force. In the process the bonds of Maya, (apparent reality or illusion) are broken by making the aspirant go through vigorous processes. All these procedures and the vidhis followed by the practioners of this order are only means of realizing the Highest Reality and the experience is totally internal and takes place in ones consciousness.So a major importance is paid to condition the body and mind to situations which are challenging and require extreme self control.

To be initiated and to meditate is to rise to such planes of existence unknown, unfathomable and inaccessible to the profane.Thus the path of Initiation is the path of death and mystical Resurrection and in all Saiva diksas the goal is to transcend the earthly existence and to move from imperfect ignorance to perfect knowledge.

Broadly speaking the diksa for the ascetic aspirants of this order comes under the heading “Jnana diksa” which aims at the purification of an aspirant and thus emancipating jiva from its animality (pasutva). To reach such a stage the ascetic has to undergo vigorous practices and do exactly the opposite of what human nature normally forces one to do. The vidhis or the rites mentioned in Pasupata-sutra will be understood better if seen in the light of these speculations, rather than by studying them independently as some aberration or irrational behavior.

Briggs^[11] suggests that the most of the Saivite sects that preceded Kanphatas were Pasupatas, Lakulisa-Pasupatas, Kalamukha and Kapalika (and probably Aghoris) all of which could be broadly classified under the term Pasupatas.

These initiation rites were well thought psychological acts is clear from a passage in Briggs³¹about initiation in Kanphata order.

“Initiation is divided, roughly into two stages, the first, a probationary period, followed by ceremonies leading to preliminary discipleship; the second during which the ceremony of splitting the ears which leads to full membership in the sect is performed. An initiate in the first stage is called an Aughar; in the second he becomes a full fledged Yogi……The candidate is first closely confined for a period ranging from forty days to three to six months, that is, for a period of testing satisfactory to the guru. During this time the candidate is tried as to his resolution and ability to carry through his undertaking. At the same time he is dissuaded from becoming a Yogi, the guru pointing out to him the hardships that his initiation and his life as a Yogi would entail.”

Only if the guru is completely satisfied that the disciple has enough discipline and self control then he is initiated in the system which is marked by fasts and presenting of two edged knife for piercing the ear, an act which has given the order its name (kanphata).Then he takes his vows of ahimsa (non-injury) and receives the guru-mantra (initiatory verse) and he is officially recognized as the disciple of the one who initiated him. This is followed by ritual shaving of the head and wearing ochre robe. In the second stage the guru pierces his ears puts around his neck the singnad janeo, or sacred thread of the order.

The antiquity of such rational and well thought over rites of Initiation can be gleaned through initiation rites of Ajivikas, an extreme ascetic order whose connection with Lakulisa-Pasupatas has already been discussed. As is the case with Kanphatas there is no one form of initiation and the ceremonies vary from one group to another. Unfortunately most of the written sources available for this sect have been extracted from Buddhist and Jain sources hence they have been described as derogatory. Their practices are ridiculed Tittira-Jataka and the extremism completely mocked at.

Two Pali references give us some indication of the probable initiatory rites of Ajivikas. Only by reading these critically rather then taking them on face value can lead to valuable information.^[12] narrates an incident of a false ascetic who after a career of fraud and deception is judged and executed by a lion.The tiger who prosecutes the hapless ascetic while talking about the religious leanings of the latter says, “he has burnt his hands by grasping a lump”.The commentary elaborates these lines; “At the time of his going forth as an Ajivika his hands were burnt by grasping a heated lump”. “Hattha daddha pindapatiggahanena”. This Basham believes points at the fact that Ajivikas were sometimes initiated by a painful ordeal and he further suggests that there are suggestions of the survival of the practice at a much later date too. Painful procedures seem to be the watch word of these ascetic orders. It seems that physical as well as mental endurance were tested to the maximum by these extreme practices.

Another more explicit description is given in Mahanaradakassapa Jataka^[13] where the ascetic Guna is described as an ignorant, naked, wretched and blindly foolish Ajivika. “ajanantam nagga-bhoggam nissirkam andha-balam ajivikam”. The aspect of nudity is stressed here and this was considered as a major negative aspect of Ajivikas by Buddhists. There are various references to show the latters abhorrence of nudity. An inscription at Belagami, Mysore, dated 1162 CE catalogues the types of ascetics to whom alms were given at the Kodiya math; among those there is a mention of NagnaBhagnas, who seem to have been habitually naked and who according to Basham^[14] were naked Ajivika mendicants. Interestingly such naked ascetics are mentioned in Rajatarangini, the first ever recorded work of history in India. While describing the Iconoclastic activities of Harsha in 10^th CE, the text refers to “Rugna-Nagnataka” ascetics, with ematiated or decayed noses,feet,and hands who may have been Ajivikas.^[15] (Rajatarangini of Kalhana, book vii, 1092-94).

Verses as translated by Stein are as follows:

“In order to defile the statues of gods he had excrements and urine poured over their faces by naked mendicants whose noses, feet and hands had rotted away.” (1092)

“Crippled naked mendicants and the like covered the images of the gods which were dragged along by ropes round their ankles, with spittings instead of flowers.” (1094)

The mention of Ajivikas can be found on and off in Kashmir and in my paper on Harwan^[16] monuments I have tried to see Ajivika leanings in the monuments unearthed there and in the previous section have tried to see them as a Saiva ascetic group.

Hence in light of all the evidence Basham sees “nagna-bhagna” as “naked and crippled” and believes that Ajivika initiatory ordeals may have resulted in harsh mutilation and deformity in the body of the ascetic.

Another element in the Ajivika initiation, is described in Dhammapada commentary while narrating the story of Jambuka^[17] .

Jambuka’s habits are so disgusting that his parents decide that he is not fitted for ordinary life, but only for Ajivikas (Ajivikanam esa anucchaviko). Therefore they take him to a local group of Ajivika ascetics, apparently while he is still a child and request that he be initiated into their community. The boy is placed in a pit up to his neck, planks are laid over the pit, above his collar bones, and sitting on the planks, the Ajivikas pull out his hair with a piece of the rib of a palm-leaf.

This painstaking ordeal seems to have been a part of initiation only as we find Ajivikas with matted hair depicted on Borobudur stupa. The pit in which the novice was placed most probably symbolized his spiritual rebirth form the womb of Mother Earth after being dead and surpassing the pain and torture of the physical world.

The Ajivika reputation for asceticism apparently reached the Far East. Chinese and Japanese Buddhist literature classes the Ashibikas (i.e. Ajivikas) with the Nikendabtras or Nirgranathas as practicing severe penance.

In this context Sugiura^[18] writes:

“They both (Ajivikas and Nirgranthas) hold that penalty for a sinful life must sooner or later be paid and since it is impossible to escape from it it is better that it be paid as soon as possible so that the life to come may be free for enjoyment. Thus their practices were ascetic-fasting, silence, immovability and the burying of themselves up to the neck were their expressions of penance”.

We don”t find direct reference to Initiation rites in Lakulisa-Pasupata system but the commenatary on Pasupata-sutra does furnish information about the discussion between Lakulisa and his immediate disciple Kausika which throws considerable light on the nature of such an initiation. R A Sastri^[19] elaborating on Pasupata-sutra (p11) notes that Lakulisa went to Ujjain and taught a Brahmin called Kusika who had come from Brahmavarta country (near Cawnpore) to receive formers blessings. The teaching he further suggests were in the form of present sutras hence connecting them directly to the initiation process. All the five sections of the Sutras are devoted to instruct students how to pray to God and to reach the lord Rudra (Rudra Sayujya) hereafter.

The first aphorism is explained and contextualized in deatail by Kaundinya and since it provides a major insight in the philosophy and content of the whole text it needs to be looked into critically:

Athatah Pasupateh Pasupatam Yogavidhim Vyakhyasyamah (Pasupata-sutra 1.1^[20] )

(Now then we shall expound the Pasupata Union and rites of Pasupati)

After offering obeisance with the head (bent) to that Pasupati, the Lord of the house (world) who created the entire world beginning with Brahma for the good (of all), Kaundinya following the tradition of his predecessors makes the commentary known as Panchartha (five categories), the best of its kind, enriched with significance and knowledge of the highest order.

After a brief explanation about the analysis of the words and compound words used Kaundinya goes on to enumerate the qualities of a Pasupata teacher and his disciple:

.. this preceptor is the best of all Acharyas, because he has the direct vision of the effect (Karya=World) and its cause (Karana=Pasupati), he is a learned Brahmana (vipra) and he has direct knowledge of means and its end, he answers the questions and he is in the state of the all powerful, as he is emancipated, he is within the range of mind and the not-mind because he has power of assuming forms at his sweet will. Similarly for insisting the “brahmana”, prohibition of women and instruction for conquering the senses as mentioned in–deafness,blindness, want of smelling capacity, dumbness, dullness, madness, leprosy, impotency, lameness etc” thus free from all these diseases and possessed of active senses is the Brahmana disciple…….The Acharya is inclined to pronounce the injunctions for the sake of favour. And because of instruction for worship, prompting favour and the desire to attain the Good (Siva) the disciple aiming at reaching the end of all pains (dukhanta) is here inclined to apporoach the guru (preceptor) but not for dharma, artha (wealth), kama (desires) and moksa.”

Knowledge comes across as the cherished acquisition that a disciple of this order was aiming at. The idea was to reach the end of sorrow by burning all desires and breaking all the fetters which bound them to their physical existence. The unified perception of all manifest reality as composed of Siva and the destruction of bonds resulting from finite differentiations are the goals of the process of initiation.

Abhinavagupta deftly summarizes the main purpose of initiation and the paraphanalia associated with it in these words^[21]

“Here what is to be perfected is only the attainment of that mantra, but neither vows nor formulas are of any useful assistance whatsoever. The only thing of any use here is the complete destruction of the disease of doubt, because doubt the essence of which is uncertainty and error, is the principal obstacle to an absorption whose nature is the cognition of that which has one taste.”

Then the commentary goes on to give an account of Lakulisa”s birth in Kayavatarana and his interactions with Kusika^[22] .

“Again, as the good are accepted as authority, for being actuated by (special) desires to assume forms at will and because of his not being born God in the shape of man took form of a Brahmana and became incarnated in Kayavatarana. And he walked to Ujjaini, How (known)? By the authority of the Sistas (good and learned persons) and by the sight or hearing of symbols. He assumed the mark remarkable for the highest stage (asrama) and pronounced the injunctions; he lived on the altar of ashes in a pure spot for the connection with the disciples in a house, as mentioned in his own scripture, as bath by ashes, lying down and re-bath with ashes, garland of flowers and a single garment are prescribed an as the temple is reputed for being the resort.

Hence being prompted by Rudra the worshipful Kusika approached the Acharya, marked in him signs of excellence beginning with the highest pleasure and the opposite signs in himself, paid homage to his feet and according to the custom related his caste, gotra,learning and freedom from debts.The disciple stood like a patient before the Acarya who was like a physician.”

Then follows a philosophical discussion on cessation of sorrow and authority of Pasupati between the preceptor–disciple duo.

Importance of Yoga-vidhi is stressed upon in the next paragraph and these vidhis are explained one by one in context of Yoga and other important factors.

“The question is–“Is Yoga attainable simply by knowledge? The answer is, because it is said–for attainment of that we shall expound the practices (vidhi). Here the term “Yoga-vidhi” means the practices of Yoga, a certain course of action”

In the last part parts of Vidhis are given as follows:

Here the question is–the portion, accepted is being duly explained first. Now to think of this.What is the beginning, the middle or the end, or of how many parts is the Vidhi?

The answer is–the first “vidhi” is by ashes, the middle is by abuses and the end is in being dull and that vidhi has three parts viz. gift, sacrifice and penance. How is it known? Because…..

Hence Pancarthika initiation is a rite of passage into the practice of the religion. And then begins the next sutra on importance of ashes and is followed by two more with the same concern.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Tantraloka Ahnika 1 P.80

[2]:

Svacchanda Tantra with Commentary by Kshemraja Ed by Madhusudan Kaul, KSTS,Bombay,1921

[3]:

Ibid.

[4]:

Eliade Mircea, “Yoga, Immortality and Freedom” trans. Willard R. Trask. Bollingen Series, no.56, Princeton University Press, 1970 p.301

[5]:

Drabu V.N, “Saivagamas: A Study in the Socio-Economic Ideas and Institutions of Kashmir, Delhi

[6]:

[7]:

Patel H. H.S. Ed. Shri Kayavarohan Tirth no Itihas, Ahmedabad, 1964 p.21

[8]:

Ibid p.22

[9]:

Ibid p.22-23

[10]:

Drabu V.N, “Saivagamas: A Study in the Socio-Economic Ideas and Institutions of Kashmir, Delhi

[11]:

G.W Briggs in “Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis”, Delhi,1973 p.218³¹ Ibid p.27-28

[12]:

Tittira Jataka as quoted by Basham, A.L. History and Doctrine of The Ajivikas. London: Luzac and Company Ltd.,1951p,104

[13]:

Ibid.p.105

[14]:

Ibid p.108

[15]:

Rajatarangini of Kalhana, Book vii,1092-1094 Trans and Ed by M.A Stein, Delhi, 1961

[16]:

Kher Kaw Geetika, “An Enquiry into the sectarian affiliation of ruins at Harwan” in Heritage of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, Ed. by G.L Badam and K.K Chakravarty, Research India Press, 2010

[17]:

Basham, A.L. History and Doctrine of The Ajivikas. London: Luzac and Company Ltd.,1951p,104

[18]:

Sugiura,S, Hindu Logic as Preserved in China and Japan, Philadelphia, 1900 p 16

[19]:

Pasupata Sutra, Ed by R.A Shastri, University of Trivandrum, Trivandrum,1940

[20]:

Pasupata Sutra with Panchartha Bhasya of Kanundinya Trans. by Haripada Chakraborti, Academic Publishers, Calcutta, 1970 p47-55

[21]:

Muller-Ortega P.E, “The Triadic Heart of Siva”Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir (Suny Series, Shaiva Traditions of Kashmir)p.169

[22]:

Pasupata Sutra with Panchartha Bhasya of Kanundinya Trans. by Haripada Chakraborti, Academic Publishers, Calcutta, 1970 p.56-57