Different lists of Bhairava and Kaula Tantras

In the Śrīkaṇṭhīyasaṃhitā,^[1] the sixty-four Bhairavāgamas are given in eight groups of eight Tantras, which are:

1. Bhairavāṣṭaka-Svacchandabhairava, Caṇḍabhairava, Krodhabhairava, Unmattabhairava, Asitaṅgabhairava, Mahocchuṣmabhairava [?] and Kapālibhairava.

2. Yāmalāṣṭaka-Brahma, Viṣṇu, Svacchanda, Ruru, Atharvaṇa, Rudra and Vetāla Yāmala.

3. Matāṣṭaka-Rakta, Lampāṭa, Lakṣmī, Cālikā, Piṅgala, Utphullaka and Bimbādya Mata.

4. Maṅgalāṣṭaka-Picubhairavī, Tantrabhairavī, Tantra, Brahmīkalā, Vijayā, Candrā, Maṅgalā and Sarvamaṅgala.

5. Cakrāṣṭaka-Mantra, Varṇa, Śakti, Kalā, Bindu, Nāda, Guhya and Pūrṇacakra.

6. Bahurūpāṣṭaka-Andhaka, Rurubheda, Aja, Mala, Varṇabhaṇṭa, Vidaṅga, Mātṛrodana and Jālima.

7. Vāgīśāṣṭaka-Bhairavī, Citrakā, Hiṃsā, Kadambikā, Hṛlekha, Candralekhā, Vidyullekha and Vidyunmat.

8. Śikhāṣṭaka: Bhairavīśikhā, Vīṇāśikhā, Vīṇāmaṇi, Sammoha, Ḍāmara, Ātharvaka, Kabandha and Śiraścheda.

In the Nityaṣoḍaśikārṇavatantra (Nṣ1.13-21) and the Kulacūḍāmaṇitantra (KCu 1.4-12) a different list of Tantras is given, which are said to be the "Highest Tantras of the Mothers".^[2] According to Śivānanda in his commentary to the Nityaṣoḍaśikārṇava, called "Ṛjuvimarśinī", what is intended by "Mothers" here is "Brāhmī and the others, who are the superintendents of the universe and consciousness itself."^[3] Śrī Mahopadhyāya Gopināth Kavirāja considers the Tantras of this list as Kaula Tantras.^[4]

The names of these Tantras are given as follows: Mahāmāyātantra^[5], Śambaratantra, Yoginījālaśambara, Tattvaśambara, Bhairavāṣṭaka (i.e. Siddhabhairava, Vaṭukabhairava, Kaṅkālabhairava, Kālabhairava, Kālāgnibhairava, Yoginībhairava, Mahābhairava and Śaktibhairava),^[6] Bahurupāṣṭaka (i.e. Brāhmī, Māheśvarī, Kamārī, Vaiṣnavī, Vārāhī, Indrāṇī, Cāmuṇḍā and Śivadūtī),^[7] Yamalāṣṭaka (Brahmayāmala, Viṣṇuyāmala, Rudrayāmala, Jayadrathayāmala, Skandayāmala, Umāyāmala, Lakṣmīyāmala and Gaṇeśayāmala), Jñānārṇava, Candrajñāna,^[8] Vāsuki, Mahāsammohana, Mahocchuṣma, Vātula, Vātulottara, Hṛdbhedatantra, Mātṛbheda,^[9] Guhyatantra, Kāmika, Kalāvāda, Kalāsāra, Kubjikāmata, Matottara,^[10] Vīṇākhya, Trotula, Trotulottara, Pañcāmṛta, Rūpabheda, Bhūtoḍḍāmara, Kulasāra, Kuloḍḍīśa, Kulacūḍāmaṇi, Sarvajñānottara, Mahāpicumata, Mahālakṣmīmata, Śiddhayogīśvarīmata, Kurūpikāmata, Rūpikāmata, Sarvavīramata, Vimalāmata, Aruṇeśa, Modaneśa^[11] and Viśuddheśvara.

The Kaulāvalī (1.4-16), written by Jñānānanda Paramahaṃsa, gives a list which includes four Yāmalas and sixty-four Tantras. The names are given as follows:

Rudrayāmala, Brahmayāmala, Viṣṇuyāmala, Śaktiyāmala, Bhāvacūḍāmaṇi, Tantracūḍāmaṇi, Kulacūḍāmaṇi, Kulasāra, Kuloḍḍīśa, Kulāmṛtakulārṇava, Kālikākulasarvasva, Kulasadbhāva, Kālītantrakulānanda, Kulacakra, Kālikalpa, Mahākaula, Kumārī, Samayā, Kālītantra, Pheṭkārī, Pheravī, Śrīkrama, Yoginī, Śrīhaṃsaparameśvara, Svatantra, Tantrarāja, Jñānamālā, Vāyavī, Haṃsatantra, Tārākalpa, Mālinī, Mantranirṇaya, Yoginīhṛdaya, Kulārṇava, Gandharva, Uḍḍīyāna, Toḍala, Śivaśāsana, Mandara, Plāvinī, Virāvali, Vārāhī, Vīra, Kubjikā, Nīlatantra, Matsyasūkta, Lālitātantra, Śambhunirṇaya, Vāmakeśvaratantra, Vadukasaṃhitā, Tārārṇava, Guptārṇava, Caṇḍaroṣa, Māyā, Nīlamaṇi, Tantrasāra, Mantravimarśinī, Jñānasāra, Yogavatī, Bhairavī, Bhairava, Mahātantra, Siddhasāra, Tripurārṇava, Uttara, Chinnātantra, Vātula and Dakṣiṇamūrtisaṃhitā.

The Sarvollāsa (2.10), composed by Śrī Sarvadānandanātha, quotes from the Ṭoḍalatantra a list of the sixty-four main Tantras, which includes the following:^[12]

Kālī, Muṇḍamālā, Tārā, Nirvāṇa, Śivasāra, Vīra, Liṅgārcana, Latārcana, Toḍala, Nīla, Rādhā, Viśvasāra, Bhairava, Bhairavī, Siddheśvara, Mātṛbheda, Samayā, Guptasādhana, Mātṛkā, Māyā, Mahāmāya, Akṣayā, Kumārī, Kulārṇava, Kālikākulasarvasva, Kālikākalpa, Vārāhī, Yoginī, Yoginīhṛdaya, Sanatkumāra, Tripurasāra, Yoginīvijaya, Mālinī, Kukkuṭa, Śrīgaṇeśa, Bhūta, Uḍḍīśa, Kāmadhenu, Uttama, Vīrabhadra, Vāmakeśvara, Kulacūḍāmaṇi, Bhāvacūḍāmaṇi, Jñānārṇava, Varadā, Tantracintāmaṇi, Kālīvilāsa, Haṃsatantra, Cidambaratantra, Phetkāriṇī, Nityā, Uttara, Nārāyaṇī, Ūrdhvāmnāya, Jñānadvīpa, Gautamīya, Niruttara, Gāndharva, Kubjikā, Tantramuktāvalī, Bṛhat-śrīkrama, Svatantra, Yoni and Kāmākhyātantra.

The Mahāsiddhasāratantra^[13] assigns sixty-four Tantras to each of the three regions, which are called Viṣṇukrāntha (extending from the Vindhya mountain to Chittala/Chittagong, including Bengal), Rathakrāntha (from the Vindhya mountain to Mahācīna/Tibet, including Nepāl) and Aśvakrānta (from the Karatoya River, in Dinajpur District, to Java).

The sixty-four Tantras of the Viṣṇukrānta are:

Siddhīśvara, Kālītantra, Kulārṇava, Jñānārṇava, Nīlatantra, Pheṭkārī, Devyāgama, Uttara, Śrīkrama, Siddhiyāmala, Matsyasūkta, Siddhasāra, Siddhisārasvata, Vārāhī, Yoginī, Gaṇeśavimarśinī, Nityātantra, Śivāgama, Chāmuṇḍā, Muṇḍamālā, Niruttara, Haṃsamaheśvara, Kulaprakāśaka, Devīkalpa, Gandharva, Kriyāsāra, Nibandha, Svatantra, Saṃmohana, Tantrarāja, Lalitā, Rādhā, Mālinī, Rudrayāmala, Bṛhat-śrīkrama, Gavākṣa, Sukumudinī, Viśuddheśvara, Mālinī-vijaya, Samayācāra, Bhairavī, Yoginīhṛdaya, Bhairava, Sanatkumāra, Yoni, Tantrāntara, Navaratneśvara, Kulacūḍāmaṇi, Bhāvacūḍāmaṇi, Devaprakāśa, Kāmadhenu, Kumārī, Bhūtadāmara, Yāmala, Brahmayāmala, Viśvasāra, Mahākāla, Kuloḍḍīśa, Kulāmṛta, Kubjikā, Tantracintāmaṇi, Kālīvilāsa and Māyātantra.

The sixty-four Tantras of the Rāthakrānta are:

Cinmaya, Matsyasūkta, Mahiṣamardinī, Mātṛkodaya, Haṃsamaheśvara, Merutantra, Mahānīla, Mahānirvāṇa, Bhūtadāmara, Devadāmara, Bījacintāmaṇi, Ekajatā, Vasudevarahasya, Bṛhadgautamīya, Varṇoddhṛti, Chāyānīla, Bṛhadyoni, Brahmajñāna, Gāruḍa, Varṇavilāsa, Puraścaraṇacandrikā, Puraścaraṇarasollāsa, Pañcadaśī, Picchilā, Prapañcasāra, Parameśvara, Navaratneśvara, Nāradīya, Nāgārjuna, Yogasāra, Dakṣiṇamūrti, Yogasvarodaya, Yakṣinītantra, Svarodaya, Jñānabhairava, Ākāśabhairava, Rājarājeśvarī, Revatī, Sārasa, Indrajāla, Śrīkalāśadīpika, Kāṅkālamālinī, Kālottama, Yakṣadāmara, Sarasvatī, Śārada, Śaktisaṅgama, Śaktikāgamasarvasva, Saṃmohinī, Ācārasāra, Cīnācāra, Ṣaḍāmnāya, Karālabhairava. Ṣoḍha, Mahālakṣmī, Kaivalya, Kulasadbhāva, Siddhitaddhari, Kṛtisāra, Kālabhairava, Uddāmareśvara, Mahākāla and Bhūtabhairava.

The sixty-four Tantras of the Aśvakrāntha are:

Bhūtaśuddhi, Guptadīkṣā, Bṛhatsāra, Tattvasāra, Varṇasāra, Kriyāsāra, Guptatantra, Guptasāra, Bṛhattoḍala, Bṛhannirvāṇa, Bṛkatkaṅkālinī, Siddhatantra, Kālatantra, Śivatantra, Sārātsāra, Gaurītantra, Yogatantra, Dharmakatantra, Tattvacintāmaṇi, Vindutantra, Mahāyoginī, Bṛhadyoginī, Śivārcanā, Saṃvara, Śūlinī, Mahāmālinī, Mokṣa, Bṛhanmālinī, Mahāmokṣa, Bṛhanmokṣa, Gopītantra, Bhūtalipi, Kāminī, Mohinī, Mohana, Samīraṇa, Kāmakeśvara, Mahāvīra, Cūḍāmaṇi, Gurvarcana, Gopya, Tīkṣṇa, Maṅgalā, Kāmaratna, Gopalīlāmṛta, Brahmāṇḍa, Cīna, Mahāniruttara, Bhūteśvara, Gāyatrī, Viśuddheśvara, Yogārṇava, Bheraṇḍa, Mantracintāmaṇi, Yantracūḍāmaṇi, Vidyullatā, Bhuvaneśvarī, Līlāvatī, Bṛhaccīna, Kurañja, Jayarādhāmādhava, Ujjāsaka, Dhūmavatī and Śivā.

The first chapter of the Vārāhī Tantra^[14] gives a list of Tantras (numbering less then sixty-four) together with the number of verses of each of them as it follows:

Muktaka (1^st part)—6010 verses,
Muktaka (2^nd part)—6050 verses,
Muktaka (3^rd part)—3225 verses,
Prapañca (1^st part)—12300 verses,
Prapañca (2^nd part)—8027 verses,
Prapañca (3^rd part)—5310 verses,
Śāradā—16025 verses,
Nāradīya—2008 verses,
Kapila—6080 verses,
Mahārṇava—13311 verses,
[Yoga and Kalpa?],
Kapiñjala—280120 verses,
Siddhasaṃvara—605 verses,
Amṛtaśuddhi—5005 verses,
Yogaḍāmara—23563 verses,
Śivaḍāmara—11007 verses,
Durgāḍāmara—505 verses,
Sārasvata—9905 verses,
Brahmaḍāmara—7500 verses,
Gandharvaḍāmara—60060 verses,
Ādiyāmala—323300 verses,
Brahmayāmala—22100 verses,
Viṣṇuyāmala—23200 verses,
Rudrayāmala—6465 verses,
Gaṇeśayāmala—1322 verses,
Ādityayāmala—12000 verses,
Nīlapatākā—5025 verses,
Vāmakeśvara—5025 verses,
Mṛtyuñjayatantra—13220 verses,
Yogārṇava—8307 verses,
Māyātantra—10010 verses,
Dakṣiṇamūrti—5550 verses,
Kālikā—1113 verses,
Kāmeśvarī—3000 verses,
Tantrarāja—9900 verses,
Haragaurī (1^st part)-22022 verses,
Haragaurī (2^nd part)-1200 verses,
Tantranirṇaya—28 verses,
Kubjikā (1^st part)-10007 verses,
Kubjikā (2^nd part)-6000 verses,
Kubjikā (3^rd part)-3000 verses,
Tārātantra—12500 verses,
Kātyāyanītantra—24200 verses,
Pratyaṅgirā—8800 verses,
Mahālakṣmī–5505 verses,
Tripurārṇava—8006 verses,
Sarasvatī—2205 verses,
Ādyātantra—22915 verses,
Yoginītantra (1^st part)-22532 verses,
Yoginītantra (2^nd part)-6303 verses,
Vārāhītantra—6303 verses,
Gavākṣaratantra—8525 verses,
Nārāyaṇītantra—50203 verses,
Mṛḍānītantra (1^st part)-4490 verses,
Mṛḍānītantra (2^nd part)-3000 verses,
Mṛḍānitantra (3^rd part)-330 verses.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See Tantrāloka (2.18) and the commentary of Jayaratha.

[2]:

[...] (Nṣ1.13, KCu 1.4).

[3]:

[...] See the commentary to verse 1.13 of the Nṣ.

[4]:

See “Tāntrik Sāhitya” of Śrī Mahopadhyāya Gopinājth Kavirāja (p. 65).

[5]:

In the Kulacūḍāmaṇitantra is given instead the name of the Mahāsārasvata Tantra.

[6]:

The names of the Bhairavāṣṭaka are given according to the commentary of the Saundaryalaharī by Lakṣmīdhara (see “Tāntrik Sāhitya”, p.67).

[7]:

According to Śivānanda in his “Ṛjuvimarśinī”, the Bahurūpāṣṭaka are the eight Śaktitantras. In the commentary of the Saundaryalaharī by Lakṣmīdhara it is said that they are the Tantras of the Seven Mothers (starting from Brāhmī) together with that of Śivadūtī. Subhagānanda, in his commentary to the Tantrarājatantra called the “Manoramāvyākhyā”, includes the Bahurūpaṣṭaka Tantra among the nine Nityātantras, which are Sundarīhṛdaya, Nityaṣoḍaśikārṇava, Candrajñāna, Mātṛkātantra, Saṃmohanatantra, Vāmakeśvara, Bahurūpāṣṭaka, Prastāracintāmaṇi and Meruprastāra (Tantrarājatantra, p.2). Vidyānanda, in his commentary to the Nṣ called the “Artharatnāvalī”, says that the Nṣ is a compendium of the Bahurūpāṣṭaka (Nṣ, p.34). According to Subhagānanda, Vidyānanda and Bhāskararāya, the Bahurūpāṣṭaka is the name of one Tantra (see the introduction to the Nityaṣoḍaśikārṇavatantra of Śrī Vrajavallabha Dviveda, p.25).

[8]:

In the Kulacūḍāmaṇitantra is given instead the name of the Tantrajñāna Tantra.

[9]:

In the Kulacūḍāmaṇitantra is given instead the name of the Tantrabheda Tantra.

[10]:

In the Kulacūḍāmaṇitantra is given instead the name of the Māyottara Tantra.

[11]:

In the Kulacūḍāmaṇitantra is given instead the name of the Mohaneśa Tantra.

[12]:

Śrī Gopinātha Kavirāja Mahopadhyāya says that this list includes some modern Tantras (See “Tantrik Sāhitya”, p. 70).

[13]:

See “Principles of Tantra. Part 1” of Sir John Woodroffe (Ganesh & Co., Madras: 2003, pp.72-74).

[14]:

See Vārāhī Tantra folios 2-5.