Cakra-samvara Tantra-m [‘wheel-magic loom’]
(S`ri-Heruka Abhidhana), Chapters XX-XXIV [on secret codes]
p. 243-245 (cap. XX) meanings of symbolic gestures of yogini-s
p. |
indicated by yogini : her own __ |
by __ it (them) |
its meaning |
243 |
left hand |
"I salute [thee]." |
|
ring-finger |
(salutatory response) |
||
belly |
"We are hungry." |
||
brow |
"I come from space." |
||
mouth |
inserting finger into |
"I am eating." |
|
tongue |
lolling |
"I have eaten." |
|
knee |
"I am exhausted." |
||
fingertips |
"I have rested." |
||
teeth |
gnashing |
"I am eating flesh." |
|
frown |
"I am bound." |
||
garud.a |
flapping arms (fn. 2) |
"I am free." |
|
244 |
right hand |
"Do thus!" |
|
ear |
"Stay!" |
||
fingernail |
with fingernails |
"The corpse is being conducted [hither]." ("Death is certain." – fn. 7) |
|
earth |
scratching |
"Today I will enter the man.d.ala [i.e., assembly of the committed (fn. 8)]." |
|
cibuka (chin) |
"Protect my son." |
||
earth |
scratching with left thumb |
"The elder protects me." |
|
245 |
eyen |
opening |
"Do thus!" |
knuckles |
scratching (licking – fn. 12) |
"Lying in bliss." |
pp. 243-244 (cap. XX) countersigns to symbolic gestures of yogini-s
p. |
gesture by yogini |
response to it by yogin |
243 |
maketh fist |
pat.t.is`a (touching headband – fn. 3) |
indicateth her hair |
gaze with strange expression |
|
displayeth fingernail |
shew khat.vanga staff |
|
244 |
shaketh her limbs |
"two fangs" (vajra-fists at both sides of mouth – fn. 6) |
pp. 246-247 (cap. XXI) countersigns to symbolic gestures of yogini-s [derived from Guhyaka = females of "yaks.a class of spirits" (p. 247, fn. 8)]
p. |
gesture by yogini : sheweth her own __ |
response to it by yogin : shew his own __ |
246 |
crown |
head |
forehead |
cheek |
|
tooth |
tongue |
|
lips |
chin |
|
neck |
belly |
|
hands |
forearm |
|
buttocks (tri-kat.ika ‘triple buttocks’ [!] – fn. 3) |
earth (point at – fn. 2) |
|
teats |
chin [again!] |
|
belly |
navel |
|
"secret" (dharma-udaya = ‘vulva’ – fn. 4) |
penis |
|
thigh |
anus |
|
knee |
shank |
|
feet |
sole |
|
finger-joint (fn. 5) |
fingernail |
|
earth (point at) |
sky (point at) |
|
246-7 |
sky (point at) |
sun (point at) |
247 |
"river" (gesturing in air – fn. 6) |
"ocean" (2 hands fluttering in space – fn. 7) |
pp. 248-249 (cap. XXII) "distinctive" symbolic anga-mudra-s (‘limb-gestures’) of yogini-s, with their significations
p. |
indicated by yogini : her own __ |
its signification |
248 |
one finger |
"Welcome." |
two fingers |
"[Thou art] truly welcome." |
|
248-9 |
"eye gesture" (pointing with her left middle-finger – p. 249, fn. 6) |
her assertion that she will be dedicated to him "for as long as she lives" (p. 249) |
p. 249 (cap. XXII) "distinctive" countersigns to anga-mudra-s (‘limb-gestures’) of yogini-s {did these originate in the political state of Anga?} these are praeliminary to displaying of "the true vision" (psychic powers?)
indicated by yogini : her own __ |
response to it by yogin : indicate his own __ |
middle-finger |
forefinger |
ring-finger |
tongue |
"trident" (3 fingers on forehead – fn. 8) |
"lance" (touch little-finger to thumb – fn. 8) |
head |
the parting in the hair |
the ground (point at) |
mouth |
frown |
the parting in the hair [again!] |
teeth |
lips |
neck |
mouth [again!] |
forehead |
eye |
pp. 250-255 (cap. XXIII) signs & insignia of d.akini-s (‘witches’) [d.akini-s are distinguished from yogini-s in that "The d.akinis, truly going, return in an instant." (p. 252) {This is the well-known transvection of witches, their ability to do projection of the astral body, or else of the aitheric double.}]
p. |
{comparative} |
|
250 |
"The devoted woman who is pleased with him should be enjoyed by the hero, [like] the earth." |
{in the manner of the earth-goddess Gaia being impraegnated (GM 25.b) by semen from rape of the goddess Athene by Hephaistos?} |
p. 251, fn. 4 |
[according to Viravajra] "worship the yoga-samvara (‘yoke-magic’)" would allude to "the wheels of the ... body." |
{is this samvara the meshing between horizontal and vertical sets of gears in the body?} |
252 |
"Gazing backwards, the alteration of her face, the knitting of her brow, and her unchanging countenance -- ... thus ... the d.akini should be quickly recognized." |
{altered into scowling at impiety, with seriousness expressed in her brow, and unchanging (unamused) in the praesence of irreligious frivolity – so can be witch be recognized} |
252, fn. 10 |
[according to Viravajra & Tson Khapa] "circular lines drawn or marked on the yogini’s forehead" {cf. Kuklops "with concentric rings on the forehead" (GM 3.2)} |
{but the Yoruba initiate is adorned with concentric rings, centred on the top of the head, painted on the shaven scalp (AO, p. 350).} |
252, fn. 10 |
[according to Sac^en] "above the navel of that d.akini are three lines" |
{scarification of the belly of females is common in Africa and among South American Indians} |
254 |
"her mouth gapes, opened in the shape of a vajra. Then her voice is again always embellished with the tone of the cuckoo. In her house there should be ... the form of a vajra, together with a mirror, and the form of a sword, together with a mirror. The flag-staff, [that is] {sexual} intercourse, should always |
{her mouth she openeth in order to receive the vajra (euphemism for the penis of any non-related male?). The cuckoo is the thornaks [as Zeus insinuated himself between the teats of his own sister Hera (GM 12.a)], indicating her receiving her own brother[’s penis?] between her teats. As the flag-staff is the male’s penis [p. 255, fn. 15], the flag may be, rather than simply "female sexual organs" [loc. cit.], the G-string worn by her, which may be simply pushed aside (rather than removed) by the male [as commonly a woman’s panties are in the case of forcible rape].} |
255 |
be known by means of a mirror." |
{The whorish (GM 24.a) goddess Demeter hath, in her temple at Akakesion, a mirror (GG 8.37.2-10 = DC2, "Arkadia XI").} |
AO = Sandra T. Barnes : Africa’s Ogun. IN U Pr, 1997.
GG = Pausanias : Guide to Greece.
DC2 = http://www.theoi.com/Cult/DemeterCult2.html
pp. 256-261 (cap. XXIV) symbolic language
p. |
term |
its literal meaning |
its symbolic (canting) meaning |
256 |
potan-gi |
[boat-going] |
(respectful salutation) |
prati-potangi |
[towards boat-going] |
(respectful reply) |
|
gamu |
[going (gamuka)] |
I go |
|
lumba |
[torment] |
I come |
|
deha-m |
body |
town (nagara-m) |
|
gr.han.a-m |
wooden vessel (cat.uka-m) |
||
biran.a (= viran.a – fn. 4) |
[a fragrant grass, Andropogon muricatus] |
heart |
|
kau-rava |
[evil roar] |
death |
|
256-7 |
ghan.t.a |
bell |
corolla |
257 |
ali |
falsehood (alika – fn. 7) |
head |
karan.a |
[causing] |
belly |
|
varaha |
swinish |
hair |
|
s`ravan.a |
hearing |
ears |
|
amr.ta-sthana |
ambrosia-place |
vulva (fn. 9) |
|
manthana |
churning-stick |
penis (fn. 9) |
|
sam-agama |
encounter |
man [warlock-man] |
|
talika |
cover |
d.akin.i (witch-woman) |
|
naraka-m |
Hell |
man.d.ala |
|
amuka-m |
"such-and-such" |
charnel-ground |
|
kakhila |
kampilya (fn. 10) |
gate |
|
257-8 |
s`vasana |
blow-hard (panting) [Agni-yoga] |
brahmin |
258 |
pari-dhi |
enclosure, fence |
ks.atriya |
vi-rati |
abstention |
vais`ya |
|
krura |
cruel |
s`udra |
|
anta-stha |
outsider |
can.d.ala |
|
pangulika |
[limping, lame] |
house {its shingles for pangolin’s scales?} |
|
259 |
d.akini (fn. 17) |
witch |
sister (bhagini) |
medaka |
liquor |
water |
|
gr.han.i |
astrologic mansion |
house |
|
amuka-sthana (fn. 20) |
"such and such a place" |
whence coming? (kutas agamanam?) |
|
gandha-vahani |
scent-carrying |
thirst |
|
kiran.a |
ray of light |
flower |
|
tu-lamba |
[tu-lamba ‘efficient suspense’ (tul-amba ‘lift eyen’)] |
laughter |
|
daras |
cleaving |
teeth |
|
vr.s.t.i |
rain |
restraining |
|
259-60 |
tripti |
satisfaction |
entreaty (vijn~apti) |
260 |
dhur-yu |
[burden-harness] |
outside |
dhuma-priya |
mist-fond |
cloud |
|
sanu |
summit |
mountain |
|
sarit-as |
streams |
rivers (nadi-as) |
|
anguli |
finger |
limb |
|
vadana |
face, countenance |
mouth (mukha – fn. 24) |
|
rajika |
stripe |
tongue |
|
a-dana |
withholding |
teeth |
|
pankti |
troop |
flag |
|
chandas |
chanter |
rosary |
|
cala |
moving |
wind |
|
pra-vaha (fn. 25) |
carrying along |
boat |
|
pas`u |
domesticated beast |
feral beast (mr.ga) |
|
yanti |
they go |
man.d.ala |
|
sama-m |
pair |
crossroad |
|
phalgu-sam |
[feeble ...] |
living being |
|
261 |
adhi-aka |
[superintendant] |
royal officialdom |
{re "cala" :- The Zen koan (F, SKRS, BK), 29th in the Mumonkan, about whether ‘moving’ should imply ‘wind’ or ‘flag’, may (though evident in case of ‘wind’) imply, in the case of ‘flag’, that all entries in the symbolic signification column be moved downward by 2 places. The answer ‘mind’ (which may imply that the mind’s function is to count, as is done on a ‘rosary’; or perhaps to calculate, as is done on an abacus, the nigh congener to the rosary) may imply that all entries in the symbolic signification column be moved downward by just 1 place; it is the compromise between displacement by 2 places or no displacement at all.}
F = http://www.ralphmag.org/AR/why.html
SKRS = http://www.bigbridge.org/fictkabbott.htm
BK = http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/05/a-broken-koan.html
pp. 260-261 (cap. XXIV) syllabic symbolism {common to Tantrik handbooks in India}
p. |
term |
its literal meaning |
its symbolic (canting) meaning |
260 |
maha-ks.ara-m |
great syllable |
great corpse (maha-s`ava-m) [maha-sava-m (as per fn. 28) would be ‘great pressing’] |
ga |
goat [galastani ‘nanny-goat’] |
||
na / na |
human [nara] |
||
260-1 |
go |
[ox] |
bull |
261 |
ma |
buffalo [mahis.a] |
|
bha |
eating |
||
ha |
[abandon, quit] |
" |
|
ho |
satisfied |
||
hri |
shame (fn. 35) |
shame |
pp. 259, 261-262 (cap. XXIV) symbolic gestures by touching some body-part
p. |
touching __ |
meaning |
259 |
teeth |
I hunger. |
261 |
breast |
forest-dwelling (vanam sthiti) |
mouth |
[I have] eaten. |
|
teeth [again!] |
[I am] satisfied. |
|
s`unya-m ‘void’ (= female’s vagina – fn. 36) |
Engage thou in sexual union [with me]! (fn. 37) |
|
262 |
thigh (woman’s – fn. 38) |
[Do it] thus from above! It is not [done] from below. |
David B. Gray (tr.) : The Cakrasamvara Tantra (S`riherukabhidhana). American Institute of Buddhist Studies, Columbia U, NY, 2007. pp. 243-262.