The Tantric Significance Of Rudraksha Beads

Those familiar with Indian lore in general will have heard of or seen images of Shiva, the quintessential tantra god. Shiva is depicted as wearing chains of dark beads around his neck, arms and ankles. These are rudraksha beads, which have a special significance in Hindu tantra.

When we study the story of Shiva and Shakti, his consort and the traditional tantra goddess, several fascinating stories emerge. One of these is that that Shiva, who is also the Destroyer, took the incarnation of Kali and defeated several demons.

Mythology tells us that he beheaded the vanquished demons and allowed their heads to dry up and shrivel, after which he adorned himself with them. The rudraksha beads which Shiva devotees wear represent these heads of defeated demons.

How is this significant for someone learning tantra? There is, in fact, great relevance in wearing rudraksha beads if one is aware of what they represent. Your tantra teacher will inform you that in order to pursue this ancient science of life and love, one must certainly overcome some demons in one’s life – just as Shiva had done.

These demons are jealousy, selfishness, hatred, dishonesty, bigotry, misogyny and the various other negative traits that contaminate an untutored human life.

When you progress in your study of ancient tantra under a gifted tantra master, you will be confronted with these negative traits within yourself over and over again. The specific tantra instructions and rituals to which you will be introduced will help you to gradually shed these traits and evolve into a superior, spiritually accomplished person.

At this stage, you will be able to wear a chain of rudraksha beads with pride – for you have defeated the demons that hindered your spiritual progress.

These beads have various other mystical properties – they are said to reduce blood pressure, act as a detoxifying agent and have the ability to cleanse and focus the mind. This is why they are also of great help in tantra meditation. However, the benefits of wearing Shiva’s traditional adornment can only come when one’s mind has responded to them with understanding, and one’s actions correspond to their symbolism.

As a traditional tantric teacher, I am firmly against my students wearing such adornments without fully comprehending what they stand for. The fact is that wearing rudrakshas is symbolic of the fact that one has overcome base desires and drives and is committed to the study and enforcement of the Truth. Let no one belittle Shiva’s victory over evil with idle tokenism, for his battle must be ours as well.

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with deep knowledge of traditional Indian sciences. Visit his tantra online guide for Tantra Lessons from this young Tantra Master.

Tantra Is Liberation From Fear

Modern man is afraid. He is afraid of his own desires, and of the religious priests and moral policemen who say his desires are evil. The whole issue of human sexuality has been warped and manipulated through the ages to put man – and woman – into a state of fear. Tantra is the antithesis of this unnatural fear psychosis.

The origin of this fear is not hard to trace. Sex and sexuality have been tightly regimented since the Christian church got into the act, which was around the 4th Century. It was at approximately this time that human physical intimacy was first portrayed as a ‘sin’. All sorts of guilt complexes followed – complexes which a tantra teacher has to eliminate first before he can hope to help an aspiring seeker to the present day.

The Hindu Upanishads are very specific on this topic. The Chandogya Upanishad states very clearly that only where ecstasy exists can there be any sort of creation. Various other Hindu scriptures also indicate that sex and sexuality were never looked down upon, considered sin or in any way regulated in ancient India. However, today India has joined the so-called Global Village. It has adopted many of the religious beliefs, styles and customs of the West.

As a result, the very country in which the science of ancient tantra was born and fostered has become as repressed as the West. We have forgotten that physical intimacy is at the very core of creation – that it is the foundation stone of the survival of our species. How can anything creative be profane? How can it be considered as sin?

As a tantra teacher, my first and foremost mission is to rid my students of their age-old fear of their own sexuality. They come to understand that there is no evil in desiring physical intimacy. Only then will they begin to grasp the concept of tantric worship and the divinity of the Shiva-Shakti union.

This can be achieved by gradual de-conditioning of the mind from the guilt complexes imposed upon modern men and women. The process involves exposure to ancient tantra lore and the practice of tantric rituals that re-join the students to their natural state. In this state, there is no fear. There is only freedom of thought and action, tempered with a mature sense of responsibility about how this freedom must be utilized.

The result of learning tantra under a qualified tantric master is the rebirth of ecstasy in relationships. Sin, as a concept, ceases to exist. In its place comes a worshipful attitude towards all things that are joyful, intimate and natural to all human beings. Heed the invitation, because it is not natural to live in fear of the very desires that have created you and everyone you know.

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with deep knowledge of traditional Indian sciences. Visit his tantra online guide for Tantra Lessons from this young Tantra Master.

The Power Of Tantra Goddess Worship

A tantra teacher is often asked why ancient tantra gives such a very high level of importance to the female of the human species. To this, I say that the concept of the tantra goddess is the focal point of this emphasis. Just as various religions offer devotion to their respective idols, a person following the tantric path worships the divine feminine in the form of the tantra goddess.

In fact, tantra goddess worship binds a man-woman relationship like nothing else can. The spiritual energy which is created with the regular practice of tantra goddess worship is extremely powerful and can be likened to the magnetic energy that binds two appropriately charged metal objects together. Both the worshiper and the worshiped are immensely empowered and transformed in tantric goddess worship.

For the man, his connection to the tantric goddess in his life allows him to tap into her divine attributes, and into the cosmic aspects of her sensuousness. When the masculine and feminine energies merge in this act of worship, both are filled with a sense of joy and fulfillment which no other human experience can match.

This is the reason why the tantra goddess is the focus of ancient tantra, and the central figure in all tantric practices. Every woman is the embodiment of Shakti, the celestial consort of Shiva, with whom she shares a connection of such power that humans may see it as the ultimate male-female relationship model and most worthy of emulation.

As a tantra teacher, I must emphasize that this connection is not merely sexual. While sex is certainly an inextricable part of human intimacy, tantra aims to elevate human relationships above the mere physical level and infuse them with divine attributes. This is not achievable merely by good intentions but must be backed by actual practice.

Tantra goddess worship takes many forms, and a tantra teacher must initiate those seeking to follow the tantric path into the specific tantric rituals and practices involved in tantra goddess worship.

When a woman becomes the object of such worship, she blooms like a rose. In the absence of the right soil nutrients, water and adequate sunlight, a rose can survive but never flourish. It cannot spread its beauty and fragrance to the world. But when the right elements are available, a rose becomes a thing of beauty and delight to others.

Needless to say, the beloved of a woman who blooms under the influence of tantric goddess worship receives her choicest blessings. She becomes as devoted to him as he is to her. And this is the essence of the tantric relationship.

Are you willing to elevate your relationship with your beloved to such a divine status? Do you wish to experience the ultimate joy of the tantric relationship? The do not hesitate – seek out a genuine tantra master and begin your journey on this spiritual path of joy and fulfillment.

Acharya Subhojit Dasgupta is a Tantra Teacher with deep knowledge of traditional Indian sciences. Visit his tantra online guide for Tantra Lessons from this young Tantra Master.