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.

A Tantra Viewpoint On Self-Control

In today’s day and age, the concept of self control seems to have lost its relevance and significance. Forget about hedonists – even many so-called spiritual gurus advocate that we just do whatever pleases us, whenever it pleases us. This way of thinking and living includes indulging in sexual excesses, as well.

In fact, many a tantra teacher is approached by aspiring students because they are seeking ways and means to indulge in precisely such unbridled erotic activity. They are under the delusion that tantra is a school of thought which propounds such excesses, and that it provides the ways and means to do so.

This is utter and perverted foolishness, and only undercores the fact that ancient tantra remains a mystery to most modern minds. The tantric arts are firmly based in the principles of tantra yoga and meditation, both of which require the practitioner to exercise considerable self-discipline in all matters.

To practice tantra, one needs to closely follow the instructions of the tantra teacher, whose primary intention in the initial phase will be to bring about greater health and harmony in body, mind and spirit. It is common knowledge that any kind of excessive behavior or activity does nothing but disrupt natural physical and mental balance. How, then, could tantra advocate anything but increased self-control?

It must be remembered that any kind spiritual pursuit requires discipline, and discipline must exist both at a physical and mental level. The tantric path is not about lack of sexual discipline.

Tantra is a holistic spiritual path which helps in bringing about a higher state of being. In this elevated state, sexual activity becomes an act of worship. It is closely related to specific tantra rituals and meditation techniques.

Giving in to the desire to indulge in unbridled indulgence of the senses of any kind brings about massive dysfunction and lack of harmony in a person. However, advertising and mass media today teaches us to indulge to our heart’s content. Products and services for enhanced pleasure and excitement are the order of the day. To this, the tantra master can only say – this is the source of all your problems. This is why your relationships are not working. This is why your body and mind are in such a state of upheaval.

Come back to the natural way of life. Embrace the spirituality of moderation, which is the only way in which anything can be enjoyed to the fullest. Ancient tantra is a path that will help you regain self-control, and to gain a greater appreciation of your senses. Only with self-control is mastery of anything possible.

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.

Do You Need A Tantra Teacher To Learn Tantra?

Many aspiring students of tantra often ask themselves if it is really mandatory to learn tantra under a tantra teacher. Doesn’t Amazon.com have enough books on the subject? Aren’t there sufficient tantra instructions videos uploaded on YouTube? Why does one need a tantra master to learn the tantric arts?

This is a fair question, especially in this modern age of information where seemingly everything that is to be known about everything appears to be available online. Some of the most famous classics are now available as eBooks, and Google would appear to have emerged as the modern-day Font of Wisdom.

Let me address this subject from another perspective – namely from that of religion. The bible, Koran, Guru Granth Saheb and all other religious books are also available online. So why do people still go to churches, mosques and gurudwaras? Obviously to get a more personalized experience of what these books say. Every religious institution has people appointed to make the words of the religious texts clear and meaningful to the followers. Without these people, religions would die for simple lack of relevance.

This is only one point of view about why it is still necessary to learn tantra from a tantra teacher. The other, and more important one, is that the tantra knowledge required to make a difference in people’s lives is not available in print or online at all. This is because the true wisdom and information that underlie the tantric arts have never been put down in writing. They were transmitted orally from the ancient tantric masters to their students, through many generations.

Till today, there is an unbroken line of tantra teachers who received their knowledge in this manner. They are few and far between, but they are still very much around. There are a number of charlatans – self-styled experts – who claim to have this knowledge, but the truth is that it is only through the gurus who received their wisdom from this ancient lineage that the true knowledge of tantra can be obtained.

There is yet another important reason why one should not attempt to learn the tantric arts from anything or anyone but a genuine tantric master. This is that nobody who has not personally practiced the various tantra rituals and tantric meditations can speak from experience. We all know the difference between book knowledge and knowledge gained by personal experience – the former sounds unconvincing and fails to make an impact, while the latter is credible because of the force of conviction behind it.

Therefore, if you aspire to learn tantra in its purest and most profound form, do not compromise. Do find a genuine tantric teacher to illuminate and guide your path. You will not find what you need on the Internet or in the library. This does not mean that the Internet is a useless tool when it comes to learning tantra. As long as you a doing so from a true tantric master, you can certainly take part in distance learning sessions on tantra online. These are proving to be very effective for people who do not have access to genuine teachers in their countries or geographies.

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.