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darkness of ignorance. In each of the petals of the lotus are placed all the
letters of the alphabet; and whatever there is in the lower cakra or in the
universe (brahmnda) exists here ##in potential state (avyakta-bhva). Zaivas call
this place Zivasthna, Vaisnavas, Parama-purusa, Zkts, Dev# ###sthna, the
%2ł
Samkhya-sages, Prakr#ti-purusa-sthana. #Others call it by other names, such as
Hari-hara-sthna, #Zakti-sthna, Parama-Brahma, Parama-hamsa, Parama-jyotih, Kula-
sthna, and Parama-Ziva-Akula. But whatever the name, all speak of the same.
THE THREE TEMPERAMENTS
THE Tantras speak of three temperaments, dispositions, characters (bhva), or
classes of men namely, the paśu-bhva (animal), v%2łra-bhva (heroic), and
divyabhva (deva-like or divine). These divisions are based on various
modifications of the gunas (v. ante) as they #manifest in man (j%2łva). It has been
pointed out1 that the analogous Gnostic classification of men as material,
psychical and spiritual, correspond to the three gunas of ##the Smkhya-darśana.
In the paśu the rajo-guna operates chiefly on tamas, producing such dark
characteristics as error (bhrnti), drowsiness (tandr), and sloth (lasya). It is
however, an error to suppose that the paśu is as such a bad man; on the contrary,
a j%2łva of this class may prove superior to a jiva of the next. If the former, who
is greatly bound by matter, lacks enlightenment, the latter may abuse the greater
freedom he has won. There are also numerous kinds of paśu, some more, some less
tamasik than others. Some there are at the lowest end of the scale, which marks
the first advance upon the higher forms of animal life. Others approach and
gradually merge into the v%2łra class. The term paśu comes from the root paś, to
bind. The paśu is in fact the man who is bound by the bonds (paśa), of which the
Kulrnava-Tantra enumerates eight namely, pity #(day), ignorance and delusion
(moh), fear (bhaya), shame (lajja), disgust (ghr#na), family (kula), custom #
1 Richard Garbe, Philosophy of Ancient India, p. 48, as also before him, Baur.
THE THREE TEMPERAMENTS
59
(śila), and caste (varna). Other enumerations are given #of the afflictions which,
according to some, are sixty-two, but all such larger divisions are merely
elaborations of the simpler enumerations. The paśu is also the worldly man, in
ignorance and bondage, as opposed to the yog%2ł, and the tattva-jnni. Three
divisions of paśu are also spoken of namely, sakala, who are bound by the three
pśas, called anu (want of knowledge or erroneous know#ledge of the self), bheda
(the division also induced by my of the one self into many), and karma (action
and its product). These are the three impurities (mala) called nava-mala, my-
mala, and Karma-mala. Pra#tayakal are those bound by the first and last, and
Vijnna-kevala are those bound by nava-mala only. #He who frees himself of the
remaining impurity of anu #becomes Ziva Himself. The Dev%2ł bears the pśa, and is
the cause of them, but She too, is paśupśa-vimocin%2ł,1 Liberatrix of the paśu from
his bondage. What has been stated gives the root notion of the term paśu. Men of
this class are also described in Tantra by exterior traits, which are
manifestations of the interior disposition. So the Kubjika-Tantra 2 says: Those
who belong to paśu-bhva are simply paśus. A paśu does not touch a yantra, nor
make japa of mantra at night. He entertains doubt about sacrifices and Tantra;
regards a mantra as being merely letters only. 3 He lacks faith in the guru, and
thinks that the image is but a block of stone. He distinguishes one deva from ano1
2 3
Lalit-sahasra-nma (verse 78). Chapter VII.
Instead of being Devat. Similarly the Nity-Tantr (see Prna-tosini, ##547 et
seq.).
60
INTRODUCTION TO TANTRA ZSTRA
ther,1 and worships without flesh and fish. He is always bathing, owing to his
ignorance,2 and talks ill of others.3 Such an one is called paśu and he is the
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