The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in India
Divinisation rituals establishing oneness between practitioners and divinities are common across Tantric traditions. While scholars largely argue that divinisation occurs through meditative practices, implying a clear demarcation between contemplative <i>samayācāra</i> rituals and body-f...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/8/738 |
| _version_ | 1797408162665463808 |
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| author | Monika Hirmer |
| author_facet | Monika Hirmer |
| author_sort | Monika Hirmer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Divinisation rituals establishing oneness between practitioners and divinities are common across Tantric traditions. While scholars largely argue that divinisation occurs through meditative practices, implying a clear demarcation between contemplative <i>samayācāra</i> rituals and body-focused <i>kaulācāra</i> rituals, I suggest that <i>samayācāra</i> divinisation rituals entail fundamental corporeal elements; furthermore, I argue that the distinction between <i>samayācāra</i> and <i>kaulācāra</i> rituals is not obvious, but negotiated on a continuum ranging between representational and embodied corporeality. Based on extensive anthropological fieldwork in the temple-complex Śaktipur, I first illustrate divinised Śrīvidyā bodies: they are permeated by goddess Tripurasundarī in her anthropomorphic form and as a diagram, or <i>yantra</i> (the Śrīcakra), and by the deities Gaṇapati, Śyāmā, and Vārāhī, and their respective <i>yantra</i>s. Thereafter, I describe <i>yantrapūjā</i>s, which are <i>samayācāra</i> rituals through which practitioners divinise their bodies, outlining, particularly, their corporeal elements. I also illustrate <i>sirījyotipūjā</i>, which is a ritual directly transmitted by Tripurasundarī to Śaktipur’s guru and is, therefore, unique to his disciples. Foreseeing the creation of a large Śrīcakra decorated with flowers, around and at the centre of which practitioners congregate, the ritual facilitates the superimposition of the Śrīcakra, Tripurasundarī and worshippers’ bodies; including both representational and embodied elements, <i>sirījyotipūjā</i> occupies the fluid intersection between <i>samayācāra</i> and <i>kaulācāra</i> rituals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:54:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-382e7c2f2d5845cf90f5b9fe096adb20 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:54:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-382e7c2f2d5845cf90f5b9fe096adb202023-12-03T14:23:07ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-08-0113873810.3390/rel13080738The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in IndiaMonika Hirmer0Religions and Philosophies, SOAS, University of London, London WC1H 0XG, UKDivinisation rituals establishing oneness between practitioners and divinities are common across Tantric traditions. While scholars largely argue that divinisation occurs through meditative practices, implying a clear demarcation between contemplative <i>samayācāra</i> rituals and body-focused <i>kaulācāra</i> rituals, I suggest that <i>samayācāra</i> divinisation rituals entail fundamental corporeal elements; furthermore, I argue that the distinction between <i>samayācāra</i> and <i>kaulācāra</i> rituals is not obvious, but negotiated on a continuum ranging between representational and embodied corporeality. Based on extensive anthropological fieldwork in the temple-complex Śaktipur, I first illustrate divinised Śrīvidyā bodies: they are permeated by goddess Tripurasundarī in her anthropomorphic form and as a diagram, or <i>yantra</i> (the Śrīcakra), and by the deities Gaṇapati, Śyāmā, and Vārāhī, and their respective <i>yantra</i>s. Thereafter, I describe <i>yantrapūjā</i>s, which are <i>samayācāra</i> rituals through which practitioners divinise their bodies, outlining, particularly, their corporeal elements. I also illustrate <i>sirījyotipūjā</i>, which is a ritual directly transmitted by Tripurasundarī to Śaktipur’s guru and is, therefore, unique to his disciples. Foreseeing the creation of a large Śrīcakra decorated with flowers, around and at the centre of which practitioners congregate, the ritual facilitates the superimposition of the Śrīcakra, Tripurasundarī and worshippers’ bodies; including both representational and embodied elements, <i>sirījyotipūjā</i> occupies the fluid intersection between <i>samayācāra</i> and <i>kaulācāra</i> rituals.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/8/738ŚrīvidyāTantraGoddess traditionsSouth Asiabody<i>yantra</i> |
| spellingShingle | Monika Hirmer The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in India Religions Śrīvidyā Tantra Goddess traditions South Asia body <i>yantra</i> |
| title | The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in India |
| title_full | The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in India |
| title_fullStr | The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in India |
| title_short | The Self as Combination of Deities and <i>Yantra</i>s: Divinisation Rituals among Contemporary Śrīvidyā Practitioners in India |
| title_sort | self as combination of deities and i yantra i s divinisation rituals among contemporary srividya practitioners in india |
| topic | Śrīvidyā Tantra Goddess traditions South Asia body <i>yantra</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/8/738 |
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