Anthology Of Buddhist Tantric Songs, An: A Study Of The Caryagiti

This is a translation, examination and commentary of the "Caryapada" collection of tantric songs of the 8th to 12th centuries by one of the world's leading scholars. The subject of this study is a small (49 padas) collection of songs known as "Caryagiti", 'songs of realization', or more literally 'songs of right action', referring to the edition discovered in 1907 at the Nepal Royal Library by the Bengali scholar Hari Prasad Shastri. These songs hold a unique place in India's spiritual and literary heritage, yet in many ways they have been imperfectly understood. They were spontaneously composed verses that expressed a practitioner's experience of the enlightened state and were intended to be sung. A tantric ritual may culminate in the performance of tantric dances and music that must never be disclosed to outsiders. The practitioners may also improvise 'songs of realization' to express their heightened clarity and blissful enlightenment in spontaneous verse. This study clarifies many points that have hitherto remained obscure and provides a fresh and deeper insight into their structure, language and content. First published in 1977, this book remains definitive on the subject to this day. This is a revised edition; the songs are printed in red to distinguish them from the critical apparatus used in analysis and commentary.