Laksmi Tantra: A pancaratra text/ Sanjukta Gupta

Introducing the sastra.
Benedictory verses; Anasuya requests her husband to explain
Laksml's supremacy;. Atri describes how Narada narrated
Laksml's feats to the sages and how Indra asked LaksmT to
tell him the secret of her greatness; Atri agrees to enlighten
Anasuya.
The pure creation
Real nature of Vasudeva, the supreme soul, and of Laksmi;
description of the six ideal attributes; fourfold nature of the
pure creatiori.
The three (phenomenal) gunas
Transformation of" the ideal attributes into phenomenal
gunas; explanation of the pure and impure creation; the role
of jiva's karma.
Vyuhas and their saktis
Characteristics of each of the four Vyuhas, their special
functions and nature: Narayana's Vyuhantara, Vibhava and
Area emanations; Mahalaksmi's appearance, nature and
qualities; emanations of MahasrI, Mahavidya and Mahamaya
from Mahalaksml.
Evolution of the material world from prakrti
Emergence of the three cosmic divine couples, Rudra etc.;
evolution of the Samkhya categories; creation of Manus and
manavas.
The six kosas of Sakti
Description of these sheaths and of the cosmic realities.
Tattvas and the jiva as the object and subject of
knowledge .
Jiva the cognizer; nature of the instruments of Imowledge;
nature of the objects of knowledge.
The avataras of Laksmi in the six sheaths
Inseparability of Sakti in all Narayana's emanations; Srl's
emanations corresponding with all Aniniddha's emanations.
The exclusive incarnations of Sakti
List of these with mythological background; merit of learning
about them.
The three types of God's avataras
The absolute nature of God and its manifestation on the three
levels of consciousness, namely susupti, svapna and jagrat.
Viiakhayupa and the Vibhava incarnations.
Nature of the supreme Vyuhas; description of the Viiakhayupa
and of the Vibhava incarnations; explaining the need
for these.
The fivefold divine functions
Causes of jiva's suffering; Sakti's five functions; the nature
of delusion; the five categories of avidya; classification of
other causes of misery; Sakti's three cosmic functions of
creation etc.
The true form of the jiva
The fifth function of Sakti and jiva's epential nature; jiva's
five functions corresponding with Sakti's.
The true nature of ^akti (Laksmi)
Sakti's transcendental as well as immanent nature.
Various methods of attaining ultimate truth
The four ways leading to the realization of" truth, details
about the first two ways; nature of the first cosmic category,
pralqid.
Elaboration of the methods to attain ultimate
truth
Details about other cosmic categories; the third and fourth
methods.
The secret method of self-surrender, 'the fourth
method of attaining the highest goal
Definition of the highest goal and the six components of
self-surrender.
. The course of mantras and their characteristics
Sabdabrahman's inert condition; thenada, bindu, madliyama
and vaikhari states corresponding to the four Vyuhas res
pectively; emergence of mantras from Sabdabrahman as their
source, logos; mantras of Tarika etc.
The origin of letters
Emergence of the fifteen vowels from kriy^akti; emergence
of the twenty-five primary consonants from the Person
together with all other cosmic categories; emergence of the
four dharanas from the four semi-vowels; existence of the
five aspirates in the five Brahmans, i.e. Brahman and the
four Vyuhas.
Explanation of the matrkas
Classification of the letters under each of the four Vyuhas.
Analysis of the structure of a mantra and the
qualities looked for in a preceptor and in a
disciple
Description of Laksmi's mantra-form
The six sonic stages of creation; the mantra-course, padacourse
and bhuvana^ourse; attainment of the highest goal
through mantras; the grading of mantras.
Description of matrka
How to construct a matrka-pitha and distribute the letters
on it; placing the letters on the body of matrka; worship of
matrka; the seven bijas.
The structure of taraka with its parts and the
method of initiation in the practice of meditation
Construction of taraka and its nature as the source of all
names and forms; ahganyasa; laya-yoga; pura^carana;
efficacy; prasada-mantra; samjha, astra, paramatman, pada
and vyapaka mantras.
Tara- and Anutara-mantras
Names of letters; synonyms for Tara.
Eluddatiori of the seven vidyas, viz. tara,
Tara, Anutara, vagbhava, kama, Sarasvati and
Mahalaksmi-bijas.
. Duties of an adept
Hrllekha-mantra, its efficacy and five forms; teaching a
disciple this mantra and his subsequent duties.
, Daily duties of an adept
Abhigamana; upadana; ijya; svadhyaya; yoga; importance
of following this routine.
Distinction between kriyasakti and bhutisakti,
otherwise called Agni and Soma respectively
Kriyasakti as Surya, as Agni, as Soma, as SudarSana;
Sudarsana's bija and pinda.
The two aspects of Sakti, viz. Soma and Surya,
and further elucidation of the Sudarsana-mantra
The Sudarsana (kriyasakti).
SudarSana's efficacy; his Gayatri-mantra, mudra, grasanamantra
and dhyana.
Tarika in the three states of existence, viz. the
gro.ss, the subtle and the absolute states
Ahga, upahga and other mantras
Mantras of Tarika's ahga, upahga, alainkara, astra, adhara,
adharesa, avyaktapadmamandala and cidbhasana; mantras
of the ksetre^as; mantras of Gane^a and others.
The hand postures and method of ritualistic bath
Appropriate times for mudras; mudras of Maha^rl, Sakti,
yoni, LaksmI, Kirti, Jaya and Maya; of ahgas and upahgas;
of alamkaras; of Ananta; of prthivl; of kslrarnava; of dharma
etc.; of the three dhamans; of cidbhasana; of ksetresa etc.;
of Sri-bija; of Jaya and Vijaya; of Yamuna; of Samkhanidhi
and Padmanidhi; of Gane§a; of Vagl^vari; of guru; of pitaras;
of siddhas; of varabhaya; of Visvaksena; of avahana and
visarjana; of kamadhenu; three modes of bathing.
The purification of the body (Bhutasuddhi)
Gradual involution of the body and its emergence from its
sources; mantra-nyasa.
Description of the images and the process of the
mental sacrifice
Visualization of the inner seats of Sakti; the Purusa-sukta
and the §ri-sukta; the mental sacrifice.
External sacrifice (construction of the platform .
for worship; mandala of nine lotuses)
Preliminary preparation, collection and consecration of the
requisites for worship; visualization of God's retinue.
External worship. Further details with a descrip
tion of some lesser deities
Layayaga; objects offered to the goddess; visualization of
the Supreme Couple on the lotus.
Various requisites for external worship
Six forms of worship; rules concerning the repetition of
mantras; description of a rosary.
The daily duties of an adept
The rosary; mantra-repetition; significance of the bell; details
of sacrifice including subsequent duties, anuyaga.
The initiation and abhiseka ceremonies.
Meaning of diksa, its variations and the rite itself.
The rite of purascarana, the ritual worship of the
mantra of Tarika
Different methods of worshipping the mantra of
Tarika.
Dhyanas of Tarika placed on main parts of the body; on the
five elements comprising the body; Tarika envisaged as know
ledge and its object; as located in the thirty-two lotuses of
the inner body; visualizing All as merged in Laksmi-Narayana;
regulations for yogins; methods for controlling one's
mind.
Revealing the secret mantras of the Tarika
group .
Revelation of Sri's various manifestations
Mantras of the first four primary manifestations; retinues
of Laksml, KIrti, Jaya and Maya; their mudras.
Mode of worshipping the Laksmi-mantra and
results obtained.
Mode of worshipping the Kirti-mantra and results
obtained.
. Mode of worshipping the Jaya-nuintra and results
obtained.
. Mode of worshipping Maj'a-mantra and results
obtained. Pratistha of an image of Laksmi-
Narayana
. The power of the Sri-sukta.
Application of the SrI-sukta; constructing a mantra by using
each noun mentioned in the hymn; its efficacy; prapatti;
efficacy of the Laksml-mantra.
. A brief summary of the Cosmogony
. The mantras.
. Summarizing ritual performances .
. Bhutasuddhi and Ahganyasa
'. A Yogin's vision of his inner body
. Missing
. Summary of the four states of sound and conclusion .