Different Acharas of Tantra and their differences and their differences
In this article, you will learn about the different acharas of tantra. This is a multi-faceted classification involving a lot of things, which I shall discuss here.
Kularnava Tantra about Different Acharas of Tantra
The first classification we come across for tantras is found in the Kularnava Tantra, where it’s stated that there are seven major tantra acharas, each having their own difference. They are
- Vedachara
- Vaishnavachara
- Shaivachara
- Dakshinachara
- Vamachara
- Siddhantachara
- Kaulachara
Agam Tantra
In Agamas such as Ajita and Kamika and in the Netra Tantra, we come across the mention of strotas (which shall not be discussed today) and various other Acharas.
This includes Ganpatya, Shakta, Saura, Bauddha, and Jaina. In Bhavishya Puran, we come across mention of the Islamic system, which is called Pisacha dharma, and it’s called Achara as Pisachachara, while those of the Christian and Pagan faiths are called Mlecchachara.
Brihad Badavanala Tantra about Different Acharas of Tantra
The Brihad Badavanala Tantra has a shloka that states “Vaamadi Panchakam,” which means the pancha Acharas of Vama, and the panchakam here are clarified in the next shloka, which names them as Vama, Siddhanta, Shabara, China, and Kaula.
Before we begin the discussion on the intricate differences between the various Acharas, we need to keep one thing in mind. The acharas, such as Veda, Vaishnava, Shaiva, etc., don’t imply their followers are from the associated sect. These are the names of Achara, which are named in the scriptures and are held at the center of ritualistic conduct. Simply belonging to a certain achara doesn’t imply allegiance to the philosophy of that achara.
Now we shall discuss each of the classifications as well as what they mean. First coming to the Kularnava Tantra
Vedachar:
Vedachar follows the rules with respect to personal conduct and rituals as given in the Vedas and their auxiliary texts. In this method, there’s a predominance of Yajnas and Karmakanda mantras.
However, even a shudra can be initiated in Vedachar. While this may seem to go against the rules of the Shudras, females, Antajyas, and mlecchas not having the right to Vedadhyayan, that’s not the case.
Vedachar for those who don’t have adhikara for Veda mantras involves sadhana of nama mantras, siddhi of beejaksharas by means of yajnas, and practicing various mudras.
Vaishnavachara:
Vaishnavachara follows the rules of conduct as enshrined in the Vaishnava agamas. Vaishnava Agamas are of two types: Vaikhanasa and Pancharatra. The practitioners of Vaishnavachara, according to the classification given in Kaulachar, must have mastery over both.
Shaivachara:
Shaivachara follows the conduct as enshrined in the various Shaivagamas and follows their rituals, etc. Here, Shaivagamas refer to all its types, such as the Siddhanta Agamas, the Yamalas, and even the Bhairava Agamas and Lakula Agamas.
However, the term Shaivachara of Kularnava, which gives the classification from the perspective of Uttar kaula, has a very broad implication. While keeping the meaning intact for the aforementioned para, it additionally includes the achara of Ganpatya, Saura, and Shakta into Shaivachara, and the Sadhak who aspires to be a Kaula and comes from a kaula Parampara must master all these under Shaivachara itself.
As expected, both Vigraha and yantras are used in this marga, and their importance varies depending on which set of tantras the Sadhak is practicing.
Dakshinachara:
Dakshinachara follows the rituals and conduct of the Dakshina tantras. This is a yantra-pradhan system, with yantras taking the central position of worship. This is an overly strict system forbidding the consumption of Panchamakaras.
Rules such as not consuming non-vegetarian foods, etc., all come common in this achara, Veda, and Vaishnavachara. This achara forbids Maithuna during rituals.
Vamachara:
Next comes Vamachara, where the use of Panchamakaras begins; the same remains in Siddhanta and Kaulachara, where the Panchamakaras are used; however, the intent behind using them is different. Shabara and China, which aren’t classified in the Kularnava Tantra but rather find mention in the Brihad Badavanala Tantra, shall be discussed together with Vama, Siddhanta, and Kaula for an easier understanding of the Sadhak.
Vama Siddhanta Shabara China and Kaula all have a point in common, which is the use of makaras; however, this is the very element that helps us draw a line of distinction between them.
In Vamachara, Panchamakaras are used to shift the mind from Pravritti (bhog vasana or desires) to Nivritti (state of realization and willingness to obtain moksha instead of running after material desires). The tantras of Vamachara are used in this achara.
Siddhantachara:
In Siddhantachara, the use of Panchamakaras is for the purpose of attaining tattva bodha, or comprehension, of the true essence of things, the world, the self, and Ishvar. This is made possible by using the panchamakaras to heighten perception. The tantras of Siddhantachara and even the Siddhanta Agamas are used in this achara.
Kaulachar:
In Kaulachar, the intent of Panchamakaras is to effectively allow the Sadhak to harness their kundalini shakti so that their shakti can have a free flow from Mooladhara to Sahasra and give the Sadhak Brahmbodha, thus making them jivanmuktas in life and giving moksha after the Aatma leaves the mortal body.
Kaulachara itself has three subdivisions:
Purva Kaula, which is the Shaivite kaula system involving Bhairava agamas and with a predominance of Anukalpa Makaras or substitutes;
Uttar Kaula, which is Shakta Kaula and involves the use of Shakta Kaula tantras such as Kularnava, etc.; and Moola Kaula, which is the actual substance.
The third is Siddha Kaula, which is an amalgamation of both systems, and both Moola and Anukalpa find equal importance.
Shabarachara:
Shabarachara involves the use of Shabara mantras. The intent of using Panchamakaras here is to amplify the Urja shakti of the Sadhak, who in turn can amplify the Energy of the mantras and quickly obtain their siddhi. Here, the very core purpose is to comprehend the essence of mantras, which gives them Gyan and Siddhis.
Shabara mantras are basically non-Sanskrit mantras; they can be in most languages; there are shabar mantras in Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Malayalam, and even in languages such as Urdu and Farsi.
Shabar mantras have their own chhand or rhythm, which is different from the Sanskrit chhandas and works very differently. Some shabar mantras can even contain abuses or ghastly descriptions of several things, depending on the mantras.
Shabarachara is a very accepting one; it’s said that a shabar truly belongs to the one to whom it’s revealed for the first time. There’s no Sampraday restriction, as even Muslims and Vaishnavas have several shabars that they use to date.
Also, in Shabarachara, as practiced by Nath Sampradaya, they even do dakshinachari sadhanas; however, in the dakshina bhaga of Shabar, even skulls and alcohol are used; the vama dakshina bheda of Shabara is based on the nature of the shaktis involved.
Chinachara:
Chinachara is the Achara that involves the use of Chinachara tantras, and the use of Panchamakaras here is entirely different. The panchamakaras do the work of all the other acharas here, along with an additional result. First, it takes the mind from pravritti to nivritti while letting the sadhak be in bliss even in nivritti. Then it lets the Sadhak have tattva bodh, then full control over kundalini and Brahmbodh; it gives the Sadhak Energy for the rituals and helps them obtain quick siddhis.
One must remember that the intents written here are the goals of using the makaras. A sadhak needs to practice for many years and even decades before they can actually use the panchamakaras effectively. While the intent is clear, it can’t be achieved on the very first day and is time-consuming, even risky, if done without proper supervision.
Shaktachara of Tantra
Coming to Shaktachara as named separate in Agamas involves purely following the conduct of the Shakta Agamas. This, however, can be either dakshina, vama, or kaula margi, depending on the agamas it uses. This is why Shaktachara is not named separately but instead classified with Shaivachara.
The same system is with Shaivachara and Siddhantachara, both involving the usage of Siddhanta tantras; Shaivachara has other Shaiva Agamas such as Lakula and Pashupata as well. However, in the context of the Kularnava classification, the acharas from Veda to Dakshina don’t involve the use of Panchamakaras.
So Shaivachara and Shaktachara, while including all their various Agamas, don’t generally use Panchamakaras for the classification provided in Kularnava.
Ganpatyachara
Ganpatyachara follows the use of Ganpatya Agamas, the Ganesha-centric Puranas such as Ganesha and Mudgal, and tantras such as the Ucchista Tantra, which also comes in Chinachara. Saurachara involves the use of two different classifications of agamas, the first being the Saura agamas and the other being the Hiranyagarbha agamas, both of which have some minor differences and both need to be mastered by kaulas.
Bauddhachar OF TANTRA
Bauddhachar follows the conduct and rituals of the Bauddha tantras; Jainachara is following those of the Jaina tantras. Mlecchachara refers to the entire system of paganism, witchcraft, satanism, Christianity, Judaism, and Jewish occultism known as Kabbalah.
Pisachachara is following the rituals and conduct of pisacha tantras, which are basically core Islamic occult, and sulemani, which is an advanced form of Islamic occult with many Hindu elements such as the use of naksha, which are improvised yantras, the use of several Shabar, and such.
While a disciple from Kaula Parampara must practice Veda, Vaishnava, Shaiva, Dakshina, Vama, Siddhanta, and Kaulachara, it’s not compulsory to practice the other acharas, especially those of Bauddhas, Jainas, mlecchas, and pisachas. Chinachara and shabarachara aren’t compulsory either.
However, people from Aghor sects need to practice every system and develop a good comprehension of their systems, from Veda to Mleccha. An Aghori must learn everything.
Damarachara
Apart from all this, there’s Damarachara, which is practiced primarily by Aghoris of Vednidhi Parampara. While several damaras are accepted as authoritative in the traditions of Shaktas, Sauras, and even Ganpatyas, they originally stem from the Aghor Vednidhi system.
Damarachara is a mantra pradhana system with mantra shakti at its core. Damar Vidya uses Panchamakaras and extreme jaap practices to help the Sadhak comprehend the very essence of mantras, similar to shabara.
However, here the mantras are all in Sanskrit, unlike in Shabar, and in Damar, there’s an additional intent. The Sadhakas of Damar Tantra aim at not just understanding mantra tattva but even obtaining the power to change it.
One who can do maran even using Mahamrityunjay and one who can save lives even using mantras of Stambhan and Maran, one who has such total mastery over mantra tattva that they can change the nature of mantras at will, is the real damar Siddhas.
Major Marg Different Acharas of Tantra
Now there are two major margas, one being Mantramarga and the other being Atimarga. Based on the difference in marga, the classification can become drastically different.
Mantramarga
In Mantramarga, there are three major Achara groups based on bhava classification. The three bhavas accepted by Mantra Marga are Pashu, Vira, and Divya.
The acharas from Veda to Dakshin are all classified under pashvachara, or the achara of Pashus. Pashu bhava with the sadhak’s own mindset denotes that the sadhak hasn’t been able to break free from pashas. The said acharas are classified under this bhava as it’s noted that these acharas are incapable of truly breaking astha pashas, which bind the pashu.
Next, we come to Virachara, which is done by the people of Vira Bhava. The tantras of Vama and Siddhanta are classified under this achar. The viras are free from pashas and extremely courageous, as their mind is always in the state of Vairagya. They are fearless Sadhaks who never back down. The Acharas of Vama and Siddhanta are said to evoke vira bhava, thus they are classified under Virachara.
Kaulachara is regarded as Divyachara as it bestows Divya bhava on its sadhak, which means not just the absence of fear and desires, not just the mere absence of pashas, but the combination of both along with brahmbodh. This is regarded as the conduct of divyas.
Atimargi
When it comes to the Atimargi classification, it becomes slightly different. In Atimarga, the Karmik acharyas such as Veda, Vama, and Kaula aren’t linked to Bhava acharyas such as Vira. In Atimarga, there are four acharas, which are Pashu, Vira, Divya, and Kaula.
The people who are bound by the pashas, irrespective of which achara they follow, are all regarded as pashus, and their conduct is called pashvachara.
The people who have broken free from pashas, have attained vairagya, but are yet to have Brahmbodh are called Viras, irrespective of the Achara they follow. Their conduct is regarded as Virachara.
The person who has broken free from pashas, has obtained vairagya, and has even obtained brahmbodh are called divyas, and irrespective of the achara they follow, their conduct is called divyachara.
Kaula Bhava is slightly different from the way the other three bhavas are presented. While the other three bhavas are based exclusively on conduct, irrespective of the achara followed by the sadhak, that’s not the case here.
While a true kaula is defined as one who has obtained all three of the aforementioned cases of brahmbodh, etc. but has additionally also realized the true relation between Shiv Shakti, only one who is practicing kaula or Chinachara is said to be able to have this understanding, and thus the sadhak should be compulsorily from either China or Kaulachar in order to be able to awaken kaula Bhava and have the conduct of a kaula.
Atimarga tradition:
According to Atimarga tradition, bhava is not dependent on achara but on the condition of the sadhak; even a sadhak from Kaula marga can be a Pashvachari, and even someone practicing Vedachara can ascend up to Vira and Divya instead of remaining a Pashvachari.
However, both Mantramarga and Atimarga are clear on one thing: only a Shaiva or a shakta can be kaula or have kaula Bhava, as other sampradayas are unfit to be kaulas. As it’s essential to realize the relation between Shiv Shakti, those who are Vaishnava Saura Ganpatya or smartha by Sampraday can never become kaulas unless they join kaula marga, as it’s impossible for them to awaken kaula Bhava.
Mantramarga and Atimarga both have another thing in common; they both state that those who follow solely the achara of mlecchas, pisachas, bauddhas, and jainas can never ascend pashvachara, irrespective of how much they try.
However, we come across the fact that Atimarga is more accepting in nature, as it doesn’t limit a bhava to an achara unless extremely necessary, while Mantramarga doesn’t recognize the ability of acharas below vama to be able to bestow moksha or even remove pashas.
The ugra shaktis, such as ugra devi devtas, and the tamasa shaktis, such as preta pisacha kalwa, etc., are placed in vama bhaga, while the sadhana of shaktis, such as yakshinis and saumya Santa devatas, is classified under dakshina bhaga.
Virachara
Sadhanas of viras who are themselves always in Vira Bhava are classified under Virachara Bhaga of Shabarachara, in which Vira sadhanas and sadhanas done with Vira Bhava are both classified under Virachara.
However, one doing Vira sadhana and sadhana of Vama Bhaga should have Vira Bhava in them; otherwise, they will surely meet their downfall while trying to use Shabar mantras.
Important Point
Now comes the most important part. There’s dharma bheda based on achara bheda. Dharma is different for different acharas; what’s pure in one is impure in the other, what’s dharma for one is adharma for the other.
For instance, it’s forbidden for Brahmanas to consume alcohol according to Veda and Vaishnavachara; however, the same alcohol becomes an indispensable part for him in acharas such as vama. The act of drinking alcohol for a Brahman following Veda ityadi acharas is grave adharma; however, the same thing becomes dharma in vama ityadi acharas.
It’s forbidden to have sex during karmakanda in Veda ityadi acharas; however, maithuna is a necessary element during sadhana and karmakanda for those following Vama ityadi margas.
The tulsi, which is regarded as sacred, and using it, which is regarded as highly punyadayak, becomes the cause of getting cursed if offered to Devi. Ganga, who is said to remove all sins, becomes the source of curses for the sadhaks of Chinachara, as using Gangajal only invites curses from Devi and is regarded as highly adharmik.
Thus, what’s dharma for one becomes adharma for others; dharma is absolute, but it’s different for different acharas and people of different regions. It’s illogical to tag an achara as an adharmik simply because it has a different set of rules.
Here ends the discussion on achara bheda and subsequent dharma bheda based on achara bheda. Questions can be asked in the discussion GC that are related to the topic.