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Chapter Two: The Nature and Scope of Madhura-rasa

—and these inner esoteric disciplines, accepting the unity of macrocosm and microcosm, held that whatever exists in the cosmos also exists in the body in its essential principle. Shiva dwells in the thousand-petalled lotus, the sahasrāra, and Shakti in the foundation centre, the mūlādhāra. In the mūlādhāra, Shakti sits coiled like a serpent. Practice awakens her and raises her from the mūlādhāra to unite with Shiva in the sahasrāra. This union of Shiva and Shakti is the primal delight of bliss.

In the same connection, it should be observed that a feminine principle is present in the left half of every male body and a masculine principle in the right. Thus, in Sadashiva's form as Ardhanarishvara, Uma occupies the left half and Maheshvara the right. Similarly, a rasika practitioner among the Vaishnava Sahajiyas holds Radha to be in the left half and Krishna in the right, Radha in the left eye and Krishna in the right.¹ Thus the masculine and feminine principles are present within every man and every woman. The masculine principle predominates in a man and the feminine in a woman, but each contains both. Just as left and right signify woman and man, left also signifies iḍā and right piṅgalā; left signifies prāṇa and right apāna. Practice brings them into equilibrium and makes the current of vital energy flow through suṣumṇā. This is the practice of suṣumṇā.

The distinction between man and woman that we see in the visible world is present in the transcendent principle itself as Shiva and Shakti. Their perfect harmony is the supreme truth. Shiva and Shakti therefore dwell in every male and female body. To realise the supreme truth, it is held to be indispensable for every man to experience himself as Shiva and every woman as Shakti, and then, through mutual bodily, mental, and spiritual union, attain supreme bliss. This is the ultimate culmination of all inward esoteric disciplines. It is the supreme mystery within them all, sought by the male and female practitioners.

The Buddhist sahaja

In Buddhist Sahajiya practice, which will be considered in greater detail later, the supreme principle is sahaja. It is independent of self and non-self. Emptiness and compassion—in other words, wisdom (prajñā) and skilful means (upāya)—are its principal characteristics. This prajñā and upāya are nothing other than the Shiva and Shakti of the Hindu Tantras. The union of prajñā, the feminine principle, and upāya, the masculine principle, is the goal of Buddhist Sahajiya practice. They have another meaning too: prajñā is iḍā and upāya is piṅgalā. When these two are brought into equilibrium, the vital current rises through suṣumṇā—