Mandarva (Sanskrit Mandāravā, मण्डारवा) (also known as Mandavya Sara/माण्डव्य सारा or Mrittika or Sweta Mrittika or Kuan Rani or kauna Rani) was Siddha Yogini and Dakini who learnt under Siddha Akulish Nath – the head of Vaam and Aghora tradition of Siddha Dharma of Kulluta Mandala (Kaulantak Peeth). She went on to become the chief consort of Padmasambhava, an Ex-Siddha of Uddiyana Peeth.

As revealed by Ishaputra (Mahayogi Satyendra Nath Ji Maharaj) – the present head of Kaulantak Peeth, Mandarva was one of the prominent female gurus in the diverse tantrik tradition of Siddha Dharma. She was instrumental in spreading Vajrayana along with Siddha Padmasambhava of Uddiyana Peeth.

Revered both by Hindus and Buddhists as Mandarva Devi, she is considered to be an inspiring example of divine feminine who set the novel feminist trend with hundreds of bold and independent female tantra practitioners in days of yore.

Geography & Tradition

As per Siddha Dharma, the wide Himalayan region with its great expanse was called ‘Deva Desham’. In the ‘Deva Desham’, Kulluka Mandala was a prominent place and it was chosen by Lord Shiva to impart knowledge to Goddess Parvati Mai. The Kulluka Mandala with changing times gradually became Kullu. The unique specialty of Kulluka Mandala was that it consisted diverse schools or Kulas of Tantra which not only imparted the knowledges of tantra but also along with it Yoga, Penances (Tapa), Jyotish, Vastu, Karmakanda rituals etc. This trend very much inspired the Goddess Kurukulla as she along with her Bhairava, Swacchanddha Bhairava, established the school of Tantra, a special seat of Knowledge (Peeth) in this region. This particular Peeth which was operated by Goddess Kurukulla and her Swacchanda Bhairava excelled in various forms of knowledge’s and it started to overshadow the glory of other Peethadheeshwaras. Siddhas from all over the country came to the Peeth to obtain knowledge and also to impart their knowledge to the eligible.

As per Siddha Dharm, when Kurukulla Devi established her Peeth of Kulluka Mandala, all Gods and Goddesses came to reside in the Himalaya. Along with them, several beings from diverse races like Devas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Kinnaras, Kimpurusha, Kirat, Naag, Asura et al also came to the Peeth. Along With them, diverse tantra traditions started to flourish in the Himalaya which was a long time back, therefore it isn’t documented in history and thus it remained unknown to the world. In Kulluta Mandala, there were various Rishis who were adept in Yoga sciences and were imparting their knowledge to the sadhakas of the Peeth.

As per Siddha Dharma, Maharishi Mandavya Nath was one of the highly accomplished Siddha. Rishi Mandavya Nath was known to be highly adept in Yoga, Tantra, Jyotish and astronomical calculations. He was a Maharishi who was always engrossed in deep penance (Tapa). He also started his own tradition (Kula) in Himalaya and his Kula came under the Kaulantak Peeth of Kulluka Mandala. The Peeth then began to impart various knowledges under the Mandavya tradition.

The land which was chosen by Maharishi Mandavya Nath to impart his various knowledges through his Kula came to be known as Mandavya Puri. The Mandavya Puri was also known as Mandavi Nagar. Gradually after considerable number of years, the Mandavya Puri then became the modern day District Mandi.

Mandavyasara was born in Mandi, she studied extensively under the scholastic tradition of Mandavya Rishi.

Etymology of Mandarva/Mandavyasara

The word ‘Mandavyasara’ is composed of (Mandavya + sara), where Mandavya (माण्डव्य) means Mandavya Peeth or Mandi and Sara (सारा) means the gist. Therefore, the word Mandavyasara can be inferred as a woman who is the gist of Mandavya Peeth. She was raised and educated under the tutelage of the education system of Mandavya Peeth so he had mastered various wisdom it. Therefore, she was given the sobriquet ‘Mandavyasara’.

Early Life

As per Siddha Dharma, Princess Mandarva was born in the royal family of Sahora (present day Rewalsara area). Her father was King Arshadhara and her mother was the Queen Mahamohaki. Because of her skin complexion, she was named as Sweta Mritikka (like white mud).

Sweta Mrittika or Mrittika was a child prodigy and supremely beautiful. At the time of her birth, owing to auspicious signs, it was prophesized that she would later become a great Yogini.

As per the legends of Siddha Dharma, Mandarva had a peculiar penchant for staying nude. The distaste for wearing clothes continued all through her life.

Her incessant enquiry during her childhood introspecting who she was earned her the pet name of “Kauna Rani”.

The Siddha Dharma further clarifies that as a young princess, Mandarva claimed herself to be a Siddha Dakini. She then asked for permission from her father to visit the mountain top of Kulluta Mandala. She informed her father that she could sense that someone was calling her there. When her father denied her permission to visit the mountain top, she became very furious. She showed her fierce side even as a child when she challenged her father to eat human excreta if he wanted her to stay with him and not let her go to the Kulluta Mandala. This uchchhishta behavior against all conventions clarifies her extreme character.

Thus, at a tender age, princess Mandarva showing her fierce tendency to her father, managed to free herself from the royal comfort of her father’s palace and she then departed in search of her guru in Kulluta Mandala.

Education in Kulluta Mandala

As per the legends of Kaulantak Peeth, Mandarva met her guru Siddha Akulish Nath, who was then head of Vaama Maarga (Left hand principle of Tantra) and Aghora tradition of Kulluta Mandala. Under his tutelage, young princess Mrittika became adept in yoga and attained many perfections i.e. siddhis in Tantra and Yoga. When she established herself as a Siddha, her guru gave renamed her as Mandavya Saaraa (माण्डव्य सारा) as she was the daughter of the king of Mandavya Mandala. She was also given the status of Dakini (डाकिनी) by her guru because she became a Siddha through vama and aghora tradition.

Spiritual Practices

As per the legend of Siddha Dharma, Mandarva learnt various wisdoms of Vama and Aghora under her Guru, Siddha Akulish Nath who was then head of the Vaama and Aghora kula of Kulluta Mandala. Mahasiddha Akulish Nath trained Mandarva in Brihaspati rachit Kaama Shastra and Vaama Brihaspati tradition which is also known as Nastika Brihaspati.

Furthermore, her Guru Siddha Akulish Nath also trained her in the Aghora tradition of Mahsiddha Shukracharya Nath.

Even though the area where she did her practices were the Mandala of Maharishi Mandavya Nath, she did not quiet resonate with the Darshana (Doctrine/Philosophy/Vision) of Maharishi Mandavya Nath.

Mandarva evolved into a fierce practitioner and became a Dakini. It was because of her fierce ways that even local Gods and Goddesses were against her. She did not believe in following Guru’s orders and instructions, and also she did not adhere to sensitiveness of Kulluta Mandala shown towards the Guru .

 Training other Female Tantra Practitioners

As per Siddha Dharma, Mandarva after finishing her training under her guru Siddha Akulish Nath in Kulluta Mandala, she was ordered by her Guru to return back to her parents who were longing to see their daughter. She was not convinced returning to the illusory world of Moha-Maya. As per  Siddha Dharma, it is a serious offence to disobey the orders of the Guru, so she had to return back home. Later, she selected around 800 women from Kulluta Mandala, Mandavya Mandala and Kinnar Mandala to train them in various Tantra practices. As per Siddha Dharma, this particular act triggered a true feminist revolution with so many women embarking on independent journey to learn and practice various Tantra, Mantra, magical spells and charms (जादु टोना टोटका).

Getting banished from Kulluta Mandala

The legend of Siddha Dharma further mentions that while her successful revolution of divine feminine established her amongst top female gurus of Kulluta Mandala, it increased her arguments with her guru. Her guru was against her training other women before the completion of her own training. The reluctant princess could not understand her guru’s vision for her own superior refinement.

During one such argument with her guru, she hit her guru on his thigh. Consequently, she not only incurred a great sin but the brazen act also resulted in her gurus of all the three Mandalas going against her. She was given one year time to leave the area and was warned of severe punishment if she did not obey their command.

Sadhana with Padmasambhava

As per Siddha Dharma, while she was still reeling in anger for being exiled from Siddha Mandalas of Himalaya and planning to leave the Himalaya, she then found out about a Yogi named Padmasambhava who hailed from Uddiyana Peeth.

The Siddha Dharma reveals that Padmasambhava, who is venerated by Buddhists as Guru Rinpoche, himself was banished from Siddha Dharma and was contemplating his getaway. He was performing his penances in the area with seven lakes near present day Rewalsar which is the area of another Siddha Rishi, Lomesh Nath of Mandavya Mandala. Rishi Siddha Lomesh Nath has a temple attributed to him and is still revered in Rewalsar in the current day and age.

It was during this time that the love relationship between Mandarva and Padmasambhava flowered. Together they planned to leave Deva Desham.

The love relationship was not taken favorably by her father as he warned Padmasambhava against it. When warnings didn’t deter Padmasambhava, Mandarva’s father tried to punish Padmasambhava by setting him in fire. The fire raged for seven days and seven nights but could not harm Padmasambhava. Realizing that Padmasambhava was a siddha, the king apologized and gave his daughter to him for marriage.

Story of Mata Kuan Rani Temple and Mandavyasara

As per ‘Siddha Dharma’, Padmasambhava was dwelling the in the area of ‘Sahora’ in search of eligible Bhairavi for his vaama marga sadhana which is equivalent to the ‘karma mudra’ sadhana of the Vajrayana Buddhism. He then heard about Mandavyasara and she also came to know about him as she was also in search for a eligible Bhairava for Karma Mudra sadhana practice.

She then met Padmasambhava and both of them engaged in philosophical and tantric debate. Padmasambhava then defeated her so as a result she became his disciple. But this not met favorably by the local people.

The local people didn’t entertain the idea of Karma Mudra practice between Guru and disciple. The ‘Kaulantak Peeth’ tantric lineage doesn’t have a problem with it because Ma Shakti is considered to be the wife and disciple of Lord Shiva. Therefore, every Bhairavi is considered to be Ma Shakti and every Bhairava, Lord Shiva. But the Vaishnava sect which is devoid of any authentic tantric Gurus do not have the same understanding and philosophy.

The Vaishnava doctrine is not a tantric doctrine at first place. It doesn’t believe in Bhoga (Indulgence) to be the pathway for Moksha (Salvation). Therefore, the villagers influenced by Vaishnava doctrine didn’t take the relationship between Padmasambhava and Mandavyasara favorably. The villagers then started calling names as a sign of disapproval.

The folklore of  ‘Siddha Dharma’ further reveals that the King out of his duties towards his country men and women caught Padmasambhava and brought him to Rewalsar, Mandi. He was then thrown into a pool of fire but miraculously he didn’t die burning. He was believed to hgave manifested from a lotus and he was renamed ‘Padmasambhava’ meaning the ‘lotus born’.

Meanwhile, Mandavyasara too was ordered to be killed by the king. She was thrown into a deep well and she was buried till her neck and left to die. But she was no novice, she was master of miracles as she tricked the king and his soldiers and narrowly escaped.

She and Padmasambhava, then believed to have met somewhere and then left for Tibet through the route of Nepal. They then in Nepal married each other through tantric rituals and they there propagated their magnus opus, ‘Vajrayana’ to the local people on the way.

The local folklore of Mandi still believes that Padmasambhava and Mandavyasara as guru and disciple which according to both ‘Siddha Dharma’ and ‘Vajrayana’ is not true.

Meanwhile, the King then realized his mistake of killing Mandavyasara. He still believed her to be dead. The well or the borrow where she was thrown to die was century later venerated as holy shrine and she was venerated as the ‘Queen of the Well’, so her monument was established inside the cave and the tradition of worshiping her  as ‘Mata Kuan Rani’ then started.

There is a slate-roofed temple over this deep well now days. It is a holy shrine for both Hindus and Buddhists and it still worshiped till today.

Maha Matrika Cave

The Siddha Dharma reveals that Padmasambhava, the siddha of Uddiyana Peeth realized that Mandarva Devi, despite being a Siddha Dakini, had not realized her true potential. To awaken his consort fully, Padmasambhava took Mandarva to a certain cave in Nepal called Maha Matrika cave.

Matrika cave which is also known as Maratika Cave is situated in Khotang district of Nepal, about 185 km south west of Mount Everest. It is also a venerated pilgrimage site for both, Hindus and Buddhists. It was in this very cave, Padmasambhava and Mandarva stayed until their vaam marg sadhana was fully perfected. They then eventually  married again through rituals of vaam marga in Matrika cave.

Establishing Vajrayana

The  Siddha Dharma predates the time of Guru Gorakshanath and the Siddha Dharma doctrines and darshana also predates the era of Pratyavigya, Pitaka Grantha and the whole tradition which in modern times are collectively known as Kashmir Shaivism. In this ancient dharma, Mandarva is revered even today as top female tantrika.

Even though Padmasambhava and Mandarva both were banished from Siddha Dharma of Kulluta Mandala of Deva Desham, both are still venerated by the Mandala. They find their revered place in the list of Siddhas of Kaulantak Peeth. Mandarva is revered as one of most honorable female gurus.

The legend of Siddha Dharma further clarifies that Padmasambhava and Mandarva Devi upon being exiled from Siddha Dharma went to Nepal and from there headed to Bhota Desha (भोट देश) which is also known as Buna Mandala. This place is identified with Bona Desh in modern times.

In Bhota Desha, Padmasambhava and Mandarva Devi propounded a new tradition that was the amalgamation of pure tantric Bon dharma with Vajra yoga, which collectively was called ‘Vajrayana’.

Story of Mandavyasara curse 

As per the legends of ‘Siddha Dharma’, Mandavyasara was very much interested in tantra then the lokachara (local traditions). She was highly adept in tantric practices that the local inhabitants of Mandavya Peeth did not like her practices. They wanted her to follow the local tradition of the ‘Deva Desham’ or the local people’s version of Dev Parampara to which she greatly resisted.

Mandavyasara vision and understanding of Dev Parampara didn’t resonate with them. The local inhabitants treated the wooden statue and idols as gods but cared less about the whole essence of the Dev Parampara i.e. ‘Gurumandala’. The local inhabitants were much more concerned with their subjective perception and lifestyle of Dev Parampara then the essence of it. This is where Mandavayasara agitated and voiced her opinion against the local people dogmatic traditions. The local inhabitants bothered less about the scientific source of all the traditions which traced its root to the Gurumandala. They just adopted it blindly and in turn they converted themselves to dogmatic people. They didn’t care about the essence of the whole tradition of the Devadesham.

The agitation of her led the local people despise her extremely. They started spitting whenever they heard her name which was also a sign of great disrespect. Furthermore, they also conspired against her through the use of propaganda by spreading fake news and stories with the sole motive of character assassin.

She also hit back against the local people by collecting hundreds of woman and then by teaching tantra to all. She taught tantra to the female practitioners so that they could revolt against the patriarchy of the local inhabitants. Infact, Mandavyasara was an epitome of feminine liberation then. But this didn’t prevent her from cursing the people because the bullying had gone to an extreme.

She then performs the ‘Maha Dakini Sadhana’ and then converts herself into ‘Perfected Dakini’ to take over the patriarchy of the native land. She along with her disciples of women worked together and outsmarted men. In her time because of her being powerful, polyandry started to spread. It was in this era that polyandry had spread very far which still has its effect in some parts of Himalaya and amongst some local tribes.

The villagers is believed to have then conspired against her in full fledge with the use of misinformation and propaganda which was unbearable to her. She then cursed the inhabitants of Devadesham in retribution. Her curses were multitude because it was not a single curse but many curses revolving against the same issue.

The Curses of Mandavyasara

As per ‘Siddha Dharma’, she only cursed the people when she lost all her patience with them. When she cursed, she cursed them in multitudes and those curses then led to the downfall of the great tradition of Devadesham. She had cursed in multitudes and those curses are explicitly mentioned in ‘Dhoomra Parvat Kundali’ book of the ‘Siddha Dharma’.

Following were some of the main curses of Mandavyasara based on the folklores and legends of ‘Siddha Dharma’

1. Inhabitants to be devoid of Spiritualism:
   

   She cursed the inhabitants of the Devadesham to be devoid of all spiritual essence. Their every worships and traditions would be conducted devoid of spiritual essence. All the traditions and practices of the people would lack the metaphysical aspect and would only concentrate on the physical formality of the events and happenings.

   Their whole traditions would be performed for the sake of formality. Their worship would be limited to the idol worship but not the essence of the whole idol worship. They would be such engrossed in their formalities that they would not value the importance of Guru in their practices and would remain ‘Nigure’ or ‘devoid of Guru’ which itself is a curse in itself.

   They will remain in the holy land of ‘Devadesham’ while being the furthest from liberation and the eternal wisdoms of the Rishi/Munis.

2. Their traditions to be destroyed by Nastika (atheist):

She also cursed their traditions to be destroyed by Nastika ideology. Nastika itself isn’t a bad ideology because it is more scientific and less metaphysical while the traditions of ‘Devadesham’ were based more unto the metaphysical aspect. Nastika ideology being scientific appeals to logics and senses. It is purely empirical. It doesn’t believe anything beyond the knowledge of the senses. It believes plainly in matter because it is the most empirical thing in the universe.

Her curse in a sense paved the defeat of spiritualism by materialism. She first cursed them the absence of ‘spiritual essence’ in their traditions and then their traditions to be taken over by empirical Nastika ideology. The people will also be unable to protect their traditions against the Nastikas and from the less intellectual people.

The foremost curse was that the women in her periods which the people loathed will cause the demise of the tradition and it will completely be destroyed by beef eating people.

Fire destroying their houses and temples:

She also cursed the people that their traditions would mainly be destroyed by the fire. Since, the ‘Deva Parampara’ temple’s and houses was made up of wood; it would be destroyed by fire because woods caught fire easily. The people would then have to rebuild everything again. The new built temples would then be completely devoid of the energy and power of ‘Deva Parampara’.

Himalaya to lose its spiritual significance

She also cursed the people that the Himalaya which from time immemorial had  provided the shade of all divine and spiritual empowerment would looses significance for them. She straightly meant that the people will fail to realize the spiritual significance of the Himalaya and would be engrossed in forms and traditions rather than the essence itself i.e. ‘Gurumandala’.

The people will live near the ‘Gurumandala’, gods and goddesses, ‘Siddha Mandala’, ‘Yogini Mandala’, ‘Dev Mandala’, ‘Shakti Mandala’ and in the area of ‘Kaulantak Peeth’, yet they would not be able to grasp the true essence of all their traditions. For them, Himalaya would only be used for the purpose of entertainment and pass time rather than the pursuit of absolute wisdoms.

She further added that the ‘Deva Parampara’ would be finished and they themselves will finish it. Devoid of the knowledge of their own traditions, the outer people would call them ‘Pahadi Fools’. They would be referred to as fools as they would have no logics to defend themselves.

Aftermath of Mandavyasara’s curse

Before she cursed the local inhabitants of the ‘Deva Desham’, she had met the young anarchist figure, ‘Padmasambhava’. Padmasambhava had been ousted by the Gurumandala for not obeying their orders while Mandavyasara was troubled by the local people and her incident with her Guru, where she was ordered to leave the ‘Deva Desham’.

She and Padmasambhava then marched towards the area of Tibet through Nepal. They travelled together and then they performed some sadhanas in Matrika cave of Nepal. She was very instrumental in establishing the ‘Vajrayana’ tradition of Padmasambhava. She is therefore venerated as a goddess in Tibet. She also inspired many yogis of Tibet to visit the ‘Deva Desham’ to visit the ‘Kulluta Mandala’ to learn numerous wisdoms.

Besides that, recently her curses are said to have materialized. Until the Gurumandala were in the Kulluta Mandala and Kaulantak Peeth, their energies protected the villages and monuments from burning down but recently when the Gurumandala left this earth, there have been multiple reports of fire destroying the villages and temples.

Recently, a year back, a village named Kotla of Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh caught fire. It destroyed the whole village and along with it, it also destroyed the ‘Shesh Naga’ temple.

Similar incident were also reported in one of the villages of Kullu where a temple of Brahma caught fire and was destroyed completely by fire etc.

Later years of Mandavyasara

 

As per ‘Siddha Dharma’, when she did everything as per her discretion and when she tasted her own version of liberty, she was hit with dissatisfaction. Somewhere in her, she felt and realized that she could do whatever she liked but that would lead to nowhere near fulfillment and self actualization. For the ultimate self actualization or the liberation, she needed the blessings of Gurumandala. She then realized her mistakes committed in her younger years and this was the time where she abandoned Padmasambhava and then she returned back home.

Tibetan Buddhism doesn’t explicitly mention of her whereabouts in her later years. The accounts and whereabouts of ‘Yeshe Tsogyal’ are mentioned but not her because she decided to explore her roots again. She was ousted before so in her repentance, she came back and started practicing penance with only one gulp of food for quite long. The merciful Gurumandala then took pity on her and redirected her to a cave in Himalaya. Inside the cave, she then practiced her sadhana to realize her ‘Siddhahood’.

She was then recognized as a ‘Siddha’ in Kaula Siddha Parampara and her worship module was also formulated by the Gurumandala.

Literature of Mandavyasara

 

As per the ‘Siddha Dharma’, she has a memoir called ‘Mandavyasara Tantra’. The book mentions about her life history, her whereabouts, her philosophy etc. Her memoir was written by herself and she has explained about her journey from a princess to a maha dakini to a mahasiddha.

Her memoir explains tantra in a very subtle way. It is mainly about vaama marga or the left hand path. Her memoir is considered to be the best book which explains vaama marga with such ease based on her lifestyle and all her experiences she gathered in the days of her sadhana period.

Mandavyasara Tantra

The ‘Mandavyasara Tantra’ is her own memoir which she wrote herself to educate the future siddhas into the path of perfection of life. She basically divided the book into eight chapters. The eight chapters as revealed by ‘Mahasiddha Ishaputra’ through ‘Siddha Dharma’ are

Vichara Prakaran (विचार प्रकरण)

In this chapter, she basically explains the science of thoughts. She explicitly explains the pragmatic aspect of thinking process. She explains the cause and origin of thoughts in our minds and if they are of any importance or if they carry any pragmatic value with them. She also clarifies if all the thoughts that originate in our mind are important and if we should pay attention to them? Should thoughts be discarded if it doesn’t have any importance?

The best clarification of thoughts and thinking process is her explanation of relevance and irrelevance of thought in our day to day life. She explains the origin of thoughts, pragmatic aspects of thoughts and lastly concludes the chapter by explaining the dissolution of thoughts and its process.

Vyvhar Prakaran (व्यवहार प्रकरण)

In this chapter, she lays out basic precepts on how to harmonize oneself with the outer world. She explains how to harmonize ones inner world with the outer world and to establish connection with flora and fauna, natural habitats and sentient beings. She also explains the ‘art of worldliness’ in this chapter.

Her version of the ‘art of worldliness’ explained, ‘how should one meet and greet people? How should one talk and deal with them? Why do people criticize? How do people exert effect and temper justice through the use of mob? Why should one always keep ones whereabouts secret? Why should one also keep their character secret and not make it the talk of the town?’

She further reveals the difference between the worldly lifestyle and spiritual lifestyle and also the difference between spiritual lifestyle and tantric lifestyle. She also in details, explains the effects that the lifestyle have upon an individual. She reveals the main reason why spiritual people do not harmonize with worldly people and vice versa. She further adds as to why people attach ‘Dharma’?.

She then in the ending paragraphs of her chapters explains if ones character and lifestyle could be changed and the aftereffects of it? She then reveals the technique to changes ones character to godliness and its good impact.

Swapna  Prakaran (स्वप्न प्रकरण)

In this chapter, she in details explains everything about dream. She explains the main cause of dreams and if dreams could be used for pragmatic purpose to achieve a desired result.

The main source of every dream is one’s own mind. Mind is the cause of all the dreams. It is the mind’s way of communicating itself with the individual. She basically explains the functioning of mind and how it can be used as per one’s own discretion. She then proceeds to explain the difference between the dreams of a well etiquette person against the idiot person and also the difference between the dreams of spiritual person against the worldly person.

She further explains the nature of dreams, its varieties and its fruit. She also explains lucid dreaming and how can one use one’s own dream to fulfill wishes and perfect the life. She also reveals the differences and similarities between dreams and reality.

In the ending chapters, she explains if one can receive diksha in dreams and also attain the state of Samadhi through dreams and lastly she reveals the tantric uses of dreams and concludes the chapter.

 Kalpana Prakaran (कल्पना प्रकरण)

In this chapter, she reveals the science of imagination. She explains the differences between imagination and thoughts. She explains imagination being the cause of all future happenings and activities. She also explains the difference between reality and imagination.

She also explains the use of imagination in both the philosophical practices of Nastika and Astika School of thoughts and practices. Dreams are also the basis of hypnosis and she explains exactly how. She further reveals that the imagination also inspires people towards death because using imagination is the only pragmatic tool to experience death while living.

She finally ends the chapter with explanation of dissolution of imagination and the tantric uses of it.

Satya Prakaran (सत्य प्रकरण)

In this chapter, she reveals the nature of truth and the difference between ultimate truth and ultimate fallacy. She also explains that the truth which is the ultimate reality if is known through senses. She also explains if truth is empirical or metaphysical. She also explains the flaws of perception gathered through the senses.

She divides truth into many subdivisions of ultimate truth, relative truth, empirical truth, pragmatic truth, universal truth and finally subjective and objective truth. She also explains the difference between logic and truth. She also explains the differences and differences between truth and the ultimate god.

The whole gist of the chapter is all about tuning one’s own mind into realization of truth.

Tantra Prakaran (तन्त्र प्रकरण)

In this chapter, she explains the tantra in depth. She first starts her tantra explanation by explaining who Shiva and Shakti are. She further explains the similarities and dissimilarities between the two. She also explains the origin and the dissolution of tantra by explaining the truth and authenticity about tantric devi-devata and how does tantra give pleasures to one mind and aspire people to live life of wisdom.

She poses a question as to why are common people or human beings compared to pashu in the initial stages of tantra? She then proceeds to explaining maya and its trap. She then proceeds to explain the path of tantra to elevate oneself from the stages of pashu to Shiva. While explaining tantra, she clarifies the use of panchamakara i.e. (matsya, mudra, maithun, madira and maans) for perfection of tantra.

She then proceeds to explanation of ‘Devadesham’ and ‘Gurumandala’ by explaining the importance of Guru in ones own life. She also explains the importance of ‘Devadesham’. She explains why defying Guru’s order is the end of life. She also reveals the importance of Guru and Kula, collectively as ‘Gurukula’.

The most compelling revelation of her is that she aspires woman to partake the path of tantra for their spiritual benefit. Why are men weaker compared to women in tantra? She also explains, why are woman better then men in tantra and how does tantra serve as the liberating force for women against patriarchal society?

Lastly, she concludes the chapter with the explanation of men and women being complimentary to each other and how the oneness of men and women is the ultimate goal of any tantrik.

 

Kaam-Moksha Prakaran (काम-मोक्ष प्रकरण)

She starts the chapter by explaining both kaama (sensuous desires) and salvation. She explains the nature of both and how can any individual perfect both. She reveals in the book if kaam is any hindrace to moksha.

She then proceeds to explanation of kaam vilas (bliss). She explains the type of men and women who can enjoy the kaam vilas. She also explains the difference between the sensuality of the pashus and of the devtas. She also explains,  why should one be given the freedom of sensual indulgence and the importance of fulfilling it?

She then explains the difference between indulgence in subjectivity and sensuality. She also explains marriage and its relevance for fullfilment of kama vilas. She then proceeds to the dissolution of sensual desires and the tantric and yogic use of kaamachar.

In the ending paragraphs of the chapter, she then proceeds to explain salvation. How the path of salvation is achieved after perfection of kaama.  She then explains what salvation is? Who are eligible for salvation and the path to it.

She then ends the chapter and the book with the wisdoms of Mandavyasara, the ethics of Mandavyasara and the synopsis of the memoir of Mandavyasara.

 

Mandavyasara’s Stuti of Gurumandala

As per ‘Siddha Dharma’, she is also credited with the creation of tantric stuti of Gurumandala. She explictly uses tantra and other cognitive techniques like mudra, inferences, beej mantra etc to eulogize the importance of Gurumandala.

The ‘Siddha Dharma’ does not reveal the stuti created by her to the public but only to the worthy ones.