Grouping the Tantras

Here is an attempt to group tantras based on some random but connecting aspects.

Tantras which are listed in more than one krAnta:

bhUtaDAmara (viShNu, ratha), haMsamAheshvara (viShNu, ratha), vishuddheshvara (viShNu, ashva), sammohana (viShNu, ashva [sammohinI?]), matsyasUkta (viShNu, ratha), navaratneshvara (viShNu, ratha), yantrachintAmaNi (viShNu, ashva), kriyAsAra (viShNu, ashva).

Tantras which are deity-specific:

kAlI, vArAhI, gaNesha, chAmuNDA, muNDamAlA, devI, lalitA, rAdhA, bhairavI, kAmAkhyA, kumarI, kubjikA, mahiShamardinI, mahAnIlA(a), ekajaTA, garuDa, bhairava, bAlA, rAjarAjeshvarI, lakShmI, uDDAmareshvara, bhuvaneshvarI, gaurI, rAdhAmAdhava, lIlAvatI, shAradA, gAyatrI tantras.

Tantras expounding archana:

shivArchana, gurvarchana tantras.

Tattvabodhaka tantras:

tattvasAra, tattvachintAmaNi tantras.

Tantras expounding mantra shAstra as the main subject:

haMsamAheshvara, mAtR^ikodaya, bIjachintAmaNi, varNoddhR^iti, varNavilAsa, purashcharaNachandrikA (twenty-second tantra in the rathAkrAnta list), purashcharaNarasollAsa, pa~nchadashI, prapa~nchasAra and gAyatrI tantras.

Tantras named after the propagators:

sanatkumAra, vAsudeva-rahasya, bR^ihadgautamIya, nAradIya, nAgArjuna tantras.

Tantras dealing with specific Acharas:

samayAchAra, AcharasAra, chinAchara, chIna, bR^ihacchIna tantras.

Tantras dealing with siddhis:

siddhiyAmaLa, siddhasAra, siddhi(a)-sArasvata, siddhitaddhiri tantras.

Tantras dealing with generic aspects of mantra-tantra-yantra:

bIjachintAmaNi, bhUtasiddhi [a manuscript we have seen is called bhUtashuddhi], pradIkShA, bhUtalipi, mantrachintAmaNi, yantrachintAmaNi tantras.

Tantras expounding yogashAstra:

yogasAra tantra, yogasvarodaya, yogArNava and yoga tantras.

Tantras with mokSha/j~nAna as the chief objective:

mokSha, mahAmokSha, bR^ihanmokSha and brahmaj~nAna tantras.

Tantras which exhibit sAdR^ishya not only in terms of content (in most of the cases but with exceptions) but also in the name:

a. kulArNava, j~nAnArNava, yogarNava
b. nIlA, mahAnIla(A)
c. uttara, niruttara, mahAniruttara
d. siddhasAra, kriyAsAra, prapa~nchasAra, yogasAra, kR^itisAra, guptasAra, vishvasAra (probably a misfit here?), AcharasAra, tattvasAra, varNasAra
e. bhairava, j~nAnabhairava, AkAshabhairava, karALabhairava, kAlabhairava, bhUtabhairava
f. mAlinI, mAlinIvijaya, ka~NkAlamAlinI, mahAmAlinI, bR^ihanmAlinI
g. yoginI, yoginIhr^idaya, mahAyoginI, bR^ihadyoginI
h. bR^ihadgautamIya, bR^ihadyoni, bR^ihattoDala, bR^ihannirvANa, bR^ihatka~NkAlinI, bR^ihanmAlinI, bR^ihanmokSha, bR^ihacChrIkrama, bR^ihatsAra
i. chUdAmaNi, kulachUDAmaNi, bhAvachUDAmaNi
j. yantrachintAmaNi, mantrachintAmaNi, tattvachintAmaNi, bIjachintAmaNi
k. chIna, chInAchAra, bR^ihacchIna

Also, we have dealt with the verse chatuHShaShTyA tantraiH from saundaryalaharI earlier and considered the implications of both the pAThas: atisandhAya and abhisandhAya. In this light, even if the first pATha is considered, it would need to be interpreted in the light of the following verse from vishvasAra tantra:

chatuHShaShTikatantrANi yAmaLAdIni pArvati |
saphalAnIha vArAhe viShNukrAntAsu bhUmiShu ||
kalpabhedena tantrANi kathitAni cha yAni cha |
pAShaNDamohanAyaiva viphalAnIha sundari ||

However, the list of sixty-four listed by shrI lakShmIdharAchArya while commenting on this verse does not strictly comply with any of the three krAnta lists. As none of the other commentators seem to note this verse from vishvasAra as well, it is possible that laShmIdhara deshika’s list belongs to some other scheme of classification of tantras, unrelated to the threefold krAnta division.

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