Netra Tantra (''Tantra of
ord ofEye'') is a
Tantra
Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...
text attributed to non-
Saiddhantika Mantra margic sect of
Shaivism
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...
produced between circa 700 - 850 CE in Kashmir. It was commented on by the
Kashmiri Saivite Pratyabhijñā philosopher
Kshemaraja
Rajanaka Kṣemarāja (क्षेमराज) (late 10th to early 11th century) was a philosopher and brilliant disciple of Abhinavagupta, who was a peerless master of tantra, yoga, poetics, and dramaturgy. Not much is known of Kṣemarāja's l ...
(c. 1000–1050) and it was connected with royalty and used in the courts by Śaiva officiants in the role of royal priest (Rājapurohita).
Netra Tantra, which also has the names of ''Mrityujit'' and ''Amṛteśavidhāna'', praises
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
and
Shakti
In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...
as the supreme beings in the forms of ''Amṛteśvarabhairava'' and ''Amṛtalaksmī''. Amrtesvara literally means god of
Amrita
''Amrita'' ( sa, अमृत, IAST: ''amṛta''), ''Amrit'' or ''Amata'' in Pali, (also called ''Sudha'', ''Amiy'', ''Ami'') is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept within Indian religions and is often referred to i ...
,
Ambrosia
In the ancient Greek myths, ''ambrosia'' (, grc, ἀμβροσία 'immortality'), the food or drink of the Greek gods, is often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. It was brought to the gods in Olympus ...
. Mrtyunjya might be the later development of this deity. Netra Tantra is divided into 22 adhikaras or chapters and they describe various aspects of worshipping Amrtesa. The work, divided into 22 adhikaras of uneven length, describing Shaktis of Amritesha, Diksha, Chakras in body, yoginis, bhutas and meditation hymns. Netra Tantra seems the mixture of many traditions within Saivism as well as other sects of Hinduism.
Notes
References
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Shaiva sects
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