Tantric practice and divine feminine power | Curator's Corner S6 Ep1 #CuratorsCorner

Summary

Curator Imma Ramos introduces the upcoming exhibition 'Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution,' exploring Tantra's philosophy and its emphasis on divine feminine power, Shakti. The exhibition delves into Tantra's countercultural history, the rise of goddess worship, and its impact on women's lives. It features objects like a late 19th-century Kali sculpture symbolizing both protective motherhood and revolutionary spirit, reflecting Tantra's radical views on female empowerment and its influence on modern politics and religious practices.

Takeaways

• 🔮 Tantra is a philosophical system that originated in India around the 6th century, emphasizing the divine feminine power, Shakti, which can be accessed through rituals and practices like yoga for spiritual enlightenment.
• 🌟 The exhibition 'Tantra: enlightenment to revolution' aims to correct the misconception of Tantra as a hedonistic cult and presents it as a countercultural movement with a significant impact on gender roles and societal norms.
• 👩‍🎨 The goddess Kali, with her dual roles as a protective mother and a symbol of revolution, exemplifies the Tantric challenge to traditional models of womanhood, embodying both destructive and maternal power.
• 🗝️ Kali's imagery, such as the garland of severed heads and standing on Shiva, symbolizes the transcendence of the ego and the supremacy of Shakti, suggesting that without the divine feminine, the universe would be lifeless.
• ⚔️ During the colonial era, Kali was misconstrued by the British as a demonic figure, but Indian revolutionaries in Bengal reappropriated her image as an anti-colonial symbol,预示着 British rule's downfall.
• 🌱 Tantra's view of women as embodiments of Shakti and capable of rapid enlightenment contrasts with earlier traditions that considered the female body an obstacle to spiritual progress.
• 🧘‍♀️ Historical figures like Karaikkal Ammaiyar, who abandoned her role as a wife to pursue a spiritual quest, illustrate Tantra's empowering effect on women, allowing them to achieve self-deification.
• 👵 The role of women as Tantric gurus, initiating disciples and sharing secret teachings, including rituals for achieving union with a deity and accessing supernatural powers, was significant and颠覆了传统的师生关系.
• 🤝 The Mughal dynasty's patronage of Tantric masters and the depiction of women as gurus in their art reflect the recognition of Tantric practices as a source of power and authority.
• 🌐 The exhibition suggests that Tantra's affirmation of the divine feminine and its challenge to established norms have the potential to inspire new perspectives and change in the world.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the exhibition 'Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution'?

The exhibition explores the history of Tantra as a countercultural movement, emphasizing its philosophical origins, the role of feminine power, and its impact on society, including the lives of women and its influence on modern politics.

How did Tantra view material reality and the divine feminine power?

Tantra, which emerged in India around the 6th century, viewed all material reality as animated by Shakti, the divine feminine power. This philosophy proposed that this power could be accessed through the body and mind, and rituals such as visualizations and yoga, with the ultimate aim of spiritual enlightenment.

How did the goddess Kali represent the tension between destructive and maternal power?

Kali, a goddess inspired by Tantra, embodies both protective motherhood and revolutionary iconography. She is depicted with a garland of severed heads, corpses, and blood, symbolizing the devouring of negative and demonic forces, yet she is also approached as a compassionate mother-figure, assisting followers on their path to enlightenment.

What is the significance of Kali standing on Shiva in Tantric belief?

In Tantric belief, existence is seen as resulting from the union of Shakti, the creative force, and Shiva, pure consciousness. Kali standing on Shiva symbolizes her superiority and the idea that without Shakti, Shiva would remain inert, and the universe would cease to exist.

How did the British colonial officials misunderstand the symbolism of Kali?

British colonial officials in Bengal perceived Kali as a symbol of horror and irrationality, misunderstanding her as demonic. They failed to grasp her role as a protective and enlightening figure, and this misconception led to the censorship of images depicting Kali with British-looking heads.

How did Indian revolutionaries in Bengal use the symbolism of Kali?

Indian revolutionaries in Bengal exploited the British fears and misconceptions of Kali as a bloodthirsty 'demon mother' and harnessed her as an anti-colonial symbol, using her image to represent resistance against colonial rule and a call for Indian independence.

What role did Tantra play in challenging traditional views on women's spiritual capabilities?

Tantra challenged earlier Hindu and Buddhist traditions that viewed the female body as an impediment to enlightenment. It taught that women could achieve rapid enlightenment as embodiments of Shakti and should be venerated as goddesses, re-envisioning women as independent practitioners capable of self-deification.

Who was Karaikkal Ammaiyar and how did she exemplify Tantric ideals?

Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a historical figure from 6th-century Tamil Nadu who abandoned her role as a dutiful wife to pursue a spiritual quest. She became a follower of Shiva, adopting a fearsome appearance akin to Kali, and is remembered for her visionary poems and enlightened state, symbolizing the Tantric path of transcending societal roles.

What was the role of women in Tantra as depicted in the painting from around 1750?

The painting from around 1750 shows a noblewoman seeking counsel or initiation from two female Tantric masters, highlighting women's roles as independent masters and gurus in Tantra. These women were seen as superior teachers due to their embodiment of Shakti and were capable of initiating disciples into secret teachings and rituals.

How did the Mughal dynasty engage with Tantric masters, and what was the impact?

The Mughal dynasty, which arrived in India in the 16th century, commissioned detailed representations of women as Tantric gurus, attracted by the belief that these masters could strengthen and lend authority to their political positions. This engagement with Tantric masters reflects the dynasty's interest in harnessing spiritual power for political ends.

Outlines

00:00

🔮 Tantra: Philosophy and Feminine Power

Imma Ramos, the curator of medieval to modern South Asia collections, introduces the upcoming exhibition 'Tantra: enlightenment to revolution.' She clarifies that Tantra, which emerged in India around the 6th century, is a philosophy that views material reality as animated by divine feminine power, Shakti. The philosophy is accessible through rituals like yoga and aims for spiritual enlightenment. The exhibition explores Tantra's countercultural movement, emphasizing feminine power and its impact on goddess worship and women's lives in India. The goddess Kali, with her dual roles as a protective mother and a revolutionary icon, exemplifies Tantra's challenge to traditional womanhood. The narrative also touches on Kali's symbolism, including her association with destruction of negative forces and her role in the erotic union with Shiva, signifying the creation of the universe. The British colonial misunderstanding of Kali as demonic and her subsequent adoption as an anti-colonial symbol by Indian revolutionaries are also discussed.

05:03

🌟 The Impact of Tantra on Women's Lives

The paragraph delves into how Tantra's affirmation of the divine feminine was radical and empowering for women. It contrasts earlier Hindu and Buddhist traditions that considered the female body an obstacle to enlightenment with Tantra's view that women, as embodiments of Shakti, could achieve rapid enlightenment. The narrative highlights the historical figure Karaikkal Ammaiyar, who abandoned her role as a wife to pursue a spiritual quest, eventually becoming a revered saint in Tamil Nadu. The paragraph also discusses the significant roles women played as Tantric masters, initiating disciples and sharing secret teachings, including rituals for achieving union with a deity. A painting from 1750 is mentioned, depicting a noblewoman seeking counsel from female Tantric masters, emphasizing women's superiority as teachers in Tantra. The paragraph concludes by noting the widespread veneration of women as gurus in Tantric texts and communities.

10:07

🌱 Tantra's Challenge to Conventional Norms

This paragraph discusses how Tantra has historically challenged gender norms, religious, cultural, and political establishments. It mentions the Mughal dynasty's commissioning of representations of women as gurus, indicating rulers' attraction to Tantric masters for strengthening their political authority. The exhibition is presented as a means to explore Tantra's potential for changing perspectives and the world. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to the exhibition opening on April 23rd, encouraging viewers to learn more about Tantra and its transformative impact.

Keywords

💡Tantra

Tantra is a philosophical and spiritual tradition that originated in India around the 6th century. It is not a hedonistic cult as commonly misconceived, but rather a system that views all material reality as animated by Shakti, the divine feminine power. In the video, Tantra is presented as a countercultural movement that offers a path to spiritual enlightenment through rituals, visualizations, and yoga. The exhibition 'Tantra: enlightenment to revolution' aims to explore its history and influence, particularly on gender roles and societal norms.

💡Shakti

Shakti, translating to 'divine feminine power', is a central concept in Tantra. It represents the dynamic forces that move through the universe and is believed to be accessible through physical and mental practices. The video discusses how Shakti is embodied in goddesses like Kali, and how the recognition of Shakti challenges traditional views of women as passive, instead empowering them as active agents in spiritual attainment.

💡Kali

Kali is a goddess in Hindu mythology, often associated with destruction, time, and doomsday, but also considered a fierce yet compassionate mother figure. In the video, Kali is highlighted as a symbol of both destructive and maternal power, challenging traditional models of womanhood. The sculpture of Kali from 19th-century Bengal is used to illustrate her role as a protective mother and a revolutionary icon, embodying the Tantric concept of Shakti.

💡Feminine Power

Feminine power, as emphasized in Tantra, is a recurring theme in the video that explores how the recognition of Shakti and goddess worship influenced the lives of women. It is shown as a counter to earlier traditions that viewed the female body as an impediment to enlightenment. The video uses examples like Kali and other Tantric goddesses to illustrate the empowerment of women and the transformation of gender roles.

💡Enlightenment

Enlightenment in the context of Tantra refers to the ultimate spiritual goal of self-realization and union with the divine. The video explains that Tantra offers a path to enlightenment through the internalization of Shakti, which is accessible to all, including women. The concept is exemplified by the historical figure of Karaikkal Ammaiyar, who abandoned her social role to pursue a spiritual quest, embodying the Tantric ideal of self-deification.

💡Countercultural Movement

The video positions Tantra as a fundamentally countercultural movement that challenges established religious, cultural, and political norms. It highlights how Tantra's emphasis on feminine power and the empowerment of women were radical for its time, and how these ideas continue to influence societal perspectives on gender and spirituality.

💡Goddess Worship

Goddess worship is a significant aspect of Tantra, as it elevates the status of women and feminine energy. The video discusses how the rise of goddess worship in India, influenced by Tantra, affected the lives of women and societal views on femininity. The worship of goddesses like Kali is shown as a way to access and honor Shakti, the divine feminine power.

💡Kali Festival

The Kali Festival is an annual event in Bengal that celebrates the goddess Kali. The video describes how clay sculptures of Kali are made for this festival, placed in temporary shrines, and ritually venerated by devotees. This practice is an example of how Tantric rituals and the veneration of goddesses are integrated into cultural celebrations.

💡Anti-Colonial Symbol

In the video, Kali is also portrayed as an anti-colonial symbol, particularly during the British rule in India. The British误解了Kali的象征意义, viewing her as demonic, while Indian revolutionaries used her image to rally against colonial rule. This duality in perception illustrates how religious symbols can be co-opted for political purposes.

💡Tantric Masters

Tantric masters, as mentioned in the video, are individuals who have mastered Tantric practices and teachings. They are depicted as figures of spiritual authority and power, capable of initiating disciples into Tantric practices. The video includes examples of female Tantric masters, emphasizing the tradition's recognition of women as spiritual leaders and teachers.

💡Nath Order

The Nath order is a Tantric community founded around the 12th century, known for popularizing Tantric yoga. The video describes how this order believed in awakening Shakti through breath control, leading to instant enlightenment and various powers. Members of the Nath order are identified by their long dreadlocks and small horns, as seen in the painting of female Tantric masters.

Highlights

Tantra is a philosophy that emerged in India around the 6th century, not a hedonistic cult.

Tantra views all material reality as animated by Shakti, the divine feminine power.

The philosophy was accessible to people from all social backgrounds in India.

Tantra's emphasis on feminine power informed the rise of goddess worship in India.

The goddess Kali embodies both protective and revolutionary power.

Kali is depicted with symbols of destruction and maternal power, challenging traditional womanhood.

The Kali festival in Bengal involves creating and venerating clay sculptures of the goddess.

Kali's iconography includes a garland of severed heads symbolizing the transcendence of ego.

Kali is shown standing on Shiva, signifying her superiority and the necessity of Shakti for creation.

British colonial officials misunderstood Kali as demonic, while Indian revolutionaries used her as an anti-colonial symbol.

Kali was regarded as a symbol of Mother India rising against colonizers during the British rule.

Tantra taught that women could achieve rapid enlightenment as embodiments of Shakti.

Tantric images re-envision women as independent practitioners capable of self-deification.

Karaikkal Ammaiyar is an example of a historical figure who pursued a radical spiritual quest.

Women played important roles as Tantric gurus and teachers, sharing secret teachings and rituals.

The Nath order, a Tantric community, popularized yoga for awakening Shakti and achieving enlightenment.

Tantric masters were seen as agents of power, attracting rulers like the Mughal dynasty.

Tantra challenges gender norms, religious, cultural, and political establishments.

The exhibition aims to explore Tantra's potential for changing perceptions and the world.

Transcripts

My name is Imma Ramos and I’m the curator of the medieval to modern South Asia collections

here at the museum…and this is my corner. At the moment I’m working on an exhibition,

Tantra: enlightenment to revolution, which opens this April. I'm often asked, what exactly

is Tantra? I have to start by saying what it's not, it's not a hedonistic cult of ecstasy,

which is a common misconception. Tantra is a philosophy that emerged in India around

the 6th century. It presented a new worldview which saw all material reality as animated

by Shakti, which translates as divine feminine power.

This power could be accessed through the body and mind and through rituals such as visualisations

and yoga, and the ultimate aim was the attainment of spiritual enlightenment. This appealed

to people across India from all social backgrounds, from kings and queens and monks and nuns,

to householders and ritual specialists. The exhibition presents a history of Tantra

as a fundamentally countercultural movement. One of the recurring themes explores how Tantra's

emphasis on feminine power informed the rise of goddess worship in India and how this in

turn affected the lives of women. So today I wanted to highlight a few objects that help

us tell that story.

The goddesses that Tantra inspired challenged traditional models of womanhood as passive

and docile by expressing both destructive and maternal power. The goddess Kali illustrates

this tension perfectly. Throughout history Kali has been both a protective mother and

a revolutionary icon for her devotees. This figure dates to the late 19th century and

was made in Bengal, which was an early centre of Tantra.

Clay sculptures of the goddess like this are made every year for the Kali festival, which

takes place in the autumn and is one of the biggest festivals in Bengal. They're housed

in temporary shrines which are set up on street corners and devotees visit each one, providing

the goddess with offerings. It's believed that images of Kali become enlivened when

ritually venerated in this way. A garland of severed heads hangs from her

neck, corpses from her ears and hands from her girdle. In her upper left hand she would

have carried a sword, now lost. The lower left hand carries a severed head. Her mouth

is smeared with blood and she sticks out her tongue as though thirsting for more. Tantric

texts describe her as having a gaping mouth with which she devours negative and demonic

forces. Her home is a cremation ground, where she surrounds herself with ghosts and jackals.

Although she appears fierce, she conveys compassion and a desire to assist followers on their

path to enlightenment. She's approached as a mother-figure. The severed heads represent

the fragile human ego which Kali helps devotees to transcend. Her top right hand displays

a gesture of fearlessness, to reassure and protect devotees.

She is shown standing on her husband, the god Shiva. According to Tantric belief, existence

itself results from the erotic union between Shakti as creative force (embodied here by

Kali) and Shiva as pure consciousness. The symbolism of Kali striding over Shiva reflects

her superiority, as without her he would remain inert and the universe would perish. Without

Shakti, Shiva is literally a shava or corpse, emphasized here by his deathly pallor.

Kali’s popularity became a focus for revolutionary politics during the time when this sculpture

was made. The figure entered the museum in 1894; records don’t reveal who the donor

was but it was probably a colonial official or missionary based in Bengal. At the time

Bengal was not only a Tantric centre but also the nucleus of British rule. Kali gripped

the British psyche as an icon of horror and irrationality – colonial officials completely

misunderstood her symbolism and assumed she was demonic.

Indian revolutionaries in Bengal effectively exploited British fears and misconceptions

of the goddess as a bloodthirsty ‘demon mother’ and harnessed her as an anti-colonial

symbol. We can see this through this particular print, produced around 1895 by a studio in

Calcutta, the capital of Bengal. Kali’s sacrificial heads assumed an alternative meaning

here. A colonial administrator anxiously described this image as featuring what appeared to be

British-looking heads, a prediction of the fall of the British Empire, which led to its

censorship. Perhaps he was right to be concerned – by

this time Kali was regarded by many as a symbol of Mother India, rising up against her colonizers.

In 1905 a writer for a seditious Bengali newspaper proclaimed: ‘Rise up, O sons of India…

the Foreign Empire draws to an end, for behold! Kali rises in the East.’ I think it’s

this synthesis of modern politics and religious myth that make these two images of Kali so

fascinating.

Tantra's affirmation of the divine feminine was radical for its time, but how did this

inform the lives of real women? Earlier Hindu and Buddhist traditions taught

that the female body was an impediment to achieving enlightenment, and that women should

remain submissive and dependent on men. Tantra, on the other hand, taught that women

could achieve rapid enlightenment because they were natural embodiments of Shakti.

Many Tantric texts even say that for this reason women should be venerated as goddesses

in their own right.

The ultimate aim of Tantric practice is to become a deity like Kali – to fully internalise

their power. Tantric images re-envisioned women as independent practitioners who were

capable of achieving self-deification.

We see this through the historical figure of Karaikkal Ammaiyar, who lived in Tamil

Nadu in South India in the 6th century. According to popular accounts of her life,

she was a very beautiful, very dutiful wife. But she was harbouring a desire to pursue

her own radical spiritual quest. She eventually abandoned her role as an obedient wife to

become a follower of the god Shiva. She asked Shiva to replace her beauty with a fearsome

appearance which echoed Kali’s. This is a modern representation of her that

we have in the collection, for the exhibition we’re lucky enough to be including a medieval

sculpture of her from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Here you can see she has assumed

that fierce appearance, she's skeletal and has bulbous eyes and fangs. She’s shown

reciting one of her visionary poems, accompanying herself with a pair of cymbals.

In one of her poems she describes her time spent meditating in a cremation-ground, Kali’s

favourite haunt, where she confronts and conquers her own ego and fear of mortality:

“In the cremation-ground where you hear crackling noises

and the white pearls fall out of the tall bamboo,

The ghouls with frizzy hair and drooping bodies, Shouting with wide-open mouths,

Come together and feast on the corpses.” In rejecting her social role and assuming

a transgressive Tantric one, she achieved an enlightened state. Today she's regarded

as both a devotional and Tantric icon and is venerated as a saint across Tamil Nadu.

Women played important roles not only as independent masters but also as Tantric gurus or teachers

who initiated disciples and shared otherwise secret teachings with them, including rituals

for achieving union with a deity and access to a range of powers, including the promise

of immortality and even the ability to fly. This painting from around 1750 shows a noblewoman

who has travelled a great distance to visit two female Tantric masters who are seated

on the left. She appears to be seeking counsel or initiation from the elder woman, whose

age is expressively suggested with sensitive attention to detail.

Many Tantric texts describe women as superior teachers in their embodiment of Shakti. One

example says that, ‘There are no rules for women; all are said to be gurus.’

The two female Tantric masters on the left have long dreadlocks, one is wearing them

piled on top of her head. They’re both wearing small horns around their necks which identifies

them as members of the Nath order, a Tantric community founded around the 12th century.

The Nath order famously popularised Tantric yoga which involved awakening an individual's

source of Shakti at the base of the spine through breath control. This awakening was

believed to trigger instant enlightenment and offer a range of other powers, from long

life to invulnerability. Rulers across India were attracted to Tantric

masters as agents of power who could strengthen and lend authority to their political positions.

This included the Mughal dynasty who arrived from Central Asia in the 16th century. They

commissioned some of the earliest detailed representations of women as gurus, such as

this one. The images that we have seen represent goddesses

and women that transcend conventional representations of femininity and womanhood, whether as wife,

mother or lover, by inhabiting a role beyond the parameters of societal expectations. From

its beginnings to the present day, Tantra has challenged not only gender norms but also

religious, cultural and political establishments. The exhibition charts Tantra’s potential

for opening up new ways of seeing and changing the world.

Thank you for watching…if you’d like to learn more about Tantra, come and see our

exhibition opening on April 23rd – to find out more, see the details below.