samast varn, akshar, matrika ko ‘mantra’ evan iske sanyog-viyog tatha sadhna ki kriya ko ‘tantra’ kahte hain. sanskrit shabdakosh ke anusar, ati manav shakti prapt karne ke lie, shighra hi falibhut hone vali kriya ‘tantra’ kahlati hai. tantra shastra ki utpatti kab hui, yah kahna kathin hai. prachin smritiyon men 14 vidyaon ka ullekh milta hai, kintu usmen tantra ka ullekh nahin paya gaya hai. is karan tantra shastra ko prachin kal men viksit shastra nahin mana ja sakta. pahli bar ‘nrisinhtayniyopnishd’ men tantra sanbandhi baton ka ullekh milta hai.
tantra anek sanpradayon men, bhinna-bhinn rupon men, prachlit raha. vaishnav, shaiv, shakt, ganapatya, bauddh, jain evan muslim tantra pramukh hain. 10 shaivagam, 28 rudragam evan 64 bhairvagam prasiddh hain. tantra men mantra sadhna pramukh hai. mantron ke dvara sadhna prakriya ka purn rup se divya pratipadan kiya jata hai tatha manav jati ko sabhi prakar ke bhayon se chutkara dilane ke lie tantra ka upyog kiya jata hai. yantron ka prayog bhi anek rupon men kiya jata hai, jaise baglamukhi, vashikaran, mahamrityunjay, bhairav adi vibhinn prakar ke yantra tantra siddhiyon ke lie prayah upyog men laye jate hain.
tantra, mantra evan yantra tinon hi, ek prakar se, ek dusre ke purak hain. tantra ke dvara jo karya kiya jata hai, vah mantra dvara, yantra ka adhar le kar, kiya jata hai. yantra ko pratyaksh rup men siddh kar ke dusre ko diya ja sakta hai, jabki tantra, ya mantra ko pratyaksh rup men nahin diya ja sakta. tantra men anek mantra vidhaen svayansiddh mani gayi hain. tantra shastra men mantron ki kai jatiyan payi jati hain. ‘shardatilk’ men iski paripurn vivechna paddhati prastut ki gayi hai. isi kram men yah bhi bataya gaya hai ki shabar jaisi kuch tantra siddhiyan kali yug men siddh mani gayi hain tatha ve sabhi ke lie upyogi bhi hain.
tantra kriya purva kal men jadu-tona, kam-krira, dua-tabij, aushdhi nirman adi se sanbandhit thi. vartaman parivesh men sankat, arachan, dukhon adi se mukti aur prem tatha dhan adi ke lie tantra ka adhik upyog kiya ja raha hai. tantra ke agam shastra men uddhrit lakshanon se jo guru hon, unse vidhanpurvak diksha grahan karne ka prastav bhi diya gaya hai. ek or jahan mantron ke khand men nitya karm, naimittik karm evan kamya karm ki vivechna hai, vahin dusri or tantra men matra naimittik evan kamya karmon ki hi adhik vivechna pratipadit hai. tantra shastra men shatkarmon (shanti, vashya, stanbhan, vidveshan, uchchatan, marn) ki vyakhya evan prayog ki bhi adhik vivechna di gayi hai.
tantra shastra ko mukhyatah shivapranit mana jata hai, jo 3 bhagon men vibhakt hai: pratham agam tantra, dvitiya yamal tantra evan tritiya varahi tantra. inke antargat kramshah srishti, pralay evan devopasna ka pravdhan hai. agam men shatkarm evan 4 prakar ke dhyan-yogon ka varnan paya jata hai.
yamal tantra men srishti tatva, jyotish, nitya kritya, kram sutra, varn bhed evan yug dharm ka varnan diya gaya hai. isi ke antargat vyavhar tatha adhyatm niyam bhi pratipadit hanai. varahi tantra men srishti, lay, mantra nirnay, tirth, vyavhar, tatha adhyatmik niyamon ka varnan hai. isi kram men tantrikon ko 7 kotiyon men vibhakt kiya gaya hai, jo is prakar hanai - devachar, vaishnavachar, shaivachar, dakshinachar, vamachar, siddhantachar evan kaulachar.
dharm 4 hain, jinmen se 1 hai shakt dharm. isi shakt dharm se sanbandhit baton ka pratipadan tantra shastra men adhik paya jata hai. dharm ganrathon ke anusar shiv ne vaidik kriyaon ko kilit kar rakha hai. bhagvti uma ke agrah se shiv ne kali yug ke lie tantra ka nirman kiya.
jab koi tantra sadhak kisi anya jatak ke lie koi abhicharadi karm karta hai, to vah tantrakatrta ke aspas ek vishesh prakar ke paryavaran ko nirmit karta hai. kuch samay pashchat yah paryavaran shakti, akashiya urja ke madhyam se, upar ki or uthti hui, apne nishchit marg men gaman karti hui, apne lakshya tak ki yatra tay karti hai.
jab yah paryavaran us jatak ke pas pahunchta hai, to jatak ko prabhavit karne lagta hai, jise samanya log tone, totke, evan chamatkar ke nam se jante hain. tantra ke anusar is shastra ke siddhant bahut hi gupt rakhe jate hain. yadi vartaman sthiti ko dekha jae, to hindu dharm ki apeksha bauddh dharm men tantra sadhak kahin adhik paye jate hain.
iske atirikt islami mat men bhi is vidya ka adhik prachar-prasar dekha ja sakta hai. tantra vistar ka paryayvachi hai. tantra ek kriya ki vidya hai. yah shakti nahin hai. tantra ki kriyaen hi manav ki shakti men vriddhi lane ka karya karti hain.
bhautik evan adhyatmik drishti se jinhen siddhiyan kahte hain ya mante hain, ve sadhna men prakat hone vali vibhutiyan hain. jab koi sadhak tantra sadhna karta hai aur usi par apna dhyan kendrit karta hai, to kalantar men yah kriya sadhak men dhyanakarshan ki vriddhi karti hai.
yahi age chal kar anek ghatnaon ki suchnadi prapt karne men sadhak ki madad karti hai. tantra men abhichar evan vashikaran, marnadi ka upyog ashubh mana gaya hai. yadi svarthavash tantra ka durupyog kiya jata hai, to sadhak ka vinash hota hai. atah tantra sanbandhi sadhnaen guru ke margadarshan se karne ki salah di jati hai. iska durupyog karna sada hi varjit kaha gaya hai.