Mahanirvana Tantram (An Old and Rare Book)

THE Mahanirvan Tantram is the most important of all the Tantras that are to be found now. It consists of two parts. The Text of the first portion only has been published in Bengal. The second part, a reference of which is to be met with in the first, is not to be found any where. I made many attempts to find it out but all to no purpose. Sometime before an information reached me that the Text of the second part was available in the temple of Kamakhya in Assam. I tried to have a look at it through some of my friends and on enquiry it was found that the text there is nothing but a version of the first part that we have translated.

To readers who are not well acquainted with Sanskrit this English version, we hope, will not be an unwelcome guest. This will give them an insight into one department of Sanskrit literature which is very popular in Bengal. The cardinal teaching of this great work is the worship of One True God, which the author, despite many mystical and superficially technical passages, advocates in every page of the book. The style is charming and in many passages, true poetic touch is to be seen.

I have tried my best to translate the work as much literally as is possible making the sense clear. The duty of the translator is to interpret clearly and distinctly the ideas and thoughts of the original author. How far I have succeeded in this depends upon the judgment of my readers. I have given copious foot-notes to make the obscure passages clear. In the introduction I have attempted to give a short digest of Tantrik teachings. It will help the readers in understanding the original work. For this purpose, I have consulted almost all the Tantrik works that are available in Bengal. There is no other Tantram more important than this and I hope the translation of the Mahanirvana Tantram will place, before the English-knowing public, a key to un-lock the portal of Tantrik teachings which once swayed and have been still swaying over the many millions of Bengal.

**Contents and Sample Pages**