Maya-Tantra

Maya-Tantra is an important Kaulic tantra, serving as a vivid example of the revision of the concept of "maya" in Hindu Tantrism: instead of a veil of illusion, maya takes on the form of the powerful Great Goddess, the worship of various manifestations of whom becomes a necessary condition for Liberation, represented not as an escape from the world, but as the attainment of supernatural power and immortality in this world. The Maya-Tantra is also noteworthy for its emphasis on the subordinate position of Vishnu and his avatars – Rama and Krishna – in relation to female deities and the ritual prescriptions concerning the times of solar and lunar eclipses. The commented translation of the Maya-Tantra is accompanied by two articles: "The Symbolism of the Moon in Hindu Tantra" and "Poetry in the Texts of Tantra", which reveal the themes addressed in the text of this monument.