By Swami Harshananda
The yāmalas are a group of tāntrik literature. They represent the secret dialogues between a deity and his spouse.[1] Out of the eight yāmalas, the Rudrayāmala is the third. The printed texts contain 66 chapters and 6000 verses, mostly in the anuṣṭubh metre, though the references to this work in treatises like the Dhanadāpura- ścarana-vidhi, put the number at 1,25,000 verses.
This work praises the Atharvaveda profusely. Apart from dealing with the mysterious Kuṇḍalinī and the yogic practices connected with it, quite a few elements of the vāmācāra schools like the pañcamakāras also find a prominent place. In this work the guru’s place is supreme.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore