Abstrakt
The study of Hindu Tantrism has been concerned so far almost exclusively with texts in Sanskrit. This is natural, since Tantric studies are relatively recent and Sanskrit sources are by far the most important evidence for uncovering the history of this religious phenomenon. On the other hand, Sanskrit is not the only language of Hindu Tantric literature. There is a vast amount of Tantric works in Indian vernacular languages (north, as well as south Indian). These texts remain practically unstudied, although they could significantly contribute to our understanding of Hindu Tantrism. Bengal was always known as a prominent Tantric region (mainly Śākta oriented), so it is not surprising that there are many medieval Tantric works written in Bengali. In my presentation I will introduce one of the most important text belonging to the Nātha tradition, called 'The Garland of Bones' (Hāṛmālā). This work was most probably produced in Mymesingh or Sylhet district, since all known manuscripts were found in this area. In several aspects, it resembles Tantric texts in Sanskrit: it is a dialog between Śiva and the Goddess, in which Śiva teaches his partner typical Tantric topics such as cosmogony, theogony, description of a yogic body etc. When analysing this text, I will ask the following questions: (1) is this text a mere derivative of some Sanskrit pattern, or is it for the most part an independent work?, (2) what does it teach us about a vernacular Tantric milieu?, (3) can we suppose the existence of two Tantric milieus, the Sanskrit and the vernacular one?, (4) if yes, where they separated, connected, overlapping, or should we think about another model of their coexistence?