Poche opere come questa, l’Essenza dei Tarttra, danno un quadro così completo, e vivace e profondo ad un tempo, della mistica indiana. In essa il suo autore, Abhinavagupta, il grande filosofo, mistico e retore kashmiro dell’undicesimo secolo, ha condensato quanto di più essenziale è contenuto nell’altra sua opera, l’enciclopedica Luce dei Tantra (Tantraloka) che, insieme col commento di Jayaratha, occupa dodici volumi a stampa.
Dal principio alla fine dei ventidue capitoli di quest’opera il lettore è condotto per un mondo a lui estraneo e che non potrà mancare di sorprenderlo, in cui la considerazione filosofica, spesso acutissima (ma in quest’opera i problemi più specialmente teoretici, altrove distesamente trattati dall’autore, sono toccati solo di sfuggita), si mescola con una tale ricchezza di immagini, attinte dal capitale immenso dello gnosticismo o tantrismo indiano, da esser tenuta quasi per allucinante, ove non fosse sempre sorretta e dominata dalla grande e singolare persona dell’autore, uno degli spiriti più originali e profondi dell’India di tutti i tempi. (Essenza dei Tantra, prefazione, traduzione e commento a cura di RANIERO GNOLI)
Tantrasara (TS), as its name suggests, is the summary of important notions, principles, doctrines, and practices found in the Tan-tras in general and in the Tantraloka (TA) in particular. The TA is Abhinavagupta’s most extensive work on the principles of nondual Saiva doctrines written in verse, while the TS, which is its summary, is significantly shorter and written in prose.
It was the tradition of some of the ancient pandits belonging to different schools of Indian thought to write brief and simplified versions of the main principles and doctrines of their schools. The purpose of this practice was to provide those interested in the subject but unable to devote years of study to Sanskrit grammar and logic, deemed prerequisites for the study of any other branch of learning, with a simplified and comprehensible overview of the main principles of their respective schools. Abhinavagupta and his disciple Ksemaraja wholeheartedly embraced this practice. As early as the second benedictory verse of the TS, Abhinavagupta declares the complexity, vastness, and depth of the topics discussed in the TA as the main reason for writing its short version.
The primary aim of the TS is to make knowledge easily accessible; thus, Abhinavagupta avoids getting into complex and lengthy philosophical arguments and elaboration, and lays out the subject matter smoothly and concisely. For us, on the other hand, who are attempting to study and to understand this text a millennium later, the brevity of the style of the TS presents a significant challenge. Furthermore, the Sanskrit used by Abhinavagupta in the TS is not easy, and the notions and practices found in it are obscure ix and sometimes incomprehensible. It is because of these difficulties that this text remains inaccessible not only to the general public but also to Sanskrit scholars and Indologists whose specialty is outside of Tantric studies. However, it should be pointed out here that a reader at the time of Abhinavagupta would have experienced significantly less difficulty in understanding this text than we are experiencing today, especially when it comes to ritual practices and observances. The reason for this is that the tradition was alive and its teaching and practices were widespread and therefore understandable to those interested in learning them. (Tantrasara of Abhinavagupta, translated from Sanskrit with introduction and notes by H.N. Chakravarty)