MAHARNIRVANA TANTRA

The "Great Liberation Tantra" (Mahanirvana Tantra) is one of the most important texts dedicated to the worship of Tantra. It was translated by Sir John Woodroffe under the pseudonym Arthur Avalon. Woodroffe was the first Western scholar to translate the secret texts of Tantra into English with the help of the few scholars capable of understanding them thoroughly. Mahanirvana Tantra consists of a series of conversations between Shiva and Parvati, his Shakti. Shiva exposes to his consort a spiritual path suitable for the Kali era. He talks about the various meditation techniques to be able to go beyond the influences of nature and the degenerations of Kali Yuga and thus be able to rise to a wider self-awareness, the basic condition for being able to overcome the cycle of birth and death. It describes in detail the sacred ceremonies, rites, Yantras and Mantras connected to them. It speaks of the eternal law of Dharma, of the worship of Brahman and Shakti. The Indian Tantras, which are numerous, constitute the Scriptures (Shastra) of the Kaliyuga, and as such are the voluminous source of the present and practical Orthodox "Hinduism". The Tantra Shastras are, in fact, whatever their historical origins, a development of the Vaidika Karmakanda, promulgated to meet the needs of this age. Shiva says, "For the sake of the men of the Kali era, men devoid of energy and dependent to live on the food they eat, the Kaula doctrine, or auspiciousness! Has been given" (Chap. IX, verse 12) . We must therefore turn our gaze to Tantra if we want to understand well both rituals and yoga, or sadhanas of all kinds, as well as the general principles of which these practices are nothing but the objective expression.

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KULARNAVA TANTRA
The Kularnava Tantra is one of the most important texts of the Kaula and Nath tradition and is considered an authority in Tantric literature. The book - worthy of study by those who want to understand the principles and practice of the tantric way - is presented in the form of a dialogue between the Lord of yoga, Shiva, and his Shakti, the Mother of the universe.

Tantra is a guide to spiritual liberation 'without the limits and constraints' of social religiosity. The meaning of the texts may seem obvious at first sight, but most of them use a language that must be interpreted, experienced and realized at different levels. According to tradition, everything has a physical, subtle and transcendent significance, and the Devi with Her maya can confuse or enlighten. It is said that the person who is not pure and with an animal mentality is predisposed to misunderstand the meaning of the texts. Understanding their hermetic language is found by going to the root of tantric philosophy, in which there is no Shiva without Shakti, and yoga is the realization of the unity of all things.

The Kularnava Tantra is dedicated to the higher aspect of Shiva, called Ardhanarishvara. This aspect brings together Shiva and Shakti in a single form, and represents the union of the masculine and feminine principles, ida and pingala (ha-tha), of exhaled and inhaled breath. Each chapter is called ullasa or bliss, referring to the divine nectar enjoyed by those who participate in the union of Shiva and Shakti

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YONI TANTRA Bengal, India, ca. 1650

The Yoni Tantra is a sacred text of Bengal (16th century) which deals mainly with the description of Yoni Puja, or "Mass of the Vulva"; one of the secret and esoteric tantric rituals dedicated to creating - and consuming - the sacred fluid which is called yonitattva (Skt., yoni substance). According to this text, sexual union (mithunam) is an indispensable part of the tantric ritual and can be performed by and with women between the ages of twelve and sixty, married or not, except for a girl who is not yet menstruating. The text specifies nine types of women (navakanya) who can perform these rituals, but explicitly forbids an incestuous mother / child constellation. In general, He promotes the use of the five makaras and leaves the choice of partner, place and time to the practitioner. However, the male sadhaka is explicitly cautioned to "never ridicule a yoni" and treat all women well and never be offensive to them. In the following two quotes, it becomes clear why the text bears his name, demonstrating that the yoni is truly the center of worship.

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YOU MUST MAHATMYAN

The Devi Mahatmya text is a devotional text and its purpose is not to analyze divine forms or abstract ideas, but to praise. This accomplishes with a philosophical foundation, in which the female is the primordial creator; she is also the Tridevi as the secondary creator, sustainer and destroyer.  She is presented, through a language of praise, as the one who dwells in all creatures, as the soul, as the power to know, the power of will and the power to act. It is consciousness of all living beings, it is intelligence, it is matter, and it is all that is form or emotion.

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SIVA SAMHITA

Śiva Saṃhitā, from  Sanskrit  means "The collection of  Shiva ", is a text of  Hatha Yoga  by an unknown author in  XVIII century . It is one of the main Hatha Yoga texts, along with  Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā  And  Haṭhayoga Pradīpikā  and it is considered the most complete philosophical text of Hatha Yoga among those known. It is the most recent text and, first, it addresses the concept that any adept may be able to practice  yoga  and to obtain benefits.

The text is organized in 5 chapters (patala) for a total of 545 stanzas:

1 the vital principle: liberation and the psychological point of view of Hatha Yoga

2 Knowledge: the  nadi , the inner fire and the  jiva

3 the practice: the winds of the body (vàyu), the importance of  guru , the four steps of  Yoga , the five and four views  āsana  described in detail

4 Lle mudras: eleven o'clock  mudra

5 meditation: the obstacles that the practitioner encounters on the path of liberation, the four types of yoga, the invocation of the shadow, listening to the inner sound, the dharana the esoteric energy centers (chakras), the raja-yoga , the ràjadihiraja-yoga, the mantra.