Identity and Purity

Abstract

Chapter 4 examines the interrelationship between religion and society for followers of the non-dual Tantric Śaiva tradition. It explores the new Tantric identities created through initiation and asks how these new identities impact the larger social experience of practitioners. It then reflects on the origin of Tantric practice and maps how Tantra seeks to subvert the social caste paradigm. The chapter examines the theories about the historical spread of Tantric practice by consulting textual descriptions of practices that are prescribed for members of different castes. This offers a humanizing look at the individual needs and actions of practitioners. It makes the argument that caste erasure was limited to the ritual sphere and was therefore symbolic. The philosophical ideal of the vanquishment of caste distinction is compared with the social necessity for hierarchy. The chapter also explores the nature of auspicious and inauspicious symbols related to initiation.