THE NECKLACE OF IMMORTALITY 309

divine aspect of a women. Furthermore, some Sahajiya bellefs and practices, in-
cluding concepts of religious love and the use of devotional songs, were adapted
from the famous medieval devotional (bhahtt) tradition known as Bengali (Gau-

1B dlya) Vaisnavism, which grew up around the famous Bengali religious leader
Krsla Caitanya (ca. I486*L533 c.r.). It is largely due to their historical (and
controversial) connections to Bengali Vaig4avas that the label of "Vaisnava" Sa-
hajiyas has been used by scholars like Manindramohan Bose, Shashibhushan Das-
The Nechlace of Immortality: A Seventeenth-Century gupta, Edward C. Dimock, and Paritos Dasa. In Sahajiya texts themselves, the
religion is typically referred to as the Primordial Way (sahaja-dharma).
Vaisnava SahajiYa Text There was much more to the Vaig+ava Sahajiyas than their reinterpretations of
Bengali Vaisnavism and the Caitanya movement. Sahajiya gurus adapted a wide
range of beliefs and practices into complex ritual systems and elaborate views of
the universe, and composed hundreds of texts of varyrng length in Bengali (with
Glen A. Hayes occasional Sanskrit passages), many of which have survived to this day. A few
manuscripts have been edited and published, but most remain unstudied in ar-
chives in West Bengal and elsewhere. Discemible in these texts are hints of San-
skrit aesthetics and dramaturgy, classical and medieval Hindu devotionalism,
Sdmkhya philosophy, Alurvedic medicine, Siddha Tantra and alchemy, hatha
The vaislava Sahajiyas were Hindu tantrikas who lived in northeastem
lndia,
yoga, and perhaps even Sufi Islam and Tantric Buddhism.
(Bengal, Bihar, Orissa' Assam)' from
especlally in the regron of greater Bengal The Vaig4ava Sahajiyas are distinctive partly because most of their texts were
Many things about
approximately the sixteenthihrough the nineteenth centuries. composed in the Bengali vemacular, Sanskrit passages, when they do occur, are
the medieval Vais4ava Sahajiyas remain unclear to modem scholars'
including
typically only quotes from earlier works, mantras, or opening invocations,
their origins, social standing,-maior personalities, esoteric practices, authorship
-and whereas most other Hindu Tantric traditions rely extensively on Sanskrit. This
of texts, their continued existence into current times. Although much aboUt choice of language reflects the regionalism and local flavor of Sahajiya beliefs and
their beliefs and practices is elusive-we have, for example' no existing written practices. ln Bengal, Sanskrit never attained the prominence that it did elsewhere
apparently
commentaries to irelp us in undersranding key words and phrases, and in India, and although some Sahajiya gurus may have been versed in Sanskrit,
no living connections to the medieval teachers-what we do know suggesE a
the evidence suggests that they preferred to convey their teachings in Bengali. In
truly distinctive approach to Tantric expression and experience. This chapter
The Nechlace (v 13), Mukunda-dasa goes further, rejecting the Vedas and Vedic
and passages
why the mldleval Vaignava Sahajiyas are unique, se-lected
rituals, the ancient foundations of Sanskrit authority and religious life. The most
"*piuins
from an imporranr text, The Nechlace of Immortality (AmltaratnattalD of Mukunda- popularworks of BengaliVaislavism, especially rheCartanya-cantamftuof Krsla-
dasa (ca. 1650 c.n.) will illustrate this distinctiveness' dasa Kaviraja (ca. 1575 c.n.), were composed mainly in Bengali-(although some
The goal for sahajiyas was ro achieve the ultimate state of sahqa, a Sanskrit important treatises were composed in Sanskrit).lnTheNechlace (v. 4), Mukunda-
extension
and Berigali term that iiterally means "together (saha) born Qa) ," and by dasa even claims that Krsnadasa was his own guru, so this choice of the local
of the selantic domain, "innate," "easy," "spontaneous," or "primordial." In the
vemacular may have been a matter of tradition, also deemed appropriate for the
translations that follow, I use "primordium" or "primordial." Basically, sahaja
iS
majority of Bengali devotees.
realm of
the original state of cosmlc urrity and bliss; a state that transcends the Before we discuss the more obvious Tantric and yogic dimensions of the Sa-
sar.nsari (phenomenal reality), in which all created beings exist, subject to pain
hajiyas, we need to emphasize the ways in which Sahajiya gurus adapted Bengali
(sadhanas) were developed to guide
and endless rebirth. Sahajiya ritual practic es Vaigqavism-much to the chagrin and outrage of the rather orthodox followers
both men and women ti the realization of this state of liberation. These groups
of Caitanya then (and even now). Orthodox Bengali Vaisr.ravas developed much
of Tantric practitioners are generally called "Vaislava" Sahajiyas, as their
worshiP
of their belief system from classical Sanskrit devotional texts such astheBhagavata
focused on one of Vi94u's most imponant manifestations: the playful and erottC
Pura4a and medieval poems like Jayadeva's Gltagovinda. Their basic view is that
cowherding god Kr94a, the "Dark Lord." To Sahajiyas, Krs{ra was not regarded Krsla is the supreme god and creator of the cosmos, and that his creative powers
simply u, u"rlupr"-" being. Like most tantrikas, the Sahajiyds connected human (Sahti) extend to the vast reaches of the universe. Human souls (lrvas), created by
and divine natures, so thebark Lord was reinterpreted as the inner divine aspeCt K19na, long to retum to a loving and blissful relationship with him. Fortunately,
of a man, and K1g4a's mythical consort, Radha, was reinterpreted as the inner
r-
310 GLEN A. HAYES
Krsqa wants to expedence the love and devotion (bhahti) of the souls, and so he
has used his cosmic powers of magic (maya) and playfulness (ltla) to fashion an
eremal heavenly abide (dhaman) that is identical to the idyllic setting of the
Bhagavata Purarya'. the pastoral village of V;ndavana, in the forested region of
Vraja. These gorgeous heavenly realms are also called Goloka ("Cowland") and
Gokula ("Cowhouse"). Here, Krsla grows up as a handsome youth, enticing the
lovely young milkmaids (gopis) to leave their husbands for furtive lovemaking in
the groves and gardens of Vraja. Many Bengali Vaisnavas quickly allegorize these
figures: the milkmaids represent the human soul, and their desires to frolic with
Krgla in the woods is understood to be the quest of the soul to rejoin the creator.
Since Krsla has thoughtfully reproduced this mystical scene in all of its details
in a blissful heaven, it is possible for devout Vais4avas to travel there if they take
on the role of one of the characters in that heavenly abode. Much of Bengali
Vaiglavism is dedicated not only to singing and dancing praises to the Dark Lord,
but also to developing an inner spiritual identity as one of the Vraja residents. As
David L. Haberman has shown, this process of "acting as a way of salvation"
allows one to adopt the identity and "spiritual body" of fellow villagers of KrgTa,
especially one of the impassioned milkmaids. Those who choose to "become"
female attendants to Klgla's beloved consofl Radha (herself a married woman)
experience the most intense love, as they visualize the divine couple's elotic spolts
in the inner heavenly worlds. But for Bengali Vaig4avas, this means that their
souls are retuming to an eternal relationship with god. And although in the mythic
drama and in heaven Kr94a seems to be involved in adulterous affairs, they are
not really adulterous, since this is really god just playingwith his creation. Human
beings, on the other hand, following Hindu caste rules and good family values,
should never be adulterous. Human beings are not divine, only Krsla is; their
souls were made by god, but they themselves can never become god. This dualistic
theological relationship was aptly phrased by the later Bengali poet Ramprasad
Sen when he argued that "I don't want to become sugar, I want to taste sugar"-
with the "sugar" standing for the divine, and the taster as the human soul.
The Vaiglava Sahajiyas had their own interpretations of the erotic drama of
Krsla, the milkmaids, and Radha. For Tantric Sahajiyas, as noted above, Krsla
is not regarded as a supreme god, a creator who dwells in a distant heaven, and
Radha is not merely his chosen consort oI emanation of blissful energy. In contlast
to Ramprasad, Sahajiyas have wished to transform "tastlng sugar" into "becoming
sugar." They therefore have adapted the sophisticated theological dualism ofBen-
gali Vaislavas (which is not a pure dualism) into their own monistic system, in
which humans reunite with their inner divine natures. According to Sahajiyds,
every man has within himself his "true form" (svarupa) as KrsTa, the divine mas-
culine principle, and every woman has within herself her divine feminine prin-
ciple as Radha. And rather than tDnng to visualize and then paticipate in the
lovemaking of a god and his consort in heaven, Sahajiyis call upon all men and
women to make love themselves in order to unify their essences and get to heaven.
In doing so, Sahajiyns are using the physical world and their human bodies as
platforms and tools for their experiments with the sacred. Both of these Sahajiyd
THE NECKLACE oF IMMoRTALITY 3II
claims-that men and women are really Krsla and Radha, and that adulterous
relationships and ritual sexual intercourse can be salvific-have caused some
scandal or at least discomfort in Bengali vaisnava communiries. Regarded by the
orthodox vaisnavas as loathsome heretics, and transgressive to the extreme, sa-
hajiya practitioners, who may have seemed on the surface to be regular devotees
of Krsra, have often felt compelled to perform rheir ritual practices without the
knowledge of their neighbors or risk.cerrain public condemnation. In various
sources from the sixteenth century to the present day, outraged Bengalis and
shocked European colonial administrators have written of what they regarded as
the depraved sexual practices of various Tantric groups, including the Sahajryas.
Although the influence of Bengali vaisnavism on the sahajiyas is clear enough,
the Tantric influences are harder to trace; many Vaisnava Sahajiyl, texts claim that
their own gurus were noted Bengali vaisnavas like Krsladasa Kaviraja, Nitya-
nanda, and even caitanya himself. And although one rext claims that a legendary
writer on dance and drama, Bhdrara, was the founding Sahajiya guru, virtually all
vaisnava sahajiyas see themseives as intimately connected to Bengali vaisnavas.
Although Sahajiya texts were clearly influenced by earlier Tanrric yogic rraditlons,
most existing manuscripts seem to have been composed after the time of caitanya.
How can this be? Part of the problem has to do with the claims of Caitanya and
his followers in Bengal that the renowned leader was himself the "incamation"
(avatarq) of both Krsla and Radha in one body. The belief is very Tanrric in
nature: the idea that both male and female cosmic principles are latenr within the
microcosm of the human body. But it is also a plausible reading of Bengali vais-
nava theologicai views concerning the ultimate relationship between the divine
Krs{ra and his creative female powers. Much like the Saiva and Sakta tantrikas,
who saw the existence of both the god Siva and the goddess Sakti within the
human body, SahajiyAs utilized the Caitanya model to argue for a similar in-
dwelling of both Krsl:la and Radha. And since the Caitanya movement was growing
in popularity at the time, it was perhaps inevitable that Sahajiya gurus would
adapt what they saw as a congenial tradition-giving it, however, their own
"Tantric" reinterpretation. By adopting the Caitanya traditions, however, SahajiyAs
also appropriated something that mosr other Hindu tdntrikas did not: the fun,
damental roles of human passion (raga) , divine love (prema) and devotion (bhqhti)
in practice.
In The Nechlace, Mukunda-dasa presents the outlines of a basic Sahajiya world-
view and ritual system, although he does so in a language that is highiy technical,
difficult to translate, and challenging to understand. To begin, the words are often
grammatically uninflected, lacking the usual markers for noun case, number, and
verb tense. This means that the relationships between adjectives, nouns, and verbs
are often unclear. I have tried to render the most inclusive reading of each passage,
but many passages could be read in altemative ways. This is fairly typical of
Tantric language in general; due to its grammatical indeterminacy, however, the
form of the Bengali language adapted by the Sahajiyas creares additional hurdles
to scholarly interpretation. In choosing passages for this volume, I have tried to
use material that presented a basic picture of Sahaiiya beliefs and practices. For
312 GLEN A. HAYES
translations and studies of other Vaisnava Sahajrya texts, readers may consult the
recommendations for further reading.
Of the complete text of The Nechlace of Immortalig, only four verses are in
Sanskrit: the opening invocation and three quotations from earlier Vaisnava
works. Following these invocations (r,w. 1-:) to Kr9la, Caitanya, famous Bengali
Vais4avas, and his own guru Krsladasa KairAja, Mukunda-dasa sketches out
some of the basic beliefs and practices of his system. ln simplest rerms, the process
of realizing sahaja requires the yogic mastery of one's emotions, mental states,
physical body, and sexual energies in order to create a type of subtle inner yogic
body or "dMne body" (rupa, deva-deha)-that provides a vehicle for the soul
Qtva) to travel to the blissful realms of sahaja. The basic system revolves around
the complex and important tetm ra,sa, which literally means 'Juice," as from fruit
or sugarcane, but which has several levels of meaning for Sahajiyas. Although rasa
is a term akeady found in Sanskrit aesthetics and Bengali Vaislavism, it can also
be used to describe an elevated state of religious rapture, in which one experiences
the purified emotion of love for the divine. Drawing on more obscure Tantric and
alchemical influences, Mukunda-dasa plays with the additional significanr mean.
ing of rasa as "male semen" and "mercury," and it is this meaning-of an essential
fluid-that predominates in the text. I have translated it as "Divine Essence," but
the multiple referents should be kept in mind. By performing ritual sexual inter-
course (sambhoga) with a female partner (rati), rhe male Sahajiya is understood
to yogicaliy "reverse" his rasa-semen and propel it, along with the sexual fluids
of his partner, along his urethra into a mystical yogic channel, the Crooked River
(baihanadt), that flows upward and inward into the inner body and worlds. Only
by sexual ritual can the vital fluids of men and women be transformed into vdstu,
a technical term meaning "truth, essence, thing," or "object," but which I translatc
as "Cosmic Substance," the most fundamental constituent unit of the universe, It
is this Cosmic Substance, created only through Sahajiya rituals, which forms thc
subtle inner body, in much the same way as the physical body is made of flesh
and blood. As indicated in verses 7-12, this realization of rasa as Divine Essencc,
and its transformation into the Cosmic Substance of the Inner Body (rupa) lg
needed to reach the ultimate state of sahaja. One can only leam about this from
those who have aheady experienced rasa, advanced practitioners called rasihds,
which I translate as "Experienced Ones."
This powerful and liberating process of ritual sexual intercourse is controver-
sial; it is a tool that is not universal and a modality of religious ritual that takes
years to cultivate. As with all tantrikas, one must first receive initiation and a
mantra from a guru (w. 14-15). Additional and subsequent instructions arc
received from a second person, the Siksd ("teaching") guru, who according to
another Sahajiyd guru, Akincana-dasa, should be a woman. There are three stages
of Sahajiya practice (v. 18): beginner (pravarta), accomplished (sadhaha), and
perfected (siddha). Beginners should start their practices using the standard ritual
devotions (vaidhi-bhahti) of Bengali Vag4avas (w. 20-23), including singing
hymns, chanting, dancing to Klgpa, and developing an alternative spiritual body
THE NECKLACE OF IMMORTALITY 313
and identity as one of Kgsla's followers. At this level, Sahajiya practices resemble
those of orthodox Vaig4avism. Such devotional actions result in the experience
of a mystic emotional state called a bhava ("mood, condition"), which I have
translated as "Divine Existence."
After using these techniques from Bengali Vais4avas, clearly discussed by Ed-
ward C. Dimock, Jr., and David L. Haberman, the more obviously Tantric di-
mensions of Sahajiya practice begin. During the second and third stages of prac-
tice, the rituals involving coitus and erotic activities aie gradually introduced-
after all, the Sahajiya couple are acting out the divine loveplay of Krsla and Radha.
Like rasa, the term rcrri, which I translate as "Female Partner," also comes from
Sanskrit and Vaisnava traditions and has a distinctive Sahajiya meaning, as well.
It does mean an actual female ritual partner, and in Vaisnavism generally refers
to a woman loved by Krsla. However, consistent with the fluid-based cosmology
of Sahajiyas and other tdntrikas, it can also mean female sexual fluids, which are
"reversed" along with male semen in order to create the inner body. The Female
Partner must also be visualized (w. 33-39) as having an "Inner Damsel Body"
(rupa-manjart), which is an elegant blend of Caitanyaite and Tantric visualization
techniques. As adapted from the erotic adventures of Krsna, the icieal female
partner should not be one's own (svahtya) spouse, but rather one "belonging to
another" (parahrya). Such a dangerous liaison, risky in itself, only serves to
heighten the passions of forbidden love, as the relationship could end if known
to others. Underlyng this process, however, is the need to transform worldly
passions (raga) andlust (kama) into pure divine love (prema). These basic posi-
tions are complicated by amplifying the roies of emotions and by including vari-
ous erotic games (vilasa) as part of the sexual ritual. These features help to dis-
tinguish the Sahajiyas from most other practitioners of Tantra.
The Sahajiya model of the inner or subtle body is also quite different from most
Saiva and Sakta Tantric systems. ln addition to incorporating ideas from the
mythology of Krsla with its beautiful gardens, forests, and villages, the basic
structure of the subtle body in The Nechlace consists of the Crooked River and
four inner lotus ponds (sarovaras)-rather than the more tlpical six or seven
cahras, susumnd-ndQI, and fiery hurydalinl-Salzti of other Tantric traditions. This
emphasis on rivers and ponds clearly reflects the watery deltaic geography and
topography of Bengal, and it also expresses the Sahajiyd emphasis upon physi-
cality, substances, and fluids. In contrast to other South Asian traditions, such as
the philosophy of Vedanta, which regarded the natural world and the human
body as illusory obstacles to liberation, the Sahajiyas saw the world and body as
very "real" and useful for salvation-a basic Tantric understanding. This allowed
them to transform the human body, its parts, and processes, using them to give
"birth" to the inner subtle body, thereby reaching the blissful realms of the pri-
mordial state of sahaja.
There are several realms and states of consciousness associated with sahaja, all
of which are said to be places of bliss (ananda). The Nechlace has often vivid
descriptions of such places (w. 43, 45-47, 54-57,96-99), visualizing them as
 3r4 GLEN A. HAYES
particular villages and gardens alongside a mysrical river. The Crooked River is
of great importance, since it connects the four inner ponds. For the sahajiyas,
this subtle physiology funcrions in much the same way as the cakras and susumni-
nadi of other Tantric systems; but the river and ponds convey the reversed sexual
fluids, not the fiery kuldalini. These four ponds (r,w. 97-gB) may be thought of
as a set of holding tanks within the male body, and each one represents a different
level of purity, consciousness, and bliss. The lowest, the pond of Lust (hama-
saroyara), is said (v. 96) to be reached through the "ninth door" of the human
body, probably a reference ro the urerhra, where the crooked River begins. Next
is the Pond of Arrogance (mdna-sarovara), where lingering feelings of egotism and
selfish desire must be purified-again, through continuarion of the sexual and
other rituals. The third reseryoi.r is the Pond of Divine Love (prema-saroyara),
where the pure and selfless affection berween the two partners is developed.
Reflecting influences from Tantric alchemy, each of the ponds also seryes as a
t;,pe of alchemical vessel, inro which the base sexual fluids are drawn through
sexual intercourse. It is out of these yogically transformed sexual fluids that the
immortal elixir of cosmic substance is fashioned. The uppermost vessel is the
Pond of Immortaiity (ahsaya-sarotara), which has such features as a thousand-
petaled lotus and is the abode of the cosmic mountain Sumeru (similar to the
highest cakra in other Saiva and sakta systems). The fourth pond is thus closest
to sahaja, the realms of bliss, and the realization of the androg;mous state of the
Primordial Inner Being (salnja-manusa)-the complete union of male/female and
Krsna/Radha.
Many details of these yogic processes and visualized realms are diffrcult for us
to understand, as the text was composed with the intent of concealing such cosmic
secrets and powers from outsiders. Some verses seem impossible to understand
at all. But we can still glimpse some salient aspects of practice. For example, it
seems that the word rasa itself is used as a mantra during sexual intercourse (w.
55-56), and uttering ra-sa helps the practitioners to reach sahaja. But diffi.culties
and dangers lurk along the way: if one can bypass the pitfalls of passion and lust,
described as the flower arrows of the love god or as a deadly serpent (r.v. 104-
7), then one may discover the my'riad yogic channels of the inner body (v. I i0)
and use coitus and eroticism to escape ordinary worldly decay (v. ll5), that is,
to overcome mortality, the goal of many yogic sddhanas.
Each of the four ponds is described in varying detaii in the complete text, with
multicolored and multipetaled lotuses, bathing and entry steps, surrounding vil-
lages, and mystical qualities. Each is beautiful and adomed with precious gems
(w. t62*63), a typical Tantric reference not only to their great value but also to
the fact that each pond is fashioned out of cosmic Substance-a commodity that
is most difficult to obrain. Some of this imagery is derived from Bengali vaig4ava
visualization techniques involving the ponds and other locations where Radha
and Krsla met for their secret loveplay. But the sahajiya depictions of the ponds
are also based upon the gurus' experiences of these ponds as important realms of
the subtle body. As such, the ponds are vital reservoirs for the yogically manip-
THE NECKLACE OF IMMORTATITY 3I5
ulated sexual fluids, and reflect a standard Tantric motif of the reversal (ul7) of
the cosmic process. For the Sahajiyas, this process requires a joumey along the
Crooked River as it flows "upward against the current" (v. I80) to sahaja. Found
in these inner realms are a variety of different beings and special places, such as
the Self-perfected Inner Betng (svatall-siddha-manusa), the Primordial Inner Being
(sahaja-manuia), the Place of the Hidden Moon (guptacandrapur), and the Pri-
mordial Citadel (sahajapur) . Attaining these places also entails mastery of breath
control, which leads to mystical visions of different colors and objects (r.v. 184-
90). Like orher Unrdkas, Sahajiyas must visualize i4ner forms of the Female
Parrner, known as the eight Heroines (nayihas), enthroned in the delicate lotuses
of the ponds (w.742-44). Although few details of the Heroines or the Female
Partner are given (in one passage she is described as a lovely sixteen-year-old
maiden), the process of coitus is likened to the "chuming" (mathana) of the part-
ner (w 256*58). Although this image possibly refers to the vigorous mixing of
the sexual fluids, it also recalls the mythical effort of the gods to extract nectar
from the cosmic ocean, the making of butter, and the preparation of alchemical
elixirs.
The concluding passages of the text emphasize the centrality of the Female
Partner in the attainment of sahaja (l'v. 309-10), review basic dimensions of the
cosmos (w. 3ll, 317-L9), and extol the importance of The Nechlace itself (w.
329-30); rhe rexr ends with "Blessed Mukunda-ddsa presents The Nechlace of
Immortality." Some scholars, such as Paritos Dasa, have argued that this text and
several others were originally composed in sanskrit by one siddha Mukunda-
deva, and that various disciples such as Mukunda-dasa prepared the Bengali trans-
lations that have come down to us. Until more evidence is found, this argument
must remain unproven, leaving us further mystified by the Vaisr.rava SahajiyAs of
medieval Bengal.
So what do we learn from a text like The Nechlace of Immortality? To begin, it
suggests that human beings have experienced their bodies and sexuality in many
different ways, and that some have used these experiences as the basis for ex-
pressing vivid, sensual, religious worlds. The Sahajiyas used all of their sense
capacitles-sight, sound, taste, touch, and scent-to bring together the spiritual
and the material. But this is true of many other Tantric traditions. The Vaisnava
Sahajiyds are distinctive in the ways in which they combined the physlcality of
the body, sexual energies, emotions, passions, and senses in order to express their
elaborate models of reality. In simplest terms, gurus like Mukunda-dasa attempted
to blend the best of the complex worlds of Tantric yoga and bhakti devotionalism,
offering both men and women a powerful means of liberation from the apparent
limitations of the ordinary world and their bodies. Such a bold use of sexuality
definitely has the power to offend. Yet such a dangerous rejection of social norms,
found throughout Tantra, is deemed necessary for salvation.
Beyond the controversies surrounding sexual practices, the text also raises pro-
found questions about perceptions of gender and power. Most Sahajiya texts seem
to have been written by men, from a male perspective, and privilege the male
 316 GLEN A. HAYES
body by locating the ponds within rhe man (v. 169). If anything, rirual coitus is a
form of what some scholars have called "inverse intercourse," in which the man
takes the fluids from rhe woman and draws rhem inro his body. The subtle body
is "born" within the male body, unlike the physical body, which is bom in a
womb. It should be pointed out that although these are clearly male-centered fea-
tures, they are nor therefore antifemale, since the sahajiya sysrem is dependent
upon the harmonious interaction of both male and female cosmic principles.
without the Female Partner and her fluids, the male can never reach sahaja; with-
out the man and his essences, she is also denied final liberation. In the end, both
must experience the ultimate state of sahaja, or it does not happen. sahaja itself is
transcendent, beyond the duality of male and female, but unobtainable without
their interaction. The vivarta-vildsa ("Erotic Games of Transformation") by Akin-
cana-dasa (ca. 1700 c.r.) states that the sihsa or teaching guru, who provides in-
struction on the advanced ritual practices, is identified with Radha and should
thus be a woman. This reflects the Sahajiya view that all woman are teachers, and
that men must leam from them. And though much of Bengali society at the time
was dominated by men, Bengal was still the center of the worship of such great
goddesses as Durga, Kali, and Sakti. we see this regional emphasis on the divine
feminine reflected in Sahajiya texts like The Nechlace, as well: in the imporrance
given to the Female Parrner and the Damsel, to Radha and the milkmaids, the vi-
sualized Heroines, and the female gurus. Much about the medieval vaisnava Sa-
hajiyas will remain a mystery to outsiders, as gurus like Mukunda-dasa seem re-
luctant to loosen their grasp on the jewels in TIrc Nechlace of Immortality .
The Nechlace of Immortality exists in two manuscript editions found in the archives
of the University of calcutta, and a printed version edited by the Bengali scholar
Paritos Dasa. The manuscript version used for these translations is Bengali ms.
no. 645I in the collection of the University of Calcutta. Another version exisrs as
ms. no. 595 in the same collection. I would like to thank the university of cal-
cutta, especiaily Asitkumar Bandyopadhy ay , P . K. Dasa, Tushar Mahapatra, S. C.
Banerjee, and the Department of Bengali, for providing me with access ro these
and other sahajiya manuscriprs. Ms. no. 6451 consists of 330 verses (ro which I
have assigned line numbers) and was written using several different poetical me-
ters. The meter used in all of the translated verses is called payara, consisting of
two rhymed lines of fourreen syllables each. A printed edition of The Nechlace of
Immortality (Amytaratnavalt) may be found (in Bengali) in paritos Dasa, caitan-
yottara prathama can[i sahaltyd puithi ["Four Primary Post-Caitanya sahajiya Man-
uscripts"l (Calcutta: Bharati Book Stall, 1972).
Further Reading
For translations of selections from other medieval Vaiglava Sahajiya texts, in-
cluding several short poems, another text attributed to Mukunda, and the vivarta-
THE NECKLACE OF IMMORTALITY 317
vilasa of Akincana-dasa, see GIen A. Hayes, "The Vaislava Sahajiya Traditions of
Medieval Bengal," in Donald S. Lopez,Jr., ed.,Religlons of IndiainPractice (Prince-
ton: Princeton University Press, 1995), pp. 333-51. The relationship between
the Sahajiyas and Bengali Vaig4avas is treated in Edward C. Dimock, Jr ., The Place
of the Hidden Moon: Erotic Mysticism in the VaiSnava-sahq$a Cult oJ Bengal (Chi-
cago; University of Chicago Press, 1966; Phoenix Press, 1989). Dimock examines
many Sahajiya texts, and includes a complete translation of a ritual text concerning
the Heroines. The details of Bengali Vaig4ava visualization and devotionalptac-
tices are presented in David L. Haberman, Acting as a Way oJ Salvation: A Study
of Raganuga Bhahti Sddhana (New York: Oxford University Press, 1 988), and more
recently in hrs lourney through the Twelve Forests (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1994). Earlier useful works on the Vaisnava Sahajiyas now available in
reprinted editions are: Manindra Mohan Bose (Basu), The Post Caitanya Sahalia
Cult of Bengal (Delhi: Gian Publishing House, 1986) and Shashibhushan Dasgupta,
Obscure Religous Cults,3d ed. (Calcutta: Firma KLM, 1976). Bose tends to focus
on the connections between the SahajiyAs and Bengali Vaisnavism, whereas Das-
gupta argues for influences from earlier Tantric Buddhism. Dasgupta also exam-
ines other contemporary Bengali Tantric traditions, inciuding the Bauls and Naths.
For an excellent study and translations of Baul materials, which have definite
links to the Sahajiyas, see Carol Salomon, "Baul Songs," in Lopez, Religions of India
in Practice, pp. 187-208.
The Necklace of Immortality (Amrtaratnavdll) of. Mukunda-dasa
OPENING INVOCATIONS
1. GIory to the eternally blissful KTfqa, resplendent in his heaven of
Gokula.
To Him Mukunda dedicates this book calledThe Nechlace of
Immortality.
2. Salutations to the blessed Krsla Caitanya, an ocean of Divine Essence.
Salutations to his disciple Nityananda, salutations to the other
humble friends.
3. Salutations to his disciples Rupa, Sanatana, and Raghunatha Bhatta,
and to Jiva, Gopala Bhatta, and Raghunatha DAsa.
+. Salutations to my own Master, the blessed Krg+addsa KavirAja.
Through the power of your compassion, all has been revealed'
I offer greetings to the companions oI Caitanya.
I am energized by their profound compassion.
318 GLEN A. HAYES rHE NEcKLACE oF rMMoRTALtry 3I9
BASIC CONCEPTS OF PRACTICE AND COMMUNITY Through following such instructions, you will reach the state of
consciousness of the Divine Existence.
7. Listen closely, for I am going to speak about the principles of Divine
Essence (rasa). 18. The three stages of practice are called: beginner (pratarta),
only with the help of Experienced ones (rasihas) can you taste this accomplishe d (sadhaha) , and perfecte d (siddha) .
Divine Essence. These are the three conditions: Divine Existence (bhava), Divine
Essence (rasa),
8. Devotees who are Experienced ones will attain their Inner Body. and Divine Love (prema).
Their minds are constantly overwhelmed by the experience of Divine
Essence. 19. When you are initiated and receive your mantra, the guru will protect
you.
9. with rheir minds flooded by experiences of Divine Essence, they float While in the beginner's stage, your practices involve the use
along. of your physical body.
Yet such Divine Essence can be generated only with the guidance
of Experienced Ones. 20. The kinds of practices appropriate for the physical body consist of the
sixty-four types of ritual devotions developed by Gaudiya
10. You must discover the Cosmic Substance (vastu) Vaisqavas.
hidden within the Divine Essence. Such ritual devotions have been written about and explained
This Primordial cosmic Substance and Divine Essence are like gems. elsewherc.
I1. Transformed into this gemlike cosmic substance, the Divine Essence 22. You must master these different ritual devotions as a beginner.
assumes the shape of the Inner Sody (rupa). The initial awareness of Divine Existence will continue for so long as
The Inner Body is given birth through the rituals involving Divine no Female Partner (rati) is actually present.
Essence.
23. The sixty-four types of ritual devotion for the physical body
12. Then, with the help of Experienced Ones, you will meet a woman are intended for the beginner.
who knows the Inner Body. Devotions that are influenced by worldly karma should be avoided by
To realize your inner self you must frolic with a woman who knows the Adept.
Divine Essence^
25. One joins the spiritual lineage of the guru at the precise moment
13. Divine Love for Krsla is always pure, it is never stained. one receives a mantra.
Get rid of the Vedas and never perform any Vedic fitualsl After this initiation, however, you must continue your practices
U. The first step on the path is to seek refuge at the under
place of the mantra_
guru. the guidance of a teaching guru.
ordinary physical birth is from a womb, but this only results in old 26. Through such sustained practices, the adept will develop the finest
age and hell!
physical body.
15. When you are accepted by the guru you Even older men and women can benefit from the consciousness
will be sheltered by the
power of the mantra. of Divine Existence.
Keep the instructions of the guru close to your heart!

16. With great care, the guru who has initiated you with the mantra TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE BODY

will guide your practices. 27. A Divine Body (devadeha) must be born within the physical body.
You must continue to follow those instructions for as long as you
So how may men and women come to know that they possess a
practice!
Divine Body?
17. One of those commands is that you associate with a special
28. With effort, you will discover the Divine Body within the physical
communi ty of practitioners,
body.
320 GLEN A. HAYE
One may produce the Cosmic Substance of the Divine Body
by following the teachings.
29. By performing ritual practices w.ith a woman, the Divine Body will be
discovered within the physical body.
A woman who has realized her divine inner nature should serye as
the passionate Female Partner.
30. When both the male and female principles are brought together
within the physical body,
then one is ready to perform the advanced practices
leading to consciousness of Divine Essence and Divine Love.
31. Without following these steps, you will never acquire the Cosmic
Substance.
How then will you know about the transcendent Cosmic Substance?
32. That transcendent Cosmic Substance seems to be very remote.
The person who is able to obtain it is a hero in the ways of passion.
33. The form of that blessed lnner Body must be without impurity, as
must the Female Partner.
One can't reach the Vraja heaven without traveling the way of
passion.
34. The blessed Inner Damsel Body (SrIruprmanjan) leads the adept to
the Vraja heaven.
With her body of eternity, she helps the adept to master the passions.
35. Without her, you'll never taste the passion-filled Cosmic Substances
of the Vraja heaven.
For adepts seeking Vraja, she is the very essence of the way of
passion.
37. The Female Partner who is imbued with Divine Love shimmers with
erotic energies, and is herself a well of Divine Essence.
Having a splendid body like Radha, she is the well of both Divine
Essence and Cosmic Substance.
38. The Female Partner who is imbued with Divine Love is the vessel
of shimmering Divine Essence.
The Inner Body was born in that ocean of Divine Essence.
39. In the Vraja heaven, the adept acquires an eternal Inner Body.
That is why it is called the blessed Inner Damsel Body.
+0. Thiough Divine Essence, the Inner Body is born, becoming a vessel
Divine Love.
And through that inner body one becomes conscious of the true
nature of passion.
THE NECKLACE OF IMMORTALITY 32r
COSMIC REALMS OF BLISS
43. Along the far shores of the Viraja River is a place called the
Homeland.
There is a village there called the Primordial Place, a realm of eternal
bliss.
45. ln that region there is a Tree of Emptiness, and lotuses
of one hundred and one thousand petals.
The Homeland spreads out around that tree and the waters of a pond.
46. To its north is a villagecalled the Place of Bliss.
The abode of the god of love, it has a lovely grove
where the Experienced Ones taste Divine Essence.
47. Forever blissful, forever overwhelmed, forever desirous,
The Primordial Being (sahajamanu5a) makes its home there.
54. ln that realm there is a lake called Moon Pond.
It ls located near the left side of the inner ocean.
55. The Pond of Lust (hama-sarovara) is to be generated out of that
Moon Lake.
Through uttering the syllable sa [of the mantra ra-sa: Divine Essence]
a vast empty space is revealed within the human body.
56. In the making of the other syllable, ra,t}r'e Female Partner
becomes the secret vessel of semen.
In the Place of the Hidden Moon, the male and female principles
are joined together.
57. That Place of the Hidden Moon is apprehended
by joining the two principles together.
Behold how all the regions of the vast cosmos emerge in that special
place.
96. The Pond of Lust is reached through the ninth door of the human
body.
This is a subject that has been revealed by all the holy books.
97. There are four ponds within the body: the Pond of Lust, the Pond of
Arrogance, the Pond of Divine Love, and the Pond of lmmortality.
98. The four ponds exist within the human heart.
Only if you have a physical body can you reach the other shores of
of
reality.
99. The Pond of Lust is the most sought-after thing of all.
Without fail, you must be diligent in your ritual practices.
 \ 'rir'
i

322 GLEN A. HAYES 323

Distracted day and night by so many things, just eating and

RITUAL SEXUAL INTERCOURSE AND EROTICISM
defecating.
104. The five flower-arrows of the god of love are the enchanters of K1g+a. 162. Those ponds should be visualized as having a pleasing shape.
But a deadly serpent of death and time lurks within the human body. I will tell you about them, please listen carefully!
105. That deadly serpent can strike day or night. 163. Those ponds are adorned with precious jewels.
Even a mind in total control of the body cannot prevent the serpent Those eternal abodes are encrusted with gems.
from striking.
168. You must perform your practices with the physical body of your
106. But, a mind in control of the physical self is really the cause of Female Partner.
Phenomenal Reality. Through such practices, you will attain your own Cosmic Substance.
Such a soul is of the lowest kind, unable to prevent lust.
169. The ponds are within the man, but the woman becomes conscious of
107. That is why such conditions hinder the worship of Krsla. them.
The soul's thirst for a Female Partner can drive one mad. A Female Partner suitable for such practices should be
108. When engaged in these kinds of practices, you must be very, very a desirable and joyful woman.
careful. I70. During sexual intercourse, the ponds and lotuses shimmer with
You should visualize an inner mental form of the Female Partner. .erotic energies.
109. Performance of religious rituals with a devout woman belongs to the
The Pond of Divine Love, where Divine Love blossoms, is eternal.
second stage of the practitioner. 179. The Village of Eternal Bliss is located along the far shores of the
The god of erotic love helps to transform the Female Partner Crooked River.
into her inner visualized form. The Crooked River flows in a northerly direction.
I10. Within the physical body there are nine major yogic channels 180. Its undulations are pleasing and well formed.
and 320 million finer channels. Its waters flow upward against the current.
Who is the person who knows which one goes where?
181. To its west is the village called the Primordial Place.
1I5. The ultimate ritual is ritual sexual intercourse and eroticism with a That eternal abode is the place of the Self-Perfected lnner Being.
Female Partner.
If you perform such practices with a Female Partner, 182. The community of Experienced Ones dwells in the Place of Eternal
you will escape worldly decay. Bliss.
The Experienced Ones are youthful; the Experienced Ones are
numerous.
INNERWORLDS AND A CROOKED RIVER
183. The people of the Primordial Place perform the rituals of the
154. This path of practices is difficult to travel; it seems to be near, but Primordium.
then remote. The Primordial Being is the vessel of all Divine Essence.
From a distance it seems close, from close up it seems distant.

155. You must be able to come to know the principles of your own body. MYSTICAL LIGHTS AND BREATH CONTROL
Whoever does not learn about the body suffers the consequences.
I84. Following the sunrise, nothing remains in that Land.
156. The ponds and all of Phenomenal Reality exist within the body. Please hear, all Experienced Ones, about the truths of that place.
Who can truly worship without knowing the principles of the body?
185. Please hear, all devotees, the story of the Land of Eternal Bliss.
158. Without the instruction of the guru, you cannot know the guru's In that place, neither the moon nor the sun rise; the wind moves not
principles. at all.
324 GLEN A. HAYES
186. There is blue light, white light, and yellow light.
The three lights glow like the rising sun.
187. The vessel of nectar is carried along by the rippled waters of the
Crooked River.
The nostrils force air into that vessel of nectar.
188. The nose quickly exhales the air that has been inhaled.
The rising sun doesn't glow, yet there are different kinds of light.
I89. The rising sun is absorbed by the brilliance of the lights.
These matters have been covered by other books.
190. Just as the breath is quickly exhaled through the nose,
so too I narrate this book, The Nechlace of lmmortality.
rHE NECKLAcE oF rMMoRrALtry 325
3I0. You should carefully realize the Female parrner in the pond of Lust.
Through such practices with a Female partner, you will attain
the Primordial Cosmic Substance.
3 I 1. The Land of the Hidden Moon is theessence of everything.
There is no Cosmic Substance beyond this Cosmic Substance.
317. There are seven heavens, seven hells, and eight protectors of the
directions.
There are the nine major yogic channels, 320 million finer channels,
the cosmic mountain Sumeru, and the jungle.
318. The crooked River spirals around them in the four directions,
as the eight Heroines wrap themselves around the trees like creeping
vines.

319. There is a village called the place of Eternal Bliss.

HEROINES OF DIVINE LOVE
242. The eight Heroines appear in the eight petals of a lotus.
They float in blue lotuses, yellow lotuses, and white lotuses.
243. Thus the Heroines are visualized in the eight petals.
The eight Heroines who appear in the eight lotus perals are
the Inner Bodies of the Female Partners.
244. lf by this you are able to understand the principles concerning
the realization of the body,
then, with great devotion, you will know the nine major yogic
channels and the 320 million finer channels within the body.
256. Divine Love came into being through the churning of the Female
Partner during intercourse.
Thus there comes into being a place
called the Pond of Divine Love (prema-sarovara).
You must certainly make your home in that land.
328. An ,ocean of Divine Essence, this book is a like a great god among
the gods.
This is not paradoxical for the followers of the blessed Inner Bod.y.
329. That Inner Body is made of eternal Cosmic Substance and is
the essence of practice.
This book, The Nechlace of lmmortality, is the vessel of Divine
Essence.
330. The nectar of the celestial river Mandakini is delightful ambrosia.
Blessed Mukunda-ddsa presents The Necklace of lmmortality.

257. KrsTa's home is in that pond, which contains drops of Divine Love.
A Female Partner who embodies Divine Essence is a woman suitable
for Krsla.
258. Continually churning the Female Partner produces the essence
of the Female Partner.
Deeply entranced day and night, a state of wonder develops.

THE FEMALE PARTNER AND THE COSMIC REGIONS

309. The Female Partner and Divine Essence will lead you to the heavens
of Goloka and Vrndavana.
By understanding these principles, you will master your own lusts.