Tantra Vigyan and States of Consciousness

How Tantra Vigyan Bhairava differs from other classical texts is that tantra does away with rituals, caste systems, and idealism and compels the seeker to understand the self. It explains consciousness as “Shiva” and emanating as “Shakti” through ICCHA, KRIYA AND JGAN parts of the divine Shakti.

It uses the body as a means of a union between the two opposing forces (or at least seem to be according to us) through the continuous practices, discipline and self-experimentation with self enquiry. 

Combining the learnings of Tantra Vigyan and Upanishads collectively they provide a vivid description of 4 different states of consciousness and their cosmic counterparts: 

1. Vaishvanara or Jagrat/ Waking State
2. Tejas or Swapna/ Dreaming State
3. Prajya or Sushupti/ Deep Sleep State
4. Turiya or the Fourth State

Each of these states corresponds to a cosmic counterpart and a physiological change which can be measured neurologically albeit the “qualia” of the experience cannot be measured by quantitative data.

So why Tantra Vigyan and what does it have to do with psychedelics?

Patients commonly describe sensations of energy moving through the body, spontaneous tremors, pressure along the spine, heat, vibrations, or involuntary gestures. These experiences can sometimes be alarming when patients lack a framework for understanding them or have not previously experienced these with or without augmentation. Tantra Vigyan, or the science of transformation described in Tantric traditions, includes detailed phenomenological descriptions of subtle bodily experiences, including concepts such as prana, nadis, granthis, and kundalini processes.

When framed carefully, Tantric language can provide descriptive vocabulary that helps normalize experiences without requiring metaphysical belief.