NIGŪḌHĀRTHAPRAKĀŚĀVALĪ. COLLECTION OF EXPLANATIONS OF SECRET MEANINGS. TEXT, RITUAL, INTERPRETATION

Discover the fascinating world of medieval Bengali Tantrics with this unique monograph. Immerse yourself in esoteric literature and erotic rituals that reveal the secrets of Vishnuism Sahajiya. It is an extraordinary journey into the depths of mystical practices and spiritual sophistication.

• First Polish translation of a pre-modern Indian tantric text from a language other than Sanskrit.
• Extensive commentary and introduction that help to understand the context and meaning of the text.
• Focus on a little-known corpus of Sahajiya literature, which makes this book unique worldwide.
• The author's research allows a better understanding of the ritual aspects of Vishnuism Sahajiya and its historical development.
• Guide to ritual visualization presented in detail in the NPV.
• Explanation of the meaning of using eroticism and specific sexual techniques in tantric practices.
• Emphasis on overcoming dualism and discovering the inner bodily landscape.

This monograph is the first Polish direct translation of a pre-modern Indian tantric text from a language other than Sanskrit, provided with commentary and an extensive introduction. The translation of fragments of the 18th-century manuscript takes the reader into the extraordinary and mysterious world of medieval Bengali Tantrics, famous for their esoteric literature and erotic rituals. The book is unique in Polish and world literature, as it focuses on a little-known corpus of Sahajiya literature. The author's research on Nighrthaprakśval (NPV) allows a better understanding of the ritual aspects of Vishnuism Sahajiya and its historical development, as well as the specificity of Tantra in East India, which is different from Sanskrit.

The translation contained in this volume is written in clear language - as for a description of esoteric or even secret practices. Robert Czyżykowski exposes the spiritual, communal and religiously sophisticated dimension of one of the numerous Hindu tantric traditions. This study can serve as a kind of guide to the ritual visualization presented in detail in the NPV. This text, unique against the background of the extensive Sahajiya literature, reflects the problem of the heterogeneity of the entire current of syncretic traditions of Vishnuistic bhakti developed in Bengal. It introduces the reader to the mystical world of the body, explains the meaning of using eroticism and specific sexual techniques, emphasizing the overcoming of dualism and the discovery of the inner bodily landscape, visualized as a network of arteries, winding rivers, ponds, chambers, gates, cities and fortresses. The overriding goal of these ritual practices is to eradicate "capricious desire and achieve a state of unity", among other things through the sexual act.