be collections of strangely
fantastic fairy tales.

C. The word Tantra originally meant a manual giving the essentials of
a subject but later usage tends to restrict it to works, whether Hindu
or Buddhist, inculcating the worship of Siva's spouse. But there are
exceptions to this restriction: the Panca-tantra is a collection of
stories and the Lakshmi-tantra is a Vishnuite work.[449]

The fact is that a whole class of Sanskrit religious literature is
described by the titles Tantra, Agama and Samhita,[450] which taken
in a wide sense are practically synonymous, though usage is inclined
to apply the first specially to Saktist works, the second to Sivaite
and the third to Vishnuite. The common character of all these
productions is that they do not attempt to combine Vedic rites and
ideas with sectarian worship, but boldly state that, since the
prescriptions of the Veda are too hard for this age, some generous
deity has revealed an easier teaching. This teaching naturally varies
in detail, but it usually comprises devotion to some special form of
the godhead and also a special ceremonial, which commences with
initiation and includes the use of mystic formulae, letters and
diagrams. Tantras, Agamas and Samhitas all treat of their
subject-matter in four divisions[451] the first of which relates to
the great problems of philosophy, the second to the discipline
necessary for uniting the self and God; the third and fourth to
ceremonial.

These works have another feature in common, namely that they are
little known except to those Hindus who use them for religious
purposes and are probably not very anxious to see them published.
Though they are numerous, few of them have been printed and those few
have not been much studied by European scholars. I shall say something
more about them below in treating of the various sects. Some are of
respectable antiquity but it is also clear that modern texts pass
under ancient names. The Pancaratram and Pasupatam which are Vishnuite
and Sivaite Samhitas are mentioned in the Mahabharata, and some
extant Vishnuite Samhitas were perhaps composed in the fourth century
A.D.[452] Ramanuja as quoted above states that the Pancaratra-sastra
(apparently the same as the Pancaratra-tantra which he also mentions)
was composed by Vasudeva himself and also cites as scripture the
Sattvata, Paushkara and Parama Samhitas. In the same context he
speaks of the Mahabharata as Bharata-Samhita and the whole passa