July 19th & August 2nd - 7pm Lisbon Time
Online Course
Visualizing the Guru in Śrīvidyā Online Course
From its earliest roots in rituals and magical practices focused on the Goddess Kāmeśvarī, Śrīvidyā came to be one of the most prominent Śākta tantric traditions in the history of South Asia. Its scriptures, commentaries, ritual manuals, hymns, and mantras are found throughout India, and streams of Śrīvidyā practice flourished in Nepal, Kashmir, Assam, Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and other regions. The magnitude of the history and current global diaspora of Śrīvidyā and the Goddess Tripurasundarī has only begun to be charted.
This course draws together a collection of interrelated texts that described the visualization and praise of the Guru in Śrīvidyā. These sources represent living Śrīvidyā communities from different regions and time periods, and offer a window into the devotional life of Śrīvidyā initiates. Interestingly, these practices also migrated into more popular domains of worship and religious life. For example, they inform the way in which the Guru is represented in Śrī Gurugītā, the ‘Song of the Guru’.
The goal of our collective immersion will be to understand the paradigm of visualizing the Guru found across these sources, and collectively recite and sing the verses we learn. We will first study the Guru, the lineage, and the purpose of invoking them in early Śrīvidyā sources from South India through the commentaries and independent works of Vidyānanda and Śivānanda. Then we will trace how the Guru and lineage are presented in Śrīvidyā tantras of Northeast India, including the Gandharvatantra and the Śrīvidyārṇavatantra. From this region, Śrīvidyā re-entered Kashmir through the lineage and family of the Early Modern master, Sāhib Kaula. We conclude the course with the ritual manuals of this Kashmirian Śrīvidyā community, which all begin with an extraordinary visualization of the Guru seated in the crown of the head, followed by a powerful sādhana that awakens Goddess kuṇḍalinī.
Tripura Sundari
Artwork by Srestha Dinesh Newar
This course is available to Tantra Illuminated Sadhaka Members only with a three-month subscription commitment. Members also have access to a vast library of signature courses, pre-recorded retreats, and meditations and mantra recitation practices. Membership also includes a weekly live satsang with Q&A each Saturday.
Ben is an intellectual historian focused on South Asian religions and the history of Śaiva tantra. He has received extensive training in Indian philosophy, literature, and aesthetics in Sanskrit sources and completed his PhD in the Department of South Asian Studies at Harvard University. Ben is currently an Associate Professor of Hinduism at Naropa University, and serves as the faculty lead for Naropa’s MA program in Yoga Studies.
Date
July 19th & August 2nd, 2026
Time
7pm - 9pm Lisbon Time
Location
Tantra Illuminated Online - Members Only
For further information please contact support@tantrailluminated.org