The Nisvasatattvasamhita. The Earliest Surviving Saiva Tantra, Volume 1

Transmitted to us in a well-preserved ninth-century Nepalese manuscript, the Nisvasatattvasamhita has come in recent years to be recognised as probably the oldest surviving complete scripture of the Mantramarga. Although its historical importance has been hinted at by a range of scholars across the twentieth century, this is the first time its text appears in print. This volume presents a critical edition and annotated translation of the three earliest layers of the text : the Mulasutra, Uttarasuutra and Nayasutra.
The topics dealt with include cosmology, rituals of worship and initiation, and forms of yoga. A lengthy introduction sets these sutras in context, in particular by examining the evidence for dating them. There follow a summary of their contents, an account of the early manuscript and its three twentieth-century apographs, and a treatment of the various ways in which the language of the Nisvasa deviates from Paminian norms.