The Great Enlightenment Treatise
Early in the first quarter of the present 20th century, a Bengali Raja founded an organization known as the Bhramo Samaj (God Society). It was intended to be and encourage a broader minded Hinduism than the uptight patterns inherited from the Vedic religions. The Raja himself was very westernized and wanted others to share openly the joys of meat eating and drinking alcohol. Swami Vivekananda in his early days was a member of Raja Ram Mahoun Roy’s Bhramo Samaj.
The Raja wrote, or caused to be written, a new scriptural text which was to be the guide book of the Samaj. This textbook was written in Sanskrit and called the Mahanirvana Tantra. The Raja did not intend any deception, but the book was translated into English by a member of the British Government Service. The Bhramo Samaj did not flourish and soon died a natural death and the textbook remained dormant for many years. The Raja went to England and lived in the city of Bristol, where he eventually died.
The Mahanirvana Tantra was reprinted after World War II. Raja Ram Mahoun never ever intended this to be mistaken for a Kaula treatise, nor for it to be thought of as part of what are now called the Tantrik practices or way of life, but it has been blindly accepted by the Western world as the authentic Kaula way of life.
The Five Ms or Pancha Tattwas —”Wine, Meat, Sex, Fish, and Cereals” were for the guidance of prospective Bhramo Samaj members and to some extent obligatory, but in the true Kaula Dharma no such obligations exist. These were valid to the Raja who was very westernized in his ways and outlook. Suffice to say the Kaulas never wrote scriptures and most all the documents and books claiming to be Kaula or Tantrik were written during the present 20th century. Real Kaula is the free lifestyle leading to Peace, Freedom, and Happiness and can only be constructed by and valid to people alive today who want a better future for mankind.
