Question

Read the given passage and answer the following questions:  (4)

Often associated with the goddess were forms of worship that were classified as ‘Tantra Vidya’. Tantric practices were widespread in several parts of the subcontinent – they were open to women and men, and practitioners often ignored differences of caste and class within the ritual context. Many of these ideas influenced Shaivism as well as Buddhism, especially in the eastern, northern, and southern parts of the subcontinent.

1. Is tantric tradition different from Vedic tradition?  (2)
2. “Tantric practices somewhat inculcated the notion of an egalitarian society.” Do you agree?  (1)
3. Whom did the tantric ideas influence?  (1)

Answer 1

1. Yes, Tantric tradition is different from Vedic tradition, as the Vedic tradition often condemned practices that went beyond the closely regulated contact with the divine through the performance of sacrifices or precisely chanted mantras. On the other hand, those engaged in Tantric practices frequently ignored the authority of the Vedas. 
2. Yes, tantric practices somewhat inculcated the notion of an egalitarian society, as there was neither gender nor caste discrimination.
3. Tantric practices influenced Shaivism as well as Buddhism, especially in the eastern, northern, and southern parts of the subcontinent.