Tantric Texts Series 1-22 Complete PDF works of Sir John Woodroffe

Tantric Texts is the impressive, near-complete 22 volume collection of tantric root texts compiled, edited and commented by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) from 1915 to 1953. The works have only been printed once in their complete form, by Agamanusandhana Samiti, Calcutta, and they are practically impossible to find in print. There is however a 4.000-page compilation with translations of the Sanskrit material available from Amazon. Find it here: https://amzn.to/2OgbgZT

Please consider that the works below are huge files, some larger than 120MB. Interesting for English readers are only the long introductions and comments on key tantric concepts, most of the works are printed in Sanskrit. We have a number of more readable books by Sir John Woodroffe here on the site, do a search.

Tantric Texts 1 Tantrabhidhana – Panchanana Bhattacharya 1937

Tantric Texts 2 Shatchakranirupanam And Padukapanchakam 1913

Tantric Texts 3 Prapachasaratantram (This volume is reprinted as 18 & 19)

Tantric Texts 4 Kulachudamani Tantra – Girish Chandra Vedantatirtha 1915

Tantric Texts 5 Kularnava Tantra – Taranatha Vaidyaratna 1917

Tantric Texts 6 Kalivilasatantram by Parvati Charana Tarkatirtha 1917

Tantric Texts 7 Shri Chakrasambhara Buddhist Tantra 1919

Tantric Texts 8 Tantrarajatantra Part 1 – Lakshmana Shastri 1919

Tantric Texts Series 09 Karpuradi Stotra – Vimalananda Swami 1953

Tantric Texts 10 Kamakalavilasa of Punyanandanatha 1953

Tantric Texts 11 Kaula and other Upanishads Commentary by Bhaskararaya 1922 

Tantric Texts 12 Tantrarajatantra Part 2 1926

Tantric Texts Series 13 Mahanirvana Tantra Commentary by Hariharananda 1929

Tantric Texts 14 Kaulavalinirnayah Of Jnanananda Paramahamsa 1928

Tantric Texts 15 Brahmasamhita 5th Chapter Vishnu Sahasranama Sankarabhashya 1928

Tantric Texts 16 Sarada Tilaka Tantra Part 1 1933

Tantric Texts 17 Sharadatilakatantram of Lakshmana Desikendra Part 2 (not available)

Tantric Texts 18 Prapanchasara Tantra of Shankaracharya vol 1 1919

Tantric Texts 19 Prapanchasara Tantra of Shankaracharya vol 2 1935

Tantric Texts 20 Chidgagana Chandrika – Swami Trivikrama Tirtha 1937

Tantric Texts 21 Tara Bhakti Sudharnava – Panchanan Bhattacharya 1940

Tantric Texts 22 Sataratna Sangraha with Sataratnollekhani – Panchanan Sastri 1944

 

Who was Sir John Woodroffe?

Sir John George Woodroffe (1865-1936) was a British lawyer, Indologist and Orientalist who is best known for his scholarly work on Hindu Tantra and Shaktism. He was also a judge in the British Indian government. He wrote and translated many books on Hinduism, Buddhism, and Indian law and was one of the leading experts of his time on Indian philosophy and religion.

In 1915, he published “The Serpent Power” which is a study of the Tantra Shastra, the Hindu treatise on tantra and its symbolism. This book was notable for introducing the concepts and practices of Tantra to the Western world. He wrote this book under the pseudonym Arthur Avalon.

He also translated the “Tantraraja-Tantra” and “Parad tantra” the two most important texts of the tantra tradition of Hinduism. He also wrote on Indian law and translated the “Narada-Smriti” a medieval Indian legal text.

Woodroffe’s work on Tantra and Shaktism had a significant influence on the development of Western interest in Eastern spirituality and New Age movements. However, his work has also been criticized for being overly orientalist and for not accurately representing the complexity and diversity of Tantra and Shaktism.

Despite his criticisms, Sir John Woodroffe is considered as one of the most important figures in the study of the Indian religion, culture and law. His work helped to bring a deeper understanding of the Indian thought to the Western world.