To illustrate when and how it emerged, Hatley was required to spend considerable time determining as best as possible the dating of the text. The Brahmayāmala/ Picumata came into existence at a relatively early stage in the history of esoteric Śaivism and of tantrism more generally. The present book stands as the first in a series that promises to contain multiple volumes-indeed, the second one, by Csaba Kiss, is already in print-all with the aim of bringing to light this fascinating and massive Śaiva tantric text of some twelve-thousand verses. the Picumata (among other names), is a pivotal and fascinating work of enduring influence in the history of Hindu traditions. And yet, its place in that history is significant, for the famed Brahmayāmalatantra, a.k.a. Just this is required even to begin to engage the subject matter at hand, because the Sanskrit-language text elected for detailed study is prolix, historically obscured, and, prior to the publication of parts of the text in the Early Tantra Series, hardly understood beyond a bare-bones appreciation of the general contents of the work and its rough place in the history of Śaiva literature. It is a pleasure to read intellectually ambitious scholarship, and Shaman Hatley’s work is nothing if not ambitious-and judiciously so.
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