मृगेन्द्र आगम: विद्या एवं योग पाद (भट्ट नारायणकण्ठ वृत्ति सहित प्राचीनतम कामिक आगम परिशिष्ट)

II INTRODUCTION.
Sadyojāta. This conception of the five faces is based
on the representation of the five faculties of Svacchanda
which are :—Chit, Ānanda, Icchā, Jñāna and Kriyā i. e.
consciousness, bliss, will, wisdom and activity.
So it comes to this that the Mṛgendra is the
scripture of that school of Shaivas, which believes in and
offers adoration to Pas'upati as the universal con-
sciouseness under the name of Īs'a or Īs'āna. The
study of the Tantra reveals, so far as the upodghāta or
the introduction is concerned, that it is an attempt to
connect the Shaivaistic doctrine and ritualism with, and
to trace them back to, the Vedic doctrines and ritualism.
Indra the highest god of the Vedic pantheon comes
before an assemblage of holy sages headed by the
venerable Bharadvāja in the hermitage of Bhadrī-
Nārāyaṇa. Disguised as an ascetic, he uses his power
of eloquence, argumentation and exhortation to dissuade
them from the worship of Shiva as a marked departure
from the path of the Vedas. When he finds them
adamant in their belief in the chosen path, he reveals
his personality and initiates them in the occult lore
which he has received from S'rī Kaṇṭha.
The story as to how he came by this sacred
knowledge is told by Indra. It is this :—
As an arch-enemy of the foes of righteousness, he
had once to enter into a duel with a certain demon
called Vṛtra of four arms and two heads, one engaged
in the recitation of the Vedic hymns and the other in
the emptying of huge goblets of wine. In the duel
he got the better of the demon and beheaded him. In
atonement for this murderous act, Indra took to
offering prayers and worship to Nārāyaṇa. As a result
of his pleasure with the mode of worship which Indra
offered, Nārāyaṇa granted to him an armour of
Narasimha with the instruction that the former, covered