Tripura Rahasya: Secrets of Shakti

Overview

The Tripura Rahasya—literally, the "secret of three cities”—is one of the most important source texts of tantra. Set as a dialogue between the sage Dattatreya and his student Parashurama, it asks (and answers) some of the most compelling questions of spiritual seekers: How can I make real progress on the spiritual path? If I have committed “sins” or mistakes, can I still aspire to enlightenment? How can I go beyond self-delusion in order to live an authentic life?

In this multimedia series, introduced by Swami Rama, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait distills the wisdom of this dialogue and recasts it for modern yogis, telling stories of how self-condemnation and revenge can lead to self-forgiveness, compassion, and wisdom born of experience. Follow this series to learn about one of tantra’s ultimate secrets—how to harness shakti to transform ourselves and the world outside us.

7-Part Series

Article
Shakti Sadhana: An Introduction

All human beings experience the waking, dreaming, and sleeping states, but only a fortunate few—the yogis—attain the fourth state, called turiya. These rare ones reach the summit and have a profound view of all states...

Video
Finding Our Inner Shakti

How did the sage Parashurama shed his past as an avenging mass murderer and grow into one of the greatest spiritual masters in Indian history? The key lay in reclaiming his inner shakti—the divine intelligence...

Video
Shakti’s Three Cities

As we face the challenges of daily life, we may start believing that we are weak and helpless. Yet the sages insist on the exact opposite: our power and brilliance is absolutely unlimited. How do...

Video
Shakti As Divine Mother

In the tantric source text Tripura Rahasya, the sage Dattatreya describes the higher Self as a feminine, motherly figure. Why think of the divine force (shakti) in this way? Pandit Tigunait explains how the source...

Video
Transforming Our Negative Mind

How can we defeat self-defeating thought patterns? In this short talk, Pandit Tigunait introduces the practice of pratipaksha bhavana—active cultivation of thoughts that are opposite to the afflicting ones. Learn about the technique that helped...