Etymology of the Words 'tantra' and 'yantra' in the Oxford English Dictionary 3

Abstract

IN the 3rd edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED3) the word ‘tantra’ has been defined as a Hindu or Buddhist mystical or magical text, and adherence to the doctrine or principles of the tantras, involving mantras, meditation, yoga, and ritual. While offering etymological explanation of the word the origin is stated in OED3 to have been traced to a Sanskrit word ‘tantra’ which is said to be literally meaning ‘loom, groundwork, doctrine’ from Sanskrit ‘tan’ stretch. This explanation is wrong. As a matter of fact the word ‘tantra’ is derived from ‘tanu’ which in Sanskrit language means the body. The fundamental idea of tantra as a religious tenet and practice involves subjecting the body to severe pain and suffering through trials and tribulations as a test for a person’s endurance and forbearance. In the Sanskrit language the word ‘tantra’ has nothing to do with ‘loom’ as stated in the origin of the word in OED3. Tantra in the sense of loom has been confused with the almost similar sounding word ‘tantu’ in Sanskrit which means ‘loom’. We may, for instance, recall the common word ‘tantubaya’ meaning the weaver; and we have an analogous word ‘lutatantu’ which means ‘spider’s cobweb’ in Sanskrit. So ‘tantra’ has nothing to do with ‘loom’ as it relates not to ‘tantu’ (loom) but to ‘tanu’ meaning the body, the infliction and immolation of which is the basic tenet and practice of the doctrine of tantra in Hindu or Buddhist mystical lore.1