Tantra(Sanskrit: Loom), any Sanskrit“Loom”any of numerous texts dealing with the esoteric practices of some Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina Jain sects. In the orthodox classification of Hindu religious literature, Tantra refers to a class of post-Vedic Sanskrit treatises similar to the Purāṇas Puranas (medieval encyclopaedic collections of myths, legends, and other topics). In this usage Tantras Tantras are, theoretically, considered to treat of theology, yogaYoga, construction of temples and images, and religious practices; in reality, they tend to deal with such aspects of popular Hinduism as spells, rituals, and symbols. They are distinguished along Hindu sectarian lines between the Śaiva ĀgamasShaiva Agamas, the Vaiṣṇava SaṃhitāsVaishnava Samhitas, and the Śākta TantrasShakta Tantras.

The lists of the Śākta Tantras Shakta Tantras differ considerably from one another but suggest that the earliest manuscripts date from about the 7th century. They emphasize the goddess Śakti ( Shakti ) as the female personification of the creative power or energy of the god Shiva. This view taken to its extreme holds that Śiva ( Shiva ) without his Śakti Shakti is like a corpse. In the Tantras Tantras that deal with yogaYoga, Śakti Shakti is identified with the kuṇḍalinī kundalini, or the energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine until brought up through the body by yogic disciplines. The Tantras Tantras also stress the efficacy of yantras and maṇḍalas mandalas (ritual diagrams) and of mantras mantras (mystic syllables or sacred formulas). Among the major Śākta Tantras Shakta Tantras are the Kulārṇava Kularnava-tantra, which treats of “left-hand” practices, such as ritual copulation; the Kulacūḍāmaṇi Kulacudamani-tantra, which discusses ritual; and the Śaradātilaka Sharadatilaka-tantra, which deals almost exclusively with magic.

The Buddhist Tantras Tantras are traced to the 7th century or earlier, the Tathāgataguhyaka Tathagataguhyaka being an early and extreme work. They were translated into Tibetan and Chinese from about the 9th century onward, and some texts have been preserved only in those languages, the Sanskrit originals having been lost. Among the Buddhist Tantras Tantras an important text is the KālacakraKalacakra-tantra.