The Search in Śaiva Scriptures for Meaning in Tantric Ritual

This is the almost final version of the paper, some manuscript references are missing at the end. For pagination and references, the printed version must be consulted.Not only the exegetes but the Śaiva scriptures themselves attempt to answer questions concerning the meaning and function of ritual, and they do so already in the earliest known sources. This paper examines several discussions and interpretations of Śaiva ritual and attempts to establish a relative chronology of them, following the development of various arguments from the earliest Tantras till the anti-ritualism of the Kaula branch