A famed archaic tantric manual of the atharvans is glorious kubjikA upaniShad. Its material is remarkable and worthy of detailed discussion at some point. It was founded by the bhArgavas, who are supposed to have obtained it directly from dhUrta kumAra in the manner in which pata~njala kApya’s daughter became the medium of the ancient bhArgava. That tale goes thus:
When the students of pata~njala kApya, who had his school in the kingdom of the mAdras, asked him for an ancient vidyA, he said that it was only known to the long gone bhArgava kabandha AtharvaNa. The daughter of pata~njala kApya was a shamaness, who in a shamanic fit got into herself the “disembodied spirit” of kabandha AtharvaNa in the form of a gandharva. Then the students asked the gandharva to answer their questions and through the daughter of their teacher the ancient bhArgava spoke forth the high vidyA.
So also when paippalAda A~Ngiras questioned the mahA-atharvan aurva Agneya, dhUrta skanda entering him revealed to the former foundation of the first manifestation (shiva and umA; viShNu and shri) tantra-mantra shAstra. From the paippalAda it passed to the vasiShThas of the parAshara branch.
The text reveals the high atharvanic mode installation of life (jIvanyAsaM kuryAt) into the flour pratimas of shaktis. This mode of installation provides the sAdhaka with a tremendous advantage over any other mode of worship of flour pratimas. The root source of the bhAvanA, and there by the emanation of rAjarAjeshvarI upAsana and shrividyA is from the khANDa 14 of this text. The most guarded and efficacious upAsana of dhUmAvatI that can hardly be overcome is mentioned in khANDa 18. In the 22nd is that exalted rite of shrI pratya~NgirA-atharvaNa bhadrakAlI-rudrakubjikA devI that is the highest of all prayogas of the great leonine goddess.
mAnasa-taraMgiNI 