The existence of this puthi, Kamaratna Tantra, in the Na-Gosain family of North Gauhati, was brought to my notice by Srijut Padma chandra Goswami, the well-known Kaviraj of Dharmapur in Kamrup, while I was placed on special duty in the cold weather of 1913, to collect Assamese Puthis, by the Government of Sir Archdale Earle. Through the courtesy of Srijut Padma Chandra Goswami, I was able to place a copy of this puthi, in my collection which is now kept under the custody of the Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti. It was one of the books selected by the Assam Government to be copied and published, an English translation being given side by side with the text.
2. A book of the same name appears in the list of Tantras given by Sir John Woodroffe in the Introduction of his Tantric Texts, Vol. I. It is presumed that the book under review is an Assamese translation of the original Sanskrit work. A book called Kamaratna Tantra and vashikarana Tantra was published in Calcutta by Babu Matilal Bose, so far back as 1319 B.E. This book, besides the Sanskrit text, contains a Bengali translation by Pandit Kalipada Vidyaratna. In the preface of that book it has been described to be the work of one Nagabhatta. There are a large number of omissions in the Calcutta edition. It is true there are some passages in the Calcutta edition, which do not appear in this book but they might have been interpolated from other sources.
3. This book deals with the Tantrika-shat-Karma, viz., Shanti, Vashi Karana, Stambhana, Vidveshana, Uchchatana, and Marana. The sadhana under these heads is chiefly performed for malevolent purposes, which is called abhichara. Besides Kamaratna Tantra
