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Several Indian tv shows have portrayed the popular trope of a "tântrik guy" performing some rituals and ultimately sacrificing a human, especially a Child.

In fact, occasionally one can read these kinds of news itself, in real, when a human was apparently sacrificed by a tantrik baba, as part of some "tantrika" based rituals.

So the question is: Are these kinds practices involving human sacrifice of child, etc., a part of any tantra, or can one safely reject these popular cinematic tropes as mere examples of "creative artistic cinematic license" and thus, should not be regarded as a part of Hinduism ?

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  • They are part of some Shaiva sects: the kapalikhas and kalamukhas.
    – Ikshvaku
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 15:32
  • @Ikshvaku from where did you get the idea that kapalikas and kalamukhas practice human sacrifice? Can you quote some of their scriptures which say so?
    – Tezz
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 15:39
  • @Tezz en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapalika
    – Ikshvaku
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 15:53
  • @Tezz Also: hinduism.stackexchange.com/q/27087/11726
    – Ikshvaku
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 15:54
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    @Ikshvaku that wikipedia link doesn't tell anything about whether kapaliks did human sacrifice or not.. nor do your other question-answer say anything specific related to practice of kapaliks and kalamukhas
    – Tezz
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 16:07

2 Answers 2

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Yes of course, human sacrifice or nar-bali is a part of Shakti and Shiva traditions. This is given in the Bhagavata Purana aka Kalika Purana itself. There is a lot of information on this.

Some verses outline the various beings that we should sacrifice. These are: Birds, Tortoise, Crocodile, Fish, various types of animals including Rhino, Lions & Tigers and humans. You can take out your own blood as an offering to Chandika (Devi) or Bhairav (Shiva). One verse is very clear:

बलि से मुक्ति प्राप्त होती है। बलि से ही स्वर्ग भी प्राप्त होता है।

Liberation is achieved by Bali. Heaven is also attained only by Bali.

I can also quote from other scriptures like Shaiva but I think this is sufficient to answer your question. It is mentioned that this Puraan is the supreme Tantra and the supreme scripture anyway.

It is described how to property get a human killed by a Brahmin or Tantrik. Including how to worship that human before sacrificing it and how he attains liberation after dying even if he is a sinner.

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The kinds of people you can sacrifice are also given. For example, enemy king or son of enemy king.

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  • Can you also quote verses 3 and 4 where explicitly nara bali is mentioned?
    – The Destroyer ♦
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 17:27
  • can you quote sanskrit verses of 3,4 and 5 of that related chapter.. also in the Kalika Purana which I saw chapter 69 is about Deva Puja Vidhanam...
    – Tezz
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 17:27
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    @Tezz I am sorry, can you explain how the verse does not imply human sacrifice? Please allow me to state my translation - shardulascha (tiger and), naraschaiva (human and indeed), sva (from own) gAtra (body), rudhiram (blood), tathA (in this manner).....tiger, human and indeed blood from one's own body (can be given as sacrifice).
    – user23407
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 18:26
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    Regarding the update, it is mentioned in the Mahabharata that Jarasamdha used to capture enemy kings for sacrificing them to Rudra. However, Mbh also mentions that this is not the norm.
    – user23407
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 18:32
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    @Vivikta He has probably taken it from here - archive.org/details/… Please refer starting page no. 850 Devanagari numbering. There is an entire chapter on bali/sacrifice.
    – user23407
    Commented May 19, 2021 at 2:25
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Such human killing sacrifices are not mentioned anywhere.

kAlika purANa does describe a “human sacrifice” ritual but there it is clearly stated that the human is not to be killed in chapter 67 :

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