Sources

The Secret of the Three Cities: An Introduction to Hindu Sakta Tantrism

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "The Secret of the Three Cities: An Introduction to Hindu Sakta Tantrism." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sources/the-secret-of-the-three-cities-an-introduction-to-hindu-sakta-tantrism.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). The Secret of the Three Cities: An Introduction to Hindu Sakta Tantrism. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sources/the-secret-of-the-three-cities-an-introduction-to-hindu-sakta-tantrism

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-the-secret-of-the-three-cities-an-introd,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {The Secret of the Three Cities: An Introduction to Hindu Sakta Tantrism},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sources/the-secret-of-the-three-cities-an-introduction-to-hindu-sakta-tantrism},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Douglas Renfrew Brooks's study combines documented textual research into Srividya Shakta Tantric literature with his own fieldwork among practicing initiates, and its real evidentiary contribution is stated in its own method: it dates the tradition from its own literature rather than by outside assumption, and it is explicit that Srividya practice is transmitted by initiation, a limit on what an outside text-based study alone can verify about the tradition's own lived transmission. That combination of textual and fieldwork grounding is the study's real basis. This record has not independently traced further scholarly disagreement with Brooks's specific claims since 1990. Use it for established scholarly facts about Srividya Shakta Tantrism's textual history and its own stated mode of transmission.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

Douglas Renfrew Brooks's study combining documented textual research into Srividya Shakta Tantric literature with his own fieldwork among practicing initiates, dating the tradition from its own literature and stating plainly that its practice is transmitted by initiation.

Notes

Textual and field study of Srividya Shakta Tantrism; dates the tradition from its own literature and is explicit that its practice is transmitted by initiation.

Citation

Author

Douglas Renfrew Brooks

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Publication Year

1990

Source Type

Monograph

Claims Backed By This Source (192 claims)

This source backs 192 claims across the atlas. As facts: 137 well-attested. As cited relationships: 30 holds, 1 connected. Plus 24 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.