Tantra challenges orthodox renunciation by embracing the world as a manifestation of divine energy (shakti). It uses rituals, visualization, and symbolic union to awaken kundalini and realize non-duality. In poetry, tantric themes appear in works that celebrate the body as a temple, desire as a path, and the goddess as supreme reality. Medieval poets like the Siddhas and later Bengali Bauls incorporate tantric imagery to express radical spirituality. Poets use tantra to explore the sacredness of the sensual, the integration of opposites, and liberation through engagement rather than withdrawal.

Tantra is an esoteric tradition within Hinduism and Buddhism (especially Vajrayana) that uses ritual, mantra, mandala, and visualization to achieve liberation. It often sees the body and its energies as a microcosm of the universe and a vehicle for enlightenment, rather than an obstacle. It challenges conventional dualities like pure/impure. For poets, Tantra offers rich, transgressive imagery and the concept of finding the absolute within the relative, using all aspects of life as a path to awakening.