Kalighat-Temple

Gurus, Gurus and Gurus _ 3

2012-02-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

I have the personal experience of knowing spiritually evolved persons whose Gurus have been accused/convicted of rape/murder. How come? The explanation could be that these people have absorbed only the good things from those Gurus. Or these people knew the Gurus at a time when they were good. I do not know.

I will give the example of two Gurus.

1. A SriVidya Guru who has been practicing SriVidya for more than 50 years. She is a housewife with husband and children. She has attained Siddhi of many mantras. She has given Mantra Upadesa to countless number of people. She has not made any money out of this. She does not seek fame or wealth. When you sit n front of her you feel her Tejas.

2. A learned Tantric gives Mantra Upadesa to people who consult him for their problems.He listens to the problem of a person, finds out which Mantra and Yagna will alleviate their problem. He initiates the person into the Mantra and also conducts the Yagna with the active participation of the person concerned. Only good Mantras.The Yagnas are all big ones and conducted adhering meticulously to the procedures laid down in the Tantric texts. The yagnas are a delight to watch. But the solution is very expensive. He also seeks fame. He has Tejas.

Now tell me are these two not Gurus? No violation of any laid down norms. People are benefited. The first person gives only Mantra initiation and then it is upto you. The second one leads you further. If you can afford the second Guru you go to him.

My experience of seeking out Holy people of all kinds allover India has been very good. I have met mostly unknown Gurus who are approachable. I firmly believe that the tradition of the Gurus is flourishing in India.

Jai MAA !!!

Fears

2012-02-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

"With enjoyment, comes fear of disease

With social position, fear of disfavor

With riches, fear of hostile people (Kings)

With honor, fear of humiliation

With power, fear of enemies

With beauty, fear of old age

With scholarship, fear of challenges

With virtue, fear of traducers

With identification with the body, fear of death

Everything in this world is done with fear

Renunciation alone makes one fearless."

-- Bhartrihari

Self-Realisation

2012-02-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

I have a question, which has been bugging me for a long time. I give up all desires. Desire for fame, wealth etc. I am not a realised soul. The only thing left is total surrender to MAA. I do not want anything. Now I wonder at times what am I living for? Since I do not follow Vedanta or Advaita I do not seek self-realisation.

I am at peace. But you should realise that peace can be very boring. Should I take Vanaprastha and retire to a secluded place. Why not take jalasamadhi at Rudraprayag and end it all?

Someone may suggest service to humanity. There is politics and ego clashes in service/religious organizations and ashrams. Even postings on the internet leads to ego clashes. I do not want to knowingly or unknowingly hurt anyone's ego. That is why I have cut off all contacts with humans except my family.

My reading of the books on Hinduism made me understand that I should give up all desires. The ultimate object is to give up even the desire for God-realisation. O.K. Then what? Take Sannyasa and become a wandering monk or wander into the beautiful Himalayas where MAA lives? Why a wandering monk? Because even in Ashrams of Sannyasins there are ego clashes.

When you progress in your God-realisation or spirituality the desires will leave you. Bht by giving up desires you do not become spiritual. It could be Vairagya or Virakthi. Vairagya does not give you Jnana automatically.

What do you think?

Jai MAA KAALI !!!

Gurus, Gurus and Gurus _ 2

2012-01-26T23:14:00.000-08:00

I was warned that any discussion on Gurus tends to become acrimonious. I do not understand why any message on Gurus should be taken by some people, as an attack on Gurus in general and their Gurus in particular. I know that because of this, no one wants to discuss the institution of Gurus. Though quite a few books have been written on Gurus it is more from the point of view of the West. They invariably fall back upon the definition and writing in our old texts and very rarely reflect the realities of the present times.

A friend had posed a question

"What then happens to the hungry, traveler, saddened by life's trials, desperately seeking for guidance; a guide, a father, a mother, a manifestation, a personalization of the ultimate "God"? . "

This is the crux of the problem. Whenever we talk about Gurus invariably it is about Gurus who lead the disciple to Self- Realisation.There are Pravritti and Nivritti margas. There are Mumukshas as a class of society. Even in spirituality the goal could be Prathiba, Sahaja and Samarasa. Why talk only about self- realisation as if it is the only goal for which a Guru is required. Why dismiss all other Gurus as non- Gurus?

There are other gurus who deal also with the type of people enumerated above.

Tantric Gurus

The concept of Gurus is emphasised in all Tantric texts. By its very nature Tantric practices need a guru to initiate a person the Mantra, and also teach the various and elaborate rituals prescribed for attaining the Siddhi of the Mantra. These Gurus have a long lineage running to generations. Many of the Sampradhayas also believe that the Guru should be a Grahastha (householder) and not a Sannyasin.

There are hundreds of Sampradhayas and most of these Gurus are householders leading the life of a householder. There are thousands of disciples who have been initiated into these Mantras. Most of them are householders. It is again generally an accepted principle of these Sampradhayas that the initiate does not take any other Guru. Those who belong to the Great SriVidya Sampradhaya have Diksha names.

When we were discussing mantras and Siddhis earlier there was an attempt to dismiss all Mantras other than those, which lead to Moksha. Unfortunately most of the mantras in Mantra Mahodhathi and Mantra Maharnava are for attaining certain powers or Siddhis. A Tantric who attains a Siddhi of any mantra will get power. How he uses this power depends on him. Misuse of the Powers will result in losing the power gradually and also prevent him from attaining higher powers.

We find a number of these Tantrics making money out of these powers. They help the common man in overcoming obstacles, winning court cases etc. You may say that this is Black magic or dhurmantra. The Tantric scriptures do not make any such distinction and Tantrics have always for thousands of years used their powers for material benefits.

Hereditary Gurus

There are many families in India (especially among the Vaishnavites) where your family has accepted an individual or the head of a particular Math as your Guru. These Gurus could be either householders or Sannyasins depending upon the tradition. There are hundreds of gurus of this kind in India. The families consult the Guru on a regular basis regarding their problems.

Nath/Sidddha/Avadhoota Gurus.

We have all heard of the wandering monks, mad monks, and naked Sadhus of India. Most of these people belong to the Nath/Siddha tradition. These kinds of Sadhus do not follow the norms of the society. They are called mad because they do not conform to the norms of the society. But many of them had achieved the ultimate Siddhi. By mere look they could elevate the disciple to a higher level. Many Siddhas also were masters of indigenous medicine and alchemy. There is a system of medicine called the Siddha Vaidhya. They went around healing people. I can write & write about the greatness of these Siddhas without end. We talk about Prathiba, Sahaja, Samarasa, and not self- realisation here. These Gurus attained Sahaja and Samarasa.

It is in the Nath/Siddha/Avadhootha/Tantric tradition that the Guru is held in absolute reverence. In aishnavism also the Guru is venerated. The Guru does not hold this exalted position in the Advaita marga.

If we look at our history you will find that our great Gurus came from all traditions.

If you prepare a list of Gurus like

Bagavan Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Swami Vivekananda
Disciples of Ramakrishna
Bagavan Ramana Maharshi
Mata Anandamayi
Paramahansa Yogananda
Swami Nityananda
Swami Muktananda
Swami Sivananda
Swami Chinmayananda
Bagavan Shirdi Sai Baba
Bagavan Sathya Saibaba
Mata Amritanandamayi
Shree MAA of Kamakya
Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Swami Rama
Maa Rama Devi
Maharshi Mahesh Yogi
Papa Ramdas

You will find that everyone had his/her own path. As Bagavan Ramakrishna said there are as many paths as there are men. I had prepared the list of only those Gurus whose teachings and path I know something about. There are hundreds whom I am not fortunate enough to know.

I am sure some of you would have seen the web site referred by one of my friends here. (Let Us Reason ). I am giving below a paragraph from one of their pages.

" They learn spirituality by experience. Marilyn Ferguson states it this way,"The radical Center of spiritual experience seems to be knowing without doctrine ... the teacher does not impart knowledge but technique. This is the 'transmission of knowledge by direct experience.' Doctrine on the other hand, is second-hand knowledge, a danger .... 'Do not get entangled in any teaching." (The Aquarian Conspiracy, Marilyn Ferguson, Pages 371, 377.)"

They are right. The Guru teaches from his personal knowledge. So most of them taught the path they had experienced.

One of my friends had asked about the general qualifications of a guru. I do not think you can have one. There is an ocean of difference between a Vedantic guru and an Agora guru. Between a Spiritual guru of the Advaita marga and a Vama marga Tantric Guru. Instead of spending time in finding out about Conmen (calling them fake Gurus is an insult to Gurus) we can learn about all these gurus and their teachings. Most of the information is available on the net. Many of them also have ashrams all over the world. If you like the teachings of a Guru and would like to join their community you can visit their ashrams. If you want a Tantric or Nath/Siddha guru you have to really search hard as these kind of Gurus are not easy to find. You hear more about Con men masquerading as Gurus because Con men make better copy for newspapers and magazines than real Gurus.

If you are a spiritual or religious explorer/adventurer you can explore different margas, exoteric and non exoteric. All explorers do not discover the source of the Nile. Similarly spiritual explorers may never find the ultimate. Like in exploration the path can be dangerous also. But there is always a thrill in exploration.

We are blessed that Hinduism has produced so many great gurus. One of our friends had written that tolerance is the basis of Hinduism. It is not tolerance. It is acceptance of all paths. Most of us are yet to accept this concept of acceptance. Some of you may not consider some of the people on my list as Gurus. The principle is to be inclusive and not exclusive. Find out what is good in all men and if you find some good teachings try to absorb them. Lookout for Con-men and you will find one in every corner. It is a question of attitude and conditioning.

By then are we qualified to judge these great men? It is like a toddler in the Nursery class passing judgment on the Head teacher of the school. I would say it is worse. The difference in level is so high like a deep hole in the ground and the peak of the mountain. As I said earlier the only people who can give you an opinion are the disciples. Ask different disciples (beginners and advanced) and the dissenters (there are always some) and then may be you can decide. Even this I am not so sure. But do not put yourself in a straight jacket by going by any definition.

Gurus, Gurus and Gurus _ 1

2012-01-26T05:45:00.000-08:00

Nowadays people are not satisfied with mere Gurus. So we have Maharshis and Paramahamsas.

In India we find that people approach a Guru for the following purposes.

1. For spiritual guidance (very few).
2. To get initiated into a Mantra.
2. Guidance and help in solving their problems.
3. To know about their future.
4. To get cure for their illness.
5. For wealth, fame and prosperity.

The Guru phenomenon also complies with the economics rule of demand and supply. So as there is a pent-up demand for all kinds of Gurus for solving all kinds of problems, all kinds of Gurus spring up. In fact the demand far exceeds the supply. That is why people have to search for Gurus.

We can be very puritanical and say that all these people are not genuine Gurus. I have some experience of meeting Gurus of various hues and shades all over India. The common factor among all of them
is (I am not talking about the Con artist)

1. They invariably have some power or attraction, which distinguishes them from the common man.
2. They are able to win the faith and devotion of many members of the public.

Anyone who fulfills the above qualification could become a Guru. I am not a Guru, as I do not fulfill any of these qualifications.

They could be good soothsayers, good healers, religious pundits who conduct yagnas for propitiation of Gods/Goddesses on behalf of their customers, good astrologers, good teachers etc. etc.

So depending upon your need you find a Guru. It is also possible that you want a Guru to belong to a particular section of society or an informal club.

These Gurus come from all social strata of society and have different levels of spiritual advancement. They could be renunciates, or Grahasthas. They have different goals in life. Many of them want to construct big ashrams, temples, hospitals, schools etc. Once anyone wants to construct an ashram, hospital he has to necessarily acquire land, money for construction. So they get involved in mundane matters. We call it Loukika. This could prove to be a quagmire. There are plenty of highly evolved Gurus who have stagnated and sometimes came down in their spiritual level because of their involvement in these activities. This is what is illustrated by the story of the Sannyasin and his kowpeena.

What is the relevance of all this to the question raised? One of our friends has echoed the feeling of every one of us when he said that we want our Guru to have all the comforts. He said that the Guru should live like a king. I am in total agreement. But the question is does the Guru want that? If that is his wish as his disciple you should offer whatever you can. Sometimes the question I raised might crop up. There is no correct answer to that question. We can only pray that we are not placed in such a predicament. You cannot wish away the problem.

Soomeone had said about a Guru arranging the marriage of a disciple. As I said earlier we run to the guru with all kinds of problems. Do you expect your Spiritual Guru to be a marriage counselor, career counselor, astrologer, and pranic healer? Sort of omnipotent. In my opinion the Guru was not right in arranging the marriage of a disciple. Just because he is Gurudeva he does not become God. I do not think even in the days of the Puranas Gurus decided whom the chelas should marry. This is sheer exploitation of the faith reposed in the Guru. I think the guru had an inflated Ego. This has nothing to do with culture. I find that the westerner takes his Guru more literally than the Indians. That is the reason why western disciples are preferred over Indian disciples.

You can quote books galore to say that the Guru has that right. But these books also give the father of a son/daughter absolute right to decide whom he/she should marry. Even now in India many parents claim that right. Most of us now believe that the father does not have that right. If it is so neither does the Guru. The scriptures also gave a lot of rights to the King even if he was a tyrant. We threw out the kings and are better for it. We are always selective in our reading of the scriptures.

Books which were written in an age when there was no appreciation of individual rights, when hereditary rights of ruling was the norm, when the society was feudal, cannot be taken to be the voice of God. What is written about spirituality is timeless. But the same cannot be said about code of conduct and other non-spiritual matters.

I find that the younger generation of today is more religious than my generation. I am sure they will become more spiritual as they grow older. Without being very rigid in our definitions and qualifications of a Guru, we can search for a Guru. You will definitely find a Guru to your liking. You should have absolute faith in your Guru. But you should also realise that Guru is not God or omnipotent. He is also a human being and also has desires, wants etc. You cannot expect him to solve all your problems. If you have a problem say about switching jobs you cannot expect your Guru to get you a job or decide which job
you should accept.

You go to the Guru. You state your problem either orally or mentally. The Guru either by a word or glance will give you the inner strength required to find a solution to your problem. The idea that the Gurus are also human and are bound by the same samskaras, ego etc. will enable us to understand the Guru and serve him better. This will also enable us to cope with the situation in case someday we discover that the particular Guru was a Con Man.

The people to decide whether a guru is genuine/authentic or not, are the disciples not the journalists and general public.

My Pranams to All the Past, Present and Future Gurus of the world.

Mantras and Siddhis

2012-01-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

Mantras

The discussion about whether one should give the Mantra in print on
paper or over the Internet and whether one should utter these Mantras
has been discussed in many forums especially over the Internet. But
what we should understand that there is no forum in India where such
matters are discussed. Unfortunately there is very little opposition
to the commercialisation of Mantras and Tantras in India. We find not
only books but also cassettes and magazines, which give Mantras and
advise people to chant them for various benefits. Not one Acharya or
religious head has raised his voice against these practices.

Before I go into Mantra Sasthra I would like to say something about
Tantra, Upasana, Sadhana and Siddhi

We generally use the above terms whenever we talk about Tantra and
Mantras. Now there is a lot of confusion about these terms. I would
like to present a simple definition of the above terms. I am always
open to correction as I am not a Guru.

Upasana: Upasana is devotion to a particular deity or mantra. It
means approaching the Divine step by step till the self attains
identity with her. When somebody says I am a Durga Upasak, it means
that he is a worshipper of MAA DURGA. Upasana is different from
Bhakthi in that you concentrate on one particular Deity or Mantra.
The deity is normally called Ishta Devata. When you do mantra Upasana
you follow the procedures laid down for that Upasana.

Sadhana: is the method by which you do Upasana. Mantra sadhana means
the method followed is by recitation of a specific mantra. Tantra
sadhana means you follow Tantric procedures, which include Mantras.

Siddhi. - Means power or attainment. The common forms of Siddhi are

Ashtamaa Siddhi - eight great powers
1. Anima -To become tiny as the atom within atom
2. Laghima - To become light as vapour in levitation
3. Mahima - To become big in unshakeable proportions
4. Prapti- To enter into other bodies in transmigration
5. Prakamyam- To be in all things, omni pervasive
6. Isatvam-To be lord of all creation in omnipotence
7. Vasitvam- To be everywhere in omnipresence
8. Kamaru Tattva (Kamavasyitva) -Attainment of whatever you desire*

Source: Thirumandhiram- verse no.668 to 693

* Some books give it as Garima (the power of becoming heavy)
The minor Siddhis are
Doora Dharshan (clairvoyance)
Doora Sravan (clairaudience)
Iccha Mrityu (death at his will)
There may be others also.

Kariya Siddhi - Getting your heart's desire. This is what most of us
aim for. We pray to God to beget children, get promotion in job, get
wealth, remove unhappiness etc. etc. If you pray fervently you get
things done. This is also the easiest of the Siddhis to get. Pray for
a specific purpose and your prayers are granted.

Jai MAA KAALI !!!

Mantra for Beginners -- VII

2011-11-21T02:37:00.000-08:00

Where does Philosophy fit into this? In Hinduism religion is philosophy and philosophy is religion. They cannot be separated. When you are in your teens and look at the people doing Pooja, prayers and Japa and find that superstitious (we tend to call what we do not believe or understand as superstition), you are attracted by Philosophy. Later you realize that religion is the practice and philosophy the theory/principle behind the practice. Sanskrit terms like Karma, Klesha , Samsara etc. makes you wonder whether you can make any spiritual progress. Later when you do Sadhana and want to know the theory or the principle behind this you understand these terms.

In the 60s in the Hippie Era LSD was often used by young people who wanted a new experience. As anyone who has used LSD will tell you it is an unforgettable experience. But whether the experience was most pleasant or nerve shattering varied from person to person. We knew what precautions to take having learnt by experience. Even now drugs are used in Spiritual Sadhana. But smoking Hashish or pot is not the way to spiritual Sadhana. The risk is not worth it and the effect is only temporary.

All this heavy stuff is written because many of us seem to believe that there is a short cut or an instant way to spirituality. In the days of Instant coffee and Instant Tea we want Instant Nirvana, Instant Mukthi, Instant Brahman. Unfortunately this is not possible. (if one of my young and impetuous friends ask what about Bagavan Ramana Maharishi or Bagavan Sri Ramakrishna, my answer is such people one in a billion.) If anyone claims about Instant Kundalini and you fall for it, you are surely in Instant trouble. Years back we used to know a professor of Psychology who was specializing in Parapsychology. He was doing a research on Tantra, various systems of meditation, prayers and other rituals. His comment on some of the forms of meditation was " pure torture". (Unfortunately like all nutty professors I do not think he ever published his findings).

So Pooja, Japa, Meditation, Kundalini Yoga, choose a path, which is suitable for you. Do not be led by the so-called superiority of one path over the other. Before deciding finally learn all about the path, its effects, advantages, disadvantages, risks involved etc. At the same time do not be unduly frightened by the risks. You should take a risk because the reward that you get by spiritual progress is worth it. But it should be a calculated and thought out risk.

Mantra for Beginners -- VI

2011-11-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

In my earlier messages I had equated Mental Japa to meditation. I saw recently that some one had called this Dhyana Yoga. The Art and science of Meditation. I was talking about how in India we generally proceeded from rituals to meditation. In Tantra this process is emphasized. The initiates are classified according to their levels. You proceed gradually from one process to the other. Some of the more esoteric Sadhanas are meant for only advanced initiates. You proceed from the form to the formless. Tantras are basically instruction manuals. They tell you how to proceed. Again in Tantra we specifically forbid anyone to act without a Guru.

We are not discussing Tantra now. I am only drawing a parallel. There is a lot of interest in Yahoo groups and the different forums to know about advanced Tantrik Sadhana like Smasana Sadhana, Sava Sadhana, and five Ms. But after trying to answer some of the curious people I realized that without explaining the basic philosophy of Tantra and the pre-requisite qualifications, talking about these Sadhanas will be only vetting the appetite of the curious and......

Talking about the pre -requisites, there is a Sadhana, which you might be familiar with, called Jala Sadhana. You stand in water (preferably in a holy river) up to your neck in water and meditate or do mantra Japa for hours. But do you know what happens to your body? Cramps ! I was discussing this with a Tantrik friend. He said he had to be almost hospitalized as the body had become so stiff. We talk about Smasana Sadhana or worship in the graveyard/cremation ground. Leave alone Sadhana, do you have the courage to spent hours in the middle of the night in a Graveyard? And how do you ensure that the police do not arrest you? Even in India you will be.

Meditation being the highest form of Sadhana also gives very quick results. Scientific studies have clearly proved the effects of Meditation on the body. So it is but natural that everyone is attracted to meditation. Again this does not have the dogma of ritualistic or idol worship.

Now the entire spiritualistic practices of Hinduism are a synthesis of many aspects. You want to do meditation or even Japa for 1 hour. How do sit still for one hour. Your legs start feeling numb after 20 minutes. How do you concentrate for 3 to 4 hours or more than that, if your body does not cooperate? That is why Hatha yoga was considered an essential part of Hinduism. Again if you have training in Pranayama it is much easier to meditate.

Maa Kundalini or Kundalini Sakthi resides in everyone. We all have the Chakras. All spiritual practices right from Pooja, Japa, Meditation has an effect on Kundalini. In Tantra we call SriVidya, pure Kundalini Yoga. All Tantrik practices have their basis in Kundalini Yoga. I had asked my Guru before my initiation about Kundalini. He said with Mantra Japa your Kundalini will automatically be raised. With meditation the Kundalini raises much faster. The raising of the Kundalini again depends on the Mantra. Even with a Nirguna mantra you cannot prevent or control your Kundalini from rising.

Since with meditation it raises much faster the effects may not be what you had anticipated. For most of us Kundalini Sakthi is at different levels. So the effect of meditation will be different. Though the road is smoother at 80 mph than at twenty mph because the car feels the bumps less, if you hit a wall the effects are much more serious than at 20 mph. You may find an explanation in Kundalini Yoga about what is happening to you.

Mantra for Beginners -- V

2011-11-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

The different kinds of Japa are

1. Vaikhari Japa (audible)
2. Upamsu Japa (whispering)
3. Manasika Japa (mental)
4. Likhita Japa (written)

In Tantra a lot of emphasis is laid on Japa. For attaining Mantra Siddhi you have to do Japa of the mantra a particular number of times. But it is not that you stop with that. You are expected to do constant Mantra Japa so that the Mantra becomes part of you. The Mantra is always running in your mind. In Tantra the rituals are necessary for only the main Japa when you count. But otherwise you are free to do Mantra Japa without any restrictions.

The same attitude is taken in Nama Japa also where the Nama becomes part of you. Here here is no emphasis on the count. Still many traditions insist that you should do minimum number of times per day. This is to ensure that you do it regularly. It is good if you decide the minimum number that you will recite per day.

In Japa you progress from Audible Japa to Mental Japa over a period of time.

There is very little difference between Mental Japa and Meditation

Most of the Hindus know about prayers, and Nama Japa well, as these are part of the daily ritual. Though the term Dhyana (Meditation) is known, wherever it is mentioned Dhyanam we just said Dhyanam or recited what is called Dhyana Sloka of the Deity.

Meditation as is now known was only for the very few. I have not heard of anyone doing meditation in my village full of Brahmins. Meditation was associated with Tapas, which meant that it was beyond the reach of the common man. Because meditation was equated almost with Tapas, only those Hindus who were deeply spiritual took to meditation. Mostly these were Sanskrit scholars and students of Philosophy.

Meditation became popular in India mainly due to Bagavan Sri Ramakrishna, Bagavan Ramana Maharshi and Swami Sivananda. However it is still largely confined to the English knowing population. In India Bhakthi and rituals are considered superstition by the English educated intellectual class. Many of these people took to Meditation.

When my father was a student of Swami Sivananda in the early 50s what he learnt was mainly Hatha Yoga, Japa and Hindu Philosophy. Swami Sivanananda's books give a lot of emphasis on Japa. Even In Hatha Yoga though we were taught all the Asanas, we were asked to do only Sirasasana , Sarvanghasana and other simple asanas daily. Even Sirasasana was to be done only if it suited you. Again Pranayama was learnt only through an experienced teacher. Sri. Kali Ghosh who was my teacher was very particular that I follow all the rules and also checked my progress regularly.

Though the development was like this in India, in the west it was the other way around. Meditation became almost synonymous with Hinduism. I saw someone writing that Meditation is Hinduism.

When we attend a course in Mountaineering, you are first taught rock climbing and then taught how to climb small mountain peaks. You do not expect to climb Mount Everest just by attending one Mountaineering course. You become proficient in rock climbing, climb a couple of peaks in the Alps, and then try the minor peaks in the Himalayas before attempting Mount Everest. Even in that I can never progress as fast as a man from Ghatwal because he is from the mountains and his heart is already accustomed to heights.

The reason why I am writing all this is that I find that, though in India we progressed slowly from prayer to Meditation over a period of years, most people in the west are directly initiated into meditation. It is my view that for most people it is like trying to climb Mount Everest without ever having done even rock climbing. Many of the instructions given for spiritual aspirants by Swami Sivanananda have been part and parcel of our daily life for generations.

Am I saying that all the courses in Meditation are fake? Definitely not. But if you are in New York and you attend a course in Rishikesh India you may have problems. If you stay in Rishikesh for six months then you have a better chance of success. Even then when you come back to New York you may have problems and you would not have anyone to discuss your problems. During my last visit to Dharamshala I found that for there are many people from outside India who come there regularly. These are people who are very serious students and practioners of Buddhism.

Similarly we find many people visiting India regularly. Even Swamijis who have reached great heights visit India regularly for spiritual regeneration.

Ishta Devata -- II

2011-11-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

If you are born a Hindu and grew up in India you worship a number of Gods and Goddesses. But the path of spirituality is through Japa/Mantra/Meditation. If you do Japa of many different Gods, it is not effective. Also the first step in spirituality is the realization that God is one. Who is this one God? Your Ishta Devata. Then you do Japa of that God with Mantra. As the mantras vary depending on the God, you choose the Mantra of the Ishta Devata. In meditation and Japa you have to visualize the form of the God. So you visualize the form of your Ishta Devata.

One God -- with form -- without form

Though many people may not even know the term Ishta Devata the process of progress in spirituality is the same. There are people who do not have an Ishta Devata and learn the mantras of many Gods. This fritters away your energy making it more difficult to reach a higher stage.

The whole process is about raising of the Kundalini Sakthi (Consciously or otherwise).

Choose a God/Goddess known to you. The process of visualization is also simpler.

We have a music season every year in Madras during which there are a number of Carnatic (south Indian Classical) music concerts. Some years back a Catholic Nun became our friend as she also attends these concerts regularly. Carnatic music is basically Bhakthi. When we were discussing the music the nun told us that her Ishta Devata is Lord Jesus and her Sadhana is through Carnatic music.

Hindus in India come to know about the different gods and Goddesses through the family and environment. But they also learn by visiting temples and through books/magazines. Books are a major source of information. The more gods you know about the more difficult the process of selection.

As per the classical texts the Guru selects the Ishta Devata if you do not have one. The process of selection also includes Astrology. You should be extremely fortunate to get a Guru like that.

I feel that I should have used the term "the ultimate principle" instead of God. Your Ishta Devata is the ultimate principle. Since it is easier to go from form to formless, you choose a form for the Ishta Devata.

We have misunderstandings when it is not realised that the ultimate principle is the Ishta Devata. When I say MAA KAALI is Brahman or Lord Krishna is Brahman it only means that the ultimate principle is in the form of MAA KAALI or Lord Krishna. Since I am comfortable with a form with compassion, love etc. I imagine MAA to be like that though I do realize that, since she is Brahman she is Nirguna. This is in conformity with my reasoning of going from Bhakthi Marga to Jnana Marga.

You concentrate on only one form at a time. To explain this I have to use the term Upasana. I am more comfortable with this term than with Sadhana.

Your Ishta Devata is your Upasana murthi. Though you may worship many Gods there should be only one Upasana murthi. I was warning about doing Upasana of many murthis at the same time. You may change your Upasana murthi depending on many factors. There is no harm in that. It does happen often.

Meditation requires concentration. You concentrate on the form of your Ishta Devata. Even for meditation on the formless many Gurus suggest imagining sky with a bird flying or open ocean.

Many people collect mantras like stamps. They also start Upasana of many Gods simultaneously. This leads to frittering of energy.

Sankar

Mantra for Beginners -- IV --Purgatory Mantras

2011-11-17T05:42:00.000-08:00

There are some Mantras which are intensively purgatory in nature. These mantras purge you of your past karmas, attachments and whatever stands in the way of your achieving salvation. But to the ordinary person who is still attached to material things, the process of purging will come as a shock. Many people after practicing these Mantras complain that bad things are happening in their life like loss of a job, estrangement with close relatives, friends, loss of material things etc. etc. What they fail to understand is that this is a way of paying your karmic debts and getting rid of attachments.

In the case of all Mantras this sort of things happen. I know a person who received initiation from the Swamiji in Ramakrishna math. But he had so many problems that he approached the Math for giving up his Mantra. I do not know what happened there. But what I do know is that he went all the way to Varanasi from Kerala to give up his Mantra. The changes brought about by Mantra japa or meditation may not be always acceptable to the family and friends. I find parents complaining about the effect of mantra on their children and colleagues complain about the effect on their co-workers. In Mantra Sasthra, which is Tantrik, there are no Saguna or Nirguna Mantras. This division is Vedantic. Even the division of Spiritual and non-spiritual mantras is artificial.

The path to the ultimate is not an easy one.

In the words of Swami Yatiswarananda (Meditation and Spiritual Life - Ramakrishna math. Bangalore)

"Spiritual evolution at first brings great suffering to the aspirant, not happiness. In the intermediate stages his life becomes very difficult. Then he has no longer any real interest in what he has in the world, and cannot yet obtain self-realisation, which is still beyond his reach. It is just like hanging in mid-air without being able to go up or down. "

Again in Swamiji's words

" We should look upon it as a great fortune that, for some reason or the other, our mind possesses an attraction for the higher and eternal things, and should see that we steadily and gradually proceed along the higher path, never flagging till we reach the goal. Our spiritual fervour is to be maintained, but we very often run the risk of becoming slack. Thus spiritual striving stops in most people after they have taken to the spiritual life for a certain time. Their minds are too restless and too outgoing to keep up this spiritual fervour and intensity for a long time, and to go on steadily and doggedly with their spiritual practice, reading, and studies. So we should be on our guard. Dogged tenacity is the one thing needed for spiritual life. All progress can only be had through great steadiness and tenacity, never allowing ourselves to flag or to become lukewarm. "

In India where we are very fond of our mad monks, such people who do not seem normal are accepted. I know of many seekers in all margas who cannot be called normal by the strict definition of normalcy. We call them God Crazy. But tolerance and acceptance is part of the Indian psyche. I have known many Sanskrit scholars, mathematicians, and religious people who would have been committed to an institution in other countries. I do not understand why there are more crazy professors in Sanskrit and mathematics whereas we rarely find one in Economics.

But then in this crazy world everyone is crazy. Power crazy, Money crazy, Fame crazy or God crazy.

Jai MAA !!!

Sankar

Mantra for Beginners -- III

2011-11-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

I have been posting messages about Mantras with the aim of demystifying Mantras. I was talking about Sri Sri Chandi only to point out that there is a lot of difference between the books and practice. I do not know how people started reading Sri Sri Chandi. But I know about Soundharya Lahari. This was not read by many people in the south because of the restrictions imposed. But in the early 70s The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetathipathi told his followers that there is no restriction in reading the text, and that it is extremely beneficial if Housewives recite it. So Soundharya Lahari became very popular.

Again Gayatri mantra was supposed to be only for the upper castes who receive Upadesa. But then Swami Dayananda Saraswathi (founder of Arya Samaj) removed all restrictions on this mantra. Now it has even become a cinema song.

Excepting a few Tantrik mantras other mantras do not cause any harm. It is only said that the effect may not be as dramatic as it is when it is recited properly.

You know there are mantras in languages other than Sanskrit. I know many mantras in Tamil and Hindi. My Diksha Guruji gives initiation of mantras in Tamil. I know of Muslim magicians who use Arabic and Persian mantras. These mantras called Sabar Mantras by Dr. P.R. Tigunait the spiritual head of the Himalayan institute. (Disciple of Swami Rama). His classification of mantras is

Meditative mantras
Contemplative mantras
Siddha Mantras
Maha Mantras
Apta mantras
Sabar mantras

Malas have an effect on their own. This is independent of the mantras. Generally Saivites and Sakthas use Rudraksha and Vaishnavites use Tulsi. Tibetans use wooden malas. Counters have become popular for mantra japa. They are used when you have to do Japa thousands of times. Counters are used by Hare Krishna Devotees. I have used a counter.

Namah is a declamation used at the end of a Nama in Archana or in the middle in a mantra.
Example- Om Sri Rajarajeswaryai Namah - Namavali
Om Namo Bagavathe Vasudevaya - Mantra.
Swaha is used generally when giving an oblation into the fire in Homa. It is also used in a mantra at the end. Swaha is a name of MAA. There are other interpretations as well.

Friends who are keen on furthering their knowledge of Mantras can refer to the book Understanding Mantras -Edited by Harvey P. Alper - This book contains 10 research articles on the subject.

Jai MAA !!!

Sankar

Mantra Siddhi? What is it? - IV

2011-11-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Now where does this leave the Spiritual seekers?

Mantra Siddhi has no relevance to Spiritual seekers.

There are many Mantras which give only spiritual powers. The Taraka Mantram is that which enables its invokers to cross over the ocean of samsara and attain liberation. Then almost all the other Mantras have also ability to take the Sadhaka towards his/her spiritual goal.

The Spirtual seeker has no necessity for Prayogam or application. The Mantra automatically takes you to a higher level. When you chant the name of Krishna or Rama or Devi you are not thinking of Siddhis or powers. You are seeking GOD.

Does it mean that spiritual seekers will not get Siddhi?

NO. The spiritual seeker also gets Siddhis.

The Ashtama Siddhi and its achievement are quite different. Of course there are Siddhis other than Ashtma Siddhi. Things like the body glowing, getting younger, hair growing on bald head and so on. Many of these powers are bestowed without even asking for it. I have heard of a person who had attained a power which ensured that all the flowers he offered the Deity fell on the Deity in the form of a garland. May be years of practice. The other common Siddhis are the power of healing and clairvoyance.

Is getting Siddhis an obstacle to Spirtual Progress?

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is always a likelihood of a Sadhaka getting Siddhi or Power forgetting his/her spiritual goals.

That is how we see many Sadhus and Holy men who have stopped pursuing their spiritual goals after attaining Siddhi/Siddhis. We also see Holy men who have Siddhis and who continue in their Spirtual paths without bothering about the Siddhis.

Another feature of Mantra siddhi is that it does have a tendency to make one proud. Pride in achivement. This bloats the EGO. We have all seen many Sadhus and Holymen who are full of SELF IMPORTANCE. This is a big impediment to Spirtual Progress.

Then the Power of Healing and Clairvoyance can lead to the seeker forgetting his/her ultimate goals. They become Heelers and Clairvoyants. Because these powers lead to an increase in popularity (Fame) and also could lead to prosperity, the ultimate goal is forgotten.

None of these fault of the Siddhi but of the Seeker.

It is better for Spiritual Seekers to keep off Mantra Siddhi. Lead us not into temptations, My Lord.

Total and absolute surrender is the only way of achieving the lotus feet of GOD.

शरणागत दीनार्त परित्र्याण परायणे।
सर्वस्यार्तिहरे देवि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते।

तां ढुर्गां दुर्गमां देवीं दुराचारविघातिनीम् ।
नमामि भवभीतोऽहं संसारार्णवतारिणीम् ।

Jai MAA !!!

Mantra for Beginners -- II

2011-11-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

Someone in the forum had asked about Devi Mahatmyam. The following was my response. This was again posted in 2001.

You had said about Devi Mahatmya and other hymns. Devi Mahatmya is considered to be the supreme text of many Saktha Sampradhayas. To even read Devi Mahatmyam you need Adhikara or right, which can be given only by a Tantrik guru. Again there are rituals and laid down procedures for even reading Devi Mahatmyam. This is emphasized in all texts. For the full details of the rituals of reading Devi Mahatmyam you can see the book Sri Chandi by Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi. The text by the Gita Press also gives the rituals and contains a warning not to read it without Adhikara. To get over these restrictions Sri Sri Chandi was translated into Bengali long time back. The Sthudhis can be said without any restriction.

Similarly very strict rules have been laid down for reading Soundharya Lahari.

But these rules have been given a go by in the case of Soundharya Lahari in South India. This has started happening in the case of Devi Mahatmyam also.

This has started happening in the case of mantras also. Mantras have ceased to be the exclusive privilege of the few. In India you can get any mantra from a book or magazine. People have also started reciting even esoteric mantras.

I reproduce a part of my message in another club

" Fortunately in the last few years the irrational fear of Mantras has begun to disappear among common people due to the efforts of many saints, scholars and popular magazines. There are magazines in Tamil "Bhakthi" and "Anmeekam" and also in Hindi, which have started giving one Mantra every month, sometimes with the Yantra also. I was surprised to see that a magazine came out with MAA DHOOMAVATHI Mantra a couple of months back stating that it is very good for general prosperity. Then I realized that I am having a wrong conception of MAA DHOOMAVATHI because of her image. She is MAA and will reward
devotion."

All books on mantra contain a warning that mantras should not be said without the guidance of a Guru. In fact some of them in English even disclaim any responsibility if anything goes wrong. According to Mantra Sasthra there are millions of mantras. But not all of them are listed in books. Many mantras have been forgotten. Many remain the exclusive property of some families.

There is no standardization even in important mantras. For example there is one mantra with two Beeja mantras. There are many different ways of reciting the same mantra.

1. Mantra alone.
2. Mantra preceded by Om
3.Mantra with Om followed at the end with Swaha
4. Mantra without Om but with Swaha.
5. The two Beeja mantras repeated once.
6. Beeja mantras repeated twice.

And so on.

So you see the same mantra in different permutations and combinations. The exact mantra will depend on the tradition of the Guru.

There is no generalization or classification of mantras as safe or otherwise.

About the pronunciation of the mantras different views prevail. Some insisting on proper pronunciation. But this is a puritanical view. I have known many Tantriks with Siddhis whose pronunciation of Sanskrit leaves a lot to be desired. With no two Indians agreeing about whose pronunciation of Sanskrit is correct, this is a difficult subject.

I give below the words of Buddhist Govinda

"If the efficacy of the mantras depended upon their correct pronunciation, then all the mantras in Tibet would have lost their meaning and power, because they are not pronounced according to the rules of Sanskrit, but according to the phonetic laws of the Tibetan language (for instance not: OM MANI PADME HUM but OM MANI Peme HUM)

This means that the power and the effect of the Mantra depend on the spiritual attitude, the knowledge and responsiveness of the individual. The sabda or sound of the Mantra is not a physical sound (though it may be accompanied by such a one) but a spiritual one. It cannot be heard by the ears but only by the heart, and it cannot be uttered by the mouth but only by the mind."

Filtered through Brooklynese, uttered as a Bronx cheer, whispered in an East Texas drawl, OM is always OM - or it isn't. "

About the effect of Mantras on Kundalini and how they work a lot of research has been done. But we have not seen any conclusive evidence.

Mantra Sasthra is a vast subject. You keep on learning. The book "Understanding mantras" from Motilal Banarsidass is a good book.

My Gurus told me that "MAA is your Ultimate Guru. You seek her permission to recite any Mantra."

Mantra for Beginners -- I

2011-11-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

Originally posted in 2011

Today I was reading a book on advanced techniques in Kundalini Yoga. When my son took that book I warned him that it is not for him now. Then I made a remark that even books on spirituality and religion should be marked for beginners, for Intermediate level and advanced level. This is done in all books on computer programming languages because an advanced level book will not make any sense to beginners and a book for beginners will sound silly for advanced programmers. He replied that it couldn't be done in spirituality and religion, as noone will accept that he is a beginner in religion or spirituality.

Most of the books on religion and spirituality are written mainly for advanced level people. Namely renunciates and adepts. So adepts, renunciates and spiritually advanced people may find my messages silly.

Now that the statutory warning is given, here I go.

I was going through the messages on Mantra, gurus, Japa, Nama Japa over the last six months. I started wondering how come we all read the same books, but understand differently. Again how come great people like Swami Sivananda and others emphasize the role of the Guru and also say you can choose your mantra without a Guru? Om is a mantra, which every Hindu recites almost daily in one form or the other. My son when he was 3 years old used to call the priest in his Grandfather's house OM mama. (Om uncle) because most of the time he was reciting OM..... We have so many messages about its effect and whether you need a Guru. (I also sent a couple of IMs).

Then suddenly eureka! It struck me. The term Mantra means different things to different people. I will take an example. Mantra Yoga is sometimes seen as part of Nada Yoga. The effect of the Mantra is due to the effect of the sound produced. I do not think there is any difference of opinion about this. If this is so how does Nama japa work? Again the effect of sound. So where is the difference between Nama and Mantra. We talk about the effect of hymns and prayers. Again the effect of sound. There are many Hymns and prayers, which are considered Mantras. The entire Devi Mahatmyam is considered to be a single mantra or a garland of 700 mantras. The four Sthudhis (prayers) are considered to be mantras. In Soundharya Lahari every stanza is considered to be a mantra. In the Vishnu Sahashranama some of the verses used as mantras give certain effects like improving memory, .... etc. We used to recite these verses when we were young for improving our performance in examinations. Rama Nama is considered to be a great mantra. (Phalasthudhi of Vishnu Sahasranama ) Maharshi Valmikhi became a Maharshi by reciting Mara, Mara.

The entire Vedic recitation was considered mantra. We have marriage mantras, Upanayana mantras and mantras for all samskaras.

So all hymns, prayers, and Namas are also mantras. The common perception that only exoteric, Tantrik and Vedantic mantras are mantras is wrong.

Where does Mantra Sasthra fit in here? Mantra Sasthra also talks about mantras for getting powers other than spiritual. We are talking now only about mantras for spiritual advancement.

Once we accept that all these are mantras then we begin to understand Swami Sivananda.

It has always been difficult to get good Gurus. If everyone waited to get a Guru before taking the first steps towards spirituality, there will be very few spiritual people in the world. Since it is never too early to begin, we are taught hymns, prayers, Namas. It is not that you cannot achieve the Ultimate with these mantras. Swami Ramdass (sage of Kananghad) had only one mantra "Sri ram jai Ram Om". He spent years searching for a Guru. In the end his father initiated him into this mantra. Saint Chaithanya Maha Prabhu was an embodiment of the Krishna nama. Even In Vedanta philosophical truths like Tatwamasi and Aham Brahma Asmi are used as mantras.

How come we differentiate between Mantras, hymns, prayers, and Namas? Of course hymns and prayers are poetry. May be it is because Mantras other than Vedic mantras have come to be associated with Black Magic in the minds of the general public. In most of the Indian languages mantra means magic. In Tamil Tantra means trick. So may be people avoided using the term Mantra.

Hymns in Soundharya Lahari have their own separate Yantras and rituals which being purely Tantrik are difficult to learn without a proper guru. Vedic recitation is almost impossible without proper training under a Guru. But Rama Nama does not need a guru. So whether you need a Guru or not depends on the Mantra.

I will deal with Japa and meditation in my next post because here again we have a difference between common perception and actual practice.

About Posts in this Blog

2011-11-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

Remarks about my mesages.

Bagavan Sri Ramakrishna said that one should never teach until he has been given a Divine message to teach. I am not teaching anything. It so happens, that I have a lot of doubts about a whole lot of things. I have taken to the habit of writing my doubts and then trying to find answers by referring to various books and thinking about them.

If you have friends who are on the spiritual path you can discuss these doubts. What we call Sathsang. But I have not been fortunate to have such friends in town.

Thanks to the Internet I have such friends now. My messages are my thoughts, as religion is my full time work. With friends you have a dialogue. If I expect my friends to agree with whatever I say I would
not have any friends. If my friends do not respond, it becomes a monologue. So Friends the ball is in your court.

Jai MAA !!!

Ishta Devata -- I

2011-11-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

Choosing an Ishtadevata is similar to choosing a husband/wife/companion/friend. You ask a person why he or she chose someone as a husband/wife/companion; he or she might give you some answers. But basically you fall in love with someone and then try to justify your selection. We can try to rationalize our decision but cannot do it completely. It is a decision of the heart. It is something called Love. You choose your Ishta Devata out of love. It is a decision of the heart. The intellect does not play a major role in the selection. That is the reason we end up by saying MAA chose me. Don't we end all discussions about the choice of our lover by saying I fell in Love. Period.

But there is a basic difference. Here the love could be Mathru bhava, Pithru bhava, Vathsalya bhava etc, depending upon how you view your Ishta Devata as Mother, father, child, friend, lover etc.

However we can analyze the reasons for choosing a particular deity as Ishta Devata.

1. In most of the cases the Deity whom you have known from childhood is the Ishta Devata. If you have played with Krishna idols in childhood most likely Krishna will be your Ishta Devata. Krishna is I think the most popular God as Ishta Devata as we believe that Krishna is our friend. We look at his pictures as Bala Krishna and feel comfortable with him rather than with Siva who is always a father figure.

2. The family deity is another choice. Again a question of familiarity.

3. It is said that "For a child Mother is GOD." So many people are drawn towards Goddesses.

4. Many people who are devotees of Bagavan Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa also become devotees of MAA BHAVATHARINI. Since you read so much about her that over a period of time she becomes your Ishtadevata.

5. Many people are attracted to MAA KAALI because there is no caste distinction in most of her temples. MAA KAALI/ MAA Durga is the favourite Goddess of all revolutionaries because of their association with overcoming the forces of evil.

Recently I was talking to a converted Hindu from Europe. She said that she saw a photograph of a Hindu goddess in a shop and immediately felt that this is her deity.

You always hear of the classical theory of the three gunas. Satwik, Rajasaik, Tamasik. People and gods are again classified according to the gunas. The theory says you choose the gods according to the gunas to which you belong. This theory looks good, but in practice it becomes irrelevant. MAA KAALI is the popular Goddess in Bengal. She is very popular among the so-called lower castes in South India. Do we conclude that all Bengalis and South Indians who worship MAA KAALI are Tamasik or Rajasaik in nature? Was Bagavan Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Tamasik or Rajasaik in nature?

We worship our Ishtadevata as the Ultimate power. This has no gunas. Nirguna. That is why MAA KAALI is called trigunathmikai. So we can safely discard this theory of Gunas ascribed to Gods/Goddesses.

So you choose your Ishtadevata as one whom you fall in love with. When it happens it will happen. Then you can rationalize your decision. As I said earlier the Ishta Devata could mean mother, father, child, friend etc. depending upon your feeling. Psychologists have written so many books trying to explain why we fall in love with someone or why we choose our friends. But I do not think there is a perfect answer. Again the concept of Ishta Devata is basically Tantrik. The Smarthas (I was born one) do not believe in this. But most people have a favourite god. Only that most of the Hindus do not use the term Ishta Devata. Your favourite God becomes your Ishta Devata.

I remember one of friends in a Yahoo group saying that even in spirituality, everything has to be logical. I do not think we can rationalize decisions of the heart. The decisions are not always logical.

It is not necessary to have an Ishtadevata for spiritual or religious Sadhana. But if you look into your heart you will find your Ishta devata. Other than Ishta Devata, you have Kula Devata, Grama Devata etc.

Sankar

Religion and Spirituality

2011-11-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

This was posted by me in 2001. I am still searching for an answer.

Sometime back a friend of mine asked me a question that set methinking. He asked me about a person who we all knew to be a person who bore malice towards one and all and more harm he did to people around him the happier he felt. His wife deserted him being unable to stand his cruelty.

He was thoroughly disliked by everyone. But this man used to visit the Temple everyday, perform Poojas, even used to deliver lectures to the public on Bhagavath Geeta. He was also quite successful in his career.

We see nowadays a lot of people who have become famous and rich by selling religion and more often Vedanta to top executives in posh hotels. I had attended a couple of programmes on Stress Management, which included sessions on Vedanta and Meditation.

On the face of it this looks very bad to a serious Devotee and a Spiritual aspirant. But the question is it so?

To find an answer we have to see what is religion and what is spirituality.

Religion is a set of beliefs and practices. To put it better it is a set of practices based on a set of beliefs.

People tend to be religious for a variety of reasons.

To get something done with divine help. To attain Moksha or Heaven. To attain happiness. To get spiritual elevation.

The meaning of Spiritual is given in the Oxford Dictionary as "of the spirit or soul, of religion, not of material things." The most important thing here is the meaning not of material things. This meaning that spiritual is not of material things is universally accepted.

Now if we say that only people who give up material things are spiritual, we will be totally wrong. It is not the acquisition of material things, which is wrong, but attachment to them.

But do we stop here? If all spiritual people give up their worldly attachments and go off into the forest or Ashram how does it benefit humanity? I believe that having been born a man we have an obligation to do something for the betterment of humanity. That is why we talk about doing good deeds. I would consider a person to be spiritual only when he not only gives up his worldly attachments and but also does something to spread happiness in the world and also does not do any harm to his fellow living things. Bagavan Sri Ramakrishna was born intothis world for two purposes. One to prove by personal example that the real Hindu religion is the acceptance of all religions and two to guide his Disciples who will change the entire face of the world with their messages.

But the question here is between either being spiritual or religious. As I said people tend to be religious for four reasons. But if we are religious for getting material benefit, to attain Moksha, to achieve Happiness for ourselves, Nirvana and realise parabrahman (I do not know what this means. It is beyond my comprehension) then we are
religious and not spiritual.

But if we do something for the good of others, not harm other living things, spread the knowledge around then we become spiritual. Fortunately the world has been blessed with a lot of such good Samaritans. I do not know how many of you have heard of Dr. Dooly an American Doctor who was born into a rich family and who one fine morning decided to throw it all away and go to Laos, live in miserable conditions and serve the poor people. Dr.
Dooly was spiritual not religious. Now a Sannyasin may give up his worldly attachments and go into the forest and attain Moksha. But he is not spiritual since he has not served humanity.

The only saying of Swami Vivekananda, which I always remember is "Service to Humanity is service to God".

Am I saying that being religious is wrong? No. All of us cannot be like Dr. Dooly. Practice of all religions especially Hinduism makes a person progress towards spirituality. Having been a Hippie (The flower people of the sixties) and having moved very closely with many of them (from materially advanced nations), I know what materialism
can do to your soul? But does it mean rejection of material comforts? Definitely not. As long as we think materialism is not the end of all of our life, there is always hope for us. The very fact that we come to the internet and discuss spirituality means that there is a yearning in us for doing something.

Talking about giving up material things, even Sannyasins find it difficult to give up two things. One is fame and the other hearing others praising us. That is why find great Gurus vying with each other for Fame. Then they get trapped in the praise of their Disciples and get caught in the Maya and forget the purpose of their life.

I was talking about a religious person earlier. He became successful because of his Bhakthi. He conducted courses in Bhagavad-Gita because it brought him fame. But even then he might become spiritual because of the benefit the others got because of his lectures in Bhagavad-Gita, if he stops harming others. The Swamiji who gives discourses in posh hotels to the rich and famous thinks that he is doing a great service by trying to turn them spiritual. May be he is right.

The entire purpose of writing this posting is to make you think. We may be Bhakthas, Saadhaks, Saadhikas, Tantrics, Mantrics, and Siddhas. But until and unless we do good to others and stop causing harm to other living things we cannot consider ourselves to be spiritual.

Can I have more than one Guru? -- II

2011-11-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

Now about the advantages of having more than one Guru and whether it is absolutely necessary to have more than one guru.

It is not absolutely necessary to have more than one Guru.

You may be among the fortunate few who have found the right Guru and is happy in practicing the path shown by him. That means you are satisfied with your path and are not seeking any more. The progress in the path would be swift and smooth for such people.

But this does not happen to most of us. We are not satisfied by the path shown by one Guru. We seek further. It does not mean that you are showing disrespect to your Guru. Far from it. It is only that the you have the urge to seek and explore further.

We have all read stories of Saints and Sadhus who were directed by their Guru to go to another Guru for further studies. Let us see why it is many times necessary to have more than one Guru.

1. All Gurus teach the path by which they have achieved salvation. They specialize in one particular path. But it is possible that the path may not be in conformity with your leanings. One may also like to learn about other paths. The book "Choosing a path" by Swami Rama gives a bird's eye view of all the paths. But every path has many sampradhayas. So you have to seek a Guru whose sampradhaya suits your vasanas. As Sri Ramakrishna said "There are as many ways as there are men."

2. The Guru is supposed to identify the attitude/inclination/vasana of the disciple and direct him accordingly. Swami Sivananda directed Swami Chinmayananda to go to Tapovan Maharaj. But this requires intensive inter action between the Guru and the disciple. This rarely happens now. Most of us are followers or devotees of a particular Guru. We can not call ourselves disciples in the real sense of the term. If your Guru is able to identify your attitude and direct you to the path with which you are satisfied, then you are one of the few fortunate ones.

I will quote some examples.

1. You may have a liking for a particular God/Goddess whom you consider your Ishta Devata. But the Guru you are with may be specialised in the upasana of another Deity. There are some organizations which give Deeksha in a particular Mantra because it is their standard procedure. But people who have Ishta Devata who is different from that of the Mantra face problems.

2. The path shown by Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi is one of pure Advaita. Atma Vicharam. But it is not suitable for every one. People who are basically Bhakthas who are initiated into Advaita mantra have problems.

In fact if we examine our beliefs most of us would find that we have adapted ideas from different sources. Gurus, books, newspapers, TV and Internet forums.

Jai MAA !!!

Kali Upasana and Animal Sacrifice

2011-11-10T06:13:00.000-08:00

A question asked often is about animal sacrifice. Goats are sacrificed in Kalighat Kali temple.

Animal sacrifices were part of the Vedic yagnas. One of the main objections of the early Bhuddhists was about animal sacrifices in the Vedic rituals. Over a period of time the praactice of animal sacrifice has been discontinued. The Bali has been replaced with substitutes like pumpkins, guords etc. It has totally disppeared in Vaidic rituals. But it is a fact that Animal sacrifices were the mainstay of the Vedic Yagnas.

Animal sacrifices have continued for a longer period in Tantrik rituals and Folk Hinduism that is worship of the Village Gods and Goddessses. It continues today also. But the frequency is reduced and it is not a very common occurance. In Tamil Nadu animal sacrifices are common in the worship of Madan, Karuppanna swami, Kali, Mariamman and other goddessses. Mostly it is cocks and goats. But buffaloes are also sometimes sacrificed.

The ban on animal sacrifices which was brought by the Tamil Nadu government had to be withdrawn because of public pressure. One of the first acts of the communist government in Keral was to ban animal sacrifices. It was fairly common in Kerala. But even now you still have Kuruthi(blood) pushpanjali and kuruthi Pushpam offering in many temples.

Vegetarian food is preferred for those seeking the spiritual path because of its Sattvik nature. But animal sacrifices were common in most of the Yagnas and it is specifically mentioned in Krishna Yajur Veda which deals with the procedures for Yagnas.

Even today it is the tradition in many states to offer Animals as sacrifice to God. The only religion where animal sacrifice is forbidden is Christianity. What surprises me is that many of the people who argue against animal sacrifice do not think at all while eating mutton and chicken. The fact is that the sacrificial rites are definitely kinder to the animals than the procedures in abattoirs or slaughter houses.

Just because these are done by the common man does not give us any right to look askance at the practice. By doing that we are driving away people from Hinduism.

Hinduism is a parliament of religions ranging from Animism to Advaita. Everyone follows a path which suits his/her nature. We have to accept these traditions. We talk about tolerance or acceptance of other religions. But let us first practice tolerance of the various traditions in Hinduism.

Mantra Siddhi? What is it? - III

2011-11-10T04:58:00.000-08:00

The main question is if Mantra Siddhi is not defined then why so much of importance is placed on it.

1. For giving Deeksha of a particular Mantra to a disciple or seeker, the Guru should have attained the Mantra Siddhi of that Mantra. That included Purascharana. Mantra Siddhi is what qualifies one to be a Mantra Guru. If the guru does not have this qualification the mantra will not fructify.

2. Mantras give power. The use of this power is called Prayoga. Prayoga or application is a subject which is rarely dealt with in the open. The application or Prayoga has a number of rituals which are kept secret and passed on from Guru to Shishya.

The common prayogas are Snake Bite cure, Curing of other diseases like Jaundice, Dhana Prapthi and Parihara Pujas. The Abhichara Prayogas are Vasikarna, Sthambana, Spodana, Ucchadana and Marana.

Before performing Prayogas the Mantrik has to attain Mantra Siddhi after fulfilling all the requirements of Purascharana.

Some of the Mantras do not require the performance of Purascharana.

Mantra Siddhi is thus the prerequisite for becoming a Mantrik. It is the basic qualification.

There were times when Mantriks were powerful. Some of the communities in India have controlled wealth and were more powerful than even the Kings because of their knowledge of Mantras and their uses. Fortunately those days are long past and no one has any use for Mantriks now. Except for for some love sick youngsters who seek Vasikarana.

And there is no money in it. Most of the procedures have been forgotten and the manuscripts have turned to dust.

Of course we do see some Sadhus and Religious teachers performing elaborate rituals for Mantra Siddhi. They need this to become Tantriks, Astrologers, and Gurus.

Extending the scope of the Blog

2011-11-08T22:48:00.000-08:00

When I started this Blog in 2009, it was with the idea of exchanging views about Kali temple and Kali worship. At that time I was posting in other forums. Now I have almost stopped posting in other forums. Many of the forums have also closed down. Also I would like to consolidte the posts that I have made over a period of more than 10 years in different forums.

So this blog would now contain my thoughts on different aspects of Hindu religion.

Jai MAA KAALI !!!

Can I have more than one Guru? - I

2011-11-08T01:24:00.000-08:00

Hrim

The question many of us have.

Most of the Gurus of the recent past and present would immediately say NO. They would quote some Sanskrit slokas to boost their point of view.

Let us see whether it is necessary or permissable to have more than one Guru.

The lives of saints would act as a guide for us here. Sri Ramakrishna's Tantric Guru was Maa Bhairavi Brahmani. His Advaita Guru was Tota Puri. But he remained basically a Bhaktha of MAA KAALI. Swami Chinmayananda was given sannyasa by Swami Sivananda. But his Guru later was Swami Tapovan Maharaj. This is the case with almost all the Saints and Teachers of Hinduism. Most of the modern day Gurus do not even name a particular Guru because they have learnt from many Gurus.

So it is permissable to have more than one Guru. In fact if one has to progress spiritually one does need the guidance of more than one Guru.

The question then arises is that if one can have many Gurus, why are the modern gurus opposing this and insisting on sticking to one Guru?

The answer is simple. POWER. The modern Gurus exercise control over their followers by insisting on absolute alligence to them. The Godmen/Godwomen also insist on this. What is being created are CULTS and not movements. If a follower takes on another Guru the original Guru would lose control. This theory of a single guru has been applied extensively in the U.S and other countries outside India where our Gurus go to accumulate wealth, fame and power.

This was also used earlier in India for the spread of the Guru movements some of which have even become seperate religions.

The biggest drawback of the single Guru alligence is the ban on original thinking. One is supposed to follow strictly in the footsteps of the guru. No change is allowed. This was not the case in the past. Great men like Adi Sankaracharya and Ramanujacharya did not blindly follow their Gurus. They thought independently and laid the foundation for philosophies which differed from those of their gurus.

We should never blindly follow any one. We should never lose our own thinking. Hinduism encourages original thinking. Many of the gurus and the orthodoxy would like to take away this. Hinduism has suffered because the orthodoxy had no answer to many of our questions. Their only answers are "This is how it has been done for ages" and "This is what our ancestors have done." Fortunately for us great men like Adi Sankaracharya and Ramanujacharya did not believe this.

Coming down to modern day practice, having a single Guru does create problems. The westerner who learns Hinduism from a particular guru does not face any problem. All that he knows of Hinduism is what is taught by a guru. There is no conflict. But in the case of Indian Hindus we come to know Hinduism from childhood. We imbibe the ideas of Hinduism from our parents, family and the environment in which we grow up. When you take on a guru you may find some of his ideas are in conflict with what you already believe. That is why NO Indian can give the absolute alligence that a westerner who is new to Hinduism can give. This is the reason why Westerners are preferred as disciples over Indians by the Indian Gurus teaching in western countries.

I shall post about the advantages of having more than one Guru and whetehr it is absolutley necessary to have mor than one guru.

Mantra Siddhi? What is it? - II

2011-11-06T22:44:00.000-08:00

The Purascharana I was talking about is strenuous, time consuming and expensive. Assuming that it takes 5 to 10 seconds for performing the Ahudhi. That is taking the Ghee reciting the mantra and offering it in the fire. Assuming the short time of 5 seconds it would take 125 hours to perform the Homa. If you do it for 5 hours daily it would take 25 days.

I have taken 5 hours daily because sitting in front of a Fire for more than 5 hours is a problem. Even 5 hours is a tremendous strain. You move your hand from the ghee pot to the fire 3600 times. You can manage 2000 times daily. That would take longer to complete in 45 days. Of course the time for doing Tharpan.

Imagine the physical strain.

Again there is the job of keeping the fire going for days together. And the cost of the Ghee and Firewood.

Add to this the cost of feeding the Brahmins.

Thus Purascharana is very strenuous, time consuming and very expensive.

Still people do Purascharana, though not many. Why?

What is so great about Mantra Siddhi that one is willing to devote so much time, effort and money on that?

Or are we chasing a Mirage?

Jai MAA KAALI !!!

Mantra Siddhi? What is it? - I

2011-11-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

According to the Tantric texts, to attain Mantra Siddhi you have to

1. Repeat the Mantra a specified number of times. Normally the number of letters in the Mantra multiplied by lakhs. For example for Navakshari (Navarna) Mantra it is 9,00,000 times.

2. Perform a Purascharana homa. The number of Ahudhis should be 1/10th of the repetitions. For Navakshari it is 90,000.

3. Tharpana of 1/10th of Ahudhis. Thus for Navakshari it is 9,000.

4. Feed number of Brahmins 1/10th of Tharpana. For Navakshari it is 900.

If you have done all this you will get the Mantra Siddhi.

Mantra Siddhi is important in the case of Krama Deekshas where you have to get the Mantra Siddhi of one Mantra before proceeding to the higher one.

But then let me raise a question which may seem basic, but which is not answered.

There is no book which defines Mantra Siddhi.

1. What do you think is Mantra Siddhi?

2. What do expect when you get Mantra Siddhi?

Fly through Air? Attain Ashtama Siddhi? Have Dharshan of the Mantra Devata? Some might talk about Kundalini reaching the Sahasrara or the Crown Chakra. Then what happens?

Are we aiming for something about which we know nothing?

Is Mantra Siddhi necessary for spiritual advancement?

Jai MAA KAALI !!!

KALI UPASANA/SADHANA - 2

2010-05-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

MAA KALI is the Supreme Deity of the Saktha religion.

Before going on to the details of Kali upasana, a couple of important points. Some of this may not be known to all.

1. MAA KALI has many Rupas, more than any other Deity in the Hindu pantheon. Ranging from Smasana Kali to Shodasi Kali (also known as Maa Lalitha Tripura Sundari). Not many may be aware that the Tripura Sundari temple in Tripura is Shodasi Kali. That is the local name. The state of Tripura is named after her. She is called Shodasi because of the Shodasi mantra (sixteen lettered mantra) with which she is worshiped.

2. Yes. Kali is worshiped in the SriVidya tradition also. There is a KramaDiksha for that. Medha Samrajya Diksha is the Purna Diksha.

3. Kali Upasana does not have any rigid rules. This is emphasized by all the Tantras. Kali is accessible to everyone irrespective of caste, creed or social status.

3. Kali Upasana ranges from the purely Sattvic Upasana to the extreme form of Tantric Agora Upasana.

4. Though many Tantras emphasize the so called Vira Sadhana, in real life it is seen that Maa Kali is pleased with all types of Upasanas. Though Sri Ramakrishna did learn Tantras fom Maa Bhairavi Brahmani, he did not worship Maa Kali in the Tantra tradition. He was a Kali Bhaktha and worshiped her with Bhakthi. As we all know Sri Ramakrishna was the foremost Kali Bhaktha in living history and had her Dharshan.

Kali Temple Devotees

2009-11-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

I am always on the lookout to help out the devotees coming to the temple. I advise them about the easiest way to get Dharshan.

The Pandas do not like my helping out.

A helpful Panda tells you that the temple is about to close and you should hurry up. This is a trick to make you take his help. The temple closes only in the afternoon. But such advise is given throughout the day.

I do not intervene in such a situation.

But I do help people who do not attach themselves to the Pandas.

But how do the people take it? Frankly they do not want such advice. I am ignored and often they try to impress me with their knowledge of the temple. Rarely does someone take my advice.

A couple of days back a group from outside were in the Nat Mandie for a Dharshan. I told them to give some amount to the employee sitting in the front varandah so that they will make way for Dharshan. The immediate reply was " We have already given Rs.50." The fact is that they have given the money to the Panda.

Giving money to the right person is very important.

A gentleman was asking about the Nakuleshwar temple. The pandas told him that it is outside. I stepped in and gave him directions to go to the temple. But the gentlemen almost told me that he knew all about it. Strange behavior.

In general people trust the Pandas than any fellow devotee. No wonder no one helps you out in the temple.

Still, it is my Mother's house and I am duty bound to help the devotees.

What is your experience?

KALI UPASANA/SADHANA

2009-11-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

कालिकायै विद्महे श्मशानवासिन्यै धीमहि

तन्नो घोरा प्रचोदयात्।

I was thinking of posting an article about Upasana/Sadhana of Maa Kali in the web site. A long unfulfilled promise.

I will now post a series about Kali Upasana, Kali Mantras and also trace the history of Kali worship in India.

Kali is worshiped all over India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. There is a mistaken impression that Kali worship is confined to eastern India. This is far from true.

We hear of Kali worship from the times of Kalidasa the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%81lid%C4%81sa

His famous poem on Mother Kali is Shymala Dhandakam

You can find an English translation here.

http://www.sthothrarathnas.com/shyamala_dandakam

Some of you especially from South India may shout now. "Stop. Shymala Dhandakam is about Saraswathi and not Kali. I know the poem. My grandmother used to recite it. It is very popular in South India."

Yes. It is very popular in South India and is known as a poem on Saraswati. But that information is wrong. The above quoted translation is by a Tamil Brahmin. See his comments. Then Kalidasa who called himself as Kali's servant would be writing about Kali and not Saraswati. The term Shymala means dark colored one. We also call Maa Kali, Shyama. Pray when did Saraswati become dark in color? She is portrayed as fair in color in all other slokas.

Matha marakatha shyama as Kalidasa calls her.

Of course there is another theory that Shyamala is Matangi or Raja Matangi. But there is nothing to indicate that Kalidasa was a worshipper of Raja Matangi.

Maa Kali is well known for bestowing her Upasakas with Kavithvam or the ability to compose poems. There are slokas for that. About that later.

Again Kalidasa lived during the period of King Vikramaditya. We all know the stories of Vikramaditya, his minister Bhatti and of course the famous Vethaal. Vikramaditya was again a worshipper of Maa Kali. The stories are full of magical powers (Ashtama Siddhi) and Kali Upasana is well known for getting Astama Siddhi.

The place of birth of Kalidasa and Vikramaditya viz. Ujjain has played a major role in the spread of Kali worship.

By the way The mantra that Kalidasa reportedly used was the Shadakshari (six lettered ) Mantra

क्रीं - क्रीं -हुं - हुं - ह्रीं - ह्रीं

Karma - Astrology - Prayaschitta

2009-10-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in my house we were talking about doing Prayaschtta or pariharams (in Tamil) as advised by Astrlogers.

Now the question is what is the role of Prayaschitta in Hinduism?

Hinduism believes in the Karma theory. Your present life is determined by the Karma of the previous births. The horoscope represents a picture of your life at the time of your birth.

The Karma theory varies with the Philosophical systems. In Purva Mimansa the oldest Philosophy, our life is pre-determined by the Karmas of the previous births. There is no way you could change that. But you can to some extent alleviate that by doing good Karmas in the present birth. This is the basis of the Prayaschitta system. But this does contradict the theory that there is no escape from the effects of the past Karmas. Again Purva Mimansa does not believe in a supreme God.

In Vedanta and especially Bhakti Marga, it is believed that God decides our life. MAA can burn away your past Karmas. Even if the Karma does take effect it can be mitigated. And also she decides when and how the effect should take place.

An example:

Due to your past karma you have to lose Rs.10, 000 in this life. Repayment of past debts as it is called. By praying to MAA you can overcome the effect of this.

1. MAA could make you rich, so that a loss of Rs.10,000 is peanuts to you.

2. More important (even if you are not rich) she could give you an mental attitude where you do not feel the loss at all. This is very important. You would have seen people who brush aside such losses with absolute indifference and also people (even those who are rich) who feel dejected and crest fallen with even a small financial loss.

Trust in MAA and leave everything to her. Pray to her.

More about Kali temple

2009-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Kalighat Kali temple is one of the most popular Saktha temple visited by thousands of devotees every day. MAA is Karuna Moyi, Daya Moyi and Ananda Moyi. MAA is well known for granting boons to devotees. No wonder people come from allover the world to visit the temple.

But about the temple itself. How is it?

1. One of the (if not the) dirtiest temple in India.

2. The only temple in India where Beggars and Vendors have a free rein. The Nat Mandir is used by Beggars as their home. You find them sleeping there at any time of the day. The Beggar Children use it as their play ground. The beggar children sit on the floor among the crowd and tug at your feet. They kick the devotees who are sitting there meditating.

The vendors of the so called Raksha thread forces one mala on your head and demand money. Then you have the vendors of Kumkum and other Puja material. Then you have permanent sweet shops inside the temple.

Is this a way a holy place should be run? Temple for MAA is called MAA Badi or Mother's house. Do we keep our Mother's house like this?

Why this Blog - I

2009-10-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

I have been receiving feedback from the guest book of my web site about the Kalighat Temple http://kalighat.jagaddhatri.com

The guest book is not the place to post about bad experiences. So I have been editing out such posts.

But we do need a forum for posting such incidents. And where I can post my experiences in the Kalighat temple.

So here it comes.