Lajja Gauri in Tantra

[Guest guest]

Namaste Aditya:

 

Please note that Gauri is simply a name of Parvati. The word

connotes One with a shining, golden complexion (and of course, the

mythology surrounding Parvati's complexion is familiar). However, I

think you are referring to *Lajja* Gauri, the devi originally

referenced at the beginning of this long thread.

 

Lajja Gauri, as discussed on the homepage, is a very ancient form of

Devi. Her earliest worshipers seem to have considered Her as nothing

less than the MahaDevi (Great Mother Goddess), as Aditi (the First

One); and as the Divine Feminine counterpart to the Shiva linga --

accordingly, the goals sought in worshiping Her would have been

similarly broad.

 

On a less cosmic scale, Lajja Gauri's main connotations are, pretty

obviously, fertility and nourishment -- human, animal and

vegetative; and this would undoubtedly always have been a

major "siddhi" sought in Her worship. Although She is no longer a

particularly popular goddess form, in those areas where Lajja Gauri

is still worshiped, Her devotees are often women seeking a

successful pregnancy.

 

Since you asked about Tantra specifically, I will say that I

consider Lajja Gauri as elemental a symbol of Devi as the inverted

triangle. My Guru, Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswati, speaking of the

108 devis of the Khadgamala, notes that "Some of them are sky-clad,

implying that they have nothing to hide, they are pure shaktis. ...

Some Shaktis remain nude because they want to receive puja in all

their limbs."

 

Guruji further explains, "The real temple made by God is your body.

The Goddess Life actually lives there. She is the Anga Shakti in

each organ. Power to speak is Saraswati, Power to give milk is

Lakshmi, and Power to procreate is Shakti Herself. Without life,

every limb is powerless. To gain power to do anything, we do Anga

Puja to every limb of Goddess: feet, knees, thighs, genital, waist,

navel, breasts, neck, lips, ears, nose, eyes and crown. All these

limbs are Shakti Peethas. Can we anoint with sandal paste if a

Goddess is covered?"

 

Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswati, of the Sri Rajarajeshwari

Peetam, offers a further observation regarding nude devis as Lajja

Gauri:

 

"Nudity implies purity of Nature," Chaitanyananda says. "It reflects

the deep aspiration to live in truth, to remove all masks;

expressing what we feel without hiding it or changing it in anyway.

It is a rebellion against social pressures to conform, indicating a

creative spirit which does not accept any authority except personal

experience. It is a symbol of unity between thought, word and deed.

Some people ask, 'How can I look at a nude female statue and not

feel lust? How can I associate religious fervor with lust?' That is

precisely the message being conveyed here: Lust separates; it makes

a living person into an object. If you can look at a beautiful

person, and recognize the divine hand of Goddess that molded it,

then you have gotten beyond lust and made it into love and worship.

Only by converting lust into love, can we overcome its degrading

tendencies like neurotic anger and violence and make it pure love.

This is the basis of Tantra; the alchemy of changing base metals

into pure gold."

 

Hope that helps.

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe

 

 

, "aditya" <tantrasiddhi>

wrote:

> dear sadhaks/sadhikaas,

> can anyone tell me for what purpose/siddhi

> gauri form of the divine mother is worshipped in tantra.

>

> jai gurudev

> soham

> /*\

[Guest guest]

dear devi_bhakta,

thank u for providing a wonderful explanation on

lajja gauri.i would like to add some more attributes about gauri.in

the book "tantrik siddhiyan" published by pustak mahal ,delhi there

is a ritual of "aghora gauri" which is performed by unmarried girls

particularly for obtaining a suitable husband.and the mantra has a

lot of sufi influence and it almost looks like a muslim chant.this

shows that hindu and islam has a lot of common threads.

 

 

jai gurudev

soham

/*\

[Guest guest]

Such are called apabhramsa mantras and are considered inferior.

 

The mantra of Gauri used by Srividyopasakas is different. It is called(atleast

in 1 text) Gauri Panchakshari. I vaguely remember the mantra you r talking

about. Does it have something like "....kamal khan kamal khan ,..... pathan.."?

 

Rgds

 

, "aditya" <tantrasiddhi>

wrote:

 

i would like to add some more attributes about

gauri.in

> the book "tantrik siddhiyan" published by pustak mahal ,delhi

there

> is a ritual of "aghora gauri" which is performed by unmarried

girls

> particularly for obtaining a suitable husband.and the mantra has

a

> lot of sufi influence and it almost looks like a muslim chant.