A Conversation About Shakti Sadhana [Corrected]

[Guest guest]

[i am reposting this from earlier today with some corrections to the

ordering of the Q & A; in the version I posted earlier, one Q was

left out, making the reply seem like a non-sequitor in the answer to

unrelated question. For those receiving posts via email, this

version supercedes the previous one:]

 

Dear Max:

 

You had also asked about Maathangi as Prime Minister to Lalitha,

with Varahi as Commander in Chief ... That led me to dig around and

recover another excerpt from deep in the Shakti Sadhana vaults,

posted by me here a year or two back.

 

It's an excerpt from a wonderful conversation with a great Srividya

adept and guru in southern India with whom I had the honor and

pleasure of conversing at length and at leisure. For this re-post

I've added in some additional comments and corrections that he added

after reading my original post. So even members who read it the

first time around (when the group was only half as big as it is now)

may still want to revisit it today. There is a *ton* of priceless

information is here; I hope you enjoy it. As ever, Q is me:

 

Q: So is Shakti Sadhana ultimately a misnomer? Is Shiva always the

end goal?

 

A: No. At the end Shiva and Shakti are One, with the Shakti

principle predominating. That's why at Guru Paduka [the Chakra above

Sahasrara], it's Ardhanareshwara.

 

Q: If they are One, then why do you say "with the Shakti principle

predominating"?

 

A: Because that's the way it is. That's why it is said, shakti vinaa

shiva shava: "Without Shakti, Shiva is a corpse." If you've noticed,

in all depictions Devi is on top. Even in coitus with Shiva. That is

what it means: The Shakti principle predominates.

 

Q: Okay, so what is Shakti without Shiva?

 

A: She is Energy, satchidananda. She can create another Shiva at Her

will.

 

Q: She can?!

 

A: She can. At Guru Paduka level, She is Ardhanareshwara/i; then at

the Mahaabindu level She is formless, attributeless - pure bliss. In

permanent orgasm - that's the only way the "bliss" on reaching that

level can be explained in mundane terms.

 

Q: But so much of what one hears and reads ends with Shiva. Devi is

conceived as something like a taxicab, and Shiva is where She drops

you off. That kind of thing.

 

A: Okay, we will have to explain that in detail. The Urdhwamnaya

Dhyana will solve a lot of problems for you. Tell me, how many faces

has Shiva?

 

Q: Normally, Sadashiva is said to have five faces.

 

A: Yes, but really it is six; only the sixth is hidden. Each face

has a name, and from each of the faces a group of mantras emanated

numbering millions. The mantras of the four groups are the mantras

of East; West, North, South. These are the mantras that are normally

called the Amnaya Mantras.

 

Urdhwamnaya - the "upper" one - and anuttaramnaya - the one above

the upper one! - are available only to the upasakas of the Mahaa

ShodaShakshari; thus we have the Urdhwamnaya Dhyana. For those

initiated as far as Mahaa Shodashi, The six faces are the four

facing the four cardinal points, a fifth looking up, and a sixth

below and ever hidden - it is called anuttaramnaaya; that which is

above the one above, i.e., the one below.

 

Now, then. The Urdhwamnaya Dhyana says:

 

"On the most enchanting golden island, in the middle of the ocean of

nectar, in the grove of kalpavrikshas, in the nine-pillared ruby

hall, on a throne studded with precious stones and having the

effulgence of an infinite number of suns and moons, the Urdhwamnaya

aspect of Shiva sits, half being Ambika [Devi], appropriately

ornamented. She is ever 16 years old, with a smiling face, three

eyes and the crescent, wearing otherworldly, divine ornaments and

clothes. With Her four hands, She holds a drinking vessel (perhaps a

brandy snifter!); trishoola; book; and displays the chin mudra. She

is attended to by all the Devas including Mahaashoda (whom you shall

come to know later). So shall one meditate upon the Shiva who is

Ardhanareshwara."

 

But here is the important part. Look back at the last line: "So

shall one meditate upon the Shiva who is Ardhanareshwara." Okay? So

that dhyana was of SHIVA as Ardhanareshwara! But the next line

continues, pum roopam vaa smareddevI strIroopam vaa

vicintayet: "DEVI can be meditated upon as a man or woman." adhava

nishkalam dhyaayetsachidaananda lakshanam: "or SHE can be meditated

upon as attributeless; as a sign of absolute bliss." sarwa tejomayam

dhyAyet sa caraacara vigraham: "SHE shall be meditated upon as the

quintessence of all Energy and of all Living and Non-Living Beings."

 

Q: Could you clarify, what is the chin mudra?

 

A: Well, the common knowledge is holding thumb and forefingers so

that they make an "O"; and the other fingers straight. But in

SriVidya, the chinmudra is slightly different: The forefinger goes

to the root of the thumb, and the thumb presses the forefinger to

the junction of thumb and palm. Vivekananda came all the way to

Kerala and learnt it from the saint Chattambi Swamikal. After

meeting him, he said "I have met a man!!" [...]

 

Q: While we are on the subject on mantras, can I ask you the proper

dhyana to accompany the great Panchadasi Mantra?

 

A: Yes. It is:

 

dhyAyet kAmeshwarAnkastAM kuruvindamaNiprabhAM shoNAMbarassrugAlepAM

sarwAMgiNavibhUShANAM saundaryashevadhIM seShucApapAshAMkushojjwalAM

swAbhAbhiraNimAdyAbhih sevyAM sarwaniyAmikAM saccidAnandavapUShAM

sadayApAMgavibhramAM sarwalokaikajananIM smerasyAM lalitAMbikAM

 

dhyAyet kAmeshwarAnkastAM = She shall be meditated upon as seated

on the lap of (which means "in coitus with") Kameswara.

kuruvindamaNiprabhAM = red colored

shoNAMbarassrugAlepAM= having red vermillion marks

sarwAMgiNavibhUShANAM= having all ornaments

saundaryashevadhIM= the epitome of beauty

seShucApapAshAMkushojjwalAM= shining by the light of the light of

pasha (the noose) and ankusha (the goad)

swAbhAbhiraNimAdyAbhih sevyAM = being served by Anima (one of the

eight Siddhis) and other siddhis (Mahima, Laghima, etc)

sarwaniyAmikAM= the controller of everything

saccidAnandavapUShAM= having the body of eternal bliss

sadayApAMgavibhramAM= having a kind smile

sarwalokaikajananIM= Mother of all the worlds

smerasyAM lalitAMbikAM= Lalitambika (here referring to Her

Panchadasi form) shall be meditated upon thus."

 

So that's the dhyana. But consider the line saundaryashevadhIM -

"the epitome of beauty." MY Panchadashi has to be a Saundarya

shevadhi to me, the epitome of beauty - TO ME. You see, the

depiction has to relate to the sadhaka personally. If YOU think a

certain depiction or conception of Her is the epitome of beauty,

then that is the One for YOU. It's a personal, one on one

relationship. Similarly, there are innumerable Lalitas, depending on

the number of sadhakas with the attributes - likes and dislikes - of

THAT sadhaka.

 

For example, as an Indian, I might visualize Her as, say, a great

silver-screen beauty like Hema Malini. A Westerner, on the other

hand, might visualize her as, oh I don't know, a Madonna or Liz

Taylor -- someone whom we LOVE; someone who just melts our heart. As

you keep on reciting, the image becomes clearer and clearer, and

then it starts taking on a three-dimensional quality, and then She

becomes lierally alive -- just as alive and well as any other person

in our life -- and that's called "sameepya" or "nearness."

 

Then finally what happens is, we start taking those attributes and

slowly start looking like Her -- which is called "saaroopya," and

then we *become* Her. That's "sayoojya." [...]

 

Q: What is the relationship between Meenakshi/Matangi and

Panchadasi? They are very close, I think?

 

A: Mathangi/Meenaakshi is the Supreme Advisor to Lalitha, just

asVaaraahi is her Supreme Commander.

 

Q: The military parallel there is interesting, don't you think?

 

A: I would say a political rather than a military structure. The

political leader governs. Likewise, we have to RULE ourselves with

discipline and fight our enemies within, and at times outside us.

And so part of what She sends Her devotees is the discipline we need

to move closer to Her.

 

Q: But the military implication is still there, wouldn't you agree?

To have a "Supreme Commander" implies that you have a large army.

 

A: Yes. Her army consists of the innumerable shaktis.

 

Q: And if you need a "Supreme Advisor," that assumes you are a

leader with certain tasks to carry out and interests to satisfy;

some of which may conflict with the tasks and interests of other

leaders?

 

A: She is a leader with interests of humanity as Her goal, for which

she may require advise - on how to make humanity progress faster and

better.

 

Q: Listen, I am sorry if I am asking the wrong sorts of questions.

But I find them intriguing: Leader of whom? Or of what? Advisor on

what? Commander of whom? To do what? And why?

 

A: No, they are the right sorts of questions. They make you think.

Indeed, a person should know all of these things to be a sadhaka.

[...]

 

Q: Now a sticky question, if you care to tackle it: In terms of

Shaktism, is a Brahmin considered to be born or made?

 

A: You have heard the famous saying, Eko satya vipraah bahudhaa

vadantIM : "The truth is one, the wise call it by many names."

 

Here vipraah denotes "Visheshena prayaanam karoti iti Viprah" - who

cleaves a path of their own is vipraah. Similarly "brahmana" does

not get that right to be called "brahmana" just because he was born

in a Brahmin family but by dint of sheer merit to be called a

brahmana. He who knows brahma is a Brahmana.

 

Brahmajnaaneeti brahmana - that is, one who has REAL experience of

Brahma - alone is a Brahmin. Now, you will find that Brahminical

hegemonists use viprah synonymously with Brahmin. But in truth, both

denote different types of people. That birth ALONE does not give any

right is spoken to in various shrutis and smritis. Birth gives you a

higher place to start off; that is all. The story of Satyakama

Jabala is an example. Thus viprah is a person who has not yet become

a Brahmana.

 

Similarly, most of the Rishis were non-Brahmins BY BIRTH. The

Rishiof Haadi Vidya is Lopamudra - a non-Brahmin. The Rishi of

Gayatri - considered the Greatest Vaideeka mantra is Vishwamitra -

another person who was not BORN a Brahmin. Thus anyone who cleaves

his own path is a viprah and anyone who gets to know Brahma is a

Brahmin.

 

Aum MAtangyai NamaH

[Guest guest]

Dear sir,

 

I was surprised that Gayatri Mantra originated from Sage Vishwamitra. Why he

is considered a Great sage - If I understand purans correctly , he was a

kshatriya by birth and lost his battle against sage Vasishta over Nandini

the cow. This gave him determination to be more powerful than Vasista and

decided to give up his kingdom to meditate in a jungle. His only goal was

tobe an equal of Vasishta and to oppose him in anything he said and defeat

him in every possible way.

 

Did he succeed in his mission. Was his goal justified? When someone who has

revengeful goal then why do we give him respect and consider him great sage.

 

Thanks, and your mantra article was excellent. May I add, Mantras are like

medicine which one can buy over the counter and it has its own limitation.

Where as Guru Mantra is like Doctor's prescription - it can cure underline

cause. It is up to an individual to decide what he wants. Am I right. raji.

 

 

 

the relationship between Meenakshi/Matangi and

 

imilarly, most of the Rishis were non-Brahmins BY BIRTH. The

Rishiof Haadi Vidya is Lopamudra - a non-Brahmin. The Rishi of

Gayatri - considered the Greatest Vaideeka mantra is Vishwamitra -

another person who was not BORN a Brahmin. Thus anyone who cleaves

his own path is a viprah and anyone who gets to know Brahma is a

Brahmin.

 

Aum MAtangyai NamaH

 

_______________

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[Guest guest]

Dear Raji:

 

Thank you for your excellent query about Sage Vishwamitra. It

definitely provides abundant food for thought. However, I am going to

defer to members more knowledgeable than myself to answer it; I am

simply not sure.

 

You added, "Mantras are like medicine which one can buy over the

counter and [each] has its own limitation. Whereas Guru Mantra is

like Doctor's prescription - it can cure the underl[ying] cause."

 

Do you mean the Mantra given by Guru, or the Guru Mantra itself. I

originally read your statement as referring to the latter, and found

it quite a beautiful thought. I even asked a great adept of my

acquaintance if it might be objectively true. [No reply as yet ;-)]

 

I guess a related question would be, is ANYTHING is one's sadhana

objectively true? Or is it all a series of subjective truths until we

all meet in the same place at the end of the journey. Or more: Is our

perception of the End of the Journey colored by the path that brought

us there? Or will all great souls experienced the same Ultimate Truth

when they finally merge with and become It?

 

(Yikes, I'd better go listen to some Madonna, eh? *lol*)

 

With love

 

DB

[Guest guest]

Namaste Raji,

 

The Devata of Rishi Vishvamitra is Savitri ~ Gayatri or Surya.

The Devata of Rishi Vasishtha is Varuna ~ the dark Ocean of Time

itself, and the very fabric through which the Solar Lord navigates.

 

Which is truly the greater God?

 

The Kshatriya Varna of Vishvamitra is Aryan Nobility, whose rank and

glory is conferred by God through the Priest.

The Brahmana Varna of Vasishtha is the Aryan Priesthood, whose rank

and glory is conferred by God and sustained by Nobility.

 

Which is truly the most important player in this eternal drama?

 

A Brahmana of Bhrigu's clan was married to a Kshatriya princess.

The wise Priest prepared a special offering for his new bride, so

that she might conceive a son with the qualities of a Brahmana.

The Priest also prepared a special offering for her mother (the

Queen, and his Mother-in-Law), so that she might conceive a son with

the qualities of a Kshatriya.

The Queen, who is Maya, switched places with her daughter, so that

she gave birth to Vishvamitra ~ the son of a Kshatriya with the

qualities of a Brahmana ~ and her daughter Satyavati bore Jamadagni ~

the son of Brahmana and the father of Parasurama, the warrior

Brahmana and serial killer of Kshatriyas.

 

Ultimately, Vasishtha, being propitiated by the gods, became

reconciled to Vishvamitra, and recognized his claim to all the

prerogatives of a Brahman Rishi.

Vishvamitra, too, having attained the Brahmanical rank, paid all

honour to Vasishtha.

[Guest guest]

Sarabhanga Giri <sarabhanga wrote:

 

Namaste Raji,

 

The Devata of Rishi Vishvamitra is Savitri ~ Gayatri or Surya. The Devata of

Rishi Vasishtha is Varuna ~ the dark Ocean of Time itself, and the very fabric

through which the Solar Lord navigates.

 

============================================================

 

Do you mean Ishta devata?

 

====================================================

 

Which is truly the greater God?

 

The Kshatriya Varna of Vishvamitra is Aryan Nobility, whose rank and glory is

conferred by God through the Priest.

The Brahmana Varna of Vasishtha is the Aryan Priesthood, whose rank and glory is

conferred by God and sustained by Nobility.

 

===============================================================

 

what is this Aryan ? I have not understood it to be any race despite the racist

colonialist propaganda.

 

===============================================================

 

 

 

 

 

 

The all-new My – Get yours free!

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hara Hara Shankara,

 

Savitri is truly the Ishta of Vishvamitra.

 

And, have I said anything about race here?