Guest guest Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Dear all, Many people on this list ( via email) and as well as in my group Sadhana _shakti have asked me this question am i a shakta or am i into goddess worship? Who am i ? my answer is I am a KAULA KAULA IS DERIVED FROM THE ROOT WORD " KULA" MEANING A GROUP ... Kauladharma is in no wise sectarian but on the contrary claims to be the head of all sects. a sanskrit verse goes like this ... Antah-shaktah bahih-shaivah sabhayam vaishnava matah Nana-rupadharah Kaulah vicaranti mahitale. "At heart a Shakta, outwardly a Shaiva, in gatherings a Vaishnava (who are wont to gather together for worship in praise of Hari) in thus many a guise the Kaulas wander on earth." (courtesy-shakta and shaktism -arthur avalon) such was the case with Shri Ramakrishna. In his heart , he always worshipped Mother kali - in this sense he was a Shakta. In satsanghs, he sang the praises of Lord Hari Or Krishna- so he appeared to be a vaishnavite and outwardly he appeared to be a Shaivite for he was very simple and ascetic in his mode of dress and he worshipped the jyotirlingas in the Dakshineshwar temple ! The point is i was raised as a smarta - we are taught to worship all gods and goddesses - not just shakti , not just shiva or vishnu! But who really is a shakta? not just women ! and not one who outwardly worships the Goddess ! WE ALL ARE SHAKTAS for the human body houses the divine Kundalini power - The great cosmic energy, shakti! verse 9 in saundarya lahari goes like this ... mahiiM mUlAdhAre kamapi maNipUre hutavahaM sthitaM svAdhiShThAne hRdi marutam AkAsham upari | mano'pi bhrUmadhye sakalamapi bhittvA kula pathaM sahasrAre padme saha rahasi patyA viharasi || The earth in the muladhara, the water in the manipura, the fire situated in the svadhishthana, the air in the heart, and the ether above it, the mind between the eyebrows—in short, having pierced the entire kula path, in the thousand-petaled lotus you sport in secret with your lord. WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION mahim muladhare - the earth placed in the Muladhara kam api - the water also manipure - in the Manipura hutavaham - the fire principle (receptacle of sacrificial offerings) sthitam svadhisthane - established in the Swadhisthana hrdi - in the heart marutam - the winds akasam upari - the sky placed above mano api - the mind also bhru maddhye - between eyebrows sakalam api bhittva kulapatham - breaking through the whole Kula path sahasrare padme - in the thousand-petaled lotus saha rahasi patya viharase - you do sport with your lord in secret so to a kaula , "The form is nothing and everything. It is nothing in the sense that it has no power to narrow the Kaula's inner life. It is everything in the sense that knowledge may infuse its apparent limitations with an universal meaning. A man may thus live in all sects, without their form being ever to him a bond." so am i shakta? or you one? We are all 'divine' and the potential for divinity is within!!! These are labels - shaktas, shaivites, vaishnavites, advaitins, dwaitins, vishishtadvaitins, samayacharis, vamachars etc etc etc,,, Once we become atma-jnais , all these distinctions vanish ! WE are *one* ! One with the universe ! Dwijaha does not mean just 'brahmin' dwijaha means one who is twice born THE WOMB MOTHER GIVES US BIRTH.. the divine mother gives us spiritual birth so all are twice -born, both men and women - all castes all creeds! Devi can be reached by any marga ! kaula marga too! she is kaulini ! kula margini! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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