Some more comments on sadhana

June 10, 2009

Namaste friends, As Vimalananda wisely declares, an ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of theory. However, sometimes the only thing we can do to inspire practice is to discuss theory and try to put things in the right perspective. It may inspire someone to do sadhana. * * * The ten mahavidyas are considered by many people to be "taantrika" goddesses. Some people also think that you *have to* do specific sadhanas to get knowledge from them or experience them. Mahavidyas, as the name implies, are essentially personification of supreme liberating knowledge of ten kinds. The names, imagery, various symbols and procedures employed in various taantrika sadhanas are *metaphors* for *esoteric truths*. One engages in the practices that are designed to make one *realize* certain esoteric truths in the long run. However, dealing with those symbols and engaging in the practices is neither necessary nor sufficient for realizing the esoteric truths and for getting the essential knowledge. If a deity wants to bless one, the deity can just come to one in several forms. One may see the deity as a person externally. One may see the deity internally as a person, filling one's existence. One may experience the deity in all pervading light or sound forms also. Also, one may see a deity in different forms at different times. One example of an experience of a mahavidya is narrated in the article below, from the archives of . After the experience, that person's knowledge expanded and his thinking changed completely. /message/951 * * * Sometimes a deity may not come to one in a tangible form, either externally or internally, but just come to one as internal knowledge. In other words, one may not see the deity or experience her as a person or as light or as sound and yet she may enter one as knowledge. Slowly, this may bloom and result in a maturing of thinking and a supreme kind of knowledge and self-realization. In fact, I will go on to say that every self-realized person from every religion until today has been blessed by one mahavidya, whether or not he or she realizes it or not and thinks in those terms or not.

* * * If you look at Buddha's works, it is clear he was blessed by Maatangi and filled with the realization personified by Maatangi, though I do not believe he did any Maatangi sadhana formally. Of course, according to Munda Maalaa Tantra list, Maatangi is equated to Buddha. Also, Matangi khanda of Rudrayamala says that Matangi and Buddha are essentially the same. * * * We talked about Chhinnamasta, the deity standing near a copulating couple and holding her own severed hand. While some people associate her with Rahu, I associated her with Venus as Munda Maala Tantra equates her to Parasu Rama (who is Venus according to Parasara). Parasu Rama's mother Renuka saw a gandharva called Chitraratha and an apsara (celestial couple) having a lustful union in the forest and she had a desire to enjoy in the same manner with her husband. She lost her brilliance due to this thought and Jamadagni ordered his eldest son to kill her. When the first four sons refused, the fifth son Parasu Rama agreed to kill his mother and the boon he got from his father as a result was that Renuka would be alive again and be perfectly pure. Renuka means the pollen and could also mean seminal fluid at the gross level and self-awareness (Kundalini) at a subtle level. Chitraratha means various strange desires. Chitraratha's lustful activities in the forest are metaphors for various desires that spring in the forest of one's mind. Desires and lust in one's mind stop one from mastery over Self. They make one's shakti impure. The five sons could show the five chakras from moolaadhaara to visuddhi. As shakti rises, still one is susceptible to desires. When the shakti comes up to visuddhi chakra, one's self-awareness is cut off from earth, water, fire and air elements and one attains self-mastery and freedom from various forms of lust. Then one's self-awareness has a new birth in a purified form. If you understand this story at an esoteric level, you understand what knowledge Chhinnamasta represents. Just as the story of Parasurama and Renuka esoterically symbolizes reaching a pure state of consciousness where desires and lust do not trouble one anymore, Chhinnamasta makes one a yogi with perfect self-control, who is unaffected by sensory inputs and untouched by thoughts of lust.

Also, she is the mahavidya who cuts off her head to feed her associates (and herself) with the blood and then re-attaches the head. Please note that Venus is the one associated with mrita sanjivani vidya. * * *

> Indeed Bagalamukhi is unmistakably Mars. Sadhakas will know that.

Bagalamukhi's consort Maharudra is shown by Mars. Thus, is not surprising if sadhakas of Bagalamukhi experiece a Martian influence.

Similarly, Kaali's consort is Mahaakaala shown by Saturn and Taara's consort is Akshobhya shown by Jupiter. Again, some influence of Saturn and Jupiter may be felt by their sadhakas.

* * * > Different Avatar-Mahavidya co-relations are given in the> Guhyatiguhya Tantra, the Todala tantra, the Mundamala> Tantra and some other articles as well. .. another list> given by Swami Sadhananda Shastri of Varanasi .. Guhyatiguhya tantra and Todala tantra lists do not stick to 10 mahavidyas and 10 Vishnu avataras. Sri Shastri's list also does not stick to 10 avataras of Vishnu and includes various other gods. Only Munda Mala tantra list gives the exact lists of 10 maha vidyas and 10 avataras of Vishnu. Moreover, it explains the essence of each mahavidya very well. That is why I accept Munda Maalaa Tantra list. * * *

One may read about how deities are difficult to reach and how austere sadhanas are to be done by others for many years.

The final goal of all spiritual sadhana is internal transformation and self-realization. Various sadhanas and austerities were designed to slowly bring that transformation. One may do austere sadhana for 50 years and yet not achieve. One may achieve in a single day like Sarvananda or Kalidasa did. We don't know who is capable of what. More importantly, it is Her grace at the end.

If you have an inclination to do sadhana, do the sadhana you are capable of, without worrying about success or failure or without being daunted by what you hear from others. Do your chosen external practices, but do augment them with constant comtemplation and conscious self-criticism of your motives in your actions. Put in a conscious effort to detect ego when it starts to control your actions and cut it down. When constant contemplation and conscious self-correction aids, external practices work faster.

Many capable sadhakas fall in the trap of pride, possessiveness or entitlement when they make some progress ("I am good and I got this", "I did good sadhana and so I got this", "I deserve this" etc) and get stuck there. Remembering the need to keep a tab on ego is very important, in addition to the external practices.

Again, one should remember as one engages in spiritual sadhana that the final goal is an internal transformation to remove identification with one's actions and remove ego from one's thinking.

* * * I finally think that all the points I wanted to make on this topic have been made. I sign off from this topic and I will wait for the next inspiration. Of course, this is w.r.t. astrology lists and I will continue to write on regularly.

Best regards,NarasimhaDo a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homamDo Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpanaSpirituality: Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.netFree Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.orgSri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org