Guest guest Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Fusion of the Soul: Jayashri Ma and the Primordial Mother by June McDaniel " Jayashri Ma is a celibate Shakta tantrika and bhakta. [F]or average Shakta women and Shakta tantrikas [in Bengal], [sexual ritual] is not a part of initiation, nor is [sexual ritual] a part of daily life. It is a special sadhana or spiritual practice, used to overcome particular problems. One female Shakta tantric informant compared it to antibiotics-only used for specific diseases. " The Graceful Guru Hindu Female Gurus in India and the United States Edited by Karen Pechilis Oxford University Press, 2004 ISBN: 0-19-514537-2 Part 5 Jayashri Ma is a celibate Shakta tantrika and bhakta. The Western assumption that all tantric practice involves sexuality is not accurate for West Bengal-the field of tantra has been sensationalized and distorted by Westerners who teach it as a path to increased pleasure. The major focus of Bengali Shakta tantra is transcendence of death, overcoming karma, and gaining immortality in the paradise of the goddess. Pleasure binds people to the world of illusion, and it is something to overcome and reject. Sexual ritual is accepted as stridharma, or a women's moral obligation, if her husband wants to do tantric meditation and needs a consort. It is also accepted as a subcategory of prostitution, a specialty like sado-masochism, for women who are desperate and need money (especially mothers who must raise children alone). But for average Shakta women and Shakta tantrikas, it is not a part of initiation, nor is it a part of daily life. It is a special sadhana or spiritual practice, used to overcome particular problems. One female Shakta tantric informant compared it to antibiotics-only used for specific diseases. Another said that women lost energy or shakti to their male partners, who then used it for their own spiritual development, so it was a sort of sacrifice on the part of women rather than a spiritual path. In the popular view of mainstream Bengali Shaktas, it was the lower-status female tantrikas who performed such rituals, while the higher status ones did not, for they were not compelled to do so. In the tantric texts most widely used in West Bengal (such as the Kali Tantra, the Maya Tantra, and the Mundamala Tantra), sexual ritual is performed by men to overcome lust, or to develop supernatural powers (siddhis). Most female gurus and sadhikas interviewed stated that uncontrollable sexual desire was primarily a male problem. Women learned to overcome desire as children, when their brothers were given preference on food, toys, clothing, and education. In many poorer Hindu families, sons could hope to fulfill desires, and would feel free about expressing them, whereas daughters traditionally kept silent and were expected to renounce selfish thoughts. Girls learned renunciation early. When I asked Jayashri Ma about lata sadhana (sexual ritual), she was horrified. She said that she was kanya, a virgin, and that was one reason why Adya Shakti Kali had chosen to dwell in her. Other forms of Kali would dwell in women of other types. Though Jayashri Ma clearly states that she has avoided sexuality, we may note that she studied with a male guru, was initiated by a man, and now lives with a man (her brother). Her disciples are primarily male, and she works in a school where the administration is largely male; it is part of an organization known for its charitable work. She has never traveled outside of India, speaks little English, and has no Western devotees. She gives darshan (she lets people come and be in her presence, and looks kindly on them), and devotees may touch her feet, but she does not get any closer to those who come to her. Her devotees range from local merchants and businessmen to professors and doctors. Though I cannot give more specific information about her location, as I respect her concern for confidentiality, I can mention how I came to find her. I was looking for a professor who taught at Vishvabharati University in Shantiniketan, and accidentally walked up to the wrong house. It turned out to belong to another professor who asked me about my research and invited me in for tea. He taught in another field, but he had long been interested in religion. He said that he had searched for a true guru all of his life, and that only one person seemed to him honest, humble, and with genuine religious insight and experience. This was Jayashri Ma. He said that it was not an accident that I had come to the wrong house-it was the working of karma. I was meant to see her. Whether or not this was the case, I did see her. She lived far away, in a small apartment. I went to speak with her in March 1994, and spoke with her on and off all during the day, as groups of disciples came and went, and people came with questions and requests for blessings. I spoke with her, with her brother, and with about a dozen of her disciples. She felt that her major role was to tell people that Adya Shakti Kali lived within them-she was not unusual, she had just realized this fact, while others had not. The goddess lived within her, and she could radiate the goddess's love and knowledge to all who came to visit her. Part 1: /message /28676 Part 2: /message /28677 Part 3: /message /28695 Part 4: /message /28710 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Good read, J. Thanks for making us aware of this work. Very interesting. :-) G , " msbauju " <msbauju wrote: > > Fusion of the Soul: Jayashri Ma and the Primordial Mother > by June McDaniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.