Summary of Tuesday's class on Chandi (Chapter 6)

[Guest guest]

Namaste Friends!

 

Here is a summary of Swamiji's class on Chapter 6, from Tuesday.

 

Love,

srini

 

Recall that Self-conceit was told about the beautiful Goddess by Chand

and Munda. So he sent a messenger to tell the Goddess to come to him

and sit with him. " Your honor and glory will be enhanced " , said the

messenger. The Goddess said, " Self-Conceit is the master of the three

worlds an I'm just a woman. But I have made a promise that only one

who can defeat me in battle and surrender his self-conceit can be my

husband. So go back and tell self-conceit this. " On hearing this, the

ambassador got angry and said, " you come down or our army will take

you by force. " Then he returned to his king and gave a report.

 

In Chapter 6, the leading character in self-conceit's army is

Dhoomralochana, Sinful eyes.

 

Dhoom means smoke. Dhoomralochana has smoke in his eyes. He can't see

clearly, lacks discrimination, sees with selfishness.

 

The Goddess destroys Dhumralochana by pronouncing the mnatra, Hum.

 

Everytime we are confronted with sinful eyes in our lives remember the

mantra, " Hum. "

 

In verse 18, the lion caused the bloods of thoughts to flow. This

means Dharma takes away the misdirected passion from our thoughts

 

Questions:

 

1. What is the significance of the King of Snakes in the Dhyanam?

 

Snakes represent Kundalini Shakti. On the head of a cobra there is a

shining jewel. The Goddess is effulgent with a multitude of these

jewels. This means She is commanding the radiance of all energy.

 

In all living beings, kundalini shakti is alive and moving. It sleeps

only in a corpse. When we speak of it as sleeping that's poetry. I am

asleep and I forgot about my kundalini shakti is a more accurate

description.

 

Just as the farmers make ruts when they draw their bullock carts to

plough the fields, we make ruts by which we become aware of the

kundalini shakti.

 

When we are in our lower chakras (pashu bhava) the ruts are very

short. As we move into virya bhava and sadhana becomes

second nature to us, the ruts become longer.

 

2. In meditation, should we focus on one chakra or move up and down

from one chakra to another (like in Bhuta Shuddhi)?

 

Both are useful. All techniques are used to make us masters of focus.

The more techniques you learn, the easier it becomes to decide which

is more useful.

 

3. Can we chant Hum as a mantra alone? What is its significance?

 

Hum is the astra mantra to combat excesses of impure being. Ha is

Rudra, u is circumstance, m is perfection. We see all circumstances in

equilibrium of perfection.

 

4. Why did the Goddess use Hum for Dhoomralochana and not for

Self-conceit and Self-deprecation?

 

She has other tools for them. We armed Her with those tools in Chapter 2.

 

5. Does the lion represent determination?

 

Yes. The determination to live life according to Dharma.

 

6. How does sinful eyes manifest in our lives?

 

Every time we have selfishness, sinful ayes has attacked. We think

about " me " , and not about " thee. "

 

7. How do we stay in our higher chakras when we act and interact in

the world?

 

Everyone has experienced the higher chakras at one time or another.

When we feel love, we are in the higher chakras. But then we move down

when we become or express selfishness.

 

Sadhana can be done to make it stay up. Bring the love and stay in

love. Train it to stay in certain states of consciousness.

 

8. In Chapter 4, can you explain the significance of " within You are

the three qualities of nature " , in verse 7?

 

Gunas pervade every atom in existence. When a person is seated and

engaging in spiritual discourse, focusing on the

still posture that person is tamasic, his passionate discourse makes

him rajasic and the fact that is talking about God makes him sattvic.

 

Divine Mother embodies all th three. But She is not connected with any

of the defects of the three.