Science Behind Navratri- 10 Devi Forms | Dos & Don’ts | Vinita Rashinkar on Body To Beiing | Shlloka
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The dasha maha vidyas in the tantric context is trying to tell us ultimately it is the shi this is a woman in different stages of her life. What would be the rational behind these different forms? Chinamastav, the iconography with her head cut off. She's drinking her own blood and she's doing all of this on a couple who's having sex. A person who does ayaska retreats told me he uses the dashamaha vidya mantras to stop certain entities during the ayawaska ceremony when vampiric entities arise. He has tried chinamasta mantra. The entity just vanished. Let's begin with Kali first. She is maha tanda sakshini mahalaya sakshini when the world is dissolved by Shiva. She has to wait until Shiva swallows the world and it does not end until she swallows Shiva. That is how powerful Macali is. She's so angry at in the war that from her forehead comes out a duragan. Even her earrings if you observe are little embryos. Why are there so many people who are secretly invoking Mahatara and Kali? Each of these davies have a specific yantra and the most potent is the Shri yantra associated with Malalita. Shri yantra is very central to the shoddashi worship. Tell us about Shriantra. Even just merely glancing at it changes the neural pathways. The alpha and theta brain waves become higher. So you're in a more meditative mode. Venita Rashinkar is a renowned spiritual healer, writer and wellness expert with over 25 years of experience in Ayuvea, yoga, meditation and tantra. She is the founding director of Sri Chakra yandra foundation and author of six acclaimed books on spirituality. As founder of Amara Vic wellness in Germany, she brings vic wisdom to a global audience conducting retreats in Maitius and reunion islands and leading meditation programs for Fortune 500 executives across Europe. Tipura sundari she's also known as shashi look at the moon you start with the amawasa you end with either the purima 15-day cycle what comes after punchadashi is the shashi the 16th energy the 16th nitya of the moon is malita which is so powerful that invisible's iconography shows she holds a sugarcane bow the reference to karma what is the original story behind she's naked she's covered in snakes snakes signify all the desires and slowly slowly she has to let Go of one at a time. This is another Kali like she's pulling out someone else's tongue this time. It's a demon's tongue. Sadena with Mavari. She's definitely going to give you a lot of abundance and people who want a certain home. Do a sadena magically it does become theirs. As for tantric astrology, every Mahavidya is linked with a planet. Tell me about it. Chanting these Maha Vidya mantras on your own can be quite dangerous. There have been instances of people getting mad because you don't know what energies you will bring to the forefront when you do it without a guidance. We'd like to know some of the dos and don'ts when it comes to navatria. Why is it that uh 9 days after mavasa the feminine becomes the most potent energies of a woman going from stillness from the darkness energy is almost standill that's why you don't do yoga on an amavasia teacher and feminina outlook Asia spa and go she is celebrated worldwide for her talks on Sri Vidya yantra and chaffrat in today's spiritual episode of the body to being podcast we are delighted to welcome Venita Rashinka Namaste Venita Grim Matriah G. Thank you for coming all the way from Dubai and to be a part of the body to being we've been really looking forward for this conversation. Uh today's topic is on dasha mahavidya. It is a very fascinating tradition within the shakta and the tantric um initiations. I think much like our viewers I don't know very much about it. The idea for this podcast is to um have this conversation unfold as a master class which can be replete with stories um practical tips and the last we spoke you said it's replete with a cult mysticism. So we love that. So let's get started. The Dashimahya story starts with Daksha Praapati who's a very powerful king and he has a daughter Sati. She falls in love with Shiva. Shiva as you know is the one who goes away for years on a meditation tour and uh Daksha is not very happy with her choice but she goes ahead and still marries Shiva and Daksha wants to prove that he's an unworthy son-in-law and he announces a very very powerful yagna he invites every other dwata but he does not invite Shiva and Sati is angry at her husband being left out and she insists that she will attend that as a daughter She does not need an invitation to go and Shiva tries to convince her and says look anyway that's going to be um inospicious without me yagna is not going to be fruitful so why are you going to waste your time and she thinks that he's questioning her judgment and she gets very angry and Shiva doesn't know how to deal with that anger so he's trying to escape and that's when she places one Davi in each of the 10 directions because in Sanatana we talk of 10 directions in the western system it's for cardinal for ordinal here we also have realms up and down in the loc so there are some locas up and there are some down right so those are also considered directions for us so that's why it's considered 10 directions she manifests herself as different dvis to uh protect each direction so that he cannot pass through so the first dvi to emerge in the most ferocious the most powerful is marali So that is the origin of the dasha mahavidyas. So the first dvi that she manifests as sati manifests as mali. Second is matara. Third is lalitaura sundari. Fourth is bhuhaneshwari. Then we have chinamasta. Uh after that we have dhumawati bhlamuki matangi and finally kamalatmika. So these are the 10 dasha mahavidyas 10. Dasha is 10 maha vidya. So vidya essentially means any knowledge which is related to a female goddess. So that is the origin story of the dashamaha vidyas. Now within the dashamaha vidyas you will notice that we have some very ugra dies. You have got kali and you've got bhrai balamuki and is not really fierce but she's something that we want to avoid. So for example makamalat mika is the tantric version of Lakshmi. We've got Matangi who is Tantric Saraswati. Then we've got Lalita, the height of Samyata, the beauty, the pleasures of living and all of that. And there are some which are Ukraia. So a little bit of this, a little bit of that, which is like every other being on the planet because everyone has to have these two sides, the yin and the yang. You can't, for example, a mother can't just be benign and loving because when her children are in danger, you she has to be fierce. So these are the qualities that they put out through the dasha mahavidyas. Okay. You know when she takes these uh different forms the 10 forms why are they so distinct and different in their nature. So you will have someone who's som kind compassionate and then you will have someone who's so fierce and bold. What would be the rale behind these different forms uh that she manifests into? So up until now uh till the tantra texts came into being we were following the vic tradition. The Vic tradition pretty much excluded the women. So the tantra wanted to actually put out all the different aspects of a woman's nature. Starting from how she can be the most benevolent mother to how she can be the warrior goddess or the devourer of time itself which is Mali. So to show the various moods, the various events that happen in a woman's life and to show the importance of shi because until then shi was just something that the pagans woripped. It never really riaked into uh the vedas so much and then again with tantra there was like this awakening of the shi. That is the point that the Dashamah Maha Vidya Tantra texts are trying to make that a woman should feel that nothing can stop her from deciding what she wants to do with her life. So like for example if you take Balamuki she's the one who has the tongue of her enemy in her hand. She's literally holding his tongue. So that is the kind of power and we're talking about Mali for example. Just look at her iconography. So immensely powerful that one of the most famous rock bands is using an image as uh their logo of Kali with her tongue loling out. Ah and you also mentioned Rolling Stones. Yeah, that is Rolling Stones. Yeah, that's the logo of the Rolling Stones. They have the tongue uh out, right? What are some of these other extreme or rather shocking forms of rituals that happen around Dasha Mahavidya? Because two three uh instances that I came across was a you know there is animal sacrifice and a lot of Kali temples one being Chamundi I think Chamundi Msur Chamundi they do stopped doing but they used to do it at one point yes okay uh there's that even in my in Kamakya they do uh till today even in the temples in Nepal the shakti temples yeah they do that right and then there's uh doing sadha on the cremation grounds there's apparently also offering leftover or impure food to the goddess which again correct sort of demolishes conventional norm of only offering pure food. So what are some of the other shocking rituals of such nature? So there used to be something called in the tantric tradition ritual called Ghana chakra where it would be like what you would call orgies in modern times but it was meant to again not look at desire from a point of view only of physical passion but to make it into something more transcend the physical actually just go beyond it to a point where it becomes a spiritual experience. So that is something where there would be uh like all the panchcham macaras would be available at that point. So there'd be drinks, there would be meat, there'd be like flesh eating all of that and with the macabra skulls and there'd be you know all of these orgies going on and in a chakra in a circular form which again we can relate to how garba is done also in a circular form. So it just shows the cyclical nature of life and death of the seasons of harvest of everything. So uh again when we talk of uh the smashana rituals it takes us back to tantra because tantra couldn't be practiced in the city limits in those days because the vic people would still be looking and they would look down upon it. So the sashanas were outside the channel grounds were outside where people lived. So one could quietly go there and do the tantric rituals. So then that's how it gathered ground and also remember that sashanas are places of great energy because it's like energies leaving the body and energies lurking around. So if you're able to overcome that one fear of death if you're then you've transcended pretty much everything there is in life itself. So there's a deeper meaning to all of it. It's not just what we see at the surface level. So tell me something that when you have such imagery does it also in a way ask people to model that kind of act because it is expected for people to emulate how they how they say it how they are within themselves and even the exterior because we you know in terms of clothing in terms of ornaments all of that. So when you have such extreme imagery like orgies for example cremation grounds I understand this is very extreme sexuality which is looked down upon in conventional society and even from the point of view that you shouldn't be uh in our culture we don't promote dating all that much we don't promote a lot of being you know being physically demonstrated because every time your hand or your body is coming in contact with someone else is theanu bha keeps increasing so then why would you have such imagery it's because uh the orgies are not with strangers it's with the one partner who you think of as your the other half of you where the Shiva and the shi come together the Shiva shakyupini that you become the one form of Shiva and Shaki which can be your monogous partner it doesn't have to be some stranger so perhaps the word orgy brought to your mind strangers it isn't that it's with the one individual who you are so comfortable with that you can actually make it into something spiritual but you're using all the other elements of drink or of uh you know the pleasure of eating flesh and all of those things. The punch makaras what are the punch macar? Punch macakaras are it starts with uh alcohol. So uh it's madyya matsa which is fish. Then there's mamsa then there is mituna which is uh the um union the sexual union and then there is mudra. Mudra meaning it's parched grain. So uh these are the five M's the pancha macaras they all have a subtle meaning. For example the liquor that we talk of it could be the soma it could be the nectar which brings about a transcendent uh consciousness. So um when we talk of mamsa for example it's control of the tongue because the tongue is just such a fleshy part. So it's like that. So there are lots of meanings attached to all of this in the tantric tradition. So again, it depends on what lens you're putting on and looking through it. So for some, it could just be this is just completely irrational. It's uh so um like almost antonyomian, rebellious, whatever. For others it could be one way of saying that nothing is sacred, nothing is profane because everything is her creation. So who are we to say like you brought up ishta, right? In the Vic tradition, whatever we offered had to be pure. So this was turning that around on its head. We have Utishta Matangi, we have Utishta Ganapati. So Utchishta Ganapati is shown in a very sexual way where he has Shaki sitting on his left lap. So where he's uh holding her left breast and he's actually penetrated her. So that's the imagery and uh that's what it it says about uh Ganapati. That's why she's sitting on his left lap. And uh all of these things exist in our tantric text. It's uh not something that is only visible in the temples of Kajurah. But the point here is that we should not just look at it as a physical act. It goes much beyond that. It's about saying no transgression is good or bad in itself. That if it is done with a consciousness with a presence of mind of devotion of sadhana then it becomes an act of uh prayer. It becomes an act of becoming one with the source. So we've had a beautiful um introduction to the dash mahavidyas. Please take us through each of the forms of the dash mahavidyas in details. Let's begin with kali first. Yes. Mali she is the devourer of time. So potent that she is mahanda maha. She's witness. So when the world is dissolved by Shiva, she has to wait until Shiva swallows the world and it does not end until she swallows Shiva. That is how powerful Mali is and that is why she's the devourer of time. And Mali her origin stories are many but each one is the same that she emerges when the cosmic order or the Rita is is being shaken. So she when she comes is when everything is back in balance. So let's look at some of her origin stories. So the first time we see her in the Dvi Mahatma is when Vishnu during the time of creation Brahma is trying to create Vishnu is in deep sleep in yoga nidra and from his year wax come out the two uh demons of Madhu and Kaitaba. Brahma can't do anything because he can't wake Vishnu out of the sleep. He has to go to Maaki and she comes in the form of yoga nidra and wakes him up and then when he wakes up she's able to go and fight Madukabha. So that is one of the origin stories or as yoga nidra. Then there is another one where uh this is uh in the wamana tantra or the wamana purana where uh Shiva teases her that she's kali, she's dark. So our colorism doesn't just you know start with us. It's been there for a long time and she does so much tapasia. She gets very angry with Shiva. She does so much tapasa that she uh becomes gori gori fair and she becomes like the um the manifestation of a very uh pretty beautiful woman for Shiva. So that's another origin story. And then when she's in the dark form she's koshiki and she's so angry at in the war that from her forehead comes out dura again. So kal kali is essentially parvati right we're looking at the different forms of parvati. Yes or sati or parvati. So they're in different lives in different jmas as it were. Yeah. But they're the manifestations of the same dvi. You know the Kali's tongue sticking out for example that story is a famous story because two individuals have narrated the story to me on a podcast and they're like she sticks her tongue out because she's going after Raabish the demon trying to kill him and then there is Shiva who comes in between lies down to Marani and then she sort of you know um I think accidentally uh steps over Shiva and then sticks her tongue out thinking oh I've done a mistake with Mali there is no accidental mistake because when she sticks her tongue out it's because she has to lick off all the evil evil from the world. That is their way of depicting it with the Raabija image where each drop which falls needs to be licked off. And why she's not embarrassed or ashamed it's not Laja is because even whether she puts her right foot forward or left foot forward pratala or Alida has a meaning in the iconography. So if she's put her right foot forward on Shiva when she's standing it means that it shows it's the duina mara which is the duina tantra wise and if it's the left foot forward it's the vama mara. So it's all very studied it's all wonderfully you know defined iconography. So it's not lja why would the devourer of time have embarrassment or shame. This is a story which patriarchy me up again. not a mistake. She does it with bullition. Okay, it's very clear that she needs to show Shiva his place sometimes and it's patriarchy making up the story because they don't want women to feel that they can step over a man. Because I see this all the time men saying don't practice Shvidya and telling other men don't allow your wives to practice Shri Vidya because she will become very masculine and the example they give and several videos making the rounds now which say that they give the example of Jay Lalita and say see how she subdued men your wife will become like that if you allow her to become a Lalita sadhaka because Jay Lalita was a very famous Shiva Shivya adept and then of course they tell the men don't ever do Shvya you'll become very effeminite and also uh one very interesting thing that I discovered when I was writing my dashya book was that all along patriarchy has been telling us that uh all the dashamaha vidyas have a consort that there is a god linked to them but if you read where the dashamaha vidyas actually appear whether it's in the rudra yamala tantra or the various um dasham Mahavya tantra texts itself. They have no consorts and they have no offspring, no children. No. Because in conventional society we say a woman is supposedly complete if she's a married, b if she has a child. That's why the entire dashamaha vidya is subverting all of society and turning it on its head and saying that a woman is sura. She's complete in herself. She needs nobody to fulfill her and she needs nothing to complete her. A gona that we have to look at is not the gona that kali embodies so much as what she's trying to remove. So for ma kali when we talk of the ga it's always that she's trying to remove the inertia the tamas from us. So because when she awakens things start to move and then when we go into the other goddesses we will see how they then turn into rajas and then eventually satwa with kamalatika. So it's almost like a graph where you start with tamas and it's the same even with the navatri. So that's why we start with ma mahakali and end with mahasaraswati the movement from tamas to satwa. Why? Because that's the inherent nature of how one moves in the spiritual path. Because initially when you start off you're a little you know not comfortable with sadhana. You don't want to spend time. You just want all the fala. want the siddhis but you're not willing to do the work and that's because your mind body spirit all the three together are in a state of inertia. So something has to prod you and that is what macali brings that she will use that prod and then move you towards action. Okay. And then further on you will see that it goes into a rajasic mode and then finally to bring about a balance. Okay. Okay. There are many many uh different variations of her iconography. She's got the 50 skulls around her. Uh there supposed to even be embryos of babies because she's like after all a mother. So that and the 50 uh alphabets of the Sanskrit language itself and then even the severed hands which she wears as a skirt. It because see we use our hands the most to do karma. So that's all the karma she's carrying for all of us that she's wearing as a belt. So each thing has a meaning and a purpose and even her uh earrings if you observe are little embryos. Oh also because it's a primordial form of the di right. So everything is in the primordial. Exactly. What is the mantra for kali? So mantra for kali is of course clean but I would say u be judicious. Let us be judicious in putting out uh these bj because uh bjaz usually need to come from a guru but in today's world of internet everyone can find it everywhere but the fact still remains that unless you get it as an initiation you will not know many of the attributes of the mantra so perhaps it it's just another thing that you chant or another thing that you say okay and it doesn't really uh lead you towards any siddhi okay what about the yantra for kali there is a kali yantra so each of these Davies have a specific yantra and the most uh potent of all the yantras is the shri yantra which is the one associated with malalitatraura sundari the third of the manifestations of dasham mahavitya because the story goes that shiva created 64 yantras to benefit humankind and when he offered it to humanity parvati she asks you know how typically a woman would ask uh so where what's in it for me so he says okay here it is I'm giving you the one from whichever every other yantra can be uh extracted. So this is the blueprint the cosmic blueprint and he gives her the shriantra and also this reminds me uh I think this is of great it'll be of great interest to you. I am guiding a person who does ayaska retreats and he told me that there are times when he uses the dasha maha vidya mantras to stop certain entities during the ayawaska ceremony. So I thought that'll be very interesting because he gave the example of when vampiric uh entities arise. He has tried the chinamasta mantra. His guru said to try the chinamasta mantra because it's the blood the connection of vampire and blood and all of that. And he said the entity just vanished. But you say vampireic entity. What does that mean? Perhaps the there's a lust for blood. Oh, in the entity uh you when they do all this enthogenic work with the plant-based uh altered consciousness a lot of um things come up of these kind of entities these kind of energies and what happens once we embibe Kali energy do we become like Kali fierce and you know mad and and angry most certainly we do because it's like she made us in her likeness and we then make ourselves in her likeness. It's who we worship is who we become. So that's why in a way it's better if you're just a grahasta followalita or follow kamalat mika and just find the bliss that you're seeking. Whereas if you're a tantric and you're really looking for those you're doing the deep dive you really want to burn out all the karma you're ready if if you're going to drown in the river tomorrow it's okay with you then it's fine go for it. Otherwise exercise a lot of discretion and judiciousness. Okay. Let's come to the second goddess Tara. Also Tara you know we do this yearly retreats and Ladak yoga retreats. That's the first time I came across Tara because the Buddhists call it maara. Yes. So it was very interesting because here you see two uh not I would say religions because Buddhism and Hinduism would be way of lives spiritual school sort of uh you know borrowing something from each other. So tell me the story about Tara. Buddhist connection is that Buddhism and Tantra they grew at the same time. So there is a lot of commonality like you see the mandalas in Buddhism, you see the yantras in Tantra. Now Mahatara I think is taken from the Dasha Mahavidyas is borrowed by Buddhism from the Dasha Mahavidyas where uh she becomes like the supreme goddess who they worship uh in uh the Vajayana sect if I'm not mistaken. And uh there's really nothing much that one knows about Matara except that uh she became more popular in the Buddhist uh segment. I think you had brought up a point about uh Matara and how uh she brings about uh fluency and how she was related to the vak. But uh I want to contest you there because in the dasha maha vidyas it is uh with ma bhagalamuki and ma matangi that we see this more. Bagalamuki is the one who gives you immense control over vak. See in the sanatana tradition the spoken word the uttered word is not just what we say. There are four parts to that para pashanti madhyama then becomes vikari. So it starts with consciousness then it starts to develop into an idea or a concept then it becomes a sentence in your mind and then you finally utter it out. So when something is as powerful as vak it has to be governed and very carefully used. So when we talk about ma balamuki it is very useful for people who have talking as their profession like lawyers great auditors they worship ma balamuki they they have a mantra that they use to give them bach shi vak siddhi and bak shudhi right so shi meaning the energy uh siddhi meaning they have the capability to utilize it how they will and then sudhi meaning purity which means no lies no inauthentic stuff. So that becomes very important. So that is related more to ma um balamuki than with matara in our tradition. So perhaps because in Buddhism she is the supreme goddess. They use her for all the purposes. Let's come to Tripura. She's the first Samya goddess that we encounter and she's the one who promises both poga and moka which is what is most interesting for the grahasta because while we are living we want to enjoy all the pleasures of life. Ma Lalita itself means lalita means uh the one who just plays. Okay. And what does she play? It's the entire creation itself is her game. Like liken it to her having created all of us like parts of a video game. and uh her uh imagery is just so benign so beautiful that the Lalita sahasra nama mentions how her attributes in a thousand names so that's why when we say shri ma namaha that's the first line of the Lalita sahasra nama shri ma in the namawali form so it becomes shri matri namaha shri maharagni namaha and her iconography is that of course she's the most beautiful woman or being in the three worlds the three worlds being waking, dreaming, sleeping also past, present, future because there are a lot of triads in Hinduism. Everything Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara, the three gunas, the uh theatakaf you know the all the dshas everything is 3 three because three eventually 3 into 3 multiply is equal to 9 which is the number of completion of uh fulfillment. So it could be any of the triads which eventually lead us to the fulfillment. Hm always always because after nine comes what it's one and a zero so nine is the ultimate so it's nagraha you have uh nadhana even the navaratnas nine planets planets everything is nine yeah even the chakras even though we say seven essentially there are nine chakras nine orififices in our body nine months of gestation for a a baby to be born as a human yeah uh-huh because I had that question the importance of the number nine they're coming into a 9 year um with 2026 or is this the year of number nine? 20 5 6 7 8 9. Yeah, we are Yeah, we are in a year nine. Yeah. So perhaps that's why there's a lot of uh tumult all over the world which is uh changing the world order because with nine comes a change. It's like a change over and that's why you're seeing all this polarization across the world and uh it means uh only one thing that things will get better from here on because uh that's usually a sign of completion of a cycle and apart from that it's all uh our religion is uh it's when we chant a mantra 108 times. Yeah. It's the distance between the sun and the moon. So all of that is 108. So that also adds up to a nine. And that's why we are told even in the uh Shriantra there are nine avaranas and it's the nine stages of how we go through the spiritual progress. So everything is related to the number nine because eventually that's what leads to completion. Tripura uh she's also known as shashi. Show us. Why? Yes. Because uh if you look at the moon and you start with the amawasa, you end with either the purima or if you start with the purima, you end with the yamawasa. That's a 15-day cycle. So that's visible to the human eye. What comes after pancha dashi is the shashi. After the 15th nitya is something which is so transcendent, it's beyond. It's para. You can't see it, but definitely there's an energy. And she is that energy. The shashi the 16th energy the 16th niditya of the moon is maalita which is so powerful that it's invisible and the highest mantra in shadya is the pancha dadashi which a guru gives you the shashi you're supposed to intu it on your own the 16th bija will come to you that's 16 years of age see with lalita she grows so we start with her as balatraura sundari and then shashi is when she's at you you know the cusp of adulthood she's at her most beautiful shown as a 16-year-old again through the same story with Shiva and his anger and uh this karma involved and all of that and uh that's how Malalita comes into uh the ashes that Kama's body leaves behind turns into Bandhasura and she has to vanquish Bandhasura that's why Malalita is born the meaning of Karma's ashes turning into Bandhasura is Anything which you leave desired you know like you've not fulfilled your desire will someday turn into a demon. That is why tantra keeps saying fulfill whatever desires you have. And if there are unfulfilled desires then don't take it as a grudge. Think of it as you know part of the leela and your karma playing out and just just be in a state of acceptance. Exactly. Of surrender sharagati. Okay. Okay. Not hold it basically. That's what and Lalita's iconography shows her with the parasha. The four things she holds in her hand. She's holding a noose, a go. Uh then she holds a sugar cane bow. Sugar cane again that is a reference to karma because where else do you see a sugarcane bow? It's with karma. Okay. Right. So even if the bow is crushed, it gives out sweetness. So she's like that. So it's like also a reminder for us. Crush your ego and you will see sweetness. And the arrows are made of flowers. So it can't really hurt anyone. Okay. And that's the beauty of her iconography which is described in the Sara Lahiri in the Lalita Sahasra Nama in so many of the works that we see of uh learned sages like Adishankara and uh so many others. So Shri Yantra is very central to the shoddashi worship. Correct. Please tell us about Shriantra. So Shriantra try to connect with the source in three ways. One is with the namaar rupa which is the image the morti of dvi in her physical form. The second is through her sacred geometric form which does not need language. It does not need any kind of understanding. It's just something at the level of consciousness. So like we were speaking has no cultural barriers. And then the third is the mantra. So when we talk of the yantra, the yantra associated with maalita is the shriantra which is also known as the shri chakra yantra and the mantras associated with her starting from balatraur sundari mantra all the way to shashi mantra in the form of bijas and in the other side the stava which is giving her praise Lalita to sandi to lalita sasra nama. So all of this together the study of all of this comprises what is called shriya. Shri means abundance. Ashraya one who gives us shelter. So the main message of Shri Vidya to women is that you seek validation from no one once you come under her umbrage because if she's giving you fearlessness, she's giving you knowledge and she's giving you abundance. What more does anyone want? And what can a human give you which a god is giving you? Right. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. So that's the point. So the fourth Mahavidya or the fourth goddess is Bhuvaneshwari. What about her? Bhuvaneshwari is a reminder for all of us to take care of the planet that we live on because she is mother earth itself and especially with how we are approaching climate change and all of that and not caring for the other beings on this planet. So while as a species we've made great strides today. we are the top of the AI game and all of that as what happens to us as a civilization is the question we'll have to ask that we we are literally so close to self annihilation. So Bhuvaneshwari comes in here with the message that take care of the planet because this is the only one you have and it reminds you to be very conscious of every decision you take pertaining to your environment. So I think this becomes a fabulous time to then tap into Bhuvaneshwari's energy. Correct? Yes. And how how can we do that? U just look around yourself and see how you can cut down your carbon footprint. Make sure that if it's not needed use of plastic or resources, don't have children. I really mean this from a perspective of someone who's been there, done that and uh it's just that I feel in today's world where we stand. Yeah. This is the best thing one can do for the planet and for oneself particularly if you're on the path of uh spiritual evolution because why bring another creature into this world who will suffer even more than we could possibly know or understand? it's not fair on them and for your selfish reason you bring a child into this world and then they suffer for you and it doesn't play out well. I think that's the main message. Correct. Uh uh you know as per you would adoption be a great thing given that there are so many children today who very controversially I'm going to say no because again lived experience seen it all that um you can't even trust your own genes. How do you trust the genes that you don't even know? And it doesn't play out well. It's karmic again. It's Yeah. Heavily heavily karmic and never I've never seen a happy story which came out and like Yes. Okay. I know I might even receive a lot of vitriol for it, but I'm not for it. I think just allow everyone's karma to play out. Who are we to go and play God and rescue the one who needs to be uh rescued? Okay. No ant in Africa goes starving in any case. Mhm. Mhm. What about animals who are orphaned or animals are a different story altogether because animals don't have karma like we do. Humans are the only form who have active karma because we have a highest elevated consciousness where we asking all these questions. Animals don't ask these questions. Animals are not seeking spirituality or seeking God or seeking the source. So they have a limited sense of consciousness. So it is imperative that we help them and it brings a lot of puna in helping them because they are mute. They cannot explain their difficulties. So if you are able to see what you can do for them, it brings immense goodwill and uh good karma. Okay. So you would say an ideal path to maybe get divested of karma would be to not adopt a human child but maybe to adopt one of those orphan streeties street animals because even pedigree nowadays has become such a it's a very messy story out there take care of cows take care of all the animals on the planet I was hearing a story about how elephants are so compassionate that when they have to move elephants from one country to another on a plane and because elephants are such massive beings they can tilt a plane effectively so they put a whole bunch of chicks around in the elephant's enclosure. The elephant will not move until they reach the destination because they don't want to harm another chick. That is how careful they are. And here we are as humans with this elevated consciousness and what are we doing with it? We are only damaging everything else on the planet. You know, I had a guest on our podcast who said that um and she said it behind the scenes. I don't have it recorded. She said that uh couples or individuals who don't have children, it could be their last birth. Yes. Yes. Help me, if you agree with it, help me understand this. I totally agree because they're not creating any more karma in the process of living. So, it is quite likely that they are on their path to moka. See, with having a child already, you have created an attachment which is not going to end here. it's going to lead on to other things because you're not going to be able to detach effectively from your own offspring. Very rarely does that happen and you have to be a really spiritually adepted uh adept and uh empowered soul to do that. But by and large I would totally agree with that statement. So one more reason to not want a child in this world. How are you creating karma when you have a child? Attachment I get. What more? Because it is also the playing out of your previous karma. See, that's the thing with karma. It's not a one-time uh thing. So there's already some past karma which has brought you to this point. So the fact is if there is no residual karma, there is no child in the picture. If there is residual karma, it comes in the shape of the child and then that leads to more agami karma which is the karma which we are creating. So let's look at it like a bank balance, right? So that is our uh sitta karma and then we bring a certain part of it which is our praabdha in this life our whole motive is to wash off all this praabha and go into a state where we are not there is no life and death the cycle now with this praabha you have children you get entangled in this maya of living then you are pushing that further away the whole aspect of moka because naturally The fact is that the attachment is there, the connections are there and because you want more for your child, that's when all the um negative aspects start. The greed only starts when you want for your child. And if you notice mostly until your child, if your child is you don't have that much greed. It's when a child comes into the picture and then the fight starts with the siblings, with the parents, with everyone because now suddenly this is your ego saying this is my own and they are different. So that is how you create karma. Mhm. And why would let's say uh couple A or individual A have a child and couple B or individual B not have a child? Is it again their past? Yes, it is all of this is uh the soul uh contracts that we have made before we have taken this jma as a human. So there are a lot of lessons we need to learn, a lot of alignment with our goals that we set out when we came into this being. So until all of those lessons are learned, we are going to come back again and again until we align with our purpose. you know we see a lot less kids being born today because a lot of uh millennials you know people my age are opting to be childless do you think then the karmic pattern is suddenly shifting when it comes to this generation and going forward if you observe it is the rising of the shy which is making this happen it's because when shy rises there will be a change there will be an imminent shift in the way everyone thinks and without that evolution is not possible and the millennials or the Gen Z or whoever it is who's choosing not to have children, they're doing it in a selfless manner because if they were selfish, they could easily have the children, but they're choosing not to do it because for them there are other priorities such as caring for the planet, caring for animals, taking care of the collective consciousness. But a huge reason unfortunately why a lot of this generation don't wants don't want children is because of convenience. you know it's you know you have more for yourself there is more less hassle be very honest about it that is what's playing in our minds for most of us acceptable look at the larger intent and look at the larger goal that it you set out to achieve okay so if you think that you're at least you're not being selfish by having the child for your own benefit for your own interest thinking okay when I'm old someone's going to take care of me for me that itself is a big win beyond that whatever else you acrewue is just brownie points. We're coming to another gory, darker side of the Dvi, which is the chinamashta. Chinamasta. Yes. And she's someone who's decapitated her own head. Yes. So, the story goes that she's uh walking with two of her friends uh on the river side. And the friends are just irritating her, saying, "We are hungry. Let's go back. We hungry. Let's go back." And then a point comes where she can't take it anymore. And she just takes her thumbnail and cuts herself. She literally decapitates, cuts off her own head and then it flows in three fountains of blood. So she feeds the friends with two of the fountains and from the sushimumna nadi what comes out she drinks it herself and rejuvenates herself. So the whole point is that sometimes you will have to subdue your own ego in order for a larger purpose and it's not always also about your own self. There are times when we might have to make the sacrifices and that's what uh chinamasta stands for. Number one on one side you have the ego which is constantly seeking self agrandisment and on the other hand that sometimes we will have to make the sacrifices for the sake of the larger good. Why is she drinking her own blood? Because blood for us is something very gory. But if you look at uh the symbolism behind it, she is living off her own energy. She doesn't need it from anyone else. So she is consuming her own energy from her own sushimum nadi and then rejuvenating herself. Again a message that don't look at the outside world for validation. Look at yourself and give yourself whatever validation you want because what is the outside world after all but what you perceive of it. Okay. Okay. I also thought that the symbolism or the iconography of you know cutting off one's own head is also a sign of self annihilation which is supposed to be the highest virtue in spirituality to be able to self-destruct right I think the entire story of kimukha uh who basically ate up one of the dhanavs one of the raases upon you know shiva commanded him please go eat yourself up and he literally did that okay so he said which is why outside every temple you will have a face of the red fellow with teeth right but the teeth actually not the teeth with the two hands sticking out of the mouth because when Shiva saw he had already eaten himself neck under the neck so you see I mean mostly all south Indian temples will have a kimoka and then you enter the gra many homes have kimchuka truck lorries have bimui and kimuka that's to keep the evil eye away evil eye away so kimoka essentially means the glorious face you know he says you a person who can eat himself up is should be above all gods because even gods have their own limitations and their own realities but you have none you're eating yourself up you're destroying yourself so I think a good Parallel to this in spirituality in yogic sciences we say is brahurat wake up in the morning your body doesn't want to wake up take a cold water shower eat meals two times a day don't just keep eating so I think that whole thing about getting over one's limitations I thought maybe that is also yes that is what how we subdue the ego by cutting off the head because the head is our calling card our faces are our calling cards to the world how else does the world know us so if you cut off your head what happens you're subduing your ego and that's the big lesson from there the goddess of terror. Yes. Uh terror but not as terrorizing as Mali's imagery. A little uh more subdued version but still enough to create a sense of fear, a sense of mystery and one which is necessary for everyone who wants the right mix of Ugra and Samia in their life which is what every woman should be looking at because u how else do we counter the violence that we see and the main lesson from Behavi is not that violence begets violence but that we should use it effectively. ly to bring about some changes and to motivate us to do something positive with every negative situation that we face. Okay. Uh what is the origin story behind Bhabi? Largely that she's seen as the consort of Bharava and Bhiraava which is a less um complex version than Mali but still retaining the uh terror aspect retaining the fierceness. If you look at her iconography, naked, she's naked. She has she's covered in snakes. Yes, she's covered in snakes. One can almost say that she's on the cusp somewhere in between Shiva and Kali. Exactly. That's why the name Bhraavi it's almost uh the snakes signify all the desires that surround her and slowly slowly she has to let go of one at a time and uh it's it's a scary blue color in which she's shown again uh naked because in a way uh it's like Shiva he's like the cation the wanderer he's not bothered about what uh anyone will say and she brings that same uh imagery to mind that she's is unconcerned. This is who I am. This is take it or leave it. And the only thing that covers her is all the desires which need fulfillment. The next goddess is Dhumabati. Yes, a very interesting one. Here is a widow perhaps in the latter years of her life where she's done with her uh she's a probably her children have thrown her out of the house and she's seen living in the smashana and she's seen sitting on a chariot with a broken wheel which means that the chariot cannot move forward and she's wearing ragged clothes and dhuma means smoke. So she's got these u the perception that she views the world with is a very smoky one. It's not a clear one. It's one uh which is clouding her perception. That's what smoke does. It cl makes your vision cloudy. And um it just goes to show number one that this is a situation all of us are going to end up in life with. There is going to be anguish. There is going to be loss. There is going to be grief. There's no getting away from it. And what is the message there? You see her holding a winnow where she can separate what's good from what's bad, what's evil from what's uh good for her and so on and so forth. If she chooses to do that, if she just chooses to sit with the widow on that broken chariot and sit in the smashana, she can sit there forever and not evolve. But the underlying message is that even at times of such intense grief and sadness, there lies an opportunity for you to embrace spirituality and to evolve and grow. And then perhaps now is the time for you to embrace brahmachara and to become more of a sadhuk than you have ever had an opportunity because now even though you have not done it with your own valition, all the attachments are gone. Uh-huh. Either people have died or they've left your home, they've settled down. It's ma's way of uh calling you to her and saying now come and do my sadhana. And what better place to do the sadhana when you're nearing death than to do it in a smashana. Okay. So I should be tapping the energies of dumati towards the latter years of my life. If at all you want to tap it. See because these are just there to give you the wisdom. You don't have to live every experience. It's just learn from what they are trying to tell you. Okay. This is another Kali like she's pulling out someone else's tongue this time. It's a demon's tongue. A demon who uh is trying to destroy the cosmic order which is what we always see. See these demons we have to understand are not just external mythical figures. They point to something within us because most often shlokai gi the greatest damage that we do in relationships comes from our tongue from what we say from what we hear from other people. So this is a message that have control over what you say and also have the discretion to know what is important when it is said and what to just throw away and not take too seriously. So this is tambana in a way that is to paralyze also which means that you should be such a great auditor using her invoking her energies that you're able to just paralyze your enemies merely with your words. So literally what does a great lawyer do? He'll just stump you. Or a great auditor like Winston Churchill, he could change the course of the World War II, right? With just merely the speech. So that is what uh Mahabha Galamuki tries to teach us that be careful in what you say. Be perceptive about what is being said, the tonality, the words that people use. Allow it only to affect you as much as is necessary. Okay. I think here is where we talk about theta. Yes. The di matangi. Yes. Ma matangi is the tantric version of masaraswati. So uh there is no greater energy than that of Saraswati simply for one reason that when we say tamasoma jot gamaya that light can only come from knowledge from vidya from gana there is no other way bi will not give you that knowledge it might give you an experience of the spiritual but it will not give you that vivea will not arise in you unless you have the knowledge that discrimination to know what is right? What is wrong that will only come with masarasati and that is why ma matangi is so important and here the message which I personally uh see as relevant to today's world is we are all creative in our own ways every single woman man on this planet we don't use it either because of some self-limiting belief or because someone has told us you're no good at it is to use it to build a side hustle and perhaps that is what is going to give you meaning in your later years in life because the one problem I see is for the empty nesters they have nothing to live for but if you had pursued your creative vision in your 60s in your 70s you have something that you can work upon and which lends your life a purpose and a meaning with ma matangi uh it's the creative urge that we all have which is uh perhaps there for everyone and how we have to mobilize it and work upon it Because if you leave it to itself, it's going to go waste and go with us to the grave. So instead of that, do something with it. If you think you're a singer, let the world say that you're not, but you work on it. And if you are a good singer, then maybe you can start singing classes online or see how you can turn it into some kind of uh revenue stream for yourself. Not because you need the money, but because you're putting that creativity out there for the world to learn from. Okay? So this could be the book writing, it could be either being an artist, painting, dancing, anything. Anything whatever you're good at. If you're good at making stuff, you know, like the hand little whatever candles or uh even little motives, giveaway, even if it is not needed, even if it is not needed, for example, there are lots of interior I'm just giving an example, lots of artists, lots of interior designers. So mostly people in creative professions do it for themselves, right? For their satisfaction and fulfillment, right? So whatever lends value to the creative field, it could even be if you're a great cook then put it out there. Start a small catering business. Something which will give you a purpose and a meaning in life. Because the biggest problem that I see is women especially who are stay-at-home moms. They feel so purposeless especially when the kids are grown up and they're like what is the meaning of all of this? So if you are able to pursue something and make it a passion then at least you have something to look forward to. It is said that matangi accepts ishta which is leftover or impure food as offerings. Yes. You want to talk a little bit about this? Yes certainly. uh like we were speaking earlier, two gods who are known as Uchishta which came about as a rebellion against the immense purity which uh the Vic method request always demanded and this was like uh something which is touched with the human saliva is not to be offered to god. Tantra said saliva is very important. It's necessary and the gods do not turn it away and the gods accept it. And we see that in Uchishta it's she's called uchishta chandali where uh because the varnas the lowest uh segment of society they were left out from everything. So this was where uh they brought them back in the fold by saying look here is a goddess who will even welcome you and there's of course ishta gapati which we spoke about earlier. So these are the two forms which are very very subversive and which the um traditional puritanical uh follower of Vedas will really look down upon but it's all acceptable in Tantra. It's all a part of so castism and all I don't think ever held any sway in Tantra right I could have been a sudra getting married to a Brahman it would have been perfectly fine am I right? Yes. And they would have encouraged it because they were trying to see what was happening was because of castism Hinduism lost a lot of people to Buddhism and that's when Tantra rose to counter the influence of Buddhism to keep people in the fold of Hinduism and that's why today if you see what we follow as sanatana is less vic it's more panic more tantric because there were no temples in the Vic times the temples came with the tantra shastra with the agamas. Aha. And so if you observe all our rituals and everything that we do, they're tantric they're panic with a sprinkling of the Vic. But this is what is not known. Tantra is always known as something which is very dark and occult and all of that. Without knowing it, we are all practitioners of tantra. Let's come to the last one which is Kamla. Yes, the tantric uh version of Maakshmi. She promises abundance. She promises prosperity. And we've come a full circle. We started with Mali who's the devourer of time to Makamalat Mika who essentially gives you all that you need to make adequate use of your time on this planet. And uh with her comes the pleasure of being, the aesthetics, the beauty, the joy of uh everyday existence itself. And it's what you make of it. It's come with an abundant mindset. leave the scarcity behind and just enjoy this leela for what it's worth and not take anything too seriously as long as the going is good. Okay. I think there are about 15 temples of the Dasa Maha Vidyas and they're not very famous in that sense. I believe Tarapit is one of the temples which attracts about a million followers on a yearly basis. So I was telling you my mother is a very ritualistic person uh goes to all temples visits all religious sites but even she's someone who's not very well adept with the dash mahidya the dashima temple despite being such a potent tradition why do you think there is uh such less uh emphasis and such less visibility when it comes to dashimya because it's a part of the tantric tradition and tantra itself has such a bad name it has earned a reputation of being mystical occult dark and it's a misrepresentation essentially and when you're talking about the temples like even Kamakya has all the dashya temples on the nil and chal hills for those who are on the path of tantra the dashamahidyas make sense for the others who are more uh on the panic or the vic path which is what generally everyone is on it's more to do with nadura and the more benign submissive forms of the goddesses so that's the reason and also dashahidyas are immensely potent and you need a lot of willpower and self asssurance to even learn about them because look at the iconography with Chinamasta for example the iconography is uh with her head cut off and with it coming out as a fountain and she's drinking her own blood and she's doing all of this on a couple who's having sex. So this kind of imagery is itself very very powerful scary perhaps not everyone's cup of tea. So if one builds temples or one worships at such temples obviously it's going to be a very small uh portion of the population who's going to feel comfortable with that. What is the reason behind such symbolism such extreme forms of and extreme and even darker forms of symbolism? It's because it shows us one aspect of life which we try to cover up by calling it taboo by not coming to terms with it. But ultimately without it, where do we stand? Without sexuality, without the creative urge, the energy, karma, lust, we wouldn't be here. And that is what we should transcend. We shouldn't just look at it as desire. It's not just a feeling. It's something that you have to transmute into spiritual experience. Ultimately, that is the main goal. When we look at such imagery, right? Whether it is the extreme sexuality, whether it is whatever we think it is perverted sexuality, you're saying it shouldn't be seen in the literal sense. Yes. Correct. Correct. Or should it also be seen in the literal sense and said this is also okay. If you do this, this is also fine. I think they meant it more as the fact that treat desire as a very important component of life but overcome it and also peripheral component of life. Right? It is peripheral if you look at it that way. It's it's if it's important for you in a certain stage in life, it's fine. It's great to experiment, do whatever it is, but finish it. Don't leave anything untouched. This is the main message of tantra that if you've not tasted something, then you're always going to have the desire to know what that was and you will never be at peace with yourself. So if you've done all that you set out to do then you can walk away into the mountains one day and say okay life well-lived but if you've not tried even on that mountain you're going to be thinking okay when I was 25 I should have tried this. So that is what the tantra texts are trying to tell you to do that when the occasion arises and when the opportunity arises you experience it whatever it is with consciousness with presence of mind and by with a sense of surrender that I'm not doing this for my personal pleasure but I want to see what comes of it from a spiritual standpoint. Okay. Okay. So let's say I want to know the answer from the tantric text the dasha mahavidya. Let's say there are people who have regrets, right? Um maybe not so much in the 20s like we were just having a conversation and you said 35 the shi the Saturn begins to get activated post 35 and that's when karma sort of starts showing up in different shapes and sizes and regrets sort of keep piling on there after right I wish in my 25s I would have done this either married that person or not married or maybe experimented whatever if we are at that stage of life which we think many of us would have some regrets right we must we could have done this as humans we ought to have correct so in case we are there and which I think most of us are what is the resolution as per the tantric texts we can't go back we can't go back in time we can't undo the decisions that we've made in life now what do we do I would mix tantra and karma to some extent here to give you an answer at that point of time that was the best you knew with your limited knowledge and that was the best decision you could take based on your knowledge at that point of time so if you look at it from that angle there's nothing to regret in this life everything is aligning you towards becoming the individual that you are today. So the regret perhaps is being played out in some alternate dimension in some reality. So it's not like it's not happened at all. Perhaps it has but your takeaway has to be that this has made me who I am. Even the regret has molded you. And this is the main lesson that we get mainly from Bhavi in the Dasha Maha Vidyas because if you're angry about something, use that anger as a motivation. So someone says something nasty about you, use that and say okay I will do this and I will succeed at what they said I cannot and show them like someone says you can't write or you can't speak then use that don't allow the negativity to get to you subvert it into a positive thing for yourself motivational self-t talk if you may and convert it and see how much magic comes from it so this is Mahabhai's lesson for all of us okay but as you mentioned right if I go to the mountain let's say a decision of um get married or not. For example, because you were discussing this earlier, should I get married or not? Right? Uh we've chosen let's say person A has chosen one path and now they've you know um that that act has happened a couple of years down the line. Uh they could be reflecting back on their decision decision and saying I wish I had taken up let's say I wish I had not gotten married or I wish I had gotten married. Now what do you do with that that regret or that apprehension? understand that it was karma playing out that a runanu bha was at play and that's why the marriage had to happen the union had to happen so now if you forcibly break away or separate which many people are doing by the way these days which is also perfectly acceptable just remember that it will continue to play out until you have learned your lesson okay so in this lifetime you feel I cannot put up with this person let's just separate on paper legally all of that remember that your karma doesn't finish it will take it on to another lifetime perhaps to remove the runanuha until you live it out until you learn all the life lessons from that relationship and the moment that is over then you will not be united again aa so if I'm let's say getting divorced from you know my husband the story doesn't end here no it may come back to me again it will come back to you again and if you observe the patterns shloka g um like when I'm guiding people I know that a person who's had a divorce, it doesn't end there. They will go to through two, three more divorces. I've seen that. Yeah. They've not learned their lesson. And even before I see this in divorces all the time where they haven't even gotten over this relationship, they're already looking around for a similar person. So then why get out of that? Because you're stuck in that pattern. So you're going to fall into that same pattern all over again because you've not learned your lessons from there. So at what point does an individual know whether they're supposed to stay in a relationship or walk out of the relationship? When do they know that the lesson has been learned? If the lesson is learned, then there will be a clear separation perhaps by death or perhaps by circumstances which are not in your control. Like you haven't taken the step to divorce the person. That's correct. So if you take the step, it's on your karma. Yeah. And if if the other person takes the step, then it's on that individual. Okay. You know it is said that uh chanting these maha vidya mantras on your own can be quite dangerous because there have been instances of people uh getting mad or or just basically going off the rocker when they've attempted something of this nature. So why is chanting without proper initiation or under guru's guidance uh so dangerous? Because you don't know what energies you will bring to the forefront when you do it without a guidance. See, it's like a guru will prep you. He will ready your energy and he will ensure that even physically you are prepared for what is to come. If you do this without handholding, it's like giving an atom bomb to a monkey. How does it know what to do with that with the power the immensity of what can be the outcome? It's exactly like that. So that is why it is necessary to do it in the right way if at all you're so drawn towards it. First of all, just learn about it. It's enough. Don't feel the necessity to uh do any kind of sadhana for the dash maha vidyas. If you're not seeking to be on the path of tantra, stick with the Samya goddesses, stick with the shriya or with the dvi mahatma and all of those uh processes. And if you feel that a point comes in your life where you cannot hold off the dashamaha vidyas because remember that anything that you do of this nature is expeditation of karma. It will be speeding up your own karma. And what does karma do when it speeds up? It burns more. There's more tapasa. There is more of the pain, the heartache, all of that which comes. So unless you're ready for all of that, don't dabble in these things. Don't indulge. I'm glad you mentioned this because a popular conception is that if I'm into sadena or yoga very simply put uh it's all about wellbeing but it's actually not. When you get into sadena intense sadena especially your karma is on fast forward and suddenly your life is going haywire right whether it is like I suffered healthwise uh maybe someone else suffered something else. So explain that concept to the viewers uh and and I want this you know intention to be debunked not to discourage anyone but karma is going to take form sooner or later right? So might as well get it done and over with as soon as possible so that but are you ready for it? Because what can happen to you in 20 years happening to you in 2 months can be intensely painful and can bring a lot of grief not only to yourself but to those who are connected to you through the ruano bha. So you have to be ready to see your closest ones suffer which is not something that we should do unless of course all of this is in some way also karmic and pre-ordant but my advice to people who want to get on the spiritual path and seek it as an escape is it is not an escape. If anything, it will only create more difficulties for you, not simplify your life. But yes, it will eventually lead you towards moka and help you to burn off all of the karmmas. So that's a conscious judicious decision you have to take as to whether you're ready for the pain that it brings, for the heartache, for all the losses and for that it's like a seismic shift. Every earthquake possible will occur. Among the Shakta texts, Lalita Sahraam is supposed to be the crown jewel. Tell me about Lalita Sahraam and how is it such an integral part of the Dash Mahavidya? Lalitaur Sundari is pretty much the crown jewel of the Dasha Mahavidyas and it's done miraculous things. You told me it's done miraculous things for people who follow it. Absolutely. And there are millions of people who will vouch for this. Every single individual perhaps uh today who you see at the cusp of greatness at least emanating from the south they have some connection with Malalita and with the Lalita uh Sahasra Nama which is chanted across uh the south and that connection with Lalita is very deep for everyone in South India pretty much every CEO today who is who comes from the south okay trust me they're chanting the Lalita sahastra nama and taking the benefits of the faleshi of the Lalita sahastra nama the top doctors the top people today in the world who originate from south India you can ask them okay can you tell us more about the laasam what is it exactly it's the thousand attributes of uh malalita and it is given by sage hayaga not lord hayaga lord hayaga is Vishnu himself so Vishnu says I cannot give it to uh August Asta. So he creates a sage in his likeness who he gives the same name to as Hayaga. And then sage Hayaga gives this knowledge to sage Augusta. And uh Augusta and his wife Lam Mudra are two of the foremost Shrimidya Sadhakas to have ever lived on this planet. And in fact uh when Hayaga is giving this knowledge to Agasta, he says I'm only giving it to you because you're Lamadra's husband. Because she is the greater devity. Okay. And it lists the thousand attributes of ma. Starting from the first word itself, there's a beautiful hidden meaning. The first line is Shri Mata. Okay, that itself holds the esoteric shashi mantra. Ah, so um enough said about that. And then it goes on to um talking about uh all the kundalini shakis. It talks about all the energies that exist, the nadis and then about life itself through the various processes and through the various body parts and everything that needs to be covered uh to understand life in a more wholesome way and all done in such poetic beauty that it is unparalleled. It is said that Lalita Seaham can provide both materialistic pleasures and spiritual liberation breaking the cycle of life and death. True. which is such an odd combination but such a win-win combination. Yeah. Bhoga and moka. Bhoga moka prahayaka because uh while you're alive you work towards the pleasures and then through the pleasures you also work towards moka by acting in a dharmic fashion by not acrewing greater karma and then slowly moving into a space of uh complete samadhi. Okay. If nothing else at least listen to the lalita sahazanama. Of course, it's not going to give you the same benefits as chanting it. I would say it's like if there's yummy food cooking, at least you can get the savor the aroma. You might not be able to taste it, but at least savor the aroma. It's the same with listening to it. And then with listening will come the desire to learn it, okay? And then uh you will want to understand it. So it just becomes uh the unraveling of the thousand petals of the Lalita Sahasama. Okay. Okay. So the starting point will be just start to listen to it and listen to the melody, the mellifuousness, the poetic beauty and see if you're not moved, if you're not swayed by it. Why is it chanted every Friday? Friday is the day associated with chukra uh Venus and Venus is the planet of beauty, of femininity, of the charm, the grace. So there's a like a synchrony of the energies of uh Lalita and what the planet we shukra brings right. So that's why Friday is apuspicious for anything to do with Dvi. Most of Dvi sadhana is best done in the night because like we spoke why do we call it navatri and not navdin? Because it is meant to be practiced in the night because the energy is heightened in the night with the moon in the sky. See, we might not know the effect, the impact the moon is having on the female body particularly because we have more water retention and all of that. So, and also our cycles are uh very closely associated with the moon. So, um it's all of these connections coming together. Uh evenings are better for sadhana any Dvi sadhana and uh Fridays is great for Lalita sastra nama also the special days of our life like birthdays anniversaries all these kind of days you know like the new year for example and Diwali navatri the main festivals now coming to navatri uh since you're at that time of the month personally was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are four navatri tell me about this there are four ritu sundis which occur every year which is the change of season. So it is a time when uh the energy is elevated and also the moon after uh the amavasia it's going into uh from pratipada all the way to the um dashamid uh that is when it is the most heightened. Poor navatri come at the time of the change of seasons in no particular order. The most important which is the prakat navatri is the shahhat navatri which occurs in the month of ashwin and uh the other three are more tantric navatri. So there is one which is the ashada navatri where mavarahi is woripped. There's one in mgha which is one of complete stillness because it happens in the winter months. So all the animals are in hibernation and it calls upon us also to go into that mode of just sadhana and then the chaitra navatri which is the coming of uh spring itself. So these are the four the uh importance of worshiing from amawasa uh the day after amawavasia from pratipada till nami is because in these nine nights the heightened uh feminine energy in the sky as the moon waxes and becomes bigger and bigger. Our shi also rises with it and uh especially the one which occurs in uh this month of ashwin the uh day and night are pretty much equal which is called liinal which adds more value to the energy which is being created. So that's why of all the navatri this is the most auspicious. Okay. And why is it that 9 days after masa the feminine becomes the most potent? because that's when the moon is rising and if you correlate the um activities or the energies of a woman. So uh yeah go going back to why it's important it's because the energy is rising the shi is rising with the rising moon and uh ashtami is the day the eighth day when it is at its height and then nami from there it kind of uh the masculine energy starts to take over is what the texts tell us specifically how we don't know but uh this is what is hinted at. So that's why it's more powerful to do shaky worship in these nights. Okay. And I'm also assuming the feminine element rises within males and females both. Yes, absolutely. So maybe ninth and night after masa we are more people in general the world is more feminine tilted right possibly on the eth is perhaps at its height and then 9th slowly the masculine starts to take over and for the rest of the month it's the masculine energy which plays out. We'd like to know some of the dos and don'ts when it comes to navatri and if you can give our viewers they've been really looking forward for this a stepbyst step routine as to what can be done during these nine days of the navatri depending on whether you want to make it very ritualistic or whether you want to just do the manasika sadhana both are perfectly acceptable for some people the rituals make sense so you can do like a 16step ritual where you invoke the dvata or the dvi in this case and then you bathe her and then you literally take her through all the shingara and then you give her some nayya and offer her food like a guest you welcome her or you could do the pancha puja where uh you're invoking the five elements so that is you offer gandam pushpa gandha is uh sandalwood pushpa is flower incense tupa deepa and that's the argya and then finally the naya so that is the pancha puja that's the simplest puja we can do which we do in all homes and uh if you're able to do that on the nine nights just light a beautiful silver diia and at least start with that because what you start in these and practice for these nine nights might stay with you for life if you see that something good is coming out of it so in a way it's uh neural conditioning neural training and morning to night the chaya do you have something to offer there certainly if you can fast because fasting uh really uh adds to your salpa to the intention setting and shows your seriousness of intent. So uh and it's a great time to fast because it also elevates your immunity, increases immune bodies uh within you and ensures that you go through the season illness-free. Okay. Okay. So in terms of how does it change in season like? Yes. So dinachara would be to just ensure that you at least for those nine nights try to wake up at the brahma mhorta and uh try to do something which is a little uncomfortable like take a cold shower and u make sure you do the stuff you need to do to increase your immunity like having having your turmeric shot or your ginger shot and uh eat satwic food. stay away from um for a little while at least the alcohol, the caffeine, the non-vegetarian food. Possibly if you want to take it one step further, avoid onion, garlic so that you're less uh the rajas is not too much and you're invoking more of the satwa. Navatri now has become more of a cultural scene than a religious one with the garba. Actually the garba started as an agrarian ritual where uh diya would be set in the center of a field and men and women would dance around it in a circle and the garba literally means the womb and giving thanks to Shi for giving us this mother earth from whose womb the harvest is coming and just overall an ode to creativity. So now that has become uh what we know in popular culture as the garba and the uh evenings of uh feasting and fun and frolic which is great because it does bring people together. If you look at it Diwali is very family oriented or at the most you're meeting with friends and uh probably playing cards and invoking Lakshmi uh Gapati uh when we do uh the Ganesh Chhaturi that is uh only community oriented. they might put up the little pendals and do all of that which Lok Mana started to bring Hindus together. So if you look at it only one festival which is done at the level of collective uh consciousness like see how it's done in West Bengal uh and so many um you know thousands of people come together and um millions literally are worshiping at the same time. So uh this is the only one left like in Myso we have the dasra the 10 days uh where the entire city it's called Nada and not only from the city but people from close by areas come and it's the kings who uh because Chamundi is the um grammar Dvi there so that's their way of giving her thanks and uh how it's become such a cultural phenomenon and uh affecting so many collectively. So that's the only festival effectively which uh transcends all these other barriers of uh and doesn't stay small doesn't stay within your family and friends but moves on to a higher level. Okay. So in in Di worship there are methods of invoking the divine feminine in different parts of the body. Yes. So with the karanasa is invoking her in your fingers because the fingers are effectively meridians and all the nerve endings are here. And then we have angasa which is sharanganyasa in this case that is in the six different parts of the body in the haya in the uh head in the shika and so on and so forth like kavacham and so on. So essentially what uh in dvi sadhana the thought is you don't need to go to a temple your body itself is the temple. So your garbag goody the graha is inside your heart. So you can just address her where she's sitting as the bindu in the shriantra. Okay. This is only true for females or even males. It's it's true for any sadhana. You can do this. Uh see like every brahman who does the syandam knows that they're doing the angasa karanasa. So they are invoking that which is divine within themselves and presenting it to themselves. Can you tell us the method of invoking in different parts of the body? uh that is again best taught uh by a guru because uh just invoking will not serve any purpose. There is a method and there is a mantra and there is a complete uh terminology behind it which needs to be learned appropriately. Give me some more occult or mystical insights when it comes to dust mahidya. For occult, I have had greater experiences with mahari for some reason than with the dashamaha vidyas. Perhaps because I've not actively pursued the dash maha vidyas as a sadhana. But mahari sadena came very naturally to me and um I think many people look at me as being able to bring that energy. So I've heard a lot of stories from people like there was this gentleman who was one of the very first people to get COVID in London and he was on his uh literally on the ventilator on his deathbed and he heard the doctors telling his family that he's going to pass away tonight and he was young I think 30 year old at that time and he says because I had nothing to lose in that state I just prayed randomly to some god he's a sik and he says that uh in his dream when he woke up he remembered that it was Mavari who came to him and the magical part is he knows her mantra which was which he downloaded in that dream and why I know that it's not a mantra he's gotten off the internet is because it's the tantric version which only a guru can give to a shisha and he said he waited for uh 5 years to share the story with someone because uh people would just laugh at him and all of that and then finally u he shared it with me and he said this is my experience with Mavari and this is just one I hear so many people talking about how much they are getting out of the sadena with Mavari so people who she's definitely going to give you a lot of abundance in terms of property and especially if you're in real estate and all of these energies work in certain careers more than in others so mahi I see you know when people want a certain home and then they do a sadhana then somehow magically miraculously does it it does become theirs. So these kind of stories any tips that you would have for the viewers with respect to manifesting these um gifts of Mavari of any of the davies or from the source itself is to find that connection whatever it takes use the tools that tantra gives you whether it's the yantra the mantra the mudra kundalini shaky study it understand it and then become that manifestation machine and you're unstoppable. Oh yes, but do it not because you want some siddhis but simply because even if you just want it as an experience it's fine to just want to know what lies beyond our everyday ordinary life but seek it in the right channels through the right uh teachers and uh don't get carried away by it and don't do it for egoic reasons. Okay. So you are not a recipient of that karma in your uh coming lives at least. I was just having a very funny visual where you know the husband and wife are together and they're like no no no do something so that he ends up taking the action instead of me so that karma must that also happens a lot of people try that as well but then that again is an intention so that plays out too oh nice okay super fantastic thank you so much Venita G it's we've had a long conversation and there's so much that I've learned honestly uh from you both in the conversation behind the scenes so thank you so Thank you Shloka G. Um it was truly my privilege to be here and have this conversation with you and I wish that uh this festive season with Navatri and Diwali bring abundance to everyone who's tuning in and uh special love and blessings to you as well. Thank you. Thank you so much Shrimatria. 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