Gupta Navaratri and an introduction to Tantra

 Hari Aum.

Last night was the first night of the extremely auspicious nine-night festival of worship of the Divine Mother known as 'Gupta Navaratri' ('gupta' means 'secret' in Sanskrit). Worship of the Mother during this time is said to yield great spiritual benefits.

Unlike the well-known Navaratri festival that occurs in autumn, this one is celebrated only by select groups of devotees of the Goddess, particularly those who follow the path of Tantra (which includes worship of the Dasha Mahavidyas-- ten powerful forms of the Mother). However, any devotee of the Mother (not only Tantriks) can worship Her during this auspicious time. 

This year, the duration of Gupta Navaratri is from January 30 to Febuary 7 inclusive. This is an amazing time to read the Saptasloki Durga, recite the Navarna mantra or any other mantra of the Mother, and if one is able, to read or listen to the entire Devi Mahatmyam. 

One can listen to or recite the famous Vedic prayers such as the Shri and Medha Suktams. Recitation or listening to the Durga kavacham will grant protection. The Lalita Sahasranama or one thousand names of the Goddess is also an excellent way to worship Her.

In addition to the recitation of mantras and hymns, one can perform pujas and homams. In India, there is an ancient tradition of giving presents to little girls during this time as a form of honouring the Divine Mother who resides within them-- this is a good time to make donations to support charities dedicated to the welfare of girls and women in particular (living forms of the Mother).

In short, this is the perfect time to connect deeply with the Divine Mother via a variety of spiritual practices and to gain Her grace and blessings.

Furthermore, you may have heard that there is currently a beautiful planetary alignment in the skies. The planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are broadly arranged in a line-- various people say that this indicates some positive spiritual energies in the cosmos.

From a Vedic astrology perspective, Venus, the planet symbolising the Divine Mother, has recently entered the sign of Pisces where it is 'exalted' or particularly strong. Venus also signifies happiness in life, material prosperity, divine love and devotion to God. This is an additional factor that makes this time especially conducive for worship of the Divine Mother.

To have this combination of Gupta Navaratri, with an exalted Venus in Pisces, and a beautiful planetary alignment is not that common, and I feel one should make the best use of this precious time to worship the Mother.

I am certainly going to do my best to make the most of this opportunity. My favourite form of the Mother is Durga, the protective, compassionate and powerful aspect, and I will spend extra time in this period soaking myself as much as possible in Her mantras and worship. 

In previous posts, I mentioned that I am developing an interest in the field of Tantra, and that I would like to educate myself a little with regard to this style of worship (I have been following the Vedantic path so far in my spiritual life).

This Navaratri feels like the perfect time to introduce myself to this style of worship. I recently came across this excellent and detailed video (please see link below) on Tantric worship of Mother Durga. I am currently in the process of watching and understanding this; I note that it involves the use of mantras, detailed visualisations and hand gestures (mudras). It seems to be an extraordinary method of developing a sense of oneness or unity with Mother Durga.

{I am fond of using the technique of visualisation in devotional practices (manasik puja), and have been learning hand gestures or 'mudras' in my recent study of Bharatanatyam dance, so find this type of worship very interesting. I am also curious because it describes the tradition of Tantra as practiced in Kerala, India from where my family originates (my paternal ancestors have worshipped Mother Kali in our home temple for centuries with the help of priests who are practitioners of this method)}.

 

I hope you have a wonderful Navaratri, and if like me, you are curious about the practices of Tantra, I hope you find this video helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izbN5lV_eMQ

Om Sri Durgayai Namah.

Om Aim Hrim Klim Chamundayai Vicche.

May Mother Durga bless us all.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Krishna books

 Hari Aum.

This is just to say that the Krishna books written by me will be available for free download from Amazon Kindle for three days from Jan 21 (tomorrow) to Jan 23 inclusive (from midnight PST). (I actually wanted to make this available for five days next week but cannot due to some technical glitches with Amazon.) 

Anyway, I hope you find these books useful. The link for the download is below. 

The books are based upon the life and teachings of Lord Krishna from the ancient scripture known as the Srimad Bhagavatam. Happy reading!

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Vishnupriya-Devi/author/B07B95YQCV?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

The Kala Bhairava ashtakam

 Hari Aum.

Kala Bhairava is a form of Lord Shiva. He has a fierce form and is particularly associated with the destruction of sins and death (in Sanskrit, 'kala' means 'time', and 'Bhairava' means the 'fierce One').

Lord Shiva has two main aspects-- a sweet, peaceful, auspicious form  (I have described this in a previous post https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/803812822913447625/6919573210704216119).

However, He also has another aspect-- a furious, tremendously energetic form that destroys sin, suffering and negativity. 

Kala Bhairava is one of His particularly fierce forms and is an embodiment of divine power. He is described as being blue-black in colour (like His divine consort, Mother Kali/ Bhairavi). His dark matted locks are decorated with the crescent moon, and celestial serpents ornament His person (as garland, amulets and anklets). 

Like Mother Kali, He holds a skull, symbolising complete annihilation of the lower ego (symbolised by the head). He holds the trident and sword, His divine weapons to destroy suffering, disease and death. He holds the drum, the symbol of cosmic sound and all Creation. 

Although He is extremely fierce in appearance and in His deeds, He is said to have a gentle compassionate aspect, and is particularly known for granting protection (He is known for being a protector of anyone who is vulnerable and of women in particular).

The worship of Kala Bhairava is undertaken by those who walk both the right-hand (dakshina marga) and left-hand (vama marga) spiritual paths. He is worshipped by Tantriks and Aghoris as well as Vedantins. He is worshipped by many for both spiritual and material benefits.

His worship is said to be associated with intense cleansing of past negative karma, thus paving the way to experiencing peace, bliss and spiritual enlightenment. 

There are various famous prayers and slokas dedicated to Him. One particularly well-known one is the Kala Bhairava ashtakam. 

These eight verses in praise of Kala Bhairava were composed by Adi Shankaracharya, great Guru of Advaita Vedanta. 

Listening to or reciting this prayer is said to produce great spiritual benefit in terms of overcoming the effects of past negative karma and experiencing spiritual joy and material wellbeing.

Please see below for links to the Kala Bhairava ashtakam (words and set to music): 

https://greenmesg.org/stotras/shiva/kalabhairava_ashtakam.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkmaPmCRiJA

I discovered the Kala Bhairava ashtakam recently and feel drawn to listen to it these days. It feels like the worshipping the other half of Mother Kali whom I have worshipped for a while (including recently when I visited our family temple dedicated to Her in Kerala). I have been to Kashi previously and would like to visit again sometime when possible and offer worship at the Kala Bhairava temple.

Om Sri KalaBhairavaya Namah.

Om Sri MahaKalikayai Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

P.S. In these complex times on our planet, it would be useful to pray to Lord Kala Bhairava to protect the Earth, dispel all negative energies and to allow peace to be restored.

P.P.S. Based on some recent experiences, I feel the worship of Kala Bhairava and Mother Kali will help twin souls cleanse themselves of the effects of past negative karma, attain a state of inner peace and achieve a harmonious reunion in the 3D in a form that is in accordance with Divine will.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

2025 and world peace

 Hari Aum.

A happy New Year to all readers-- I hope this year has started well for you. I had travelled to India to visit family in the past few weeks and had a lovely time. I returned a couple of days ago and am still quite jet-lagged so am writing a short post this evening to say only one thing (that I have said before on this blog)-- please pray and recite mantras daily for world peace this year in particular.

There are all sorts of people who are predicting less than entirely happy events for humanity in 2025 to put it mildly (these people range from psychics, to military experts and scientists). There is a sense that this year will see a culmination of events that have been building up for a while, and that wars in particular may escalate significantly.

From a Vedic astrology perspective, there are some rare clusters of planets this year which cannot really be said to be auspicious. There are some positive features about the year astrologically, but there are also some significant challenges.

The overall view in spiritual circles seems to be that this year is not an ordinary one. It can be a time for significant spiritual progress, and it can potentially be very challenging materially for humanity as a whole.

I would therefore like to say three things:

1. Please perform a daily spiritual practice (e.g. chant a mantra of your favourite form of the Divine daily for at least 5 minutes once or twice daily). Do this for your own spiritual and material welfare and for those who are dear to you.

2. In addition to the usual prayers for yourself and your loved ones, kindly pray for the overall welfare of humanity and life on this planet

3. Try to consciously live an ethical life to the best of your ability (adhere to the yogic ethics as much as possible; nobody expects perfection here, however a sincere effort would be helpful).

I hope and pray that, in accordance with the teachings of Sivananda and other Gurus, our combined prayers and mantra recitation will contribute in some measure to peace on this planet.

With regard to my spiritual practice, I am continuing with daily ashtakshara mantra japa as part of my sixth purascharana (carrying on with 7 malas daily). I have completed my Radha sadhana and have now returned to Lakshmi worship (one mini-mala of 27 recitations per day). I have started worship of Lord Skanda (for astrological reasons; will likely write another post on this later).

Om shanti shanti shantih.

Om Sri Durgayai Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya,

P.S. Due to the recent travel, I was unable to offer the Krishna books that I previously wrote for free download from Amazon over the beginning of the New Year (as has been the habit in the past)-- apologies for this. I will therefore arrange this in the coming 1-2 weeks and update this post with further details in the coming days. In the meantime, please follow Krishna and Guru’s advice to chant and pray for world peace.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.