Tantra is a pure science of dedication to Mother Power. In Tantra we behold God as mother. God should be the Mother because only the mother can create. She is the ultimate dynamic power. She is the preserver and also the destroyer. It is by her command that the celestial beings, human beings and all of creation moves.
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Aim Hrim Klim
How does your day start? I know how mine starts. I silently chant my mantra for the Goddess and then I sit up and leave my bed. My first response are my guests seated in the balcony. My wild cats, mother and son and their extended family are the guests. I light the incense in the different rooms. I give them their breakfast and then play my chants on the CD player. After that it is one thing after the other. Continue reading
…as described in Devi Gita.
The Goddess explains the first kind of vedic worship to her devotees. Continue reading
The Goddess has been worshipped in the vedic and tantric traditions in numerous forms. Thousands of goddesses exist in India, all manifestations and symbols of one energy and power. As Durga, she is the remover of obstacles, as Kali, the destroyer of time and annihilator of the ego. As Lakshmi, she is the granter of wisdom and knowledge. As Saraswati, she is the granter of wisdom and knowledge. As Tara, she is the guiding light. As Jagdamba, she is the mother of the universe. Continue reading
In Kaliyuga, we tend to be abrasive and abusive about life. We condemn and criticize. We think that we are self -sufficient.
I have been contemplating on the subject of man / woman attachments. A male form is incomplete without the existence of a female form. God cannot be incomplete. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva have female counterparts: Sarasvati and Brahma, Vishnu and Lakshmi and Shiva and Shakti. Together these three couples embody the understanding of the ultimate divine. Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains and Shiva destroys. Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Shakti embody knowledge, wealth and power. Continue reading
We all have to join together and rid the universe of evil and destruction. In the Shastras it is written that the easiest way to experience God in these troubled and turbulent times is by worship. We need not go into a complicated philosophical discussion. All we have to do is to bow our heads before the deity, who is greater than any other power of the world. Aradhana (prayer) starts from this act and progresses gradually towards bliss and love. Begin with the deity, one loves and adores (it can be the elements, chakras, and yantras), and one rises progressively above the form and merges into the supreme atman. Continue reading
Who does not love the colours of the seasons? There is no misunderstanding and there are no clashes. In the Hindu tradition, we have different colours for different days of the week. There are numerous arguments on the subject. Continue reading
Fear and pain go hand in hand. From pain, originates fear. Fear disturbs our peace and harmony. However fear is real. It is a part of all our lives. We have different ways of coping with it. Continue reading
Basant Panchami is a celebration of the arrival of spring and it is called also Saraswati Puja. Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati describes true birth: Continue reading
According to my Guru, Swami Satyanananda Saraswati, there comes a stage in our lives, when the desire to succumb to the divine will come naturally. Until this happens we are guided by our ego. Our expectations are motivated by ego, efforts are energized by the ego, until our ego has wrung us dry. We all wish to have a better life. We are lost in a maze of confusion. Our intentions improve ourselves and lead a qualitative life. In order to tread on this path we have to look at our own experiences and then those of others to learn to detect what has been truly fulfilling. Continue reading
Shakti existed before the creation of time and space. Shakti is also called the pristine matter or Prakriti (nature). Prakriti expresses herself in three different forms as the power of the universe. These three qualities are called Gunas. The Mother now creates the universe based on the Gunas. The Gunas are sattwa, rajas and tamas. Continue reading
And it is Friday again, the day of the Goddess. Sati was the first goddess and she was the daughter of Daksha. She was madly in love with Shiva but her father did not approve of his boisterous friends. She got married to Shiva and Daksha disowned her. Continue reading