Kali_Upasaka

Hinduism is founded on the Vedas. The Vedas are Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. None of the other scriptures are considered Vedas. The Vedas consist of prayers addressed to different Gods/Goddesses. In these prayers the God/Goddess to whom the prayer is addressed is considered the supreme God. Thus we have prayers to Indra, Varuna and other Vedic Gods/Goddesses. Max Muller called this Henotheism. When we address a prayer to Ganesha, he is the supreme God. When we address Vishnu he is GOD. The same case with Shiva, Devi and others. This is the fundamental Vedic Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma. Sectarian worship was a much later development.

This is not a Gandharva marriage. Please see http://weddings.iloveindia.com/features/types-of-hindu-marriages.html There are ever so many types of marriages in practice in Hinduism today. Some communities do not have the fire ceremony at all. What can be seen from the above article is that Hinduism recognized all kinds of marriages. I am sure you have some proof of having got married. And you consider yourselves to be man and wife. Do not bother about the rituals or the type of marriage. You are married in the eyes of GOD. That is what is important. None of the Dharmasasthras are strictly applicable in modern times. They were written long time back and reflect the social mores and norms of the times when they were written. To satisfy you mentally, go to the nearest temple and exchange garlands with your wife. You can do it in any temple after informing the priest. You do not need a Guru. Temples in Tamil Nadu do it all the time. GOD Bless you.

The post was done in the name of Giri Trading Company. http://www.giritrading.com/ Please contact them for the book.

Pray to MAA. She will send you a suitable person to guide you. That is if SHE feels you need guidance. There is no right or wrong path. Devotion or Bhakti is all that is required. Remember the song Sakali Tomar Iccha http://www.archive.org/details/ShreeMaaSingsSakaliTomarIccha

The Bhairava you are referring to is known as Swarna Akarshana Bhairava. We have Swarna Akarshana Vinayaka also. You can get Swarnaakarshana Bhairava mantra and details of Upasana from books about Mantras in Hindi. You can google also and see whether it is available on the net. But Swarnaakarshana Bhairava and Swarnaakarshana Vinayka worship is done by Siddhas for transmutation of other substances to Gold and not for accumulation of wealth.

A Chillum could be a facilitator. But by itself it can not make one spiritual. Some sects have made it a fad. Marijuana's effects on one's mind depends on the person. There can be no standardization. I do not think the use of drugs has a place in the path Of Bhakthi. You can go on a high even without drugs. Once I was trekking in the Himalayas. It was summer. It often rains in the afternoon. One day I was caught on a small pathway when it started raining. I took shelter in a small cave like structure. Then it stopped raining. The sun started shining through the clouds. I came out of the cave and looked at the surroundings. The feeling which surged through me was one of ecstasy. Here I was on a small slippery pathway where a slip could pitch into a chasm, far from my group, far from any medical help and far from civilization. Normally I should be feeling panicky. But what I felt was ecstasy. Do you not feel it at the end of a long session of prayer. You should. Many a time it does take me some time to come back to normal. You go on a high. Look at the image of Lord Chaitanya Maha Prabhu. He is dancing in ecstasy. Looking at the image, you can feel it. That is what we should try to attain. We do not need drugs for that. What we need is absolute devotion.

That is what I also thought. That is also the popular belief. But yesterday when I was writing something about Rama in Sanskrit I was using रामः So I checked the grammar part and got this doubt.

Gender of a Sanskrit noun कृष्णः is male. कृष्ण is female. We do write रामः Any Sanskrit pundit who can throw some light on this?

There is no difference between Hindi and Sanskrit. Hindi also uses Deva Nagari script. Only in म् and other letters there will be no tails. But this often leads to confusion among the Hindi speakers. They tend to pronounce EM as MA. The original stanzas are what I have written.

Thank you, Sant. According to FAO the number of non-Vegetarians is increasing both in rural and urban areas. Sad.

The main mantra of Tibetan Buddhism is "Om Mani Padme Hum". You will find the Buddhist Monks chanting this with their prayer wheels. But I do not think anyone can make out the Sanskrit words. There have a number of discussions about the effect of pronunciation on the efficacy of any mantra. Now there is agreement that the efficacy depends not on pronunciation, but on the intent of the devotee. Lord Krishna will respond to your devotion/bhakti however you pronounce his name. Absolute devotion is what is required. Should I say my 2 cents?

The vast majority of Hindus in India are meat eaters. They also take onion and garlic. They belong to all castes including Brahmins. In India they do not associate Hinduism with Vegetarian food. Vegetarianism is synonymous with Vaishnavism in Bengal. There are Vaishnavites in South India who are meat eaters. The Saivites in Tamil Nadu are vegetarians. In India vegetarianism and non-eating of onion/garlic is synonymous with Jainism. These are facts which the non-Indian Hindus have to face and accept.

Not the Future. Karna means Ear. The Pisachini whispers in the ear. The relationship between such forces and the individual controlling them is a delicate one. After some time it is very difficult to say who is controlling whom. This often results in disastrous consequences. My sincere suggestion is KEEP OFF. It is just not worth the trouble.

There are two terms used by people. One Tantrik. The other one is Mantrik. For a Tantrik rituals are more important. For a Mantrik, Mantra is more important. Though these two terms are used together in practice it is not so. BTW Karna Pisachini Mantra places a certain force under the control of the Mantrik. It can be used for the benefit of the Individual in certain professions. But that force is not capable of causing harm to others. It can not be used for that. It has limitations. There are limitations to all these forces which are controlled through mantras. And against the power of GOD they are insignificant.

Thee are many Vaishnavite Tantras also. Pancharatra and Vaikasana agamas are the most important ones. Lakshmi Tantra and Vishnu tantra are two of the texts of Pancharatra. Again the major source of the so called Magical rites is the Atharva Veda. In fact the Atharva Veda mantras are claimed to be more powerful than the Tantrik ones. There is also a lot of overlapping. Tantras are basically ritual manuals. Mantras are found all over the place. Mantra Mahothadhi and Mantrarnava are the two major texts. What I am trying to convey is that Hinduism is full of Mantras. It is very difficult to place a mantra. Mantras like Karna Pishachini are found in manuscripts with the details of Prayoga. These manuscripts do not attribute their source. Most of these manuscripts are in private hands and are not published. There is no way of identifying the Karnapisachini Upasaka or for that matter any other Mantrik unless they decide to display their Upasana publicly. How do you know that a person is a Vaishnavite unless he displays the Vaishnavite marks? Sudharsana Yantra protects one from all kinds of Mantra prayogas.

The Mantra on first reading has some errors. navashini should have been nivasini. I have not checked with the texts. However since the Mantra is given by your Guru, you should not change it on your own. I once met a Siddha who had attained mantra Siddhi by reciting a particular Mantra. But while talking to him, I came to know that the Mantra was different from the one given in the texts. I thought it was an error. Then I asked my Guru. His words "If one has attained mantra Siddhi with a particular version of a mantra, then it becomes his Sampradhaya." As I had posted earlier we really do not go by the literal meaning of a mantra. Mantra are not bound by such linguistic rules since they are meta language. So my suggestion would be to stick to the mantra given by your Guru.

Anyone can read the Atharva Veda. The restriction on Vedas is only for recitation. It is because it requires years of training. It is only through the oral tradition that the Vedas were preserved for thousands of years. Atharva Veda is not the only source. Mantra Mahotadi and Mantrarnava are two other sources.

There are many mantras connected with healing general ailments and also specific diseases. Atharva Veda is the source of many of this mantras. They are part of Ayur Veda which is also part of Atharva Veda. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda You may contact one of the older traditional Ayur Vedic Practitioners. Kerala is the state where there are many.

Sri Ramakrishna's Tantrik Guru was Maa Bhairavi Brahmani who was a Vaishnava. Such paramparas or sampradhayas do still exist in India. You do see them some times in temples. But then they are very secretive and reticent and I do not think you will be able to locate one.

That is the Vata Yakshini Mantra. Not exactly a mantra for Bhagavathy. Vata Yakshini mantra is used for performing for certain specific deeds. Mantras like Vata Yakshini, Karna Pisachini and others are used to gain control over certain forces which are then used for personal benefit. But these Mantras also require elaborate rituals and ingredients, date, time etc. etc. to fructify. There are also serious consequences of getting control over these forces. You can not expect to get mantra on the internet and expect it to lead you to spiritual advancement. Approach a proper Guru and get the mantra.

The answer to my children was that see what the Puranas are trying to say? That is all. If the story has no spiritual/moral message, treat it as just a story. The puranas were recited by bards for centuries before being written down. Who were the Bards? They were people who went from village to village reciting the Puranas and teaching morals. No different from our modern Swamijis with their Pravachans. BTW a question was raised about the classification of the Puranas. The Puranas were classified by academics according to three cosmic qualities of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas according to the Gunas manifested by the three Gods _ Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. respectively. Sattivika Puranas _ Vishnu, Bhagavata, Naradiya, Garuda, Padma and Varaha. Rajas puranas - Brahma, Brahmanda, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, and Vamana (?). Tamasa Puranas - Shiva, Linga, Skanda, Agni, Matsya (?) and Kurma (?). Does it make it clear. No. To me it is only as clear as mud. See the question marks. All Shiva Puranas are classified as Tamasa. But then why Matsya and Kurma. I am at my wits end to understand. Eighteen Mahapuranas, and eighteen Upa Puranas are accepted by tradition. But there are more than one hundred Puranas and Upa Puranas in manuscripts. Many of them are waiting for transcription and translation.

The story narrated in the first post was obviously a mythological story, given as a pep talk to boost the Brahmins over Kshatriyas. It might have been relevant at the time it was written. May be the Brahmins needed a morale booster at that time. All of us would have attended the Pravachans given by Swamijis. Many a time it starts like this "One day when Lord Krishna was having breakfast, Sage Narada came there.... This is followed by a moral teaching based on the story. What is important is the moral teaching and not the story of Krishna having breakfast. Take Puranas also that way.

This is a question which is often asked. A question my children asked me. The answer is not a simple YES or NO. What is the Purana? The word Purana means old and past. As a kind of literary work, the Purana may be described as 'Old narratives'. In the Atharva Veda, the Shatapatha and Gopatha Brahmanas, the Upanishads and in some Buddhist texts, the word Purana is found to be used in connection with Itihasa (History). Certainly, the Puranas have a major part dealing with the history of some kings or divine beings — gods or demigods. The Mahabharata is also called the Purana. The Mahabharata, certainly, is a history of the Kurus. The Puranas, in a deeper sense, preach the Vedic ideals through stories. Vyasa is said to be the author or compiler of the Puranas. Five Topics of the Parana The Puranas are records of history, no doubt, but besides historical topics, the Puranas deal with some other matters of secular and religious interests, also. These are the five topics, which are found in all the known Puranas: Sargashcha pratisargashcha vamsha manvantarastatha Vamshanucharitanchaiva puranam pancha lakshanam. i. Sarga — Creation of this universe, ii. Pratisarga — The periodical destruction and renewal of the world, iii. Vamsha — Genealogy of gods and sages, iv. Manvantara — The change of the rule of Manu, and v. Vamshanucharita — The history of the dynasties belonging to the races of the Sun and the Moon. The Puranas — The Guide of Indian Life Almost all the Puranas follow this set norm. But, with variations, some Puranas discuss any other topics of secular and religious interest. On the whole, the Puranas preach the duties and rites to be observed by men in their respective varna (caste) and ashrama (station of life) — Varnashrama dharma. The Puranas are looked upon as the Vedas, as they preach the dharma of the Vedas to those men and women, who are not entitled to study the Vedas. Indian life is being guided mostly by the ideals preached in the Puranas. Many stories of noble deeds, performed by noble kings or sages, inspire the common people to follow the noble path and to avoid the path of evil and sin. That is all theory. That is my class notes. But does it answer your question? Frankly it does not. Not fully. The last paragraph actually is the most important. So rather than trying to find the historical correctness of a Puranic episode, we should try to find whether it teaches us something.

First you have to get a qualified Guru who is willing to initiate you and also lead you through the different steps. This Vidya takes a minimum of 5 years of intense sadhana under the personal guidance of a Guru. Diksha is only a preliminary ritual. It is like learning learning the alphabets of a language. By merely learning the ABCs you can not master the English language. It is difficult to locate a Guru on the internet. You can try posting in some of the . If you are blessed someone might lead you to a Guru.

The Shanti Mantras or "Peace Mantras" are Hindu prayers for peace (Shanti) from the Vedas. Generally they are recited at the beginning and end of religious rituals and discourses. Shanti Mantras are found in Upanishads, where they are invoked in the beginning of some topics of Upanishads. They are supposed to calm the mind of reciter and environment around him/her. Reciting them is also believed to be removing any obstacles for the task being started. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and Ishavasya Upanishad ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते | पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते || ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः || Oum poorNamadaH poorNamidam poorNaat poorNamudachyate, poorNasya poorNamaadaaya poorNamevaavaSiShyate, Oum SaantiH, SaantiH, SaantiH. That is Absolute, This is Absolute, Absolute arises out of Absolute, If Absolute is taken away from Absolute, Absolute remains OM Peace, Peace, Peace. Taittiriya Upanishad ॐ शं नो मित्रः शं वरुणः । शं नो भवत्वर्यमा । शं न इन्द्रो ब्रिहस्पतिः । शं नो विष्णुरुरुक्रमः । नमो ब्रह्मणे । नमस्ते वायो । त्वमेव प्रत्यक्षं भ्रह्मासि । त्वामेव प्रत्यक्षम् ब्रह्म वदिष्यामि । ॠतं वदिष्यामि । सत्यं वदिष्यामि । तन्मामवतु । तद्वक्तारमवतु । अवतु माम् । अवतु वक्तारम् । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ Om sham no mitra sham varunah, sham no bhavatvaryamaa, Sham na indro brihaspatih, sham no vishnururu kramah, Namo brahmane, namaste vaayo, tvameva pratyaksham brahmaasi, Tvaameva pratyaksham brahma vadishyaami, Ritam vadishyaami, satyam vadishyaami, Tan maam avatu, tad vaktaaram avatu, avatu maam, avatu vaktaaram, Om shaantih shaantih shaantih OM may Mitra do good to us, may Varuna do good to us, may Aryama do good to us, may Indra do good to us, may Brihaspati do good to us, may Vishnu-who has vast coverage-do good to us, (I) Salute O Brahma!, salutes to you O Vayu!, Only you (Vayu) are the visible Brahman. I say Only you (Vayu) are the visible Brahman, I say rta ( divine law ), I say truth, may that (truth) protect me, may that (truth) protect teacher, may it protect me, may it protect teacher, OM Peace, Peace, Peace.