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Kali_Upasaka

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Everything posted by Kali_Upasaka

  1. There are a number of Sampradhayas which are still passed on from Guru to Shishya. Some of them have some old manuscripts. These will never be known in the popular magazines or the internet. No researcher will get anywhere near these. When you are not bothered about money or fame who cares? If there are no Shishyas the tradition will die. If that is what MAA wants let it be so. The goal of the Upasana is not the perpetuation of the Sampradhaya. The goal of the Guru is to ensure the purity of the Sampradhaya and ensure that unqualified people do not have access to this. The only book which gives a clear idea of the SriVidya tradition of the South India (The Ambal group variety) is the book by Brooks.
  2. I have met some Siddhas. At least that is what people called them later. Even if you know their language, they are not at all communicative. And then they talk in riddles. At least that what it looks to ordinary mortals. To communicate with a person we should understand the subject. Talking to a Siddha (if at all you get to talk) is like a layman listening to a lecture on object oriented computer languages. It is tangent at infinity. I had said earlier One of siddhas I saw was a Female beggar who used to walk around nude and slept with a pack of dogs. Everyone knew that she was some one. But no one dared to approach her. They used to stand at a distance and pray to her. Now they have constructed a temple for her. Another one was a wandering monk who was seen around smoking a beedi. He used to sleep under the tree. Later on some people made him into a Swamiji and started a cult around him. Are there any sane Siddhas around? Sanity and Siddhas do not go together. They are crazy in the view of the ordinary mortal. Lot of talk about Siddhas. But no one knows how they became Siddhas.
  3. Yoga is one of the six philosophies of Hinduism. Lord Krishna talks about yoga in the Gita. Meditation (Dhyana) is a part of the religious practices of all Hindus. Meditation is part of Buddhism also. The word Zen comes from Chan or Dhyana. That is why in spite of all the packaging that the meditation and yoga sites do, these are identified with Hinduism and Buddhism. The allegation is that Hinduism is being propagated under the guise of Yoga and Meditation. Basically this is not true. These techniques are being commercially exploited.
  4. The Devi Mandir has a prayer club in which Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is recited by all members every Saturday for the benefit of all members. / Please join the group and the prayer club. You will find detailed procedure for recitation here http://www.shreemaa.org/drupal/
  5. There is a problem in countering these arguments. TM was/is being marketed as a non-religious practice and one which is supposed to help you in the material world. That is their USP. Their marketing strategy has been copied by many of the Indian Godmen/Women who market Meditation as helping in the material world. If you see the TM site. There is hardly anything spiritual about it. Meditation as Stress Buster. That is how I got initiated into TM 35 years back. It is taught as part of stress management courses. For reducing High blood pressure. Holistic healing. Most of the meditation sites have stated very clearly that their practice has nothing to do with Hinduism. Most of the Yoga sites also do this. Denial of connection with Hinduism. They go out of the way to emphasize this. You will be surprised to know that there is no meditation called Hindu Meditation. See the Open Directory Project http://www.dmoz.org/Health/Alternative/Meditation/ This is under health. And here we are trying to defend these people. BTW smiley you may get some ammunition here. Christian Meditation http://www.wccm.org/home.asp?pagestyle=home
  6. Tell me, if there is a Siddha who has the qualities (achievements as you call it) why should he/she meet you? What can you or me or anyone contribute to what they have already got? Yes. Rarely a Siddha gets a message to spread religious knowledge to the world. So he/she comes into the material world. But in these times it even that has almost ceased. How do you recognize a Siddha? May be the person in your street corner whom everyone calls a mad beggar could be a Siddha. And what are going to do if you find a Siddha?
  7. The Sri Vidya people you come across on the internet and outside are mostly Brahmins who was evolved a style which confines itself to their orthodox beliefs. They talk a lot about Samayachara and Vamachara like in the . That is their Sampradhaya. Maa Kali does not play a major role there. But there are a number of Kali Upasakas in that tradition also. But even revealing the name of your Upasana Murti is forbidden in most sampradhayas. We have already lost most of the esoteric traditions. Foe example we all have heard of Bhairavi Brahmani the Tantric Guru of Sri Ramakrishna. She was a Vaishnavite Tantrik who was a Bhairavi. Do we know anything about her tradition? Do we have any Vaishnavite Bhairavis in Bengal now? At least I have not seen any in my roaming around meeting Tantriks all over the place. There were millions of Sadhus and Yogis roaming around India a 100 years back. These people also carried their tradition to the places they visited. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari. North to South and South to North. Trailinga Swami was a South Indian. But alas, we have very few of them left now. Even those who are left do not find disciples to carry on the tradition. It is tough and requires years of Upasana.
  8. The division of Kali Kula and Sri Kula is academic and arbitrary. There is Kaula Marga Sri Vidya which does recommend Panchmakaras for Vira sadhaka. Kali Upasana under Sri Vidya is an existing but little known sampradhaya. How many people even know about Medha Samrajya Diksha. Kali Upasana does exist in Gujarat, Rajasthan , Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra. Most of the Western and Indian scholars have studied only Kali Upasana in Bengal. Some of these traditions are very old.
  9. I was wondering whether we could draft a reply answering point to point. Basically the attack is on Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Mantra Meditation. Now we all know that there are people who try to market Yoga with the promise of Instant Kundalini (whatever that means) and flying meditation. Trying to defend these people is not our job. In this forum there are people who are talking about Vashikarana Mantra for attracting girls. Is it Hinduism? Definitely not. We may take the quotes in the document and explain in in terms of the Vaishnava concepts. I think we have a number of scholars in this forum who would be able to prepare a document countering these allegations and presenting the Vaishnava point of view. May be we could even put it up on some web site. Request some brain storming on this idea. BTW, I know that there are some flying Om Namah Sivayahs in this forum. They could present the Saivite point of view. There is no Smarta point of view as Smartas are neither Vaishnavas nor Saivas. And I think Dharmasasthras are not of much help here.
  10. Panchadasakshari mantra and Shodasi mantra are part of SriVidya Upasana. These have to be learnt through a proper SriVidya Guru. This is done in stages called Krama Diksha. How were you initiated in Bala mantra and Navarnava mantra? These are some of the steps of Krama Diksha. The Diksha varies from sampradhya to sampradhaya. So look out for a good SriVidya Guru.
  11. Please contact me by email. I can not contact you because of forum restrictions. I will tell you where to go if you are in Kerala.
  12. There is no term called Black magic in Mantra Sasthra. Vashikaran is one of the Prayoga of mantras. But if you are thinking of learning it through a book or magazine, you are only inviting trouble.
  13. You want Mantra Siddhi. But do you know what Mantra Siddhi is. Is it defined in any scripture? What do you hope to gain by Mantra Siddhi. There is a parable told by Sri Ramkrishna. A disciple of a certain Guru was unhappy about not getting any Siddhi. So he left his Guru and wandered off. After five years he returned to the Guru and told him that he has attained Siddhi. He took the Guru to the banks of a river and then crossed the river walking on water. He came back thinking that the Guru would be impressed. The Guru took out 4 Annas (1 Cent) and gave it to him. He was shocked. The Guru advised him that this was the cost of hiring a boat to cross the river. So the Siddhi was worth 1 cent. And the disciple had wasted five years for this. Decide what you want by reciting the Mantra? Ashtama Siddhi? What is the earthly use except joining a freak show? Siddhis are the biggest impediments to self-realization/Mukthi or whatever is the final goal depending upon your tradition.
  14. I read the entire article. Interesting. Some glaring/amusing blunders like confusing Pathanjali Maharishi with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi whom the TM people refer to. The implications and also how the practice of Yoga could go wrong is real. Many Yoga practitioners in the West especially Kundalini Yoga have come to grief. These effects are now recognized by the medical profession. Sadly a raised uncontrolled Kundalini is difficult to cure. The article attributes all these to the possession of demons. The only way to counter this (I wonder whether anyone is listening) is to point out that Yoga does recognize how things could go wrong. That is why the emphasis on a proper Guru. The guidance of a proper Guru is absolutely necessary. Learning certain Yoga techniques through books and Mantras over the internet forums is dangerous. Christianity's obsession with the Devil is well known. Anything going wrong is attributed to the Devil. A brother is a brother. A sibling. He may think differently from you. That does not mean he ceases to be your sibling. If you understand Krishna well, you should spread the message of Love. Love even your enemies. Krishna! Hridhyakamalavasa!
  15. Sorry. I got carried away there. This forum has a number of devotees who are well advanced in Krishna Consciousness. You may find it difficult even to understand their postings. Frankly I do not. But basically you should know something about Lord Krishna, Chaithanya Maha Prabhu and the Krishna movement. I am sure some of our members can suggest some simple books which may be available at the local ISKCON temple or on line. This web site is a good place to start hinduism(dot) iskcon(dot) com
  16. There are only two kind of people in the world. People who believe in GOD and those who do not. The concepts that Bhagavad Gita teaches you are Universal. Hinduism believes in personal God and devotion. They call it Bhakthi. Then your personal God could be Jesus. Devotion is also part of Christianity. Have you heard the song "Hold my hand Precious Lord" by Jim Reeves. Old song. My favorite. Listen to that. That is devotion and the song is as powerful and meaningful as any Sanskrit prayer. Seek and you shall find HIM. Krishna or Jesus or Shiva. What is there in a name. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." What matters is what something is, not what it is called. More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are people better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friends? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. --Alfred, Lord Tennyson
  17. For correct pronunciation of Veda mantras, you can buy the book Mantra Pushpam Published by the Ramakrishna Mission. You may be able to order it through one of their web sites. This book has Swara marks which are important for Vedic recitation. Do not go by the cassettes released by popular singers. That is definitely not the way to recite the Vedic mantras. You do get cassettes of recitation by the Vedic Pundits of Banares. Shanti Mantras have to be said correctly to get the effect of the mantra.
  18. From my limited reading of the Vedas, there is no mention about Kula Devatas.
  19. It is the Gayatri Mantra - Rig Veda (iii, 62, 10) ॥ ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहिधियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥ <dl><dd>oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ</dd><dd>(a) tat savitur vareṇyaṃ</dd><dd>(b) bhargo devasya dhīmahi</dd><dd>© dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt</dd></dl>OM BHUR, OM BHUVAHA, OM SWAHA, OM MAHAHA, OM JANAHA, OM TAPAHA, OM SATYAM, OM TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM BHARGHO DEVASYA DHIMAHI DHIYO YONAHA PRACHODAYAT
  20. Mantra is not language, but meta-language and therefore does not function like a word. In fact Mantra does not depend on its conventional meaning in Sanskrit to gain significance nor does it resemble its object symbolically. So translation of any Mantra does not have any significance.
  21. The meaning of the Maa Bagalamukhi mantra in the case of a spiritual aspirant is "control of one's own tongue" (sthambaya jihva) and "cleaning one's mind" (keelaya buddhim) from impure thoughts. The Asuras are inside you and not outside.
  22. An answer to this question has been given in the Gosai web site gosai.com/dvaita/madhvacarya/Brahmana-Vaisnava.html I am posting only because we should not let the caste issue, which is a political issue in India now, to cloud our spiritual pursuit.
  23. Both Ramayana and Mahabharata were written by persons who were born Shudras. Both Valmiki and Veda Vyasa were Shudras by birth. But both of them are considered great Rishis by all Hindus. This clearly indicates that one was considered a Brahmin by qualification and not by birth. A reading of the story of Satyakama Jabala clearly indicates this. I am not allowed to post the URL. So check up gosai web site dvaita/madhvacarya/Brahmana-Vaisnava.html
  24. A true devotee is one who does not ask for anything. Total surrender to the Lord. Saranagatham. The Lord knows what you require and will give it to you. Trust in him and you will get more than what you could have ever asked. He knows what is good for you. Like a mother who knows that a particular food may not be suit the constitution of the child, HE may not give you something which you wish for, as it is not good for you. Surrender and leave everything to him. Do not ask for anything. The Lord is Omniscient and Omnipotent. Does he not know already your situation? He does and he cares.
  25. There is a Kali temple in New york. New York Kali Mandir, 614 Seaman Avenue, Baldwin, NY 11510 Direction to the Temple :: Take exit 20s from Southern State Parkway Drive for 1.7 mile, make right turn at Seaman Ave, (just before Walgreen) Drive 3-4 blocks New York Kali Mandir on your left Jai MAA !!!
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