Unfolding the Goddess Within

[cpkumar 0]

Dear Brother/Sister,

 

I would like to inform you about an excellent book titled "Yogini - Unfolding the Goddess Within" by "Shambhavi Lorain Chopra". Shambhavi means serenity (sham) and the beauty of being (bhava) that humans dream about. No wonder that her book is a playground of the immortals where earthly cares disappears like dust. She gathers the blossoms of divinity that live in the cusp of her deep being - her experiences with the play of Shakti arising as inner impulses or inspirations. She expresses her self-discovery in the unprocessed ore of her simple prose that enriches the mind in universality and becomes a compelling transformation of the riptide of the spiritual realm. Her personal experiences in the book become the surging river of contemplation, when we resolve to cross the waters and abandon the limitations of physical existence so that now and then, here and beyond, become the purest of shadows in the harmony of body and mind, stillness and movement, you and me, and the Universe and me.

 

You may consider joining the Group specifically dedicated to "Shambhavi Lorain Chopra" with the objective to unfold the Goddess within. To the group, please send a blank e-mail to

 

Shambhavi-@

 

Post message: Shambhavi@

List owner: Shambhavi-owner@

[Guest guest]

I don't think anyone hear will (should) care about this book....

 

if it doesn't have anything to do with "discovering" Krishna, then it's just junk.

[Guest guest]

 

I don't think anyone hear will (should) care about this book....

 

You're wrong. Some Shakta members may be interested. Please do not speak negative remarks against members of other vedic sects (calling their beliefs junk), just because they are not Gaudiyas.

[Guest guest]

 

I don't think anyone hear will (should) care about this book....

 

if it doesn't have anything to do with "discovering" Krishna, then it's just junk.

 

 

Ignorant fools like you only know how to speak junk, so who are you to call something else "junk"?

 

In any case, kundalini arousal (as that is what I believe unfolding the Goddess within means) is as viable a path to discover Krishna as chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. Discovering Krishna is up to Krishna Himself. He is the one who determines the way you will end up discovering Him and when, not fools like you.

[Guest guest]

great....show me in the bhagavad gita where Krishna says "I can be attained through kundalini arousal"

 

also, give me an incidince in which Lord Caitanya instructs us to do so?

 

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."

 

"Three times. Three times means yajna-dana-tapah-kriya. There are many other things: meditation, sacrifices, worship in the temple. So in this age all these things are impossible to be performed, but even a child can chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra. That is proved here. Whenever there is Hare Krsna maha-mantra, even the child can take part, old man can take part. So this is the only method for God realization. There is no expenditure, but the gain is very, very great. That was the teaching of Sri Prahlad Maharaj, and we are following his footsteps. Let us stick to his principle, mahajano yena gatah sa panthah, and thus become more and more advanced in Krsna consciousness."

 

-srila prahbhupada

[Guest guest]

 

 

also, give me an incidince in which Lord Caitanya instructs us to do so?

 

 

Look, not everyone who posts on this message board is a Gaudiya. There are SriVaishnavas here, there are Saivites here, there are Smartas here, and there are Shakta devotees here.

 

Infact, there are 2 sections of this forum devoted to discussions for Shakta devotees.

 

Devi Mandir:

audarya-fellowship.com/forums/forum83/

 

Shakti Sadhana email list section:

audarya-fellowship.com/forums/forum27/

 

So it is very rude to attack other Hindu sects, when they have been welcomed on the Audarya Fellowship, and even given their own sections. Please understand NOT all Hindus are Gaudiya.

[Guest guest]

We arent fanatics with no toleramce. Thank God Prabhupada did not have this attitude. The standard for gentle vaisnava Gosthianandis (preachers) is set by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, "humble persuasion". There is no humility nor is there gentleness in calling anothers religion "junk". Srila Prabhupada, when initially speaking to his young disciples about Sri Chaitanya, mentioned that Lord Chaitanya "welcomes the religious impulse in mankind". So, we humbly try to inject this science in the conversationsw we have with folks of other persuasions, this is humility. I suggest the writer look at the topic recently displayed titled Penance of Speech.

 

Meanwhile, Vaisnavas worship the eternal goddess. The Goddess is an integral portion of our philosophy. In fact, I recommend what I recommended on the DaVinci Code topic. Read about King Prthu and his beloved Goddess, Queen Arci. Read how he loved her. This is Vaisnavism.

 

Ill cut and paste some verses from the pastimes of King Prithu here.

 

All glory to the Goddesses, Queens Kunthi and Draupadi, Srimati Sitadevi, The beloveds of Krsna, the gopis. And while we are at it, we also (at least I do) worship Mary of Axum, the Mother of Lord Jesus Christ, who is ALSO KNOWN AS iSRAEL, WHICH TRANSLATES AS THE WIFE OF gOD. aND THE GLORIOUS QUEEN OF mAGDalia, lORD Jesus' foremost disciple.

 

hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

[renuka 0]

Other vedic sects are not 'junk'. Veda has provision for every living entity to attain purification. Depending on his own level a living entity chooses his path. But if one wishes to attain the highest destination, Vaikunta, he chants Hare Krishna.

[Guest guest]

a man who clearly knows the benefits of chanting Hare Krishna is a fool #1 if he choses to "try" a different method of attaining enlightenment.

 

If you have the knowledge to try this shakti and inner goddess junk, then you have more than enough knowledge to chant the mahamantra.

 

sarva-dharmān parityajya

 

mām ekaḿ śaraṇaḿ vraja

 

ahaḿ tvāḿ sarva-pāpebhyo

 

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

 

BG 18:66

 

TRANSLATION

 

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

 

PURPORT

 

The Lord has described various kinds of knowledge and processes of religion — knowledge of the Supreme Brahman, knowledge of the Supersoul, knowledge of the different types of orders and statuses of social life, knowledge of the renounced order of life, knowledge of nonattachment, sense and mind control, meditation, etc. He has described in so many ways different types of religion. Now, in summarizing Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that Arjuna should give up all the processes that have been explained to him; he should simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That surrender will save him from all kinds of sinful reactions, for the Lord personally promises to protect him.

 

In the Seventh Chapter it was said that only one who has become free from all sinful reactions can take to the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Thus one may think that unless he is free from all sinful reactions he cannot take to the surrendering process. To such doubts it is here said that even if one is not free from all sinful reactions, simply by the process of surrendering to Śrī Kṛṣṇa he is automatically freed. There is no need of strenuous effort to free oneself from sinful reactions. One should unhesitatingly accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme savior of all living entities. With faith and love, one should surrender unto Him.

 

The process of surrender to Kṛṣṇa is described in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (11.676):

 

ānukūlyasya sańkalpaḥ

 

prātikūlyasya varjanam

 

rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso

 

goptṛtve varanaḿ tathā

 

ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye

 

ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ

 

 

According to the devotional process, one should simply accept such religious principles that will lead ultimately to the devotional service of the Lord. One may perform a particular occupational duty according to his position in the social order, but if by executing his duty one does not come to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all his activities are in vain. Anything that does not lead to the perfectional stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be avoided. One should be confident that in all circumstances Kṛṣṇa will protect him from all difficulties. There is no need of thinking how one should keep the body and soul together. Kṛṣṇa will see to that. One should always think himself helpless and should consider Kṛṣṇa the only basis for his progress in life. As soon as one seriously engages himself in devotional service to the Lord in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, at once he becomes freed from all contamination of material nature. There are different processes of religion and purificatory processes by cultivation of knowledge, meditation in the mystic yoga system, etc., but one who surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa does not have to execute so many methods. That simple surrender unto Kṛṣṇa will save him from unnecessarily wasting time. One can thus make all progress at once and be freed from all sinful reactions.

 

One should be attracted by the beautiful vision of Kṛṣṇa. His name is Kṛṣṇa because He is all-attractive. One who becomes attracted by the beautiful, all-powerful, omnipotent vision of Kṛṣṇa is fortunate. There are different kinds of transcendentalists — some of them are attached to the impersonal Brahman vision, some of them are attracted by the Supersoul feature, etc., but one who is attracted to the personal feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, above all, one who is attracted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Kṛṣṇa Himself, is the most perfect transcendentalist. In other words, devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, in full consciousness, is the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is the essence of the whole Bhagavad-gītā. Karma-yogīs, empiric philosophers, mystics and devotees are all called transcendentalists, but one who is a pure devotee is the best of all. The particular words used here, mā śucaḥ, "Don't fear, don't hesitate, don't worry," are very significant. One may be perplexed as to how one can give up all kinds of religious forms and simply surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, but such worry is useless.

[radharani#473 0]

'oh please, give me qualities like the goddess please please' can i have a side of fries with that?

 

seek truth, not to become a 'goddess'

 

vomit.

[radharani#473 0]

i'm dying here- and someone should focus on their 'inner blooming .. . ' most compassion leads to better success in the world which leads to a desire for and feeling that one should have wealth, even while others are dying . ..what if it's NOT because it's 'just their karma'? what if God doesnt want you to leave it up to Him?

[radharani#473 0]

it's really hard to not leave the 'black sheep' behind . ..but we have no choice but to come back to the material plane if we do so

[Guest guest]

and you wonder why Hare Krishnas are not respected on other Hindu forums? it's because of behaviour like this. Calling Shaktism or Kundalini Yoga vomit, is one of the most offensive things I have seen on a Hindu forum.

[Guest guest]

 

and you wonder why Hare Krishnas are not respected on other Hindu forums? it's because of behaviour like this. Calling Shaktism or Kundalini Yoga vomit, is one of the most offensive things I have seen on a Hindu forum.

 

 

Agreed. It's incredibly ignorant. People who do this are fools, and the lowest of the low, because they concern themselves with other people's thoughts on enlightenment rather than seeking enlightenment for themselves first and foremost. Devotion to Krsna is great, but to insult other paths as if they were somehow inferior is a sign of a feeble intellect.

 

As for how kundalini arousal can help one see Krsna, it is very simple: Swami Muktananda himself aroused the cit-shakti, also known as the kundalini, which opened up his chakras, and he SAW the blue person, he considered as Krsna, as well as Shiva, his guru, and the source of manifestations everywhere embedded within his heart. Kundalini arousal opens up the chakras so one can see reality for what it really is, and allows one to converse with the devas and see the truth of the scriptures.

 

To whomever mocked the unfolding of the goddess within, what do you think the Holy Spirit is? It is the goddess being awakened, the arousal of kundalini. It does not mean one takes on the qualities of the goddess, but God's feminine principle is awakened to merge with the masculine principle so one can see for their own eyes the truth.

 

A man who chants the Hare krsna mahamantra is by no means a fool, if he respects other paths and follows his own with humility and dedication. However, if he doesn't respect other paths and labels them as junk, then he has no humility to truly speak of, and he is nothing more than a fool then.

[Guest guest]

"In the Seventh Chapter it was said that only one who has become free from all sinful reactions can take to the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Thus one may think that unless he is free from all sinful reactions he cannot take to the surrendering process. To such doubts it is here said that even if one is not free from all sinful reactions, simply by the process of surrendering to Śrī Kṛṣṇa he is automatically freed. There is no need of strenuous effort to free oneself from sinful reactions. One should unhesitatingly accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme savior of all living entities. With faith and love, one should surrender unto Him."

 

 

Yes, why not? the same thing Christians have said of Christ, drink of His blood, eat of His flesh, and you shall be freed. Surrender unto Him and you will be free of sinful reactions, God will have redeemed you.

 

It's a good idea in principle, and if you have enough dedication to that idea, by all means follow it. For some people, the path of faith and servitude to an unseen Lord is enough. But that is for some people, not all.

 

However, forcing the idea of surrendering to the Lord upon others makes you no better than a fanatical Christian.

[Shaktidevi 0]

I am Shakta and could care less about the pathetic sectarianism Guest is throwing around. But let me ask him a question: given that the Parashakti manifests ultimately as the universe, isn't it logical that being reborn as a woman is the superior birth?

[Guest guest]

 

I am Shakta and could care less about the pathetic sectarianism Guest is throwing around. But let me ask him a question: given that the Parashakti manifests ultimately as the universe, isn't it logical that being reborn as a woman is the superior birth?

 

The material universe is not the ULTIMATE manifestation of shakti.

The material universe is the lowest manifestion of shakti.

 

There is no standard that women are the superior gender.

Some women are superior to some men.

Some men are superior to some women.

 

In the modern age, when women are not as suppressed and subjugated they have risen to new heights and many times they show to be superior persons to many men.

 

There is no hard and fast rule though that women are by gender superior to men.

 

My experience is that many times they are, but it is not a fixed principle.

 

After all, the jivas are all prakriti in nature - both male and female.

 

As a jiva becomes more purified, the nature of being prakriti (predominated energy) is naturally realized. This is true for both males and females.

 

This illusion of being male and female in the material world is all falsity.

 

Many times, the women of this world have a very strong purusha mentality.

That is the topsy-turvy modern world we live in.

 

The are many men in women's bodies and many men in women's bodies.

 

Classification by the type of sexual organs one has is a very innaccurate measure.

 

Being male and female is more about the mind that it is about the body.

[Shaktidevi 0]

OK: by ultimate I meant final; the direction is from Parashakti down to material (purusha - prakrti - mahad and on down). As for the rest, you are right. The comment about superiority was not given as a serious opinion. But it prompted a good, thoughtful reply.

 

Thanks, namaste, Shakti