Kaal Bhairav at Home, Ganpati Tarpan, and Seventy Other Questions

Which Bhairav and Ganpati should be named when bathing at a sacred river?

The speaker agrees to try to publish the nameless list, but says the better course is this: in whichever region you are performing the act, do it in the name of whatever Shakti Peeth is nearest to that place. That will be the very best.

A listener asks for the list of India's divine rivers with the names of their Bhairavs and their Ganpati, so that at a bath or a Darshan an offering, japa or Ahuti can be made in those names. The speaker calls it a very good subject and says it can be given; the attempt will be made to give as much of it as possible. But there is another point, he adds. In whichever region you perform this work, if you do it in the name of the Shakti Peeth nearest to that place, it will be the very best.

What rules govern a daily Saptashati recitation in the Mahavidya krama?

Morning is best if you can do it then. The krama runs seven days — begin on Sunday and complete on Saturday; the Mahavidya krama completes in seven days and you proceed accordingly.

Asked what rules apply to a daily Saptashati recitation within the Mahavidya krama, the speaker gives two. If you are doing it in the morning, at the Pratahkala, that will be the very best. And the krama itself runs seven days: you will begin from Sunday and complete on Saturday. The Mahavidyas krama is completed in seven days, and you will proceed by that.

Which balis are added to a Saptashati recitation, and on which day?

On Saturday, give bali in three places: for Bhagavati, that is your Kuldevi if you have a particular one; for the sixty-four Yoginis; and for Bhairav ji. For instance a Jaiphal for Bhagavati, a lemon for the sixty-four Yoginis, and clove and camphor for Batuk Bhairav.

The speaker adds one rule to the ordinary rules of the recitation. If possible, whenever you perform the Saptashati recitation, give Bali in three places at least on the Saturday. The first for Bhagavati — for your Kuldevi, if you have a particular one. The second for the sixty-four Yogini. And the third for Bhairav ji. By way of example: a Jaiphal bali given for Bhagavati; a lemon's bali for the sixty-four Yoginis; and clove and camphor's bali for Bhairav ji, for Batuk Bhairav ji. Do this on the last day without fail. Daily, at minimum, clove and camphor should certainly be kindled — but on the last day certainly. Include that one rule in it; the rest of the recitation's rules stay the same.

What order does the daily sitting follow, and are the Kavach, Argala and Kilak done every day?

Guru, Ganpati and Batuk Bhairav ji's Ashtottar Satnam first, then the recitation of that day in whatever manner the Mahavidya krama prescribes. And yes — perform the Kavach, Argala and Kilak daily, and only then go on to that day's recitation.

The speaker gives the order of the sitting: Guru, Ganpati and Batuk Bhairav ji's Ashtottara ShatanamaA recitation of a deity's 108 names — shorter than a Sahasranama (1000 names) and commonly used as the accompanying Havan or daily Japa count., and after that the recitation as the Mahavidya krama requires for that day. One question arises within it, he says — whether the Durga Kavach, the Argala Stotra and the Kilak are to be done every day. Yes: perform the Kavach, Argala and Kilak daily, and after that go on to the further recitation, whatever that day's subject of recitation happens to be.

What should someone do whose Shani sits in the second house, without any initiation?

The Tara answer given in the Shani live was specific to that context. Where a Dasha or Mahadasha is running, Deepdaan for Bhagavati may be done. Best of all, with no Deeksha, is service and worship of Bhagavati Durga — in which the presence of all ten Mahavidyas comes about — or of Bhagavati Kamakhya.

A listener recalls the Shani Dev live, in which service of Bhagavati Tara was said to be good where Shani sits in the second house, and asks which recitation or Stotra can be done with no initiation. The speaker notes that the point there was dedicated to Shani Dev specifically. Where Shani's Dasha or Mahadasha is running, Deepdaan for Bhagavati may be performed. But the best course, he says, is that you perform the service and worship of Bhagavati Durga — in which the presence of all ten Mahavidyas comes about — or of Bhagavati Kamakhya. And beyond that: consider who the Shakti of your Kula is, and then move forward on this path; that will be much better.

What if water is offered to Tulsi on Ekadashi by mistake?

There is nothing to be done except ask forgiveness. It happens by forgetfulness and confusion, so there is no need to worry so much. The prescribed Prayashchitta has many rules if you go that way — but at the least, ask forgiveness for the offence.

Asked what should be done if water is offered to Tulsi on Ekadashi by forgetfulness, the speaker answers that nothing can be done except make an apology. It happens by forgetfulness alone, out of confusion, he says, so there is no need for this much worry. If you go by the prescribed procedure of PrayashchittaRitual atonement performed to offset the karmic burden of a weighty act, such as a Shatkarma that results in an enemy's death. there are a great many rules of conduct, but at minimum one should ask forgiveness — one should ask pardon for the offence.

Does a Narmadeshwar Shivling need Pran Pratishtha?

No. Pratishtha in the ordinary sense — we installed him in our home and gave him a place, and now he is the master of the house — should certainly be done. But there is no need to perform the Pran Pratishtha of Narmadeshwar ji.

The speaker separates two senses of the word. Pratishtha means that we have installed him in our own house and given him a place, and that he is now the doer and ordainer of our household — he keeps us in his place. The question, he says, is not what place we will give him; he is giving us a place. But if the question is Prana Pratishtha, then there is no need to perform the Pran Pratishtha of Narmadeshwar Shiva Lingam ji. He then names what he is arguing against: the misleading videos now available everywhere on YouTube and Instagram — that a Pran Pratishtha will have to be done, that the Banalinga is one thing and the Narmadeshwar Lingam another, and that Narmadeshwar is not to be kept in the house in this way, that a particular sort is kept at home. His objection is procedural as much as doctrinal: those videos keep comments switched off, so no one can even ask them for a reference — give the proof, he says; we are ignorant fools, perhaps we have no information, perhaps we skipped that subject or simply do not know. If you are great scholars, please keep comments on and let us ask where the reference is, so that if a mistake has been going on until today it can be corrected. His own position: Narmadeshwar needs neither a Pran Pratishtha nor to be kept together with a Shivling and Argha — though unbroken, that is fine too. And if the two are to be kept separately, that is no issue either; in truth two should be kept separately in one house. There is no problem in either case. By putting doubt after doubt into people's minds, he says, they are doing the work of turning them away from Shiva worship.

What should be done about a life filled with lethargy?

Look once at what Shani's position is becoming in transit, and what effect Shani is having on the Lagna in particular. Take advice from a proper astrologer and perform the related remedy, and the lethargy will certainly leave the body.

A listener writes that life has become filled with lethargy and there is no energy. The speaker's answer is to look, without fail, at what Shani Dev's position is becoming in the transit chart — and what effect Shani Dev in particular is having on the Lagna. Take advice from a proper astrologer, and perform the related remedy; the lethargy will certainly be put at a distance from the body. Just before this he directs another listener to the separate live on Bhagavati Saraswati, in which many subjects were discussed; and to the Kuldevi playlist for the two-coconut procedure for setting out from home to bathe in the Ganga.

What if the household shrine faces west and you must worship facing that way?

Do it that way. If you turn east here, your back will be to the place of worship — so do it in whichever direction it is. There is no problem; it is not as though there is no sanction that way. There absolutely is. So do it there.

A listener from South India writes that homes there have the shrine on the western wall, so that at worship the face is turned west, and asks about performing the recitations of the Kamakhya and sixty-four sadhana in that position. The speaker answers that if you turn toward the east here, your back will be to the place of worship — so do it in whichever direction it is. There is no problem in it. It is not the case that there is no sanction in that direction. There absolutely is. So do it there.

May a householder add the Pranav to the opening seven shlokas of the Durga Saptashati?

Add the Pranav in all of them — add the Tantric Pranav.

Asked whether householders may attach the Pranav to the opening seven shlokas of the Durga Saptashati, the speaker answers that the Pranav should be added in all of them — the Tantric Pranav.

Can the Durga Saptashati be recited without Guru Deeksha or a Guru's order?

It is a Pauranik mantra and a formidable Tantra both at once, and it depends on the purpose. For devotion, surrendered to Bhagavati and seeking her grace, you may absolutely do it without any Deeksha. To go by the full Tantrokta procedure, where the subject of prayoga arises, you should be Shakta-initiated.

The speaker calls it a Pauranik mantra and a formidable Tantra in itself, both together, and says the purpose for which you recite it is what decides the answer. In itself, he says, that recitation is as capable as atomic energy — as an atom bomb, if it is to be put that way. If you wish to do it for the sake of devotion, surrendered to Bhagavati and to obtain her grace, then absolutely: learn to pronounce each shloka of each chapter well in Sanskrit, and after learning it, do it. The Stutis within it, the whole of them, will carry you through. But to go into the Shatkarma side with the full Tantrokta procedure, you should be Shakta AbhishekaA formal consecration/initiation rite required when progressing systematically within a Shakta Tantric lineage (Kula Parampara). initiated — the point at which the subject of prayoga in particular arises. Apart from Shanti Karma, if you are undertaking any other Karma — someone's destruction of enemies, someone's other subject — then you should be duly initiated and then do it. He calls this one of those things that, if you wish to do it devotionally, may be done even without Deeksha, on a very large scale and very well and with delight, because it falls among the Pauranik mantras and lies within the Markandeya Purana. But if you want to perform Karmic prayogas, some Tantra prayogas in particular, if your object is something else and there is something you wish to obtain — that this siddhi should come to us, that this particular grace should occur — then you should be initiated and then do it.

Who may teach the Saptashati or give it to someone outside the family?

To do it for someone within your own family — a son, husband, wife, parents — is a householder's duty and is fine. But to give Deeksha or teach others, as people are doing nowadays, one should at minimum be initiated in some Panth or tradition, have performed the Purashcharan oneself, and have the Guru's order.

The speaker separates doing it for one's own household from teaching it. For someone outside the family — for your son, for your husband, wife or parents — the matter is still fine; that has become a householder's duty. But if you want what people are doing nowadays, giving Deeksha or teaching others, then that person should at the very least be initiated in some Panth or tradition, should have performed the PurashcharanaA ritualistic repetition of a mantra to prescribed rules — required in Tantra Sadhana. himself, and should have obtained the Guru's order. Only then should he teach, show or give it to anyone else. Asked next about Gyanganj, the speaker declines flatly: my knowledge on it, he says, is entirely bald. Some subjects are such that everyone's welfare lies in denying them outright; not everything is a subject to be made manifest. If I say I know but will not tell, you will conclude either that I do not know, or that I know and am being arrogant — so, plainly, I do not know.

Why does the Batuk Bhairav Brahm Kavach come without its Nyasa?

Because performing Batuk Bhairav's Nyasa brings in his mula mantra — the eighteen-syllable or the twenty-one-syllable — and which one you were given at initiation differs. So the Viniyoga was given and the Nyasa was not. Even without it, a Kavach is running in a Nyasa pattern of its own.

A listener asks whether the Batuk Bhairav Brahm Kavach also has a Nyasa. Yes, the speaker says, it does — the Viniyoga was given, not the Nyasa. If you perform Batuk Bhairav ji's Nyasa there, then his mula mantra comes into the matter; it is of eighteen syllables, of twenty-one syllables. That is why the Nyasa was not included. It depends on what you were given, he explains. Whether you are receiving the one with Bhagavan Batuk's Beejakshar in a Samput with the Pranav in front, or only the ordinary one with the Devi Pranava — it depends on that. Had a Nyasa simply been given, there would be a slight difficulty later. So, keeping that in view, it is without the Nyasa, and the Viniyoga in it is enough. You can do it very well; there is no trouble. And even without the Nyasa, when you recite it, the Kavach is running in a Nyasa method of its own; a full Nyasa is a separate matter. If you still wish to perform a Nyasa, he adds, then the method of the Nyasa of Bhagavan Shiva's Panchakshari Mantra is on the channel — you can include that Nyasa and then do Batuk Bhairav ji's. Because when you go into the larger form of Batuk Bhairav ji, the Nyasa of Panchanana Mahadev will have to be performed anyway, since he has manifested his own form as exactly that.

May the same silver bowl be used for kindling and for Naivedya?

No. The vessel in which you kindle and the vessel in which you offer Naivedya will be separate. You will not burn clove and camphor in the same bowl in which Naivedya is offered — that has become a small Khappar in form.

A listener with a silver bowl used for offering Bhog asks whether the two cloves and camphor to be kindled for Bhairav ji, at Bhagavati's right hand, may be kindled in it. The speaker says he has answered this before: the one you kindle in and the one you offer NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras. in will both be separate. You will not burn clove and camphor in the very bowl in which Naivedya is offered. Somewhere or other it has taken the form of a small Khappar, he explains. And a householder is being given a silver Khappar here — meaning that prosperity and the destruction of enemies stand together for him. So to give the Khappar in the same vessel in which you give the Naivedya is not right. In the same stretch he tells a listener struggling with the Devi Pranava that if the Yajnopavita Samskar has been done, the Pranav matter applies — watch the video on the channel about the Pranav, get the concept clear, and then take a proper decision.

How should children be started on Saraswati sadhana?

Have them do the Bhagavati Saraswati practice that is on the channel. For the Beejakshar: once children reach about eight or nine years, Bhagavati's Beejakshar should at least be taught to them and japa of it done daily.

Asked how children should be made to do Saraswati sadhana, the speaker points to Bhagavati Saraswati's material on the channel and says to have them do that. On the Beejakshar: ordinarily, when children reach eight or nine years of age, Bhagavati's Beejakshar and the like should at minimum be taught to them and japa of it performed daily. He says he will next try to bring a full video on this subject for children. Asked earlier in the same stretch whether a Deepdaan procedure for Ma Bhagavati can be given, as the detailed one for Gurudatta was — one that would be accepted in every form — he agrees to do so, in the coming year.

Does a Maran prayoga done at one brother's house affect the other's?

It depends on the circumstances. Ordinarily it should not carry if the hearth is separate. But how the three of you stand with one another, and what the further subject is, will make a difference — it will give some effect somewhere.

Asked whether, where an uncle and a father live separately, a Maran Tantra prayoga performed at one house will also give an effect at the other, the speaker says it depends on the circumstances. Ordinarily it should not be given, he says, if the hearth is separate. But how the three of you stand in relation to one another, and what the further subject is, will differ. It will give an effect somewhere or other — how much effect should fall or should not fall is the question.

What can be done for a three-year-old who does not speak?

Get the medical treatment done properly first. Second, have the birth chart analysed — what the state of the second house is, and what difficulty is arising with Kantha and Vani. Only if nothing is found medically, use the Saraswati mantras of the eleventh chapter and give the child water consecrated with them.

A listener writes that a three-year-old does not speak though everything else is normal, that it feels as though some Tok or affliction has been set on him, and that they have been to Kamakhya for Darshan. The speaker's first answer is to get the medical treatment done properly — look at it once. Second, the birth chart should be analysed properly once: what the state of the second house is, and what difficulty is arising with the throat and speech, these two. Third, if after there is no difficulty medically it is still happening — which would not be possible otherwise — then there are certain mantras of Bhagavati for all Siddhi whose Parayan, if the parents perform it, and a little water consecrated with them, will show you benefit; and if you brought water from Kamakhya ji, giving the child that water to drink will help too. He names the place: there are mantras in the eleventh chapter in which Bhagavati Saraswati's Vagbeej and the rest are principal. Look in the eleventh chapter, where the form of Bhagavati that represents speech-related subjects is described. Of those mantras — the one beginning Medhe Saraswati, that one — perform japa daily as far as possible, and give the child water consecrated by it; the benefit will certainly come. He adds that he also makes a separate arrangement to describe this.

How can one tell what other Shakti is seated with the Kuldevi?

It will not be found by asking; some information may come from doing. Doing the Havan is the best course. But if "seated with her" means it too is taking worship, that is a different matter — and if it has been strengthened by taking worship, it will hardly move.

A listener whose Kuldevi is Kalka Mata writes that another Shakti is seated with her, and asks how to learn which — and whether it is worshipped or Abhicharik. The speaker says it will not be known merely by asking; from doing, some information may come. Doing the Havan is excellent when you are doing it. But if "another Shakti is seated with her" means that it too is taking worship, then this is a different matter. That is the point about a thing being long-established, he says: if by seated you mean that you are giving it worship, then it is another matter — and if it has been strengthened by taking worship, it will hardly move.

Is a Rudrabhishek on the Saptamesh's Nakshatra the right method for marriage?

The speaker's objection is procedural: how would doing it on that particular day work without looking at the Shivvas? If the prayoga belongs to a Jyotirlinga kshetra — do it in that territory — then there is no difficulty and it can be done.

A listener reports that some astrologers say that where marriage is the issue, a Rudrabhishek should be done with river water and salt on the day of the Nakshatra in which the Saptamesh sits, and asks whether this is a correct method. The speaker says the subject of Rudrabhishek is separate, and the Nakshatra point is a separate subject again. But on the instruction to do it on that particular day, his question is: how would that work without seeing the Shivvas? If, however, the prayoga belongs to a Jyotirlinga kshetra — that you should do it in that territory — then there is no difficulty; you can do it.

May Kaal Bhairav be worshipped at home?

Only in the Kashi and Ujjain Panchakroshi and the Ashta Bhairav territories — where residents are obliged to it — or where he is the Kula deity or a right exists. Elsewhere, do not worship Kaal Bhairav at home; worship Batuk Bhairav ji in his place. Deepdaan for Kaal Bhairav is a separate matter and remains permitted.

This is the question the whole session is titled for, and the speaker says as much: this was exactly the question he had been waiting for and had put in the topic. Setting aside the Kashi kshetra and Ujjain, he says — Ujjain's own Panchakroshi and the five Kos of Kashi, where the worship of Kaal Bhairava is obligatory — the residents of those territories should worship either Kaal Bhairav or Batuk Bhairav ji, or, in the territory of the Ashta Bhairav, whichever of them the house falls within. But in the remaining places, in ordinary locations, perform Kaal Bhairav's worship at home only where he is a deity of the Kula or where a right exists. Otherwise, do not perform Kaal Bhairav's worship at home; perform the worship of Batuk Bhairava ji. He carves out one exception. The larger Deepdaan procedure for Kaal Bhairav ji at home is a separate subject — the Deepdaan may certainly be done. What should not be done is the duly Tantrokta worship, and even the ordinary worship with Avahan and the installing of a Shri Vigraha, anywhere but Kashi, Ujjain or the Bhairavs' own territories. It is not a matter of wisdom, he says — because in the form in which Bhairav ji is present as Kaal Bhairav, a householder simply cannot perform that worship. So do not do Kaal Bhairav's; do Batuk Bhairav ji's.

What should be done when a livelihood has been blocked for months?

Remember one thing, the speaker says: wherever there is obstruction in obtaining work or livelihood, perform this prayoga with eyes closed, whatever your Lagna or Rashi, without seeing or hearing anything else — for livelihood, for the money needed to run a household.

A listener writes that a husband has been eight months without a job despite great effort, and the speaker recalls having told them before to perform the Sankat Nashan Anushthan. He then states the general rule. Remember one thing: wherever obstruction is arising in obtaining employment or a livelihood, perform this prayoga with the eyes closed, whatever Lagna the person is of and whatever Rashi, without looking at or listening to anything else — for the sake of livelihood, and for money; that money is needed to run the house and the household, and do it for that.

What exactly is the twelve-Durva prayoga?

Take at least twelve blades of Durva ankur, the Doob grass, and offer one to Ganpati at home on each of twelve daily recitations of the Sankat Nashan. With it, Akshat — unbroken rice tinted lightly with turmeric or yellow sandal. Recite the twelve names, offer one blade and a little Akshat, and repeat twelve times in the morning.

The speaker gives the prayoga in full. Take the Durva ankur — what is called the Durva GrassA sacred grass offered to deities — especially Ganesha — and included among the items used to formally invite a deity before moving to a new location., the Doob grass — at least twelve of them. Reciting the Sankat Nashan Stotra twelve times a day, offer one blade of Doob grass each time to Ganpati ji at home. Do this much, he says. Durva and AkshatUnbroken raw rice grains, held in hand along with water and flowers while taking a Sankalpa. — if you offer even these two things. Akshat is unbroken rice, tinted lightly with turmeric or with yellow sandal. Holding the Durva in the hand, recite the whole flow once — Pranamya Sirasa Devam Gauri Putram Vinayakam — from the beginning through to the end, to Dvadasham. Or leave even the opening two lines and read only from Prathamam Vakratundam cha Ekadantam Dvitiyakam, from there through to Gajananam at the twelfth. These twelve names, recite again and again. Read once, then place one blade of Doob grass and a little Akshat on Bhagavan Ganpati ji's head. Then read a second time and place them again. Do this twelve times, in the morning.

What should be done when the livelihood situation is desperate?

Keep the vrat of the Chaturthi day. Whatever your birth chart may be, leave it aside, whatever Dasha or Antardasha is running. Take Ganpati's refuge before anything else, so that grain and money are never short in the house — and only when the basic needs are met, take up a larger sadhana.

Where the circumstances are dire, the speaker says — where trouble has fallen even on eating — keep the vrat of the Chaturthi day. Whatever your chart, leave it aside, and whatever Dasha and Antardasha is running. Take the refuge of Ganpati ji before all else, so that there is never a shortage of grain and money in the house: no shortage of the grain needed to sustain life, and enough money coming that you are never distressed over maintaining your family as a householder must. For that, he says, this worship of Bhagavan Ganpati is the very best. When those basic needs have been met, then perform a larger sadhana, in which wealth comes abundantly and you can complete your Artha and your Kama — enough Artha coming that your desires can be fulfilled. This is for everybody, he adds — the answer is not only for the person who asked; do not take it upon yourself otherwise. Because there are many people who will perform every kind of Totka but will not do the thing that is prescribed, of which it is said that whoever does it will obtain it. And it is very easy and simple to do; anybody can do it.

Why is Maha Ganapati given by a Guru's order in the Shri Kula?

Because if you perform Maha Ganapati's sadhana duly — his Purashcharan done, his Tarpan procedure learnt, everything done by the rule — then you will not have to think about earning a livelihood for the rest of it. It will keep coming by his grace.

The speaker gives the reason behind the Guru's order for Maha Ganapati, as it is given in the Shri Kula or in any tradition. If you have performed Maha Ganapati's sadhana duly, if his PurashcharanaA ritualistic repetition of a mantra to prescribed rules — required in Tantra Sadhana. has been done, if you have learnt the prescription of his TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan., if you have done everything according to the method — then for what follows you will not have to think about earning a livelihood. It will go on being obtained by his grace. Know this subject, he says.

How is Ganpati tarpan done by someone who is not initiated?

In the Tantrokta method, use Durva in place of Kusha; or if you bathe in a river, offer the tarpan straight there. It is a Deva tarpan, so water is given straight from the Anjali. Say Shri Vakratundaya tarpayami namah and release the water, and so through the twelve names.

The speaker gives the method for those not initiated, and for women and anyone who knows nothing of it: in the Tantrokta method, Durva GrassA sacred grass offered to deities — especially Ganesha — and included among the items used to formally invite a deity before moving to a new location. should be used in place of Kusha Asana grass for the TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan.; or if you are bathing in a river, offer the tarpan directly there. It is a Deva tarpan, so water is ordinarily released straight from the Anjali. If you keep Durva in the hand it is excellent; otherwise, at the least, there should be a small ring on your ring finger, of silver or of gold as your means allow — just so that the hand is not empty. Take water in the hand. If you are bathing in a river, then for Ganpati ji's twelve names: Vakratunda is the first name, so say Shri Vakratundaya tarpayami namah and release the water. Ekadanta is the second — Shri Ekadantaya tarpayami namah — and release the water a second time. In this way give water twelve times and the tarpan is done. At home, take a vessel, take Durva in the hand, take water and release it twelve times. It will not take even a minute — Ekadantaya tarpayami namah, Vakratundaya tarpayami namah, Gajananaya tarpayami namah, releasing water as you go, quickly.

Why is tarpan pressed for Ganpati, and which mudra follows it?

Because tarpan is so dear to Ganpati that he will clear the way quickly. After the tarpan, display the Ganpati mudra: fold the left hand and place the right over it in the form of a serpent, the shape of his trunk. It is a small thing, and Vinayak pleased will give Lakshmi's grace of himself.

Tarpan is so dear to Ganpati ji, the speaker says, that he will quickly clear the way. Ganpati ji loves TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan. very much, which is why he says it again and again in the lives whenever Ganpati worship comes round. So do it, he tells them. This is not a subject for listening to; it is a subject for doing. These are the sort of things by doing which a great deal can be obtained. The MudraA symbolic hand gesture used in worship or iconography — such as Varada (boon-granting) or Abhaya (fearlessness-bestowing) — each carrying its own specific meaning. follows. Ganpati ji's trunk is itself a mudra — the Ganpati mudra, in which the hand is simply made to show his trunk. How is it done: bend the left hand in the appropriate way and place the right hand upon it in the manner of a serpent, the sign we make for a snake. It is an ordinary mudra; display it after the tarpan. Such small things, he says, do them, and Bhagavan Ganpati will grant a great deal in life. If Vinayak becomes pleased, he will give Lakshmi's grace just so.

May a lemon bali close a set of fifty-one recitations, and may a clay havan vessel be reused?

Yes to the lemon bali at the end of fifty-one recitations; no difficulty. A clay vessel may be used for a Havan a second time as well, with no problem — but keep in mind that the vessel will crack.

Two short answers. Asked whether a lemon's Bali may be given at the close, at the end of fifty-one recitations, or whether it is improper, the speaker says it may be given; there is no difficulty. Asked whether a Havan may be performed twice in a clay vessel, he says it can be, with no problem — but keep in mind that the vessel will crack. In the same stretch he declines two astrological questions for want of detail: Shani's Mahadasha with a Vrischik Lagna and Surya and Shukra in the Lagna — where, he asks, is Shani, and in which Nakshatra; that too has to be seen.

What if the hands touch the feet while seated in Siddhasana?

Wash the hands there. Sitting, wash them first in a vessel, and then do the mala japa from that same seat without rising — the speaker calls this exactly the right method, and says it is what should be done.

A listener asks about the hands touching the feet while seated in Siddhasana, and what this does to the mala. The speaker says to perform the ablution of the hands there — first, seated, wash the hands into a vessel. And then, from that same place, without rising, do the mala japa. That, he says, is exactly the correct method; this is what should be done. In the same stretch he answers on a weak Budh: whether Budh is a friend or an enemy of your Lagnesh — ordinarily he keeps an equal disposition with all, but it should still be looked at according to the birth chart; and if he is afflicted, in what manner he is to be strengthened, by worship or by Daan.

Is Shraap Vimochan needed before the Chandi Kavach, and what follows an Anushthan?

Not that necessary before the Chandi Kavach — though it is good if you do it. And after an Anushthan of Durga's Beej mantra, at minimum nine mala of japa should certainly be done every day; the nine mala will strengthen it and your desires will be fulfilled.

Asked whether Shapa VimochanaA preparatory curse-removal rite — reciting scriptures like the Durga Saptashati without it, or with corrupted rhythm, can cause spiritual experiences to manifest discordantly rather than harmoniously. is necessary before the Chandi Kavach, the speaker says it is not that necessary — but if you do it and then proceed, that is good. A listener planning an Anushthan of Ma Durga's Beej mantra in the coming Navratri asks about the Ekakshari mantra in the daily worship afterward. Absolutely it is to be done, the speaker says: once you have completed the Anushthan, at minimum nine mala of japa should certainly be done daily. The nine mala will strengthen it, and your desires will be fulfilled.

May Tulsi be worshipped on Ekadashi?

Worship, yes — Tulsi Vivah itself takes place on that day. But Argha is forbidden. Bhagavati Tulsi is on her fast that day, so nothing that would break her fast — no Naivedya, no Argha — should be given.

Asked whether Tulsi ji may be worshipped on Ekadashi, given that Argha is forbidden, the speaker gives the distinction. Bhagavati Tulsi is on the vrat that day. So any Naivedya or ArghaThe base and water-channel surrounding a Shivling, through which abhishekam offerings drain away. or the like that would break her fast should not be given. The Tulsi Vivah takes place on that very day, so worship certainly does happen — but Argha and the like are not given.

Can one fire in one kunda serve several deities in turn?

Yes, absolutely. Lighting the fire once in a square kunda and then putting Palash wood first for Datta, then other wood for Ganpati, then Bel wood for Lakshmi and the sixty-four Yoginis, taking them in turn, may certainly be done.

A listener from Maharashtra notes that in his village Kaal Bhairav ji is seated with Yogeshwari Devi, and that in all the Bhairav temples there Yogeshwari Devi stands as the Vamangi. He then asks whether, in a square kunda, one may light the fire once and put Palash wood in first for Datta, then wood for Ganpati, then Bel wood for Lakshmi and the sixty-four Yogini, taking them by turns. Yes, the speaker says — you may absolutely do it. In the same stretch he confirms that one may bathe and do japa at the kund at Trimbakeshwar, and that one may certainly recite everything having learnt the correct pronunciation.

Can one clay lamp be kept permanently for camphor Aarti and bali?

If it is a clay lamp, it will have to be changed every day. Take a brass one and you can use it for these purposes.

Asked whether one clay lamp may always be kept for camphor Aarti and another always used for the bali of various deities, the speaker answers on the material rather than the use. If it is a clay lamp, it will have to be changed daily. So — take a brass one; in that you can use it.

What should be done during a Rahu Mahadasha with Ketu Antardasha?

Take Mahadev's refuge and perform the Anushthan of the Panchakshari by the method on the channel — better still in a Shiva temple. And do the daily Abhishek of Shiva's Chaukhat: cleaning it well and then adorning it. In a Rahu, Ketu or Shani period, this gives very auspicious fruit.

The speaker first says the question is incomplete — which Lagna, and in which houses Rahu and Ketu sit; tell even one and the next can be worked out. But if the difficulty is very great, then take the refuge of Bhagavan Shri Mahadev. Perform the Anushthan of the Panchakshari Mantra by the method described on the channel. And if you do the japa in a Shiva temple, that is very good. Then the specific remedy: the daily Abhishek of Shiva ji's Chaukhat — that is, cleaning it well and then performing its Shringar. In the affliction of Rahu, whether it is Rahu's Dasha or Antardasha or Ketu's, in Rahu-Ketu or in Shani Dev, in any of the three, if you perform the Shringar of Bhagavan Shiva's Chaukhat you obtain very auspicious fruit. And after that, do your japa and austerity.

How is a Jaiphal bali actually given?

Either kindled upon camphor — the best way for Paushtik Karma, washed lightly first — or cut in two on a small Peeth: a firm, flat, square stone, washed, with a small mandala drawn on it, an inverted triangle for the Devi, an upright one in the Kashi kshetra.

The speaker gives the methods for a Jaiphal Bali. The first, which he thinks best — particularly for Paushtik Karma, when we are performing sadhana and worship or japa and wish to strengthen our Ishta or the mantra — is to kindle it upon camphor. Wash it lightly at once and then kindle it. The second is the cutting, in which it is cut into two parts. For that, a small Peeth is needed: some firm, flat, square stone. Wash it, draw a small mandala upon it — an inverted triangle if you are giving it for the Devi, and an upright triangle in the Kashi kshetra. Leave the surrounding matter of the triangle aside, worship the Peeth in the ordinary way, and place the Jaiphal upon it. If you soak the Jaiphal in water for an hour or so beforehand it will be cut easily; otherwise it is hard and there is some difficulty. The third method, where it has not been soaked and is entirely hard and dry: place a knife upon it and strike from behind with the hand in one blow, and it will cut into two pieces. Roli is then to be applied to both pieces. That, he says, is how a Jaiphal bali is given — these two or three ways.

Which tithi-window belongs to which deity?

For Ganpati ji in particular, Chaturthi to Chaturdashi. For Narayana, Ekadashi to Ekadashi. For Bhagavan Shiva, Panchami to Amavasya, or Panchami to Chaturdashi.

Asked whether, having begun a sadhana from Chaturdashi or Ashtami, a five-day or seven-day sadhana of any kind may be done, the speaker answers by giving the windows. For Bhagavati and for Bhairav ji, and for Ganpati ji in particular — Chaturthi to Chaturdashi. For Narayana — Ekadashi to Ekadashi. For Bhagavan Shiva — Panchami to Amavasya, or Panchami through to Chaturdashi.

How is Sheetla Mata worshipped when she is the Kuldevi?

It is done differently in every region — three or four ways within UP and Bihar alone, differently again further north, differently in the Purvanchal, differently in Chhattisgarh. Only you can say what your own region's way is. The common element is the Naivedya; everything else changes.

Asked how Sheetla Mata should be worshipped where she is the Kuldevi, the speaker says it is done in a different manner in every region. The worship of Sheetla Mata as it is done in UP — even within Bihar and UP, he says, it is done in three or four ways. Go northward and the prescription there is different; in the Purvanchal it is different again; go to Chhattisgarh and the prescription there is different. So how it goes in your own region, only you can say. The one common subject is the NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras.. All the rest of it changes.

Which woods may be used for Mahalakshmi and the sixty-four Yoginis?

Besides cow-dung cakes and Bel wood: Peepal may be used, Bargad may be used, Palash, Madar and Khair may be used. Everything except mango.

Asked which trees' wood may be used for Mahalakshmi and the sixty-four Yogini apart from cow-dung cakes and Bel wood, the speaker answers: mango cannot be used. PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. may be used, Bargad may be used, Palash, Madar and Khair may be used. Everything except mango.

What should be done during Shani's Sade-sati or Dhaiya?

Hold to one — Narayana, Bhagavati or Shiva — and certainly perform their Kavach. Then, if a punishment of Shani's is being received, do the Prayashchitta: circumambulate the Peepal tree, on seven Saturdays, seven times or a hundred and eight if the trouble is great, doing japa as you go.

The speaker's first instruction is to hold to one: catch hold of one Ishta of your own, whether Narayana or Bhagavati or Shiva ji, and certainly perform their Kavach. After that, if a punishment of Shani Dev's is being received in any form, do the PrayashchittaRitual atonement performed to offset the karmic burden of a weighty act, such as a Shatkarma that results in an enemy's death. for it. He describes how Shani strikes physically: he affects the waist, and below the waist too when the effect turns bodily; the foot is injured, or gives trouble. The remedy is the circumambulation of the PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. tree. The more Pradakshina you perform, the more his effect will go on quieting. Try it for seven Saturdays — seven rounds, or if there is very great hardship a hundred and eight, as far as your capacity goes. And do japa alongside. Either the Nama-japa of your own Aradhya, or, if you do mantra japa, you may do the mantra japa during the Pradakshina. In this you are not to consider whether it should be on a mala or how — do it mentally. As with the circumambulation of Bhagavati Vindhyavasini's Shikhar: if you are Navarna-initiated, do the Navarna japa; do the japa of the mantra of your Ishta that you received at Deeksha, and circumambulate while doing it. The Peepal tree's circumambulation is the same.

Is there a Deepdaan procedure for Sitaram?

The Amla prescription was described before Sitaram ji himself — use a lamp in place of the Amla and do it that way. And doing it for Mata Kaushalya and Dashrath ji is good too: kindled in the names of the Lord's parents, the Lord will be still more pleased.

Asked for a Deepdaan procedure for Sitaram ji as one was given for Bhagavan Datta, the speaker points to the Amla prescription that was described before Sitaram ji himself, and says to use a lamp in place of the Amla and do it that way. Asked further about doing it for Mata Kaushalya and Dashrath ji, he says that is good — nothing is lacking in it; it is better if you do. When it is kindled in the names of the Lord's mother and father, the Lord will be the more pleased. In the same stretch he confirms that the Mahamrityunjay Kavach may be recited.

What helps with Brahmacharya during a sadhana?

Surya Namaskar first of all — begin it and you get great support in observing Brahmacharya. And second, Kapalbhati. These two, the speaker says, will give an effect very fast, from the very first day.

Asked about asanas and exercises that help with BrahmacharyaStrict celibacy required through an extended ritual observance. during a sadhana, the speaker names two. The very best is Surya Namaskar. Begin doing Surya Namaskar and you get great support in observing Brahmacharya. That is the first thing. The second is Kapalbhati. He explains what they are for. When a great deal of mantra japa takes place, the Muladhara is activated — or, as it may be put, a throbbing begins at the Muladhara. Many people say that there is continual throbbing at the last end of the spine. From it a kind of tingling arises, and various subjects begin to arise in the mind, and fear sets in that one's Brahmacharya may be broken, that some difficulty may occur of itself. So that this comes properly under control, is balanced, and no question of a broken Brahmacharya arises, do these two things — Surya Namaskar and Kapalbhati. It will give you an effect very fast; you will begin to get the effect from the first day.

What should be done with a newly obtained mala or Kavach?

No prescription is needed — use it directly. Only this: whenever you obtain a Kavach or a mala, certainly perform their first worship, in five ways. Abhishek with raw milk, then with water, an anointing with Gandha, Dhupa, Deepa and Naivedya offered, and Aarti shown with camphor.

Asked whether a japa mala may also be used during a Havan and worship, the speaker says no prescription is to be performed — use it directly. We say only this, he adds: that whenever you obtain any Kavach or Mala, certainly perform their first worship. In the first worship, the worship should be done in five ways. Of the five: if you perform their abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. with raw milk, then having done the Abhishek with milk and with water, apply an anointing of Gandha and the rest; offer Dhupa-DeepaIncense and a lamp, offered morning and evening — the basic minimum daily worship even a busy household or apartment can always sustain. and NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras.; and show Aarti with camphor. The first worship should certainly be done — that much only. After that, do their japa directly; and whatever is to be worn, wear it. There is no difficulty.

What must be kept with a Narmadeshwar at home?

If you keep Narmadeshwar ji at home, Nandi ji has to be kept with him, and his Trishul. If the full Shiva-parivar Vigraha comes — with Ganpati ji, Kartikeya ji and Bhagavati — that is better still. And Nandi should be such that his sight reaches the Shivling: Shiva ji should be visible to him.

The speaker gives the arrangement. If you will keep Narmadeshwar Shiva Lingam ji in the house, then Nandi ji is to be kept with Narmadeshwar ji. You will keep Nandi ji, and you will keep his Trishul. If, for Bhagavati's sake, the whole Shiva-parivar Vigraha comes — in which there are Ganpati ji, Kartikeya ji and Bhagavati — then keeping that is better still. And Nandi ji should be so placed that his sight reaches the Shivling; Shiva ji should be visible to him. In the same stretch he answers that Peepal, Bel and Bargad wood may be used; and, on the meaning of the Trailokya Mohan Kavach, tells the questioner to read its PhalashrutiThe closing section of a hymn or scripture that lists the benefits and results promised to whoever recites it. and he will find out.

What is the Navarna mantra, and whose is it?

Its root Shakti is Bhagavati Mahadurga. In Mahadurga all of them come — the Navadurga who manifested from her, the three Mahashaktis Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati, and the ten Mahavidyas as well. It is not a mantra, the speaker says, but a Mantra-raja.

Asked whose the Navarna Mantra is, to whom it is dedicated and what its root Shakti is, the speaker answers: its root Shakti is Bhagavati Mahadurga. Mahadurga is the root Shakti, and from her manifested the Navadurga, those nine; and the three Mahashaktis, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati — all of them. And if it is put in root terms, in Mahadurga all of them come, the Navadurga too and the ten Mahavidyas too. So for the grace of all ten Mahavidyas, if you wish, you may obtain the grace of any Mahavidya from this one mantra alone. Or put it this way: whatever power in this whole world is possessed of the Devi principle, her grace can be obtained by you from this one mantra. For the fuller statement he sends the listener to the Devi Gita — read the Devi Atharvashirsha, or its Hindi translation once, where the very large subject of the Navarna is described; study the Atharvashirsha in Hindi and you will learn about the Navarna and about the Panchadashi. This is not a mantra, he says; it is a Mantra-raja — called the king of all mantras. Of the five Mahashaktis, whether it be Bhagavan Suryanarayana, called Maha Suryanarayana, or Mahavishnu, or Maha Ganapati, or Bhagavati Mahadurga, or Bhagavan Mahashiva, each of these five has one Mantra-raja, the chief mantra; and this is one of them. Whatever Devi mantras exist, he adds, their very Prana comes into the Navarna and the Panchadashi. And along with this, if you perform japa of this mantra dedicated to your Kuldevi or to any Shakti, aiming it at her so that she may be pleased, she becomes pleased by it. In this mantra a portion of all of them is present — which is why it is a Mantra-raja. For more, study the Hindi meaning and word-sense of the Siddh Kunjika Stotram.

Should the procedure change if the morning worship is repeatedly missed after a bali?

No, there is no need to change the procedure in this. Do Bhairav ji's alongside as well.

A listener reports offering clove, cardamom, Jaiphal and sweets to the sixty-four Yogini on Purnima, then being unable to perform the morning worship and going to a Durga temple instead — and says this happens every time after a bali procedure; should something in the prescription be changed? No, the speaker says: there is no need to change the prescription in this. Do Bhairav ji's alongside as well. In the same stretch he confirms that a daily recitation of the Durga Mala Mantra may be done — one, or five, or nine; and that where the reckoning runs by the Amavasyanta system, the Markandeya sadhana may be done accordingly.

Whose form is Kaal Maheshwar Bhairav?

If it is a form of Bhagavan Bhairav ji, then the root is Bhagavan Shiva's alone. It belongs to no one else; they remain established in the form of Bhagavan Shiva himself.

Asked whose form Kaal Maheshwar Bhairav is, the speaker answers that if it is a form of Bhagavan Bhairava ji, then the root is Bhagavan Shiva's alone. It is not anyone else's; they remain established in the very form of Bhagavan Shiva.

Does Vashikaran work on someone paralysed or epileptic from birth?

The speaker says he has no practical experience of Vashikaran in such a case and therefore cannot answer, and asks the questioner to tell him if he has any. His own reckoning: with paralysis it would depend on which limb; with epilepsy, help in the illness is not possible, since it is not merely a psychological matter.

A listener asks whether Mohan Vidya or Vashikaran has an effect on people paralysed from birth or with epilepsy, given that they cannot move or act at will. The speaker answers plainly that he has no practical experience of this subject, so giving an answer is not possible either. If you have such experience, he says, tell me — I too will benefit from it, positive or negative. His own reckoning, however: if it is done upon a paralysed person, then which limb is paralysed — some of the matter would depend on that. But so far as epilepsy is concerned, help in the illness is not possible, because somewhere it does not remain a merely psychological subject. Its presence is in the brain; the difficulty is there — and if it is from birth, then so much the more.

What should someone do who gets no support from their own kin?

Praise Bhagavati Annapurna through the Annapurna Stotra and worship her — take refuge in the Ishwari and Puradhishwari of Kashi, reciting Kashi Puradhishwari Annapurna Ishwari Bhiksham Dehi at the evening Sandhya. And read the Bhavani Ashtakam once with feeling, so that the truth of that loneliness becomes known to you.

A listener writes that he obtains no support from his kin and feels alone. The speaker's answer is to praise Bhagavati Annapurna through the Annapurna Stotra and to worship her — to take the refuge of the one who is the conductress of Kashi, the chief there, the Ishwari and Puradhishwari of that place. Perform her stuti daily at the evening Sandhya without fail: Kashi Puradhishwari Annapurna Ishwari Bhiksham Dehi Kripavalamban Kari Mata Annapurna Ishwari. Recite that, with feeling. But since it is support you want, he adds one more thing for the sake of the truth: read the Bhavani Ashtakam once too, with feeling, so that the reality of this loneliness becomes known to you. Do that. Jagadamba will be pleased by it, and according to your wish she will show you grace.

Should a Deva-darshan in a dream be described publicly?

Never. Ask privately if you must ask at all. A Deva-darshan should never be a matter for display; a mantra given in a dream should never be asked about publicly; a prescription for a mantra's use that reaches you should not be asked about publicly either.

Asked what it might mean that the three deities were seen in a dream, the speaker says one should not ask the meaning of a Deva-darshan at all — and admits the question irritates him, because he says this again and again at the top of his voice: do not describe a Deva-darshan publicly. Ask privately what it means, he says, and then perhaps something can be said about it. Why exhibit so divine a Darshan at a public level? The question should not even be asked. A Deva-darshan means grace; there must be some good Punya of yours that the three deities are giving Darshan in a dream. Whoever the Darshan is of — Bhagavan Datta's, the Devis', anyone's — if you must ask a question, ask it in solitude. A Deva-darshan should never be a matter of display. A mantra given as an instruction in a dream should never be asked about publicly. A prescription for the use of some mantra that you are receiving should not be asked about publicly either. If you cannot speak with us, ask some other scholar, ask your Guru; and if there is none, then look into yourself and reflect on what your own position is. But never make this mistake of setting it out openly before everybody — after which the fruit of it is not obtained either, so what then is the use even of telling you what it means. He does add, for the sake of the answer: the Darshan of the three deities is a very divine subject. If that Darshan is occurring, then on the spiritual path your pace is very swift; there may be a divine effect of Ketu upon you, on the fifth or the ninth or the Lagna, an auspicious effect of his, which is why divine dreams of this kind are coming. There are many subjects there, he says, and benefit can be taken from them — but once you make it public, no meaning remains in it at all.

Does the mala used at the Dev Deeksha Vidhan need a further Pran Pratishtha?

No. If you performed the Devi Sukta, it is more than sufficient — be at ease. Where the Pratishtha is done by reciting the very mantras by which the Devas and Bhagavati were made manifest, nothing is left lacking in it.

A listener says he performed the ordinary awakening of the mala used at the Dev Deeksha Vidhan, and asks about a further Pran Pratishtha. There is no need to do it further, the speaker says. You have done the Tantrokta Devisuktam, so it is more than sufficient; be at ease. Have faith in those mantras: where you are performing the Pratishtha by reciting the very mantras by which the Devas and Bhagavati were made directly manifest, nothing is left wanting in it. The process of the Nyasa of vowels and consonants according to Varna, the whole prescription of it, does not need to be done again separately by you. Whatever is to be done is to be done at that same time — do it at that time. And a practical note: if you set out to consecrate the mala on the same day as the Dev Deeksha Vidhan, time will certainly be wasted; you will not get that much time. So perform the mala's Pratishtha in advance and keep it ready.

When does a mala actually have to be re-consecrated?

Where a Sutak has attached and six or seven months, an Ayana, have passed — you did japa through the Uttarayana and have now come into the Dakshinayana. Not immediately, and not at a change of season. Those who do japa of Shatkarma mantras must do all of it; for Vedic and Maha mantras the mala only grows more consecrated.

The speaker sets the threshold. A japa paused for some days because a Rudraksha had to be moved elsewhere needs nothing done for it. How, he asks, would you know that an energy has become active and that one has become inactive? Where a Sutak and the like has attached and six or seven months, an Ayana, have passed — that is when the matter arises: you did japa through the Uttarayana and have now come into the Dakshinayana; then you should do it. There is no need to do it at once, and no need to do it at a change of season. In the Tantrokta prescription too there is a three-month provision, for those who have had a Virachara Deeksha or a Shakta AbhishekaA formal consecration/initiation rite required when progressing systematically within a Shakta Tantric lineage (Kula Parampara). and who have the Guru's order. Otherwise everyone performs the whole procedure again at the Varshiki. And for those doing nitya japa, he specifies who actually has to: those who do japa of mantras connected with the Shatkarma in particular — for them all of this is obligatory. For those doing japa of Vedic mantras, of Maha mantras — the Panchakshari, the Navakshari, the Navarna, Parvati ji's Saptakshari, the mantras of the Bhagavati deities — the mala is by that becoming greatly consecrated. That mala has taken on the Devi's own form. There will be no decay of consecration in it, until it breaks apart.

What can be done for autism, ADHD or a learning disability?

By the speaker's reckoning, the best and fastest is the prescription of Bhagavati Renuka's Kavach — her manifestation, her glory and her whole prescription are on the channel. If you can have that Kavach performed, an auspicious effect is seen quickly, in mental difficulties of any kind.

Asked for the best and fastest prayoga for autism, ADHD and learning disabilities, the speaker says there are two, and gives one. By his reckoning the most correct is the prescription of Bhagavati Renuka's Kavach. Her manifestation, her glory and her whole prescription — what the matter of her is and why — is all on the channel. If you are able to have that Kavach performed, or to perform it, it works very well. In it an auspicious effect is seen to come quickly, in mental difficulties of any kind.

What about the fear of Varna-sankar after an inter-caste marriage?

Study the ninth chapter of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita once, thoroughly — what Bhagavan Shri Hari Krishna says on this subject, what he has said regarding Varna-sankarata. The doubt of your heart will be removed and you will then be able to take the right decision.

A listener writes that having made an inter-caste marriage and now being on the path of sadhana, he feels he has become a cause of Varnashrama Varna-sankar, and fears the Pitrs will not accept the Pind from his hand. The speaker separates the questions: whether it was Loma or Viloma, and what sort of Varna-sankar fault you are producing, is one subject; the PrayashchittaRitual atonement performed to offset the karmic burden of a weighty act, such as a Shatkarma that results in an enemy's death. for it is another. But if you are performing devotion from the heart and remorse for what you did is now arising in you, then his instruction is this: study once, very thoroughly, the ninth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita — what Bhagavan Shri Hari Krishna is saying on this subject, and what he has said regarding Varna-sankarata. Study it once for yourself. The doubt of your heart will be removed. After that you will be able to take the right decision. After that, he says, whatever the world may say and whatever the Dharmacharyas may say, that is on one side and the Lord's own word is on the other — and which of them you must hold to is also a decision for you to take. If I say it now it will seem incomplete to you, so study the ninth chapter for yourself, and then be satisfied.

How are new unstitched clothes for sadhana consecrated?

They will be consecrated of themselves when you perform the procedure, or the japa and Havan and the rest. Do not consecrate them separately without a Deeksha Vidhan and the like.

Asked how newly bought unstitched clothes for sadhana should be consecrated, the speaker says they will be consecrated of themselves when you perform the procedure, or the japa and Havan and so on. Do not consecrate them separately, he says, without a Deeksha Vidhan and the rest.

What if a Tantra prayoga has been running for more than twelve years?

Keep in mind that once it passes twelve years the matter becomes very different. Whatever cutting-away is to be done should happen before one cycle of Brihaspati Dev is complete. Past twelve years, past twenty, the method has to be carried out with great seriousness and by the rule.

A listener writes that a Tantra process has been in effect more than twenty years and asks how to be freed of it. Keep in mind, the speaker says, that once it exceeds twelve years the matter becomes very different. Whatever Tantra Kaat is to be done should happen before one cycle of Brihaspati Dev is complete. Once it has passed twelve years, once twenty years have gone, then the method and the prescription for it will have to be carried out by you with a great deal of seriousness, and properly by the rule. And without knowing and hearing the particulars, he adds, nothing at all can be done in this.

Should a woman against whom a Kamakhya prayoga was done recite the Kamakhya Kavach?

Yes — whoever did it is the one acting against Dharma. Recite the Kavach and grace will certainly come upon you; Bhagavati Kamakhya's Kavach carries the presence of all ten Mahavidyas. Be at ease and do it: your path of protection will be opened and your enemy will receive a fitting punishment.

A woman writes that a Kamakhya Tantra prayoga has been performed against her and asks whether she should recite the Kamakhya Kavach. Someone can do a Kamakhya Tantra prayoga, the speaker grants — but the one who did it is the one acting against Dharma. So if you recite the Kavach, grace will certainly come upon you; and Bhagavati Kamakhya's Kavach carries the presence of the ten Mahavidyas. So do it, at ease. You are with Dharma, he says. If you do it, your path of protection will be opened in one way or another, and the one who is your enemy will also receive a fitting punishment.

What should be done when another faith's idol is brought into a Sanatan temple?

That the people present should have said so at the time. Where a Paishachik worship begins beside one's own Ishta, there should be no delay in objecting — say so at once, to the people concerned.

Referring to an episode a listener raised, the speaker says he only learnt of it afterwards and that they should have said so at the time, once, to the people concerned. Asked separately whether a Guru's order to keep the mind calm applied, he says: yes, keep it absolutely calm — but keep this in mind, that if a Paishachik worship begins near our own Ishta, there is to be no delay there. It is somewhere our responsibility to say: near our Ishta, do not do these things. There is no lack of power in our Ishta that you should call up Pishachs and seat them in their place. Take them, he says, take them to the Ganga and bathe them; she will grant them Moksha properly there. Please do not do it in their place.

What is the remedy for depression?

Not a remedy, the speaker says. Look for the cause of your depression in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, whatever that cause is. Arjuna had to kill his own Guru and cut down his own brothers — what depression is greater than that; and when he was freed of it through Krishna, yours and mine will certainly end too.

The speaker rejects the framing of the question. Doing a remedy for Mahadev or Jagadamba will not do it, he says; for depression, we will say a remedy will not do it. Find the cause of your depression in the Bhagavad Gita, whatever that cause may be. He puts Arjuna's case: to kill his own Guru, or in ArjunaThe Pandava warrior-prince to whom Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gita's teaching, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.'s own language to murder his Guru; to cut down his own brothers. What depression is greater than that? And when he was freed from his depression through Bhagavan Krishna, who gave it through the Gita, then your depression and mine will certainly end too. So find your depression, once, in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, in quiet and at ease. If you are depressed, then what may be called your productivity will have taken a beating somewhere; it will have gone to zero. So it is better to read it even as one reads a story — that in the eighteen days of the Mahabharata, what deed was to be done that the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita was needed; the knowledge of the Gita was given for killing and cutting. Read that knowledge once and you will learn how that war was made a Dharma-yuddha. Depression will come to you for some reason or other, and a war is coming in your life ahead too — so end the depression there, by reading.

How does a woman keep the Kamakhya Kavach through the monthly days?

This is why the speaker says anyone can do the Kamakhya Kavach. During the four or five days of Raj-darshan, without going to the place of worship, seated on her own bed, she may perform the japa — without any text or book, once she has learnt it by heart, and then repeat it.

The speaker says the whole subject of the Kamakhya Kavach and of purity is on the channel and has been described many times; anyone new should listen to it once. The reason we say the Kamakhya Kavach is that anybody at all can do it, he says. On purity, only this much has to be kept in mind: during the four or five days of Raj-darshan, when a woman is Rajaswala, she should perform the japa without going to the place of worship, seated on her own bed — without any text or book. Once she has learnt it by heart, she can then repeat it. Some particular prayoga for that period has also been described, he adds; listen to the earlier live and the concept will become entirely clear — the ones around Navratri, and the one around Diwali, where it is all described.

How does a practitioner in the state of Shunyata complete a dualistic worship?

The speaker points to the whole dialogue of Totapuri and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, available online, and says it will make the matter clear. What follows Shunyata differs from person to person — for one who has become Advaitavadi, the one who is in many forms is known to be established in one.

A listener asks a question the speaker calls very good: when a practitioner arrives at the state of Shunyata, how does he complete his dualistic Karmakand and worship — in Advaita everything is let go — and asks it with reference to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. For this, the speaker says, read the whole dialogue of Totapuri and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ji Maharaj once; you will find it on the internet, and the matter will be very well understood. And so far as Shunyata goes, what happens after it, and how one is carried on, or how it is done, will differ somewhere from person to person. They then proceed with their own subject; and if you and I wish to understand it, it is because one who has become Advaitavadi knows that the one who is in many forms is the very one established in a single form — so his worship, recitation and sadhana is a matter of what comes after. When Jagadamba carries one into Shunyata, the matter there becomes different. They have become one with it; between the Paramatma and them no difference at all remains. If I have become Brahman, if I am myself the Paramatma, then I shall be worshipping myself. The best illustration, he thinks, is Karpatri ji Maharaj's method of worship, in which he installs the deities and Bhagavati in his own heart, on a Peeth, and worships them one by one; and how he then carries that duality toward non-duality, absorbs it within himself, and becomes Shunya there. So this is one subject — how, in the Advaita and so on, they carry it, carrying the dual and the non-dual within themselves. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ji Maharaj's own case can be read the same way: how, after Shunyata was obtained with Bhagavati Kali through Totapuri Maharaj, he went forward from there. On the Dvaita, Advaita, and VishishtadvaitaThe three classical Vedanta schools on the relationship between the individual soul and Brahman — dualism (Dvaita), non-dualism (Advaita), and qualified non-dualism (Vishishtadvaita) — grasped gradually as a practitioner's sadhana matures. state itself: duality ends, and the outward show of devotion becomes visible; when this comes into its own place one should not be anxious about it. It is not, however, permanent.

What order should a first visit to Kamakhya follow?

Do not go straight to Kamakhya ji. Stay in Guwahati and, a day earlier, take the Darshan of Umananda Bhairav ji — the water in the Brahmaputra is lower now, so you can go comfortably by steamer. Only then begin the Nilachal ascent.

Asked what should be done on a visit to Kamakhya at Guwahati, the speaker sends the listener to the live on Kamakhya ji and the full Darshan video, to see first where one has to go. Before the Nilachal ascent — that is, without going straight to Kamakhya ji — stay in the city, in Guwahati, and go a day earlier to take the Darshan of Umananda BhairavaShiva’s presence at the Kamakhya site, paired with the Devi as her Bhairav. ji. The water in the Brahmaputra is lower now, so you can take the Darshan comfortably, going by steamer. After that, begin the Nilachal ascent. The whole video covers it: what mantras and what salutations are made as one begins the ascent and goes forward; how the first Darshan of Agni Vaital and Ganpati ji is to be taken; from which direction the ascent is to be begun. Watch it well, he says, note it down, make notes, and then go and take the Darshan properly. Once the Darshan is done and you are staying up there, the prescription of Darshan, the prescription of japa, and whatever Anushthan you wish to perform — where and how it is to be done there — is all shown in detail. The whole Kamakhya video of Bhagavati's kshetra is made; see in it where you can do japa.

Is Durga merely the aggregate of the Devas' Shaktis?

No. She emerged from the assembly of all the divine Shaktis at the killing of Mahishasura — but the root principle in Durga ji is not merely the aggregate of all the Shaktis. She is the one who gives Shakti to all of them. This, the speaker says, is a thing to be understood.

Every form of Bhairav ji, the speaker says, has Bhagavan Shiva as its root — keep only that much in mind. Different forms manifested from one form, but the root is Bhagavan Shiva. From the forms of the Mahashaktis too, gathering together, one Shakti was made — in which Batuk Bhairav ji has three forms according to the distinction of Kalpa. And in the same way, Bhagavati Durga manifested by emerging from the assembly of all the divine Shaktis at the time of the killing of Mahishasura Mardini's Mahishasura. But the root principle in Durga ji, he says, is not merely the aggregate of all the Shaktis. She is the one who gives Shakti to all of them. This is a matter to be understood. The root principle in Bhairav ji will remain Shiva ji's; the root in the Devi will remain Bhagavati's own — whatever form is assumed.

How many circumambulations does each deity take?

It depends on the form of the deity. For Bhagavan Shiva a half is done. For the Devi, nine or three. For Ganpati ji, three.

Asked what the prescriptions are for the circumambulation of a deity in a temple, the speaker answers that it depends on the deity's form. For Bhagavan Shiva, as for instance, a half is performed. For the Devi, nine or three are done. For Ganpati ji, three are done. In that manner. In the same stretch he answers a husband-and-wife question by saying to look once at the position of the Saptamesh in the birth chart according to the present transit, and to ask how long it has been so — whether it was like this from the start or began later.

Why should anyone who goes to Khatu Shyam do the Kamakhya Kavach?

Because Khatu Shyam, seen truly, was himself a sadhaka of Bhagavati Kamakhya — Barbarik ji — and was all that he was by her grace. So those who worship him or go for his Darshan should certainly do the Kamakhya Kavach.

A listener writes that a family member had the good fortune of the Khatu Shyam Padyatra, that a positive dream came, and that they keep the Durga and Kamakhya Kavach for a brother by rule. Those who perform the sadhana and worship of Khatu Shyam ji, the speaker says, or who go for his Darshan, should certainly do the Kamakhya Kavach. They should certainly do it. Why? Because Khatu Shyam too, if it is looked at in reality, was a sadhaka of Bhagavati Kamakhya, and was everything by her grace. That is to say — Barbarik ji.

With Vivah Panchami and Margashirsha Chaturdashi both gone, japa of the Argala's second-last mantra at a Bhagavati temple is prescribed meanwhile

Vivah Panchami and Margashirsha Chaturdashi have both gone, so wait for now; the prescription for Vasant Panchami will be given at that time. And meanwhile, do japa as far as possible in a Bhagavati temple of the Durga Saptashati Argala's second-last mantra — Patnim Manoramam Dehi.

Asked for a remedy for an early marriage, the speaker says that Vivah Panchami and Tulsi's have gone by, and Margashirsha Chaturdashi has gone by, so for the present, wait. At the time of Vasant Panchami the prescription for that time will be told, and you should do it then. Meanwhile, he gives the standing one: of the Durga Saptashati's Argala Stotra, the second-last mantra — the one before the very last, Patnim Manoramam Dehi — perform japa of that as far as possible in a temple of Bhagavati. This has been described at length many times, he adds; listen to it once.

How much japa may be done on the Kar-mala?

You cannot do very much japa on the Kar-mala — keep the count limited there, to 108 only. Do the larger japa on a mala, and perform the Nyasa process within that.

Asked about doing japa on the Kar-mala and performing the Nyasa, the speaker says that when japa is to be done on the Kar-mala you cannot do very much of it; keep the count limited in that, to 108 only. Do the larger japa on a Mala, and within that perform the process of the Nyasa and the rest. He allows one exception. Suppose there is some long mantra or shloka of twenty-five or thirty syllables, and you have no practice of doing its japa on a mala and wish first to practise the mantra — for that, if you do the japa on the Kar-mala, the matter is different. But if you are performing an Anushthan, then it is better if there is a mala.

With which name should the closing hundred and eight Ahutis be given?

Have a hundred and eight Ahutis offered with the Jayanti Mangala — that will cover everything.

Asked with which name the closing hundred and eight Havan should be done, by a listener having a sister perform the Kamakhya Kavach, the speaker says: have a hundred and eight Ahuti offered with the Jayanti Mangala Kali. It will cover everything. In the same stretch he answers a listener who repeatedly dreams of a dog trying to bite him but never managing it, during a period of reciting the Kaal Bhairavashtak: look once at what Ketu's position is, have it analysed, and perform the remedy for it. Bhairav ji's grace is protecting you from Ketu — but do the remedy, by whatever prescription applies at the present time. When Ketu's matter is present, he says, the indication is given through exactly this medium.

Should an Anushthan be done at home or at a tirtha?

We will not say go for every Parva Kala. But if there is some special Parva Kala, or one in which a crowd is unlikely, then go and do it there. The rest of the time, do it near your home.

Asked about performing an Anushthan on a special day at a Shivalaya near home or at a tirtha such as Kashi or the Vindhyachal kshetra — with the note that only about twenty-seven mala get done at the Ganga — the speaker gives the balance. For every Parva Kala we will not say that you should go. But if there is some special Parva Kala, or a Parva Kala in which there is a likelihood of no crowd, then go there and do it. And at the remaining times, do it near your home. In the same stretch he tells the listener asking about competitive examination ranking that effort will have to be made, and that there is a prescription of Suryanarayana's on the channel, of the Aditya Hridaya Stotram — do that.

What can be done for someone in jail?

Three. First, Hanuman ji's Chalisa — 108 recitations a day for forty-one days, done duly by rule or had done. Second, the Durga Saptashati Anushthan. And third, japa of the Jayanti Mangala. Whichever of these is possible for you.

Asked about someone in jail, the speaker notes first that whether or not the offence is theirs, you will know. But if they are in jail, there are two or three prayogas that you can do. First of all is Hanuman ji's Hanuman Chalisa itself: a recitation of 108 a day for forty-one days, if it is done duly by rule, or had done. Second is the Anushthan of the Durga Saptashati. And the third is japa of the Jayanti Mangala Kali. These three, he says, you may use — whichever of them is possible for you.

Where is a bali given in front of the house?

Bali can be given at the Chaukhat.

Asked how a Bali is to be given in front of the house, the speaker answers that it can be given at the Chaukhat. In the same stretch he confirms that worship may be performed with a single silver coin carrying the figures of Lakshmi, Ganesh and Saraswati engraved upon it — you may absolutely do it. And he tells a listener who has been doing twenty-five mala of the Panchakshari that the practice must be established by now: make it fifty; how long will you keep putting it off at twenty-five?

Only what everyone is generally entitled to is given out; the complete Mala Mantra needs at minimum the Upadesh for Bhairav ji

No. The speaker says he can give only what everyone is generally entitled to. The half-and-incomplete Mala Mantra he sees being given in place after place he will not give; and for the complete one, at minimum the Upadesh for Bhairav ji should have been obtained.

Asked for the Batuk Bhairav Mala Mantra, the speaker says it cannot be obtained through him. We can give only that thing, he says, to which everyone is generally entitled. As for the original Mala Mantra: the half-and-incomplete Mala Mantra, he says, we too are seeing being given in place after place. That half-and-incomplete one we will not give. And for the complete one — at minimum, the Upadesh for Bhairav ji should have been received. In the same stretch he says the form is no longer open; it was only there for two days, and that many people filled it in that window. And on Dwarka: I have not been there yet, so I know only what I have read; when I go, I will describe it at length.

Why does Ganpati worship pacify the nine grahas?

Because by worshipping Ganpati the Shanti of the nine grahas takes place, however fierce one may be or angry with you. Chandra Dev becomes normal first and your mind becomes strong — and with a strong mind, climbing a mountain will take you no time.

To a listener suffering Uchchatan and unable to do worship, the speaker prescribes the Argha to Surya Bhagavan at the proper time, and at minimum a daily recitation of Bhagavan Ganpati ji's twelve names with the TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan. if possible — the one described at the start of this video. His reason: by worshipping Bhagavan Ganpati the Shanti of the nine grahas takes place, however fierce a graha may be, however angry with you. Chandra Dev is the first to become active and becomes normal, and your mind becomes strong. And once the mind is strong, he says, climbing a mountain will take you no time at all. However strong you may be in body, however much Mangal Dev may have graced you with strength, if Chandra Dev is weak you will not be able even to stir. So always keep Ganpati ji's refuge. He will keep you balanced — in every circumstance whatever he will keep you balanced, and in every kind of hardship, calamity and misfortune he will multiply your strength many times over. This is why in every field Ganpati is named first, he says: whether it be war, forest or battlefield, Ganpati is first anywhere. The remembrance of the Guru and the worship of the Guru's Paduka is first — but among the Devas, the Guru is the one by whose grace everything reaches you, so the Guru will certainly be first; and among the Devas, the first is Ganpati.

What if every protective Kavach and Madli falls off at once?

The speaker will not read it as inauspicious in itself — but if all of them fell, your whole body has been emptied. At minimum, perform a Prayashchitta procedure once: do the Abhishek of Bhagavan Shiva and do the japa, because where it fell and what the matter was is not known.

A listener writes that on the way from home to his place of work, every old Kavach and Madli he wore fell off. If every protective Kavach fell, the speaker says, then what would we take as inauspicious in it — what would we take as inauspicious. But for all of them to be lost means your whole body has been emptied. At minimum, then, a PrayashchittaRitual atonement performed to offset the karmic burden of a weighty act, such as a Shatkarma that results in an enemy's death. procedure should be performed once: perform the abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. of Bhagavan Shiva and do the japa and the rest — because where it fell and what the matter was is not known.

How is a house protected where negativity is already present?

The first thing is to weaken that negativity — to render its capacity void — for which the prayoga of the eleventh chapter of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is used. After that comes the Chaukhat in the house, and then the binding of the house along with the Chhidrapal Nikari.

Asked how to protect a house when negativity is already there, the speaker gives the order of operations. The first subject is to weaken the capacity of that negativity, to render it void of capacity — for which the prayoga of the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is used. This has been described many times. After that comes the Chaukhat in the house, and then, along with the Chhidrapal Nikari and the rest, the Griha Bandhan.

What should be done where an energy has been attached since childhood?

You should take the help of a practitioner who can separate that energy properly from your Prana-urja; doing it yourself may cause difficulty. If you do it yourself, do it at a tirtha. The best would be to bathe at the Triveni at Prayagraj and then take the Darshan and worship of Veni Madhav ji.

A listener writes of a negative power said to have married her, present since a young age, with disturbed dreams at night. If such a subject genuinely exists, the speaker says, and the matter of a marriage is being reported, or some such prayoga has been performed and a condition of this kind arises — then if you do something about it yourself, and if the matter dates from childhood, it will give you great trouble. In this you should take the help of a practitioner who can separate that energy properly from your Prana Urja. Doing it yourself may bring difficulty; and if you do it yourself, then doing it in a tirtha kshetra will be right. The best for this, he says, would be that you bathe at the Triveni SangamThe confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the unseen Saraswati at Prayagraj — remembering it, or mentally invoking the Ganga and Narmada, is prescribed to instantly purify the mind if impure thoughts arise during japa. at Prayagraj, and after that take the Darshan and worship of Veni Madhav ji. He repeats to the same listener that without someone's help it will not happen from yourself alone.

What does it mean when enemies keep multiplying?

It means you need to increase your arm-strength, mantra-strength and Tapo-bal. Do the japa of the Kavach of whoever's refuge you have taken, and the Havan of Ashtami and Chaturdashi. When the Aradhya is pleased he does not only increase wealth and fame — he destroys enemies too.

A listener writes that enemies are increasing everywhere and fear is arising in the mind. No, the speaker says: fear is not to be allowed to arise in the mind. If enemies are increasing, then you will have to increase your capacity. Do the japa of the Kavach of whoever's refuge you have taken, and the Havan of Ashtami and Chaturdashi. When the Aradhya becomes pleased, he does not only increase your wealth, fame and splendour; he destroys enemies as well. So if enemies are increasing, it means you need to increase your arm-strength, your Mantra Bala and your Tapo-bala. This is what your fortune is saying — pay attention to that. Why weaken yourself by producing fear? You have not done a wrong deed, that fear should arise. Just before this he tells a listener whose mala had broken and been rejoined without his knowing, and who has already done japa on it, to keep doing so and keep no doubt about it — or, if it feels wrong, to leave that mala and do japa on another, and put the first one on his own Ishta.

How does a practitioner guard against something put in his food?

One thing should certainly be done in general: wherever you eat and whatever you eat, offer Naivedya from it first — dedicate it in the name of your Ishta. The full prescription, with the mantras, is on the Siddh Sabari Vidya channel.

The speaker frames the risk plainly. Suppose you have begun sadhana. Now the neighbours and relatives have all learnt that so-and-so is becoming a great Tantrik; envy and malice will come about just so, from seeing your Tilak and your manner of dress. They may mix something into the food, or it may seem so to you. For that, he says, the whole prescription is on the Siddh Sabari Vidya channel — what the difficulty is, how it is resolved, what a practitioner should do; the full prescription is there, with the mantras. And one thing should certainly be done in general: wherever you eat and whatever you eat, offer NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras. from it first — dedicate it in the name of your Ishta. In the same stretch he answers on a Bhairav temple by a cremation ground: if it is outside the ground there is no difficulty; if it is right in the middle of the ground or within its boundary, then perform the Deepdaan and so on there.

What should be done for days missed in the daily japa?

For as many days as lapse in the daily japa, a Prayashchitta should be done once, and ten mala of japa performed separately for it.

Asked what to do when some days are missed in the nitya japa, the speaker says that for as many days as lapse, a PrayashchittaRitual atonement performed to offset the karmic burden of a weighty act, such as a Shatkarma that results in an enemy's death. should be done once, and ten mala of japa should be performed separately for it.

What if the forebears installed a Brahm in the house?

At the time a Brahm is seated in a house it asks exactly this boon — that the people of your Kula will worship me. It is not a Deva but an Upadeva. Once it has been worshipped in the house it will go on taking worship, and it does not take Mukti quickly.

A listener writes that his forebears have worshipped three Brahms in the house and that he wishes to worship only Bhagavati and his Kula deity. Do you know, the speaker says, that at the time a Brahm is being seated in a house it asks for exactly this promise — that the people of your Kula will perform my worship. It is not a Deva; it is an Upadevata — keep that in mind. If a Brahm has been worshipped in the house, then it will go on taking worship, and it does not take Mukti quickly either. To obtain Mukti for a Brahm, he says, one would now need a capable practitioner who follows an extremely strict rule and method, who would take it to Gaya Shraadh and have the whole procedure performed there — a very long procedure. The Pishach Mochan prescription would have to be included, and prayogas of the Mahavidyas performed; only then does that release come about. And even that cannot be called a guarantee: if it does not wish to, it will not take Mukti, and will go on taking worship. And if you leave off its worship and worship Bhagavati, then — because it stands established in the form of a Kula deity — it will take that worship too.

Does a Brahm in the house obstruct Bhagavati's service?

No obstruction of any kind will arise in Bhagavati's service and worship from these three Brahms being worshipped, nor will your worldly or otherworldly prospects be spoiled by their presence. What will certainly happen, the speaker says, is that they will act as your helpers.

The speaker gives the short form of a long subject, telling the listener first to watch the four or five videos on Brahm so the concept becomes clear. In brief: no obstruction of any kind will arise in Bhagavati's service and worship from the worship of these three Brahms; nor will your Loka and Paraloka be spoiled by their presence. What will certainly happen is that they will act as your helpers. He puts the doctrinal problem squarely. Now that in the Kali age Bhutas have come to be worshipped, how is the worship of Bhuteshwari to happen alongside those Bhutas, how is the worship of Bhutabhavan, how is the worship of the Mahabhuta — carried along so that no effect falls from it? Worldly speaking, he says, taking the shelter of the ninth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, one says that whoever worships a Bhuta will attain to a Bhuta, and that is right in its own place. But in the matter of Tantra it is not exactly that. The Bhuta's worship also happens; give it its share. In Tantra we say: we will give you your share — take your share. This is not your worship; we are giving you a share with reverence, for your satisfaction. And the Devi will give such capacity within you that you will become one who sustains many Bhutas. A practitioner sustains many Bhutas; Jagadamba has them sustained by her own portion. You will have that capacity — so do not be agitated about this if you wish to take Bhagavati's refuge, since you are not insulting them. Do not insult them; do not drive them off with contempt. Their lives too were lives; what they were and how, all this you will understand — and then you will have no difficulty.

Is any Kula or Varna barred from serving the Mahashaktis?

There is no such Kula, no such Varna and no such house that cannot serve the Mahashaktis — even where a Masan is worshipped in the house, or a Brahm, or the most wicked power of all. It will not stop you, once you understand the subject.

The speaker sets his position against what he calls the base instruction available on YouTube and Facebook, where people speak of it crudely — a very difficult subject for an ordinary practitioner if taken that way. But once you understand it technically and properly — what this is, and how by your own intelligence and Bhagavati's grace you will get clear of it, the work will be accomplished, and no fault will attach anywhere — the matter is different. In Tantra, he says, this is actually how it is done. There is no such Kula, no such Varna, no such house that cannot serve the Mahashaktis, even though a Masan be worshipped in the house, a Brahm be worshipped, or the most wicked power of all be worshipped. It will not stop you — when you understand the subject. What difficulty can it have, or what difficulty can it give? The method differs; the mind will have to be applied. And for the principle he quotes what Mahadev says in the Viparita Pratyangira, which he says he quotes again and again: that Bhutas and Pretas are not living bodies; they have their limit — and a man can break every limit and go beyond it by his own TapobalSpiritual power accumulated through austerity and sustained practice — the counterweight that must exceed accumulated black-magic or negative energy for an affliction to fully lift.. It can certainly happen through hardships, and the intellect will have to be applied.

How should the Tulsidas Brahmarakshas account be read?

As a Tantric matter, not a story. When Hanuman ji's grace was not being obtained after many attempts, Tulsidas took the help of this Tantra; and the Pret gave him Darshan and told him where Hanuman ji was. He did not accomplish it as a Siddhi, and it did not bind him — because his object was something else.

The speaker uses the account as his worked example. Tulsidas ji Maharaj did not have to take the Darshan of a Brahma Rakshas, he says. But in the popular story the matter appears thus: that when he performed his morning ablutions and offered the leftover water, a Brahm manifested — somewhere called a Brahmarakshas, somewhere a Bhuta. This subject, he says, is not only that much. When you go into the Tantric matter — and in the same way, all of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Maharaj's subjects have been twisted out of shape — the Tantric matters are something else. It is not their story; the truth of it is something else, and the events are something else. Here the point is direct: when Hanuman ji's grace was not being obtained even after many attempts, he took the help of this Tantra. He performed a method of this kind; and when he learnt of the Pret present upon the tree, he took the help of that method, and by it the Pret gave him Darshan and told him Hanuman ji's whereabouts. He did not accomplish him as a Siddhi. Nor did it stop him — it did not say, you shall not do Hanuman ji's, you have made me manifest, now after death you will come to me alone. That did not happen. Because his object was something else. When your object is Jagadamba, he says, and those three are seated there manifestly, all three will stand with you and help gladly — because they too have to go to the Devi's world, and you too have to go to the Devi's world. Remember that.

Why does knowing a kshetra's Mahima matter?

Because the benefit only comes to those who know it. If you know the glory of Tirtharaj Prayag, of the Kashi kshetra, of the Ganga and Godavari, of every great tirtha, then you can take its benefit and get clear of these things. Otherwise spend a hundred years in Kashi and nothing will happen.

Those who deny the subject — saying this is all big talk, that it does not happen so, treating it as a rustic Bhagatvaal matter — keep their intellect confined to just that much, the speaker says, and then nothing can be done. If you know the glory of Tirtharaj Prayag, if you know the glory of the Kashi kshetra, if you know the glory of the Ganga and the Godavari, if you know the glory of every great tirtha kshetra — then you will be able to take its benefit, and by using these things properly you will get clear of it. Otherwise, he says, spend a hundred years in Kashi: you do not know the glory, you do not know about the place, you do not know how anything is done. Nothing is going to happen. He closes the point with an example: even those who worship Kaal Bhairav and are present at that place become afflicted by a Pret at one time or another, through their own unruliness. It is a plain matter.