Kuldevi Saptami: Worshipping the Family Shakti You May Not Know

What does "Kul Shakti" cover, and when is it worshipped?

Not the Kuldevi alone but every power present in the lineage. Some tithi in Shravan has always been set aside in every Sanatani household for the worship of its family powers — most often the Goddess's principal Yoginis, who stand as Kuldevi alongside Mahadeva.

The speaker opens by widening the term. Kuldevi does not mean only the Kuldevi: it means every power that is present within the lineage. On some tithi or other in the month of Shravan, a provision has always existed — and a custom has always run — in the house of every person of Sanatana Dharma, for the worship of the powers connected to their Kul Shakti. He identifies who those powers usually are: alongside Mahadeva, it is the Goddess's principal Yoginis who have most often been present in the form of the Kuldevi, and worship is performed through them.

Why do all powers gather around Shiva during Shravan?

Because in Shravan every kind of power — Mahashakti, Upashakti, deities, sub-deities, and even Bhoot, Pret and Pishach — takes its place near Bhagavan Shiva and spends the month in his service, as an extended form of the single night of service that is Mahashivratri.

The speaker gives the reason the month itself carries weight. In Shravan, powers of every kind — Mahashakti and Upashakti, deities and sub-deities, and Bhoot, Pret and Pishach alike — all present themselves in the proximity of Bhagavan Shiva and pass their time in his service. He frames it against Mahashivratri: there the service is of a single night, whereas in Shravan the whole month is given to it, and every power's effort is directed that way.

Why do knowledgeable practitioners advise against Griha Bandhan during Shravan?

Because a binding takes hold of some power, and if that power is present in Shiva's service at the time, its own order is broken by being drawn away. It is not forbidden outright — the counsel is to keep the movement of powers to a minimum this month.

The speaker sets out the reasoning behind a piece of advice the listener will hear from many practitioners: do not perform Griha Bandhan and similar rites during Shravan. He is careful that this is opinion rather than prohibition — it can be done, it is not actually forbidden, but a great many hold that it should not be, and the logic runs like this. Whether you bind an auspicious power or an inauspicious one, whether you are securing protection or not, you are taking hold of some power through some other power. If that power happens to be present there at the time, then in a manner of speaking its own rule is broken. Those who know the subject well put it as keeping the movement of powers to a minimum during this period: any application at all sets powers moving, and their sequence of remaining fixed in one place is broken. Whether a fault is being incurred by this directly is not something he claims to know — he presents it as the experiential matter that elders discuss and pass on.

When should a Griha Bandhan or similar application be performed instead?

Shravan Purnima is fine, as is the following month of Bhadrapada, which carries a power of its own. The clean division is to complete the Siddhi of a mantra or Kavach during Shravan and perform the application — protection, Griha Bandhan or anything else — in Bhadrapada.

The speaker gives the alternatives without hedging. Shravan Purnima itself is acceptable, there is no difficulty in it. After Purnima comes the month of Bhadrapada, and Bhadrapada too has a power of its own; that month may be used. He then states the arrangement he prefers as a general rule: when you are accomplishing the Siddhi of a mantra or a Kavach, let the Siddhi be completed within the month of Shravan, and let the applications that follow from it — whether for protection, for Griha Bandhan, or for anything else — be performed in Bhadrapada and thereafter. That, he says, is the proper order. One exception is stated plainly. Where there is an emergency and a genuinely severe difficulty, the question does not arise: in a time of calamity there is no need to stand on propriety, because for a human being the protection of life becomes the more necessary thing. There the matter is different.

Is it possible for a household to have only a Kuldevi and no Kul Devta, or the reverse?

Worship whichever you know of by custom — but internally it can never be that a paired power does not exist. Even where the worshipped power is a Kumari, there will be some greater power alongside her; she simply may not hold the authority to receive your worship directly.

The speaker addresses a question he says he is asked constantly: households that report having only a Kuldevi and no Kul Devta, or only a Kul Devta and no Kuldevi. His practical answer is to worship whichever of them you actually know about, as custom has it. But on the underlying reality he is unambiguous: it can never be the case that there is no paired power alongside. He takes the hardest case himself — the households where the worshipped power is a Kumari, an unmarried Shakti, as happens in many homes. Even there, it is not that she has no paired power. There will be some power greater than her; but that greater power may not hold the authority to be present directly and receive your worship, or may simply not manifest in that manner.

Why do so few families still know who their original Kul Shakti was?

Because a lineage branches with every generation, and the most fundamental Kul Shakti is now scarcely worshipped anywhere. In roughly 90% of households the original power has been let go and something else has taken her place.

The speaker asks the listener to trace their own lineage back. Suppose you have four brothers; your father will have had two, three or five; your grandfather two or four; his father the same again. Follow that outward and the lineage has spread very wide. Seen from the root, the most fundamental Kul Shakti of that whole spread is scarcely worshipped anywhere today. The present arrangement, he says, is such that very few households know who their Kul Shakti was in the first place, who was being worshipped before — and he puts the figure at roughly ninety percent of homes. He notes a stage he says people can verify with their own elders: ask an elder and they will confirm that worship is offered on Saptami, but ask the name of the deity it is offered to and the answer will be that it goes in the name of Baba. Which Baba, they do not know. People no longer know even the name of whose worship is being performed there.

How does a power taken in through Abhichar end up worshipped as the family deity?

Someone afflicted by Abhichar gives a power a place in the house on its promise to do the household good. It then sits alongside the Kul Devta receiving worship, and one or two generations later it is known simply as the Kul Shakti — nobody remembering how it arrived.

The speaker asks the listener to hear this passage in full rather than leaving halfway and then objecting. The sequence he describes: afflicted by Abhichar and worn down by it, a person gives some power a place in their house. The power's side of it was simple — give me worship and I will do your household good. The place was given. Now it sits alongside the Kul Devta and receives worship too. And this, he says, is the case in the maximum number of homes. One or two generations on, it is known purely as the Kul Shakti; nobody is aware any longer that it arrived through Abhichar, or how any of it happened. He grants that it may well be doing the household good — causing no disturbance, everything running fine. The problem lies elsewhere: after another generation or two you will let go of this one as well. And that is how the original powers, who in former times were worshipped and were tremendous powers in every household, were let go one after another — some Abhichar-borne power becoming the Kuldevi at one point, some Sokha or Ojha attaining a Siddhi and seating a power at another, and so it went on.

Why has annual worship become the ceiling for family deities?

A taboo has been planted that once a year is enough and no more should be done — but no deity ever forbade daily remembrance of the Kuldevi. Alongside it runs the old warning that too much worship attracts spirits, which the speaker traces to people frustrated with their own deities.

The speaker points out that even in households where genuinely old powers are worshipped — powers running through many generations of the lineage — the method of their worship is not known to the people worshipping them. The matter has been reduced to this: let the worship happen once a year and that is plenty. Nothing beyond that is to be done. He rejects the premise. Daily remembrance and worship — no deity has forbidden that for a Kuldevi or Kul Devta. But a taboo has been constructed, an idea seated in the mind that only this much should happen and no more. He recalls the accompanying warning that listeners will have heard from older people at home: do not perform too much worship, ghosts and spirits attach themselves to those who do; do not do so much worship, go and play; do you want to become a Sokha or an Ojha. His reading is that this is not about worship at all. It is the voice of frustrated minds — people who have become frustrated with their own deities. Study it, he says, and you will find frustrated people asking what their deities ever did for them, saying they were ruined anyway. A child dies in the house and worship is abandoned at once: who will worship, there is no deity worth anything.

A lineage loses its knowledge when it neglects and abuses whoever actually holds that knowledge

The neglect of whoever in a society actually holds the knowledge — a person of any birth who knows the deities, the Puranas and the tradition, and who tries to explain it. That person, the speaker says, is the one who receives the most abuse.

The speaker is explicit that he is not speaking about caste and does not want the passage read that way: he is not saying a Brahmin is speaking, or a Kshatriya or a Vaishya. He is speaking of a class defined by knowledge — whoever it may be — who understands society, who knows the deities, who knows the Katha and the Puranas, who knows the Sanatana community, who has the experience to say that if you do this then that follows, and who tries to explain it. That person, he says, is the one who has always received the most abuse. He calls this the great irony, and the cause of the resulting ruin. He adds a related observation he treats as simply true: where one generation has been very wealthy, by the third the counting has turned and ruin sets in however much they hold, and the fourth generation begins the effort again from the start.

What is the one inheritance parents fail to pass on?

The capital of your own sadhana. Merit passes to children as surely as fault does, so they inherit health and means — but they inherit no Sanskara, because the one thing parents are miserly with is the practice itself.

The speaker builds the point from the transmission of merit. Since your sinful acts reach your children, your meritorious ones reach them too. So merit is indeed reaching the child: through your austerity, your pilgrimages, everything you ground yourself down for, the child will be healthy, prosperous, full of wealth and grain. But, he says, the child will be devoid of Sanskara. Because you will not actually give Sanskara — you will teach only 'respect your elders', 'show the incense and lamp, do a little, we are doing the rest anyway'. And the reason you give the child that comfort is study: concentrate on your studies, you have plenty of time for all this worship later, do not worry. He is sharp about the token gesture. Very pleased with yourself, you taught the child the Hanuman Chalisa and did him a great favour. Under the weight of that favour the child reads it sometimes and not others, and when he reaches a young age, what will his state be — what education have you given him for how to carry these subjects? His conclusion: the greatest capital you had to give was the capital of your sadhana, and people simply do not give it. They are so ungenerous, so miserly in giving it, that the mala chafes the finger and the back hurts from sitting, and the child is told that instead of reading Sanskrit that long he would learn more from his course books.

If you do not know your family deity, whose fault is that?

Your forebears'. If you do not know your Kul Shakti and are frustrated about it, that is their bequest — you cannot blame a discourse-giver, a Puranic reciter, a storyteller or a knower of Tantra for it. Their omission; and now your responsibility not to repeat it.

The speaker attributes the loss squarely. If you do not know about your Kul Shakti, about your Kuldevi or Kul Devta, about their worship and service, and you are deeply frustrated on that account — this is your ancestors' bequest. For it, he says, you cannot abuse him or anyone else. Not a discourse-giver, not a Puranic reciter, not a storyteller, not a knower of Tantra — nobody. It is your forebears' mistake that you do not know about your Kuldevi. The lack was theirs; they did not tell you. And from there the duty shifts. It now becomes your responsibility that when you obtain that divine grace through your own capability, and divine capability enters you through it, you take care that it is never lost again. He cites the Shankaracharya of Puri, who he says always states that nobody should abandon the worship of their Kul Shakti and that one should perform sadhana for an hour and a half to two hours daily — adding his own standing minimum, that if nothing else, do ten malas of the Panchakshari Mantra each day, because that capability needs to exist within you for when it is required.

Why is the life in your body attributed to the Kul Shakti?

Because until a Kul Shakti wills it, birth cannot occur in her lineage at all. She examines a soul against her own capability and admits it in the expectation that it will do the lineage good — no parent, and no Shakti, wishes a harmful soul into the family.

The speaker states it directly: if you are alive and there is still breath in your body, that vital energy comes from your Kul Shakti. This life is obtained because of the Kul Shakti. His reasoning is that until a Kul Shakti wills it, birth cannot take place within her lineage. She wills it, examining high-order practitioners according to her own capability, seeing that if this soul comes into our lineage it will certainly do our lineage good. He puts the obvious question: which mother or father would want a bad soul to come into the family, to do harm, to become a thief or a bandit? Everyone wants a good soul to be born. So why would a Kul Shakti want anything wrong? The qualification he adds is that the soul does not run according to her wish alone — it is bound by its own prior karma, and whatever motion follows from that will follow.

Are the ancestors and deities pleased when a child is born into a family?

Yes. Just as ancestors are greatly pleased when a person sets out to perform Shraddha rites, they beat drums at a birth in the expectation that this soul will act well and perform Shraddha and Tarpan. The deities are pleased on the same grounds.

The speaker draws a parallel between two moments. It is written, and has been discussed several times, that when a person is going to perform the Shraddha rites their ancestors and forebears become greatly pleased. Exactly so at a birth: when a soul is born, the forebears are delighted and beat drums, saying that this soul has taken birth and will perform good acts for our onward motion, will perform Shraddha, will perform Tarpan. The deities, he says, are pleased in the same manner and are never displeased. They are very pleased that a good child has been born into our lineage — that through its good acts we shall be satisfied and contented, it will perform our worship, and satisfied we shall do this lineage good, there will be increase, and our name will stand in the assembly of deities.

Does a person's success bring their family deities into public view?

Yes — and the speaker argues no Kul Shakti would want otherwise. He points to the sixteen-armed Durga at Deori near Ranchi becoming widely known after a cricketer from that region won a World Cup, the temple's fortunes changing entirely.

The speaker asks the listener to leave the spiritual field aside and consider it generally: if you become very wealthy, very successful, will your Kuldevi and Kul Devta not be discussed? In society, certainly — perhaps not directly, but it will happen. His example is a cricketer who became a world champion. When that happened, which place in Jharkhand and Bihar was talked about most? The sixteen-armed Durga; Bhagavati Deori. Her temple falls in the region around Ranchi. There was a great deal of discussion of her at that time, the temple became quite famous, and its whole aspect has since changed. From which he draws the general point: which lineage's Shakti would not want her own fame, that people should know this lineage has this power, this capability behind it. So a lineage's Shakti never wishes you ill — that too is true. What goes wrong, he says, is the same thing as always: the person becomes ungrateful. Once capability is obtained, once everything is obtained, he abandons it, and it no longer particularly concerns him.

What is the mistake in adopting the deity of a successful person you admire?

Taking up their deity is fine; removing your own Kul Shakti to do it is the error. The speaker compares it to treating a mentor as a father in place of the one who gave you birth — others may be father-like, but not in the father's place.

The speaker accepts the impulse. Seeing someone doing well, one thinks: let us also worship whom this person worships. Up to there it was fine. The mistake is what follows — removing the Shakti of your own lineage and starting their worship entirely in her place. That, he says, is where you go wrong, and that is precisely how brainwashing happens. His analogy is drawn from the self-help books. Do not do the Rich Dad Poor Dad thing, he says — it reads well in a book and is very good material for people in network marketing, but do not bring it into your life: abandoning the father who gave you birth and beginning to call another man father, one who used to explain how money is to be made. His own view, stated as a view, is that a father is a father and there is only one; there cannot be ten. Others can be father-like — a guru can be father-like, an elder brother can be — but you cannot give them the place of the mother or the place of the father.

How does a practitioner get their own deity installed in someone else's house?

By stages. The work is done and the client is impressed; then a liquor offering in that deity's name near the house, for eleven days, then twenty-one; then gradually the deity itself is installed in the client's home and worshipped there permanently.

The speaker describes a pattern he says he has seen not only in one practitioner but in several. Once the work succeeds and the client is impressed, the next step is: fine, now offer a stream of liquor in the name of this deity of mine near your house. Up to there it was still acceptable. First they have it done for eleven days, then twenty-one. And then, gradually, they have that deity worshipped inside the client's home. He notes that some go further and have their own Brahm installed in other people's houses to be worshipped there, on the promise that it will protect them. His objection is not to the underlying technique, which he says is well known and which he confirms is done. Where the person before you is severely afflicted and under Abhichar, and their protection is needed, you may install one of your accomplished powers at their house for a period — a month and a quarter, two and a half months, six months, a year. After that year it is dismissed, and the term is agreed in advance. In practice, he says, nobody grants so long a term; eleven days or twenty-one is the maximum. It is never installed at their house permanently. Where a power is to be worshipped permanently, it is made explicit: this is the procedure, this is how you must worship it, this is how you must take it, this is what is in your house, its compatibility with these is such — worship it if you wish, if they say so themselves. That is a different matter altogether.

What happens when a practitioner installs a power in your house by manipulation?

You will be told to recite the Durga Chalisa, the Durga Satnam, the Bagalamukhi Satnam — while behind it the installed power hollows out your entire household. You perform it; the practitioner receives it. His source of energy has been established in your home.

The speaker draws the distinction between a legitimate temporary installation and one obtained by playing a technical game. Where someone manoeuvres to have his own power worshipped in your house, the effect is this: he will tell you to recite the Durga Chalisa, the Durga Stotra Satnam, the Bagalamukhi Stotra Satnam — but behind that, his own things will hollow out your whole household. His formulation is blunt: you will perform it, and he will receive it. He runs on this, and no diminution comes to his capability, because a source of energy has by then been established there for him — for obtaining merit, for obtaining powers, in as many places as it is worshipped. This, he says, is one of the ways people end up going wrong with their own Kul Shakti. His conclusion for the listener is the practical one: if you do know your Kul Shakti and have the information, never let there be any lack in their service and worship. Do not abandon them.

Should the Prasad of another family's Kul Devta be eaten?

No. The Prasad of another family's Kuldevi or Kul Devta should not be consumed — and where such Prasad reaches you, feed it to Gau Mata, whose digestive fire is held capable of consuming and digesting every kind of Laag.

The speaker raises this as an error people make even while performing the worship correctly: do not eat the Prasad of another household's Kuldevi and Kul Devta. If the rule is already known in your house, well and good; if it is not, it should be brought into your knowledge. Why people give it at all is a separate matter, and one he says he does not himself understand — why give it, why does it have to be given. Where a deity's Prasad is to be distributed among eleven people, distribute it to those who need it. And if you are giving grain as Prasad, do not put Laag into it; people knowingly put Laag in and cause trouble, and these things are to be avoided. The remedy he gives has one route only. Gau Mata possesses the capacity to consume and digest every kind of Laag — that capability is in her digestive fire, the Badavagni present in her stomach. So if Prasad of that kind reaches you, it is to her that you should feed it.

Who may eat the Saptami Prasad, and who may perform the worship?

Only the household. Where a family's rule is that daughters do not take the Prasad or touch the Kul Devta, or that only the men of the house cook, worship and eat it, that rule is to be kept — do not have it transgressed on the strength of modern preaching.

The speaker is firm on both halves of this. The Saptami Prasad — whether a milk Khappar is offered or the family worships in some other way — should not be given to anyone; the people of the house should eat it. Where a household rule exists and is known, it is to be observed. If the rule is that the daughters of the house will not take the Prasad and will not touch the Kul Devta — a provision he says is particularly common in the Mithilanchal region — then do not have that rule transgressed. He names the pressure directly: do not let today's preachers cause this mistake, saying God is in everyone and the Goddess is in everyone, so the Prasad is made, you take it too. Do not ruin their life. If the forebears made a rule, they will have made it for some reason, and that rule is not to be disregarded. The same holds where the annual Saptami worship in Shravan carries the rule that only the boys of the house will prepare the Prasad, perform the worship and eat it, and that only they hold the right. Then that is what should happen.

What if no man of the house is available to perform the family worship?

Ask the elders of your own family, not him. He refuses to answer because a wrong suggestion could wreck your life — he cannot even say to call a Brahmin, since worship by an outside hand may not be accepted there, and he does not know which deities yours are.

The speaker declines this question deliberately and explains the refusal at length. Where circumstances leave no man of the household present and a woman would have to perform the worship, discuss the alternatives with the elders of your own family — how it is to be done. He says plainly that if you ask him or anyone else, it is possible that a wrong suggestion of his could wreck your life. He cannot even offer the obvious workaround — call a Brahmin and have the worship performed — because worship by an outside hand may simply not be accepted there. Which deities yours are, and how much your elders know about them, whether there is a permitted alternative or none, whether the worship may be deferred to when the elders and the men of the family arrive next month: these are things to be looked at and decided there. He adds why he will not gamble on it. If he says fine, have a neighbour perform it, have a Patidar perform it, and the matter is spoilt — who will suffer it then. It is not that he speaks and walks away; the connection is there, and the reckoning will come, asked why he spoke when he had the knowledge. Take the suggestion from your elders, he says, because the full information about every kind of divine power is properly held by them.

Can a practitioner reliably identify another family's Kul Shakti?

Not to 100% accuracy, and the reason is structural: the power seated in your house may be eight or ten generations old and far stronger than the power the enquirer commands. He cannot obtain that information, and does not have the capability for it.

The speaker sets out the mechanics of why this fails. Suppose the power worshipped in your lineage is a Brahm, and suppose it has been worshipped for eight or ten generations — a formidable power. The person you have gone to for a reading holds a power that is capable, but not very old, and not of the standing of the power seated in your house. He interrupts himself to restate a principle he does not want misread: the capability of the powers themselves is equal for everyone. Hanuman is as strong for you as for him; Bhairav's capability is the same for you as for him. What differs is how much grace we obtain through our own japa, austerity and observances — and it is according to that grace that the capability lies within us to know something about someone, or to do some good work through that power. So the ten-generation Brahm in your house has full capability, but you never served them with full capacity. And if you serve them independently, he says, they will not give that capability either — that too is true. Alone, they will grant you only very limited grace, until Shiva's grace is present.

What does a Brahm Shakti require before granting full grace?

Two things: the great Chandika — Bhagavati Durga, called Badi Bhavani in the Bhagatwal tradition — and Shiva. Offering the Somvar and Amavasya Satvik worship alone will bring grace, but very limited grace, and you will feel that this is all there is.

The speaker names the two routes by which a Brahm Shakti is pleased: the great Chandika, who is Bhagavati Ma Durga, and — if one goes into the Bhagatwal usage — Badi Bhavani, which he says means precisely Bhagavati. He applies it to the case in hand. The Brahm worshipped in your lineage for ten generations, fifteen, twenty, very old: you want their grace, and you offer them independently the Satvik worship of Monday — the Khadau, the Janeu, the milk stream, the Khappar, the rice, whatever is offered — and the Amavasya offering. They will grant grace, but it will be very limited grace. You will not find joy in it; you will think this is all there is, and it will remain just that. But if you have completed, say, twenty-five lakh or crores of the Panchakshari Mantra and then perform this whole process for your family's power, their capability for you will be tremendous. He attaches an unusually emphatic caution to this passage: do not be inspired by what he has said and simply go and do it. He is not encouraging anyone; he is giving information only, as his own experience. He does not know who is present in your house or how they are. Take information, and do it only alongside someone qualified.

Who is Badi Bhavani?

Badi Bhavani means Jagadamba, seated in full form with complete capability. The speaker rejects the folk scheme that calls a dead unmarried girl Bhavani, a burned married woman Sati, a dead pregnant woman Kalika and her unborn child Bhairav.

The speaker takes issue with a classification he says circulates among those discussing Bhagatwal powers, one that produced the claim that Kali and Bhavani are different and that Bhavani is Kali's servant. He sets out what that scheme actually says: an unmarried girl who has died is called Bhavani; a married woman who has died by fire is called Sati; a pregnant woman who has died is called Kalika; and the child in her womb, if a soul had entered it and it became a Masan power, is called Bhairav. On that scheme, he notes, Bhavani does indeed become Kalika's servant, since one is in the form of a daughter and the other in the form of a mother. Against it he gives the meaning he holds to: Bhagavati means, and Badi Bhavani means, Jagadamba seated in full form with complete capability. He adds that the Goddess's high-order Yoginis — particularly those bearing three eyes — are not equal to any local power at all. Their realm is separate from this one and their capability is many crore times greater than that of local powers, though they reside in someone's lineage on earth in a much diminished capacity.

Where is the strongest power of a locality usually found?

At the oldest Durga worship site of that region — an old Durga, Chandika or Kali temple, especially one where Bali is offered or Mahishasura Mardini is worshipped, at least fifty to a hundred years old. That place's most formidable power is certainly present there.

The speaker gives a rule for locating the dominant power of any locality. In every region, the oldest site of Durga worship — an old Durga temple, or a Chandika temple, or a temple of Bhagavati Kali, and particularly one where Bali is offered or where Mahishasura Mardini is worshipped, at least fifty or a hundred years old — is where that place's most formidable power is certainly present. He offers as illustration a widely circulated video in which a Tazia is brought before a Chandi shrine and will not move forward, having to be lowered. His reading is that people of another faith would never bow there of their own accord, and that having to do so demonstrates Chandi's capability. He also explains the Yoginis' standing in terms of liberation: these are powers that have attained the state of Sayujya, or of Sarupya — having obtained the form of their own Ishta and holding that form, so that the pre-eminence is theirs. Even when they remain on the mortal plane, they are bearers of that same power directly.

What happens if a practitioner tries to seize another lineage's power?

The seized powers may come, out of regard for your mantra-strength — but they will fold their hands to their own superior, and the reckoning comes from there. Everything you had seized and everything you had earned is confiscated at that point.

The speaker works the case through with himself as the offender, using a named acquaintance whose Kuldevi is Bhagavati Renuka as the example, and stating that this is an illustration rather than an account of anything done. Suppose he learns that a formidable power is present in that household. He has already seated himself through crores of japa of Durga, Kali and Shiva. Suppose he then applies his mantra-strength and Tapo-bala to surround the fractional Yogini powers present in that house and annex them to his own. They may well come, he says, out of regard for his mantra-strength and austerity. But where will they fold their hands? Directly before Renuka — mother of Bhagavan Parashurama, a great Yogini of the formidable Chandika. And when the reckoning comes from there, who will come to save him. When the Vajra Vairochani moves, who will protect him then. At that point every power he had seized and every power he had earned is confiscated. He adds the parallel from the Puranas: the Asuras' work of seizing Indra's station, and who it was that undid it afterwards — not Indra himself, but those Indra went and had it done by.

Why do households of great Chandi Path practitioners sometimes fall into ruin?

Because you are only seeing the ruin from outside. What you are not seeing is the misdeed committed after capability was obtained — the exploitation of powers, the imbalance that arrives with power, and the loss of restraint that follows it.

The speaker answers a challenge people write to him with: look at great Chandi Path practitioners, famine falls on their households. His reply is that such causes do form, but you are watching only the visible half. After capability was obtained, what misdeed was committed is what you are not seeing. He describes the mechanism. A person may earn a great deal of merit — many recitations of the Durga Saptashati, worship of his own Kuldevi powers, all of it — and then exploit those same powers to exactly that degree, looting as much as possible in the name of doing people good. Beyond the looting, he identifies the deeper problem: where power arrives, intoxication arrives with it. Power produces agitation; balance departs. You will see many people whose balance is shaken. Capability is obtained, and then the person regards nobody, spoils whatever he wishes — his disciples, his kin, his neighbours; say a word to him and he will apply something to you directly. Nothing stays in balance. And where balance does not remain, it will have to be suffered for.

How should a practitioner who has gained capability conduct themselves socially?

Come into society as little as possible, keep few friendships, and hold no attachment. If someone abuses you, abuse them back if you must — but never turn your Tapobal on them. Say four words and walk away; do not sit with water in hand and curse.

The speaker gives this as the reason such counsel exists. When you are performing sadhana, or have performed it and now hold a great deal of capability, come into contact as little as possible: come into society as little as possible, let your friendships be few, meet people less. And if you do meet them, hold no attachment. On provocation he is deliberately permissive at the ordinary level and absolute at the other. Someone abuses you — fine. Give them two words back if you like, but never apply your Tapobal to them. Say four things to them; not from the heart, just to vent the frustration, since the capacity to control anger is not there. He will give you four more; make a face and come away, what more will you do with him. What you must not do is sit down with water in your hand and say that by the merit of the eleven Saptashati recitations performed over so many days, I curse you — and take the Sankalp. A curse and a boon are both Sankalp, he says; it is the Tapobal you hold that goes, that is what is spent. By cursing, you are destroying your own capability there.

Is there ever a case where a practitioner should curse?

Where a genuine atrocity has occurred — he cites a child harmed abroad — and no other path is open, then you should. Take a Sankalp on the merit of one lakh of japa asking the Goddess to deliver just punishment swiftly. Used to harm, the same act rebounds on you.

The speaker reaches this through an account of a case he had offered to help with publicly — a small child harmed abroad — where he had told the family that if the local police could not help, he would take it up through the channel and assist as far as he was able, because it was a matter concerning a child. In the event he judged the person unreliable and did not proceed. But he uses the case to state the exception. If such a misdeed genuinely occurs to someone — a child, or anyone — and you learn it to be true and anger arises in you, then what should you do? Then you should curse. If there is no other path, this path will have to be taken, so that proper punishment is delivered. He gives the form: whether the person will receive the punishment of their own karma or not, if you hold the capability, give that curse. Give it on one recitation, on ten, or take a Sankalp on one lakh of the japa you have done — that by the Sankalp of one lakh of the Durga mantra, may Bhagavati deliver such-and-such punishment to that person as swiftly as possible. The limit is stated in the same breath: if you use these things to harm someone, then your own harm follows afterwards.

Which day should Kuldevi worship be performed on?

If you know your family's own tithi for it, that is best — use it. If you do not, perform the worship of your Kul Shakti on the Saptami of the Shukla Paksha of Shravan, in whichever year you are watching this.

The speaker separates the two cases cleanly. For those who know their Kuldevi and Kul Devta and know the tithi on which their worship falls, the matter is very good — use that tithi. For everyone else, the Saptami of Shravan is the day. He notes that in the year of the recording it falls on a Sunday, but generalises it immediately: on the Saptami of the Shukla Paksha of the month of Shravan, in whichever year you are listening to this, perform the worship of your Kul Shakti. He returns to the same point in the closing Q&A: where a household's Kuldevi worship has always been performed on Purnima, that household performs it on Purnima and does an ordinary worship on Saptami. Those who already know their own tithi use it; those who do not, all use Saptami — which is precisely why this Saptami is called Kuldevi Saptami.

What should be worshipped if you do not know who your family deities are?

Worship Shiva and Gauri, and the Shakti Peeth nearest to you, in the name of your Kul Shakti — praying that whoever your family power may be, this worship should reach them.

The speaker gives the substitute plainly. If you do not know who the deities of your lineage are, who its Goddess is, then perform the worship of Shiva and Gauri. Alongside that, perform the worship of the Shakti Peeth nearest to you, in the name of the Kul Shakti — and make the prayer explicitly: that whoever our Kul Shakti may be, may this worship reach them. He develops this at length with a worked regional example, and returns to it in the Q&A for listeners in several different states.

What is offered to the Kuldevi and the Kul Bhairav at the annual worship?

For the Kuldevi, the sixteen Shringar as far as your means allow — saree, saya, blouse cloth, bangles, sindoor, mehndi — without compromising on quality even if buying cheaply. For the Kul Bhairav, a dhoti and gamcha in red, yellow or pink as you please.

The speaker treats this as the straightforward part: it is the annual worship, so the offerings follow from that. For the Kuldevi, first of all the sixteen Shringar articles, as far as your means allow — saree, saya, blouse cloth, bangles, sindoor, mehndi, the whole set, good ones. His condition is on quality rather than price: even if you are buying at a low price, buy without compromising on quality. Bring good materials. For the Kul Bhairav, a dhoti and gamcha. Take red, take yellow, take pink, whatever appeals to you — if you do not know what is prescribed, follow that.

A Deoghar-region household can take Baba Vaidyanath as the Bhairav and Bhagavati Jay Durga as the Shakti in place of unknown family deities

Take Baba Vaidyanath as the Bhairav and Bhagavati Jay Durga — where the Goddess's heart is held to have fallen — as the Shakti, and worship them as your Kul Shakti. Offer pink, red or yellow cloth and Shringar to her, yellow cloth to Shiva, and kheer-puri as Naivedya at both places.

The speaker works the substitute procedure through a concrete case: a listener living in the Jharkhand region, near Baba Baijnath Dham in Deoghar, where the Lord is present as a Jyotirlinga. If you do not know your own Kuldevi and Kul Devta, then there the Bhairav is Baba Vaidyanath, and there is the Shakti Peeth of Bhagavati Jay Durga, where the Goddess's heart is held to have fallen. It is for that reason, he says, that the Lord had his own Atmalinga established there through Ravana — his very Atma is established there. So take these as your Kul Shakti and perform the worship. For Bhagavati Jay Durga, arrange cloth of pink, red or yellow, with the matching Shringar — a chunari, bangles, a bindi, all of it lovely. For Shiva, for Baba Vaidyanath, bring yellow cloth and offer it. All of this at home. Kheer and puri, if you can make them, are excellent. Make kheer-puri and lay out the full Naivedya at both places, offer it, and along with it perform Panchbali without fail. He notes what makes that region convenient: the Shakti Peeth and the Jyotirlinga are not even ten paces apart — the Jyotirlinga inside that same courtyard, the Goddess present as the Shakti Peeth inside it too. The two are joined, both seated in one place, so worshipping them obtains the grace of all.

What is Panchbali at the Kuldevi worship, and why is it included?

The donation of grain to five kinds of creature — ants, the cow, the crow, the dog, and one person, feeding someone hungry. Through them the lineage's ancestors are satisfied and the deities are satisfied as well.

The speaker defines the term and gives its purpose in one movement. Panchbali means the donation of grain to five kinds of living creature. Through them the ancestors of the lineage will also be satisfied, and the deities will be satisfied. The five he names: give to the ants, give to the cow, give to the crow, give to the dog, and give to some person — feed someone who is hungry. He treats it as the most ordinary part of the Saptami observance, and it appears in his instructions at every level of means.

How is the Havan performed if you do not know your family deity?

Offer to Bhavani Shankar and the nearest Shakti Peeth — 108 oblations each. With a Yajnopavita use the Pranava; a woman with no man available uses the Devi Pranava instead, as "Hreem Vaidyanathaya Swaha" and "Hreem Jay Durgaya Swaha".

The speaker gives the Havan for the case where the family deity is unknown: it is offered to these same substitutes — Bhavani Shankar, and the nearest Shakti Peeth. The form for the Deoghar example is 'Shri Vaidyanathaya Swaha', with 108 oblations. If you wear the Yajnopavita, perform it with the Pranava. If you are a woman and there is no man to perform it, use the Devi Pranava instead: 'Hreem Vaidyanathaya Swaha', 'Hreem Jay Durgaya Swaha' — 108 oblations to each of the two. He gives the ingredient split by gender, the same convention he uses elsewhere: women will keep more guggul and less ghee, men more ghee and less guggul, mixing sesame; women too will mix sesame and offer in that manner.

Which woods may be used for this Havan, and which may not?

Do not use mango wood. Use Navagraha woods, Bel wood, or Sal wood — which is fragrant and burns very well — and cow-dung cakes. Bel is best of all, and Purnahuti follows at the end.

The speaker names the prohibition first: mango wood is not to be used for this. He repeats it later in the session — whatever you keep, do not keep mango wood. What to use instead: the Navagraha woods, Bel wood, and Sal wood, which he notes is fragrant and burns very well. Offer the oblations over these, and use cow-dung cakes. Where he states a preference, Bel wood is best for the Samidha. Purnahuti is performed afterwards, and with that the Saptami worship is complete.

What pleases the Kul Shakti most in the Havan?

Offering with the Tantrokta Devi Suktam — whoever your Kuldevi may be — and mixing cow ghee into the kheer for the oblations. The speaker says the Kul Shakti becomes so pleased that she returns her full affection.

The speaker singles this out as the most effective part of the whole procedure. After the opening oblations, whoever your Kuldevi may be, offer with the Tantrokta Devi Suktam: she will be greatly satisfied. And if you mix ghee into the kheer — cow ghee mixed in and offered as oblation — the Kul Shakti becomes so pleased with you, he says, that she returns her full affection. His reason is that two divine powers are being satisfied at once: the Tantrokta Devi Suktam is formidable in itself, and on top of that you are mixing cow ghee into kheer and performing the Havan with it. Men and women alike may do this; anyone who wishes may offer all the oblations with cow-ghee-mixed kheer. He adds the fallback for those who cannot use the Devi Suktam: do not do it, there is no difficulty — if you do not know it, do not attempt it. Use the 108 names instead, in the form given above.

Which regional Shakti should be named in the Havan?

The presiding Shakti of your region: Jay Durga in Jharkhand and Bihar, Bhagavati Vindhyavasini in Uttar Pradesh, Chhinnamastika near Ranchi and Jamshedpur, and Bhagavati Bagalamukhi at Vaidyanath Dham, whose manifestation place that is held to be.

The speaker gives this as a general rule with regional cases attached, and is careful to say it is not his own opinion alone — he has heard it from others and from elders, and reports what he has seen. In Jharkhand and Bihar, whenever you perform a Havan, an oblation in the name of Jay Durga should certainly be given. In Uttar Pradesh, an oblation to Bhagavati Vindhyavasini certainly should be. For Ranchi or Jamshedpur, Bhagavati Chhinnamastika — the nearest Siddh Peeth, with Kabandha Bhairav — and after Kamakhya, hers is the most formidable of the Goddess's Peeths; the sixteen-armed Deori may be included alongside. He illustrates the principle with a practitioner from Odisha whose Havan he had watched, who offered with 'Sarva Mangala Mangalye... Jay Durgaya Swaha'. Asked why, since that is not Jay Durga's own Dhyana mantra, the practitioner replied that the region they were in is Bhagavati Jay Durga's region — separate from the Purushottam Kshetra, the region beyond it — and that if the presiding Shakti of the place is not offered to, who exactly is being pleased. On Vaidyanath Dham he adds a further note: the most formidable power there is Bhagavati Pitambara Bagalamukhi, called Shiva's Kritya Shakti and granted the authority of Nigraha, whose temple stands directly behind the Jyotirlinga. In one Kalpa her place of manifestation is held to be Vaidyanath Dham Chita Bhumi.

What should be done if the family Shakti is known to be displeased?

Make Rasiyao — kheer with jaggery instead of sugar — mix in black sesame, curd and cow ghee, and offer 108 oblations with Bel leaves, using her own name. The speaker calls this a gentle application, not a Shatkarma.

The speaker introduces this as a small additional matter, and is careful about its status: it is an application of Tantra, but a gentle one, not a Shatkarma application. It is for those who know their Kuldevi and Kul Devta and have additionally been told that their own Kul Shakti is displeased with them — where famine has fallen on the household, where there is loss of wealth or of children, where there is real suffering. The preparation: make kheer with jaggery rather than sugar, which in UP and Bihar is called Rasiyao. Offer it as Naivedya. Then in a vessel take the jaggery kheer and mix in a little black sesame, a little curd, and a little cow ghee. Keep 108 Bel leaves ready. Kindle the fire with Bel wood as Samidha, or cow-dung cakes. The oblation is offered in the deity's own name — his example is 'Hreem Bhadrakale Divya Swaha' for a household whose Kuldevi is Bhadrakali — taking a Bel leaf, forming the Mrig Mudra, lifting a little of the mixture on the leaf and keeping the hand within the vessel while reciting the mantra. 108 oblations in that manner. His stated result: Bhagavati grants unmatched grace, becomes gentle at once, becomes calm, grants grace and clears the path.

How should the Bel leaf be prepared before it is offered?

Break off the stalk at the top, where the knot-like part forms, before offering — do not offer it whole. Offered whole it pricks the mouth, and the speaker's reasoning is that what causes us pain will cause pain to the deity it reaches.

The speaker gives a small procedural detail he treats as mattering. Of the 108 Bel leaves, the stalk should be broken off at the top — the part where a knot-like formation appears is broken off, and the oblation is offered in that state, rather than taken straight and offered whole. His practical reason is that offered whole it pricks; it will prick in the mouth. It acts as a thorn somewhere, so break it a little. His stated reason is one of Bhava rather than rule: when it passes into the mouth of Bhagavati Swaha and reaches your Ishta, harm would come to them too, and so it should not be done that way. When it causes us pain, it will cause them pain as well.

At what point in "Swaha" is the oblation actually released?

On the "aa" — not before saying Swaha, and not while saying it, but at the "aa" sound within "haa". The speaker explains it through the fire being addressed as a small child: you feed a child when it opens its mouth and says "aa".

The speaker gives the timing precisely. The rule: the oblation is not to be given before saying Swaha, and not while saying it, but at the point of 'haa' — where the 'aa' vowel sits. Release the oblation while pronouncing that 'aa'. His explanation is offered with an apology in advance to anyone whose sentiments it might hurt, and with the statement that he is trying to explain in the simplest possible form. The fire of the Havan is named Varad Agni — also called Sat Kalyan Agni or Satvar Agni — and her age is held to be that of a small child, whose lifespan is short and whose mouth is correspondingly small. And how do we speak to a small child at feeding time? We say 'aa karo babu, aa'. Just as the child says 'aa', you feed it at that moment. He expects it to be difficult at first, falling early or late, and says not to be alarmed — with four or five days of Havan and more than a hundred oblations a day, the practice settles.

What emotional state should a Havan be performed in?

Only surrender to your Ishta — neither emotional nor angry, no Kama-bhava nor any other. If devotional tears do come, that is good, but stop offering for a while: the reason for the rule is that the mantra should not be mispronounced, not that any fault attaches.

The speaker states the rule and then corrects the usual misreading of it. During Havan one should be neither emotional nor angry, no Kama-bhava should arise and no other Bhava either; the only Bhava should be one of surrender towards your Ishta. Why weeping was forbidden during Havan is not, he says, that a fault attaches to you — there is no fault. It was said so that the mantra should not be wrongly pronounced. If you have become very emotional during the Havan, that is a good thing: it means you are surrendered to your Ishta and their Bhava has awakened in your heart to the point of tears. But at that moment do not offer the oblation. Stop for a while. He says it happens to him too, often during the Vindhyavasini oblations, because where there is surrender and the heart is joined, it feels as though the Mother has come and is accepting from one's own hand. Wipe the tears, calm the heart — nobody is going to run away, all the deities will remain right there. Then as soon as you are normal and the pronunciation of the mantras is clear, resume the oblations. Do not go on offering while weeping and saying who knows what; do not offer stammering.

Should a mantra you do japa of be spoken aloud during oblations?

No. The mantras you perform japa of are not spoken aloud during oblations — if you do japa of the Panchakshari, do not say it aloud with Swaha. Say the mantra mentally and speak only Swaha aloud, exactly as you do in japa.

The speaker gives this as a small but consequential point. The mantras whose japa you perform should not be spoken aloud when offering oblations. His example is the Panchakshari Mantra: if you perform its japa, do not say it aloud and then Swaha. You will say the Panchakshari mantra in the mind and speak only Swaha openly. His reason is consistency with how the mantra is otherwise handled — keep to it exactly as you do in japa, and then it becomes beneficial, a doer of good.

What should be done on Saptami by someone who cannot afford the full worship?

The Khappar method: a large dried coconut split lengthwise into two bowls, filled with cashew, raisin and camphor and kindled — one for the Kuldevi on your right, one for the Kul Bhairav on your left. The whole thing costs about two to three hundred rupees.

The speaker turns to the household that cannot buy the Shringar, the saree, the cloth and the kheer-puri, and says there is no difficulty. The materials: a large dried coconut, the kind oil is pressed from; ten or fifteen to twenty rupees of cashew and raisin, as much as you can manage; fifteen to twenty rupees of Bhimseni camphor, or up to fifty rupees' worth, because good camphor is what will actually burn. A little red cloth; betel leaves. He estimates the whole outlay at two to three hundred rupees. A puja plate is wanted. If you have no new plate and no separate vessel for worship, then bring cow dung from somewhere — cow dung specifically, he stresses; do not pick it up from the road and end up with buffalo dung, because that turns it into a Tantric application and the power becomes formidable. The dung of a heifer will do, of cattle generally will do, but Gau Mata's is best. Smear a small patch of ground with it and let it dry. The assembly, from the bottom: the dung-smeared ground or the plate; red cloth over it; the two Khappars on the cloth; a betel leaf laid in each Khappar with its stalk fully broken off and the tip trimmed; then camphor spread beneath, a tilak of Ashtagandha and kumkum, then the cashew, raisin and dried dates filling the bowl, and camphor packed over all of it so that it burns.

What Sankalp is taken before lighting the Khappars, and in what order are they lit?

Take water in hand, state your name and Gotra, and say that on this Kuldevi Saptami you are performing this worship to the best of your means for your Kul Shakti's pleasure. The Khappar on your right is the Kuldevi's, the one on your left the Kul Bhairav's — light the Bhairav's first.

The speaker gives the Sankalp in full. Take water in the hand, pronounce your own name and Gotra, and say: today, on the day of Kuldevi Saptami, on the Saptami of the Shukla Paksha of Shravan, I am performing this worship to the best of my means for the pleasure of the Shakti of my lineage; may the Shakti of my lineage accept this worship and be pleased. Say that much and release the water. The placement is fixed. Of the two Khappars before you, the one on your right hand side is your Kuldevi's; the one on your left hand side is your Kul Bhairav's. The order is the reverse of the placement: light the Kul Bhairav's Khappar first, and after it the Kuldevi's. While the Khappar burns, remain with folded hands, fully surrendered in Bhava.

In whose name should the Khappar be offered if the family deities are unknown?

To the Shakti Peeth of your area and its Bhairav — Vimala and Jagannath in the Purushottam Kshetra, Kalighat's Kali with Nakuleshwar Bhairav in Calcutta, Tara with Akshobhya Bhairav near Tarapith — with the prayer that it reach your own Kuldevi.

The speaker answers the obvious follow-up: if you do not know who your family's deities are, in whose name should this Khappar go? To the Shakti Peeth around you, and to that Peeth's presiding Shakti and its Bhairav. He gives the cases by region. In the Jagannath or Purushottam Kshetra, Bhagavati Vimala will be worshipped in the form of the Kuldevi and Bhagavan Jagannath in the form of the Kul Bhairav. In the Calcutta region of West Bengal, the Kali of Kalighat stands as the Kuldevi and Nakuleshwar Bhairav as the Kul Bhairav — the Khappar will serve for them. If your home lies further on towards Tarapith, fill it in the names of Akshobhya Bhairav and Bhagavati Tara. The prayer attached to it is the same in every case: that it should reach our Kuldevi and Kul Devta, and that their grace should be upon us. His closing instruction on this is the firmest line in the session: but do not let Kuldevi Saptami pass empty. On that day perform worship to the best of your means.

What is the minimum observance for someone who can afford almost nothing?

Five betel leaves, five supari, ten cloves, ten cardamom, and any sweet you can make at home. Light the Karma Sakshi lamp and five small ghee lamps, offer everything on the betel leaves, and perform camphor Aarti at least nine times.

The speaker gives the floor of the observance, for the household that cannot manage even the coconut Khappar. Bring paan and supari: five betel leaves, five supari, ten cloves, ten cardamom, and a little of any sweet thing you can make at home to eat — kheer or the like. Light the Karma Sakshi lamp, and light five small ghee lamps; clay ones will do. Lay out the five betel leaves and offer everything on them — the flowers, supari, cloves, cardamom, all of it — saying to the Kuldevi and Kul Devta: wherever you may be, accept what we are offering to the best of our means, and be pleased with just this much. Then perform Aarti with camphor. If you can do no more, show the Aarti at least nine times. Do at least this much — but do not let it pass empty. Saptami should not go empty; the Shravan Saptami should not be empty in anyone's house.

What should a household with ample means do on Saptami?

Worship at home, perform service of living creatures, and give to Brahmins, learned people, those you are devoted to, or a temple — with the whole purpose held as the Kuldevi's, that she should grant grace. Do according to your means.

The speaker addresses the other end of the range. Those who have the means should do it as well as they can. On that day perform the worship at home, and perform the service of living creatures. Give to Brahmins, to learned people, or to those towards whom you hold devotion and reverence; give at a temple whatever you are able. The condition he attaches is on the intention rather than the amount: the whole purpose behind it should be your Kuldevi's — that the Kuldevi should grant grace upon us. Do according to whatever means you have. He also notes that if you have more time after the worship, you may perform Stuti recitations before the Havan if you wish; and the rest of the Sawan worship continues exactly as it was — the service and Abhishek of Shiva at home goes on as before, and the worship of the Kuldevi and Kul Devta happens in this manner alongside it. He mentions with approval a listener who has for two years given seven kinds of sweet, Shringar and a case at the temple in the Kuldevi's name, and adds the variant: seven Shringar, seven kinds of sweet, seven kinds of fruit may all be given in donation at a temple.

What are the rules on Bali at this worship?

One coconut Bali for the Kuldevi and one for the Kul Bhairav, offered by a man where possible — a pregnant woman in particular should not, and women generally should not break the coconut. Lemon Bali is entirely permitted; Chhag Bali should not be done at home in Shravan.

The speaker gives the Bali provisions with their exceptions. A pregnant woman in particular should not offer the coconut Bali; and women generally should not break the coconut and offer Bali in that way. Where there is no alternative and no man is in the house, the matter is different and you may do it — but try to have a man perform the coconut Bali by his own hand: one for the Kuldevi and one for the Kul Bhairav. On lemon he is unreserved: lemon Bali may absolutely be given. Kushmanda Bali too, if that is what you do, may be done without difficulty. Asked separately in the Q&A whether lemon Bali may be offered to Mata Shakumbhari, he answers that it absolutely may. On Chhag Bali he is restrictive: it should not be done at home during this time, particularly in Shravan. If you are of a high Tantric lineage or a Tantra-accomplished person, or your guru is capable enough, then decide it with them. Otherwise it should not be done at home in the month of Shravan. He presents this as his own experience and specific knowledge rather than a citation, and says that where it is already the practice in your house he is not interfering — that is your private matter. A related Q&A ruling: a coconut is not to be broken and put into the fire. Offer the coconut separately, after the Havan.

Should Muhurta, Rahu Kaal and Nakshatra be checked for this worship?

His own view — stated as Bhava, not scripture — is not to look at tithi, Nakshatra, Muhurta, Rahu Kaal or Ketu Kaal during Shravan, and simply to do it. Those who prefer principle over person should check the Muhurta; the essential thing is that it gets done.

The speaker gives this as personal opinion and flags it as such twice. On the day of Kuldevi Saptami, do not look at tithi, Nakshatra, Muhurta, Rahu Kaal or Ketu Kaal — particularly if you are performing daily Havan during the month of Shravan, and especially on a festival day falling within Shravan. He is explicit that he is not citing any scripture here: he is speaking from Bhava-predominance, and if you do not wish to accept it, do not. He asks in advance not to be abused for it as unscriptural — that is your choice; perform it in the Abhijit Muhurta if you prefer. His formulation of the split is characteristic: those who hold some affection for him, who are partisans of the person, may do it at any time that day. Those who are not partisans of persons but of principles should check the Muhurta — waiting for Ketu Kaal and Rahu Kaal to pass and performing it in the Sun's period. Either way, he says, there is no difficulty in it — but do it.

What should be done in the days after Kuldevi Saptami?

Whoever you worshipped and performed the Havan for, remember and worship them daily from that day on. Recite their name while walking about — and if you hold no Guru mantra, name-japa carries no fault whatever anyone says.

The speaker treats Saptami as a beginning rather than a discharge. Whoever you performed the first worship for, whoever you performed the Havan for, from that day on remember them daily, perform their daily worship in their name. His example follows the Deoghar case: if you did it for Baba Baijnath and for Ma Jay Durga, remember them every day, and recite their name while walking about. On the objection that name-japa without a Guru mantra is worthless, he is dismissive. The claim that if you have not received it from a guru then doing as you please will not bring welfare — welfare comes only from what scripture prescribes — he answers by saying that welfare will come from any of God's names. And God himself, out of grace, when you take his name again and again, will arrange for you to receive initiation too if he judges it fitting. He draws one line: Beej mantras are not to be recited while walking about. In name-japa there is no obstruction at all. If your inclination is towards Jay Durga, take Jay Durga; if towards Kali, say Kali; if your mind is in Shiva, take Mahadev's name; Vishwanath, Bhairav, Mahakal — but take it. Do the japa while walking, sitting in a cab on the way to the office.

Should an established daily practice be added to over time?

Yes, for established practitioners — because doing the same thing indefinitely once it is fully practised leaves the mind wandering. Add to it: fold the Devi Suktam mantras into your sixteen-upachara worship, or embed verses of the Sahasranama. Adding is not changing the deity.

The speaker is careful that this passage is not for new practitioners: it is for older ones who are already doing well. His reasoning is practical. When you do one thing until you are fully practised in it and then do not move forward, you do not become disenchanted with it so much as your mind begins to cut away — because you are not a formidable practitioner who can hold the mind concentrated indefinitely, and on top of that there is the office, the business, somewhere to be. The mind will not stay that way. So something should keep being added. He is emphatic about what adding does not mean: it does not mean making a change, and it does not mean changing the deity. His worked example: suppose you have been performing daily worship of Bhagavati Kali, and until now you have been doing the sixteen-upachara worship with Pauranic mantras every day. After two, four, five years you are practised. Then add the mantras of the Devi Suktam — coordinate them with the sixteen and perform it that way; no fault attaches. Add some other Stuti or Stotra and build the practice up gradually. If you practise the Sahasranama, embed whichever verses appeal to you within it. For those authorised in the Sri Suktam, he suggests embedding the Lakshmi Suktam alongside it, or using the Durga Suktam, or the Suktas of other goddesses — the effect being that the mind begins to broaden considerably in this field.

Why does Yantra work come to resemble fast calculation?

Because once the Suktas have been practised and divine grace is present, the workings of a Yantra resolve the way integration and differentiation do for someone quick at mathematics — how a Yantra will be constructed and what will follow simply presents itself.

The speaker offers this as an aside on a subject he says he has not yet been able to discuss on the channel. A Yantra, he says, is such a wholly divine subject that if it is approached with understanding, it works like calculation for someone whose mathematics is very fast — integration, differentiation, where one looks and sees at once how much and in what way it will come out. The same kind of calculation, he says, emerges in Yantra work: so divine a capability develops that how a Yantra will be constructed and what will follow becomes clear — through practice built up over time, and by divine grace, when you have practised all these Suktas. He recommends alongside it the material on the Rudra Ashtadhyayi given by disciples of the Shankaracharya of the Sringeri Math, which he says should be available on YouTube; it will only make sense if you already do some recitation. When the concepts become clear, he says, it feels as though a very great secret of the universe has been made known.

Why are the Badi Mata and Pret Mata shrines at Vindhyachal kept closed?

Because these are extremely formidable powers. Pret Mata's darshan can still be had, but Badi Mata's is not given — her history has been very fierce and not everyone should go there. It is proper to salute her from outside and take her blessing.

Asked why the temple of Shitala Mata — the Badi Mata — always remains closed at Vindhyachal, the speaker explains that the Pret Mata shrine remains closed in the same way. Pret Mata's darshan, he says, can still be obtained. Badi Mata's cannot, because hers is an exceedingly formidable power. Her history has been very fierce, and not everyone should go there at all; these are extremely formidable powers. His instruction is to salute her from outside and take her blessing from there — that is what is proper.

What can be done for the protection of a pregnancy?

Three options, all consecrated by a Kavach you have accomplished — best of all the Kamakhya Kavach: a red thread with thirteen knots tied at the waist; a Gomti Chakra with red Gunja sealed in red cloth; or black papaya seeds gathered in Pushya Nakshatra and sealed in black.

The speaker gives three methods, all built on a Kavach the questioner has already accomplished, with the Kamakhya Kavach named as best. First: consecrate a red thread with the Kavach, tie thirteen knots in it, recite the Kamakhya Kavach again over each knot, and tie it at the pregnant woman's waist — the pregnancy is then protected. Second: consecrate a Gomti Chakra with a Kavach, particularly Narayana's Kavach or the Kamakhya Kavach, keeping red Gunja with it; seal it in red cloth, put it on a red thread and tie it at the waist. Third: in the Shukla Paksha, in Ravi Pushya or Guru Pushya Nakshatra specifically, cut a ripe papaya and take out its seeds — they must be black, not the white half-ripe kind. Dry them a little in the sun, consecrate them with the Kamakhya Kavach or another Goddess Kavach, seal them in black cloth, put them on a black thread and tie them at the waist. He notes why he ranks the Kamakhya Kavach first: because the presence of all ten Mahavidyas is in it, there is no bar of Sutak or Patak on it. The third method likewise carries no Sutak or Patak issue. When the child is about to be born, cut it off; there is no difficulty.

How is the Tantrokta Devi Suktam adapted for a Kuldevi Havan?

The Devi Suktam oblation runs "namastasyai swaha, namastasyai swaha, namastasyai namo namah swaha". For the Kuldevi, insert the dative: "namastasyai kul divyai swaha" — not "kul divye namah", since the fourth-case ending takes the "ai" vowel.

The speaker corrects a listener's proposed wording and gives the grammar behind it. What will not work is 'kul devi namah': the fourth-case ending applies, so the 'ai' vowel comes and not the 'i' vowel. Do not say 'kul divye namah'; you may absolutely say 'kul divyai swaha'. He then gives the full oblation form for the Tantrokta Devi Suktam, which he says everyone performing this Havan should know: 'namastasyai swaha, namastasyai swaha, namastasyai namo namah swaha'. In full, with the verse: 'Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu vidya rupena samsthita, namastasyai swaha, namastasyai swaha, namastasyai namo namah swaha'. Adapted for the family power, it becomes: 'namastasyai kul divyai swaha, namastasyai kul divyai swaha, namastasyai namo namah kul divyai swaha'. He adds that if the concept of performing Havan with the Tantrokta Devi Suktam is not clear, get it clarified before doing it.

How can Rahu and Ketu be pacified at home without a specialist?

Four things: keep the house and especially the bathroom scrupulously clean on Saturdays and Wednesdays and keep the soles of your feet clean; worship Shiva's family and the Sankatnashan Ganapati with twelve Durva; fly Hanuman's red flag with a lamp morning and evening; and feed the street dogs before you eat.

The speaker gives a domestic remedy in four parts, with an expected timeframe attached. Cleanliness pacifies Rahu. Let the house be entirely free of dirt; clean the bathroom very well on Saturdays and Wednesdays and keep it gleaming. Keep the soles of the feet clean — the cleaner they are, the calmer Rahu remains. Second, the worship of Shiva and Ganapati — Shiva's family. Ganapati worship happens in everyone's house anyway; performing the Sankatnashan Ganapati worship with twelve Durva offered will pacify Ketu as well. Third, Hanuman's red flag, in the Ishan corner if possible or wherever else suits your place — direction is not strictly necessary, but Ishan is best — with incense and a lamp burning there morning and evening. Both Rahu and Ketu are pacified by it, and Ketu in particular is pleased by a flag. Fourth, the service of dogs, specifically street dogs. Do not keep dogs as pets for this; if you do keep them, let them be outside the main door, because carrying them about in your lap indoors will accomplish nothing. Whatever you can feed the street dogs outside the main door, feed them — before you eat yourself. Do this daily, he says, and the pleasure of both Rahu and Ketu will begin to be obtained; within one and a half to three months the effect will begin to turn auspicious. He adds one negative condition: do not shout and do not abuse — Rahu is pacified most of all by that. And the more you remember God by any means, the more pleased Rahu Dev becomes; Ketu, where he is causing harm, becomes an increaser of Dharma.

What temple service pleases Rahu and Ketu?

Cleaning and serving at a temple; and where a temple's flag is torn, helping to have it replaced — paying for it, having one made. Offering the Chandani, the canopy stretched above the Goddess's place, pleases both as well.

The speaker extends the remedy outward from the house. To the extent of your means, go to a temple and perform cleaning, service and worship there as well. Where a temple's flag is torn in particular, help to have that flag changed — assist financially, have a flag made and give it. He names a second offering: the Chandani, the canopy stretched overhead at a place belonging to the Goddess. Offering such a canopy at a temple pleases both Rahu and Ketu.

What Shiva Abhishek pacifies Rahu, and what is the silver Naag-Naagin method?

Abhishek a Shivling that still has the serpent fitted to it. On Amavasya, have a small silver Naag-Naagin made for a hundred or hundred and fifty rupees, put it in a copper pot of milk — copper only for this — and offer it at a temple, reciting the Panchakshari mentally. Once fallen on Shiva, they are not touched again.

The speaker gives two related Shiva remedies for Rahu. The first is Abhishek with milk of a Shivling that has the serpent wrapped on it — that is, a Shivling standing with Vasuki. He notes that most temples have this, but that people sometimes remove the serpent and keep it separately, and in that case it does not serve. When the serpent is fitted to the Shivling, perform the Abhishek there, give the stream — Rahu is pacified at once by it. The second is specific to Amavasya. Have a small silver Naag-Naagin made from wire, costing a hundred to a hundred and fifty rupees. Put milk in a copper pot — copper only, no other metal will serve in this procedure, whereas at other times milk is not offered to Shiva in a copper pot at all — and do it promptly, without long delay. At the temple, pour the milk into the pot, put the pair of Naag-Naagin into it, and while reciting the Panchakshari Mantra mentally, offer it to Shiva. Once the Naag-Naagin have gone onto him, they are not to be touched again. Then offer water, incense, a lamp and Shringar as your means allow — but the Naag-Naagin must not be touched after they have fallen on him. He adds a third: black sesame mixed into milk, or into water, used for the Abhishek, brings grace very quickly. The Abhishek may be done at home, but the Naag-Naagin method is to be done at a temple only.

Permission to move house, questions about a deity, and specific matters during Shravan are all declined, while Tulsi may simply be taken directly

On several questions he declines outright — who is he to grant permission to move to a new house; a question about a deity is for the listener's own guru; specific matters wait until after Shravan. Tulsi, he says, may simply be taken directly.

A recurring feature of the closing Q&A is what the speaker refuses rather than what he prescribes. Asked for permission to take household deities to a new house, he answers that who is he to grant permission — take them according to your own wish. Tulsi may be taken straight across. Several questioners are told to make contact after the month of Sawan rather than during it, and one is directed to the channel's existing videos on the Karma Sakshi lamp — searchable as 'deepak grihasth tantra' — where how the wick should be and how the lamp is lit are covered in four or five videos already. On the Rudra Chandi Path he refuses even to summarise: read the text, it is written there who may and may not perform it. He suspects the questioner already knows they are not among the authorised, and is asking so that he will say from here that anyone can do it. He will not; read the Phala Shruti after the Purva Pithika and it becomes clear. Where he does answer, it is brief: Chandi Kavach in the Trikala Sandhya is entirely proper; a listener finishing the Jagan Mangala Kali Kavach should continue the sadhana with a reduced count and add Bhairav alongside; and where a Kuldevi is known to be Mansa Devi, worship Mansa Mai — her Sahasranama, Satnam and Kavach all exist, so perform her Panchang Seva.

Does caste determine who a family's Kuldevi is?

No — being a Yadav or a Kshatriya makes no difference to it. Who the Kuldevi is has to be looked into for that family; it cannot be stated from caste. If it is unknown, worship the nearest Shakti Peeth as described.

The speaker answers a listener who framed the question in terms of their community. Whether you are a Yadav or a Kshatriya makes no difference to this, he says. Who the Kuldevi is, is something that will have to be looked into; it cannot be stated in that manner from caste alone. Where the family deity is unknown, the fallback is the one he has given throughout: worship the Shakti Peeth nearest to you in the manner described. He answers a comparable question about West Bengal — whether the principal Shakti there is Kali or Durga — by saying both are principal, and directing the listener to look at where they actually live and hold to the Shakti Peeth nearest them.

How should a Shivling and its Arghi be kept at home?

For a householder they should be separate — the Arghi below, of brass or stone, with the Shivling set on top; never a single joined piece. Narmadeshwar or crystal, with Vasuki fitted (five-hooded is best), the Trishul, and Nandi.

The speaker answers a listener's question with a short list of requirements. A householder should keep the Shivling and the Arghi separately at home: the Arghi below and the Shivling above it, the Shivling separate. It should not be a Shivling joined into one piece. Nagraj Vasuki and the rest should be kept. For the Shivling itself, keep a Narmadeshwar, or keep crystal. The Arghi may be brass or stone, with the Shivling placed on top of it. Vasuki Nag should be present on it — five-hooded is best of all. The Trishul of Mahadev should certainly be there, and Nandi. At minimum, he says, that much should be present.

What if a household already worships its Kuldevi on a different tithi?

Keep your own. If your household has always performed the Kuldevi worship on Purnima, perform it on Purnima and do an ordinary worship on Saptami. Those who know their tithi use it; those who do not, all use Saptami — which is why it is called Kuldevi Saptami.

The speaker closes the loop he opened at the start of the session, answering a listener whose family observance falls on Purnima. If the Kuldevi worship has always been performed on Purnima in your house, then you will perform it on Purnima. Do an ordinary worship on the day of Saptami. The general rule he restates: those who have a rule and already know that their observance falls on a particular tithi should perform it on that tithi. Those who do not know will all perform it on Saptami — and it is precisely for that reason that this Saptami is called Kuldevi Saptami. He extends it to the month generally: within Sawan, if someone's own tithi means their worship falls on another day, or on Purnima, then do it that way. A related instruction from the same stretch: the Kuldevi worship should be performed in the morning.