When a Deity Begins to Mount the Body — Confirmation, Guru, Sadhana and the Rules of the Darbar

What is the very first thing to do when a deity begins to mount the body?

The speaker says the family of the person on whom sawari has begun must first obtain 100% confirmation that the sawari coming on the body is the one it claims to be. A devi or devata's sawari will give its own introduction, so the first thing to establish is whose sawari it is.

Asked what a sadhak or sadhika should do when the sawari of any devi or devata, of any auspicious shakti, begins to come upon the body, the speaker begins with confirmation. For those jataks and sadhaks on whom sawari has begun to come, he says, the people of their family must first of all get 100% confirmation of this one thing — that the sawari coming on the body is the very one it says it is. When a devi or devata's sawari comes, it will give its own introduction. So the first thing to find out is whose sawari this is. Is it of a devi or devata of your kula, of some devi or devata of your own region and sthan, or has some shakti followed you from a tirtha kshetra you visited, so that her avesh has begun to come on the body. Only when this is fully established, he says, can you do anything further.

Does an arriving shakti need a new sthan and pujan vidhi?

If that shakti is already present in your house and already has a sthan, no new puja need be made. If an outside shakti has come, or a shakti of a tirtha kshetra, or a shakti once worshipped in the past who has now awakened, then which sthan should be built, where she is to be given place, her pujan vidhi, her bhog, the tithi and the time must all be known in detail.

Once it is known whose sawari is coming, the speaker says, the next step is this: if that shakti is already present in your house, if her sthan already exists, then no new puja is to be made. If some outside shakti has come, or a shakti of some tirtha kshetra, or a shakti worshipped in some earlier time who has now awakened — and she may well be of your own kula — then it will be told which sthan should be built for her, at which place she is to be given a sthan, what her puja vidhi will be, and in what manner her pujan will be done. What pujan and bhog and so on will be in her name, what the tithi will be, what the time will be. Of all of these, he says, you should have detailed knowledge.

Does the family have to agree before a shakti is given a place in the house?

The speaker says the family members' agreement is necessary on whether the arriving shakti is to be given a place in the house or not, and that people do argue over it. If she is not to be housed, she should be given respectful visarjan at a devi tirtha sthan, or the vidhi vidhan for her return to her dham performed, so that she is not troubled and no dosha attaches to you.

The whole matter, the speaker says, is whose sawari it is and whether they are to be given a sthan at home or not. Along with that, the family members' support is necessary on whether the arriving shakti is to be given a place in the house or not. Over this subject, he notes, arguments break out among people — why should we worship them, these are outside shaktis, let them be given visarjan somewhere. So this thing must be fully confirmed beforehand: what the seva and puja vidhi of the arriving shakti will be. Only then, when you are taking the help of some knowledgeable person, tell them that you wish to give her a place in the house. Or, if you do not wish to, then give her respectful Visarjan at some devi tirtha sthan or the like, give her a sthan there, or have performed the vidhi vidhan by which she returns to her dham — so that she does not trouble you, and no dosha attaches to you either. This should be done respectfully.

Who should be made guru once you decide to keep the shakti?

Having decided to give the sawari a sthan and to do her seva puja, the speaker says a guru should be made through some capable knowledgeable person and the whole vidhi vidhan learned from him. Most fitting is a guru of your own kula; otherwise some right person whom you can trust and who will do you no harm.

Once it is confirmed — yes, we will give this sawari a sthan, we will do her seva and puja, and through her we will bring welfare to our family — then, the speaker says, you should make a guru through some capable knowledgeable person. Having made a Guru, all these vidhi vidhans should be learned through him. For that, the most fitting thing is that if there is any guru of your own kula, that is the very best. Otherwise, some right person upon whom you can place trust, who will not cause you harm of any kind — before such a person this subject should be opened. It should not be broadcast about, he says, that sawari has begun to come on my body, that I possess this shakti and capability.

What happens if someone does not go to a guru at all?

The speaker says the shakti will still grant capability even if you never go to a guru, but it will be unbalanced, and her energy will press so upon the mind that you will not be able to understand. You will feel yourself the strongest person in the world, and will make many small mistakes that in time produce very great loss in life.

Even if you do not go to a guru, the speaker says, that shakti will certainly bring you the attainment of capability — but it will be unbalanced, and the effect of her energy upon your mind will be such that you will not be able to understand. It will seem to you that you are the strongest person in the world. Because of that you will commit a great many small mistakes, which in time will produce a very great loss in your life. Therefore, he says, go into the shelter of a capable guide — some particular person whom you adopt as guru — and after adopting a guru you should first of all walk on the path he has shown.

What if the guru chosen turns out to be the wrong one?

The speaker says the guru being the right one matters greatly. If no fitting guru is found and you hastily make anyone your guru, that too is a problem: if he gives wrong guidance, the shakti walking with you will also be troubled and pained, and she will then certainly give you pain in turn. The whole most sensitive point here, he says, is the selection of the right person.

The guru being the correct one is very necessary, the speaker says. If you do not obtain a fitting guru, and in haste you make anyone at all your guru, that too is a difficulty. If he gives wrong guidance, then the shakti who is coming along with you will also face difficulty and will suffer distress — and then she will certainly, certainly give you distress in return. So the whole most distinctive point here, the most sensitive point as he puts it, is that the selection of the right person must happen here.

What should be done if no guru can be found at all?

If no guru is obtained and sawari is coming on the body, the speaker says you must never think that because there is great energy you will do this and that. Even if the sawari is speaking, you should keep all these matters secret and begin sadhana. Without sadhana the balancing of these shaktis is not possible — know this 100%, he says; unbalanced energy ruins a person one day or another.

If no one is being found, if a guru is not obtained and sawari is coming upon your body, then, the speaker says, you should never do this — that there is a great deal of energy, so we will do this, we will do that. Even if that sawari is speaking, you should keep all these things secret and begin sadhana. Without sadhana the balancing of all these shaktis is not possible — know this 100%, he says. Unbalanced energy is the kind that destroys everything one day or another. So if there is no guru, then you must yourself take knowledge of all these subjects and perform sadhanas.

Which sadhana should be begun first when there is no guru?

For the initial sadhana, the speaker says: if there has been a guru parampara in your house, if anyone has been initiated or has been a sadhak, then do it according to whichever parampara they belonged to. Otherwise, the upasana of any Mahashakti, or of Bhagavan Dattatreya — the guru-form, whom he calls the most capable guru in the whole world, the divine guru — and after beginning with his sadhanas, then go on to Ganpati sadhana, Bhairav sadhana and so on, doing all these things one by one.

For the initial sadhana, the speaker says, if there has been a guru parampara in your house, if anyone has been initiated, has been a sadhak, then do it according to whichever parampara they were in. Otherwise, the upasana of any Mahashakti; or Bhagavan Dattatreya, who is the guru-form — the most capable guru of the whole world is Bhagavan Dattatreya, the divine guru. Beginning with his sadhanas, thereafter you go on to do Ganesha sadhana, Bhairava sadhana and so forth, and then all these things one by one. This, he says, is what you will have to do if you want the companionship of these shaktis in life in a correct manner, in a balanced way.

How is the guru mantra made chaitanya, and what follows it?

When a guru is found, the mantra he gives is to be made chaitanya. If none is found, take the shelter of some Mahashakti as guru — Guru Dakshinamurti, Bhagavan Dattatreya, or any form of Bhagavan Shiva — and worship them in the guru-form. Do five anushthans of the guru mantra of sava lakh each, performing them over the course of a year. Then in order do the anushthan of whatever other mantra is to be done — of Bhagavati, of Hanuman ji, of Bhairav ji — and of a raksha kavach, so that you first make yourself fully secure.

When a guru is obtained, the speaker says, the mantra granted by him is to be made chaitanya. If one is not obtained, then by yourself take the shelter of some Mahashakti as guru — Guru Dakshinamurti, Bhagavan Dattatreya, or Bhagavan Shiva in any of his forms — and do their upasana in the guru-form. The mantras are to be made ChaitanyaFull consciousness and living presence of the Divinity, awakened by reciting the specific hymns that were recited before that deity first manifested.. Do five anushthans of the guru mantra, of sava lakh each. Performing anushthan for a year, make the guru mantra chaitanya in good fashion. Once a chaitanya mantra has been received and some other mantra is to be done — some mantra of Bhagavati, of Hanuman ji, of Bhairav ji — do their anushthan in order first. Do the anushthan of a raksha Kavach and so on. That is, first of all make yourself fully secure. This is necessary.

When does the guru introduce the sadhak to the shaktis that walk with him?

Only after moving forward from that, the speaker says — after some anushthans have been performed and the balanced siddhi of the trinetra and the like has been correctly obtained — does the guru seat himself at his own sthan and acquaint you with your shaktis. There is never only one shakti: a Bhagavati, a yogini or a devata arrives with many other shaktis and many veers who walk with them.

Only when you move forward after this, the speaker says, and if you have obtained a guru, then after having some anushthans performed, when the balanced siddhi of the trinetra and so on has been correctly obtained, the guru seats himself at his own sthan and acquaints you with your shaktis. There is not only one shakti. If some Bhagavati, some yogini is coming, or some devata is coming, then along with them there will be many other shaktis who walk in their whole retinue, and many veers. All their details are given to you by the guru ji — yes, this devi is with you, these are the Veers who go ahead as her escort, these are the veers who walk alongside. Wherever you send anyone, these very veers go and carry the information. These are the shaktis of her company. And the forebears in your kula who died in a particular manner also walk with them and remain in their service. Knowledge of all these subjects, he says, is given to you by your guru — that the shakti is of this whole kind.

How are the bhogs of the attendant shaktis decided?

Thereafter, the speaker says, it is told in what manner bhog is to be given to each. There are many shaktis to whom khappar is offered on the day of Purnima, to some on Amavasya; to some a stream of liquor is poured, to some plain liquor, to some kachchi. Some are to be given bhog outside the house, some at the chaukhat, some in the pujan sthan, some at the place where you keep water, some at Tulsi ji, some by going to the bank of a river or a lake.

Thereafter, the speaker says, it will be told about their bhogs — that bhog is to be given to this one in this manner. There are many such shaktis to whom khappar is offered on the day of Poornima, to some on the day of Amavasya; to some a stream of liquor is being poured, to some plain liquor, to some kachchi — all these subjects will be told there. To some, bhog is to be given outside the house; to some at the Chaukhat; to some in the pujan sthan; to some at the place where you keep your water; to some at Tulsi ji; to some by going to the bank of a river, the bank of a lake. If you wish to walk by the proper vidhi, he says, your guru ji will tell you all these subjects — at what time, and at times such as Diwali, when and to whom and in what way bhog is to be given. If there is a whole army of yoginis, how bhog is to be given to them. All this subject will be told to you.

Should the sadhak keep the shakti to his own household or hold a darbar?

Once the vidhi vidhan is complete and siddhi has been obtained by japa of the mantra, the speaker says the guru asks whether you wish to remain limited to the welfare of your own household or to hold a darbar. If you wish people to come to your sthan, then your profession, your studies, what you have to do in life, and how far your household people will cooperate must all be looked at before deciding — and whether you mean to do the work properly or only to become famous.

Thereafter, when all this vidhi vidhan is done and you have obtained siddhi by Japa of the mantra and the rest, the guru ji will ask this, the speaker says: do you wish to remain limited to the welfare of your own house, or do you wish to hold a darbar and so on. If it is your wish that people should come to your sthan and that you should hold a darbar, then what your profession is, whether you are pursuing your studies, what you have to do onward in life — only after seeing all these things should the decision be taken. How far the people of your house are going to cooperate in this; and whether you wish to do this work correctly and properly, or only for becoming famous — as with all these present-day things of whirling the head about, saying we will do this, we will do that, we are this shakti, this is my capability. That is not it, he says.

How long is the period in which the shakti is only awakened?

If it is to be done by the proper vidhi, the speaker says, tell the guru ji that you wish to learn well and do all of it, and he will teach you the vidhi vidhan — and in it there is a nishedh of at least sava saal, up to five years, or of twelve years, in which you will only awaken the shakti.

If it is to be done by the proper vidhi, in the correct manner, then tell the guru ji that yes, we wish to learn well and do all of this, the speaker says — and he will teach you the vidhi vidhan. And in that there is a nishedh of at the least sava saal, of up to five years, or of twelve years, during which you will only awaken the shakti. One thing to remember, he says: playing with the body, playing at it every single day — that is not this.

Is it right for the sawari to come every day?

The speaker says that when the shakti is awakened and taken into a vachan, the guru has the vachan made that she is not to come every single day. If sawari is coming daily, he says bluntly, you are at level zero; and if she arrives whenever you call, matters are badly wrong. At the time of the vachan it is settled that the darbar be held once a month on Ashtami, Chaturdashi, Amavasya or Purnima, and that the devi or devata will come on the body on that day, and at their parva kaal.

When the shakti is awakened and is taken into a vachan, the speaker says — when sawari is coming on the body — the gurus have this vachan made: that she is not to come every single day. If sawari is coming daily, then, he says, brother, you are absolutely at level zero. If you can call her whenever you wish and the sawari arrives, then things are very badly wrong. This should never happen. For this reason, at the time when the vachan is made, it is told at that very moment: yes, once in a month on Ashtami, on Chaturdashi, on the day of Amavasya or Purnima the darbar is to be held, and on that day the devi will come upon your body, or the devata will come. They will come at the time of their parva kaal and the like. All these things will be fixed, and only after that will the subject move forward — becoming balanced in this way.

Should the chief deity herself perform the utara?

No — the speaker calls this a low kind of practice and says it is wrong. If the chief deity, the king herself, begins to do the work, then what is the use of all her servants and attendants? If the same devi who comes on your body also does the utara and the kaat, then what work is left for all the other shaktis with her? The guru tells you that the utara is to be given in the names of the shaktis who accompany her; the chief shakti only commands.

After that, if some work is to be done, if there is the presence of some disease in someone's body, the speaker says the guru will tell you in the name of which devata and in what manner the Utara of the disease will be performed. Not this — that the devi came, whirled about and threw a lemon, whirled about and took it off just like that, doing anything at all. No, he says. If the chief devi, the king herself, begins to do the work, then what is the use of all her servants and attendants? How low a kind of practice are you performing, that the very devi who comes upon your body is also doing the utara and also doing the kaat — then what work is left for all the other shaktis who accompany her? When does a king ever do the work himself? This is wrong, he says. You do not have the knowledge, and so you are bluffing; it is a plain matter. Your guru will tell you that the utara is to be given in the names of these accompanying shaktis. If someone has a money problem, which shakti will work there; if it is a matter of seeing and hearing, which shakti will work. The chief shakti will only command. The chief shakti of the sawari is not always seated upon the head. If you are under the delusion that the shakti comes onto the body, onto the head whenever you call, and you are playing at it — then, brother, you are absolutely at zero level, deceit is being done with you, and today or tomorrow you will certainly fall into the pit.

What does the guru teach about setting up and protecting a darbar?

The guru will further tell you, the speaker says, that to hold a darbar there must first be mukh bharai and the tying of the gaddi — that is, the giving of a sthan. He will tell how the sthan where you hold the darbar is to be protected, what the rule will be for the people who come, in what manner they are to come, in what manner their vachan will be taken, and how the sthan is to be emptied after the utara is done — because what you take off people, the pret you remove, will otherwise remain right there and become your difficulty.

The guru alone will further tell you, the speaker says, in what manner, in order to hold a darbar, there will first be mukh bharai and the gaddi will be tied — that is, a sthan will be given. At the sthan where you hold the darbar, in what manner will its protection be done; when people come there, what will be their rule, in what manner are they to come, in what manner will their vachan be taken. When all their utara or whatever else is to be done has been done, how is your sthan then to be emptied? Now, the taint of people — you are yourself taking off the Preta and keeping it at your sthan, or sending it away; that thing will remain right there and it becomes your difficulty. For that too the guru alone will tell you how the cleaning is then done, how the nikari is performed, how protection is to be given to your sthan, and at the sthans of which deities the utara is to be deposited. And after that, the protection of your family — that its ill effect should not fall upon anyone. All these things, he says, will be told by your guru.

Sawari begins, word spreads, and within days a darbar and jhaad phoonk are under way — the ruin starts before the mistake is even looked for

The speaker warns against the pattern in which sawari begins today, word spreads that such-and-such devi has started coming, and within four days, five days or a month you are holding a darbar and doing jhaad phoonk, people are getting relief and your name is made. By the time the whole matter has gone bad — when wicked shaktis have overpowered you and the auspicious shakti has withdrawn because of impurity or some other cause and your ruin has begun — only then do you start searching for where you went wrong. So do not make the mistake, he says.

On the coming of sawari, the speaker says, attention should be paid to all the subjects that have been discussed, and only after learning all these things accordingly should the further process be carried out. Not this — that today sawari began to come, there was a clamour that such-and-such devi has started coming, and you began to play at it; and after four days, five days, a month, you are holding a darbar, doing jhaad phoonk, people are getting relief, your name is made, and you are doing anything at all. When this whole matter has already gone bad, when wicked shaktis have already overpowered you, when the auspicious shakti — because of impurity, because of some other cause — has already gone far away, and your ruin has already fully begun, then you start searching for where you made the mistake. So do not make the mistake, he says. Whenever shaktis begin to come, proceed with these vidhans by the proper method, keeping to the rules, managing it, protecting yourself and protecting your family, so that you can move forward in life with this purpose in a protected manner. He closes by hoping that all sadhaks and sadhikas will take benefit from the subject.