Shakta
Every question on the site tagged Shakta, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
Other sects
Belonging to the stream that takes the Goddess as the supreme principle.
74 notes from our sourcesNotes from our sources
Who should observe Aghor Amavasya and Mahavidya Tara Amavasya?
The speaker says this day is very important for everyone connected with the tantra sampradaya: those in the Nath Sampradaya parampara, the Kaula Sampradaya parampara, the Shakta parampara or any other parampara. He adds that it matters just as much for someone doing tantra-related kriyas on their own, without any guru parampara, and for anyone worshipping any mahashakti by the Tantrokta method, even if their vidhan is sattvik.
Who should stay away from Siddha Peethas where sacrifice is offered
The speaker says that anyone who finds these matters repulsive, very harsh or cruel should not read about them and should not go to pilgrimage places, the Siddha Peethas, where the rules of the Shakta tradition, Shaivagama and Aghora are followed and Bali is offered. He says the sadhaks engaged in that process, whatever qualities they carry, hold their own view which runs according to tradition. He tells people whose hearts are torn by seeing such things to take darshan of the Devi but never go to or watch the sacrifice ground, because it should not be their subject; whoever does take it up must accept that it has its own tradition.
Sacrifice is mandatory at Shakta Peethas where the tradition stands, and banning it brings no good
The speaker says Bali is mandatory at Shakta peethas where the tradition has come down. At such places, he says, those shaktis have been established through Bhagavati, whatever her leela was, and they stay at that spot and from that spot protect other regions. Putting a stop to all this, he says, can never be beneficial for anyone.
Why Tantra and its Peethas are kept secret and Shaktas do not display their practice
The speaker says that seeing people bring durgati on themselves, others grow worried that something wrong is going on; but for one who moves according to the true matter this never arises, and that is exactly why the subject of Tantra was called secret and why the peethas of Tantra were kept hidden. He says the Shakta path is a calm, gentle, inward path: Shaktas are not extroverts and do not show what they do, because the more people see, the more they will condemn, and the loss will fall more on those people than on the Shaktas themselves. He tells listeners to keep away from such condemnation.
Authority over a Shakta Peetha belongs to Shaktas alone
The speaker says no one has the right to snatch anyone's food, anyone's diet. The main matter, he says, is that humans offer tarpan to the devatas, worship them and satisfy them, and the devatas fulfil the wishes of humans; the vidhan for this differs by each tradition's rules, and one should walk by one's own tradition, with no one opposing or banning anyone else's. He says a Shakta peetha should be under the authority of Shaktas, not of Vaishnavas, not of Buddhists, and not of any other adharmis either; whatever has been running at a place should keep running there in that same way.
Who is the Adi Guru worshipped across all authentic Shakta, Kaula, and Vaishnava lineages?
Lord Mahasiddha Dattatreya — the Adi Guru and first Guru of all sects, worshipped in his original form or an aspect/incarnation in every authentic lineage; if a tradition claims otherwise, it simply means their Guru never imparted that knowledge.
For which tradition is the rajaswala japa described as a boon?
For those who are in the Vaishnava parampara, the speaker says, he cannot say; for them it would not be proper for him to speak. But for those in the Shakta parampara who perform devi pujan, it is a boon if such a state has come about.
Is diksha necessary for japping the Saptashati shaap anugraha mantras?
The speaker says that for this it is necessary to be initiated. If we have received diksha in the Shakta line and so on, then the guru there gives the direction as to how these mantras are to be japped by us.
Why do tantra sampradaya people insist on a bali with the Tantrokta Devi Suktam?
Many people of the tantra sampradaya say that if you recite the Tantrokta Devi Suktam you should certainly do a symbolic bali — at least give a kushmandi bali, a kadali phalam that is a banana bali, a cucumber bali, a lemon bali, but a symbolic one. The reason is that in the fifth adhyaya's stuti it is held that Bhagavati Jagadamba has been invoked by these mantras, and she certainly comes; her tattvas become present by these mantras. And the Saptashati is in itself an extremely specific, ugra Shakta tantra grantha, so it cannot be that she will not come.
What is the Chandi Charitra and where is it recited?
Asked how the Chandi Charitra paath is done and for a description of its mahima, he says its greatest recitation happens especially in the region of Punjab and the like, and it is said to have been composed by Guru Gobind Singh ji.
Why does the teacher discuss this openly instead of keeping it for eligible sadhikas only?
Because those who are Kaul and Shakta sadhaks know that there are subjects which cannot be said publicly — and even on true subjects people make negative comments, which makes a strange situation and spoils the mind, so it is better to tell them to whoever is eligible and authorised. But here that is not possible; he is saying it publicly so that the sadhikas, the mothers who perform sadhana, may obtain the benefit. Whoever wants to say what may say it and carry his sins upon their own head; it makes no difference to him.
Does the yajnopavita already make one a Shakta?
The Shakta diksha, the speaker says, you have received just like that — the yajnopavita has been obtained, meaning you have already become a Shakta. Now, if you have to do some particular tantrokta sadhana, then you need a separate diksha; for the sadhana and upasana of the Gayatri you no longer need any special diksha.
A Vaishnava teacher famous on the strength of Kamakhya has given proof that the Saptashati paath is not for the night — answered here with proof that Bhagavati is Ratri-swaroopa.
He says he will speak plainly and that some will feel bad, though that is not his aim. Those who are much impressed by or influenced by the Vaishnava parampara come to relate the Shakta mata, or even devi puja, to it. A new maharaj ji is becoming very famous nowadays on the strength of Kamakhya — a Vaishnava, but he speaks entirely on Kamakhya. He says that maharaj has given proof that the Saptashati paath is not to be done at night, and that this is not to be done; and he too has given proof in the group that Mai Bhagavati is Ratri-swaroopa and her pujan and paath will happen at night only.
Follow the Vaishnava rule inside the Vaishnava parampara if you must — but in the devi parampara, under a Kaul or Shakta guru, do not cook a khichdi.
If you must follow the Vaishnava parampara and in it there is that it is not done at night — although, he adds, it is done at night — then follow it there. But if you are in the devi parampara, and if your guruji is a Kaul sadhak, is in the Shakta, then do not cook a khichdi.
Where in the Saptashati does the Mahalakshmi identity become clear?
If you are offering to Bhagavati Durga then Mahalakshmi is present in any case — she is Mahalakshmi. Reading the second and third adhyayas of Mahishasura Mardini will show you this, and it becomes clear in the second, third and fourth adhyayas.
Shakta people now carry Durga ji off to Vindhyachal and Narmadeshwar to Kashi, in imitation of what they have watched.
Now, by watching them, it has caught on among Shakta people too, the speaker says. Shakta people also go travelling and carry Durga ji off to Vindhyachal; who told them to bathe her there in the Ganga? People are bringing Narmadeshwar ji from their homes, giving him a bath in Kashi ji and taking him back. What is the need, he asks.
The lion beneath Durga would answer that he too is Narayana
So think, he says: in the form of the vahan we are worshipping Narayana himself. Those who think that we are Shakta, that we will not even take the name of Bhagavan Narayana and will not worship him — then the lion on whom Durga ji is seated will twirl his moustache from below and say, well then, babua, do not do the puja; we too are Narayana. So Jagadamba is seated upon Bhagavan Narayana.
What harm do garlic and onion do in sadhana?
They increase heat, he says: there will be pain in the waist, pain in the stomach, pain in the liver — he notes he said liver pain, not labour pain. So there is difficulty. And the greatest difficulty from garlic and onion is that tamasik vritti certainly increases. The state of swapna dosha increases much more in men. The more heat there is, that much more difficulty; the process of spandan above the Muladhara begins to happen in such a way that a man cannot understand it. So garlic and onion do harm; garlic and onion should be given up.
Diksha and siddhi in Annapurna sadhana versus the householder's simple way
The speaker says Diksha for this mantra is needed only by those who want to do Annapurna's sadhana by the krama vidhan and gain special siddhis; such people take Shakta initiation and practise by the Krama Vidya. Of Jagadamba herself only kripa can be had, but her yoginis can be made siddh, and only then does a sadhu or siddha yogi receive a jhola or vessel in which grain and wealth never run short, used for his own living and for jan kalyan. An ordinary Grihastha sadhak, he says, can do this sadhana in the ordinary manner without any of that.
Their prayoga kaal is the Aghor Navratri around this Chaturdashi and Amavasya, when Shakta and Kaul tantrics complete their sadhanas at Tarapith and Tarachandi.
The prayoga kaal for them falls on precisely this Aghor Chaturdashi, Tara Chaturdashi, Amavasya and so on. The Chaturdashi and the navratra around it are also called the Aghor Navratri, which has already begun; in Bengal especially at Tarapith, and at Tarachandi in Bihar, Shakta and Kaul tantrics complete their sadhanas within these nine days.
Why do Kaul and Shakta sadhaks wear ornaments in the jata?
Not merely to adorn themselves. However many sadhaks of the Kaul sampradaya there are, you will see that they wear ornaments and the like upon their jata as well; sadhaks of the Shakta sampradaya also adorn themselves. But that ornament was never merely for adorning, nor is it only that even now — siddhis of many kinds are held within the jata.
Who should meditate on Bhagavati Tara?
All of them. In this manner Bhagavati Tara, becoming the ally of the many avatars of Bhagavan Narayana, has stood alongside them with her shaktis and has kept granting victory. Therefore whether you are Shakta, Shaiva or Vaishnava, you should all certainly meditate on Bhagavati Tara.
Why does a goddess present from beginningless time have a Jayanti at all?
Because it is said she arose in a portion — one Kala of her thousand, that much of a portion descended, and she divided even that into three parts. She is in fact divided into nine; the remaining six of that thousandth part are not generally known.
The Navami is Ram Navami, and for Shaktas the Tara Navami on which a form of Bhagavati Tara manifested.
The Navami falling afterwards is Ram Navami, and especially for Shaktas it is the Tara Navami — the day on which, according to one kalpa bheda, a form of Bhagavati Tara manifested.
What is the hriday trikon, said to be the greatest of all?
The greatest trikon of India according to the Shakta parampara, he says, is what is called the hriday trikon, and only param shaktas can do it — those who have wholly obtained Bhagavati's exclusive grace can do that trikon on foot. It runs from the place of Bhagavati Vindhyavasini to Kamrup Kamakhya, from Kamrup Kamakhya to Kanyakumari, and from Kanyakumari again to the Vindhyachal peeth. This you may do by train, by bus or by your own vehicles; its fruit, he says, cannot be described.
What rules should a household follow when a woman is rajaswala?
By that reckoning, he says, if a house had a mother-in-law and two or four daughters-in-law, the deities would have to be sent away forever. Since a rajaswala occurs every week where there are four or five women, where would the puja come from? His rules: let there be no touch from her; do the seva-puja without eating food from her hand, and if you are eating it then bathe, become pure and wear clean clothes; let nothing of the puja place be touched by her; do not use water or flowers given by her; if she is cooking, take the naivedya before Bhagavan but offer it from a distance rather than handing it over. And if you know how to show the matsya mudra and the vidhi of amritikaran, and know the full vidhi vidhan of pranayama, then the dosha is remedied as well.
What should an ordinary householder sadhak hold on to?
Stuti too is dear to her: do as much of the Shri Durga Saptashati and Shri Chandi path as you can — the Saptashati is Jagadamba's very heart, and the greatest matter of Mai's pleasure comes from it. Many great tantriks are found on YouTube saying that at first they used to do the Saptashati and later left it, then did this and that, attained tantric siddhi, then the shamshaan — that, he says, may be their own personal matter. Ordinary householder sadhaks should take hold of the Saptashati ji and go on, doing it in Hindi itself.
What does a proper guru have a disciple do first in the Kaul or Shakta marga?
Whenever you do the seva of any Shakti Peeth, or whenever you receive the deeksha of any shakti, the speaker says, the properly traditional gurus — go into the Kaul marg, go into the Shakta marg — first of all have you do, after guru sadhana, the sadhana of Bhairav ji. In Bhairav sadhana such capacity and such experience are obtained that afterwards, when women come before you, your bhav will simply be different; in the traditional way your bhav before everyone will be different.
Can sadhana succeed without remaining a brahmachari, as the new manmukhi panths claim?
One who does not properly know the chakra pujan can say anything at all, the speaker says. Nowadays a manmukhi vidhan is running, in which anything can go. Just as the Vaidik vidhan has its own importance, so the Kaul and the Shakta have their own; you may tamper with it and make up anything of your own. A new parampara is being formed nowadays — mukta panth, this panth, that panth — and in it people are even saying that you may do sadhana and puja without remaining a brahmachari and your gati will still occur. A person should never tamper with it, he says.
Ganapatya, Saura, Shakta or Vaishnava — every sampradaya and panth must do the Shiva abhishek in Shravan
Just as it is said that whether you are Shaiva, Shakta, Vaishnava or of any sampradaya or panth, everyone should keep the Navratri vrat and do Bhagavati's puja, and everyone should go to the Kamakhya kshetra and the Vindhya kshetra for her darshan and pujan — in exactly the same way, in the month of Shravan, whether you are Ganapatya, Saura, Shakta or Vaishnava, you must certainly do the abhishek and shringar of Bhagwan Shiva's shivling. It must not be bypassed, and not even one day should be missed.
It gives the common rules for ordinary householders, not for the Shakta and Kaul parampara
A video on Sutak-patak has been put out today, he says; everyone should listen to it, because this question comes again and again — what the rules will be for those who are jaswala, and what rules apply when someone's death or birth has occurred. He states the common rules there. Now nobody should comment that we are Shakta, we are Kaul, and that at the time of death and birth there is a vidhan of japa in the sutika griha itself: then that video is not for you, and you should certainly do japa according to your own parampara, in which there is no restriction. The rules discussed are those for ordinary grihasthas, so that no confusion remains and they can set their sadhana, asana and mala in order after sutak-patak.
Do the Shakta texts say to worship only Bhagavati at Kamarupa?
No — the Shakta never says it, and the Shakta Tantra texts never say it. You will find it quoted that the worship of Bhagavati is to be done together with your own Aradhya; that alongside her particular worship, your Aradhya's worship is to be done.
What must be avoided toward women in these four days?
It should never be done at any time in life, but in these four days in particular, avoid insulting women and mothers. And if any woman becomes Rajaswala in that time, know her at that time as Bhagavati Kamakhya's very form. Serve her those four days, whatever your relation to her, and let no feeling of untouchability be in you.
What is being done at the Vrindavan Shakti Peeths?
Anushthans at two Shakti Peeths in the Vrindavan-Mathura region, put on the channel. The "enemy" here, the speaker specifies, is not any person: it is every mental opposition that calls the Braj region a Vaishnava kshetra and tries to separate it from the Shakti kshetra, saying Shakti sadhana does not happen there at all.
No caste or gender distinction in Kamarupa: the curse on those who observe it
The speaker says that in Kamarupa Pradesh there is no distinction of varna or of gender for a Shakta or anyone who serves Bhagavati, woman or man. It cannot be, he says, that a girl of a lower varna offers prasad and a sadhak of a higher varna refuses to eat it, and in Kanya Pujan and matrika pujan there caste and varna are not looked at. Whoever looks at caste or varna there, he says, is struck by the Devi's curse; so it is said, and so it is described in the shastras.
Four-day home worship of the Devi image during Ambubachi
The speaker gives the home vidhan for Ambubachi, 22 to 26 June each year. On the first day the Devi image is bathed with turmeric and kumkum and with panchamrita, then covered entirely in clean red cotton cloth so that only the face shows, with no heavy ornaments on her, and then worshipped. On the fourth day, the 26th, the cloth is removed, Jagadamba is given abhisheka again, then fully adorned and ornamented, best by the hands of a sumangali woman of the house; after the panchamrita bath she is dressed in red again, and a Havan should be done that day if possible. If Navratri is running at the same time, he says, the image is still dressed in red right after the first-day bath so it need not be moved, and the cloth is still removed on the 26th even though the Navratri cloth would otherwise come off on Navami.
Sadhana done during Ambubachi becomes infallible: the greatest festival for Kaul and Shakta sadhaks
The speaker says that whatever mantra Purashcharana or anushthan a sadhak does in the four days of Ambubachi, whatever extra japa and Havan, whatever attempt at reciting a Kavach and gaining its siddhi, Bhagavati makes it amogha, infallible. For every sadhak in the whole Kaula Sampradaya and Shakta community, he says, this is the greatest festival period, and it is said to carry thousands of times the merit of even Navratri.
Is the tulsi and Narayana practice only for Vaishnavas?
The speaker says that if you are a Vaishnava especially, then certainly do it — but the Shaktas and Shaivas should not think otherwise. There is no Shakta and no Shaiva, he says: all are Smarta. In the householder state everyone is Smarta.
If a lineage really does withhold tulsi, should it be said publicly?
No, the speaker says. Even if it is genuinely the case that tulsi is not offered in your naivedya, keeping the feeling of lokachar and for the sake of lokahita, this subject should not be told. The best thing about Shaktas, he says, is that they never give away their end; they keep it secret, because folk tradition would be defiled by it.
What does the Ashtottara Shatanama accomplish at this place?
It has been said that whether one is Shaiva, Vaishnava or Shakta, whoever comes to this punya sthan and does japa of the Ashtottara Shatanama has his mantra accomplished in a moment. Whichever form of Bhagavati you worship, always do japa of their Ashtottara Shatanama. It is for the sake of all — whether you are Shaiva, Shakta or of any other sampradaya or panth — but for the sake of mantra siddhi the chief subject of the panchang is the Ashtottara Shatanama, so its japa should certainly be done; by it mantra siddhi takes place.
Who actually gives deeksha in a traditional parampara?
Keep in mind, the speaker says, that when deeksha takes place — if you are taking traditional deeksha — the person who sits there in body and gives you deeksha is not really the one who gives it; rather the Param Guru gives it, that is, the one who was the first pravartak of that panth, of that marg. In the marg we are in, he says, we are in the Shakta parampara, in the Shakta marg — but even in this marg our first guru is Bhagavan Narayan; the adi guru who is worshipped first is Bhagavan Narayan. That is, we hold in our parampara that Shakta deeksha is being given to you by Narayan.
Brahmacharya during a Shatchandi and the "a Shakta's wife is Bhagavati" argument
The speaker says there are special rules and cautions for Brahmacharya and diet during such a parayan. The man had been told that since he is a Shakta, his wife too is a form of Bhagavati — if you cannot keep her pleased, how will you please Bhagavati? — the same point that once caused a whole controversy. Caught up in that, he did not keep brahmacharya at all: his sattvik food and drink was fine, but there was no special observance of brahmacharya, and his household relations continued about once a week. The speaker says this is entirely wrong and should not have happened.
Is diksha necessary for the Durga Saptashati?
Asked whether diksha of the Durga Saptashati is necessary, he answers no — one cannot say it is very much necessary in that way. You can recite it by the ordinary vidhi vidhan. If you have to do some particular vidhan, if you have to do a yaag and the like, then diksha is necessary; Shakta diksha is necessary.
Why were the three Rahasyas joined to the Saptashati when they are not described in the Markandeya Purana?
He answers that the three Rahasyas, and beyond them the Kavach, Argala and Keelak — the whole of that subject — are there because the Saptashati has become an independent Shakta grantha. When you recite the Keelak, he says, you will then come to know what that subject is.
Does one need a separate diksha for Chhinnamastika after the Panchakshari?
Asked whether, after taking Panchakshari mantra diksha, the Chhinnamastika mantra has to be taken separately, he says yes — Maai's diksha will again be entirely separate. Even if the diksha of the Panchakshari has taken place, you have to take the Shakta diksha if it is of Bhagavati Chhinnamastika, and then her whole vidhi vidhan will be separate.
Why do people go to whoever looks most like a tantric?
What happens here, he says, is that whoever makes his outward dress look like a tantric — wearing a mundmala, wearing kade of different kinds, of which there are very many types — and whoever puts on more of a show of himself, doing havan in the shamshan, doing masanik kriyas, will look to you like a real tantric. They will talk of a hundred sadhanas, and then you will go to them and get initiated, or wish to receive diksha from them.
How the uninitiated get adhikar for the Navarna and the Saptashati path
The speaker says that if you have no deeper knowledge, at the very least take the upadesh of the Navarna from someone who wears the yajnopavit and does Gayatri and the like — a sadhak or a brahmin — take Shakta diksha, and take upadesh or adesh for the Saptashati. Request the brahmins who recite the Saptashati during Navratri, in Navratri itself, to give you adesh and initiate you in the Shakta line. Whoever wears the yajnopavit and does trikaal or two-time Gayatri, or recites the Saptashati daily, can give that adesh; it confers adhikar and no dosha attaches. This much should be done so that the path can be recited without dosha or problem.
What do Kaul and Shakta sadhaks do with the moonj janeu on Bhadrapada Amavasya?
Just as at Hal Shashthi the gramin bhagatvaals give their disciples all the things that come by upadesh, so on the day of the Bhadrapada Amavasya those sadhaks in particular of a Kaul parampara or a Shakta parampara who now wish it — whatever siddhis related to the ang vidyas they hold, or upadeshatmak siddhis — either renounce them through this very moonj janeu, or bestow them on some fit disciple of theirs.
What is said about Shri Krishna and Mahavidya Tara?
It is said, he reports, that Bhagavan Shri Krishna became capable of showing the darshan of the Vishwa swaroop by the grace of Mahavidya Tara alone. Now if you are a Vaishnava, understand it as you will — but in the Shakta sampradaya all these things have very great importance, and none can ever be held separate from another.
How should one seek diksha in the Kaul marga, in the Kali kula?
Vishal Bharti ji wishes to go into the Kaul marga. Then, he says, stay in the contact of some good sadhak related to the Shakta sampradaya, or at whichever Shakti Peeths there are, learn the vidhi-vidhan, examine and see how far they can go with you, or whether you are suited to them and they to you — having seen all this, then do it.
The motion runs upward for moksha, and the Kaul-Shakta view takes the downward
Two kinds of motion have been held: upward and downward. When it goes upward, the path of our moksha is formed. In the Kaul, Shakta and the like, the downward too has been held to give moksha; bhoga has been shown above moksha. But when one is a householder and is walking on a path of sadhana of this kind, then for him it has been said that all these things happen only because of the chemicals being made inside the body, in our brain, the chemical changes taking place, the hormones being made.
The Navarna vidhi is never told online: take a proper Shakta diksha, then the adesh of your guru, and japa the mantra
No. Asked for the vidhi of the Navarna mantra sadhana, the speaker says this vidhi can never be told online by him. Take a proper Shakta diksha, then take the adesh of your guru, and japa that mantra.
Did the great siddhas display their siddhis?
If you wish to do the sadhana properly again, then take its diksha and do it; then it will be proper, and receive that mantra from the mouth of some guru. Become Shakta-initiated. Here, without diksha, Bhagavati herself is said to be announcing that siddhi has occurred. The speaker says he knows this may offend and apologises in advance, and that many try to troll him for speaking on such matters — but the subject becomes one of manipulating people, because after hearing this fifty more will say the same happened to them, and a state of confusion is created.
A mahapurush of one's own region worshipped as guru before the 36-akshari
The speaker says that whatever the reason a person wants to jap the 36-akshari mantra of Bhagavati Pitambara, even having been moved by someone's video about its effect on an enemy or vichar trouble that is also in their own life, they should first do the sadhana of a worthy mahapurush of their own region who is worshipped in the form of a Guru. For Bengal he names Ramakrishna Paramhans and Maa Sarada; for going further into the tantra field without a worthy guru, Bama Khepa, whose name-japa alone is enough. He says "Jai Guru Jai Tara", which everyone in Bengal says, can itself be carried as the mantra; a mantra need not come from a mouth, one carries their kripa.
Dattatreya as the guru-swarup accepted across all paths
For one who wants to go further still, the speaker says what he would recommend as best is the sadhana of Bhagwan Dattatreya, because he is the samyak swarup of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh; the sadhaks of every path, Shakta, Kaula Sampradaya, Shaiv or Vaishnav, accept him, and he has full importance in every panth and sampradaya. Whatever swarup one follows, Dattatreya integrates into it, and if his kripa is obtained one gets a Guru in physical form too, advances on the spiritual path, and receives the kripa of the Guru Mandala. One may take refuge in his swarup, or, if not that, take one of the Navnath.
Is Kartik a month only for Vaishnavas?
The speaker says that although it is supremely holy for Vaishnavas, there is no shortage in it for Shaktas either. It is not that a Shakta may sit unconcerned, saying the Durga Puja is over, the bali has been offered, all the work is done, and now let the Krishna bhaktas and Narayan bhaktas do their bhajan in Kartik. It is for all of us, and such distinctions are not to be kept.
Where are the Ashta Bhairavs worshipped in a mandala?
The Ashta Bhairavs are extremely famous, and their samarthya and their forms are met with in every kind of tantra. In whichever tantra — connected with daivi shakti, with the Shakta, with the Shaiva, and in Vaishnav too the param Vaishnav and maha Vaishnav shaktis — whenever their pujan takes place in the ashtadal kamal, it is the Ashta Matrikas who are worshipped there in different forms; in the middle the Ashta Matrikas, and right at the front, as their eight shaktis, the Bhairavs are worshipped.
Does Bhagavan Datta's Dev Deeksha close off other traditions?
No. If you are performing Bhagavan Dattatreya's Dev Deeksha Vidhi, you may go into any tradition afterwards. It is not that one thing applies for the Shakta, another for the Shaiva and another for the Vaishnava — Bhagavan Datta is present in every Panth and every tradition.
Who may do japa in a house under Sutak?
That subject — japa in a Sutak house, or at the place where a death occurred — is for Shaktas who hold that full kind of Deeksha, or for those who do japa of the Vaishya mantra. It is not for ordinary people. Householders who have received an ordinary Deeksha do not sit and do japa in a Sutak house.
Atas Gram Devi near Mathura: the self-manifested Yogamaya vigraha where the Devi born from Yashoda took her ashtabhuja form
The speaker says the site is a Puranic tirtha in the Vrindavan–Mathura region, at Atas village, whose Devi is called Atas Devi. When Bhagavati Vindhyavasini appeared by her thousandth amsha from Yashoda's womb in Gokul and reached Kansa's prison, Kansa lifted her to dash her down; she rose into the sky in her ashtabhuja form and declared that his killer had already reached Gokul — and this, he says, is the very spot where she put on that divine form. Jagadamba is present here as Yogamaya in the form of Mahishasura Mardini; the vigraha was made by no one but is held to have appeared by itself in Puranic times, a natural vigraha where shakta sadhaks report divine wonders, and in the most ancient times a principal centre of shakta tantra sadhana in Mathura. It is a form of Vindhya Durga, present here in this form since Dwapar, before going to Vindhyachal; beside her, in red, is Bhagavati Mansa Devi.
Shakta worship and a former bali tradition at Atas in the Mathura region
The speaker says those who think shakta worship never happened in the Vrindavan or Mathura region should go and see places like Atas: it is an ancient site where tantra sadhana was once practised, though such divine places are being neglected today. The local people testify that at one time bali puja and everything else was done there; but because the region is what it is, people had the bali custom stopped, and today no bali is offered — even though, he says, in Bhagavati's form here bali certainly is offered, it is simply not being offered now because it was shut down.
Why does the word "tantra" today nearly always mean worship of the Goddess?
The author states that although Shakta Tantra (worship of the Divine Feminine) is technically only one branch among many tantric traditions, its historical dominance and enduring influence have been so pronounced that the word "tantra" has come to nearly always mean Shakti upasana in popular usage.
How does tantra's emphasis on "power" (shakti) differ from the Vedic focus on detachment?
Where Vedic/Puranic religion generally pursued peace and liberation through vairagya (detachment from the world), tantra shastras expressly affirm power — spiritual, mental, vital, and material — as shakti, treating it as equally divine and necessary for a fulfilling existence that includes both worldly engagement and liberation.
Why is the Shakta path said to bring faster spiritual experience — and what caution comes with that?
Because Shakti is always immediately present and active in the world (unlike the abstract, detachment-oriented purusha of the Upanishadic path), the author says spiritual experience tends to come faster on the tantric path — but he cautions that early experiences alone are not sufficient; they must be assimilated through purification of the ego and produce a concrete, visible change in the practitioner's life.
What is Shakti, according to Kashmir Shaivism?
The author defines Shakti simply as the executive power of Shiva, citing the 11th-century Kashmir Shaiva text Pratyabhijnahrdayam's description of the Supreme Shakti (chiti) as absolutely independent, unfolding the universe of Her own will — with movement and action as her fundamental nature.
Why does tantra conceptualize Shakti as a Mother, and what does that relationship involve?
The author explains that personifying the impersonal, cosmic Divine Shakti as a Mother makes an otherwise incomprehensible power accessible for communion — a relationship built on the upasaka's complete surrender and Shakti's absolute protection, nurturing the practitioner toward higher consciousness.
What is Kundalini, and how does the personification of Shakti as multiple Devis structure her worship?
Shakti is described as dwelling within every atom, veiled by ignorance, and awakened in the body as Kundalini at the base of the spine; her personification into distinct Devis, each with her own domain and mantra, gives practitioners a systematic structure for approaching this multi-dimensional power.
Shivaji, Vidyaranya Swami, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda are offered as evidence that Shakti upasana shaped India's history.
The author cites Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Vidyaranya Swami, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Swami Vivekananda as historically significant devotees of Shakti, presenting their impact on India's history as evidence of Shakti upasana's transformative power.
What is the fundamental philosophical aim of Shakta Dharma, and what does the Daksha Yagya/Sati story symbolize?
The author renders Shakta Dharma's aim through the Upanishadic mahavakya "sarvam khalvidam brahman" (everything is Brahman), and reads the story of Sati's body being cut into 51 pieces by Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra — forming the Shakti Pithas — as symbolizing Shakti's descent into matter, separated from Shiva (purusha), which the upasaka's sadhana works to reunite.
Shakti upasana begins in duality and ends in adwaitam, where the practitioner becomes a divya upasaka — a vessel of divine energies.
The author describes Shakti upasana beginning with a dualistic approach (upasaka and deity as separate) that gradually deepens through devotion and practice toward adwaitam (oneness) — a state where the practitioner becomes a "divya upasaka," their consciousness no longer purely human but a vessel of divine energies.
What astrological argument does the author give for Shakta Tantra's coming prominence in India?
The author cites the planetary positions at the hour of modern India's formation — Rahu in Taurus lagna and Jupiter in the sixth house — as, per jyotisha, indicating that Shakta Tantra will play a prime role in the revival of dharma in India, since Rahu is considered a strong astrological indicator of tantric and Devi worship.
Are there Jain sadhaks who worship Bhagavati Vindhyavasini?
The speaker says there are many Jain sadhaks who chiefly perform the seva of Bhagavati Vindhyavasini and serve Mai greatly in this same form. He mentions having put out a video in which they wrote of Mai as Mahayakshini — they call her Mahayakshini — but says he will not say much more, since it is a separate subject.
May the tantric mantra of Kamakhya be perfected without initiation?
Asked by a questioner who wishes to perfect the tantric mantra of the Mahashakti Peeth Kamakhya, he says it will not happen. If some capable guru has initiated you, if you are Shakta-initiated, then do it, and do it by the guru's adesh — it is a tantric mantra.
Only a limited number of people remain with him because he speaks and carries what is true, telling those who want the tantrokta path to take Shakta diksha first
He says it is precisely for reasons of this kind that only a very limited number of people remain with him, because he speaks and carries what is true and what is right. If you wish to do it in the tantrokta manner, become initiated in Shakta diksha; do it by vidhi-vidhan, and then benefit will come and you will be able to accomplish something.
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