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Four hymns inside the Durga Saptashati as a substitute for the full path
The speaker addresses brand-new sadhakas drawn to the Durga Saptashati who want to recite it this Navratri but cannot manage the full path, for lack of time or of Sanskrit pronunciation. He says four stutis that sit inside the Saptashati carry the presence of the Navadurga, the ten Mahavidyass, the Ashtamatrika and the 64 Yoginis, so they are the essence (ark, nichod) of its 700 mantras, and reciting them gives the Devi's special grace and the fruit of the Saptashati path. He is firm that this is for new people and those without time — a Navratri should not go empty, and even school-age children who can read should be made to do it — and not for those who already do the full path, who must not drop it for this.
Tantrokta Ratri Suktam: the shortest Saptashati hymn and what it gives
The first of the four hymns the speaker names is the Tantrokta Ratri Suktam: 15 shlokas, verses 73 to 87 of the first chapter (first charitra) of the Durga Saptashati, being Brahma ji's stuti of Bhagavati Yoganidra, who emerged from Vishnu's eyes for the killing of Madhu and Kaitabha. He says all shaktis are present in these 15 shlokas, so the Devi's fiercest grace comes from them; they take 5 to 10 minutes, never even 15. It is the smallest of the four, so during Navratri the children and old people of the house who can do nothing else should light dhoop and a lamp each day and recite it. He says Bhagavati then helps in lack of strength, lack of wealth, illness and money trouble, and her blow falls on whoever becomes your enemy.
Shakradi Stuti: the Saptashati hymn for wealth trouble
The second hymn the speaker names is the Shakradi Stuti, shlokas 1 to 27 of the fourth chapter of the Durga Saptashati, the praise of Bhagavati by Indra and the other gods. He says reciting these 27 shlokas makes Bhagavati remove even the biggest Lakshmi-related problem, because it belongs to the Madhyama charitra and was made by the wealthy gods for regaining their wealth after Mahishasura had seized it all — so through these shlokas Mahalakshmi shows special grace. He adds that each shloka also has an independent prayoga with the presence of all the Mahavidyas, but calls that a most secret subject he is revealing only gradually; for now, those without time should recite the 27 shlokas.
Six preliminary rites after lighting the karma sakshi lamp: the base of every puja
The speaker says a completely new sadhak must first know the very first vidhan of puja, discussed in the previous part: what is done around lighting the lamp. He clarifies that the six preliminary vidhans described there are to be done after the Karma Sakshi lamp has been lit. He insists these must be learnt, because whatever you do without them will not give its full fruit.
How an ordinary sadhak begins with a daily chalisa-path and slowly builds tapobal
The speaker describes how an ordinary new person, with no Abhichara on him, comes to sadhana: some Punya rises after hearing a satsang or another person, and he starts the Chalisa of his Ishta Devata — Mahakali, Shiva or Hanuman — five to fifteen minutes morning and evening after bathing, with flowers, bhog, a stotra or mantra and an Aarti. Kept up by rule for three months, six months, a year, two years, this slowly builds Tapo-bala — a pot fills drop by drop, he says — until a time comes when the person begins to pass through experiences.
Dream visions as the first sign of a deity's grace
The speaker says the very first experience is that the Sadhak starts sensing divine things in dreams (Swapna): he sees something, comes to know that something will happen in two or four days, and later relates it — I saw this in the dream. When this repeats two, four, ten times, he begins to believe that the Kripa of the shakti he worships is now upon him, and from here the practice that had gone on quietly and in order begins to change.
Every householder and every Sanatani born is a sadhak, not one designated person
Today is the time in which we are discussing that it is not for one sadhak alone — every householder is a sadhak, every Sanatani who has taken birth is a sadhak, the speaker says. His birth has occurred for this very reason, that he was to perform sadhana. He is astray, brother, he has forgotten; he must be brought to the right road, he must be woken and told: brother, remember, birth has occurred for sadhana, so do it — do the sahastrarchan, do the Mahalakshmi chakra.
Why must fulfilment of desires come before detachment?
Shri tattva will be obtained, desires will be fulfilled, and then detachment will come within you — that yes, we must go upon the divine path, the speaker says. If desires are not being fulfilled at all, then from where shall we become detached? This too is true. So for the sake of the fulfilment of desires as well, sadhana will have to be done. There is that capacity in a mantra, that it can give everything — dharma, artha, kama, moksha; all four purusharthas will be obtained from it, but only if one does it.
How does entry into the shakti kshetra begin?
The main subject, the speaker says, is that for those who have been doing sadhanas for a long time, if they wish to enter the shakti kshetra, the beginning is always from kramagat sadhana.
Bhagavati sows a seed in the mind by which the reader becomes, in course of time, a very good Devi sadhak.
Bhagavati will somewhere sow such a seed in your mind that in course of time you will become a very good Devi sadhak — you will certainly become one.
One entering the field of sadhana needs the pleasure of the pitrs, of the kula shakti, and of the lagnesh and the eighth bhava.
Because for those who genuinely have to go into the field of sadhana, the pleasure of their pitrs, the pleasure of the kula's shakti, and — according to the lagna kundali — the pleasure of their lagnesh, panchamesh and navamesh are wanted; and if you particularly want to enter into tantra sadhana, whether it be jyotish or tantra, what the state of the eighth bhava is, and the full grace of these.
Can a sadhana of the Goddess be started during Pitru Paksha?
No. The speaker tells the questioner not to begin a sadhana now — a sadhana of the Mother should be begun in Navratri.
Can tantra diksha be taken by oneself where there is no guru?
It cannot be done — tantra Diksha will not happen that way, though the Dev Diksha procedures already described can be. For upasana of Bhagavati as a householder the speaker directs people to the Shankaracharya parampara, taken together with one's wife, remaining a householder.
A confusion is spread through the path of sadhana that desires are fulfilled only by some specific act or specific mantra
Because of new sadhaks, and because of a confusion spread through the path of sadhana — that until we perform some specific act, until we do japa of some specific mantras, the fulfilment of our desires is perhaps not possible. This is the kind of thinking that sits in the minds of new sadhaks and of those who never receive proper guidance through any medium.
A new entrant searches among the abundant varieties for some object, sadhana or mantra by which benefit may be obtained
When we come into this field, so many varieties are seen in abundance that somewhere in the heart it feels that we do not know what to take up and proceed with. Then we search among them for some object, some sadhana, some mantra by which benefit may be obtained as quickly as possible.
His work is to carry the listener to a level while keeping him safe, by selecting the right mantra in the right manner
Because, he says he keeps repeating, his work is to take you up to a level while saving you — by selecting the right mantra in the right manner. This is such a field, and through the medium by which he is speaking he does not know anyone, does not know in what manner a listener conducts his life.
What is the sadhana everyone should begin with?
The Ashtottar Shatnam of any Mahashakti. Whatever situation you may be in, whatever your troubles may be, when you go into the beginning of any sadhana it should be done with the Ashtottar Shatnam — even if it is chiefly Bhagavati whose sadhana you wish to do.
Why must Ganpati sadhana come next, and what happens without it?
After the guru comes Ganpati sadhana. We say again and again, he says, that the sadhana that is of the very first rank in life cannot happen at all without completing Ganpati sadhana. If you do not do Ganpati sadhana, then in whatever sadhana comes afterwards, obstruction and hindrance is bound to come — obstruction will come even at the very last stage. Therefore Ganpati sadhana is extremely necessary.
Guru, Ganpati and Bhairav first, then the stotra and satnam of one's own ishta aradhya by vidhi vidhan
A new sadhak should always do the beginning like this: guru, Ganpati, Bhairav, then the japa by vidhi vidhan of the stotra and satnam and the rest of his own ishta aradhya. After that their prayoga and so on; and when this is complete, then the further vidhi vidhan should be done.
Is a guru needed anywhere in this whole sequence?
In all these processes the need of a guru does not arise anywhere. It is not so in any place that we need to be initiated by a guru in order to do the pujan of Ganpati ji, to do the Sankat Nashan and the rest; or that only when a guru gives it will we do it. According to the present-day desh, kaal and circumstance, these things are not for that.
What should be done before beginning at all?
Therefore, having known and heard all the basic things there are, one should then do it. He adds that if you are trying to take something from capable sadhaks, whichever field you live in, and your complaint is that so-and-so has the information but is not giving it — there is the difficulty.
Order of the first sadhanas for a new sadhak without a guru
The speaker says that whatever brings a person into sadhana — tantric attack, enemies, debt, illness, family strife, or simply the wish — coming in is the best thing, and for one who has found no Guru the order is fixed. First the basic vidhi-vidhan of sitting at one's place, which is compulsory before every sadhana; then the guru sadhana, done on the one form that exists chiefly for the guru, since no direct guru or Diksha is there; then, once the guru Mandala's Kripa is obtained and the Dev Deeksha vidhan is done, the Ganpati Vinayak mandala; and only after both are complete, Bhairav — the Batuk Bhairav sadhana. He says all of these must certainly be done, and that lamp-lighting basics are also essential for a new sadhak.
Sankat Nashan Ganapati Stotram as a new sadhak's first Ganpati sadhana
The speaker says a new Sadhak should, with eyes closed, take as his first sadhana for Ganpati the Sankat Nashan Stotra given in the Narada Purana. By doing it, he says, not only is Ganpati's Kripa obtained, Tapo-bala accumulated and Prarabdha destroyed, but, as the stotra itself states, the kamana for which it is recited is also fulfilled. The full vidhi-vidhan of the anushthan, he says, is given separately on his channel.
What is the Kamakhya tantra kshetra actually?
Among the subjects connected with tantra in the Agam rahasyas of Sanatan culture, the speaker says, Kamakhya tantra holds a very chief place, and a great many misconceptions about it are spread through society. He will put before listeners what the truth is, how the secret matters of the tantra kshetra are circulated through such misconceptions, and how, on account of them, new tantra sadhaks and sadhikas entering this field are milked and exploited.
The approaching Ambubachi parva is when ordinary householders begin asking about the Kamakhya kshetra
Because the Ambubachi parva is coming, the speaker says. Whenever Ambubachi comes, people try to move forward in this period — an ordinary householder to know about the Kamakhya kshetra and what should be done in Ambubachi, and those who have an interest in the tantra kshetra to know its reality.
Who has actually been called a Bhairav?
He within whom the capacity for bharan-poshan exists has been called Bhairav, the speaker says — and that is never present in any new sadhak. He then asks the real questions: at what time does a new sadhak need a Bhairavi, at what time is Bhairavi deeksha given, and if someone obtains Kamakhya deeksha, in what manner is it obtained, and what has to be done before that.
In what order should a beginner raise the level of his pujan?
A person will not suddenly do shodashopachar with the Purusha Suktam. He will first do it in his own way, gradually with a simple namo mantra; then with a pauranik mantra; and when he has gained practice in the Shri Sukta and Purusha Sukta, he will do it with those. Things increase gradually for the one who actually does them.
May one study such material even if one may not practise it?
Yes — material for study is now available in great abundance on the internet, the speaker says, so study. But think a thousand times before doing a prayoga, because tantra is such a field.
Which tantra is best for a householder?
The tantra of Bhagavati Kamakhya is the best for a grihastha, the speaker agrees — but you must first obtain that same Kamakhya tantra in its root form. One who does not know the root starts giving out the priceless directly, and the person receiving it runs into difficulty.
Only a sadhak whose own capacity has been raised will be able to go up to a difficult tantra.
The root simplification, the speaker says, should be that your own capacity increases — for the thing that is feeling difficult to you. Only then will you go up to a difficult tantra; otherwise you will not be able to do it.
Class ten mathematics is unintelligible to a class four student who has not first learnt numbers, addition and division.
The mathematics of class ten would feel very difficult to you if you were in the fourth or fifth — you would not understand it. First you learned numbers, then addition and subtraction drawing lines, then division, then multiplication, then LCM and HCF. Only after all the root mathematics had come to you could you later do the complex processes of statistics and the like. What felt difficult on the first and second day of practice later becomes a game of the left hand.
How can a listener resolve doubts about this vidhan on his own?
For the removal of all that doubt, the speaker says, simply search Dattatreya Grihastha Tantra: however many videos come, listen to them for whatever questions arise — that if we do this mantra such a thing will happen, whether a kalash is to be kept or what is to be done. Much of your concept will become clear, and your atmabala will become so firm that you will be able to do sadhana very easily and will not need anyone. These are all basic sadhanas, he says; you are doing sadhana of Bhagavan, you are not doing sadhana of any bhoot or pret, so remain free of anxiety.
Is a sadhak obliged to have an anushthan done at a tirtha?
No. The anushthans that happen at tirtha kshetras and the like — you are not obliged, the speaker says. There is capacity within you, so do it yourself. Which subject, which parva kaal is there about which there is no extensive video on the channel, no discussion? Do it yourself. Why are you troubled about why it should be given or not given — do not do it, do it yourself.
Is it better to have no guru than a wrong guru?
A listener asks that, having been told about Dattatreya and about doing one sadhana at a time step by step with the main sadhana at the end, he should certainly search for an excellent guru and excellent guidance, and asks for this kripa. The attempt will certainly be there, the speaker answers — but keep in mind here that if an excellent guru is not found, that will do; a wrong guru should not be found. In his view, if you are doing sadhana by the vidhi then keep going forward; we too will try that you may find one — but some things should also be left to the devatas.
Is manglik dosha good for the sadhana path?
Asked whether manglik dosha is good for the sadhana marg and which sadhana a manglik person should do, he says that according to his own experience, whoever has manglik dosha should first of all see, according to the bhav, in which bhav it is and how much its balabal is. Whether it is good for the sadhana marg or not cannot be said from a manglik dosha alone.
How should the mind be brought to full focus?
Asked how to focus the mind completely, he tells the listener by name to keep this matter in mind: whichever family we take birth in matters. When any person takes birth in some family and goes to do sadhana — either his own mind made him do it, so he is going to do sadhana; or his circumstances are such that he is moving toward sadhana, saying that from the troubles in my life let me get release.
Where should a complete beginner with no guru start?
A listener says he wishes to do sadhana but is entirely new, and asks where, how and when he should do it. He answers by name: if you have no guru and have nothing at all, then even before mantra paath he would say that you should recite the puranas — whichever shakti you have faith in, begin reading the puranas connected with them. If you have very great faith in Bhagavan Shri Krishna, then there are the eighteen paths of the Gita — doing one paath daily, complete it once in eighteen days. Begin in this manner, he says; after that, then go on to mantras.
How many paths at most may a beginner do?
Asked at most how many paths can be done, he answers: do thirty-six paths, if it is to be done at the beginning and you are new.
On which day should a woman begin the worship of Ma Kamakhya?
For the pujan of Kamakhya Mai, do not think of any nakshatra, tithi or vidhi vidhan, the speaker says — if the wish arises today, get it begun from tonight. Before Ma Durga you can absolutely do it; there is no need of a chhaya chitra of Bhagavati Kamakhya in blood. The pujan of Ma Kamakhya, that is the japa of her kavach — whether you have to do it in the morning, at night, at noon or in the evening, whether sitting on the bed, whether you are sitting in a train and have to do it — whenever you have to do the japa of her kavach, do it. For her we always say this, and we say it to women too: even in the state of being rajaswala, lying on the bed or seated, remember her japa at least once, and the kavach if it has been committed to memory.
What is the first instruction when entering the field of tantra?
That whoever explains the subject properly will tell you that if you wish to do tantra sadhana then, whether you are taking diksha or not taking diksha, you must first do some particular path and puja connected with the pitrs. The speaker says he says it safely: recite the eleventh adhyaya of the Gita and dedicate it to your pitrs.
How does a beginner without good dhyan complete a sadhana?
Told that no sadhana is perfected without a good state of dhyan at the start, and asked how a beginner with a poor level of dhyan should complete a sadhana, he says that whatever may be said, according to him the state of dhyan is what is obtained when you begin to do mantra japa, when the mantra settles within you and manana of the mantra begins, when it becomes fully effective in the mind. After that, dhyan begins to happen of itself. Until the correct effect of the mantra falls on your life, on your body, on your mind and soul, and until the bhav of surrender comes, that dhyan is useless.
People today are either over-motivated or under-motivated, with a confused middle between
Two things are clear in the present time, the speaker says. Either people become over-motivated, so much so that they will do anything, or the motivation is so low that they are afraid even to light a lamp. The middle state is a confusing one — decent people simply stay confused about whether to do it or not, and years pass; four Navratris have gone by, such good times have gone by, and they still have not been able to take a decision.
What does it mean if a tantra curiosity wakes in you at any age?
This, the speaker says, is the main thing for those who are curious about tantra and want a guru. If at any age of your life a curiosity connected with tantra is waking in you and you wish to go on one path, then it is held that at some time, in some birth, your journey has remained incomplete.
What does the tantric guru parampara actually say about taking diksha?
For that reason, the speaker says, in the traditional things of the guru parampara of the tantra marg it is said that you do not need to take diksha from anybody — rather you must make yourself worthy enough that the gurus who have been yours at some time carry you into their own guru parampara. That is the reality, he says, and not that we want to go into tantra so we make anybody at all a guru.
What must be considered before beginning any japa?
A great many things have to be considered, the speaker says. First of all, what is your purpose in doing the japa — is it the attainment of the deity's grace, or something else? Besides that, look at everything else too: whether you will be able to complete the japa over a long period or not. The chief thing is what your need is; consider the japa according to that.
How should one begin in yoga vidya?
Asked what to do to enter yoga vidya and how to start it, the speaker says yoga vidya should never be learnt by you on YouTube. It should be learnt beside a proper knower, staying in his sannidhya.
Is there a simple path of upasana for Ma Tara?
There is no simple path of upasana of Ma Tara, the speaker answers. Ordinary dhoop and deep you may do, or if you are a resident of her kshetra you may do it. But she is fully the chhatra shakti of tantra, and her complete puja happens only by the tantrokta vidhan. Maharshi Vashishtha too did not attain siddhi by the Vedic way; only when he did her sadhana and upasana with the fifth makara, that is by the tantrokta method, did he attain siddhi.
How the astras operate will be covered as discussion and information only.
Once Bhagavan Dattatreya's sadhana is completed, the speaker says, one tremendous topic after another will come. The whole topic of the astras is still left, in which all of you will get to know how the astras operate. It is only discussion and information, he says — the capacity to wield them is not in him nor can it be in you; we are hardly such great sadhaks. But whatever interest is obtained by the grace of the Devi and of the saints, whatever is heard through this medium, he will place before all of you.
Chief cause of trouble after Pitambara sadhana: starting with Bagla Pratyangira and no prior practice
The speaker says every sadhana is begun for some purpose, and the decision to do Pitambara sadhana is always taken after hearing someone else's experience, in an excess of enthusiasm. Of a hundred people who report trouble, he says some eighty-five began with the Bagla Mahapratyangira sadhana as their very first practice, reciting her Kavach in anushthans of 1100, 3600 and up to 11000, with no earlier practice at all beyond an occasional Hanuman Chalisa on a Saturday, having picked the sadhana off YouTube or the internet. The first and most particular cause of the trouble, he says, is exactly this: they never did LKG and UKG and sat down straight away with the tenth-class syllabus.
The foundation before Pitambara sadhana: Guru, Ganpati and Ma Sharada
What Bhagavati or any devi-devta says comes first, the speaker says, is Guru, Ganesha and Ma Sharada; at least this much sadhana should be behind you. Was a guru mantra taken, and how much Japa of it was done, even as Ajapa Jap: by rule at least sava lakh. Leaving Haridra Ganpati aside, was even the ordinary Ganpati svarup served, his Kavach recited, his dwadash naam japa done, at least a ten-day anushthan, Modak offered? If you do not do the sadhana of the Vighnaharta, he says, he is the first to become the Vighnakarta, so how can you expect success and no trouble. The proportion of trouble differs from person to person, one succeeds after three days of Ganpati and another suffers even after ten, but the order must stay the same; go straight to the sadhana and there will be trouble.
Does tantra require you to be a perfect or holy person before starting?
Tantra doesn't ask a practitioner to give up worldly life or to indulge in it either — it works with human imperfection rather than demanding it be fixed first — but it does insist on one non-negotiable quality: sincerity.
Can Bhairav's anushthan be done before Ma Kali if no Bhairav temple is near?
Yes, do it, there is no difficulty at all, the speaker answers Sharad ji. To another listener who says he too cannot start a sadhana because troubles arise, he says: make the attempt by all means — Bhairav ji removes every kind of suffering and obstruction.
Why does sleep come during puja, and what is the practical remedy?
If you do the pujan in the early morning and your sleep has not been completed, it will happen, the speaker tells Nisha Sharma ji — and the greatest cause of that will be your mobile, since you sleep while watching it at night. If you do it in the evening, it will happen too, from the whole day's fatigue; that is ordinary. Practically: if the puja place is a little large, spread a sheet and sit; and when sleep begins to come, set an alarm for five minutes only and sleep. Ask forgiveness and no dosha will attach; do not worry. When you wake after five minutes you will be able to do sadhana well for a full hour and a half or two hours.
How should sleep be arranged around the time of sadhana?
The best thing, he says, is that if you have to do sadhana in the evening, sleep well for at least an hour and a half or two hours in the afternoon; if you get that sleep at midday, the evening sadhana will be entirely fresh. And if you have to do sadhana at dawn, then at 9 o'clock at night — he addresses the boys and girls, all the youth — say goodbye to your sona babu; break up if you must, do not reply at all; mobile off; if sadhana is to be done, it is to be done. Get up at dawn and do sadhana and sleep will not come. If the sleep is incomplete and the tension of the sona babu is in the mind, from where will the sadhana come?
Why does siddhi not come in tantra sadhana for some people?
It is the effect of the grahas, the speaker says. For example, suppose the lagna kundali is of Mesha lagna and Shani Dev is seated in the fifth bhava. Shani Dev, seated in the fifth, will look by his third drishti upon the seventh bhava. Shani Dev's first effect is that he increases whatever place he looks upon — some say he causes loss to that place, but it depends on whether he is an enemy or a friend of the lagnesh, and on how much his strength is. But if Shani is seated in the fifth sthaan and the kundali is of Mesha lagna, then know that if you study subjects connected with tantra vidya and go upon that path, the chances of your getting success are greater.
Which Shani placements favour tantrokta sadhana of any shakti?
If the kundali is of Makar or Kumbh lagna, of which Shani Dev is himself the lagnadhipati, and he is seated in your ninth bhava, or in your eighth bhava, or in the fifth bhava, and you do the tantrokta sadhanas of any shakti, then you will have very great benefit. But you cannot go along holding only these, the speaker says: apart from that you have to look at the rest as well.
Which grahas rule the occult in a chart?
Especially the panchamesh has to be looked at more, the speaker says. After that you have to look at Rahu and Ketu too, because occult science — that is, magical tantra and all such things — has a greater lordship of theirs over it. This is what has been held according to jyotish.
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