Guru Mandala
Every question on the site tagged Guru Mandala, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
The complete circle of Guru principles and lineages — merely remembering or worshipping Lord Dattatreya, whose form unifies Brahma, Vishnu, and Sadashiva, worships and pleases the entire Guru Mandala at once.
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Guru pujan is the first puja after sankalpa, and Dattatreya is the easiest guru without a diksha
The speaker says that after the sankalpa the first pujan is that of the Guru, and this is where the first stage of sadhana begins. Asked how to do guru pujan when there is no guru and no Diksha, he answers that the easiest and simplest recourse is Bhagavan Dattatreya: his form appeared for exactly this reason, so that wherever in the world a seeker needs the Guru Tattva and longs for a guru, he is present at once. Merely remembering Dattatreya, he says, worships the entire Guru Mandala.
How to do guru pujan through Dattatreya, and his command over pitrs, 64 yoginis and 52 bhairavs
For guru pujan through Dattatreya, the speaker says to recite the shlokas dedicated to the guru such as "Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu", or Datta's 108-name ashtottara shatanamavali, or his 12 names; any of these worships the whole Guru Mandala. He adds that Bhagavan Datta is the cause of the uplift of all Pitrs, and that among the Mahasiddhas it is Datta who is the root shakti commanding the 64 Yoginis and 52 bhairavs. Merely worshipping or remembering his form satisfies him; satisfied, he bestows the grace of the whole guru mandala. As your merits grow and your impure Prarabdha decays, discrimination awakens on its own, the path becomes visible, and when the time comes you obtain a guru.
Longing for a guru is answered: the first purashcharana for Datta until a guru comes
The speaker says that as long as there is no guru, one may do the Dev Diksha Vidhan and make the very first Purashcharana anushthan for Bhagavan Dattatreya, for the Guru Mandala. It is not that because no guru has been found in this birth none was found in earlier births; one surely was. A guru is certainly obtained if this sadhana is done with longing, because it is Dattatreya's very responsibility to grant a guru to anyone who presents that longing and calls out with surrender and a piteous heart. As the share of guru tattva and kula parampara merit from past births grows in a large way, he says, you come closer and closer to that kula parampara.
When should a tantrik pratishtha be renewed?
Tantrik pratishtha, whether of a mala — meaning here those who are doing pujan according to the tantragat parampara; this subject is not for ordinary people, it is for them — has this rule, he says: the guru gives the upadesh that from within the guru mandala, that is, the guru's dada guru, pardada guru, up to the third, the parameshthi guru, let us say up to the parat-par guru, whosever birth tithi and the like falls, whosever birth festival is celebrated, on any of those tithis in the year the pratishtha of the mala should be done again.
What is offered in the opening ahutis of this havan?
Give the opening guru and Ganapati ahutis with paushtik samagri, and, if you are a man, with ghee. For the principal mantra ahutis use the black til, guggul, ghee mixture. The speaker says the Bhairav tattva will be drawn toward you so intensely, and Bhairav's kripa obtained, that you will not be able to believe it.
Which opening ahutis are given in the small daily havan kund?
After 100 paths are complete and offered, in a small havan kund give the opening ahutis one at a time: one ahuti in the guru ji's name — Guruve Namah, or Aing Ring Shrim Guruve Namah, or whichever mantras you use; an ahuti of Ganapati ji; one ahuti of Bhairav ji there as well; an ahuti of Ambika; one each of the navagraha and the rest; of Hanuman ji, of the forms of Bhagavati ji, of Lakshmi Narayan ji — one each of all of them.
What does the Datta Mala Mantra purashcharan accomplish?
If the purashcharan of the Datta Mala Mantra has been completed, then the grace of the guru mandal has come about, and many bad prarabdhas have been destroyed. The capacity to hold a mantra, which lies in the mantratmak body, in the sukshma sharir, is obtained upon you by the guru mandal's grace — and whatever guru mandals are connected with the past births of the jivatma that is in our body somewhere become joined, their grace joins with you, and you advance in this field taking the help of that energy.
The trigunatmak shaktis satisfied in a Tripindi shraadh coalesce directly in Bhagwan Datta, so the pitrs are satisfied by the worship of this one form.
He says the pitrs are satisfied at once. In Tripindi, where the trigunatmak deities are satisfied — in the Tripindi shraadh, for the removal of the pretatva of three kinds of prets — the coalescence of those trigunatmak shaktis occurs directly in Bhagwan Datta, by the worship of this one form alone. That is why, he says, Bhagwan Datta is present in the guru mandala in one form or another, in every parampara.
A place for the adi guru mandala should exist in every home however small, which is why a consecrated Datta mudrika is sent out each Datta Purnima.
He says that just as Batuk Bhairav ji has a place in their own family practice, so Bhagwan Datta — a place of the adi guru mandala or of the guru swaroop — should certainly exist, however small. For this he mentions the Purnima that comes in the month of Margashirsha, Datta Purnima, at which they have tried each time to have a small Datta mudrika, at least consecrated, reach everyone.
After the pratishtha and abhishek it is seated on the guru mandala's asana for daily seva, as shown in the trayomukhi rudraksha abhishek video.
The vidhi of pratishtha has been given, he says — perform the pratishtha, perform the abhishek and the rest, and seat it on its asana, on the asana of the Bhagwan's guru mandala, and do their daily puja. He refers to the video they had posted of the abhishek of a trayomukhi rudraksha, in which they had also shown how the asana for the Datta mudrika is made and how their daily seva is done.
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.
Can all siddhis be obtained by the guru mantra alone?
Asked about the Mahabhairav mantra, he says it can be used now by taking a sankalp, and that is all he will be able to tell just now. All mantras, he says, are not equal even to the sixteenth kala of the guru mantra. Asked then whether all siddhis can be got by the guru mantra alone, and if so why so many kinds of sadhana are needed, he says it is Mahamaya's own leela; the statement is entirely true in its own place that everything can be obtained through the guru mantra.
One who reaches Kamarupa and does not sit and do the japa of his Guru-given mantra is cursed by that mantra and the Guru Mandal
That if, after coming to the Kamarupa region, you do not perform the japa of your Guru's deity-mantra seated there — near the Nilachal mountain, near the Saubhagya Kund, near the Brahmaputra — then that mantra and the Guru tradition running down to you, that Guru Mandal, curse you. It is in the Devi Purana Mahabhagavata and in the Shakti Sangam Tantra.
What if others speak against your Guru?
Whoever he is, and whether we abuse him or someone else does, let that subject stay between us. For you he is the Guru; he initiated you, and your surrender at his feet should remain. But where a Guru speaks against the Shastras, that is a different matter.
Starting the Navratri navgrah jap: Pratipada, kalash optional, morning best, after guru-Ganapati pujan and the Bhagavati path
The speaker says the jap and pujan begin on the Pratipada of Navratri after Kalash sthapana, Akhand Jyot and so on; but one who does no akhand deep or kalash sthapana and only does puja-path can certainly still do this sadhana. It may be done morning or evening as one's business or job allows, though morning is best. The order on each day: first the kalash sthapana (on Pratipada) and the initial pujan, then guru and Ganesha pujan, then whatever path of Bhagavati one does, and only after that this jap. He says all the mantras (of the nine grahas, their mothers and Bhagavati) are put on one page on screen and will be given in the description or a PDF for copying.
Daily jap order of the Navratri navgrah vidhan: the day's Durga, nine malas of the day's graha, one of its mother
The speaker gives the daily order: after the initial pujan, one Mala of the guru mantra and one of the Ganesha mantra (if one japs other mantras too), then one mala of that day's Durga, then nine malas of that day's graha, then one mala of the graha's mother; the graha mantra is thus Samput-ed by Ma Durga and the mother, which he says makes it sharper in effect. All the jap is then surrendered into the left hand of Bhagwati Jagadamba Durga. Day one (Pratipada): Shailputri one mala, Surya Narayan nine, Mata Aditi one. Day two: brahmacharini, the Chandra graha, his mother Anusuya. Day three: Chandraghanta, the Mangal graha, Mata Bhumi (Prithvi Mata). Each day continues in the same pattern, the jap surrendered the same way.
What is the sequence of the diksha ritual itself?
First the upadesh — these are the rules, this is the niti-niyam, this is how you must do it, this vidhi vidhan will hold. Then you are asked whether you can walk in this parampara in this manner. Next the guru seats you and has you perform the full vidhi of his kula: guru Ganapati pujan, guru mandala pujan, kalash sthapan, kalash pujan, yogini pujan, and the pujan of the kula devi-devata and kula rakshak. Then, with the fire kindled and the shikha mantra and the rest, he gives the guru paduka mantra.
What should those whose guru has left the body do on Guru Purnima?
Moving on to Guru Purnima, the speaker says that all those who have their own guru, their own sadguru — if that guru has gone to the guru mandal, to his own dham, his nij dham — should follow whatever niyam of pujan paath, havan yajna and daan punya exists in their guru parampara for his sake.
Can one still contact a guru who has taken a new body?
Asked whether, if the guru has obtained a new body, it is still possible to contact him in his former form and to take guidance, or whether that is an illusion, the speaker says: whoever the guru may be, when you have taken deeksha in a parampara, then even if the guru has obtained a new body because of the motion of his karma, the grace of the guru mandal remains upon you forever. In sukshma form the guru continues to bestow grace. Contact in the former form can absolutely be made; whether taking guidance is possible or not depends upon the guru mandal.
What is the principal sankalp in the guru mandala pujan?
He says that when you enter the field of tantra, in the guru diksha you will receive the whole description of the guru krama and the guru paduka; and in the tantric pujan of the guru mandala that takes place — every Purnima, or as the parampara has it — the principal sankalp is of exactly this subject: that in this ayana, whether Dakshinayan or Uttarayan, from this month to this month, in the time between two pujans, whatever tantric procedures have been performed and whatever known or unknown dosha has arisen from them, connected with prarabdha and the rest — a whole broad sankalp — for its nivritti we are taking the sankalp of the guru paduka pujan. And then the whole pujan takes place.
What follows the guru paduka pujan?
These are basic things, he says, for all those sadhaks who go into the properly sequential traditional sadhanas within a guru parampara. They do them. After it, whether it be the guru paduka mantra or the whole subject that follows, doing all of that — one's own tarpan, that is one's own marjan and so on, by which mantras it will be done, so that no dosha remains standing. Because its burden will fall upon the guru as well.
Why is giving and taking limited until one is purnabhishikta?
For those who take, he says, the matter remains very ordinary; but it is the givers who are concerned — and it is for this reason that it is said that until one becomes purnabhishikta, this process of giving and taking should be kept very limited. And after becoming purnabhishikta, in the mandala, in the guru mandala, at least half of some grace comes about — that yes, dharma-enjoined karma is being done to increase the parampara — and there a great deal is set right by the grace of the gurus.
What is a guru, if not a person?
Know this reality, the speaker says: what exists is the guru mandal, and guru is a tattva — not one ordinary man or one ordinary physical body. So if you are truly searching for a guru, and if you are serious about the guru, then first of all stop searching for a guru. A guru is not to be searched for.
What should you do if you genuinely want a guru?
For that very reason, the speaker says, he repeats again and again: if you want a guru, truly want a guru, then first do all the sadhanas that are connected with the guru. Do them holding the divine purushas, the siddh purushas, the siddha mahashaktis, the maha-atmas, the divine saints who have been, as your guru. They will cast a glance of grace — that yes, this child belongs to this parampara, he should go here.
Why should you not fixate on a physical guru?
You want a body physically, made of the five elements, he says — but know that the guru tattva is above that. It is above the panch tattva, and it pervades the whole brahmand. Without gurutva we cannot even walk; for walking itself it is needed. So this is the medium through which you must search for a guru, and then you will find gurus.
Can you do kapal-related kriya or bring shamshan earth home on your own?
For a kriya connected with the kapal done by the tantra process, he says, in the way in which all of that has to be done and what is to be obtained, you will certainly need someone. If without knowing you pick up shamshan earth and bring it home and do it, then there will be trouble; for that you need somebody to explain all the kriyas to you. You will not be able to do it by reading from YouTube, Facebook and magazines, so there you need a guru. But there is no need to go that far.
Does every sampraday have a guru mandal tradition?
Understand one thing, he says: whether Shakta, Kaul, Shaiva, or the Nath parampara, in all the different panths and sampradays that have formed and divided off, there is a tradition of the guru mandal in every one of them. The guru mandal is worshipped. In some places the guru mandal has nine avarans in the avaran pujan; in some places there are up to sixty-four avarans. There is a mool peeth, a siddh peeth, and a maha siddh peeth; at a maha siddh peeth the puja of sixty-four avarans is done and it takes eight hours. Those who have come to know everything thoroughly do it.
The illusion to break is that a mantra blown into the ear is the whole of it
He says he is telling all these things in a general way so that the illusion should leave people's minds that there will only be a physical guru, who will give one mantra, blow it into the ear, and then the work will be done. Please come out of this illusion that it is only up to that much. In reality things are quite different, and he says he is trying to tell them exactly that: please do not get stuck only at guru, guru, guru, a physical guru who has two eyes, one nose and two ears.
Can a guru hold you up when you fall very low?
To the comment about wanting guidance for living and a guru who will catch you if you ever fall very low, he says that when the grace of a guru — and in truth, he says, of the guru mandal — comes, then all these things become negligible. A spiritually powerful person never loses to any of these things. Whatever the circumstances, he will weep, he will certainly weep; but his weeping is seen by his gurus alone, and it is they who put the crossing in place.
What does he say about initiated people who never see their guru?
Among those listening, he says, there will be many who are initiated — and how many of them will be such that after taking diksha they were not even able to see the face of their Guru ji. This happens too. The diksha was taken and the Guru ji is simply not available; even to meet him an appointment is needed. So what has been gained by the diksha? People are wandering street to street having taken diksha. What is the use of such a diksha? We will go to those who come the moment we call them, and for that the grace of the guru mandal alone is needed.
How does one make a devi or devata one's guru?
To Rakesh Dubey ji, who asks how to make a devi or devata a guru, he answers that he has clarified this before: whomever you make a guru, making the guru mandal a guru is the easiest. Because somewhere our devi-devatas have granted that shakti-siddhi or that tattva such that in the guru swaroop they pervade this whole brahmand, and pervade the very environment in which we are living. So make them your guru; the best will be to make one shuddh purush your guru. All their names, he says, he will make a separate video of, one by one, with the full mantra vidhan, if people wish. Do not wander about for a physical guru, he tells them.
How will you know that the grace of the guru mandal has come?
To Rajneesh ji he says the first thing is that you will come to know of the grace through a dream. At the time of the Brahma muhurta you will get darshan in a dream of some swaroop of that kind, one connected with the guru. You will see one and the same purush again and again; you will repeatedly see yourself in some one temple; you will hear something from someone; directions will be given to you by some person. From that you will understand that the guru mandal is showing grace upon you. Indirectly they show a great deal of grace; the direct is another matter, for an ordinary sadhak.
If you do a daily havan holding Gurudatt as guru, can tantra still succeed against you?
To Aadi Chintan ji he says that if the grace of the guru, the grace of the guru mandal, comes, then nobody will wish to do tantra — how would he be able to? And he draws the parallel: the Brahmastra was not going to have any effect upon Hanuman ji, but to keep the honour of the Brahmastra he was bound; for him it was nothing. In the same way, if you are doing the sadhana of Bhagavan Dattatreya and someone performs a tantra prayoga upon you, then to keep the honour of that tantra you may suffer harm. But it will not be very great; it will be for some time. If he does a very great tantra prayoga, it may be that if he has done a marana that one finger of yours breaks, gets cut, something happens. There will be an effect; you will be troubled a day or two, troubled a week — but after that there will be nobody left to save him. Shaktis keep the honour of shaktis.
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 a guru obtained because of past karma?
The truth is exactly this, the speaker says: a guru too is obtained on account of past karmas alone, and the guru has a bond and relationship across births. When we begin to set our prarabdha right, the obtaining of a guru occurs. Beyond the physical guru there is the grace of the guru mandal; and when the guru mandal bestows grace, the importance of the physical guru becomes something else there.
Why does the Guru-tattva matter so much?
Because it is an extremely necessary and important time — the first of all are the Guru. At the place of our Sahasrara chakra there is the dwelling of our Sadgurudev and of the Guru Mandal. If the grace of the Guru-tattva is not obtained, complete success can never be had in any sadhana.
How many generations of the Guru Mandal should be known?
Three, as with one's own family — father, grandfather, great-grandfather. In the Guru Mandal too: the Guru, the Guru's Guru, and the one above him. That is Guru, Param Guru and Parameshthi Guru. Only then can you perform the Guru Mandal worship in the Tantrokta Mandala, in which the Tarpan of three Mandalas is necessary.
Which Guru form should an ordinary person worship on Guru Purnima?
Either Bhagavan Shiva or Bhagavan Datta, or whatever power or Mahashakti holding the Guru-tattva belongs to the Panth or tradition you accept — Vaishnava, Shaiva or another. The speaker's own recommendation is Bhagavan Datta, because his presence is in every Guru Mandal.
How is the Sankalpa taken?
Certainly take the Sankalpa. If Sanskrit feels difficult and you are new, take it in Hindi. Hold Akshat, water and a flower in the hand. For Guru Purnima say: that the grace of our Sadgurudev Maharaj and of the Guru Mandal be obtained, that Gurudev be pleased — for this purpose I take the Sankalpa to worship them as capacity and understanding allow.
Who is worshipped first — the Guru or Ganpati?
Only remember the Guru at that point — once, with Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwara. Then perform Ganpati's worship. Because on that day the Guru Mandal and Gurudev are the principal deity, and the principal deity's full worship cannot be done first of all.
How much worship does the Guru himself receive?
At least the Dashopachara worship; and the Shodashopachara if you wish to do it by the larger procedure. The full method is in the Nitya Karma Puja Prakash. If you do not know the mantras or find the pronunciation difficult, you may worship him with Bhava alone — Shri Gurudevaya Guru Mandala Sahitaya namah.
What actually is a Guru mantra?
Every Kula — Shri Kula, Kali Kula, any of them — has its own Guru mantra: the mantra which, since that Guru tradition began, has held pre-eminence in that tradition in the Guru form. The whole grace of that Guru Mandal is in it, and everyone initiated in that tradition has the same Guru mantra.
What is offered to the cow, and does the chart matter?
Whatever food you serve out for Gau Mata should certainly include something connected with yellow substances — if you are making kheer and puri, put a little saffron in the kheer. And do not go looking at your birth chart to decide whether Guru is a favourable graha for you and whether this is a Daan.
A silver nail consecrated with the Guru mantra is hammered into the Guru Danda, and one mala of every Purashcharan is surrendered upon it
Take a silver nail, consecrate it with at least one mala of the Guru mantra, wash it, and hammer it into one end. Install it as the Guru Danda; and whenever you perform a Purashcharan of the Guru mantra or of any mantra, surrender at least one mala upon this Guru Danda.
Dattatreya as Mahaguru: taking his shelter leaves no guru mandala out of reach
The speaker says Dattatreya should be worshipped daily as Mahaguru, because every Guru Parampara and every Guru Mandala in the brahmand has come out of the parampara of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, who became the greatest shaktis by the grace of Mata Jagdamba Bhagwati Mahashakti. So when a sadhak takes the shelter of this Mahaprabhu of Girnar, he says, it cannot happen that he is left deprived of the kripa of any guru or any guru mandala. Whichever parampara one wants to enter but does not know how, and cannot decide among many options, he says, take the sharan of Dattatreya — by his grace every manokamna will be fulfilled.
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