Ishta Devata
Every question on the site tagged Ishta Devata, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
A practitioner's personally chosen or worshiped form of the divine — the deity whose sadhana, rites, and remedies apply to that practitioner specifically.
272 notes from our sourcesNotes from our sources
Misconception: only my ishta is supreme, and no other deity's name may be taken
The speaker says you may hold your own aradhya supreme for yourself — but forcing it on others, insisting that all other deities are mere servants, is foolishness: the pramanas by which other devi-mahashaktis are shown supreme exist everywhere, and one must accept those too. He has seen people in live videos forbid their own children to take Bhagavati's name and forbid the worship of Hanuman ji; he calls this a nikrisht tendency. An institution may have begun with a good acharya and later grown distorted — avoid any place where such teaching is given.
Panchayatan pujan: why every deity is worshipped, not only one's ishta
The supreme acharyas of the Sanatan parampara — held to be avatars of Shankar himself — directed Panchayatana pujan: worship of all the devi-shaktis, not one alone, since for us Bhagwan is in every particle. The speaker shows this bhaav running through the whole Sanatan morning: on waking, pranam to the Bhagwan within one's own hands (Karagre vasate Lakshmi); kshama from Dharti Mata before the feet touch the ground; pranam to one's parents; arghya to Surya Narayan; pranam to Tulsi, Aparajita, Shami and the dev-vrikshas; roti to the cow and the dog; then the bath and shringar of Shaligram, Narmadeshwar Shiva Lingam and the household deities. Nowhere in this do we bow thinking "small Prithvi Mata, my aradhya is bigger" — and a teaching that forbids even taking another deity's name is one to stay away from.
Siddhi of one's own Ishta Devata's mantra, since every deity holds supreme power and has gone to battle when it was needed
By performing the Sadhana and accomplishing (Siddhi) the mantra of one's own Ishta Devata — all deities possess supreme power and have engaged in battle when necessary.
Avaran puja and amavasya temple visits make the deity reveal the real cause of hardship
The speaker says that if one has worshipped Bhagwati Durga or Bhagwati Kali for ten years and "this is not happening, that is not happening", no matter: learn the Aavaran Puja of her Yantra, satisfy every devi-devata, all their Ganas and all the Bhairavs, do their havan, do their mantra japa, and especially on Amavasya go to her temple and offer there. She will herself show you: perhaps some planetary influence is at work, and whatever falls under whose jurisdiction will be shown through your Ishta Devata. Some medium will form — the right person will meet you and say, for instance, that a mahadasha of the great planet Shani is running, so do japa of Shani Dev's mantras for so many days. Done: that planet's jurisdiction is fulfilled, you are out of all this, and you need not do very much at all.
Nevta: inviting household deities at the old home before a move
The speaker says the very first task, once the new house is ready, is to give the ishta a nevta (invitation) at one's own puja place in the old home. Five kinds of fruit, five kinds of sweets, cloth, Dakshina, Akshat, Durva Grass and flowers are laid out, a separate Bhog is set for the deities of the place, a lamp is lit, and one bows to Ganesha, then the kul's deities, then names every shakti established there one by one. Seated calmly, one tells Jagadamba the reason for leaving and asks her to come joyfully the next day at a stated time, to be the new mistress of the new house and do the family's welfare there.
Why is debating whose chosen deity (Ishta-devata) is superior a limited perspective?
True divine entities and liberated beings recognize the fundamental unity of Supreme Truth — asserting one Ishta-devata as superior and another as inferior reflects limited understanding, not genuine spiritual insight.
What is Karma Yoni, and why does human life uniquely offer it?
Human life is a Karma Yoni — a realm of action where one can shape one's own destiny — unlike other realms, which are strictly Bhoga Yoni, realms of merely experiencing the results of past karma.
Which of the four Saptashati hymns to adopt, by the devotee's ishta
The speaker says one of the four stutis should be taken into one's life, and matches them to the devotee: a devotee of Mahakali should do the Ratri Suktam; a devotee of Bhagavati Mahasaraswati the Jai Durga Stuti of the eleventh chapter; an exclusive upasaka of Mahalakshmi the Shakradi Stuti, the 27 shlokas of the fourth chapter; and one who is a devotee of any form of Bhagavati, wants the grace of all her forms and sees his Mother, his Durga, his Kali in every shakti — the fiercest kind of upasaka — should never leave the Tantrokta Devisuktam. He says these four have the power to change life, each has its own independent prayoga, and doing them now means that when, by the Devi's grace, a learned Guru who makes such things happen appears in life, they will be of great use.
Right use of Vak Siddhi: japa for the Ishta's pleasure, not for prayogas
The speaker says the capacity behind Vak Siddhi carries so much power that it can be used to obtain a deity's Kripa. If a person stores this Punya and does a great deal of Japa of any mantra, that mantra starts giving quick results and its effect grows. If the mantra is not a karmic one, that is, he is not doing any prayoga with it but chanting and reciting only for the pleasure of his Ishta Devata, then the Ishta's kripa comes very quickly, he can become a sadhak of good standing and attain something good. So whenever a person learns he has such a capacity he should use it well and preserve it within, otherwise a day comes when he too says, "Maa, my powers were misused."
Why must a practitioner stay single-mindedly devoted to one deity during an Anushthana?
Switching deities or methods mid-practice, or engaging with people who criticize one's chosen deity, breaks the continuity of the subtle energy field and prevents the subtle body from becoming strong enough to sustain the deity's presence.
Procedure for bringing a plant home for vanaspati tantra
Before bringing a plant from anywhere — especially a tantrokta plant, one taken as Vanaspati Tantra prescribes — the speaker says there is a prior process: purify the ground you are taking it from, sprinkle yellow mustard consecrated by mantra vidhan there, ask the deities of that place to remove whatever is there, doing this through your Ishta Devata, light a lamp and then give the plant its invitation, and come back the next day to bring it. Even after all this there is no guarantee if you lack knowledge and cannot see or hear such things; so bring it from a place that is right, and in a right nakshatra — a deva Nakshatra, above all Pushya Nakshatra, whether Ravi Pushya or Guru Pushya.
What to practise on Aghor Chaturdashi and Tara Amavasya: by tradition and by ishta
Asked what should be done on this day, the speaker answers by tradition. A sadhak of the Shabar line does their pujan with Sabar Mantras or their own Tantrokta methods such as Sahasrarchana, and must take in all three tithis, the night of Chaturdashi and the night of Amavasya — in 2021 that meant japa from Sunday through Monday to Tuesday night or Tuesday morning. The vidhi-vidhan is to be kept according to one's own Ishta Devata: a sadhak of Mahavidya Bhagavati Mahakalika, for example, takes whichever of her mantras they have repeatedly done sadhana, anushthan or Purashcharana of, and does its Japa and Havan on these tithis without fail.
What should be done if negative or impure thoughts suddenly arise during japa?
Sing hymns or stotras of the deity before starting japa to establish devotion, study Puranas related to one's Ishta Devata, and if impure thoughts arise mid-japa, immediately remember the Triveni Sangam or mentally invoke the Ganga and Narmada to instantly purify the mind.
Why doesn't physical fitness alone protect against Abhichara, and what happens to a meat-eater with no spiritual practice when it strikes?
Yoga, Pranayama, and exercise build confidence and mental fortitude, but without Mantra Bala, Tapobala from one's Ishta Devata, and a protective force standing guard, a person remains vulnerable — if they merely eat meat to build mass without spiritual practice, malevolent entities consume that very flesh when Abhichara strikes, leaving the body to deteriorate completely.
Is Mahashivratri only for worshipping Mahadeva, or can the Ishta Devata be worshipped too?
Worship related to Mahadeva is primarily fruitful on Mahashivratri, but one's Ishta Devata can also be worshipped that day — Mother Bhagwati is not separate from Shiva, so Her worship should be conducted alongside His, and the Durga Saptashati can indeed be recited at night.
What should a person do if their horoscope contains severe Graha Dosha?
Direct refuge under one's chosen deity (Ishta Devata) combined with intensive Sadhana — such as continuous Japa of the Shiva Panchakshari Mantra, regular temple visits, and lamp offerings during auspicious Nakshatras like Ardra — can overcome unfavorable planetary configurations.
A told experience does not return: experiences are grace-prasad, not a means to honour
The speaker warns against opening the whole pitara of one's experiences. His example: a Sadhak with fever invokes Bhagavati before sleeping, her lion comes in the dream (Swapna) and licks him till his body is wet, and the fever breaks — if this real experience is blurted to someone, it will not happen again in that life; even if it does, a time comes when he beats his head and no experience comes, because he is stuck at that spot. His sutra: stuck in experience means strayed from the sadhana path — stay devoted to the Ishta Devata. Experiences are given as Kripa-Prasad to show that the deity is with you and guiding you, not so that others satisfy your aham by calling you a great devotee.
Nine peepal leaves arranged as an ashtadal kamal for the mala
The speaker says the first step is to lay nine good Peepal leaves in a thali in the form of an ashtadal kamal, while continually taking the name of Bhagwan Narayan, one's ishta and one's kuldevi-devta so that it bears full fruit. A little Haldi and Kumkum is then put on the leaves, which makes them still more divine. Peepal is always used for prana pratishtha because Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh are said to dwell in the peepal leaf at all times.
Can spiritual attainments (Siddhis) be transferred, and what determines Purashcharana's fruit?
Siddhis cannot be artificially transferred — they require personal effort, penance, and adherence to scriptural processes; the fruit of Purashcharana depends entirely on the grace of the Sadguru, the Guru Mandala, and the Ishta Devata.
Jyotish and tantra are complementary: reading a long-blocked life
Asked by someone whose life has felt blocked for twenty years, the speaker says jyotish and tantra are complements, not rivals — jyotishis who call tantra a fraud and tantriks who call jyotish a fraud are both wrong, and combining the two solves every problem. First have a good jyotishacharya read the chart: which graha's Dasha and antardasha is running; whether the third house, the house of parakram, is under some planet's drishti that blocks all one's effort; the state of the lagnesh, which is most important; and the ninth house of bhagya. One should also have the chart read for one's Ishta Devata and kula shaktis. But if you already do regular pujan by a tantrokta vidhan and belong to a Guru Parampara, you do not need the birth chart — trust your guru completely and keep going. If you are an ordinary person with troubles, take the chart's remedies, and note that Rahu, Ketu and Shani doshas point to upari badha or abhichar, for which take help from the tantrokta side; find the middle path with both.
Navnath, guru sadhana and ishta mantra as the protective layers before any prayog
The speaker gives an example of what the simple sadhanas are for: suppose a friend's house has a tantra in it, something that walks at night. The Navnath one has learnt to awaken are the first to protect you when you wake them, and by their grace and adesh your other mantras will run. Second, the guru sadhana he will give makes all mantras protect the sadhak himself and his family. Then the Ishta Devata's mantra that he will have siddh-ed is what one goes and throws there — a lemon, say — and the mantra will work there; but when the attack comes back at you from there and you have not woken your gurus, not given them bhog and prasad, and have no guru or diksha from anyone, that is the danger. That is why he has said he will have sadhanas done for a whole year: what he gives first has the greatest importance, and only then does one use the rest.
The most effective kavach against bhoot-pret is your own ishta's
Asked which Kavach is most effective for freedom from bhoot-pret effects, the speaker says: the kavach of your own Ishta Devata, the one you trust most and about whom you have no doubt. His own ishta is Hanuman ji, in whom he has full faith, so for him it is the Hanuman Chalisa; done alone it is the best method, and after that an ordinary sadhak needs no other kavach at all. So awaken the kavach of your ishta.
How should the fruits of Japa and worship be dedicated (Samarpana)?
At the conclusion of Japa, worship, Aarti, and prayer for forgiveness, take water in the right hand and dedicate the accumulated spiritual merit to one's chosen deity using a traditional dedication formula, then offer the water.
Why does defilement during japa amount to an insult of the deity?
You also know, he says, that whichever deity's mantra and whichever deity's name is daily remembered and given japa and tapa, our body begins to take on that very swaroop. So when you are attaining such a state, and in that very state you do chintan, touch and consume while endowed with other kinds of vikaras, then it becomes a direct insult of that deity. And when there is insult, then instead of fruit coming to you, somewhere or other his curse will be obtained by you.
Why is naam japa alone not enough?
But if the practice of naam japa has been formed and your chintan has not left you — you were doing chintan twenty-four hours and still are, and the practice of japa has also formed — then satsang is necessary for that too; this will not happen by naam japa alone. Along with naam japa, when you do satsang, when you study the shastras and the puranas of your ishta and aradhya and try to bring into your life the upadesh given in them, and beyond that do stuti.
A dream as a deity's medium for reaching a sadhak
The speaker says a dream (Swapna) is a medium through which any shakti draws close to its Sadhak, and that swapna shastra, swapna vidya and swapna tantra hold a special place of their own within tantra. For a sadhak who has no vachan siddhi — who has not awakened a shakti enough for it to converse with them directly — a dream becomes the one and only way that shakti has of reaching them. He says that when a sadhak repeatedly sees their ishta devata speaking to them in a dream, great care is needed about what to do, what not to do, and which decision to take at what time.
Remembering a deity's dream message, which is rarely told as-it-is
The speaker says the very first thing is that whenever a conversation with a deity happens in a Swapna, remembering it is absolutely essential — what is being told must be remembered correctly. He adds that one must also keep in mind that it will not be told as-it-is: it is very rare for a deity to state the coming event or the matter exactly as it is.
Never telling anyone what a deity said in a dream
The speaker says the second most important rule is that a conversation held with a deity in a Swapna should never be told to anyone at all. He chides people who recount it with salt, chilli and masala added, relishing how much they were told in the dream. At the close of the talk he repeats that all these things should be kept secret and no noise made about them.
Why a deity sends its sadhak to another deity through a dream
The speaker explains with an analogy: an English teacher's favourite student has a problem in physics but dares not approach the strict physics teacher, so the English teacher speaks to that colleague on the student's behalf, and the student then gets special treatment, the work is done and their confidence grows. He says the same happens with one's Ishta Devata or ishta shakti: when it judges that a matter belongs to Hanuman ji's domain, it has its Gana and attendants deliver the message in the dream, and the petition is already lodged with Hanuman ji beforehand, so that when the sadhak goes and does the work, it gets done quickly.
Objecting to a dream instruction to worship a deity other than one's own
The speaker criticises 'over smart' people who, on receiving such a dream instruction, first go asking in ten places: we worship Durga ji, we worship Kali ji, why were we told about Hanuman ji, why should we worship him when he himself serves Kali ji? He calls this senseless prattle, and singles out present-day servants of Krishna ji as a case apart — having reached what he calls the utmost pitch of bhakti, they acknowledge nobody but Krishna ji. Making this kind of mistake, he says, is the sadhak's own problem.
Thanking the deity for guidance received in a dream
The speaker says that whenever guidance comes in a Swapna from whichever devi or devta one worships, one should thank them for it again and again — Prabhu, you showed such grace; O Mother, you showed such grace that you made yourself a medium in a dream to tell me to do this. He says gratitude should be expressed because so great a shakti is showing grace on the sadhak, and adds that all of it should be kept secret without any fuss.
Who gets otherworldly help: those who keep a daily niyam
The speaker says the most important thing to consider is when and to whom this help comes. First of all, people who by daily rule offer arghya to Bhagwan Surya and to Tulsi ji, do their daily puja-path, and with surrender japa at least a fixed count of the mantra of some one Ishta Devata, have a niyam, and people who walk with niyam and nishtha are certainly helped. The reason, he says, is that a person who keeps a daily niyam, with even a little Shraddha and Samarpana and who reflects on the mantra, will think fifty times before doing any wrong act. The picture of someone doing 11, 15, 20 or 50 malas every morning and then abusing people all day and thinking ill of others is, he says, mostly something seen in TV serials and movies.
A sadhak's own doubt snaps the thread with the ishta
The speaker says that if you are a Sadhak and the feeling comes into you of your own accord, "what was the use, we did so much japa, so much seva-puja, kept the Navratri fasts, and this calamity came on us", then the moment that feeling of non-surrender and Shraddha lost arises, the thread with your ishta breaks, and all the arrangement you had built up till then begins to turn fruitless. He adds that a person in whom ashraddha is born may even think it is God's duty to help when such doubt arises, and says God certainly does help. To a listener feeling exactly this while hearing him, he says: out of a hundred crore people barely a thousand will hear this video, so if you are one of them whose shraddha is breaking, God is sending you just this much: listen, understand, do not let your inner Viveka die, do not break the thread of shraddha, stay surrendered; it was your own karma that brought you to this state, and you will come out of it.
Krishna's yoga-kshema promise and why pointing a finger at God shows no trust
The speaker recalls that in the Bhagavad Gita Bhagwan Shri Krishna says the responsibility of carrying the Yoga Kshema of one who depends on him is his own, and that he himself will bring such a person out. But, he says, you only keep reading this and then raise a finger at him again and again: what responsibility is yours, you do nothing. It becomes your duty too, he says; how God will act is his own wish. If you point a finger at him all day, it means you do not fully believe his word, and that is why you point the finger; and where there is no trust, the work will not happen either.
Borrowed doubt: another person's failed kavach story makes the supporting powers withdraw
The speaker says nobody can dismiss "you had no trust, so the work did not happen" as brushing the matter aside. Reflect properly, he says: when surrender toward some deity first woke in you and you began some puja-path, you got a motivation from somewhere, someone told you their experience, or at the least you read a Purana or a Kavach whose Phalashruti says whoever recites it daily gains such-and-such, and whoever makes it siddha and recites it again gains Lakshmi, destruction of disease, God's own help. Reading that phalashruti, Shraddha woke in you and you began a daily niyam of path; that was a feeling of shraddha. Then some person tells you, brother, I used to recite this kavach a hundred times daily and still such a calamity came into my life, and hearing him you lower your own shraddha: we are doing it too, he is telling the truth, nothing is happening for me either. Then, he says, the powers that had been supporting you, by whose support your life was running very well, will also begin to leave your side.
Bhagavati Mahakali is the fiercest energy present now, this being one of the foremost kalpas in which she manifested — a chief time like the sandhi kaal itself.
The ishta devi of tantra who is present at this time — the fiercest energy present now — is Bhagavati Mahakali, the speaker says, because among the different kalpas in which Bhagavati manifested at different times for the slaying of different daityas, this too is one of the foremost such times. Just as the sandhi kaal in which Bhagavati manifested is her chief time, so also this is a chief time.
Which form of Bhagavati should be chosen for the Diwali pujan?
The pujan for Bhagavati is also to be begun from tomorrow. Whichever principal pujan you do — for Bhagavati Mahalakshmi, for Bhagavati Mahakali, or for some other shakti — you will select the shakti according to what is needed in your life at present, and then perform their anushthan.
Can a sadhak carry the worship of many shaktis at this level?
It is also a truth, he says, that one sadhak will not be able to do the puja of many kinds of shaktis to this level — he will burst. If we are doing Bhairav ji now, we can do as excellent a sadhana of Bhairav ji as is possible. But to think that we are doing Batuk Bhairav, and Mahabhairav, and let us now do Mahakaal Bhairav too — you will be able to maintain only one, and one alone gives so much kripa.
Who decides when and how much experience a sadhak receives?
When experience will happen, how much, in what way, at what level, and what change it will bring within us — we should leave this in the hands of our aradhya. If it is their will they will appear in person; if it is their will they will do nothing. Our will should not run over them; if we force them, they will give a little in limited measure just to keep us happy. But if we surrender to their will — Prabhu, as you wish; Mai, as you wish — then they will give the divine. They will first make us fit, so that the capacity to accept what they are going to give is in us.
What is gained by studying and meditating on the shastras of a deity?
Asked what benefit comes from reading the shastras connected with a deity, understanding them and meditating upon that knowledge, he answers that this will be known only when you do it — it is a matter of experience.
Monthly Purnima and Amavasya observance: why it is prescribed and the temple rule
The speaker says one may or may not do a big anushthan at other times, but on the monthly Purnima and Amavasya a special Anushthana and path should be done. The reason he gives is that most people's charts carry Grahan Dosha and Pitru Dosha, and when they do, trouble will surely come at exactly that time; so do more japa and path then, and if a tirtha kshetra or an old temple is nearby, go there that day, register your presence and take refuge. He asks the listener to make it a rule to go to the temple of Bhagavati Kali, or of whoever their Ishta Devata is, on every Amavasya and Purnima, from which they will receive considerable strength.
What did Shiva grant when he appeared before Sati?
While a portion of the vrat still remained, Shiva manifested; the text describes how divine Mahadev's form was. He said: O Daksha Nandini, we are greatly pleased with your vrat, ask for what you desire. Overwhelmed at seeing her aradhya before her, she could say nothing — so Bhagavan Shiva himself understood her feeling and said, we grant you the boon that you yourself will become my wife.
Why must a sadhak hear the leela katha at all?
Until the feeling of bhakti remains in the mind, the speaker says, mantra, shastra and purana will not be understood. And if you do not understand the purana, then whatever mantra japa you are doing, and whichever devi or devata you are attached and drawn to, your samarpan will not become complete. If you do not perform shravan of the leela katha, how will the contemplation running in your mind bear fruit and come into full leaf?
What did Shiva answer as the means of liberation?
Bhagavan Shiva explains that the mother of vigyan is bhakti of him alone, which gives both fruits, in the form of bhoga and of moksha. He declares bhakti to be the highest, and sets out nine kinds of bhakti — what we call navdha bhakti — saying that the Supreme can be worshipped in nine ways. Of that bhakti, apart from those nine, there are also many kinds.
What are the nine angas of navdha bhakti?
Shravan — that is, listening — kirtan, smaran, sevan, dasya, archan, constant vandan of me, sakhya and atmasamarpan: these have been called the navdha bhakti. In simple words, nine angas have been accepted.
What is shravan?
One who, seated on an asana, with body and mind honouring my katha, kirtan and the rest daily, hears them joyfully with his own ears — that has been called shravan. The speaker tells listeners that those of them sitting comfortably and listening are performing bhakti of Bhagavan at that very moment; this is not entertainment. Of the nine angas of bhakti, the first is listening.
What is kirtan?
Of kirtan it has been said that one who, contemplating my divine persons and deeds and the rest, utters them aloud with his own voice — that itself has been called kirtan; he performs bhajan.
What are smaran and seva?
For smaran it is said that you do not need to look at the clock — keep remembering him always. From the time the sun rises until you sleep, keep doing his dhyan and smaran according to your capacity. Seva means that, keeping in view the favourable time and keeping restraint over one's senses, seva is done through the karma indriyas — seva of Bhagavan, seva of the divine form.
What is dasya bhava, and why do saints call it shudra bhava?
Whatever has been obtained, understanding that Bhagavan is our swami and we are his dasa, and that this is only what he has given, and that being a dasa we are merely enjoying it — those who enjoy any material thing of theirs with that understanding are said to have dasya bhava. This same dasya bhava, the speaker says, we call shudra bhava; many saints call it shudra bhava. Shudra means one who serves — so whoever is serving Bhagavan should consider himself a shudra and never take pride.
What happens to one's gati when the pride of being a brahmin arises?
Where that feeling has come, the speaker says, your gati has stopped there. But saying shudra, shudra, will not bring a feeling of lowness within oneself — one knows one is a shudra, a servant. Whose servant? A servant of Jagdamba. As long as this dasya bhava remains, he is the swami: I am the sevak, you are the swami. And who is the sevak? A shudra, arisen from the feet, who serves the feet and desires the dust of the feet — so we are dasya.
What are sakhya bhava and atmasamarpan?
Sakhya bhava is: whatever is happening, mangal or amangal, good or bad, no matter — we are taking it all as good; whatever you are doing, it is happening by your will. Atmasamarpan is that if Bhagavan gives us a crore, out of that crore we give back to him 99 lakh 99 thousand 999 rupees, and one rupee upon ourselves. But the speaker says this does not mean building temples and decorating Bhagavan day and night — it means jeev seva, spending what Bhagavan gave wherever there is need for the uplift of sanatan and for the welfare of sanatani jeevs.
What is meant by sangopang bhakti?
Shiva says: O dear one, in this manner my sangopang bhakti is the highest of all. Sangopang means contemplating one's aradhya in each of these nine ways. If it is Shiva, then all of it is done about him — one thinks of him, does his kirtan, does japa of his mantra, does his pujan with the sixteen upacharas, holds everything as given by him, dedicates everything to him, makes sashtang pranam to him. But this in no way means, the speaker says, that if we do this for him we will not do it for Ganpati or for Bhagavati.
How should one proceed in the tantra kshetra with material desires?
Those who go into the tantra kshetra, who have to do mantra japa and have material desires, must proceed in an ordered manner, the speaker says — and it should be so: there is the devi panchayatan or the panchayatan of other devatas, and pujan happens in a panchayat. He has clarified before that our aradhya is like our husband — whether you are a woman or a man — and just as a pativrata woman gives her husband comfort in every way.
Which bhava goes to the ishta and which to the other devatas?
In the same way, when you serve your aradhya, where you are to keep dasya bhava and where sakhya bhava — all these bhavas should be kept toward your chief aradhya, the one in whom your mind is set. With all the rest we keep a feeling of ordinary samarpan and do their ordinary pujan, just as with the husband as chief one keeps such conduct with everyone else — with the parents-in-law, the brother-in-law, the sister-in-law and so on. Therefore one should never think that we will worship one deva only.
When does the worship of one deva alone become possible?
That comes further on, the speaker says. When, performing all these karmakand in an ordinary way, the kamanas begin to be freed from your mind, when it makes no difference to you what good or bad is happening, when you rise above all of it — then everywhere you will see the very one you worship. Then you need not worry about Krishna or Kali, that we shall worship only Krishna. Bind him in any one form: if he is mother, keep him in the form of mother; father, in the form of father; sakha, as sakha; guru, in the form of guru.
What is bhakta-paravashata as shown here?
Understand what this matter is, the speaker says. Bhagavan Shiva first performed the abhishek of Bhagavan Narayana, and thereafter himself accepted his own paradhinata. Bhakta-paravashata — that is, Bhagavan Narayana performed such great bhakti of him. It is said that Bhagavan is in the control of his bhakta; this is the fruit of bhakti. Bhagavan Narayana performed such wonderful bhakti toward Bhagavan Shiva that Narayana is called the greatest bhakta of Shiva. And here Bhagavan Shiva is performing bhakti of him.
What is panchang sevan and where does the hriday paath fit into an anushthan?
The speaker says that whenever an anushthan is done for one's adhishthatri devata by correct vidhi vidhan, for their pleasure, panchang sevan comes into that anushthan, and the paath of the hriday comes under panchang sevan. Every deity, every Mahashakti and Mahavidya, Bhairav and Mahadev, has a hriday stotra of its own.
How to take it when a saint calls all other deities the dust of his own ishta's feet
A personal message said that when some great saint calls the deity he worships the greatest and says all other deva shaktis are the dust of his feet, the morale of others who worship other devi shaktis breaks. The speaker answers that the saint too is speaking in bhaavavesh; that he too is somewhere within Bhagavati's maya and not outside it; that it is Kaliyuga and this much we should also understand — and asks: you have faith in your own ishta aradhya, do you not?
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.
How should one properly begin with a yantra of one's own ishta?
Keep one yantra related to your own ishta aradhya at the place of pujan and learn it in the prescribed way. First of all, for six months to a year, only their archan and pujan should be done, before the aavaran — only their archan by the Shatanama and by the Sahasranama, and abhishek: let there be dugdhabhishek, let there be panchamrit abhishek, let there be archan. Do that much for a year, and then learn the aavaran pujan of it.
Should one who worships only Kali in Navratri switch to Durga?
Asked by a listener who does the puja only of Ma Kali in the Navratras whether he should do the puja of Ma Durga and Ma Chandika in the Navratras, or of the Ma Kali he has installed, he says do any one. You have made the sthapana of Bhagavati, have you not — then do the puja of Ma Kali herself. Everything is within her.
A Narayana devotee and the Shiv Mahapuran: read your own form's Purana, but know all eighteen
Anticipating the objection that the Shiv Puran shows Shiva as supreme while a listener is a servant of Narayana and holds Narayana supreme, the speaker answers that one should recite the Puranas connected with whichever form one is drawn to and surrendered to. But one must still have knowledge: through the eighteen Puranas and the Upa-Mahapuranas one should be correctly informed about every form.
Can such a darshan ever be a blessing instead?
The speaker says that if you have done abundant japa of a mantra and deva kripa is upon you, then a darshan of such a shakti coming along with that grace means your aradhya wished you to see this shakti. At such a time there will be neither the presence of fear nor any other difficulty; they will certainly grant you a blessing as well, and something divine will be obtained by you.
A white lotus mala is offered to the ishta, whichever deity it is — Lakshmi being a separate matter
If you do this, the speaker says, whether you are doing it for Shiva ji, for Hanuman ji, or for any other deity — and if for Lakshmi ji, then that is a different matter altogether. One further special thing: if a garland of white lotus can be obtained for your ishta aradhya whose mantra you are doing japa of, and if not, then whatever garland of lotus flowers can be obtained, and you offer it, then the grace of that deity is certainly obtained by you.
What should be offered along with Narayan on Devshayani Ekadashi?
Along with it, do your own ishta-aradhya — if you worship Hanuman ji, then Hanuman ji after Narayan; if Bhagavati, then Bhagavati after Narayan. Men should do it with ghee and guggul; all the sadhikas and sisters should do it with havan samagri.
What should those whose ishta is Bhagavati do in this month?
Those whose ishta-aradhya is Bhagavati, who do her seva, should do their own special seva-pujan — a brief pujan of Bhagwan Shiva and Bhagwan Narayan along with it, and the special pujan of their own ishta-aradhya as time allows.
Can kuldevi pujan be done during Purushottam maas?
In neither the Krishna Paksha nor the Shukla Paksha of Purushottam maas will the pujan of the kuldevi and kuldevata happen, the speaker says — keep this in mind. It is an adhik maas; in it the nitya pujan and special pujan of Narayan and Bhagwan Shiva, or of one's ishta-aradhya, will happen.
Can aarti be done daily with camphor and clove to all deities?
Yes, it can be done, the speaker answers. Into the vessel in which the aarti is shown, first put camphor, place the clove upon it, light it and show it. There is no difficulty at all.
Which comes first, aarti or the path and havan?
A listener asks: some people in their nitya pujan do pujan, path and havan first and the aarti at the end; some do aarti after the pujan and then the path and havan. Which order is correct?
The force depends on how long the mantra has been japed and how firmly the discipline held — though one long surrendered to his aradhya gains much from a single anushthan.
He says control will certainly begin to be established to some extent, and that the degree depends on how long you have been doing sadhana and japa of the mantra — the more time, the more rule and discipline, the more firmness, the greater the effect. Yet he adds that a long span is not required: one whose mind has long been surrendered to his aradhya gains much capacity from even a single anushthan.
Two materials suffice for a pitr problem, disease, or the presence of prets — the handling stays the same for every deity, only the mantra changing.
Supposing there is a pitr-related problem in the house, or much disease, or the presence of prets and pishachas — then, if the listener has done the mala mantra, he says no other material is needed: only gather two materials. What is to be done with those two will remain common for every deity, he says; only the mantras will change, according to whoever the listener's aradhya is.
Each sadhak charges the material with his own aradhya's mantra — Datta, Ganpati, Bhairav, Hanuman, or whichever kavach of Bhagavati he holds.
Those whose aradhya is Bhagwan Datta, or who have particularly performed his anushthan, use his; those who worship Ganpati ji use Ganpati ji's mantra; those who have done a Bhairav ji anushthan use Bhairav ji's mantra; and in the same way Hanuman ji, and whichever forms of Bhagavati, whatever kavach there may be — all of these will be used. Some material has to be added in each case, and he will state it as he goes.
Does the inauspicious effect of a fifth-house Rahu remain for a sadhak?
The dosha will not remain, the speaker says. For those who are not sadhaks, who perform no sadhanas and have no concern with these things, the matter is different. If you are a sadhak or sadhika then you need have no worry — your aradhya will see to how the inauspicious effect of the fifth-house Rahu is to be controlled.
What japa should be done on those two days?
The second thing is that on these two days, whatever your ishta mantra may be — the Panchakshari mantra, or some other ekakshari, whatever mantra whose siddhi vidhan you have performed in Navratra and the like — do it without fail, tomorrow and the day after, at the time of sandhya or at night, as much as you can manage.
What is the morning programme for Vaikuntha Chaturdashi and Kartik Purnima?
On these two days, Vaikuntha Chaturdashi and Kartik Purnima: bathing before sunrise, and after the pujan of Surya Narayan, the pujan of one's own ishta aradhya, the special pujan of Bhagavan Shiva, and the offering of a lotus flower — in the morning time.
What should be done at the completion of the house?
He says that after this you should complete your house; and when the house is complete, let the griha pravesh be at a correct and auspicious muhurat and tithi, and along with it have the anushthan related to whatever your shraddha is performed there on the very first day. Then you will be able to dwell in that house for a long time without obstruction.
Can the kavach mantras of one's own ishta be used to protect a house?
He says that if your ishta-aradhya is Maa Bhagavati, or Kali ji, or Durga ji, or you do the upasana of any of the ten Mahavidyas, then when you have awakened the kavach mantras related to them, the house is also protected through that kavach.
What should a good sadhak possess?
Asked what a good sadhak should have, he answers: samarpan. Dedication toward one's ishta-aradhya, even if the world turns upside down; do not budge from your post, and never break anyone — meaning never call any dev shakti high or low. He clarifies that by dev shakti he does not mean prets and pishachs. Move forward with samarpan and with absorption.
Return to her sthan with seva-puja and kshama yachana
He says that for the sake of both things, if you used to do the puja of Bhagavati, then go again to her very sthan, offer seva-puja to Mai there, and while making kshama yachana say that you wish to move forward once more, that her grace has been received. Then Bhagavati will certainly bestow grace upon you.
What is the minimum a person should do during an eclipse?
The speaker says that in the grahan kaal it has been said for everybody, in whatever condition a person may be, that whether or not he does anything else, he should at the very least do naam japa of his aradhya. He notes that accidents happen at the time of a grahan in which many deaths occur, and that effects fall before and after it too, in which such things have their contribution.
Why should even a person who wants nothing do naam japa in an eclipse?
The speaker grants that you may be entirely neutral, wanting nothing and having to give nothing, with no desire of attainment. Even so, he says, it is the maryada of Sanatan that in the grahan kaal you should become steady and do naam japa of your aradhya. Deva kripa is certainly obtained in it, directly or indirectly, and it stays in reserve and comes to use when a need arises in life. There is no loss in it and much gain.
What should be done immediately if a pet, cattle, or small child begins to suffer within a day of an eclipse?
Do whatever you have to do medically, immediately and urgently — but even before that, the speaker says, do an utara at once in the house in the name of whichever devi-devatas are of your house and in whom you have shraddha and faith. Do it at once if the child, the cow or the heifer is crying loudly, if the tongue is twisting, if it is jumping and thrashing.
What should be done if children or cattle suffer after the grahan?
Restating the point after a break in the stream, the speaker says that if after the grahan kaal a tantra of any kind occurs, small children may have trouble, and whatever gauvansh is in the house will have trouble. Then in the name of whatever is your ishta, your aradhya, whatever deva shakti is worshipped in the house, a nikari and an utara should be done at once in their name.
Take the information you lack, but do not become a Lavanasura thrusting a leg into every matter
If you do not have the information, take the information, the speaker says — but do not become a Lavanasura, thrusting your leg into every matter, saying this is not the devi, such and such is not the devi, this is not so. You people do not even have information about the devi-devatas who are worshipped in your own house.
If Brahm Baba and Shiva ji are both worshipped, which is to be taken as the devata?
The question comes: Brahm Baba is worshipped, but we chiefly do the puja of Shiva ji, and Brahm Baba is worshipped below him — so whom should we take as the devata? He answers: accept both. If you have at some time given a place to someone with respect, then you have to accept them — why will you remove them?
The devatas do not ask for meat all year — it is the greed of your own tongue
In the greed of the tongue you are giving it to the devata, he says, but the devatas do not ask for it all year round. He grants that he too knows the annual pujan runs and that the bali of Dashami runs. But you keep bringing and giving it always, and to the same devatas: you are giving nothing to those devatas, you are pacifying your own tongue's greed and then putting the name on the devata — and when the trouble increases you blame the devata too.
The gaze of the kuldevi and kuldevata reaches across seven seas, known to you or not
Announcing the next day's session on kuldevi, kuldevata, kshetra devata and local devatas, he addresses the doubt of not knowing them. You do not know them, he says — you may not know your own mother and father either. But their vision is so unfathomable that even if they are across seven seas, they are seeing from there that this is my child. They can see what you are doing.
Is it right to serve a deity in the bhava of a brother or a child?
A listener says he worships a black stone at home in the form of Bhairav and serves it like Laddu Gopal, feeling as if he were his younger brother. It is a very beautiful and good bhava, the speaker says: what could be better than worshipping a deva shakti in some relation of one's own — as brother or sister, as mother or father? But in excessive self-absorption people begin to do all sorts of crooked things, and that should not be done. Make them your brother with bhava, make them mother and father with bhava, but never forget the maryada of a deva.
When does worship of Hanuman ji become harmful in such a house?
If that Brahm is in the deva koti, if it is a pure satvik Brahm, if they are one who walks upon dharma, if they themselves say that you should do the seva-puja of Bhagavati and the seva-puja of Hanuman ji — then take their permission and do it, and there is no difficulty. But if a prohibition has been laid upon the puja of the devatas themselves, saying you are not to do this puja, you are not to do it in this way, then it is harmful.
Should a Sai Baba murti be kept in the puja room?
A listener asks whether a Sai Baba murti, which was formerly kept in the puja room and is not now, was accepted in worship by the devi-devatas in earlier times or not. That has become a separate subject, the speaker says. For the rest: do not keep them.
Why is Vindhyavasini worshipped rather than Dhumavati in a mahamari?
Asked why he does not petition Maa Dhumavati in a mahamari, the speaker answers that we will petition the form in which we have faith. Our faith is entirely in Vindhyavasini. The ten Mahavidyas are situated within her form; she is the Mool Prakriti. We will petition her alone. Your faith is in Dhumavati, so you do it for her. For us, she herself will assume the form of Dhumavati, if she has faith in our bhakti, in our shraddha, in our surrender.
What if liquor and meat are used in the food of the household?
Asked by a listener whether satvik puja causes difficulty if madira and mans are used in the food, the speaker says: do not worry — praying to your ishta and aradhya, change the form. You can do the upasana of Bhagwan Narsingh. You can do the upasana of Kaal Bhairav or Batuk Bhairav in that manner, so that no dosha attaches. Do the upasana of the form of Bhagavati Kali.
What if a devotee has pulled away one's devata?
A listener says a devotee has pulled their devata away from them. Pull him and bring him back, the speaker answers by name. He has pulled your devata away — he cannot pull away your aradhya, your ishta. Take their help.
Hanuman at Patal, Makardhwaj, and the search for Sita ji are the precedents
When Ravana went into Patal taking Ram ji himself, the speaker asks, who was it who beat the two of them and brought them back? Who sent their devi into Patal, and who became Makardhwaj, the king of Patal, afterwards? Take his help, speak to him. When brothers were lost, who searched for Sita ji — Hanuman ji searched, did he not? So tell him that my brothers are lost; he will search them out and bring them.
Doubt withdraws the deity; surrender is what brings out their capability
You doubt your aradhya, the speaker says — that they have no capability, that they have no strength. When you do that, they too say: very well, child, I have nothing, look after your own affairs yourself. If you place faith in them, if you become surrendered to them, then they are capable of doing a very great deal.
What should a new sadhak do first of all if he has a guru, and if he has none?
We say again and again, he says, that when new sadhaks go to do sadhana and begin, if they can do guru sadhana then that is best of all. If there is no guru at all, then get your janm kundali examined by any jyotishi — tell any jyotishi to look at your birth chart and tell you in that way.
When guru, Ganpati and Bhairav are complete, the ishta aradhya is taken up beginning with his Ashtottar Shatnam
When the sadhana of guru, Ganpati and Bhairav ji is complete, after that go on taking your own ishta aradhya. Suppose you are proceeding with Mahakali — then which sadhana of Mahakali will you do first? It begins right here: first of all do her sadhana of the Ashtottar Shatnam.
How many paths of the satnam should be done?
You should do the satnam of your ishta aradhya at least until it becomes 11,000 — that is, until 11,000 paths are complete in their entirety. Whether you are taking one single name 108 times, or taking the 108 different names of your ishta aradhya, from both you will obtain the proper fruit.
Must Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Saraswati be served separately?
You do not have the need to do seva puja separately for Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Saraswati. If you are doing it of Bhagavati Vindhyavasini, then do the seva of Bhagavati Vindhyavasini alone. She is the holder of these three forms; everything will be got together at once. She is Bhagavati Mahadurga, and within her is the dwelling of all forms.
From which bhav should the ishta be determined?
Asked whether the ishta is to be determined from the fifth or the ninth bhav, and whether the ishta should be seen in both: basically these are two kinds of opinion, that is true — some say the fifth, some say the ninth. According to me, he answers, make an assessment of both, and according to whichever is obtained in a strong and high position, determine your ishta accordingly. And more than that is this: towards which form is your heart restless.
Should a Sai murti be kept for puja?
The Sai murti finishes the buddhi — that is the matter, and it is for this reason that she is refusing to do puja, he answers.
Why should a sadhana already begun not be changed?
Because new people keep arriving on the channel, and everyone's shraddha is in different shaktis, so different subjects are set out clearly for them. But if you have already taken up some sadhana earlier, do that one in its expanded form. Even if there is no discussion with him and you are doing it yourself, keep doing it.
He has no specific pujan order for the lok devata Goga Jaharveer, and says so plainly
Answering Bharat Prajapati ji, he says clearly that regarding the lok devata Goga Jaharveer he has no order of any specific pujan on his side, because they are lok devatas; and so he asks pardon — he does not have full knowledge of them. There are sadhaks among his own associates who have great knowledge, whose ishta aradhya they are, in whose houses their sthan is seated with great capacity — but he himself neither felt the wish nor has taken that much knowledge, so in this matter he says he simply does not have the knowledge and cannot tell you half-complete matters. If you have been doing sadhanas connected with them, the ones current on your side, you can absolutely do them.
Beyond the five tantric vigrahas and the Ashtamurti stands the best swaroop, without which the srishti of the world cannot happen
After the five tantric vigrahas and the Ashtamurti Shiva, the speaker turns to one further, most prominent swaroop, without which the srishti of this world cannot happen. Nandishwar ji says he will now describe that best swaroop of Shiva ji which fulfils all the desires of Brahma ji, and the speaker says it shows how you are related to whichever deity you worship.
If Goraiya Baba is already worshipped, should a new pujan be started?
Answering Nagesh ji, who said there is much confusion about this, the speaker says Bandi Mata is separate, and Maa Banni — and that where Goraiya Baba is the one worshipped, then it is Goraiya Baba himself; do not now start some other new pujan separately.
Does Gita recitation in Pitru Paksha need a separate Sankalp for the ancestors' satisfaction?
The ancestors are named inside the Sankalpa itself rather than in a separate one — either directly, or by routing it through your Ishta Devata: by Narayana's grace, for the satisfaction, contentment and nourishment of my family's ancestors.
Can the worship of Bhagavati Tara be undertaken without initiation?
If she is genuinely your Ishta Devata, take Deeksha and then perform it — and follow whatever your guru says.
How can one identify one's Ishta from the birth chart?
Look at the Lagna chart: of the Lagnesh, the Panchamesh and the Navamesh, whichever is strongest determines the Ishta Devata — if the determination is to be made astrologically at all.
The local and family deities must be satisfied before a pilgrimage succeeds — the remedy when the journey to Vindhyavasini is unaffordable
Begin lighting a lamp in Vindhyavasini's name and recite the "Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Kshama Rupena Samsthita" mantra 21, 27 or 108 times. Light a separate lamp for the Kuldevi or Kuldevta, and worship the local deities — pilgrimage only succeeds once the household, family and local deities are pleased.
Which mantra should be recited more when the Guru mantra and the Ishta differ?
The Guru mantra should never be left, and go on always taking Bhagavati Vindhyavasini's name. In the same stretch the speaker adds that illnesses come from our Prarabdha and go once the hardship is complete and the Prarabdha is cut — we cannot escape them; they will have to be cut.
What should be the first Anushthan in a practitioner's life?
Eleven hundred recitations of a Kavach should happen in every practitioner's life. Whenever you set out to do this sadhana, take up one Kavach of your own Aradhya in whom you have faith, do at least eleven hundred recitations of it, and then keep reciting it in the daily worship for a year.
What becomes of a person after death according to the deity they worshipped?
The speaker says he has clarified this before: when we perform pujan-path having taken a human body, then whatever punya is earned, and whichever deity we worship in devotion to, after death we will attain the loka of that deva or devi — or, having attained that swarup, will obtain that post here in this very loka.
Whose yantra should be kept, and what kind?
The speaker says the yantra of the chief deity should be kept — whichever deva is chief for you, their yantra, made by full vidhi-vidhan so that it may be worshipped for generations. Not a twenty-rupee yantra coloured like a child's drawing, whose colour comes off the day you take it to be bathed. Have a good one made by a knowledgeable person, get its regular anushthan performed, have it consecrated, and worship that one yantra alone, of your arahdya.
It is far better to hold to one sadhana and go on with it than to take up the yogini sadhana as well.
Asked to explain the yogini sadhana of Bhagavati Durga, the speaker tells the questioner it would be far better if he held to one sadhana and went on with it. There is no two opinions that he does a great deal of sadhana and does it with great intensity, but he does not stay upon one sadhana. He says he repeats this again and again: people ask about him, and he has been doing one and the same sadhana for a long time. He gives them all so that you may choose — choose only one.
Mockery of the capable comes out of frustration, and is followed by borrowing their devotion
Because the mockery is an attempt to cool a mind that knows it cannot match that capability. The same people then begin worshipping whoever the successful person worships — hoping the same Siddhi will come to them.
What is the mistake in adopting the deity of a successful person you admire?
Taking up their deity is fine; removing your own Kul Shakti to do it is the error. The speaker compares it to treating a mentor as a father in place of the one who gave you birth — others may be father-like, but not in the father's place.
Which Gita should one recite?
In the Guru Gita the importance of the guru has been told, the speaker says, so whosever Gita you recite, in it the importance of that devta's shakti has been told; therefore one should always recite the Gita relating to one's own ishta, so that our faith in them may increase more and more. Asked for a siddh mantra of Hinglaj Mata, he says he has not given her mantra publicly so far — he will tell it, let time come — because after a thing is told, how many people actually do it?
How many births must one wait to meet Ishwar?
It seems to him, the speaker says, that in this it is not births but our bhavas that carry the greatest weight. Whatever sadhana we do, if along with the sadhana we also sing stuti and recite the granths relating to our ishta, then this will happen sooner — that we take on a likeness, a samyata, with our ishta.
How large was Bhole Baba when he walked upon this earth?
Asked how tall Bhole Baba, the adi purush of this earth, would have been and in which countries he lived, the speaker replies by asking which place there is where Bhole Baba is not. From the way the question is asked, he says, the subtlest of subtle things is also Bhole Baba, and the greatest of great things is also Bhole Baba. There is no such thing at all — Bhole is pervading every particle; that is why it is said, kan kan mein Shankar. What you think about him is what your Bhole Baba depends upon: if you think your Bhole Baba should be very huge, then your Bhole Baba will be so.
Is there a difference between worshipping at a great dham and at an ordinary temple?
When we go and perform darshan and pujan of Baba Baijnath Dham Mahadev, the speaker says, the delight of touching him there, the gladness in the mind, the contentment and satisfaction — that same contentment and satisfaction we get when we do puja anywhere else. He sees no difference at all between the two places. The bhav that comes in his mind on seeing them in an ordinary Durga ji's temple, the satisfaction and the intimacy, is exactly the same anubhuti he has when he grasps the feet of Vindhyavasini in the Vindhya kshetra. It depends on your bhav, he says, whether you regard a pebble or a stone as Shiva, or must have a huge manifest form.
If an event occurred merely by a baba's saying it, nothing would be left to one's own faith and effort
He will say only this much, the speaker tells the questioner: that if some event were to occur merely by a baba's saying it, then what indeed is left. If you wish to become an IAS, then have faith in yourself, and take hold only of those in whom you have the greatest trust and faith. Whatever seva-puja you can do within a limit, according to your strength and capacity, take hold of it regularly — for instance, if you worship Shiva ji, then you may do japa of Shiva ji's satnam and his Ishan mantra, pranav-rahit, and may recite his kavach. And while doing all this, make preparation for your ishta, and leave the rest to them.
What does he prescribe for someone with no time for elaborate worship?
Naam jap, he says, is the most necessary thing today for one who has no time for much puja-path. For those whose shraddha is in Bhagavati and who have taken her sharanagati, he repeats what he has said many times: if you can do nothing else, take the Jayanti Mangala mantra — the first mantra of the Argala — into your life. And memorise the twelve names of the one in whom you have shraddha, and recite them until they begin to run in the mind of themselves.
Can a mantra be converted into a taaran mantra?
Asked how any mantra of God is converted into a taaran mantra, he asks in return why it should be converted, and whether the questioner has the capacity to change the fundamental nature of any mantra. Neither you nor I, he says, have the capacity to change a mantra's mool tattva and make a taaran mantra of it. The taaran mantra becomes for you that very name upon which you depend and in which you keep shraddha.
Is the fruit less if one only takes the name?
The obtaining of fruit, he says, will happen from merely taking the name too. There is no deficiency in it. Gold may be lying in rubbish, may be lying anywhere at all — it gives the same fruit; its value can never become less. It is a different matter whether you take it out of the rubbish and clean it before carrying it, or simply pick it up as it is and set it down.
What happens if one begins calling pitrs onto the head?
If you have begun calling them onto the head, he says, their gati will never take place. Then they will begin to come onto the head, and not three but thirty generations will pass and you will still be worshipping. Then they will become the ghar ke devta. According to him that is not right; their gati will be obstructed. Instead, there is a process for propitiating the displeased: by vidhi vidhan, through your ishta or kul devi-devta, through Shiva, you can please them and make effort for their gati.
Until the stuti gayan of one's ishta is learnt and sung with bhav, sleep and boredom are bound to come in puja.
The second is stuti gayan, he says, which he speaks of again and again. Until you learn the stuti gayan of your ishta aradhya — and that too with a bhav — sleep is bound to come and boredom is bound to happen. And when you do mantra jap, whatever wrong deeds you have done begin to be remembered at the very time of the jap.
Listening to two or four bhajans or stotras for five minutes on rising in the morning makes the whole day go well.
They were told at the beginning, he says: on rising from sleep in the morning, listen to two or four bhajans, stotras or stutis, whichever is your favourite. Your whole day will go well; it is only five minutes of listening, not more, though if you have time you can listen properly. Not on a loudspeaker — everybody has a phone, so hold it near your ear and listen. After that, when you go to do the puja, sing the stuti there.
What does it mean to dream of losing or eating prasad?
Asked what it means to see prasad being lost in a dream, he distinguishes between eating the prasad and losing it. If the prasad has been lost, then offer it to the one whose prasad it was — they will receive it, and then you take it. If you see yourself eating it, then too it will be good if you offer it for the one whom you saw.
Does worshipping other deities break a Vaishnav sharanagati?
Asked whether, after taking Vaishnav sharanagati, worshipping other deities such as Hanuman or Shiva breaks the sharanagati, he says: no, it will not be broken at all. Understand sharanagati with this bhav: when a wife marries and becomes the vamangi of someone by the paani grahan sanskar, then somewhere both of them have in a manner taken sharanagati with each other — the wife of the husband, and the husband of his wife.
How long does accumulated punya take to show?
As long as it takes — but the day it bursts you go a very long way forward and never look back. The energy gathers in one place; when bad Prarabdha wears thin, a little surrender and a little good Bhava toward your Ishta is all that is needed. The difficulty is that we cannot stay fixed on one thing.
How many powers should be worshipped as the principal one?
One. The speaker says he puts this into five of every ten lives: we will worship only one power principally, and the preliminary sadhanas have to be done only for some days. Practitioners stay stuck exactly here, distracted from one thing to another, unable to get out of it.
Whose puja comes first in a parva kaal?
The truth is, he says, that in a parva kaal we should always worship our own chief aradhya, whom we have served lifelong; and along with it, the one whose time it is, whose parva kaal it is, should also be worshipped. Shiva-Shakti is a mahashakti whose puja cannot be bypassed: in the month of Shravan their pujan will be chiefly done, and the pujan of one's aradhya that runs alongside will run too — but they are not to be bypassed.
Is any devata incomplete?
No devata is incomplete, the speaker says. They become devatas only when they are complete: their capability is theirs, their authority is theirs, it has been given to them. What you are doing will be completed — but doubt has entered your mind. The contemplation should not be of anyone else; and once it starts, the work will not be accomplished either, and you will be left hanging in the middle like Trishanku.
Will a devata stay with someone whose bhav is only material?
If our bhav is only material wealth, the speaker says, then for material wealth no dev shakti becomes direct in that way and remains anga sang, as Bhagavan used to remain with Tulsidas ji. Nowhere in the life of any devotee has this happened, except one who has stayed surrendered to his own devata, to his ishta aradhya.
What does a dream of a snake whose hood is cut by a woman mean?
A listener says he saw a snake in a dream coming at him with its hood raised, and that suddenly a beautiful married woman cut the hood of that snake, and in the dream he was wondering what she had done. The plain conclusion from this, the speaker says, is that the sarpa means that some suffering, some sorrow, was coming toward you, and some devi shakti has ended it — so you should be grateful to that devi shakti. Express your thanks to whoever your ishta aradhya is.
This analysis is for sadhaks of any lagna doing tantrokta sadhana with beejakshar mantras and kavach.
For sadhaks walking the path of sadhana, he says — he assumes everyone on this channel does sadhana, whether little or much. Specifically: a chart of any lagna, someone wishing to do sadhana, especially tantrokta sadhana involving beejakshar mantras, doing an anushthan of tantratmak kavachas, and intending in future to do the sadhana of the tantrokta and ugra forms of his ishta. The question is how the twelve bhavas give fruit in that.
Capacity is given, but the sadhak must never take up the business of slaying enemies.
Here again the sadhak must not become unbalanced, he says. Capacity is certainly given, but one should never fall into the business of becoming a slayer of enemies — "ah, this is the yoga of a shatru-hanta, and having been nourished let us become a shatru-hanta." Do not now take yourself to be Kaal Purusha, that no, we will fly him away. No, brother. Here one should fold one's hands: it is a plain and straight matter that we are not to do this kind of thing, and that we are leaving it to our aradhya and ishta.
What should a householder actually do on these four days?
What is not said, he objects, is that the path of those who practise Tantra is a little different, difficult and distinctive — and that an ordinary person, while not doing it that way, should at the very least perform a distinctive service and worship of Bhagavati on these four days: her Kavach, her mantras, and for the initiated, their initiated mantras.
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.
Which forms should a sadhak without avaran knowledge worship at Ambubachi?
Two forms, since we know two anyway: Bhagavati's form and Bhairav's form — and it is from this one that the many arose; the root is this same Shakti. So carry two: Bhagavati Kameshwari Kamakhya, and whoever it is you worship, Shiva, Durga, Krishna, Narayana, Gayatri, Baglamukhi, any form of Tripurasundari.
What is offered during the four days of Ambubachi?
If you wish you may offer a fragrant garland daily through the four days — not an ordinary garland but the small fragrant kind, so that it is no weight on her. And offer as much Paushtik material as you can as Naivedya. But never change your Aradhya or Ishta.
Why does a beginner become restless during a Pratishtha?
Because you have not performed a lakh and a quarter Purashcharan of any mantra, and the deity simply does not give that kind of patience. Sit to consecrate a mala bead by bead and by the fourth or fifth bead — by the tenth — you will be asking when it will end.
What actually animates the Pratishtha?
The heart. When we read the Pran mantras it is from the heart that it throbs — the heartbeat that is beating is generating the electromagnetic waves, and it is those waves that go and make the object conscious. If it is not within you, the object stays merely physical.
What remedies help with social anxiety, lack of confidence, and fear of public speaking?
Practicing one's Ishta Devata's Kavach up to 11,000 times, 41 days of daily Hanuman worship, or a Ram Beej Mantra written on Tulsi leaves and offered with Hanuman Chalisa for even 15 days, causes social anxiety to vanish.
Worshipping the afflicted deity's own ishta to restore stopped experiences
The speaker says that if the offence was against a deity like Hanuman or Bhairava and the experiences from a paath have stopped, one prays to that deity's own Ishta Devata — the one he reveres and whose word he heeds. For Hanuman that means praising Shri Ram and asking him to free one from the dosh (Shri Ram Stuti, Ram Raksha Stotra, his 108 names) and serving Sitaram ji and Bhagwati Anjana; for Ganesha, also worshipping Bhagwati Parvati; for Bhairav ji, certainly worshipping Bhagwati Kali with the "Kshama-Rupena Samsthita" verse, through whom the offence is forgiven and the experiences begin again. He calls this the general vidhan by which special Kripa returns — done secretly, never shown.
Combined Navratri jap of the Navdurga, the navgrah and the mothers of the grahas: purpose and who it is for
The speaker says that if in the nine days of Navratri the nine grahas, the mothers of the nine grahas and the nine Durgas are worshipped together, many graha Doshas and yogas in the birth chart that affect life are pacified. Since even the smallest particle in the world is held to be a karaka of the Navagraha, the grahas must not be neglected; alongside one's Ishta Devata their puja should be done from time to time. Worshipping each graha separately is long and difficult, with its own vastra and vidhi, so he gives a simple nine-day vidhan for Navratri only that any sadhak or sadhika can do, meant especially for those who do not know their own janma kundali: by it alone, in nine days, whatever subtle graha dosha exists is pacified and the grahas' grace obtained. Done fully, he says, Jagadamba removes even the greatest calamity, and sufferings that were not otherwise going away are removed by this collective (samyak) pujan.
How are yantra, mantra, guru and the aradhya one and the same?
Yantra, mantra, guru and the form of your aradhya — these four, the chatu swaroop, should all be one and the same form. The deity's form with its parikars is seated in the yantra; the mantra is itself the form of the yantra. So yantra, mantra and deity become one, and the fourth is the guru, who is directly of the form of the deity.
The sadhak is the fifth tattva, the one who brings yantra, mantra, guru and aradhya into a single bindu
The fifth, the one by whom the piercing is to be done, is you — the upasak, the aradhak, the bhakt, the sevak, the sadhak. You are the one who unifies these four and brings them to a single point, and so you too become of that same deity's form.
What should one be doing while climbing Nilachal?
The speaker notes that although the path shown here was filmed from a vehicle for the sake of the video, they themselves made the ascent on foot, and that all of you should go up this path on foot. First one goes to Bhagavati Kamakhya's main temple and there takes darshan of Saubhagya Kund. And whenever you begin the ascent of the Nilachal parvat, go forward only while doing the nitya-naimittik japa of whatever your ishta-prada mantras are, whatever mantras have been granted by your guru.
How does air travel affect a sadhak under such a rule?
In the present time you are a very great sadhak, a siddhi of this kind has happened, and you are flying by aeroplane — then, he says, ullanghan dosha is bound to attach. You have crossed over mountains and crossed over shikhars too; and if you have crossed the shikhar of their own ishta aradhya, then your shakti is bound to be blunted just like that. All these doshas will begin to attach.
What should be done when an unknown shakti obstructs japa?
A listener says some unknown shakti is becoming an obstruction in japa — a mala that takes five minutes now takes twenty. He answers by name that in the time now running these things come a great deal. When an unknown shakti is becoming an obstruction in japa, a havanatmak prayoga should be done: of your own ishta, on the day connected with the ishta — as, if you do the seva of Hanuman ji, then on Tuesday and Saturday; or if you are doing that of Bhagavan Dattatreya, then on Thursday — a havanatmak prayoga of the mantras connected with them. Do at least one thousand one hundred and eight ahutis, he says, if it seems too much to you.
What is gained from reciting stotra and stuti?
From reciting stotra and stuti and the like, the buddhi becomes clear, he says. From reciting the granths connected with your own ishta, you obtain knowledge of a good many things; things come to be understood.
Should there be one mala or separate malas for different devatas?
Asked whether the mala for japa of devi-devatas should be one or separate, he answers: if you are doing an ordinary one, then keep just one, not separate ones. Chiefly it should be like this: that for whichever is your principal japa there be one mala, and for all the other devi-devatas there be one mala. This, he says, is why two malas are necessary.
With which sadhana should one begin?
Now begin sadhana, he says — first of all of the devi-devata of your own kula; otherwise make whatever choice you wish from among all these mantras and then do japa and the rest. If you do it in conformity with the niti, niyam and maryada, you will have great benefit.
Where does the practice usually go wrong?
The trouble comes, he says, when you are already sunk in the pit and at that time you want the work to be done in four days or forty days — then you are stuck, and it does not happen. It will happen, but it will take six or seven months, and you have no patience within you. So you keep changing deity, keep changing baba, keep changing dham; nothing happens, and after two years you are standing in the same place and sunk deeper.
People never get prepared because they wander between mantras and never grip one deity
They keep wandering, he says, asking which mantra we should do — they are unable to grip the deity at all. He gives his own case: he does seva-puja in the Vindhya kshetra; if tomorrow he goes to Patan Devi he will take darshan of Bhagavati there, but will not do japa of any mantra of Patan Devi — even there he will do japa of the mantra of his own Vindhyavasini, will read her kavach, will read her mala mantra, will recite her sahasranama.
Whose mantra does one do at a tirtha or a kunda?
If tomorrow you go to Kamakhya ji, he says, then do there whatever is written in the video for the sake of Bhagavati Kamakhya — but whose japa will you do everywhere? In the kunda, whose japa is to be done? Going to the tirthas, for the sake of siddhi, which one? Only that of your own ishta-aradhya. Not differently in each place — that having gone to Pitambara Mai you are doing Baglamukhi japa, dushtam vacham mukham there; having gone to Dhumavati, Ma Dhumavati dhum dhum dhuma there. Not that. In all ten kundas his japa alone will run, because the root is the same.
Is Ma Durga's vahan only a lion, or can it be a tiger?
A listener says that in spite of trying, he sees only a tiger with closed eyes in dhyan, and asks whether Ma Durga's vahan is only a lion or can be a tiger too. It is good, brother, the speaker says: lion and tiger, it can be both. Asked whether he may then do the trikon in that Ma, he says one certainly can.
A crama of Dattatreya, Ganpati, Surya, Jayanti Mangala and Panchakshari still has no kavach in it, and one kavach must be there
A listener sets out his crama: one mala of Guru Dattatreya's ekakshari, then Ganpati, then Surya's twelve namavali, twelve of Jayanti Mangala, one mala of Panchakshari, one mala in the morning; and in the evening the Batuk Bhairav stotra and the namavali of the 64 yoginis. Brother, there is no kavach at all in this of yours, the speaker says. Involve some kavach also — the kavach of your chief aradhya. All the rest is very good, but let there certainly be one kavach. Let all the sadhaks and sadhikas pay attention: all the path and japa on one side, one's own aradhya's kavach on the other. A kavach must certainly be there.
Can Ma Kali's beej mantra be tattooed on the hand?
A listener asks whether Ma Kali's beej mantra may be tattooed on the hand, noting that a film star has had such a tattoo made. The speaker says he is in favour of having a symbol made — one should certainly have the symbol of one's aradhya made: have the Sudarshan chakra made, have the Kaumodaki gada made, have Kali ji's khadag made. About a beejakshar he becomes nineteen-twenty, because it is not known what the niti and niyam of your life are, whether favourable or unfavourable; in that he will not say yes. A pratik chinh you may certainly have made. Mantras and shlokas, in his view, are better written by those who are extremely dedicated to their aradhya and who never come into doubt about their aradhya — if in some form we were to sense that our aradhya was asking for our head, cutting our throat, and we would not take a moment in giving it, then have that mantra written. For the rest, your own viveka and intelligence: have beautiful symbols made, and go into writing mantras only if the surrender, the dedication, is of that level.
How does an attack finally reduce a person's faith?
When the wounding happens again and again, the speaker says, you will reduce your puja paath, because it will seem to you that there is no source of income, or that even if there is, all your money is going into puja — that you are spending thousands upon thousands, buying such expensive materials, giving the highest quality ghee in the puja. This strikes at your ego too, and then you begin to abandon worship, or a deficiency comes into your shraddha.
How does one keep the mind steady in sadhana in every circumstance?
Asked how to keep the mind steady in sadhana in every circumstance, the speaker answers: Gita paath. Whose Gita? If you chiefly worship Bhagavan Sadashiva, recite the Shiv Gita — every question of yours will be answered in it. Whoever your ishta is, recite that ishta's Gita; otherwise the Bhagavad Gita is always there. Recite the Shiv Mahapuran and you will get answers to very many of your questions; recite one adhyaya each day, or half an adhyaya.
Is there a mantra that should never be recited or sung?
Answering a listener who has written out a mantra, the speaker says that the mantra written is never to be recited, never to be spoken, and should not be used in bhajan kirtan either. It is an exceedingly special mantra. Say Har Har Mahadev, he tells him.
What should be done after japa when energy accumulates in the body?
The principal point here, the speaker says, is that when you do japa, afterwards you should offer it in samarpan to your ishta. And to the extent possible, at the beginning you should certainly do pranayam as well through the ishta mantra you are doing japa of. By doing pranayam this thing becomes somewhat balanced.
Can grace come from a shakti other than the one being worshipped?
Asked whether it can happen that we worship one deity while the grace and blessing come from some other shakti, the speaker says he explained this whole subject in a video from three or four days back, and asks the listener to hear it once. Asked whether the Panchakshari mantra or the guru mantra gives better fruit in Shravan, he says: do the one in which your shraddha lies — that is the one that gives the best fruit. Shravan is dear to all the devas, because it is the month of the Mahadev of devas, so all bestow grace.
How is "Om Brahma na dwitiyo asti" reconciled with Vishnu worshipping Shiva?
Asked how, given "Om Brahma na dwitiyo asti", our Sanatan dharma sometimes shows Vishnu ji worshipping Shiva ji and sometimes Shiva ji meditating on Ram ji, the speaker says that harmony is present among them: the Sanatan sanskriti alone is such, this dharma alone is such, in which the presence of anek ishwarvad has been accepted. Recite any purana, he says — recite the purana connected with whoever your ishta is — and you will understand this subject.
Is shakti one or many?
The second thing, the speaker says, is that shakti is only one and has held different forms; this is the breadth of our Sanatan. And it is for this reason that he says again and again: read the Gita of your own ishta. In every shakti this same one thing has been said in every form.
Which stotra or anushthan reveals all the secrets of the brahmanda?
Asked which stotra or anushthan would let one know all the secrets of the brahmanda, the speaker answers that for this, however many stotras, mantras and kavachs there are, all of them are capable in themselves. Always remember: when your aradhya has to make you fit, what to give, where to give it and how to give it is their own way. For the disclosure of a secret you will not need to do anything separate or special.
The devata of the one syllable himself opens the way from one to three and from three to five
So you can obtain all the secrets even from a mantra of one syllable, the speaker says. How to take you from one to three, and how from three to five, is your deity's own affair; the devata of that one syllable will himself find the way, and from that very thing you will come to know the secrets.
For protection from a distance, Mahabhairav and Vamati Kali are each excellent in their own place — stop comparing
Asked whether, for protection from a distance, Vamati Kali is more suitable than Mahabhairav, the speaker says it depends on what kind of puja and seva you do. Both are excellent in their own place; there is no question of suitable or unsuitable here. Stop comparing, he says — do not keep comparing who is proper and who is not. The question is: to whom are you able to surrender.
Why do sadhaks keep being drawn to whichever form is in fashion?
He says there is attraction in every form: whichever form of Bhagavati you come to know about, the attraction toward it will increase. At one time people were drawn to Bhagavati Pitambara, and still are; but now, he says, the one whose podcast has gone viral is a sadhak of Bhagavati Tara, and so people are now being drawn toward Tara Maai. This thing within you, he says, at least keep it limited. Be devoted to your own aradhya.
What is the mool roop of Bhagavati?
He says the Bhagavati who is seated at Vindhyachal is the mool roop. Look at her aarti, and in it she is the one who assumes all those forms — she will be worshipped everywhere. The mool is Parvati ji's form, so you can worship her at any place, in any location, in any form. Even so, he says, he never says that she is our aradhya so you also should do hers. Bhagavati Kamakhya too is the mool roop; anyone may worship her anywhere; but even so he cannot say, no, you too worship her — worship the one you have worshipped from the beginning.
Increase tapobal at these kshetras and strengthen your own devata instead
Going to these kshetras, he says, increase your tapobal. Going to these kshetras, making the tirtha yatra, doing japa and tapa, doing parikrama, bathing, giving daan, doing a good purashcharan of the mantras — increase your own capacity and strengthen your own devata. Do not keep changing devatas again and again.
How should one listen to descriptions of other forms?
Bring this subject within you, he says, and then your attraction will remain on your own ishta, on your own aradhya, and you will not be shaken again and again — today on this form, tomorrow whichever goes viral. Whatever descriptions of forms you hear, hear them broadly, and return toward the mool form of your ishta, saying and thinking and with the samarpan that our aradhya has such capacity that she can assume this form and do such and such.
Is one form of the Devi more powerful than another?
Do not fall into this business, he says, of thinking that this form is more fierce, that there is more capacity in it. Brother, capacity is in all of them. There is no shakti at all who is not capable. Every shakti is in herself sarva-samartha and endowed with all capacities.
What decides which form a sadhak is finally taken to?
He says that they will take you there for the form in which your rin stands. If in a previous birth you performed the upasana of Bhagavati Saraswati and it remained unfinished halfway for some reason, then in this birth, whichever devata's sadhana you may do, in time when you arrive fully and properly at your level, your aradhya of this birth will take you there and have that sadhana completed. They will not leave a rin standing.
What should be done if uchchatan or lack of samarpan arises?
As far as the subject of uchchatan goes — that one is becoming uchchatit, or that there is a lack of aastha and samarpan toward the form of Bhagavan whose pujan one is doing — for this, he says, you should certainly sing the stuti. Sing the stuti.
Is there any dosha in reading one adhyaya of a purana daily?
He tells the listener Virendra Sahu that he is doing very well reading one adhyaya daily, and that there is no dosha in it. Whoever they are, he says, if in this same way they take up any one purana of their own aradhya — take up the Devi Maa Bhagavat, take up the purana of whomever they worship — and read one adhyaya each day, that is a very, very good thing. There is no dosha in it.
Which small kavach of the Devi can men recite instead of the Chandi Kavach?
Told that the Chandi Kavach is very long and asked to name some small kavach of the Devi for men, he says you can also do any kavach of your own aradhya ishta; there are other kavachs of Durga ji as well. He says he will put up a small kavach of Durga ji before this coming Navratri.
Should an abhichar done against you be turned back?
Asked whether one should answer back if an abhichar has been done, he says an answer should be given, but only after becoming capable. Whenever anyone does abhichar, before turning it back you must first have so much capability that we can stand before him. If the burden is of a hundred kilos, we shall have to become of two hundred kilos, and only then will we be able to answer it — because the person who does abhichar will strike back again when you answer. So you must have enough capability both to stop it and to send it back again; and the grace of the ishta is greatly necessary.
If the shastras prescribe murti puja, may photographs be worshipped?
Whether or not to do puja of a photo is a separate subject, he says; where our bhav lies is more important than that. Of the photo, and even of the shri vigraha, you may say — what praan is in it for you? It is your bhav that is in it. He gives as the best example Raja Jaisingh and Swami Vivekananda: when Jaisingh said, why should we accept God in a photo, Vivekananda said, then do not accept it; and taking down the picture of his father he placed it on the floor and said, spit on this. Jaisingh became angry, asking why he should spit; and Vivekananda said, exactly that bhav which is in this photo — that our father should not be insulted — that very bhav should be yours toward the photo of your own aradhya.
How can one find out oneself which deity's shaktis are working?
Asked how, without taking the help of any bhagat, one may find out for oneself which deity's shaktis are running with us, so that their seva and sadhana may be done better and without error, he says there is a whole separate video on this on the channel — not one but two or three videos — and asks the questioner to look at them once.
Which deity's mantra is best to recite between noon and six?
Asked which deity's mantra is best to recite from twelve noon to six, he answers that it is whoever you are initiated by, whichever form's deeksha you have obtained — everyone has his own form, and you should act according to that.
After such a healing the worship of one's own devi-devta and pitrs is forbidden.
But after that, what? Do not do the puja of the devi and devta of your own house — that is the very first thing. You will have to come here to church every Sunday, you will have to come to the prayer meeting, you will have to accept Yeshu Masih, you will have to accept Mata Mariam. So your pitrs have gone off to fetch oil, and your devi and devta have gone on the Mansarovar yatra; you are told to follow Jesus and Mother Mary instead. This is what is happening.
Ishta sadhana by the janma nakshatra as the simplest remedy
If the pocket does not allow endless remedies, the speaker says the simple thing — and in his own experience the best results — is to go by jyotish, by one's birth nakshatra: do the sadhana of the ishta according to the janma nakshatra. That is the easiest upay and nothing else, but it must be kept up for a long time. After that, if one finds a qualified guru or a qualified sadhak and is initiated by some vidhi-vidhan under him, the sadhana gives good fruit.
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.
What remedy does he give for a long and healthy life?
To Sursen Sudhanshu ji, who asks for a tried remedy or sadhana for a long and healthy life, he answers: adopt the yoga marg. Bring in the mantra-related sadhanas that are done along with the kriyas of yoga, walking on the path of yoga. If you cannot do even that, then learn to do whatever your mool mantra, your guru mantra or your ishta mantra is by the pranayama vidhi. Pranayama alone is not to be done, nor mantra japa alone; it will happen if you walk keeping the two in harmony. Do sadhana with yaugik kriya — it is the very best, both things happen together, your mantra japa increases, tapobal increases, and an effect falls on the body too.
How can one be saved from a handi prayoga?
In the present time, if a handi prayoga is really done anywhere, people do it directly very little, he says. And for being saved from it you do not need to do anything separate at all. Keep doing the seva-puja of your ishta; when a prayoga of this kind occurs you will not need to do any separate mantra japa. Your own ishta will be so strong that they will do all of it.
An invisible shakti that was with me has gone — how does it return?
To Naresh ji he says that if a thing of this kind is really so, then you must certainly have done something good before, which is why it was with you. It was there, and now either something has gone wrong or you have not done the seva-puja, and that is why there is difficulty with you. And how can you say that it was there before and is not now — there must be something, he says.
Is there any devi or devata who is not ugra?
Asked who said that the sumiran of the devi should not be done because the Mata is an ugra form, he tells Amrit ji simply to do the path of the first mantra of the Argala; there is nothing of that kind. Which devi-devatas are ordinary, he asks — which devi-devata is not ugra? Who has not ended some wicked one? Which swaroop is there like that in our Sanatan culture? Hanuman ji is a Vaishnav, and he killed so many demons by turning himself into a monkey. All are ugra; not one is saumya. And has Narayan not killed? He has ended so many people, ended the wicked. Then do not take his name at all. Now do Ram-Ram — Ram killed Ravana, who was so great a wicked one; Ram ji killed him, did his vadh. So now let us not take Ram ji's name at all, because Ram ji has become ugra.
Who is the supreme shakti?
Whoever you accept is the one, he answers Anuj ji. Do not get stuck in dvaita and advaita about who the supreme shakti is; this question itself is useless and full of foolishness. Whoever you read about is the supreme. Whoever is your ishta is supreme. Just as for a wife her husband is supreme, but the rest of the family are not low — they too have their own honour and dignity and she carries everyone along; in the same way your ishta will be supreme for you, and the rest will remain respected lifelong.
Why do wrong thoughts about the devi arise as the sadhana advances?
To Ajay Paliwal ji, who asks why wrong thoughts about the devi come as one goes further in sadhana, he says the biggest cause behind it is only doing mantra japa. If you do mantra japa alone the muladhara will awaken and there will be difficulty. That is why, he says, they say again and again that whichever devi or devata's sadhana and upasana you do, you should certainly do the reading and reciting of their stotras and sing them with bhav. Arti should be done. If you do all these things the bhav will change. And you should read the granths and puranas connected with them — even if only one day in a week, even if for only one hour.
How far can a kundali take you, compared with sadhana?
From what he has seen of many lives, the speaker says a kundali can support you only up to a limit. He allows that he may not know how to look at it in very great depth, but says good astrologers who walk the path of bhakti and tantra sadhana say the kundali stands on one side and the effect of your sadhana on the other.
What is the first remedy for lack of wealth in householder life?
The first thing, the speaker says, is that whoever your ishta is — whoever you are doing seva-puja of, whoever's tantra sadhana you are doing — you should certainly do their abhishek with sweet water once in a month, or at the very least once in each paksha. Whichever shakti's sadhana you are doing, first learn to make them shant and saumya.
How should the daily bhog be offered?
At least once in a day, the speaker says, whatever food you are eating — food that has been made entirely clean, not kept from the night before — should certainly be offered as bhog before your ishta and aradhya and surrendered to them, so that they are satisfied and there is increase in your anna.
Why should one have the shringar of one's aradhya done?
Besides this, the speaker says, one should have the shringar of one's aradhya done in a temple at the time of Diwali or at the time of Panchami. It is said that when you do the shringar of your aradhya, they do the shringar of your life; shaman of a great many doshas occurs by having shringar done.
Why does a mantra give no effect when prarabdha has already formed?
When you came to know the truth of life and marriage took place, and troubles then began, the prarabdha already formed has to be undergone — and at that time the mantra will not give you its effect. You will never disclose your own truth, the speaker says, and nobody does; but learn to accept the truth of what has passed, and its prarabdha.
Who is the mool shakti of Bhagavan Narsingh?
The mool shakti of Bhagavan Narsingh, the speaker answers, is called Narsinghi herself. If you go further into Bhagavan Narsingh, eight shaktis of his are spoken of, and eight kinds of Narsingh forms are also described. The Narsingh we ordinarily see should be worshipped together as Lakshmi-Narsingh.
How many mantras may be done on one mala?
The speaker says one mala should be kept for the japa of the ishta mantra, for whoever is the chief ishta. If you do sadhana of Bhagavati Kali, do her mantra japa on one mala — a navmukhi rudraksha mala, an ordinary rudraksha mala, an ordinary black hakik mala, or whatever mala you keep. Ganpati, Bhairav and Shiva mantras should be done on a second mala.
Can the ishta be known from the kundali?
Absolutely, the speaker answers: according to the fifth or the ninth house you can take up your ishta and do sadhana and puja. But he adds that the lagnesh is necessary too, the panchamesh is necessary, the bhagyesh is necessary, the labhesh is necessary — so a state of confusion arises about whose worship to do.
What is the risk in simply following the panchamesh?
People mainly say the panchamesh should always be kept satisfied and his seva-puja done. But suppose, the speaker says, that according to your kundali the panchamesh has gone and sat in the eighth house: now you are doing his seva-puja, and if by mistake you put on a related ratna, then somewhere or other they will certainly give you distress.
What is the best way to fix one's ishta?
One should leave the grahas and go up to the deva shaktis, the speaker says: do the seva-puja of whichever deity relates to the graha situated in the fifth house. He himself says it is best to go by the nakshatra — do the seva and puja of the presiding deity of your nakshatra.
How does one ask one's own ishta not to delude one?
To get past this maya, the speaker says, tell whoever your ishta is. If Bhagavan Sadashiv is your ishta, then say to him only: Lord, kindly do not delude me, tell Maiya to refuse. Bring a little of the bhaav of a child there, and say it to them.
Is there a wealth stotra whose paath alone is enough, without havan?
Asked for a stotra for wealth whose paath alone suffices, without need of havan, marjan and the like, the speaker says you may look to a stotra relating to your own ishta — the paath of a sahasranama is the best.
Why do the eyes open between three and five in the morning?
There is nothing much to worry about in this, the speaker says. Whenever you do any sadhana, the ganas who are pleased by it have their own kaal, and their coming and going happens within that period, because of which your eyes open. This is an ordinary process in the field of sadhana, and somewhere it is also the grace of that shakti.
Is it proper to do upasana of the Devi while doing upasana of Dattatreya?
Absolutely, the speaker answers: along with Bhagavan Dattatreya, upasana of Bhagavati should be done.
May a chalisa or stotra for another deity be read during a running sadhana?
Do one sadhana at one time, the speaker says. This is a kind of dosha, and in itself a very great dosha: that you are doing sadhana of one and want the grace of somebody else within it. Then it means you have no trust in your aradhya, in your ishta, or in the deity of the mantra you are doing japa of — so where will they accomplish your work.
Can Hanuman ji and Bhairav ji stop a tantric prayoga?
To stop whatever is running on adharma, the speaker says, senior things can be used. He says he does not wish to abuse anyone, but abuse escapes his mouth at those who say that Hanuman ji and Bhairav ji cannot do this and cannot do that. Nothing of the sort is so: everything is stopped, everything runs — the one doing it must be of that kind, and one must have trust in one's own ishta and aradhya.
A kavach recited 11,000 times makes that deity stand by you
The best prayog in the speaker's view is one's own ishta mantra and kavach. When a family member who does no puja (whether or not they keep cleanliness) has trouble in the body, the question is which mantra and kavach you have sidh-ed. Once you have recited any one deity's kavach 11,000 times, he says, understand that that deity is standing in fierce (prachand) form to support and accompany you; so at least 11,000 japa of the kavach of one's ishta should be done.
Kavach-charged lemon cut on a family member's body as a bandhan
The speaker says that if you have sidh-ed a kavach through japa and someone in your home is falling ill and is not fully able to do puja-path, charge the lemon with that very kavach, move it over the body of the person to be protected, and cut it on the body itself, stating that it is for bandhan. Until someone breaks that bandhan in a very forceful way, it will not open. In this manner, he says, the lemon has many prayogs.
When a problem keeps returning: bali to the ishta and repetition morning, noon and evening
The speaker says that when a problem keeps forming and does not get cut, recurring again and again, two things are to be done: first, give bali to the devi or devata of the ishta mantra you have sidh-ed; and second, repeat the same nimbu process over and over — morning, noon and evening. Then such problems begin to be solved.
What should a sadhak do who cannot cook his own food?
Now you will say, brother, should we then give up eating food during sadhana — how will it work, we cannot cook for ourselves. There is no difficulty, the speaker says, eat your food. When the food comes to you, first offer that meal to your aradhya, to your ishta, and eat it after that: it will be free of dosha. That much you can certainly do. And if even after this an effect falls on the body, then strengthen the weakness in the body caused by sitting — practise a little and you will get past it.
Should so many vrats be kept in one life?
So many vrats and upvas are not done in life in this manner, the speaker says. Any one vrat should be done by you with its complete vidhi-vidhan, according to your kundali or according to your ishta-aradhya. If you hold Mahadev to be everything, then according to that do only the Pradosh vrat. If you are keeping two vrats, doing Pradosh as well as Trayodashi, then where will the completeness of even one vrat come about? Where will the whole rule of Pradosh be followed?
What should be done when another faith's idol is brought into a Sanatan temple?
That the people present should have said so at the time. Where a Paishachik worship begins beside one's own Ishta, there should be no delay in objecting — say so at once, to the people concerned.
How does a practitioner guard against something put in his food?
One thing should certainly be done in general: wherever you eat and whatever you eat, offer Naivedya from it first — dedicate it in the name of your Ishta. The full prescription, with the mantras, is on the Siddh Sabari Vidya channel.
The Kali Chalisa is not to be dismissed for having been written recently
He calls it a very good question and says that through Makhan ji he wants to give this message to all: those who are doing nothing at all should take up something related to their ishta or to Bhagavati. If you have love for Kali ji, take the Kali Chalisa — do not look at it in the way of saying that the Kali Chalisa has been written only recently, so what effect will it have. Leave that aside.
A twenty-two year old whose ishta is Shiva wants to merge in him — what sadhana is given?
A listener says he is twenty-two, that Shiva ji is his ishta, that he wishes to merge in him alone, and asks for a sadhana. He calls it a very good thing that at this age he wishes to surrender himself to Bhagavan Sadashiva, and gives the first task: bring the Shiv Mahapuran home — the complete one, not the abridged one — and recite only one adhyaya daily. That is the very first task.
Reading it through teaches which samhita fulfils which kamana
From the first adhyaya onwards — how many times in your life will you be able to recite the Shiv Mahapuran again and again? In that same order you will come to know how many samhitas have been given in the Shiv Mahapuran, and by reciting which samhita what fulfilment of which desires takes place. Accordingly you should then go on reciting those adhyayas daily; that is best for you.
Can Bhagavati's grace be had by ordinary bhakti alone?
Certainly it can be attained, he says — but even for ordinary bhakti there should be that much capacity within you to become ordinary. Nowadays no one has the capacity to become ordinary. Here, he says, a hundred and one people are listening to me; among those hundred and one there may well be ten who, hearing some of my words, say: he is giving a lot of gyan. When you go to Bhagavati and, surrendering yourself, becoming ordinary, becoming simple, do her seva-puja and never take pride in yourself, then Bhagavati is pleased in that manner.
The mother drops everything the moment her child cries
Look at some woman who has just become a mother, he says — she has a child of a year or two. If her child is in another place and she is working in the kitchen and the like, then when the child cries she leaves all her work and runs. Where her flour spilt, where her rolling pin fell, where the chowki fell — she does not look. Breaking and knocking things over, leaving everything, she will run to her child. Bhakti of that level comes only when you study the granthas related to your aradhya and know their mahima.
Read the puranas of your own aradhya, and ask rather than dismiss what you find there
It is for this that he says again and again: recite the puranas related to your aradhya and ishta. Leave the negative things — that in the bhasha tika such a thing was said, and it seems to you that yes, why is a thing of this kind there. If you feel that you can get it resolved, ask him once and he will tell; if he does not know, he says, there are many people greater than himself who are renowned scholars, and he will ask them and tell it from there. But do it, he says.
The bhav that used to come in Devi puja now comes in Krishna's form — what is the reason?
Parth Vyom ji, he answers, there is no special reason; if Bhagavati wishes that you be drawn towards her Krishna swaroop, then so be it. He refers to the earlier live sessions — perhaps in the last live itself it was told that Krishna alone is Kali and Kali alone is Krishna, according to the Devi Bhagavat, on its own authority. So if you go into that swaroop as well there is no difficulty; comfortably let the attraction towards that swaroop happen, and surrender yourself to them.
A listener dreams of a temple he has stopped visiting, seeing the place broken — what does it mean?
The listener says he used to go to a temple and no longer does; in his dream he sees that same temple, the time of rains, the murti of the Devi, and some function too, but the place appears broken though in reality it is not so. Start going at once, Parth ji, he answers. If possible — if you used to go daily — then instead of going daily, go once a week, or go once a month, but go there.
One adhyaya of the purana of one's own ishta goes with the stuti
When you do that, and along with it, he says again and again — one adhyaya of the purana of your own ishta. Whoever your ishta is: if it is Bhagavati, bring the Shrimad Devi Bhagavat, bring the Skanda Purana, read one adhyaya each. Such things will come to you to read in it that your mind will simply not go in this direction.
Darshan comes even in sleep, and the mind is left no time to wander
Even at the time of sleeping such a condition will arise that even while sleeping you are to have darshan of Bhagavati; the experience of the divyata of their places will begin to be had by you. You will simply not get the time; a time will come when, on seeing women, you will yourself say that there was a time when it used to be so, and now it is like this. But if you only do mantra japa, you will not be able to control it. So bring these two things down into your life — stuti, and the paath of the puranas related to your aradhya; and if you cannot do it daily, then do it at least once or twice a week, but do it.
Can wealth be had from the sadhana of an ishta who is an ugra devata?
There is no such swaroop at all that is not capable of giving wealth, he says. Name one devi or devata in whose hand there is no astra, or who has not worn jewels and ornaments and the like. Every devi and devata has three swaroops, however ugra they may be. Bhagavati Mahakali herself remains laden with gold and silver from head to foot; she too does the sixteen shringars.
Change only the sankalp, never the swaroop you serve
So it is not a proper thing that for the attainment of wealth your attraction should be towards some other form. Do the seva of that very swaroop of theirs; change only the sankalp. Keep the sankalp yours.
What should be done when one is settled in dvaita bhaav?
If you find yourself settled in dvaita bhaav, then make the request of your own aradhya, your ishta, the speaker says. And remember one thing: when you begin to advance on the sadhana marga, the feeling of dvaita slowly begins to come to an end of itself. It may be that for some time you have become fixed in one place, but that will not remain always. There will be onward motion, and that very labour will turn into advaita.
What should be done after the morning bath in Kartik?
After bathing, go to the puja place and do whatever nitya pujan you can. Best of all is archan or path of your ishta aradhya by the satnam or the sahasranama; this should certainly happen in Kartik maas, early in the morning. After that, whatever mala japa or other procedure you have, do it — that is excellent.
Is nam jap alone enough, without lighting a lamp or offering naivedya?
The speaker says that if you do only nam jap there is a particular vidhan for it; it will not happen merely by going on repeating in that way. Do not remain in the delusion that if you only do nam jap there is no necessity of doing any puja seva — there absolutely is, to the extent your body supports you and your time allows.
Does one's ishta worship change with the month?
Whatever the month, the speaker says, your own shakti must remain the same. If you do the seva of Narayani, of Jagadamba, then in every month it is her puja that will happen. Along with it, do the pujan of that month's devatas as far as your capacity allows. In Shravan the Rudrabhishek and Shiva ji's puja and daily abhishek certainly happen, but Bhagwati's puja will also happen alongside — she is principal and cannot be left.
Does an ongoing anushthan continue through Kartik?
Along with the month's devata, the speaker says, keep continuing your own ishta aradhya of whom you do japa and tapa — the anushthan will run for them. And Tulsi ji's puja, deepdaan and the rest are all necessary to do; go on doing all of it.
What should an ordinary sadhika do with her own ornaments?
In the same way, the speaker says, suppose you do path of a kavach: then wear the ornaments after making them abhimantrit by the kavach and the rest. And a sadhika or a sadhak should never wear any ornament at all without first offering it to their aradhya — whether it be of ten rupees or of ten lakh, as much as is possible.
Anything worn goes first into Bhagwati Vindhyavasini's night shringar, and is then worn for life.
The speaker says that whatever is on his own person — whether of a hundred rupees or of whatever value, whether of gold or of anything else — he simply does not wear without first giving it to Bhagwati Vindhyavasini in her mool swaroop shringar. Whatever goes into the Mother's shringar, be it of a hundred rupees or of ten thousand, will go straight into the night shringar at the Mother's place and be worn by her all night. In the morning we then wear it for the rest of our life. For one thing the bhava of the heart stays awake; for another, so powerful a shakti wore it all night, so think how great its energy must be.
Which deity should one hold to be the greatest?
Asked by Keshav Singh ji how one is not to become confused when it is said of every deity that he alone is the greatest, that he alone made everything and will unmake everything, the speaker calls it a very good question and answers: first of all place your trust upon your own ishta and aradhya, and take them alone to be everything — that they alone are the creator and the destroyer.
Is there a different Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh in each kalpa?
There is one more thing to understand, in two ways, he says: according to the kalpa. When one kalpa passes and a second kalpa comes — as now the Shwet Varah kalpa is running, and in the same way the Shwet Lohit kalpa is running — then every kalpa has its own separate Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, and its own separate deities. In this very connection you will read somewhere that Bhagavati who is Kali is herself the one who took the form of Krishna; somewhere the description comes that Bhagavati Kali alone took the form of Ram ji. So the difference is according to the kalpa.
A woman's special love for her husband alongside her respect for all the family shows how one may be loved above all
Take one woman, and take how a woman's love works in her family, the speaker says. The kind of love she keeps for her husband — in exactly the same way she gives respect and honour to the elders of her house too; she respects her father-in-law, respects her jeth, respects her devar, gives love to her son too. So her love is with everyone; but the love that is with her husband is extremely exalted, of a different kind.
What should one's attachment to the ishta be like?
In exactly the same way you should love all the forms of the deva shaktis and respect all of them, the speaker says; but with your ishta and aradhya you should have a particular attachment, a particular love. You should be wholly surrendered for them, such that on merely hearing their name romanch comes into the body — as a new bride is thrilled on hearing of her husband, that he is coming.
The name Vindhyavasini is everything to him and brings romanch on merely being heard
As for us, he says — of whom else should I speak — when I myself hear the name of Vindhyavasini, a great deal of romanch comes. The name Vindhyavasini is everything for me. In exactly the same way, your heart should dwell there, in the ishta and aradhya. My heart dwells in the Vindhya kshetra; look where yours dwells, and become surrendered to them. It would be no exaggeration, in a manner of speaking, to say that your bhakti should become like that of Ghantakarna.
Sanatan is pre-existing, yet in the pursuit of modernity a grave is now worshipped at home
Sanatan is pre-existing — the Satya Sanatan Vaidik dharma — but in the pursuit of modernity people now follow new gods, and worship a grave at home having made Sai their baba, saying Kali comes upon them and Sai Baba is their guru.
What is the order of the panchang sevan in the tantrokta vidhi?
Of the ishta whose sadhana you are doing, of all the things that make up the panchang sevan — kavach, sahasranama, satnam, stotra, stuti — the kavach should be made siddha first of all. After it has been made siddha, doing the panchang daily will be better still. First the satnam should be done, then the hriday, then the sahasranama, then the kavach, and only then whatever mantra japa and stuti of their name is to be done.
Are the Mahavidyas the Parashakti who need no support?
To a listener asking whether the Mahavidyas are the Parashakti needing no alamban, and about the eighteen-armed, ten-armed and eight-armed Devis, he says only this: how much samarthya is there in you and in me? Do you have the samarthya to please even an ordinary lok devi-devata? Forget the eight, the eighteen, the ten arms for now. What will be got from their seva-puja, what can and cannot happen, what the matters are — in the state you are in, instead of changing deities, do the seva-puja of those upon whom you are focused, in the proper way, and do the sadhana well. All the base has been given to you already; why are you anxious?
Why does weeping come whenever one sits for puja or japa?
Those are your bhav, he says. If you are surrendered towards your aradhya, tears will come. It is a good thing. There is no need to speak of it in the manner of asking why one weeps — it is their kripa that you are weeping before them. Where there is the bhav of samarpan, tears will come and come again. Otherwise here great people do sadhana and yet tears never come on seeing their own ishta and aradhya.
Before a Sai temple he remembers Swami Samarth and asks good sense for the crowd
He tells his own practice: if before a Sai temple, on seeing the crowd of people, some such feeling wells up, he remembers Swami Samarth. He takes the name of Swami Samarth there, right in front of that temple. And he takes it so that these people may be given good sense — for he has not the capacity to stand there and give anyone good sense, to tell them they are doing wrong. They are all Hindus, after all.
How should a Sai murti be removed from the house?
Simply take it and give it to the water, he says. Do not throw it — you will have brought it at some time out of shraddha. In the Sanatan sanskriti it has never been taught to disrespect any shakti; we have never disrespected anyone. Since you have brought them, do this: with all respect, give them a farewell — Baba, may you depart to your own place. Wrap them in a white cloth, put some sweets and the like in with them, say bye-bye, goodbye, ta-ta to them, and then immerse them.
What should someone who is running markesh do?
Those people who say markesh is running — the pandit ji has said it, the jyotish maharaj has said that trouble can arise in markesh too — they should perform Ganga snan and the rest, and standing in Ganga ji should do japa of the ishta mantra and whatever else has been prescribed. By that the dosha of their markesh too becomes pacified, and there is shanti of all the nakshatras and all the grahas.
Those of wicked chitta who separate you from your ishta and your household devatas are to be ignored, and one's own shastras read instead
Save yourselves from these ponga people, he says. Do not listen to the words of these people of durbuddhi, kubuddhi and wicked chitta who separate you from your ishta aradhya and from the chief devatas of your house. Read your own shastras, read your own Puranas — you will understand how the utpatti happened and what their importance is. You and I may say something wrong, but what is written in the Purana, what has been discussed about them in the shastras and the tantra shastra, cannot be wrong.
God has the samarthya to assume innumerable forms at will, and a god who cannot do so is no god at all
It is his samarthya, and only Bhagavan can do this, he says; God has the samarthya to do anything at all, and can assume innumerable forms. Those whose gods cannot do so are then not gods at all. How capable is your god, that he cannot assume a sakar form; how incapable, that he cannot assume more than one form; how capable, that he cannot eat anything, cannot dance. Our God is capable of doing everything.
Those whose gods are incapable deserve mercy, and their gods should take sharanagati and attain shakti and siddhi
Those whose gods are not capable of doing all this — one should show mercy upon them, he says. Their gods are incapable, and their gods should take the sharanagati of our God and attain shakti and siddhi.
Why must the asana, the Pavitri and the Achman vessel be treated with such respect?
Because all these things — the Achman vessel, the Pavitri, one's own asana — are held to be the Parshads of the Aradhya whose sadhana we are performing. The respect is not for us: it is for the power we are invoking into our own body, whose energy will be projected onto us and who will be present in our aura.
Can Shiva as Ishta be accepted as the Guru form?
Yes. And if you are already performing the Panchakshari, you will need nothing further and separate. Worship him mentally in the Guru form, or worship him directly before you, until a physical Guru is obtained. There is no need to perform the Deeksha Vidhan again.
Why must a prayoga be done through the ishta in a temple rather than on the body?
When the other person is in a right state, do it; when he is not, have him make a plea for forgiveness. Then do the prayoga through the ishta, in a temple and the like — do not do a prayoga upon the body. What happens with a prayoga on the body is that the other person's prarabdha shifts straight onto you and its motion begins in you. When you do the prayoga vidhan in a temple, it happens through Mahadev; there we take the sankalpa saying: Prabhu, your will. If you wish it — that is all. May this task be accomplished; for that purpose we are doing here the japa of the siddhi we had made. He says they do not use the word prayoga there.
Bhagavan holds the padavi of devatva as the deva of devas, and a false familiar bhaav insults that station
Because, he says, you are practising a false and hypocritical bhaav towards your own Bhagavan, and if anyone points a finger at it they are at once called pakhandi and tantric. There is a padavi of devatva, he says; Bhagavan is the deva of devas, and that supreme authority has a station whose honour must always remain.
Father and husband are both men, yet cannot be held in one bhaav, and neither can the forms of Bhagavan
Your father is a man and your husband is a man, he says to a daughter — can you place both in one and the same position? Never. Can you carry your mother and your wife in one and the same bhaav? You cannot. Then how, he asks, can you love Bhagavan Narayan to this extent as though he were a child?
What limit does the speaker set on the distinction between forms?
Limits are in their own place and should always be remembered, he says. The distinction of form is certainly there so long as we are in the dvaita state and are progressing towards advaita; while in the dvaita state, bheda exists, and that is fine. But knowledge of the forms and respect for them must certainly be there, smaran must always remain, and one should not insult them.
May a worshipper of Bhagavati also worship Bal Krishna?
It is not the case, he says, that if you worship Bhagavati you cannot worship Bhagavan Bal Krishna Gopal, cannot worship Santan Gopal, cannot worship Lalla — of course you can. But equally it is not the case that if you worship Bhagavan Krishna you should not even remember Bhagavati Kamakhya. Everyone has a maryada; keep everyone's maryada. In a household every deity will be present, and each has his maryada.
What is the rule about other deities while loving your own aradhya?
The love one should have for one's own aradhya is a separate subject, he says, but we should also keep in mind that we do not insult the other forms.
A Gujarat sadhak performs a sahasrarchan every Ram Navami before a very old family photograph of Ram ji's bal swaroop
A sadhak from Gujarat, he says, has a very old image of the bal swaroop of Bhagavan Shri Ramchandra ji Maharaj — he thinks perhaps a photograph from his grandfather's time, an entirely old photograph — and every year on the day of Ram Navami he performs a sahasrarchan of Bal Ram ji, of the child image of Ram ji Maharaj. That condition, he says, should be within you; do it, and there is no need to create any complex within yourself over it.
The Anand Ramayana material on Bhagavati Sita is raised to remove the vaimanasya that makes one deity seem great and another small
He says he is speaking of what is current about Bhagavati Sita in the Anand Ramayana so that the feeling of enmity produced within you is removed — the feeling that this deity is very great and that deity small, that this one has this and that one does not, because of which your own household kul devi and devata, and your own aradhya, begin to seem small to you and you abandon your pujan path.
What do the Mundis do today?
These are the Mundis, he says, who are making you dispassionate about your own pujan path, telling you your deity is small, and by any means turning you from your mula pujan, from your mula devata, from the devi and devata of the house and the kula. If your kula devata is Bhagavan Hanuman ji, if your kula's devi is Parameshwari Mata, then bhaiya, she is everything for you, and you cannot obtain anything against their will.
What will Jagadamba look at first when she appears before you?
The day Jagadamba manifests before you, he says, the first thing she will see — indeed she will certainly have seen it beforehand — is what state you have kept your household devi and devata in. If you do not perform the pujan of the kul devi, if you do not know the kul devata, at least you would be doing something for their sake. If you do nothing at all for them, knowingly ignoring them — and some, he says, do not know them even after coming to know — then remove that whole attitude.
A speaker carried Bhagavati Sita's form away and merged it into Bhagavati Radha ji, and a listener sent the video reporting the bhaav it disturbed
A person, he says, presented Bhagavati Sita — that form of Jagadamba — and carried it away, merging it into Bhagavati Radha ji, saying that it is Bhagavati Radha ji's form. A listener sent him the whole video and said that now a bhaav is arising in his mind about what to do at home; those devoted to Shri Ramchandra ji and Sita, whose kul devata is Ram himself, now think they should also install and worship that other form. Your buddhi, he tells them, is being confused by the Mundis.
What should a vakta do after showing bheda between deities?
You are a strange vakta, he says, that you produce a distinction and then cannot erase it. A vakta should be such that he tells the distinction of forms, but along with the distinction re-establishes every sadhak, every seeker, every listener in the form of whoever their own aradhya is, and leaves no confusion in their mind. This divine quality, he says, should be in a vakta's mind, in his samarthya, in his speech — the samarthya is certainly there, but why it is being misused, Bhagavati knows.
There should be no distinction between the mantra, the guru and the aradhya, and he himself sees his guru as Bhagavati made manifest
Whoever the guru may be, he says, he himself sees his guru in the form of Bhagavati made manifest; it has been said that there should be no distinction between the mantra, the guru and the aradhya. Take this as his guru mantra: whether you regard him as an elder brother, a son, a guru, a friend or an enemy, and even if you bear him ill will, if you are on the path of sadhana then you are dear to him — so long as you do not become vidharmi. Keep the ill will if you wish, he says; that is a personal matter of disagreement. But if you are doing sadhana, then somewhere there will be some protection, sometime Bhagavati will give buddhi, sometime you will be of use to someone and will strengthen Sanatan.
If someone wants to follow only one form, what is owed to the rest?
If you want to proceed with one single swaroop, at the very least the utterance of the others' names must certainly take place. He is not saying that you should sit and do each one's kavach — first Ganpati kavach, then Ganpati sahasranama, then Hanuman ji's. He compares it to a family: you love your husband greatly but respect the elders and give affection to the younger ones. So the special pujan is of your aradhya — if Bhagavati Durga is your aradhya, then her kavach, her sahasranama, her special stuti; for the rest, mere utterance of the name, their ten names or the twelve-name stotra, and that much is plenty.
Where does the energy of puja go when the mind is caught in a quarrel?
The speaker says that when the energy which ought to go toward Bhagavan in the puja, which ought to go toward one's own ishta aradhya, now goes toward those people instead — this is precisely the dosha. Our own good is not being done.
Where is Manasa Devi installed?
Asked where Manasa Devi will be installed, the speaker answers that Manasa Devi will be installed beside Ma Bhagavati Parvati.
Which of the ten Mahavidya forms should one take up?
The form toward which you have surrender, the speaker says, that form you can take up. Bhagavati has even said in the Gita that among my ten Mahavidya forms, whichever form one has faith in, one should take diksha in it and do it in the full vidhi vidhan.
Choosing a sadhana path without a physical guru, and the cost of doubting the chosen ishta
The speaker says that when there is no Guru or guide in physical form, a sadhak finds it very hard to choose a sadhana path — Pauranik or Tantrokta mantras within Sabar, which swarup of the Lord to worship, and above all which deity or Mahashakti to take as guru-swarup; the options are many but the capacity to decide fails. Even after choosing, he says, the doubt remains whether the choice was right, and once a sadhak starts to waver and suspect the Mahashakti he has accepted as Ishta Devata and guru, the full fruit of his sadhana will not come. He says the sadhana he gives against this is for every sadhak — new or old, Pauranik, Tantrokta or Sabar, men, women and sadhikas alike.
Which mantra should a devotee of Bhagavati Vindhyavasini write?
Those who chiefly take Bhagavati Vindhyavasini as their ishta aradhya, and who ask how they should write her name or whether they should write her mantra, should write again and again the mantra "श्री विंध्यवासिनी शरणं मम". By this, he says, Bhagavati Vindhyavasini grants sharanagati, bestows fearlessness, and dwells in the heart for ever.
Whose name should one write on Holika night if one's ishta is a different deity?
Whoever your aradhya is — Bhagwan Sadashiv, Bhagavati Jagadamba, Bhagwan Krishna, Bhagwan Ram — whoever you have taken refuge in, that is the name you should write, if you are not doing any other mantra japa. From this there is an extreme increase of punya.
Should a householder do japa of Ram alone, or with Sita?
He says a householder may do as his shraddha inclines, but that for his part he would say: why leave Maiya Sita alone and do japa of Ram ji by himself? If Ram ji grows angry and gives you two slaps, who will save you? If you have made some mistake, then for the saving of you the mother is needed. So take the father's name along with the mother's.
No notes match "".