Kashi
Every question on the site tagged Kashi, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
Varanasi, the city on the Ganga held to stand outside ordinary dissolution.
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Any rudraksha may be placed near a Narmadeshwar shivling, and daily chanting differs from formal purashcharana in its rules of sankalpa, duration and conduct.
Any Rudraksha can be placed near a Narmadeshwar Shivling; daily chanting differs from formal Purashcharana in its rules around Sankalpa, duration, and conduct; and a Dev Deeksha for Shiva is arranged at Kashi's Dutt Paduka Temple on Vaishakha Purnima, followed by a Vindhyachal Trikona pilgrimage the next day.
What are the three main reasons people undertake a pilgrimage?
People go on pilgrimage to fulfill a Mannat (vow made for a specific wish), to follow a regular yearly discipline of visiting a site, or — as a modern trend — merely to create social media content.
What is the remedy for an accidental mistake or transgression made during a pilgrimage?
For an accidental offense or subtle disturbance during pilgrimage, approach the local guardian Bhairava of that region and offer camphor, cloves, a camphor lamp, or lemons while sincerely seeking forgiveness — or, if realized only after returning home, perform the same offerings at home or through a local priest of that holy zone.
Where does Lord Bhairava serve as Kshetrapala (protector)?
He is the designated protector across major divine centers, including Kashi (as Kala Bhairava / Dandapani) and Jagannath Puri (safeguarding the Mandapam during the Rath Yatra).
Why did Lord Vishnu perform penance twice, and how did He earn the name Narayan?
Shiva and Parvati manifested Vishnu in Kashi and instructed Him to perform penance, but 12,000 years of it didn't obtain Shiva's vision — a celestial voice told Him to try again, and the sweat from that renewed exertion filled the sky as sin-destroying water, in which He slept, earning the name Narayan ('one who resides in Nara/water').
Virabhadra's penance for slaying the sages and where it ended
The speaker says Virabhadra did Tapasya at many places to quiet his remorse for killing Daksha and the sages. He compares it to Kaal Bhairava, who cut off Brahma's head though the fault was Brahma's, yet still incurred Brahmahatya in the human world and wandered until the skull fell from his hand at Kapal Mochan in Kashi. Virabhadra's penance began at Kankhal in Haridwar, where the yajna had been, and continued at other tirthas; by a folk tale, which he says is not found in any shastra or purana, it ended at Lodhas village (Kawalesar Dham) in Itarhi block, Buxar, Bihar, from where he went to his own loka.
Why is Guru Pushya Nakshatra especially auspicious for Dattatreya worship?
Guru Pushya Nakshatra — falling on a Thursday during the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) — is an exceptionally auspicious day to offer lamps and perform Japa of Lord Dattatreya's mantra, whether at home or at pilgrimage centers such as Kashi, Vindhyachal, and Girnar.
Svastivacana: full Vedic form for yajnopavita wearers, Puranic shlokas for everyone else
The speaker says the first item after the six opening rites is Svastivacana, the recitation of auspicious shlokas, which include Vedic mantras and Puranic shlokas. Those who wear the Yajnopavita should learn the full svastivacana, including correct recitation of mantras like "Aano Bhadra", from a teacher or from YouTube. Those who do not wish to learn it, do not wear the thread, or are women recite only the Puranic shlokas: the 12 names of Ganapati, "Shuklambaradharam", a mantra of Bhagavati Durga, some verses of the Bhagavad Gita and some on Bhairav and the Kashi kshetra, all found in books such as Nitya Karma Puja Prakash.
Where do the shaktis go on the divine tithis, and where do Datta's sevaks go on Mahashivratri?
The first point, he says, is that whatever divine tithis there are, or times of a divine parva, at such times the mahashaktis and mahasiddhas connected with that shakti, who remain in her service, wherever their station may be, certainly come from their own station towards the divine kshetras, towards the tirtha kshetras. As an example: at the time of Mahashivratri, whatever sevaks and sadhaks of Bhagwan Mahaguru Dattatreya there are will all go to the Girnar kshetra for the parikrama, will go to Girnar ji, will go to the Vindhya kshetra where the sthan is, to the place in the Kashi kshetra, to the Chakra Pushkarni tirtha and the rest.
What should one do at Gurudatta's seva during the Kumbh crowds?
To a listener who says they are going to Kashi after bathing at the Triveni Sangam, he says: very good. In the seva of Gurudatta ji, at the present time there will be so great a crowd that it is enough if you merely take darshan and do pujan; that alone is a great deal.
Where may those in Kashi do the deep daan, and who eats the prasad?
Those of the Kashi region who wish and have the capacity may do deep daan at the place of Bhagavan Dattatreya, at the Dattatreya Paduka Mandir where the diksha vidhan took place; or at the temple of Batuk Bhairav or Kaal Bhairav; or anywhere at Ganga ji's ghat; or, if they wish, at home. As for the prasad of the deep daan: of Batuk Bhairav ji all the people of the house will eat it. But if you are doing the deep daan at Kaal Bhairav ji's temple and offering naivedya there, then men will eat it and women will not. This must be kept in mind.
Where do those who sin all their life and die in Kashi go?
Asked where those go who commit sin all their life and give up their life in the last moments on a Kashi yatra, the speaker says Bhairav ji beats them and cuts them and makes them even — they are given bhairav yatna, bhairavi yatna, which is held to be thousands of times more terrible than the yama yatna. Bhairav ji does not send them to naraka; on death in Kashi, if a matter of this kind arises, it is not a matter of akaal mrityu but of purnayu. So if death occurred at the full span, then there Bhairav ji makes them the target of the bhairavi yatna and gives them punishment — beating them with a sota and flaying the red skin: having sinned all their life, will they simply be let off?
Are the Annapurna and Vishalakshi temples at Kashi the same?
No, the two are different, the speaker says. The Annapurna temple is in the precincts of Kashi Vishwanath ji, right beside it. And the Vishalakshi temple is behind, among the Shakti Peeths of Bhagavati: Kashi Vishalakshi is one of the eighteen principal Mahashakti Peeths, and falls a little outside, at a distance of five minutes. The two are separate.
Where can the Ekakshari be carried once taken?
Everywhere. Go to do the trikon and let the japa of the Ekakshari beej run in the mind without a mala. Go to Prayag ji and let the japa run; at the time of darshan; go into the Kashi kshetra and let the japa run; go into the Kamakhya kshetra to take the trikon darshan of the Dasha Mahavidyas, and everywhere the japa will keep running.
Can the nine-day vrat be kept while working away from home?
A listener says he will be at Kashi on Amavasya and will come home at twelve noon on the Navratri, and asks whether he can keep the nine-day vrat. Yes, why can he not, the speaker answers — he absolutely can.
What is needed to perform the Dev Deeksha vidhan at Manikarnika Ghat?
You will have to go to the ghat. The temple of Bhagavan Dattatreya is there in any case. And the Dev Deeksha vidhan can be done with the help of the yantra of Bhagavan Dattatreya that you have taken; there is no difficulty in it.
Where should the Dattatreya Dev Deeksha vidhan be completed?
Asked to name one road among Kashi, Vindhyachal and Girnar: do it wherever your wish inclines. Bhagavan Datta has his place everywhere, and everywhere he remains seated endowed with the sixteen kalas.
When should gandmool shanti be done?
The shanti of gandmool should happen within twenty-seven days of birth, the speaker says. If it did not happen at that time and the situation is as it now is, then speak with him once. In Kashi there is a temple for all these things.
Prasad and bhasma from the Kashi, Vindhya, Prayag and Kamakhya kshetras, kept safely, can be used together with a listener's own anushthans.
He says whatever is done here in the Kashi kshetra, the Vindhya kshetra, the Prayag region and the Kamakhya kshetra is a bonus, and the prasad and bhasma received from it, if kept safely, can be used together with the listener's own anushthans. Today he will set out simple prayogas that anyone can perform, in the listener's presence or absence.
A listener's father died in his forty-first year, the forty years completed on Diwali of 2009, with bhoot-pret involvement.
A listener named Atish Dubey writes that his father completed forty years and was in his forty-first year, that on the day of Diwali in 2009 the forty-one years were completed, that he passed away at the end of the month of Jyeshtha from cancer, and that the influence of bhoot-pret had also come to light. He wants to have something done for his father at the Pishach Mochan kund in Varanasi and asks what.
When should Narayan bali be done, and what follows it?
Only when this work is done — the eleven hundred paths complete, and panchbali and the service of creatures and trees done for at least three, four or six months — should you then have Narayan bali done first at Kashi Pishach Mochan for your father. Immediately after, from the very next day, have one mool path of Srimad Bhagavat ji done in Sanskrit by a single brahmin, with a sankalpa made for the father.
Which place in Kashi holds Bhagavan in the Harihar form daily?
The Kedar kshetra of Kashi ji, the speaker answers: Bhagavan Gauri Kedareshwar ji, who remains seated daily in both these forms — directly in the Harihar form and in the form of Shiva and Shakti. If a path is done there it gives full fruit; if a puja or anushthan is done for Bhagavan Shiva there, it too gives full fruit, and seven times more fruit is obtained there on ordinary days; and upasana done for Bhagavan Shri Hari Narayan there is also many times more fruitful.
What does darshan at the Kedar Ghat in the Kedar Khand give?
The kshetra of these three mahashaktis is obtained in the Kedar Khand at the Kedar Ghat, where Gauri Kedareshwar Mahadev is present even today directly in his original form. Many and many doshas of life, many and many sins, are destroyed there in an instant, by darshan alone.
Separate further anushthans are held in the Kashi region and the Vindhya region, with the form on the samagri site.
In the region of Kashi and in the Vindhya region, separate further anushthans will be held, of which he will inform the group. Even if one does not have it done there, he says, one should certainly do it oneself at home, because when punya is done in a tirtha kshetra it is obtained many times over.
Why is Kartik Purnima called Dev Deepawali?
Because, after slaying Tripurasura, when Bhagavan Shiva came and was welcomed by all the devatas with joy — that very thing is the Dev Deepawali of Kartik Purnima. That is why Dev Deepawali is celebrated on a great scale in the region of Kashi and elsewhere; this too, he says, is a vidhan of a kalpa, a story of a kalpa.
Bhairav as Shiva's form, guardian of every Shakti Peeth, and a post rather than only a deity
The speaker says Bhagavan Bhairava is held to be the very form of Shiva; the authority to give danda was first given to Bhairav in the kshetra of Kashi; he is present for protection at every Shakti Peeth and is the gram devata and Kshetrapal. But Bhairav is not only a deity — as Indra is a post, so is Bhairav. In 98 percent of places Bhairav is Shiva's own form, but at a few tirthas and Shakti Peeths other deities stand in the form of Bhairav; Batuk Bhairava, the child form of Shiva, is everywhere and is Bhagavan Sadashiva.
The shmashan restriction binds only ordinary local cremation grounds, not the great tirthas
The speaker says he is not speaking of the Avimukteshwar kshetra of Kashi and the like, or of the Chakra Tirtha Shamshaan kshetra of Ujjain — he is speaking of ordinary kshetras. Going to Ujjain Mahakaleshwar or to Tarapith is not covered by the prohibition; for tirtha kshetras it does not apply. It applies to the shmashan bhoomi of the ordinary areas around one's town, village and city.
The Purnima begins at 4:15 pm, so Dev Deepawali falls in that day's pradosh kaal
Tomorrow, after 4:15 pm, the Purnima begins, the speaker says. So this much can certainly be done: Dev Deepawali is to be celebrated tomorrow, because in the pradosh kaal Dev Deepawali will fall tomorrow itself. As for the Dev Deepawali celebrated in the city of Kashi Vishwanath, when they are celebrating it there will have to be seen from that side — whether they celebrate tomorrow or the day after.
Where are the brihad nyasa vidhis actually found?
When you go to do brihad nyasa — in such texts of tantra, if you ever obtain them. What is available today is not found in that way in a bhasha tika. But from Chaukhamba, or the Sanskrit university of Kashi or something of that sort — he says he cannot recall it properly — some books connected with tantra are published wholly in Sanskrit. In those you will find this vidhi vidhan, but there is no bhasha tika, so you will have to make the meaning yourself unless you find a competent acharya.
How Parvati became Annapurna at Kashi
The speaker says that in the Kashi kshetra Bhagavati Annapurna sits right beside the temple of Bhagavan Vishwanath. It is said that after her marriage Parvati went to Kailash and wished to live for a while in the Abhimuktesvar kshetra, that is Kashi; when she came, the place was the Maha Shamshan (Manikarnika ghat) and a famine had spread over it, so Jagadamba took the Annapurna form and became seated there forever with Mahadev Kashi Vishwanath. Her kshetra, he says, is the one place in the whole brahmand where nobody ever sleeps hungry.
Kashi Vishwanath dashansh japa within the Annapurna anushthan
However much Annapurna japa is done, the speaker says, a dashansh (one tenth) of it is japed for Bhagavan Kashi Vishwanath, with a plain mantra: Kashi Vishwanathaya Namah, or Vishwanathaya Namah. One who wears the Yajnopavita may prefix Om; one who does not must not. So for 1000 japa of Annapurna, 100 japa, one mala, goes to Kashi Vishwanath.
How are the eight murtis linked to Shukracharya and the Mahamrityunjay?
The speaker reminds listeners that a few days earlier in this Shravan month it was discussed how Shukracharya obtained the samarthya of the Mahamrityunjay mantra in the Abhimukta kshetra of Varanasi, in Kashi, and that at that time he made stuti of the eight swaroops. Complete success in the Mahamrityunjay, he says, is not possible without the grace of Shukracharya and of Ashtamurti Shiva — something which is skipped in the present day.
Who is the Bhairav of Mata Sheetla of Banaras?
The speaker says the Bhairav of Banaras will be Kaal Bhairav alone.
Where does the chief pind of Bhagavati actually lie, beyond the temple on Nilanchal?
The reality of this kshetra, the speaker says, is something from which people have become far removed in the Kali kaal — perhaps Bhagavati has by her own Mahamaya placed that covering, as with what is now seen about Kashi Vishwanath and whether the Gyanvapi was the real temple. All of you will be astonished to learn, he says, that in the chief Kamakhya kshetra the principal pind of Bhagavati falls in the Kamrup pradesh and in the Kadali kshetra; the temple to which we go is only a fragment, on the Nilanchal parvat.
What is the relation between Bhairav and administrative office?
Bhagwan Bhairav is the kotwal, the protector of Kashi, he says, and in every administration it is the duty of every administrative officer to protect in the form of Bhagwan Bhairav. The Kshetrapal who protects his own territory is Bhagwan Bhairav, and all the administrative officers, whether an inspector or anyone else, are his followers; if they are protecting their territory it is Bhairav ji's form, and that too is a work joined with dharma.
What is the story of Baba Kinaram and Bhagavan Datta at Girnar?
When you read the katha of Aghoracharya Baba Kinaram or see his life, the speaker says, you will learn the tantrokta rahasya of the middle of the Girnar parvat, and how Bhagavan Datta comes daily from the Girnar parvat into the region of Kashi, to Manikarnika, to the Chakra Pushkarini tirtha, and how thereafter, by one ansh, he came to remain present with Aghoracharya Baba Kinaram and performed many kinds of leelas there in a tantric form.
What does the Kashi Mahatmya say about Annapurna and Kashi?
The speaker says he had written about this in the group: it is written in the Kashi Mahatmya, published separately by Gita Press, which he asks listeners to order and read. In it, among other things, it is said that in this fourth yuga, the Kali kaal, Bhagavan Vishwanath gives the responsibility of the city of Kashi to Bhagavati Annapurna.
What follows from Kashi becoming the city of Annapurna?
When Kashi becomes the city of Bhagavati Annapurna, the speaker says, Bhagavati converts the ugrata of the mahashamshan into saumyata. This is a special reason why, when you do any sadhana anywhere in the Kashi region, Jagadamba does not let a state of disturbance arise — whereas if you go to Tarapith and make some mistake there, forgiveness is not obtained quickly. Even so, one should understand and know ones own adhikara: if a mistake is made deliberately, that becomes a separate matter.
Which Chandika of Kashi is worshipped on Margashirsha Purnima?
Among the nine hundred crore Chandikas established in the Kashi region by Nandi ji, the speaker says, Bhagavati Bhima Chandi is one of the chief Chandikas of Bhagavati Annapurna. Her special pujan too is performed on the day of Margashirsha Purnima itself. It is for this reason that this Purnima becomes extremely special in itself, and he asks listeners to do their sadhana and puja in this parva kaal as far as possible.
Japa done at the sthan of Bhagavan Datta near the Manikarnika ghat is taken as the worked example of japa at Kashi.
Let us understand it from the beginning, he says. Suppose we went into the Kashi region — whether at a parva kaal or otherwise — and sat at the place near the Manikarnika ghat where the sthan of Bhagavan Datta is, and there did japa of mantras, recited the Vajra Panjar kavach of Bhagavan Datta, did the path and japa of his mala mantra, for one day, two days, ten days, forty-one days, as much as was in our capacity, in a fixed number — saying that here we are doing at least one hundred and eight recitations of the kavach itself. We did our karma.
What is the general mahima of doing japa in Kashi?
Who knows what tithi it was there that day, or what yoga there was, the speaker says — and in any case it is generally the mahima of Kashi that if a person begins to do japa daily from the morning up to the midday hour, then there is no mantra in the world that does not become siddh in the Kashi region.
The lives of the Kashi siddhas, and of Tulsi Baba of Tulsi ghat who had repeated darshan of Hanuman ji, show devatas becoming direct.
If we want that, the speaker says, we should look somewhere at the lives of mahapurushas in whose lives devatas became direct. Look at the lives of the siddhas of the Kashi region; look at the life of Tulsi Baba of Tulsi ghat. Hanuman ji gave Tulsidas ji darshan many times, directly, and stayed with him — so did suffering not remain in his life after Hanuman ji became direct? Did he become a billionaire, a king? Did he want that, or did he do that?
What can even one day of sadhana at such a place do?
Because the mahima belongs to the kshetra, the speaker says, in even one day of sadhana some deva may have given his kripa and become anga sang. Whether he walks with you directly or not, we have no drishti to see him — but our karmas improved, our thoughts changed, we became good, we began to walk according to the form the deva wants.
The navchandi anushthans of this parva are performed at Kashi and in the Vindhya kshetra.
After all this has been given, the speaker says, if you have the wish, the capacity and the financial means, and you want something done for you in the tirtha kshetras too, then try to join the anushthans and give your details. The navchandi will be at two places, at one a navchandi and at one only five paths. In Kashi perhaps only five, not nine, because the sadhak Brahmins will also be in the anushthan of Bhagavan Datta, so that much will not be possible; it is a single day anushthan. But in the Vindhya kshetra the navchandi will be done there with samput mantras for the sake of Bhagavati Tripur Bhairavi and Bhagavati Annapurna.
Should a householder go to Manikarnika and bathe there?
There is no dosha in going to Manikarnika, the speaker says — why can one not go? One certainly can. The mandir of Bhagavati Manikarnika is there, Bhagavati is present there; take her darshan, and bathe in the Chakra Pushkarini tirtha, which is in Manikarnika itself. But do not enter the place where the antim sanskar and so on are performed, which is the root shamshaan area of the mahashamshan. One should not enter it without cause — though, he adds, those who do such things are even playing Holi in the masan.
How many Chandikas are there in Kashi?
It is not five hundred or nine hundred Chandika devis, the speaker corrects: it is nine hundred crore Chandikas. He does not have their namavali — among so many Chandikas he knows only the names of the chief ones. And for their pleasure, when you do seva puja in the Kashi kshetra: their presence has been made for the protection of Kashi, so they will also stay in your protection and will protect their devotees too.
What should be done for an angry pitr who takes sawari?
A listener says one of their pitrs is very angry — the ancestors had beaten him and driven him away — and that when his sawari comes upon someone in the village, they weep a great deal, and now no devata of the house comes any more. You should make arrangements for his sake, the speaker says: first of all you should try to appease him, and if his name and so on is known, you should have a Narayana bali done for him. Along with the Narayana bali, first for at least three months there should be a daily panchbali and a path of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita made by sankalp in his name. After that they should be taken to the Pishach Mochan tirtha, the Vimal tirtha in Kashi — and it is best if the person on whom the sawari comes goes along with them. Going with them, have a Narayana bali done there, and then have one root path of the Shrimad Bhagavat done. With this much done, their shanti and tripti will certainly happen and their gati should occur; and if it still does not, then the further process should follow after a full year.
Those near Kashi name Kashi and Bhagavati Kashi Vishalakshi, with the bank of the Ganga they stand on
Those who are near Kashi will pronounce Kashi as well, and will also pronounce Bhagavati Kashi Vishalakshi. Which bank of Ganga ji you are falling on, which side — south or north — that too may be pronounced. Pronouncing all these things in the sankalpa raises your own manobal, he says, and the kripa of these shaktis is also obtained very well.
Does a sponsored rudrabhishek elsewhere suffice?
Whether your Rudrabhishek is being done in Kashi in Shravan, or in Ujjaini, or on Kailash itself — if you are not performing the Rudrabhishek of Bhagavan Shiva at home with your own hand, if his abhishek is not happening in Shravan, then nothing is going to be obtained, he says. If you do not perform the abhishek because of some special circumstance, some disease, some such event, that is a separate matter; but if out of laziness, negligence and frivolity you are not doing Shiva's pujan in Shravan, then there is no man more unfortunate than you.
What should be done if a family's Sacred Thread Ceremony wasn't performed for generations?
If the Yajnopavita hasn't been performed for three to four generations, a learned Vedic Brahmin should perform Prayashchitta at a pilgrimage site like Kashi or Vindhya for as many generations as known, followed by the Sacred Thread Ceremony — this can't be done alone.
Which Narasimha is invoked for reclaiming the threshold?
The speaker names Bhagavan Kolahal Narasimha of the Kashi region. Remembering him and doing japa of the Ugravira mantra, offer bali on the chaukhat and remove whatever is there — anyone who comes thinking to establish authority will be torn apart. Kolahal Narasimha's sabar works very swiftly, he says, and even his mere remembrance suffices if the bela is right.
How does the Kalika Purana compare Kamrup with other kshetras?
It comes in the Kalika Purana, the speaker says, that if Bhagavati is worshipped in Varanasi — Kashi Vishalakshi ji — then the complete and entire fruit is obtained. In comparison with that fruit, if pujan is done at Purushottam kshetra where Bhagavati Viraja is seated, Bhagavati Vimala, then it is double; and if done at Dwaravati, double. If one worships at Ganga and Vindhyachal, then a hundred times more fruit is obtained. And describing it in the same manner for the Kamrup region, it says that worshipping in the Kamrup region brings the attainment of sarva siddhi, the attainment of all fruit, and swiftly the benefit of mantra siddhi.
Why does the triangle drawn for a bali differ?
Because the triangle in a bali is divided roughly three ways: one subject for the region north of the Vindhyachal mountain, another for the region south of it, and another for the Kamakhya kshetra — with Kashi, the middle region among these three, having its own. It differs again in Ashwakranta, Rathakranta and Vishnukranta.
Where is it best to do an anushthan of Ma Saraswati?
A listener asks whether it is better to do a Saraswati anushthan at Kashi or near Ma Vindhyavasini and Trishabhuja, saying he has already once done a sava lakh of Saraswati at Prayagraj. All the places are supreme in themselves, brother, the speaker says — do it wherever you have the wish. There is no subject of more or less in this.
What should be done if some special work is stuck in life?
If there is some work without which your life cannot proceed — someone's marriage is held up, someone has a problem connected with job or business — then, the speaker says, do japa of the name mantra of whichever kshetra falls nearest to you, at least sawa lakh, to the best of your capacity. For example, if you live in the Kashi kshetra, or the kshetra of Bhagavan Vishwanath falls nearest, then the mantra Vishwanathaya Namah — with the pranav if you are initiated or wear the janeu, and if not there is no difficulty, only his name with namah attached — should be done to sawa lakh with a rudraksha mala.
Which Jyotirlinga helps when a marriage is not happening?
If marriage is not taking place, if there is very great distress and very great difficulty in marriage, then, the speaker says, you may take the help of Bhagavan Vaidyanath in this and do japa of his name mantra, or you may take the help of Kashi Vishwanath and do japa of his name mantra too.
What is the Gupt Kalpeshwar Tantra?
Among those granthas is the Gupt Kalpeshwar Tantra. This, the speaker says, was written in medieval India, perhaps in the Vindhya region or the Kashi region or the Prayag region — in some one of these three regions — by some particular sadhak, and contains various subjects connected with tantra.
Dhanvantari is worshipped on Dhanteras for dhan, but it is Bhagavati Annapurna who is worshipped for dhanya.
On the day of Dhanteras the sadhana of Bhagavati Annapurna is performed. He asks how many people do her Annapurna sadhana on Dhanteras: unless it is said, unless it is told, mostly only people of the Kashi region who go for darshan know of it. Otherwise on that day only Bhagwan Dhanvantari is worshipped, vessels are bought, brooms and rope are brought for the sake of money. Everyone is worshipping Dhanvantari for wealth and for the body — but for grain, whom are you worshipping? You will not stay alive eating gold coins.
What does the kavach say about Dattatreya's daily round?
It is written in it, the speaker says, that Mahamuni Dattatreya daily bathes in the morning in the river Ganga at Kashi; then, reaching the Mahalakshmi temple of Kolhapur by the sea, does japa and dhyana of the Devi; and going to Mahuripur, Mahurgadh, does bhiksha there; and then rests and sleeps in the caves of Sahyachal in digambar garb. Reading all this, he says, you will get to know a great deal — there are many things in this kavach.
May Kaal Bhairav be worshipped at home?
Only in the Kashi and Ujjain Panchakroshi and the Ashta Bhairav territories — where residents are obliged to it — or where he is the Kula deity or a right exists. Elsewhere, do not worship Kaal Bhairav at home; worship Batuk Bhairav ji in his place. Deepdaan for Kaal Bhairav is a separate matter and remains permitted.
How is a Jaiphal bali actually given?
Either kindled upon camphor — the best way for Paushtik Karma, washed lightly first — or cut in two on a small Peeth: a firm, flat, square stone, washed, with a small mandala drawn on it, an inverted triangle for the Devi, an upright one in the Kashi kshetra.
What should someone do who gets no support from their own kin?
Praise Bhagavati Annapurna through the Annapurna Stotra and worship her — take refuge in the Ishwari and Puradhishwari of Kashi, reciting Kashi Puradhishwari Annapurna Ishwari Bhiksham Dehi at the evening Sandhya. And read the Bhavani Ashtakam once with feeling, so that the truth of that loneliness becomes known to you.
Should an Anushthan be done at home or at a tirtha?
We will not say go for every Parva Kala. But if there is some special Parva Kala, or one in which a crowd is unlikely, then go and do it there. The rest of the time, do it near your home.
Why does knowing a kshetra's Mahima matter?
Because the benefit only comes to those who know it. If you know the glory of Tirtharaj Prayag, of the Kashi kshetra, of the Ganga and Godavari, of every great tirtha, then you can take its benefit and get clear of these things. Otherwise spend a hundred years in Kashi and nothing will happen.
Where is Bhagavati's Manidweep held to be on earth?
Taking it in the large view, Bhagavati's loka is Manidweep. On earth, he says — he does not know about others, but according to the Devi Bhagavat Mahapuran, the region that is formed is the region between Kashi and Prayag. Prayagraj has been called the king of all tirthas, and the seven puris have been called his queens; and the region of Kashi Vishwanath — in the middle of those two regions is formed the region of Manidweep, which is the Vindhyachal kshetra.
Who is Sati Banni Mata?
Banni Mata has been called a form of Bhadrakali, the speaker says. He has said many times that the Jayanti Mangala Kali mantra is the finest for those whose kuldevi is Banni Mata, because Bhadrakali comes within it. Names get corrupted and become different; and since Sokha Baba and Gauraiya Baba are worshipped alongside both, it is understood that the shaktis are one. Even if by distinction one takes them as two, still the form is held to be that of Bhadrakali; and in the Kashi kshetra, where the temple stands, the same form is held — Bhagavati Bhadrakali present in the patal kshetra.
Why is Bhairav connected with the kotwali?
Bhairav always moves in the kotwali, the speaker says. Bhairav pujan happens a great deal in a kotwali — knowingly or unknowingly, there is always some one person who carries that responsibility, perhaps only for the sake of his job. Just as serials used to show dacoits and robbers setting out after worshipping Mahakali, so in exactly the same way, to catch them, kotwali pujan is done. This is why Kashi's kotwal is Bhairav, and the kotwal of every kshetra is Bhairav.
Only a siddha purush with bodily strength and yoga shakti can do Shiva ji's abhishek in the midst of Triveni at the Kumbh
That yes, at the Kumbh, at Prayag ji, in the midst of Triveni ji, we performed Shiva ji's abhishek. And if any among you has that much strength in the body, is possessed of yoga shakti, is a siddha purush, and goes at the time of the Kumbh or Magh and sits there with his own shivling doing the entire Rudri path with abhishek, then it is divine. As in the Saptarishi arti, where the servants of Bhagavan Shiva in the Varanasi region remain in whatever condition it may be, cold, heat or rain — if we were sadhaks who had attained such a state and did that, it would be wonderful and divine.
Can Kaal Bhairav of Kashi, the most ugra form, be worshipped inside a house?
He is the protector of Manikarnika and the rakshak of Ma Vishalakshi, and people ask whether so ugra a form can be worshipped at home. The speaker answers that performing entirely ordinary pujan of Kaal Bhairav creates no difficulty; but if you are doing vishisht pujan, keeping his swaroop before you, then move into the Batuk swaroop — he too is the very same.
Can havan be performed with the Kaal Bhairav Ashtakam?
Yes, it can be done and there is no difficulty, the speaker says — quoting the line "काशिका पुराधिनाथ काल भैरवम भजे". If you have faith in the Kaal Bhairav Ashtak and wish to do havan with it, do it.
Does dying in Kashi by itself grant gati?
People say that whoever dies anywhere in Kashi obtains gati, the speaker says — what they do not know is that nothing of the sort happens. Why and when gati occurs is a separate subject. One who goes and commits suicide will not obtain gati. If a man dies of himself from some cause, then gati occurs. But if he goes and commits suicide, or gives up his life by drowning in the Ganga at Kashi, then the tantrics sitting there on the bank at the Manikarnika ghat will awaken him in their skull.
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