Varnashrama
Every question on the site tagged Varnashrama, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
The traditional four-fold social-and-life-stage framework that determines a person's ritual eligibility — for instance, whether they perform Vedic Sandhya or, lacking that eligibility, undergo Tantrik initiation instead.
117 notes from our sourcesNotes from our sources
Who made Tantra accessible to everyone, and who is eligible for Vedic versus Tantrik Sandhya?
Lord Shiva made Tantra accessible to all; per the Varnashrama framework, those not eligible for Vedic Sandhya or the Yajnopavita are directed to take Tantrik initiation and perform Tantrik Sandhya instead, and per the Parvati Gita, anyone may take initiation into any of the Ten Mahavidyas and attain liberation.
What should one carry back from a tirtha?
That you have come having earned punya, and there should be satisfaction in your heart. He says he may not have the capacity to give upadesh, but even so he is speaking in his own words as far as he can: go to a tirtha kshetra, but remain within maryada, do not transgress your maryadas, so that the punya to be gained there is gained well.
Will anyone ask your caste at the Mahakumbh?
Very few will be found there who take anything, he says; there will also be places where nothing will be taken, or a place made where whoever wishes may give or not give, and no one will say anything. Nor will your caste be asked there — that you are high so sit, you are low so do not sit; nothing of that kind is going to happen at the Kumbh, at the Mahakumbh. And prasad will run, three times a day; some may run it twenty-four hours, and twelve hours they will certainly run.
Why is birth in Sanatan Dharma meant for sadhana, not just bhoga?
He says we should keep it fully in our knowledge that if we have been born in Sanatan Dharma, it is for the sake of sadhanas. Had it been only for bhoga, there are many other places and countries where bhoga is abundant and predominant.
Why is the yajnopavita samskar necessary, and why does the teacher keep urging it?
He says he asks again and again for the yajnopavita — it must be had done, and it is necessary for dwijas. He gives the instance of a group of some twenty to twenty-two people who brought an acharya ji from the Vindhya kshetra itself and all had the yajnopavita samskar performed there; a video of it is on the channel. At least, he says, they are making this much effort to walk their path by dharma, and listeners, especially the young, should be inspired and do likewise.
What does the arising of vairagya signify for a householder?
What is being told here, the speaker says, is that everyone's time is fixed. After sporting for a certain time, after fulfilling one's desires, vairagya ought to arise in the mind. This is what has always happened in the grihastha ashram in sanatan; this passage is its indicator.
What order of dharma, artha and kama does Sati's life show?
First Bhagavati Sati performed dharma-yukta karma — walking the path of dharma she performed tapasya, and for the fulfilment of her desires she did tapa in order to marry Bhagavan Sadashiva. Then her marriage took place. After dharma comes the earning of artha and the fulfilment of desires: after the marriage with Bhagavan Shiva she sported for many years and fulfilled her wishes — I want a house, I want to roam here, I want to roam there.
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 archan and vandan, and what restriction applies to women?
Thereafter, one who, making himself a servant, performs the pujan of Bhagavan with the sixteen upacharas, that has been called archan. Sashtang pranam — the man who makes sashtang pranam touching the ground with eight limbs — that and the like has been called vandan. The speaker states the restriction plainly: women should not touch their chest to the ground; in the shastras it has been forbidden for them. Men should make full sashtang pranam.
What does the Shiv Mahapuran say about twenty-five lakh Panchakshari japa and brahmanatva?
Asked whether a Shudra may wear the yajnopavit, and whether even then he must do 25 lakh Panchakshari according to the Shiv Mahapuran in order afterwards to become a Brahman, he says that according to the statement of the Purana in the Shiv Mahapuran it is this: that when you complete a japa of 25 lakh, you attain brahmanatva — and what it means to attain brahmanatva should also be understood. As to wearing the yajnopavit, he does not think it is stated anywhere that he should wear it.
How should one without the adhikara do the Panchakshari mantra?
If you do not have the adhikara for it, then without wearing it at all you should do the Panchakshari according to whatever adhikara exists — by attaching the chaturthi vibhakti, that is, placing the "namah" afterwards, and doing that much accordingly. Further guidance, he says, may come to him by Ishvara's kripa himself; it is not even necessary. We can prove ourselves the best within this very station, and what we ought to obtain will be obtained.
Why is it improper to have relations with a girlfriend before marriage?
That before marriage it is improper. When a marriage takes place, the speaker says, the kunwari kanya is at that time first offered to Bhagavan Shri Agni Dev, and thereafter she is obtained by the man, having become fully pure. So if you want that the girl's father should get no fruit of the kanyadaan, then do all this. It is not proper in any manner — and he adds that the question itself was not one that it was proper to ask publicly.
Can deeksha be taken if the upanayana was never done?
A listener of twenty-seven, of Kshatriya kula and Karan jati, writes that his upanayana has not taken place, and asks whether he can never take deeksha in the future and what the provision for this is in the Agama-ukta marga. Have this upanayana done, along with the prayashchitta, and take the deeksha as well — there is no problem.
Who has the adhikar of Shiva pujan and the Panchakshari?
The adhikar of the pranav is not for everyone, the speaker says, but it is stated in the Vidyeshvara Samhita of the Shiv Mahapuran, as discussed on the channel, that once you have made Shiv ji your guru, the adhikar of japa of his Panchakshari mantra belongs to all — the shudra has it too, women have it too, and the adhikar of Shiva pujan belongs to everyone.
How does the writing differ for women and the fourth varna?
Those who are of the fourth varna, and those who are women, will all write "namah" afterwards and "shivaya" first, the speaker says, and then, having offered it, will do their path and puja with it.
After a husband's death or a divorce, whose gotra and kuldevata apply?
The marriage has taken place, the speaker says. In the Sanatan culture, once a marriage has happened, the husband's gotra is her gotra, the husband's surname her surname, and his varna hers. And second, the kula devi-devatas of the husband will remain her kula devi-devatas — whether you take a divorce or separate.
Only common, easily available materials are used, and every person may perform them — of any varna or jati, man, woman or child.
He says he will place before them only what uses common things whose materials are easily available, and which every single person can perform — of whatever varna, of whatever jati, of either gender, man or woman, and even a child. Whatever anyone at all can do, that is what he will set out.
Is a flowering gudhal plant at home a good sign?
Asked about a gudhal plant at home with many flowers blooming, he says it is a good sign. On the upaveet he says that if you are not a brahmin, if you do not fall in the fourth varna, then you can certainly wear the upaveet — or wear it if your work is not of that kind.
Bhagavati Janaki of Mithila is param Vaishnav, and so is her hridayeshwar Shri Ram
The Bhagavati Janaki of Mithila is param Vaishnav, the speaker says; when you are not accepting her words, and her hridayeshwar Shri Ram is param Vaishnav, the very embodiment of Vaishnav — if you will not accept their rule, and then talk big here about it not going away, then how, brother, will it go?
Why are mantra rules not laid down by jati, varna and dharma?
Because, he says, in the present time if you speak of moving by rule and niyam — that this is the rule, and according to it by jati, by varna, by dharma you are to use or not use mantras of such a kind — then if you make too many rules and policies the next man will say he will not do it at all. It is better that what everyone is fit for, what everyone can do, be told, so that it be done and benefit come from it.
How grave is it when parents quarrel over a person's worship?
If such a situation arises that the parents begin to quarrel on account of puja path, that on account of mantra-chanting they tell you to leave the house if you must do puja path, then the situation is very grave, brother. His doctrinal point is that such situations arise where the parents never gave the child any knowledge concerning their own dharma.
Sons and daughters never made firm in their own dharma end by putting their parents in an old-age home
It is the same with sons and it is the same with daughters. Tomorrow, when the son or daughter — you have not given them knowledge at all, you have not given them that kind of knowledge at all, have not made them firm towards their own dharma, have kept them away from the gods and goddesses yourself — tomorrow when they do not ask after you, in old age they will take you and give you a tour of the old-age home; then sit and weep. They will do what befits you.
Is opposition to worship harder for men or for women?
Absolutely, Meena ji, it is difficult for both, he answers. It is difficult for women too in some houses; in some houses it is difficult for men too. It is not as if — there are such wives now, he says, whose names he cannot take, but they are there in his own family, and everybody is troubled. They want divorce, or do not want to stay together, only because you do puja path — your life is going very well, the marriage was into a good house, there is no lack of anything, there are servants to do the work, everything is being done for you; but why do you do that puja path, why two hours in the morning and two in the evening, this useless puja and bell-ringing, you people are altogether outdated.
What kind of school should children be admitted to?
Asked in what kind of school children should be admitted today, and what education to give at what age so that children advance spiritually along with materially, the speaker says everyone knows what kind of education is being given in convent schools. Try not to go into one; and if there is such a compulsion that the child must be put in that school, then take only the academic education from there and give the bauddhik education from home in such a way that the child can come out safe.
What if I do not know any mantra for the abhimantran?
If you do not know a mantra, then as discussed before, use the Panchakshari mantra according to your own varnashrama dharma, keeping the yajnopavit and the rest in mind, without transgression. Consecrate it accordingly, or consecrate it with the Jayanti Mangala mantra and then use it — from that too you will get benefit.
To whom should the pitr daan be given?
Give daan and the rest to a Brahmin, he says — make him rich, put property in some Brahmin's name. Because it comes into people's minds that by this Brahmins are becoming rich. If you keep such feelings, then do not listen to these subjects; otherwise do it, so that it may be your own. We come having given away our entire alaay-balaay — what you give to a Brahmin after making a sankalp, all its weight falls upon the Brahmins. He will manage it; that is not your subject. So for the sake of the pitr certainly do daan on the day of Amavasya.
Why is somebody else's practice not a warrant for yours?
Because varna and dharma and desha and kaal all have their greatness in all of this. Somebody says that we perform the pujan of Tara or Chhinnamastika at home, and not from today but for ten years — and you become greatly agitated by it and begin doing it as well. Then at least see whose kula parampara that is, who stands worshipped in their house, and which other people before them in their house were the ones who performed her puja.
What are the five forms, and who is entitled to the panchakshara?
The five principal swaroops are Ishana, Tatpurusha, Aghor, Vamadeva and Sadyojata. These five murtis are renowned in this world by the designation Brahm, and their gathering into one makes Panchanan Mahadev. One letter from each of these five swaroops makes up the panchakshari mantra — and for it, the speaker says, every person of every varna and every woman is authorised, keeping in mind only how "namah" is to be placed, which has been described many times.
Is there a book of Pauranik mantras for those with no right to the Vedic ones?
Not yet — every existing book has something in it for which you will be told you are not entitled. He undertakes to write at least two or three such books before the next Durga Puja, carrying these prescriptions with mantras anyone may use, and setting out how women are to do it and how men are.
Can a woman offer ahuti in the Navratri havan, and with what?
The speaker says a woman offers her Ahuti with Guggul and a man with ghee. Asked whether a woman may offer ahuti at all, he answers that in the Vedic vidhan she should not — in the vedokta vidhan it is not done — and that people have become very clever about this these days; but this is a Tantrokta vidhan, Jagadamba's own vidhan, and in it a woman may give the ordinary ahutis without any difficulty.
Panchakshari japa order for a sadhak without yajnopavit
The speaker says the sadhak, being of the third, vaishya varna and not having had his Yajnopavita, took up Shiva's Panchakshari Mantra in the way the shastras direct for such people: placing namah after, and doing the japa in that order.
What kind of mistake in the family provokes a Brahm?
The speaker says love marriage is a common matter, and marrying into another kula might even be forgiven; but marrying against the prakriti of the household — where garlic and onion are not eaten and there is no question of meat, fish or liquor, and a girl comes into the kula from a home where they are — then the Brahm will create uproar, and whether or not anything happens to the couple, there will be trouble in your kula and family.
Who is Siddh Chano Baba Bali?
Asked who the lok deva Siddh Chano Baba Bali is, the speaker says these are predominantly the chief deity of those who are rajak, and in their houses it is he who is worshipped, directly or indirectly, as the kul devata.
What changes after fifteen, and why were samskaras given then?
After fifteen years, at sixteen and seventeen, the speaker says, hormones develop, our bhav increases and attraction towards the opposite sex grows; at that time the body's energy is very much heightened, and if that energy is not given right direction there is a loss of it and we begin to misuse it. That is why, formerly, when samskaras were performed, people were engaged through pujan-path, samskaras and various kinds of deeksha — which was the period before the coming of the Mughals; after that, all these things for the stage past sixteen years were removed.
Consciousness and awakening are now coming among Sanatanis through YouTube and Facebook, after a long slow washing of their brains.
These people, he says, have very slowly washed our brains completely. In the present time, on account of YouTube and Facebook, a great deal of consciousness and awakening is nevertheless coming among Sanatanis; otherwise where were all these things. If anyone spoke of it, if anyone kept a shikha, if anyone applied a tilak, people made his life miserable by mocking him. And all this mockery came from that same source.
The same people abuse the pandits and the learned for hiding knowledge, and then abuse those who teach it openly.
You sit and abuse all the pandits, the Brahmins, the knowers, the learned, he says: you people taught nothing. You talk of adhikar — that you should wear the upavit, or that you have no such right. And today, when it is being taught and told through YouTube, when a hundred, a hundred and fifty, five hundred, a thousand people come and try to explain it with pramaan, even then they receive abuse.
He calls himself no Brahmin but a maha-shudra, and warns that abusing the knowers cuts one's own root.
We say first of all, he tells them, that we are not a Brahmin at all — we are a maha-shudra, a low person; there will be no greater maha-shudra than me. But even if you take me for a shudra and accept me as your own, still you are not going to accept it. You say we will not do karmakand, or the mantra, or this. Here it is being done and told in Hindi, every single thing — and even that is not being digested by you people. You people only want an excuse. You are cutting the root of your own tree and nothing else.
Is there any bar of varna or kula on learning?
In whatever varna, in whatever kula you took birth, nothing is forbidden anywhere, he says. What is meant by adhikar? Learn, brother. Come out of your own kula and family and learn. When a Brahmin can go and do fourth-class work in the railway, then when you are in the fourth varna, go and learn. Who has forbidden it? Learn to recite the Rudrashtak. Learn from those who are teaching.
Do women have adhikar for the Gayatri mantra?
People get stuck on the Gayatri adhikar, he says: there is an itch that there is no adhikar for Gayatri. Why is there no adhikar for Gayatri? Because a negative effect will fall upon the body. Become qualified and do it. It is forbidden to women in every way; it is forbidden to a Brahmin's wife too. Woman does not mean that a woman of the shudra varna is forbidden while for a Brahmin it is permitted.
Man is lampat and the greatest bhogi of all, while woman is the greatest of all and must carry that greatness rightly.
To a man everything is taught, he says. Man is lampat — we always say so. Man is the greatest bhogi of all; man is low. The Brahmin is low, man is low, woman is the greatest of all. If you are the greatest of all, then carry that greatness in the right manner. Things are being done at will, conduct is being done at will. That is a wrong thing, is it not.
Where were bhands and nagarvadhus formerly kept?
In earlier times, he says, bhands were kept outside the town, and the nagarvadhus outside the town, those who were called nagarvadhu. And however many bhands there were who exhibited art, they were very rich — but they had no interference in social life. You will nowhere read in the Puranas or the shastras that any bhand or any nat has been given a characterological distinction, or that children have been told to take a lesson from him. You will find it nowhere.
Who should be the youth icon?
But today, he says, your daughters at home put up the new heroes with six-packs; the boys put up the heroines and are huge fans. And what are those women exhibiting — drinking and smoking, going to hookah bars, roaming with a boyfriend to look cool and posting it. Then the children will learn just that and will make them their youth icon. What ought to happen is that you should make some pauranik person, some pauranik region, the youth icon. But that does not happen.
What kind of tattoo does he say should not be made?
So far as the subject of a tattoo on the outer body and its water going into the drain is concerned, that is separate, he says; even so one should have the pratik chinh of God made. The full swaroop bhed should not be made, in his view. Asked how one will know that a varna parivartan has taken place, he says the questioner is probably asking according to the mantra vidhi, and that it comes only when you do the whole thing in the proper manner.
Is there a daily japa that everyone must keep?
Yes — ten mala of some one mantra every day, man or woman, and with no Sankalpa attached to it for any particular work to be completed. Those entitled to the Vedic Sandhya are told ten mala of the Gayatri; those who cannot, the Panchakshari. The speaker says this is compulsory for all.
Concluding the Ganpati sadhana: donating the written copy and feeding a small boy
The speaker says that on the Chaturdashi itself the copy in which the stotra was written eight times is taken to a temple that also has a Ganesh murti, a Shiv temple being one such, and donated to the Brahmins there with a Sankalpa, along with some anna and Dakshina. If possible, at least one small boy is also fed a meal or sweets by one's own hand. No varna is to be looked at in the boy; he need not be a brahmin, and a well-behaved boy is very good. The texts say a boy under twelve, but in today's conditions five, six, seven or eight years is best. With this the sadhana is complete.
Why must the shikha be kept and tied?
The shikha should be bound, he says — for women and men alike, everyone's shikha should be tied. Perhaps ten per cent of people keep a shikha at all. It is said that without a shikha the punya does not stop in the subtle order at all; you are doing punya, but to stop it there must be a knot in the shikha. If you are not making the knot and do not keep a shikha, then where will your anushthan worth five lakh or twenty-five lakh come to rest?
Does a government reservation category decide a person's varna?
Asked about a jati that is SC in Rajasthan, OBC in Madhya Pradesh and general in Maharashtra, and whether they are counted among shudras, the speaker says the person asked about must himself know which jati he is in. The government will hardly decide for you whether you are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra — you know from birth which jati you belong to.
Why does varna matter for one's seva and puja?
The seva and puja one does, he says, is according to varna as to which mantra and what vidhi there should be, so that we obtain benefit and dosha does not attach — and that is for oneself. If you transgress, nobody will go and stop you; nobody will throttle you saying you must not do this mantra. Do it, by all means. But when the maryadas of shastrokta injunction are insulted so openly, and you transgress the limits of those maryadas, the ill consequence will also come in that same manner.
Who is most defamed in the matter of adharma?
In the matter of adharma, the speaker says, the most defamed of all are the tantriks, the pandits, the people of this profession, who are called frauds. But look at it another way: go into any field at all, and the state of affairs is the same everywhere.
Purashcharan follows the first diksha, then the upanayana sanskar and sandhya by vidhi, and tantric diksha at sixteen.
Once that diksha had happened, the speaker says, when the suitable time arrived he would have his purashcharan begun; after that his upanayana sanskar would take place and he would be taught sandhya by the vidhi. Then when he reached the age of sixteen, for further sadhana he would have the tantric sandhya and the vidhan of tantric diksha begun.
How should Tara's temples be served, and within what limit?
Where Bhagavati Tara's sadhana begins on the tantra marga — or generally, doing any form of Bhagavati, Ma Durga, Ma Kali, anyone — if one goes to the temples and sthaans of Bhagavati Tara and does her seva-puja, keeping to one's own kula parampara. Not by force, he warns: it is not that we are Brahmins in whose house meat and fish do not run at all, and we go and offer liquor. That is not to be done. Whatever the niti-niyam is; and if you do offer, then according to the niyam, and gladly, not against your own heart.
Who is eligible to perform this Shravan vidhan?
Every Sanatani person can do what is told in this video, of whatever varna, whether woman or man, anyone at all — it is for all, and all will get benefit from it. Everything has been given in it in an orderly, sequential form.
All Varnas are ordered to worship Ganpati, women in particular, and kings seeking their own prosperity
All the Varnas — Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra — are ordered to worship Ganpati; and women in particular should certainly worship Ganesh, as Bhagavan Shiva himself says. Kings desiring their own prosperity should also worship him particularly.
Was Raktabija's vamachari worship outside the Veda?
The speaker says Raktabija performed tapasya of Bhagavati for a long time as a rakshasa and by the vamachari vidhi — what is called avaidik puja. But avaidik is separate from the Veda only in name, he says; it is Vaidik as well, and is not outside it. Even so, Raktabija did not simply take anything at all: prasad is treated as prasad, and beyond that his whole conduct was samyam.
Taking vamachara diksha as an exemption for the panchamakara leads into a pit; samyam cannot be left aside.
The speaker says one cannot go outside samyam. Anyone thinking of taking initiation in vamachara because he cannot stay in dakshinachara — reasoning that there will be great enjoyment, an exemption for the panchamakara, liquor and chicken and eggs and cigarettes, and deities of the same kind — will fall into a pit. Many fall and are ruined, he says: the thing is not for that at all, whatever varna you may be.
What should be done if someone asks for food at the chaukhat in a dream?
If you see especially that someone at the chaukhat is asking you for grain, for akshat, for water, the speaker says the first thing to do is a panchbali for the pitrs, done separately and specially on the Amavasya tithi. And if possible, call a vedapathi brahmin who does not consume khaini, tobacco, gutka, beedi or liquor — or one of the kshatriya varna, or of the vaishya varna; he must be a dvij.
What should the invited brahmin be fed, and who should not eat it?
They should be fed kheer, and it is better if they come to the house and cross the chaukhat rather than being fed at the temple. But knowledgeable people, the speaker says, do not eat kheer on that day, because in taking that meal their own punya will be spent. Those with no punya will simply come, spoil your matter and leave — and if such a person rubs khaini after eating, the pret gets it too.
What if one has a grudge against brahmins?
The speaker says such people should be called who are pure and sattvik, and fed kheer, if this kind of dream comes; if water is being seen, give as much water as possible to cows. To those who hold dvesha for brahmins he says: do not ruin your own boat by watching what the world is doing. If a brahmin does something wrong, that is his life — why criticise him and take his paap on your own head?
Pujan yantras vary by kula parampara and by ashrama, and in Kaliyug what is done is the Agam-ukta vidhan
Within pujan yantras there are many types again: differences come in according to the kula parampara, and within those yantras there is a classification by ashrama too — one for the grihastha, one for the virakta. He adds that Vaidik pujan is not possible in Kaliyug, so what is done is the Agam-ukta or Puranokta vidhan, Agam meaning the tantric vidhan.
Who has the right to japa of the Panchakshari mantra?
It is the shastrokta right in Panchakshari that anyone may do its japa. Without the pranava, every man and woman may do japa; and for the chaturvarna woman it is that the "namah" is placed afterwards. He says this has been discussed many times before, and that the yantra of this very mantra should never be mistaken for something ordinary.
May a woman touch a Shivling?
The right to touch a Shivling belongs to everyone — woman or man, of any Varna. Bhagavan Shiva has nowhere forbidden it. There is no restriction on touch, and whoever said so has wrong information.
Why is it said that only a Brahman should do such sadhanatmak kriyas for others?
Why is it said that only a Brahman should do sadhanatmak kriyas of this kind, that only he should do mantra japa and puja paath for somebody, he asks. Because you wish to do it — absolutely, you do it too, nobody is forbidden at all — but you do not do trikal Gayatri. A Brahman is taught everything from the very beginning: among Brahmans, a child of eight or ten years is doing Vedic paath. Look at anybody else — nobody learns paath quickly. If they were to learn and do it in this same manner, then they too can do it.
What transfers when a Brahman takes a sankalp of japa for someone else?
Because when they take the sankalp that I take the sankalp of a sava-lakh japa of this mantra for the removal of the calamity and misfortune that has come into so-and-so's life, then in such a state this happens: whatever kriya has been done upon you, whatever graha-nakshatra doshas and the like are yours. He adds that those who have knowledge will see this too — if you give the utara of some graha, they will not take the daan; a great many such Brahmans who have knowledge do not take the daan of grahas at all.
Why do some good sadhaks refuse to do puja paath for others?
Why do they not take it, he asks. In this too there are two kinds: those who do a great deal of puja paath will take it — those who have the kripa of their ishta, those who have anubhuti. But there are a great many who are good sadhaks and who even so do not take it, because they say: I do not want to undergo further prarabdha. And they do not have puja paath done for anybody either. They say: I have received a Brahman life, let me do all my own and go forward, forward.
How far is purity and impurity reckoned?
This is also why the subject of shuddhi and ashuddhi is reckoned only up to seven generations, he says. If seven pass, only then is one pure; if seven pass, only then is one impure — a matter listeners will have heard in the discourses of sants.
No panchbali, no chaukhat, no gau seva and contempt for elders make such protection impossible
If you have never done panchbali in your life, have no chaukhat at all, never do gau seva, never water plants in the heat, speak badly to your wife or husband, abuse your in-laws, do not respect your elder or younger brother, have no respect for the learned, abuse Brahmins, call Kshatriyas impotent, call Vaishyas looters, and use SC-ST language about Shudras — if no one in the world is right for you and you alone are the great one — then such a being will never help you.
The kula vadhus should cross the dehri only with the head covered
When you have fixed a dehli or dehri at the door of your house, he says, then in accordance with the maryada of that dehri the kula vadhus of the house should always cross it only with a dupatta kept over the head. He notes that saying this will bring a woman card played against him, that he is of old thinking, and answers that this is the cause of their ruin, that it is his duty to tell and he will tell.
A person can mock niti and niyam only for as long as his dhan bala lasts
A person can mock niti and niyam only for as long as he has dhan bala, he says. When he is seized by disease and the diseases begin to give him pain and there is no release from them, when his children begin to be ruined before his eyes and he weeps and begins showing and telling it everywhere — at that time all this tearing to shreds of niti, niyam and maryada is of no use.
Which outward observances are compulsory?
In the Sanatan samskriti — in the tantra marga, the Nath marga and the Vedic marga alike — the Yajnopavita is a separate matter, he says, but even after that: wearing a kada on the hand, wearing a mudrika on the fingers, a kanthi or a mala at the throat, a waist thread at the waist so that it is bound and not left open, a kada on the foot, and a shikha on the head. These, he says, are certainly compulsory.
The listener has not done his own pindadan, nor his pitrs', nor entered vanaprastha
You have not yet performed your own Pind Daan, he says, nor given the pind of your pitrs; you have not entered vanaprastha; you have not renounced everything. You are still new and young, your marriage is still to happen — and you are saying that touching a pig will bring you sadgati. What is your standing, he asks; before you an upadesh of that level should never be given at all.
Men who have their clothes washed by mothers and sisters end up Lakshmi-less, however rich now
He says he sees many in this condition, having their clothes washed by their sisters while the mothers wash the clothes; and that some are of so low a disposition that they have even their undergarments washed by their sisters. People who commit such misdeeds, he says, are like the mlecchas, and one day they are left without Lakshmi, however rich they may be now.
From what age should a child wash his own clothes?
When a child becomes eight or nine years old, he says, teach him fully to wash his own clothes himself. It is not only the duty of girls that a girl, being a girl, should wash everything, that the sister will wash — the brother will wash, the brother will wash his own, and the sister will do her own.
How can one find out one's kuldevi from the gotra?
A listener of the Bharadwaj gotra, a Chaturvedi, asks how information about the kuldevi may be obtained according to gotra. The speaker says many granths are published for information according to gotra; among the granths of vanshavali and gotravali and the like, look through some learned granth once, and the matter will be settled.
Which Narayana mantra is proper for a shudra born on Ekadashi?
A listener says he is a shudra and was born on Ekadashi, and asks which Narayana mantra would be proper for him. The speaker says that until your diksha has taken place, until you are initiated somewhere, recite the Vishnu Sahasranama of Bhagavan Shri Hari Narayana. It is written in its phalashruti what a shudra will obtain if he recites it. After that keep a sankalp of this subject in it, because you are desirous of Bhagavan Shri Hari Narayana's mantra and your birth on Ekadashi is also becoming a cause for it, and since you have shraddha, stay dedicated to him. Become a true shudra; walk by niyam and niti. Your samarthya will be equal to that of those who are tapasvi, and by the Bhagavan's grace you will obtain a right path and will flourish in it.
Is it a sin not to keep the niyam one has taken?
A listener says he fears that sin will attach because of not keeping the niyam. If you deliberately do not wish to keep it, brother, the speaker says, sin will certainly attach. Sandhya is compulsory for all three — Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya. They are dvij; for all three, sandhya is compulsory.
Is naam japa alone enough in Kaliyuga?
The speaker says that to take shelter in the name — quoting that in Kaliyuga there is only the stream of the name, and by remembering it man crosses over — and on that ground to drop all karma, to abolish every karma and take naam japa alone as the whole of it, is your deh-chorai and nothing else. You will never abolish all those other karmas from which you get pleasure. But in sandhya the body will have to be moved and stirred, effort will have to be made, mantras will have to be committed to memory, the vidhi vidhan will have to be learnt — a matter of some ten to fifteen minutes; and if to escape even that much you are ready to abolish the sandhya, then brother there is no greater matter than this foolishness. Naam japa done by a dvij without sandhya does not bear fruit in any way at all.
Naam japa bears fruit for the genuinely unlettered man who has no vidhi vidhan and no proper guru, not for the deliberately foolish
The speaker distinguishes the deliberately foolish from the genuinely unlettered. A person of the fourth varna, a foolish person, a vajra — one to whom the vidhi vidhan is not known, who has not obtained a proper guru and who is not learned, not literate, illiterate, rustic: if he cannot do sandhya for some reason and manages the guru's naam japa, he will certainly get the fruit. He refuses to call such a person jaahil. Jaahil, he says, are those who know everything and do not want to do it, who insist that they will not, that bare naam japa will carry them across. But educated specimens who, only by hearing and watching others, will not give ten or fifteen minutes to sandhya in order to escape bodily effort — let them not remain in the delusion that naam japa completes the matter. It does not.
What does keeping niyam with nishtha actually build?
The speaker says that by doing what is ashastriya and wanting good to come of it, good will surely come — but you should then think about when that bhala turns into a bhala, a spear. When someone walks with nishtha, by niti and niyam, then along with himself he somewhere constructs a foundation for his future and for his coming generations. Those foundations are very strong, and when he advances in progress in a tremendous way he does not advance alone: his generations advance.
How does a family lose its practice over three generations?
The speaker traces it. The father performed sandhya; he was of the Vaishya varna, he had learnt sandhya, he had his guru ji, he wore the yajnopavit and kept the shikha, he had knowledge of everything, and he did havan from time to time as well. As soon as the next generation came, you became a great champion of the corporate world and a shortage of time arose — but you did not say you were acting from shortage of time. You said all this is show, it is hypocrisy, we will not fall into karmakand, we will not fall into this ostentation, we will only do naam japa and by that alone my welfare will come about; and saying this you abandoned everything. Now when the third generation comes, it will have knowledge neither of sandhya nor of naam japa. They will do yo-yo dude, and then they will get you to do yo-yo. Nothing else — this is what will happen.
Young sadhaks asked which path they want say they want the sadhana marg, because they know they would fall
When discussion takes place among sadhaks, the speaker says — among the young and some who have reached middle years, some whose marriage is about to happen, on the phone or by other means — they ask what will happen. He asks them which path they want to go on, and they say they want to go on the sadhana marg, because one has to enter the grihastha in any case, and in the grihastha we are not in a position to be such great detached sanyasis holding so hard a brahmacharya vrat. We know we will fall. This is not a matter of writing and reading. There is not that much capacity, nor is there such powerful vairagya. So we do want to be vairagi, but through this ashram, after entering it, so that no matter of falling may occur through us.
Is it proper to abandon a wife who turns against the dharma of the kul?
A listener asks whether it is proper to abandon a wife who becomes vidharmi to the kul and the dharma, or who deliberately behaves so as to suppress and harass him, since the arguing is beyond bearing. After making the proper arrangement, yes, the speaker answers. But keep this in mind: once the panigrahan samskar has taken place, then as far as possible, however much she may be dishonouring the man, she is making and marring her own. Applying sam, dam, dand and bhed from your side, make the effort that she come onto the dharma path — this is your responsibility. By explaining with love, by taking the help of the family, taking the help of relatives, through the devi devatas, by describing the subjects of the shastras — make the effort in every way that she become favourable, especially when you are walking on the dharma path.
Is tyaag of a wife proper when she will not walk together?
And if even then she does not agree and it is not possible to walk together, then even in such a circumstance, if you want to make her tyaag, in my view, brother, the speaker says, tyaag is not proper. The responsibility, the duty of bearing her yogakshem is yours. So if tyaag is to be done at all, it should be such that the whole arrangement for her is made, and that the tyaag happens from your heart. Since you have asked according to the shastrokta view, he adds, he cannot give the modern answer of today; that will be your decision, whether you will give a divorce and how you will act. But according to a sadhak, what should a sadhak do in such a circumstance?
On what condition is tyaag permitted at all?
However difficult the circumstance may become, the speaker says, the tyaag of one's own wife cannot be made while leaving off the duty of her maintenance. So let the whole arrangement of the duty of her bharan-poshan be made for her for life, or for as long as the body can manage, and according to that maintain her. For the rest, keep no desire from her. Nor does tyaag mean that you are now not even to take food and drink from her hand. So after making the proper arrangement you can certainly do tyaag; there is no dosh in it.
Can Vedic mantras heard in a dream be japa'd without the janeu?
A listener says Vedic mantras are being spoken in his dream and asks whether he may begin their japa, adding that his janeu was not done after marriage. When the sacred thread itself has not been done for you, how can you do Vedic mantras, the speaker asks. If you are doing them in the dream, then it is the grace of some pitr or other, and they want you to do it — so you should get the janeu done. Without the janeu, whether you meet it in a dream or meet it in person, you cannot do Vedic mantras by any adhikar at all.
How should one persuade people who eat non-veg to strengthen the body?
Asked how one should explain to people who take non-veg only with the aim of making the body strong and powerful, the speaker says: you feel the need of explaining to such people too — explain, they will not understand at all. However much you explain, that much they are explaining, and who is understanding? In return they will give you four abuses. These people are balancing the world, brother: so that the number of chickens and goats may not increase, they are balancing it by eating and eating.
Is it proper to ask the deity for material desires?
To ask for material desire is certainly absolutely proper, brother, the speaker says — it is not that one should not ask. Why should one not ask? One should absolutely ask; absolutely ask. Dharma, artha, kama — the third purushartha is kama itself. Only when desires are fulfilled will you go toward moksha. Certainly ask.
Gayatri is Vedokta, and people doing it by Shri Ram Sharma ji's sayings have been thoroughly ruined
Asked how far the things said about Gayatri by Shri Ram Sharma ji are according to the shastra, he says he has spoken about it before too: doing Gayatri following his sayings, people have been thoroughly ruined and will go on being ruined; he does not agree with him at all. However much they may speak according to modernity, he says he will never speak in favour of those who cannot walk according to the shastra vidhan. Because this is Gayatri: had it been tantra, then in tantra there are a great many such things where, on account of parampara, things become different, since there are capable and siddha persons. But here the subject they present negates the shastra altogether, and Vedokta things at that. Gayatri has come as the form of the Veda, she is regarded as the origin of the Vedas, regarded as Veda Mata — and they manifest her entirely in an unVedic form.
The Kaul sampradaya states its panchamakar openly instead of doing two kinds of work at once
He says he sees people connected with the Gayatri Parivar who, while eating meat, will still ask whether they may touch him, and who answer that nothing has been forbidden about eating. He asks how people, being Brahmins, do acts of this kind, and says he does not know what those people are taught. Better than that, he says, is at least the Kaul sampradaya, where they do say openly, yes brother, we will advance by eating meat, my panchamakar is such — they say it thumping their chest and go forward, and there you cannot call them wrong. Here people are doing two kinds of work at once.
May a woman recite the Shri Suktam daily?
A listener says she does three paths of the Shri Suktam daily. His answer: if you are a woman, then the plain matter is that the Shri Suktam falls under the Vedic; and so its utterance should be done only by those who wear the yajnopavita. Today, having watched videos from South India and elsewhere, people say who stops anyone, everyone does it — but, he says, brother, you cannot do it. By his information, Shri Suktam and Purusha Suktam are Vedic mantras, and there is no adhikara to utter them when there is not even adhikara for Gayatri.
Even the ordinary forms and avatars of Bhagavati kept this maryada
He says the Vedic brahmins are clarifying this subject in their videos: that the adhikara for all these things was kept within maryada even by the ordinary forms of Bhagavati who took avatar and performed leela. So, he asks, who are we?
The brahmins' Shravani upakarma on Purnima has a far larger counterpart for tantra-agama initiates
He points to those who perform the Shravani upakarma properly, which will now happen on Purnima — on Shravani Purnima the brahmins will go and do all of it. What is that subject? According to the Vedic order they are performing that whole abhishek, fixed for the whole year. But for all the rest, or for those who are initiated according to tantra and agama, there is a very great deal of subject matter.
Can a married daughter do upaya for a strong pitrudosha in her maike?
A listener says there is a strong pitrudosha in her maike, affecting her sisters and brother, but no solid upaya is being done there, and asks whether she and her husband may do it. He answers that after being married, if you do it without taking dakshina from those people, then nothing will come of it. The plain matter is that you no longer belong to their house; the marriage has taken place and you are now separate. You may do it for your mother and father if you wish, but then, according to the niti and niyam, give — take at least a hundred rupees of dakshina from them, from their side, so that the effect is obtained.
Adhyatma has come to mean swachhandata — freedom from rule and discipline, dressed as spirituality
Adhyatma itself is no longer one place, the speaker says. Nowadays the definition of adhyatma has become swachhandata — unboundedness. That is, become free of the rules and the discipline connected with our Sanatan Dharma. People today have joined unmuktata to spirituality.
Should a man cover his head or wear a cap while doing puja?
This thing differs from place to place according to the region, the speaker says. Towards Kashmir the brahmins of that area do puja with their heads bound, especially in the northern regions; in other regions you will not see it that way. According to his own knowledge there is no necessity of keeping a cloth or a cap on the head while doing puja — follow what the elders of your region have said.
What about the fear of Varna-sankar after an inter-caste marriage?
Study the ninth chapter of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita once, thoroughly — what Bhagavan Shri Hari Krishna says on this subject, what he has said regarding Varna-sankarata. The doubt of your heart will be removed and you will then be able to take the right decision.
Is any Kula or Varna barred from serving the Mahashaktis?
There is no such Kula, no such Varna and no such house that cannot serve the Mahashaktis — even where a Masan is worshipped in the house, or a Brahm, or the most wicked power of all. It will not stop you, once you understand the subject.
Is the Gupt Navratra only for sadhaks and not for householders?
Many people began saying that since it is a Gupt Navratra it is only and only for sadhana and for sadhaks, not for householders. This, the speaker says, cannot be held to be wholly true — it cannot be that it is not for any householder. It is from the grihastha ashram itself that the remaining three ashrams run.
Who has the right to study the Devi Atharvashirsha?
The speaker says that because it is a vaidik mantra, a mantra of the Atharvaveda, not everyone has the right to it — that, he says, is the truth. But those who wear the yajnopavita should certainly study it, and all the sadhaks of the three varnas should. Those who will not accept this, he says, are no longer his subject; it is their own wish.
Should the shikha ever be cut?
Everyone knows that the choti is not to be cut, the speaker says: the shikha will not be cut in any condition whatever. He describes a man who went after cutting off a shikha, asking how purification will happen if the shikha is not cut, and the village people joining in — because the village people do not keep a shikha themselves, so they ask how this man's shikha may be allowed to remain. When my shikha cannot exist, then nobody's shikha shall exist. That is exactly it, he says: this is what is called dvesha; in the shastras this very thing has been called dvesha, and it is out of jealousy.
Can the samskaras of anulom varna sankar be performed?
The matter of loma, anulom, varna sankar and the like, the speaker tells Sanjay Yadav, can absolutely be done if it proceeds along with the prayashchitta vidhi and there is such a sankalp.
Do Brahmins offer bali to their kuldevi and kula devata?
In today's time everything is being offered, the speaker says. The reason: where have people kept their own kuldevi and kula devata protected? They worshipped others and others; so now the devi and devata of the kula have come to the fore in their primacy, and therefore Brahmins too have to give bali.
Pandits, brahmins, jyotishis and tantriks are abused alike, regardless of caste.
He says people have seen the pandit spoken to crookedly, the brahmin called a glutton, a hypocrite, a looter, the jyotishis called looters — and of tantriks the less said the better. Whatever the caste, whether brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya or shudra, if a person walks such a path and is a sadhak he is called a looter, a swindler, a fraud, a cheat, a fool.
Kanya pujan of one girl on every Ashtami speeds up the result of the prayoga.
Besides that, whenever there is time, go to Bhagwati's temple, offer dhoop and deep and keep making the prayer and petition. And if the problem is to be got out of very quickly, then certainly do the pujan of even one girl on every Ashtami — a girl within two to ten years of age, who has not become rajaswala. There is no need to look at caste; but if a girl of the Kshatriya varna is found, it will be most excellent.
Why is the karna-chhedan samskara done?
He says that for men the karna-chhedan samskara has today become a subject of joking; he sees many great celebrities and people of jyotish saying that karna-chheda came from where. It is one of the sixteen samskaras — the karna-chheda samskara does happen. It too has its tithi and nakshatra and the rest, and the piercing of the ear happens with the utterance of Bhadrakaran or such mantras. It is not merely a jyotish remedy done because Budh is bad or Shukra is bad, or because children were dying.
Must a male sadhak also wear gold in the ears?
The speaker says gold ornaments should certainly be in the ears of a male sadhak too — it is not for a fan of a singer who wears one to look cool; it is a rule. If you are running by the tantrokta method then have both ears pierced properly, at the right time, at the right muhurta, with the utterance of mantras, and certainly wear gold balis in them. For a woman it is compulsory. If there is no gold in the ears it is poverty; at the least let there be a small stud, but of gold, and that is most excellent. In the nose of girls and women there should certainly be gold.
Why is gold worn as Shri tattva rather than as vanity?
Without gold, the speaker says, the devatas are not pleased in all this and the mantra japa does not give full fruit, because an absence of Lakshmi is seen. There is no devata in Sanatan who is not endowed with Shri tattva; and if you are doing japa devoid of Shri tattva, that means you have gone into the matter of virakti, and if you do a thing by force it will not happen. You are a householder — take on the Shri tattvas in accordance with the householder's maryada and then do it. In gold the measure of Shri tattva has been held to be the greatest.
Must everyone learn the chhandas before beginning?
He says all the Shankaracharya Maharaj's words are right, that one should walk according to varnashrama dharma. But he knows only this much: that saving our Sanatanis right now is itself a very great thing. If so much burden of karmakanda is put on — now learn the chhandas, learn how each is to be sung, and once you have learned you must do it exactly so — people think it better to run away. The loss is theirs, but he holds it his own responsibility to stop them, keep them, hold them; and later, when their state of mind is such and they are absorbed in Sanatan, they will learn all these things themselves. Then the Bhujang stotra sung in that manner will bring special kripa, according to the phalashruti.
May an asana, a Pavitri or an Achman vessel be shared?
No. When you are performing an Anushthan or Purashcharan of a mantra, nobody else should ever sit on your asana, nor should you sit on anyone else's — not looking at whether he is a Brahmin, a Guru, a scholar or of a higher or lower Kula. And a Pavitri is never exchanged.
Who has adhikar over the Panchakshari mantra?
From the Shiv Mahapuran katha, in which the mahima and vidhi vidhan of the Panchakshari mantra given by Bhagwan Shiva were described at length, he restates: people of all four varnas have adhikar over the Panchakshari, anyone at all can do its japa. Those whose yajnopavita has not been done will do it without the pranava; those whose yajnopavita has been done may do it with the pranava, taking their guru's adesh. The fourth varna and women will do the japa placing namah afterwards.
What is the whole system of tantra for?
He asks what the complete system of tantra is and answers: to protect, and to advance. In the present Kalikaal it is not possible for all of us to live a Vedic life by Vedic vidhi vidhan — perhaps one percent of vipras and dvijas keep to sandhya and the rest.
Why is the pandit mocked while the tantrik is feared?
He contrasts the honour other communities give their own observant men with the treatment of a shikha-wearing Brahman in Sanatan society, who is mocked with names, and says the practice of the times was: laugh at the pandit, and be afraid of the tantrik. Once such a fashion spread, everyone ran from all of it.
Why did tantra vidya fall into disrepute in society?
Because the vidyas reached unqualified people, the speaker reports from a discussion with a Maharaj ji. A tantra vidya perfected by one man was handed down by upadesh to his son; a guru, out of some greed or temptation, gave the vidyas of tantra to a person with no restraint, no capacity and no respect for the learned. He stresses this is not a matter of Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra — it is the passing of these things into anadhikari hands.
Why was the Buddha avatar taken to counter the tantra vidyas?
To remove all these things, the speaker says, the Buddha avatar was taken and the Vedas were then refuted — the Veda is wrong. Those in a light position, on whom the effect of the vidyas reaching anadhikari people had fallen, went over in support and refuted the Vedas, and were pleased that Bauddha dharma was the best dharma. When this too became dominant and even a man like Ashok took Buddha's shelter, and Sanatan culture began falling into the pit, Bhagavan Shankar is said to have appeared as Shankaracharya, establishing four peeths in four places at the age of thirty-two.
Do women have the adhikar for the Gayatri mantra?
Asked his view of Ram Sharma Acharya ji's citing of Vedic mantras and the examples of Gargi, Maitreyi, Mata Sita and others to say that women have the adhikar for Gayatri, the speaker answers with one statement: for the adhikar of the Veda mantras and of Gayatri — if there is within these people the purity that Bhagavati Sita had, then do Gayatri. If there is purity like Draupadi's, read the Veda mantras. If within you there is capacity like Maitreyi's and Gargi's, do Gayatri. That much is his view. If you have that capacity in human form, in which Bhagavati Sita fulfilled the dharma of the pativrata, then do it; if within you there is capacity like Gargi's and Maitreyi's and you can take up that purity, then do Gayatri, do the path of the Veda mantras — who has stopped anyone? Giving examples is easy; walking upon it is not.
Can a sadhak who is a Shudra perform the Chandi path?
The speaker says: leave the word brahman aside — people are troubled by the name of brahman these days. If a sadhak, even if he is a Shudra, is kaul-dikshit — and in kaul there is no varna description — and he recites Bhagavati Chandika very well, or if any sadhak at all is reciting, and you are there, then it is done.
Are the Holika vidhans still performed in cities today?
A listener says the vidhans he describes have stopped happening in the city, where people merely cut grass in the name of Holi. He answers that if people wish to know, then as they are now listening — those who organise it, since Holika dahan is now organised — they can, having learnt all these vidhis, then perform them.
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