Vashistha
Every question on the site tagged Vashistha, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
The family guru (Kulguru) of Lord Shri Ram, who transmitted Ram's power through the worship of Goddess Tara as a Mahavidya form of Jagadamba.
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What is the relationship between Goddess Tara and the power of Shri Ram?
Goddess Tara is the foremost power associated with Lord Ram in both Stotra methods — Maharshi Vashistha, the family guru, transmitted Ram's power through her as a Mahavidya form of Jagadamba, so worshipping her alongside any hymn activates a divine energy within it.
Which revered figures in Sanatana Dharma were themselves accomplished Tantriks?
Lord Shiva is the supreme Tantrik; Sage Vashistha (Lord Rama's family preceptor) was a Tantrik; Lord Dattatreya is a Maha-Kaula; Sage Atri and Mother Anasuya are Param Kaulas; and Sage Durvasa was a formidable practitioner of Smashana Kali.
Whose aradhya was Bhagavati Tara?
You should all have this information, the speaker says: that Bhagavati Tara remained the aradhya of Maharshi Vashishtha ji, who is the kula guru of Bhagavan Shri Ram. It is by Vashishtha Muni that the upasana of Bhagavati Tara was first of all performed.
Cursed when the Vedokta vidhan yielded no siddhi, Bhagavati said no curse can touch her yet accepted it to keep his word's honour — then gave the Tantrokta upadesh.
When siddhi was not obtained by him through the Vedokta vidhan, he cursed Bhagavati. Jagadamba said that she is beyond curse and no curse can attach to her, but that even so, to keep the honour of his speech, she accepts the curse — and after that she gave him the Tantrokta upadesh.
Vashishtha went to Kamakhya and thereafter to Cheen — Tibet — and there did Tara's upasana by the Vamachara vidhi, receiving his boons and siddhi.
Vashishtha Muni went to Kamakhya, and thereafter to Cheen — the region that is Tibet — and there performed the upasana of Bhagavati Tara by the Tantrokta vidhi-vidhan, by the Vamachara vidhi. Then Bhagavati gave him the boons that were according to his mind, and bestowed siddhi and the rest upon him.
Vashishtha had accomplished that form for Ram, worn on his head for Ravana's slaying — and Nikumbhila, Ravana's aradhita, withdrew rather than stand before Tara.
The siddhi of that form was had performed for Shri Ram by Maharshi Vashishtha at the time of his avatar, and Ram wore it upon his head for the purpose of Ravana's slaying. It was on that very account that Bhagavati Nikumbhila — Ma Parvati in that form, who remained Ravana's aradhita — withdrew from there once Bhagavati Tara was present in Ram's jata before her. Nikumbhila did not protect him.
Ram was victorious through Vashishtha's blessing and the tantra vidyas taught by him — all of it leela, and none of it learnable from the Ramayana alone.
The speaker holds both. Bhagavan Shri Ram was victorious on account of Maharshi Vashishtha's blessing and the tantra vidyas taught by him — although all of this is leela alone, since Hanuman ji, or Bhagavan Shiva, or any such mahashakti could comfortably have slain Ravana. This was all leela, for the sake of human beings. Even so, we should know that this is not a learning we can take from the Ramayana alone.
Should every householder perform Apsara and Kamadev sadhana?
The speaker rejects the claim that Bhagavan Ram performed an Apsara sadhana and that every householder should worship beauty and Kamadev. Where would we find the time, he asks — and instead of Kamadev's sadhana, do the sadhana of Kama-dahan, of Bhagavan Shiva.
Does a janeu-wearing Brahmin cease to be a Brahmin on taking deeksha in the Kaul marg?
Asked whether a janeu-wearing Brahmin, on being initiated in the Kaul marg, is finished as a Brahmin on account of Panchamakara, the speaker exclaims and then answers: now tell me, who is a greater Brahmin than Bhagwan Rishi Vashishtha and Mata Arundhati? And Bhagwan Guru Vashishtha attained siddhi by worshipping Bhagavati Tara by the Vamachara paddhati. What more, he asks, is to be said than this.
Which other pitr classes arose at that time?
Pitrs were produced from the body of Daksha as well. And of the six rishis who were there — apart from the four rishis Kratu, Vashishtha, Pulastya and Angira — the others had indriya nigrah, meaning no vikaar arose in them; but in the minds of those four rishis vikaar arose, and from that four further kinds of pitrs came into being: Somapa, Ajyapa, Sukalin and Havishman. All these arose in the form of pitrs and became receivers of kavya.
Who is the kuldevi of the Vashishtha gotra?
Asked who the kul devi and kul dev of the Vashishtha gotra are, he answers that according to his knowledge the kuldevi of the Vashishtha gotra is chiefly Bhagavati Tara in three forms, and that she has come to be worshipped in some one of those three forms, or through some yogini of hers.
Why did Rishi Vashishtha enter the field of tantra?
The speaker gives this as his standing pauranik example: Rishi Vashishtha, who was earlier on the Vedic marga alone, came down into the field of tantra for the sadhana of Bhagavati Ugratara, Tara, Ekjata and Bhagavati Kamarupa Kamakhya. The greatest reason behind his entering the tantric process was the tantric prayogas performed by Rishi Vishwamitra and the harm he suffered from them; he came into this field afterwards for the sake of pratikara.
Is there a simple path of upasana for Ma Tara?
There is no simple path of upasana of Ma Tara, the speaker answers. Ordinary dhoop and deep you may do, or if you are a resident of her kshetra you may do it. But she is fully the chhatra shakti of tantra, and her complete puja happens only by the tantrokta vidhan. Maharshi Vashishtha too did not attain siddhi by the Vedic way; only when he did her sadhana and upasana with the fifth makara, that is by the tantrokta method, did he attain siddhi.
What gathering happens at Tarapith in these days?
It is said that just as in the Ambubachi parva a whole great gathering of tantrics takes place at Kamakhya, where people go and stay for four days, so for at least three days there is a gathering at Tarapith, in the Birbhum district of Bengal — where the famed Vamachari tantric Vamakhepa had his tapasthali, where the Panchmundi asana is present, and where it is said that Maharshi Vashishtha, the kula guru of Bhagavan Shri Ram, attained the siddhi of Bhagavati Tara by the Vam marga, that is the tantra marga.
Whose name is used for shraap vimochan in Tara's siddhi?
Whenever you perform the siddhi of Bhagavati Tara, he says, then whenever the prayoga of shraap vimochan is made in it, it is from Bhagavan Vashishtha alone — from Maharshi Vashishtha alone — that it is chiefly done.
How does shraap vimochan differ in Tara tantra from the usual formula?
Ordinarily, when we do shraap vimochan, Brahma, Vashishtha and Vishwamitra do it. But when one goes into the Tara tantra — when a paath is samputit with the mool beej mantras and the rest of Bhagavati Tara, especially the complete tantrokta paath — then in it, instead of saying Brahma, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra, the prayoga of shraap vimochan is done in relation to Vashishtha ji alone in particular.
What happened when Vashishtha attempted her by the Vaidik marga?
When Maharshi Vashishtha made the attempt to accomplish her by the Vaidik marga, that siddhi simply did not take place, he says. Then he too went into the region of Kamarupa Kamakhya, and after that to the Tara Peeth that is in Cheen — which, as things now are, has gone into China, into Tibet. So this is wholly tantra vidya; be initiated into it after thinking and understanding.
Did the great siddhas display their siddhis?
If you wish to do the sadhana properly again, then take its diksha and do it; then it will be proper, and receive that mantra from the mouth of some guru. Become Shakta-initiated. Here, without diksha, Bhagavati herself is said to be announcing that siddhi has occurred. The speaker says he knows this may offend and apologises in advance, and that many try to troll him for speaking on such matters — but the subject becomes one of manipulating people, because after hearing this fifty more will say the same happened to them, and a state of confusion is created.
Ravana was a scholar beyond measure and a great Shiva bhakta, but he protected neither devotees nor scholars.
He grants that Ravana was a scholar beyond measure and a very great Shiva bhakta, both true; but says he did not protect devotees, did not protect scholars, and did not protect womankind. He points to the Valmiki Ramayana, saying that on rising from sleep and coming out of his chamber he would pass over naked women lying in his path, trampling them.
What is the harm in glorifying Ravana?
He says that in the effort to glorify Ravana you insult Hanuman ji, you insult Ram ji, you insult Vashishtha Muni and you insult Agastya Rishi — and asks where you will suffer for it. He tells listeners to read and try to understand the puranas, to ask acharyas and scholars, or, if they do not know, to keep quiet.
Can one speak with the rishis of one's own parampara?
Asked what there is in tantra that is not, he answers that whether it be speaking with Vashishtha ji or Vishwamitra ji, or with anyone else whose guru parampara it has been, one can certainly speak with one's chief gurus through one's divya sadhanas. The foremost rishi of the Vindhya kshetra, foremost in the kula parampara, is Maharshi Agastya.
What is the account of Maharshi Vashishtha and Bhagavati Tara?
The matter arises, he says, of Maharshi Vashishtha having cursed Bhagavati Tara because siddhi was not attained. Vashishtha, he says, belongs to Treta or even before it — his sadhana of Bhagavati Tara began a few moments before the transition period between the end of one yuga and the start of the next, the supt pralaya state said to last a thousand divine years, a calculation he says he cannot recall and apologises for.
What curse did Vashishtha lay, and what did Bhagavati answer?
When the siddhi of Jagadamba Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara was not attained, he says, Vashishtha Muni cursed her: go, you too will not become siddha to anyone. Bhagavati then manifested and said that he had done this wrongly — it will not happen in this manner, we cannot be attained by this marga.
How was Vashishtha's curse on Bhagavati Tara eventually removed?
Directed by Bhagavati, Vashishtha went by the Chinachara krama to the place in the Tibet region where the first presence of Mahavidya Tara was established, learnt her entire subject and paddhati there, and performed her siddhi by vamamargi sadhana. The curse he had laid was undone when Jagadamba manifested from her thousandth part as Subhadra in the Vindhyavasini form and became present in the forest as Mahavidya Tara — and when Shri Krishna, in that avatar, performed her upasana, he freed her from the curse.
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