u/Infamous-Shallot-705

I wanted to create a post dedicated to Meldi Maa. I know little about this Devi, only stuff I’ve read or seen online. If any of you guys have any personal experience of Her worship, perhaps She’s your Kula Devi or you’ve been raised around Her Temples and devotees, please leave your knowledge in the comments. I think this would be an interesting topic for everyone to read and I’m excited to see what you all share.

Today’s Amavasya marks Phalaharini Kali Puja. Traditionally this marks a special Kali Puja when the fruits of all our actions are offered to the lotus feet of Mother Kali. In recent times the event has become synonymous with Thakur Sri Ramakrishna Dev worshipping His Wife Sri Sri Maa Sarada Devi as the Divine Mother by performing Shodashi Puja to Her.

Shani Jayanti will be observed on Saturday, May 16th, creating a rare Saturday, Shani Amavasya combination that astrologically is consider highly powerful. Shani Dev represents karma, justice, patience, discipline, and responsibility. A great day for Sadhana, chanting Shani Dev Stotram, visiting His temples and remembering Him.

Further reading from Devi Bhagavat Purana, Chapter 23, verses 13 - 17. I seen this posted on another website but the translation was terrible so I’ve cleaned it up and presented it here. This section of Srimad Devi Bhagavat is really moving. It comes after Shiva burns Kamadev to ashes and reveals the devastation of His separation from Devi. The conversion is with Parvati.

13. (Parvati said) O Sambhu, I am that Sati who leaving you alone returned in the form of a terrible dark complexioned one bewildering the three worlds in the great sacrifice of Daksa.

(14) Shiva said: If you are my darling pretty eyed Sati then manifest that terrible dark complexoned form, naked, like a great dark storm cloud ready for the destruction of Daksa's sacrifice, please reveal it.

15 & 16) The daughter of the Himalayas (Parvati) showed Her form as Kali resembling black collyrium, naked, blood flowing, with terrible large eyes, wearing beautiful ornaments, with lofty breasts, terrible with long hair down to Her feet, with a long tongue, shining teeth and nails, as radiant as the moon in the midst of the group of cloud, with a large garland of heads extending to the thighs appearing like floating clouds around Her body, and with four large hands, wearing a crown which dazzles with various gems. Beholding Her incredible form, Mahadeva displaying ecstatic symptoms with great devotion said meekly, O Mahesvari, touch me with your lotus feet and pacify my heart which is as if burnt due to your long separation.

(17) Having expressed thus Mahadeva at once in an ecstatic trance held Her lotus feet to his heart, in meditation He assumed the state of a corspe then with folded hands lying before Her He eulogised the great goddess Kali with a thousand names.

Initiation is essential for liberation and cannot come without a Guru who comes in an authentic lineage or Guru Parampara. Initiation or Diksha comes in lots of different forms but generally after proper evaluation over a period of a year or more, the Guru offers a Mantra to the pupil depending on their level of qualification. It is also the privilege of the disciple to test the Guru on matters of Japa, Stotra, Dhyana, Homa, and Puja, for without a Guru the practice of such isn’t truly fruitful. Once a person finds the capacity of the Guru to communicate this knowledge to them, they accepts him or her as a Guru. Guru transmits Sakti and knowledge to the disciple. A true Guru should possess knowledge, be adept in all Yoga (Jnana, Bhakti, Karma and raja), and know the Truth born of Pure Consciousness of Siva & Shakti, have expert knowledge of yantra, Tantra, Mantra, and Mudra, and be of a high state of consciousness with great devotion.

The Guru should also put a disciple to the test to understand their physical, mental and devotional character and compatibility, in many cases this can take years. A greedy, abusive or spiritually impotent Guru invites the wrath and curse of Devata, initiation performed by them has no value. Mutual testing of Guru and Sisya as to their fitness by each other is an essential process.

A good check list to start the process is looking into the Guru’s linage. Who was their Guru, who was their Gurus Guru. Within that Guru Mandala are they held in high esteem? Do others vouch for their validity? Is their character spotless, are they associated with any criminal or deviant behaviour? Do they have knowledge that’s worth giving, is it worth a lifetime of dedication to someone who’s as spiritually blind as you are? Is this person trading on magic tricks and easily explained phenomena in order to impress followers, or using self styled honourifics to make themselves look grand and lastly is the Guru a business man or a spiritual guide?

We don’t have the capacity to know our own true nature let alone Guru Tattva, but with common sense and time we can guard ourselves from being manipulated and controlled by those who really don’t have our best interests at heart. It’s also very important to define our own intentions before making any serious commitments.  

Interesting reading today from Kularnava Tantra, chapter 1. Here Shiva is speaking to Devi where he describes suffering due to one’s actions and non-attachment leading to liberation.

“To him who is always engrossed in his family relationships, qualities like erudition and good character are lost like an unbaked earthen pot in water.

Just as a greedy fish does not see the iron hook, so a person greedy of (worldly) happiness does not see the interference of Yama, that is death.

My Beloved! One who is unaware of his losses and gains, who is always treading the wrong path, who is engaged only in filling his stomach, knows not what is hell.

O Beloved! To sleep, to copulate, to eat and other such functions are common to all animals. Man alone is possessed of knowledge. He who is devoid of it is a beast.

As long as there is identification with body, as long as there is ego-identification, and as long as there is no Grace of the Guru, so long how can there be a talk of Higher Purpose?”

*Final quote from Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa : “*If you enter the world without first cultivating love for God, you will be entangled more and more. You will be overwhelmed with its danger, its grief, its sorrows. And the more you think of worldly things, the more you will be attached to them.”

Wishing the divine protection of Narasimha Bhagavan for us all.

Sri Nrisimha Maha-mantra

 

ugram viram maha-vishnum

jvalantam sarvato mukham

nrisimham bhishanam bhadram

mrityur mrityum namamyaham

 

‘O Lord Mahavishnu with a furious form and extremely brave! The fire of anger emanating from your mouth and its heat is illuminating all directions. O Lord! who is in the form of half man and half lion! You are extremely powerful and omnipresent, you are the death of even death. I bow to you again and again. Have mercy on me.’

The imagery of Chinnamasta is immensely shocking, but every aspect of Her has an important spiritual truth. The head is symbolic of the mind/ego, false identity, we see here Maa has severed the head with the sword of knowledge, now unconditioned, boundless and free. Around her neck is the garland of heads representing all the thoughts, sounds and projections of the mind, she wears them as an ornament. She stands on top of Kamadev and Rati, the very embodiments of desire, victorious of their influence.

The three streams of blood from Her neck represent the ida, the pingala, and the susumna representing mastery over the flow of one’s own awareness through yogic practice leading to the experience of the supreme Self. The Kundalini has risen from the base of lust (Kama/Rati) to the sahasrara with such force that the head can no longer contain it, She holds that head as the pure streams of consciousness nurture Her beloved attendants. The very form of Chinnamastika is a road map to self realisation. When looked at in the proper light the real shock we feel in Her image is actually nothing more than our ego or false self, to the devotee She is the reality of self realisation.

For those following a fast please check a Panchang as the Chaturdashi Tithi falls across two regular calendar days. Be careful about Vaishnava Panchang for Narasimha Chaturdashi as they follow a different calendar.

I’m back with my reading of Srimad Devi Bhagavatam. Fifth Book, Chapter 18, ‘On the killing of the Demon Mahishasura’. Mahishasura represents the ego, the last obstacle to self realisation. Still reading the wonderful English translation by Pujapad Swami Vijnanananda who was a direct disciple of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. This section, particularly the description of Devi and Mahishasura is thrilling, I hope you enjoy it.

‘The Devī Chandikā, then, infuriated and with eyes reddened, pierced violently the breast of that vicious Mahisa with Her sharp trident. The Demon, then, struck by this trident, fell senseless on the ground; but got up in the next moment and kicked the Devī forcibly. That Great Asura, thus kicking the Devī, laughed repeatedly and bellowed so loudly that the Devas were all terrified with that noise. Then the Devī held aloft the brilliant discus of good axle and of thousand spokes and loudly spoke to the Asura in front :-- O Stupid! Look! This Chakra will sever your throat today; wait a moment, I am sending you instantly unto death. Saying this, the Divine Mother hurled the Chakra. Instantly that weapon severed the Dānava’s head from his body. The hot streams of blood gushed out from his neck as the violent streams of water get out from mountains, coloured red with red sandstones. The headless body of that Asura moved, to and fro, for a moment and then dropped on the ground. The loud acclamations of “Victory” were sounded to the great joy of the Devas.

The very powerful lion began to devour the soldiers that were flying away, as if he was very hungry. O King! The wicked Mahisâsura thus slain, the Demons that remained alive were terrified and fled away, very much frightened, to Pâtâla. The Devas, Risis, human beings and the other saints on this earth were all extremely glad at the death of this wicked Demon. The Bhagavatî Chandikā quitted the battlefield and waited in a holy place. Then the Devas came there with a desire to praise and chant hymns to the Devī, the Bestower of their happiness.’

Here ends the Eighteenth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the killing of the Dânava Mahisâsura in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

Today is Bagalamukhi Jayanti. Another name for Maa Bagalamukhi is Stambana Maha Shakti, She stops everything and instals stillness. For this reason She’s approached in different ways depending on the quality of the seeker. For those of a Tamasik nature or dark outlook, She’s invoked to cause harm to others, to paralyse and stun the victim. For those of a Rajasik nature, ruled by passion, She’s invoked for their own material benefit, to stop others getting in the way of their selfish desires. But for the devotee of a Satvik nature She’s worshiped to stop the six enemies of the Sadhaka, these are: Kama (Desire/Lust), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed), Mada (Ego), Moha (Attachment), and Matsarya (Jealousy). She’s also known as Pitambari Devi, She who wears and loves the colour yellow. Yellow is the colour of peace, stillness and equilibrium. On this holy day we can pray to Maa to paralyse the bad qualities that keep us from our true nature and keep us in the peace and equilibrium of Her divine grace.

‘mother! Through worshiping your lotus feet the devotees house turns into heaven, the proud turns to gentleness, a lusty person gets salvation, an enemy turns into a friend, an emperor turns into a slave, the sinner turns into the holy person, the lord of death Yama becomes himself a well-wisher, and bad habit turns into good nature. Throwing away all the worldly worries O Beloved of Lord Shiva! Gauri! Bagala! I worship you.’ ~ a verse from Sri Bagalamukhi Stotram from the Rudrayamala Tantra.