In whole of Jyotish only two grahas are accorded the status of a Guru. Shukra and Brihaspti. While Brihastpati guides the devas, Sukra is considered as the Guru of Asura-s.
Born into the lineage of Rsi Bhrigu, Sukracharya is considered to be a great devotee of Lord Shiva who by his penance attained to the knowledge…
Of the 12 jyotirlingas of Shiva, Ujjain is the place where Shiva appears as Mahakala. This form of Shiva is closely linked to hs Southern face of Aghora (meaning non-terrible where samsara is considered as terrible), the element of fire, and inspiration for the non-mainstream path of Yoga which goes by the name of Aghora.
Though…
Book: Voice of Babaji
The mode of repetation of a mantra wth feeling and in a particular manner, a definite number of times, with right observances, until a fixed number of japa is reached, in order to obtain substantial benefit out of the mantra, is called a purashcarana. The practitioner has to observe certain rules and…
The first stage in Sri Aurobindo's yoga, and the major task that opens the door to many realizations, is mental silence. Why mental silence, one may ask? Clearly, if we wish to discover a new country within us, we must first leave the old one behind; everything depends upon our determination in taking this first…
1. तऩ्स्वाध्यामेश्वयप्रणिधानाणन णिमामोग् ॥ १॥
tapahsvadhyayeshvarapranidhanani kriyayogah
Mortification, study, and surrendering fruits of work to God are called Kriya Yoga.
Commentary: The first step, the preliminary step, is called Kriya Yoga. Literally this means work, working towards Yoga. The organs are the horses, the mind is the reins, the intellect is the charioteer, the soul is…
namaḥ paradevatāyai
mātarme madhukaiṭabhaghni mahiṣaprāṇāpahārodyame
helānirjitadhūmralocanavadhe he caṇḍamuṇḍārdini |
niśśeṣīkṛtaraktabījadanuje nitye niśumbhāpahe
śumbhadhvaṃsini saṃharāśu duritaṃ durge namaste.aṃbike ||
aṣṭau bhujāṅgīṃ mahiṣasya mardinīṃ
saśaṅkhacakrāṃ śaraśūladhāriṇīm |
tāṃ divyayogīṃ sahajātavedasīṃ
durgāṃ sadā śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye ||
mahiṣamastakanṛttavinodana-
sphuṭaraṇanmaṇinūpuramekhalā |
jananarakṣaṇamokṣavidhāyinī
jayatu śumbhaniśumbhaniṣūdinī ||
brahmāṇī kamalendusaumyavadanā māheśvarī līlayā
kaumārī ripudarpanāśanakarī cakrāyudhā vaiṣṇavī |
vārāhī ghanaghoraghargharamukhī daṃṣṭrī ca vajrāyudhā
cāmuṇḍā gaṇanātharudrasahitā rakṣantu māṃ mātaraḥ ||
uddhatau madhukaiṭabhau mahiṣāsuraṃ ca nihatya taṃ
dhūmralocanacaṇḍamuṇḍaka raktabījamukhāṃśca tān |
duṣṭaśumbhaniśumbhamardini nanditāmaravandite
viṣṭapatrayatuṣṭikāriṇi bhadrakāli…
Just like it is mandated in shastras that a Guru must test his disciple before accepting him, it is a good idea today for a disciple to test his Guru and be completely satisfied before accepting someone as a true guide or mentor. Quite often, particularly in this age, there are many people who may…
Janaka said:
How is one to acquire knowledge? How is one to attain liberation? And how is one to reach dispassion? Tell me this, sir.
Ashtavakra said:
If you are seeking liberation, my son, avoid the objects of the senses like poison and cultivate tolerance, sincerity, compassion, contentment, and truthfulness as the antidote.
You do not consist of…
An istha mantra is selected first. The object of the anusthana should be within the limits of the mantra chosen, e.g. one should not do japa of Hanuman in order to get a son. Foolish desires should not be cherished when performing anusthana. One should not do anusthana for destroying or harming other beings. This…
The origins of anekāntavāda can be traced back to the teachings of Mahāvīra (599–527 BCE), the 24th Jain Tīrthankara. The Jain doctrine of anekāntavāda, also known as anekāntatva, states that truth and reality is complex and always has multiple aspects. Reality can be experienced, but it is not possible to totally express it with language.…
The Varaha Upanishad was composed during the 13th century and considered as one of the minor Upanishads. Here Lord Vishnu's Varaha Avatara is shown speaking to Ribhu on topics of spirituality, the non-dual truth of the Brahman, power of Kundalini, various Yogas that can liberate man etc. Lord Varaha states that what one aspires to,…
Wisdom and Force are not the only manifestations of the supreme Mother; there is a subtler mystery of her nature and without it Wisdom and Force would be incompetable things and without it perfection would not be perfect.
Above them is the miracle of eternal beauty, an unseizable secret of divine harmonies, the compelling magic of…
