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ShivKali Oracles – Hanuman

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Hanuman is one of the easiest-to-call gods. This is because he lives on earth, wherever Raam-katha is chanted. Hanuman Chalisa can create a very useful protective force against negative energies. He is an avatar of lord Shiv and the son of Anjana & Paban dev.

Hanumanji has many names like Anjaneya (son of Anjana), Paban-putra (Son of Paban, the god of air), Bajrangbali (one who has arms like thunder), Chiranjivi (immortal) etc. Though we say that Hanuman and his associates like Sugrib, Bali, Angad, Jambvan, Neel etc are ‘Baanar’, which means monkeys, they are not actually monkeys. They are actually a human clan named ‘Kapi’. Bali and Sugreev were two brothers who were enemies of each other. Bali had a blessed locket which made him steal half strength from the person in front of him. This sorcery helped Bali to win in fights. Once Hanuman came in front of him but Hanuman’s power was so high that Bali could not take that amount of power and he had to remove that locket. Hanuman’s strength comes from his bhakti towards Sree Raam. Whenever he sings bhajan for Raam, even stones get melted.

When Hanuman was young, he mistook the Sun as a fruit and was about to eat it. This would have destroyed the universe, so Indra hit Hanuman and made him unconscious. But Hanuman’s father, Paban became angry at Indra and was about to stop the flow of air and destroy life in universe. To calm him down, many devatas came and blessed Hanuman with different powers. Brahma blessed him but also said that as Hanuman was a child, it is better for him to not use his powers until he is mature. Until Hanuman met Raam on Anjanadri Hill (Karnataka), he forgot about his powers. When Raam asked Hanuman to go to Lanka to see if Sita is there, Hanuman thought that task is impossible. Then, Jambvaan reminded him about his powers, which were basically 8 siddhis. Hanuman could change the volume and weight of his body, he could lift unimaginable weights; he could do mind-control, travel by the speed of thoughts etc. Then, Hanuman gained confidence to jump across the ocean and reach Lanka. Hanuman teaches us that, to perform a given task, one should trust oneself and have a sense of responsibility.

It is true that Hanuman is super strong. However, strength does not only mean physical strength. It also means mental strength, strength of knowledge, resilience, and confidence. If only physical strength mattered, we would have seen only body-builders in leadership roles. Strength comes from self-belief and confidence, that’s why we say ‘Bhakti is Shakti’. Often, we are discouraged by the vastness or the criticality of a task. To overcome that fear, sometimes we need a guru like Jambvaan who can motivate us. Or sometimes, we need to take a deep breath and take the first step or a leap of faith. Success attracts success, so always try to achieve the first success no matter how small it is. First time of anything seems hard, but eventually it becomes easy. Another important lesson Hanuman has taught us, is to be humble in spite of being such powerful. When he visited Sita Ma in Ashok Vatika, he could have boasted about himself and represented himself as Pavan Putra or Avatar of Shiv or someone who gulped the Sun. But instead of that, he said that he is just a Raam-Dut (messenger from Raam).

Hanuman is a celibate (Brahmachari) but he has a son named Makardhwaj. Actually, Hanuman was taking bath in ocean once and a fish gulped a drop of his sweat. From that, Makardhwaj was born. Later, Raavan’s brother Ahiraavan captured Makardhwaj and made him a servant in Patal (Hondurus). Hanuman did not know about his son until he invaded Ahiraavan’s palace. Later when Ahiraavan kidnapped Raam and Lakshman, Hanuman invaded Patal-lok and there he met Makardhwaj and he was shocked to know about his identity. However, via yogic power Hanuman understood that Makardhwaj is truly his son. But when Hanuman asked for his help to free Raam, Makardhwaj refused because it was against dharma to betray master. Then Hanuman fought with him and defeated him. After finding Raam and Lakshman, they beat Ahiraavan. Raam came to know about Makardhwaj and blessed Hanuman’s son. Raam then asked Hanuman to make him the king of Patal.

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ShivKali Oracles – Chandrashekhar

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Chandrashekhar literally means the moon as a crown. Shiv is called Chandrashekhar because he holds the crescent moon on his head.

There are multiple lore about how the moon is on his head. The moon is described as Chandra/Som in the astrology and it has the power to heal. In many ancient scriptures like the Rigveda, we get references of a godly elixir called Somras. This Somras is said to be extracted from such plants that bloom only in full-moon nights and under direct moonlight. However, scientists are still searching for such plants. Pearl/Mukta is the relevant stone for solving issues with Chandra in people’s birth chart. Pearl has cooling property and can help in management of emotions. Interestingly, moon has a direct relationship with emotions. On full moon nights, many people experience instability in their emotions. People who have gone insane, are called lunatics.

As per one saga, after Shiv consumed halahal poison after samudra-manthan, he got a severe headache due to the toxin. In order to suppress the toxin, he put the moon on his head to get some cooling effect.

Another lore tells that while Shiv was getting ready for going to Himalaya’s house to marry Parvati, Shiv decided to go in his usual dress. But when he reached the place with all his assistants, people started to panic seeing all the ghosts. Parvati’s mother Menaka fainted to see Shiv dressed in ashes, tiger skin etc. After getting back her senses, she denied to handover Parvati to such a groom. Parvati managed to convince Shiv to change his attire and Shiv dressed in a royal dress. Viswakarma prepared a gold crown but Shiv did not want it as it was too heavy. Then, a tribal human prepared a light head-wear with shola (a spongy plant), called ‘topor’. As a cherry on top, Vishwakarma added the crescent moon in the topor. Shiv liked it very much and wore it. In Bengali culture, this tradition of wearing topor during marriage is still present.

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ShivKali Oracles – Brahmchari

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After Sati’s departure, Shiv vowed to not remarry and went into deep meditation for ages. This is the form known as Brahmchari.

The word brahmcharya means to live the way one is born. When you were born, you were innocent, close to god and also you were not addicted to anything- be it food, money or sex. Just like a baby, a brahmchari has no control over his/her life. A brahmchari lets go of his/her life in the hands of the god and lives beyond all personal desires. Celibacy is a big part of performing brahmacharya because when you are masturbating, your urges are controlling you which is opposite of you controlling your urges. As per sadhaks, masturbating while watching porn causes faster loss of creative energy than masturbating without porn. This is because in the first scenario, one seeks a second person (consider this way- when you watch porn, you desire yourself to be in that place). In this case, you are avoiding the fact that you alone can be sufficient for yourself. If you masturbate without porn and focus only on yourself, then you are considering that you are self-sufficient.

However, no-fap is not the only element of brahmacharya. If you are avoiding sex and masturbation but addicted to other things, then there is no use of it. Ofcourse, Kaam is the biggest barrier in becoming a brahmchari but there are other ripus that need to be taken care of. Also, Brahmcharya is not just about avoiding sex. It is more about controlling your urges. This is why, sadhaks tell that a sansaari person is also a brahmchaari even if he/she has regular sex. This is in the sense when sex is seen as a duty rather than personal pleasure or lust. Sansaar dharma has always been the biggest duty, even Shiv is a sansaari. Shiv always blesses people who perform their duties, so if you are married, you must perform the marital duties which include having regular sex.

On the other hand, for sanyasi people, brahmcharya is mandated to avoid waste of energy. They usually follow 4 principles-

  • Perform ahimsa and avoid consuming animal based food.
  • No drugs, alcohol, caffeine, or other addictive items
  • Maintain celibacy
  • No gambling

Women can also perform brahmchari and usually it is easy for them. An average woman (at least in Eastern world) remains a virgin until marriage and this is a type of brahmacharya too. It is harder for men to follow brahmcharya because men are exposed to all sorts of addictive elements much more than women. From my personal experiences, I have been invited to take a smoke or drink (I have successfully avoided such invitations, thankfully). Also, in today’s material-focused society, men have to wait longer to accumulate wealth for marriage. Also, I have seen that people respect and desire someone who can have self-controls, that’s why sadhaks are respected. Even from a relationship viewpoint, you will like someone who has the ability to attract others but chooses not to.

Male celibacy is more powerful than female celibacy because- firstly, it is harder for men. Secondly, sperm (Birya/Veerya) has the highest level of creative power. It is said that if you concentrate the glow of 1000 moons, then you will get the concentration of virile sperm. So, it is obvious that if one is able to store such energy within, that person can achieve high-level energy to achieve high power. If you see our scriptures, there are so many lores about gods trying to ruin brahmacharya of sadhaks by sending beautiful apsara. This should give you a hint about the power of celibacy and what it can achieve. However, the unnecessary thing that comes with brahmacharya is the spiritual ego. It makes one feel superior than others but it is not healthy.

In old times, there were 4 stages of life- Brahmacharya, Garhasthya, Baanprastha, and Sanyaas. So, you should try to maintain Brahmacharya for the first 25% of your life or at least till your marriage. And after that you should maintain brahmacharya by avoiding all types of addiction for the rest of your life.

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ShivKali Oracles – Ardhanarishwar

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The literal meaning of Ardhanarishwar means Half-Woman-God. Shiv is usually known as the epitome of masculinity but his Ardhnarishwar form shows that Shiv and Shakti are inseparable. Sadhguru has discussed how Shiv became Ardhanarishwar; I will briefly mention the same thing here. Parvati, as a feminine energy, is very restless. On the other hand, Shiv is static energy. Parvati always wondered how Shiv remains so calm and one day she asked Shiv this. Shiv told that it is due to his yog ability. Parvati was curious and wanted to learn yog. Shiv then asked Parvati to sit on his lap. After Parvati sat on Shiv’s lap, Shiv started to share his knowledge via yog and Parvati started to mix with Shiv. And ultimately a point came when their bodies became one. The right half was Shiv and the left half was Parvati.

There is a funny lore about Ardhanarishwar and Vringi. Vringi and Nandi are two closest assistants of Shiv and both of them are great devotees of Shiv. Vringi is also a sadhak and can change his appearances. Every day, he revolves around Shiv to show his obedience. However, Vringi does not give much attention to Parvati and this pestered Parvati. One day Paravti thought that as she is Shiv’s wife, she should also be respected by Vringi and she sat very close to Shiv’s body. When Vringi saw this, he turned into a bee and revolved around Shiv’s head and left. Parvati was astonished. Next day, she took the Ardhanarishwar form with Shiv and thought that now it was impossible for Vringi to revolve only around Shiv. But Vringi took a form of a wasp and made a small hole on the division line of Shiv and Parvati and revolved around only Shiv. This made Parvati very angry and she cursed Vringi that from that point onwards, Vringi’s body will become as thin as a straw.  Vringi accepted the curse happily.

Ardhanarishwar form teaches us about the importance of partnership. In one hand, it tells that to form a soulful relationship, both partners need to empty some portions from themselves. Also, it tells that every human needs a partner to become complete, especially, the sansaari people. Sadhaks can perform yog and awaken their kundalini to experience milan of Shiv and Shakti (when kundalini Shakti rises from Muladhar to Sahasrar chakra). But, for most people living a normal life, this is neither possible nor needed for everyone. And this is so because most of us cannot escape the effects of shat-ripu. I personally think that in order to successfully make a transition from sansaari to sanyasi, one should experience the shat-ripus and only after the person is fed up with all the sansarik elements, he/she can purely enter the path of sadhana. In today’s society where materialism is the measure of success, it is hard to develop a mindset which will tell one to avoid shat-ripu. We want money, we want sex, we enjoy smoking/drinking, we emphasise on feelings rather than work, and we are slaves of all types of luxury. The simplest way to surpass all this is to find a suitable partner who will support and guide.

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ShivKali Oracles – Tripurasundari

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Tripurasundari is another form of Dash Mahabidya. She is also known as Shodoshi because she always holds the form of a 16 year old girl. In Assam’s Kamakhya temple, Ma Kali is worshipped as Shodoshi. The usual depiction of the deity is that she sits on top of a lotus, which comes out of the navel of Shiv lying below. Kamakhya is a very important Kali sadhana place and it is also a Sati-peeth. The name is such because devi defeated Kaam (the first sin of shat-ripu). Sadhaks visit here to defeat their shat-ripu. A family person should avoid worshipping this devi because Kaam is important in family life. Sex is considered a taboo and bad aspect but in actual, it is the highest creative energy. Sex is bad when there is not love in it. Also, in marital life, sex is one of the strongest tying force and must not be avoided. If you must, then take permission from your family and take sanyaas to perform devi sadhana. However, without a pure aadhar, sadhana is not possible. So, your success with sadhana will depend upon your previous karma. Impure body and souls cannot achieve success with such sadhana.

In Kamakhya, there is a pond named Saubhagya Kunda. It is said that bathing in this kunda will erase effects of all curses except brahm-shaap. After taking a bath, one has to revolve 7 times around the pond and recite this chant-

Shroong Shroong Shroong tang Phat Aing Hring Kleeng Jwaloh Jwaloh Prajwalo Hring Hring Kleeng Shabayo Shabayo Shaapong Nashayo Nashayo Shree Shree Shree Jah Sah Adayo Swaha.

Namoste Rudrarupayei Namoste Madhubardhini

Namoste Kaitabharecha Namoste Mashishmardini

 

Tripurasundari’s beej mantra is 16 letters long and only sadhaks know it. The beej mantra is very rare to receive as there are very less sadhaks who know it. However, Kamakhya Kunjika Stotra can be chanted to attain the devi’s blessing.

A popular festival in Kamakhya is Ambubachi, which is also celebrated in all other Sati-peeths. Ambubachi is the time, when it is said that the devi menstruates (4 days). There are many rituals that are followed in this time. Even normal people in West Bengal and Assam follow certain restriction- digging ground (even for cultivation) is forbidden in this time, mango and milk should be consumed during this time. The scientific reason behind this is that, during this time, rainfall starts in India and if ground is dug, previously sown seeds get ruined.

In Kamakhya, sadhak should go to win over kaam but these days people take girls there and in the name of tantra, perform impure activities. This is a sure-shot way to invoke curse from the devi and must be avoided. Without the ability to perform brahmcharya, one cannot succeed sadhana of Kamakhya or Tripurasundari. In fact, as Tripurasundari and her sadhaks won over Kaam, that’s why the place is called Kamakhya means ‘Kaam’ itself (Kaam+Akhya). Kumari puja is performed here, where a girl under 12 is worshipped as the devi herself. A sadhak can perform this to receive devi’s blessings.

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ShivKali Oracles – Shyama Kali

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Shyama Kali is the most homely form of Kali. She should be worshipped inside home. Even before, 300-400 years ago, people considered Kali to be unlucky. A Kali sadhak would be avoided during that time. The Kali idols we usually see during puja or in our home, that form is popularized by an 18th century Bengali saint- Krishnananda Agambagish. He was a pure Kali sadhak and wanted to visualize Ma Kali. One night, he saw a dream that Kali is telling him that next morning after bathing, whoever he sees first, Kali looks like her. So, next morning, sadhak took a bath and while returning he came across a village lady. It was a married woman wearing a white saree with red border (a usual popular dress in old Bengali culture) and she was applying cow dung patties on a wall. The sadhak was astonished to see this and kept standing still. When the lady saw him like this, she bit her tongue out of shyness and left the place. Based on this experience, Krishnananda made Kali idols and it became popular gradually. Before this, sadhaks worshipped Kali in yantra form.

In a previous chapter, I gave a short description of Ma Kali’s appearance. To add to that, the severed demon head she holds, belongs to a demon named Karal and it is of yellow colour. The kharga she holds, is called ‘gyan-kharga’ and is prepared by Vishwakarma. The gyan kharga has an eye drawn on it, which symbolizes Taranisen, son of Bibhishan. After Bibhishan joined Raam, Taranisen had to decide which side to join. Though he was a Raam-devotee, he decided to fight against him. In the battlefield, Taranisen kept fighting raam while chanting Raam-naam. Raam did not know how to defeat him due to his faith. Then Bibhishan advised Raam to pierce Taranisen’s tongue while he pauses between two chants. Raam did so and redeemed Taranisen from all worldly misery. Ma Kali’s khraga has Taranisen’s eye on it.

In an actual puja of Kali, there would be a decorative pandal behind the idol which has pictures about Kali. The pandal would also have a clock (made off of clay) as Kali controls kaal (time). On the two sides of Kali, reside two entities. On right side, Dakini remains- she has head like a snake and holds a kataan and kamandul; her complexion is like fire. On the left side, there is Rakini- she has head like an owl and holds kharga and dhal; her skin colour is blue. In reality, Kali rides a white lion, not a jackal. The jackal is kept as a symbol of Mahishasur whom Ma Durga defeated but gave a boon to receive puja whenever she visits earth.

Shyamakali puja is a major festival in West Bengal and one event Before the Kali Puja (done in Amavashya) is Bhoot-Chaturdashi. On this day, we should light up 14 predeep/deepam/vilakku to welcome blessings of our ancestors. Also, it is important to light up firecrackers (that produce light, not sound).

Kaal controls time. Kaal worships Mahakaal (Shiv). Shiv worships Kali. Kali worships Guhya-Kali (a very secret and occult form of Kali). 64 yoginis surround Kali and it is said that if anyone chants the name of these yoginis, he/she can achieve success, luck and health. However, one must not keep pictures of these yoginis at home.

Though you can keep pictures of Nitya Kali or Shyama Kali at home, you must avoid worshipping her as per tantric way inside home. The baishnab or vedic way of Kali puja is not much fruitful and gives limited blessings. If one wants to do Kali-sadhana, it should be done tantric way and away from home, preferably under a guru and near Kali-peeth. Sri Raamkrishna himself mentioned many times that one should avoid doing Kali puja at home- because if you worship in vedic way then you get minimal blessings; if you worship in tantric way in your home, then your home will get destroyed; if you worship in tantric way outside home, then you will neglect your sangsaarik duties. On top of that, tantric Kali puja is very hard to do and consists of numerous rituals that require corpses, meat, alcohol and many more. The puja takes many hours and one must not leave the puja in the middle. Also, right after puja is done, Kali idol should be immersed. But now-days idols are kept for 3-4 days, often due to business purposes.

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ShivKali Oracles – Raksha Kali

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Raksha Kali is a fierce yet protective form of Ma Kali. This form is the usual form worshipped in clubs and roadside during Kali Puja. Like Shmashaan Kali, Raksha Kali has some occult aspect and she should not be worshipped inside home. ‘Raksha’ means ‘to protect’; Raksha Kali puja is done to seek protection from the divine mother. It can be protection from enemies, bad luck, illness or any negative forces.

Usually, Kali puja is done in new moon night. Actual tantric Kali puja is done without any light. This is because only during the darkness, Shiv and Shakti becomes together and maintains the balance of the universe. Any other night is a night of imbalance and either Shiv or Shakti will not remain calm and perform destruction. Raksha Kali puja is also done when some pandemic occurs and it is done during evening instead of night.

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ShivKali Oracles – Ma Tara

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काली तारा महाविद्या षोडशी भुवनेश्‍वरी ।

भैरवी छिन्‍नमस्‍ता च विद्या धूमावती तथा ।।

बगला सिद्ध विद्या च मातंगी कमलात्मिका ।

एता विद्या महेशानि महाविद्या प्रकीर्तिता ।।

 

[Kali Tara mahavidya Sodashi Bhuvaneswari |

Bhairavi Chhinnamasta cha vidya Dhumavti tatha ||

Bagala siddha vidya cha Matangi Kamalatmika |

Etaaha dasamahavidyaaha gupta vidyaaha prakeertitaaha ||]

Tara is one of the Dash Mahabidya. The 10 forms of Sati are called the Dash Mahavidya. The origin lore is like this- Daksha did not approve the marriage of Shiv and Sati. When Daksha arranged a grand yagna and did not invite Shiv and Sati, Sati wanted to visit uninvited. When she told Shiv about her intention, Shiv told that Daksha did not invite them because he wanted to insult them and attending the yagna uninvited will not give good result. Even though Sati pleaded a lot, Shiv did not give her the permission to visit the yagna. This angered Sati and in order to remind Shiv about her power, Sati manifested the 10 forms of Dash Mahabidya. A frightened Shiv saw the 10 forms in 10 directions around him and realised that it is useless to try keeping Shakti bound. Reluctantly he gave permission to Sati and after that we all know what happened after Sati visited the yagna. As per the above shlok, Kali and Tara are the greatest Mahabidyas among all 10. These are 10 sadhana-paths to attain Mahamaya.

There are references of Tara in both Hindu and Buddhist religion. Buddhists (Bajrayaan) believe that Tara is the supreme mother of all. There are different types of Buddhist Tara, namely Green Tara, Golden and Blue Tara etc. White Tara offers peace to those who are suffering from physical and emotional wounds. Green Tara offers protection. Golden Tara offers material abundance and Blue Tara offers good luck and spiritual awakening. Red Tara offers help with love and relationship. An interesting thing is that, Chinese dacoits (Mog) used to worship Tara before robbery. On the other hand, the Hindu Tara Ma resides in Tarapith, West Bengal. She is a manifestation of Neel Saraswati as well.

The form of Buddhist and Hindu Tara look very different. But there is a connection between these two. Once upon a time Mahamuni Vaishishta started meditating on Devi Tara in order to get her Darshan. He meditated on the Beej mantra of Devi Tara which was given to Him by none other than Lord Brahma himself. Even after meditating for 1000 years when he did not get Darshan of Maa, Mahamuni Vaishishta became infuriated and decided to curse the Beej mantra of Devi Tara, as soon as he rose to do so he was stopped by a booming voice from the sky. It was Maa Tara who spoke herself and instructed Mahamuni Vaishishta that even though his devotion is unmatched still Devi can’t come to him in Tara Roopa as he was not using the correct Tantric Methodology. Devi adressed Mahamuni Vaishishta as a dear son and instructed him to go to Tibet and learn the Tantric way of worship From Buddha Roopi Janardana who resides there. Mahamuni obeyed that and learnt all the rituals and methodologies involved with Tantric worship of Maa Tara from the spiritual master and returned to the very place where he began his quest of Sadhana. He worshipped Devi as per the Tantric rites and Devi being pleased with the steadfastness of her bhakta, appeared in front of him and asked him to request any boon that she wants from her. When Devi appeared she was in her Ugra Murti with radiance of that of a Blazing Sun. Mahamuni Vaishishta asked her to mellow down her form and that he wanted no boon from her, all that he asked was Maa Tara should bless that place and reside there permanently. Devi agreed to it and till today she resides in the sacred place of Tarapith.

One of the most notable sadhak of Ma Tara is Bamakhyapa (1837-1911), who is considered the Bhairab of the Shiv lying under Ma Tara’s feet. As per local lore, Bamakhyapa still visits the temple every night. While the devotees can see the idol of Ma Tara in Tarapeeth temple, the Brahmshila of the deity is kept secret, away from humans. It is said that if anyone watches or touches it, that person will go mad or lost eye sight. Tarapeeth is a place for tantric sadhaks, it is not a place for sansaari people. A lot of trantrics offer services here in a shmashaan (crematoriam for Hindus), even related to dark magics. However, such things are never positive and Ma Tara’s blessings do not fall upon negative aspects. So, one should refrain from approaching such tantriks with bad intentions. Also, a lot of fools visit the temple to showoff; touching the idol or taking selfy with devi murti spoils the sanctity of the holy ground. One must not do such things otherwise, they will receive curses.

 

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ShivKali Oracles – Kamakala Kali

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Not too much could be found about this form of Kali. While searching online, I found some stotram but not sure if those are the actual mantra for the deity.

“Om Klim Kring Hung Krong Sphreng Kamakala Kali Sphreng Krong Hung Kring Kling Swaha.”

Each of these beejmantras have different meanings, the source is- https://pdfcoffee.com/om-kl-kr-h-kro-sphre-kmakalkli-sphre-kro-h-kr-kl-svh-pdf-free.html

‘Kama’ means desire. Kamakala Kali is the form of Kali that offers materialistic success and other worldly achievements. She also helps in removing negativity from one’s life.