For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

Whenever we think of the Goddess Durgā, the image that almost invariable comes to mind is of Her standing on her lion of Dharma with Her right foot, stepping on a buffalo with Her left foot and, spear in hand, stabbing the mustachioed villain-turned-devotee through the heart, an otherworldly smile on Her beautiful face. This image of Mā is called Mahiṣāsura-mardinī (The Slayer of the Buffalo Demon) and it is the central story of the Devī Māhātmyam in the sense that it is 
(a) literally, in the middle of the text, the "Madhya carita" and 
(b) most commonly referenced in Śākta literature and iconography. 

There is just something so very compelling and so very ancient about this image! We see parallels in the image of Archangel Michael stepping on the head of the serpent with sword or spear in hand. What exactly is being depicted here?In this video, we chant Chapters 2-4 of the Devī Māhātmyam to enter into the gory and lurid story in which this scene appears. 

As we chant and read out the translations from Swami Jagadishwaranandaji, we also offer some commentary and explanation exploring the deeper, subtler meanings of the narrative. 

This was arguably the "main event" in our celebration together online!In the coming Monday evening satsangh, we will chant the Mahiṣāsura-mardinī Stotram together, Mā willing!

Jaya Jaya He Mahiṣāsura Mardini Ramya Kapārdini Śaila Sute! 

For more detailed Kali puja instructions, watch this playlist:
https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

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Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

The calling card of Tantrik spiritual practice is creative visualization on rich, complex and thoroughly symbolic imagery along with the repetition and chanting of subtle sound patterns or speech formulae known as "mantras." After all, Tantra is a highly aesthetic tradition and it is as much of a literary and artistic movement as it is a spiritual one! If you want to learn more about Tantrik art and spirituality you can check out these two videos here and here.

Anyway, the heart of Tantra is connecting to a particular form of Divinity, an aspect of Non-Dual Consciousness, through visualizing that Deity's specific form while chanting the Deity's mantra. Many often wonder: "how does all of this work? What is the inner mechanism behind the process? Is there a psychological explanation for why simply visualizing something and repeating something can induce a full-blown mystical experience?

Also, if you are regularly chanting a mantra or something like a kavacam (Tantrik hymn of protection) but  not enjoying the desired effect, we say a few things to  (a) troubleshoot why this might be the case and (b) resolve the issue for better, more meaningful and more effective chanting!

Of course, this discussion is centered around the Mahalaxmī-Dhyānam (meditation on the Warrior Laxmī) which we also talked about in the previous podcast episode/ video here.

Laxmī pūjā (the upcoming full moon after Sārada Navarātri) is coming up so it's nice to contemplate Mā in this form as much as we can around this time!

Jai Mā!

For more detailed Kali puja instructions, watch this playlist:
https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

The full moon after Sārada Navarātri (Autumn Goddess festival) is known as Laxmī pūjā, the day where we celebrate the Goddess of Beauty, Elegance, Auspiciousness and Wealth! 

Of course we'll have many, many more things to say about the "Tantrik Laxmī" in the days to come, but I thought I would just go ahead and get the balling rolling with this video which presents Mahalakshmī from the Devī Māhātmyam not as she is commonly depicted but rather as fierce and aggressive Warrior-Goddess. 

This video presents a technique for meditating on Laxmī in her Aries aspect as opposed to her Aphrodite one, to use a Hellenestic allegory since we compare this depiction to a very similar one of Pandora in Hesiod's hymns, making the case that the Goddess belongs to all cultures, beyond just India! 

This meditation takes place between Verses 10-33 in the second chapter of the Devī Māhātmyam. We open with a few broad, overarching statements about the Caṇḍi chanting sādhanā and how to stay safe practicing Tantra in cremation grounds before plunging into the chanting! 

Jai Mā!

For more detailed Kali puja instructions, watch this playlist:
https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799

Here's the chanting document we showed in the video:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N1pEDmWZWdJq5Q27dGiZb9DQFrr1Ouq2FC85jIwQ66c/edit?usp=sharing

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

The Aṣṭa mātṝkās (the 8 mothers) are so central to Tantrik theory and practice and oh so mysterious! We first meet these 8 fierce, blood drinking, intoxicated Goddesses in the third act of the Devī Māhātmyam! And so, in this lecture, we'll take up that hymn and we'll list them one by one and consider their dhyāna ślokas (meditation mantras) so that we'll be able to visualize them. Of course, we'll discuss how to worship and why you want to worship them!

Most importantly though, I want to discuss some very subtle Tantrik linguistic mysticism concerning the nature of the Sanskrit language and how to it maps on to/ mystically explains Reality! Abhinava Gupta has a really interesting section in chapter 3 of his Tantrāloka on this which we discuss a little bit in this lecture. We open with a comparison of Shankara's Kevalādvaita (classical non-duality) system with the Tantrik version of non-duality (Advaita Śaiva or Śāktadvaita Vāda) to compare Māyā to Śakti to make the case that language is the power of Consciousness to reveal Herself to Herself!

Devī Kavacam 9-18 

1. Cāmundā on corpse

2. Vārāhinī on buffal

3. Indrānī on elephant

4. Vaishnavī on Garuḍa (eagle)

5. Narasimhinī mahāvīrya

6. Śivaduti mahābalā

7. Maheśvarī on a bull

8. Kaumarī on a peacock

9. Lakṣmī on a lotus, holding lotus flowers

10. īsvarī on a bull, wearing white

11. Brāhmī with ornaments on a swan

Aṣṭamodhyāyah (Chapter 8), verses 12-21 describes their origin and appearance and verses 33-63 describes what they do!

In  Ekādaśodhyāyah (Chapter 11), verses 13-21, they are praised

Kali Yantra (inner lotus petals) 

• Brāhmī
• Vaishnavī
• Maheśvarī
• Cāmundā
• Kaumarī
• Indrānī
• Vārāhinī
• Narasimhinī

 Srī Cakra (in bhūpura) 

• brāhmī,
• māhēśvarī,
• kaumāri,
• vaiṣṇavī,
• vārāhī,
• māhēndrī,
• chāmuṇḍē,
• mahālakṣmī

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Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
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To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

First, we take a look at the Caṇḍi (Devī Māhātmyam) to see all the different forms of Mā:
1. Mahākālī from chapter I who is described as being blue like a jewel with ten hands holding various weapons, ten legs and ten heads ,
2. Kālī who springs forth from Parvatī in Chapter 5, Verse 88 after the aparājita hymn and of course,
3. Kālī who springs forth from Ambika's furrowed brow, a personification of her rage, in Chapter 7, in verses 7-27 to slay two demons named Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa thereby receiving the moniker Cāmuṇḍā, who is Herself one of the Aṣṭa Mātrikās (The 8 Tantrik Mothers) which you can learn more about here.

And then we ask this question:

In what way are all these forms of Kālī in the Devī Māhātmyam related if at all? How is Kālī different from Durgā/Ambika? And in what way are these Kālīs different from or the same as 
4. Dakṣiṇā Kālī? 

To answer it, we offer the Tantrik theory of sarvākara nirākara: the Absolute Reality is formless and without attributes and therefore She can include ALL forms and attributes. Ultimately, I make the argument that all these aspectsa and forms that we see in Tantra are not themselves different Goddesses but just different sarees that the One Being, Pure Non-Dual Consciousness, wears to play! 

For more detailed Kali puja instructions, watch this playlist:
https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

On this auspicious day of Lalitā Pañchami, I pray to the Divine Mother Tripurasundarī, the beauty of the three cities (of waking, dreaming and deep sleep), who soaks the states of Consciousness with beauty like oil soaks a cloth, that we may successfully approach Her and have Her vision!

Many people want to worship the Srī Cakra/Srī Yantra but are overwhelmed by its stunning complex and sophistication! Where to begin? In this class, we do a brief and cursory introduction for the Khaḍgamālā Stotram, the Garland of Swords Hymn from the Vāmakeśvarī Tantra, arguably among the most powerful Tantrik hymns ever. After the nyāsas (consecration) and dhyānam (meditation), the hymn runs like a nāmavali (a list of names) listing all the deities of the Srī Cakra one by one from the bhūpura (outer gate) through the āvaranas (various levels or "coverings", nine in all including the bhūpura) such that chanting this stotram is itself equivalent to performing the very complex (and often time consuming) Srī Cakra pūjā proper. As you say the names, you can offer flowers or flower petals, vermillion (sindura) or even just spoonfuls of water into the bindu and trust that the energies of the cakra (i.e the cakreśvarīs) will naturally carry the offering to the appropriate point in the cakra corresponding to the name of the Goddess you just chanted so that you don't have to figure out where they all are in the diagram!

Of course, this hymn acts as a kind of "gateway drug" to the Srī Cakra pūjā. After we become fluent with the krama (sequence of deities), and after we have become acquainted with the texture of the energies of these deities (and after we've acquired their grace to some extent), we will naturally come into a Srī Vidyā dīkshā and naturally, we will take the next steps if we so desire. But for now, let us chant this stotram with great ardor!

Jai Mā Lalitāmbika Devī Ji Ki Jai!

You can find the hymn towards the end of this document but it's also quite readily available on the internet.

For more detailed Kali puja instructions, watch this playlist.

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there.

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here.

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Last week, on Tritiya, the third day of the nine nights of the Autumn Goddess festival (Navarātri), we got together to chant some Devī Māhātmyam! Having already chanted the preliminary verses when we got together in the morning (you can follow along with that here. 
We now take up the Chandi proper and dive right into the first chapter (prathamo'dhyāyah) where we hear all about the slaying of the demons  Madhu and Kaiṭabha.

Besides chanting together, we do a running commentary of the deeper meaning of this story within a story within a story!

Here is the chanting document for our daily Navarātri sādhana.
(it's still a work in progress!)

You'll find all our content on Navarātri and the Chandi in this collection.

For more detailed Kali puja instructions, watch this playlist:
https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Last week, we went over an abridged ritual worship of the Goddess Kālī with some detail (watch that here) and we also suggested some wonderful resources to help you get started with your pūjā, or Tantrik ritual practice like Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati's "Simple Kali Puja" book which you can find here.

Now, we go in with some finer brush strokes! You'll recall that after the worship of Mā Kālī, and right before the worship of Mahākāla Bhairava, in our ritual manual, there's a section on "worshipping the auxiliariy/attendant deities" (āvaranadevatā pūjā). Well, interestingly, this section actually refers to the Kali Yantra, the sacred geometric pattern of Consciousness that corresponds to Kālī and her various emanations!

In this class, we talk a little bit about the parivāra (the family of deities) which is a very Tantrik concept and after listing them and offering their worship mantras, we discuss how to map them on to the yantra going from inside out (srsthi krama) for the purposes of your meditation and worship.

PS: there are technical difficulties at 00:26:38 forgive me! The internet dropped. The content resumes around 00:33:10

The mantras can all be found in written form here.

For more detailed puja instructions, watch this playlist.

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Tomorrow (October 1st, 2024)  is a very, very special day: a new moon night on Tuesday, the eve of Navarātri, the 9 nights of the Goddess! 
Mā Kālī tells us in the Tantras that this is the best time to worship Her! 
Naturally, those of you who might want to worship Her will ask "well how do I worship Her?!" Of course, the worship of Mā Kālī is some very high level Tantra being that She is the Goddess of the Tantras! But there are some wonderful resources out there for beginners to get started:

For example, Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati's beautiful book "Simple Kali Puja", which you can pick up on the internet or find on the Kālī Mandir website: https://www.kalimandir.org 

If you're totally new, I recommend starting here. As with all things, start small and slowly expand according to capacity and interest. Pujya Swamiji's book is very complete as it is concise, walking you through all the main mantras in Kālī worship which for so long has been kept secret!

Some time ago, on the new moon night of Phalahārinī Kālī Pūjā, we gave this talk on How To Worship Mā Kālī which focused more on the "internal worship" (mānasa Kālī pūjā):
https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-worship-105659438?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Now, we present an abridged, abbreviated external worship in 16 steps/sections!

The mantras can all be found in written form here:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-perform-113071076?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

For more detailed puja instructions, watch this playlist:
https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Starting this upcoming Tuesday, on the New Moon, we will be entering into a very sacred and transformative period!
Perhaps the most exciting and intense time in our community, Navarātri (The 9 Nights of the Goddess) typically features:

1. collective sādhanā that many of us opt into doing together according to our capacity and interest
2. many lectures on the various aspects of the Divine Mother as usual and of course
3. copious Candi recitation! 

Last year, we did an Introduction to the Devī Māhātmya, The Most Sacred Texts of the Śāktas which you can watch here:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/introduction-to-91791288?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

For this upcoming Navarātri, some of you have expressed a desire to perform the Candi (recitation) sādhanā in addition to or as an alternative to the mantra-japa sādhana described here:

A Mantra Recitation Practice for Navarātri
https://www.patreon.com/posts/mantra-practice-113025541?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

In this video, we go over a few preliminary things you might like to do and tiknow regarding this type of chanting practice which when done with devotion, can be a real game changer, a total singularity in the aspirant's life and spiritual practice!

Jai Srī Durgā!

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Hit Me Up x

Support the show

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST 
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish

To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM