In this talk, we discuss something very edgy and maybe even quite dark: hating God as a legitimate mode of worship!

This is lesser known bhāva is called vipaksha or shatru-bhāv, the "mode of the enemy" and applies to great devotees like Mahishāsura in the Candi, Hiranyāksha, Hiranyakashipu, Kamsha and Sishupāla in the Bhāgavatam and even Jacob in the Old Testament.

Importantly, a discussion on how "hating God" can help one to realize God takes us into deep Tantrik waters regarding the use of all emotions, even darker ones like anger, pride, hatred, jealousy, greed and lust to make spiritual progress!

I think tonight's conversation will reveal something very essential and profound about how spiritual practice works with regard to the centrality of intensity and consistency in sādhana.

As we see in a few select Ramprasad poems and taking Sri Ramakrishna's idea of "tāmasic Bhakti" (dark devotion), we learn that this attitude of "frustrating" or "annoyance" with God actually only implies real intimacy, not distance.

Naturally, this is a continuation of last week's excting 6 hour satsangh on madhura bhava, the romantic mode in Kali worship which you can watch here.

Here are some of the references we made towards the end of the talk:

In Bhāgavata Purāna, Jaya-Vijaya, Vishnu's doorkeepers were cursed by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara (mind born sons of Brahma) to etiher be born 3 times as enemies or 7 times as devotees. They chose the former and became, in three respective ages:

Satya Yuga: Hiranyakashipu, Hiranyāksha
Treta Yuga: Rāvana, Kumbhakarna 
Dvāpara Yuga: Sishupāla, Dantavakra 
Also Kamsha/Chānura, Duryodhana etc. 

In Skanda Purāna, we find Tarakāsura whose boon is to be slayed only by Shiva's unlikely son (this is where we get the Shiva burning Kāmadev story), in Brahmānda Purāna we get Bhandasura, born of the ash of Kamadev  who is then slain by Lalitā Devī. In Shiva Purāna, we get Andhakasura who is born from Parvati's sweat after the world is darkened and then born to Hiranyāksha, who does penance and who then gets the boon to be killed only when he lusts after his own Mother. This is also a matrka origin story and resembles the motif from Raktabījā. Which brings us to the Candi demons:

"Ebhirhatair jagadupaiti sukham tathaite 
kurvantu nāma narakāya cirāya pāpam
sangrāma mrtyumadhigamya divam prayāntu
Matveti nūnamahitān vinihamsi devi" (4.18)

For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, 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

Support the show

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