aghor pir

CREATING SACRED SPACE ASANA-VIDHI After Bhu-Shuddhi and Bhuta-Shuddi one should do Asana-Vidhi, or the purification of the seat where one will sit for ritual or meditation. For many Tantrikas it will be next to a Dhuni (sacred fire pit), but it can just be an ordinary meditation seat in your home or outside made of deerskin, cloth or a mat. Take a couple of blades of grass (kusha grass or dharbam is best, but ordinary grass will do -http://www.trsiyengar.com/id65.shtml) and place them under the seat. One should sprinkle either ganga jal (water from the Ganga river) or holy water on it. Holy water can be made by chanting the mantra of one's patron (or favorite) deity 108 times and blowing your breath into a small copper pot (filled with water) or a glass of water or by mixing water with vibhuti (sacred ash from a Homa fire pit). Ganga jal is already holy water and needs not to be blessed as it is considered a goddess (the goddess Ganga) in manifestation. While sprinkling ganga jal or holy water on the seat pray to mother earth by these words: PRITHVEETI MERU MANTRASYA, MERUPRASTA RISHIHI, KURMO DEVATA. SUTALAM CHANDAHA, ASANAE VINIYOGAHA. [Translation: For earth mantra, Meruprasta is the sage; Kurma (tortoise incarnation of God) is the presiding deity; Sutaha is the name of the meter-and this is the affirmation.] OM PRITHVI TVAYA DHRITA LOKA, DEVI TVAM VISHNUNA DHRITA, TVAMCHA DHARAYA MAM DEVI, PAVITRAM KURUCHASANAM [Translation: I worship thee, O mother earth, the spouse of the Lord Vishnu. You uphold everyone and bless me. I sanctify the place and take my seat now.] You then touch the earth and the seat with your right hand in salute to mother earth and then sit on the seat (usually facing East or North, except for certain sadhanas). You then light a ghee lamp or candle and some nice smelling incense (nagchampa or sandalwood is recommended) next to an image of your deity or guru to add to the sacredness of the atmosphere. While lighting the fire and incense chant the following mantra three times: OM APAVITRO PAVITRO VA SARVAVASTHANG GATOPIVA YA ISMARED PUNDARIKAKSHO SA VAHIYA ABHYANTAR SUCHIH. [Translation: Om. Everything that is not pure becomes pure and all things that are impure, wherever they are, go away.] This ritual effectively creates sacred space and allows you to do your spiritual practice without interference from the natural forces of the earth.

Bhu-Shuddhi, Bhuta-Shuddhi - Dismissing the Resident Spirits

We live in a world that is populated with different types of spirits, both good, bad and neutral. There may be all types of resident spirits in one's home such as evil spirits, ghosts, demons, jinn, etc. These beings may see your home as their own, and may feel discomfort when you engage in certain spiritual practices. In Hindu Tantra we ask these spirits to temporarily leave our space before we perform any spiritual rituals or meditation as a courtesy to them. This keeps them from interfering negatively with our practices or preventing us from being successful in our rituals. For those of you who have not had success in your spiritual rituals it may be due to the interference of the resident spirits in your home who may be opposed to your practices. Certainly if you had a close-minded ghost living in your space who practices a different religion, he or she may not approve of you doing Tantrik rituals. That is why we must release (or dismiss) these spirits before we engage in successful ritual or meditation practice. BHU-SHUDDHI Bhu-Shuddhi is a purification ritual that informs the resident spirits to vacate a space so that you can engage in spiritual practice. Some tantrikas like to sprinkle black sesame seeds around the space as an offering to the spirits to leave you alone, but you can do it just by saying the words alone. Repeat the following words, feeling your words radiating into space in all directions: APASARPANTU TAE BHUTA YAE BHUTA BHUVI SAMSTHITAHA YAE BHUTA VIGHNA KARTARA TAE NASHYANTU SHIVAJNAYA [Translation: All ye resident or evil spirits and ghosts who are in this space or those who would disturb my spiritual practice begone immediately by the order of the Lord Shiva!] (After saying these words, stamp the earth three times with the heel of the left leg) BHUTA-SHUDDHI Bhuta-Shuddhi is a follow-up ritual to show the spirits that you mean business. It calls upon Kshetrapala, who is King of resident spirits and ghosts to ensure their departure as well as uses the powerful mantra "phat!" which shakes the aethers and makes spirits quake in fear. It insures that the resident spirits do not come back before you are done with your spiritual practice. Chant the following mantra: APAKRAMANTU BHUTANI PISHACHA SARVATODISHAM; SARVESHAM AVIRODHENA BRAHMA KARMA SAMARABHE - OM SAHASRARA HUM PHAT SVAHA! (With your hands above your head, clap 4 times, feeling and visualizing that the sound creates a wave of light radiating in all directions pushing everything away). [Translation: Let all resident spirits and ghosts, demons and fiends who are around us in all directions leave this space now! I am about to begin my spiritual practice by the permission of the Supreme Divine. Begone! So be it!] Call to Kshetrapala, Lord of resident spirits and ghosts and Lord Shiva's attendant with these

words: OM TEEKSHNA DAMSTRA MAHAKAYA KALPANTA DAHANOPAMA; BHAIRAVAYA NAMASTUBHYAM ANUJNAM DATUMARHASI [Translation: O mountainous-bodied Kshetrapala of fierce tusks, you are like fire during the cosmic dissolution. Salutations unto thee. Please watch over this space and grant us permission to do our spiritual practices peacefully.]

MAHAVIDYA The Mahavidya Kamala, who is the embodiment of light, beauty and truth, is the Divine Mother who delights in giving her children wealth, beauty, prosperity and happiness. She is the Tantrik version of the goddess Lakshmi and is Divine grace in an active form as manifested in the material realm. Being in her presence is to experience Divine Beauty, as she expresses it clearly through her manifest being. She evokes feelings of love, purity, beauty and devotion in one's heart, and working with her over time awakens these attributes in you. When I see her in meditation or vision tears of gratitude are often shed as I experience her through feelings of love, bliss and rapture. She once told me that she will only come to your home if you are open to purity and beauty, within and in your environment. She also stays away from a dirty home, so if you want to invite her to your place then make sure you clean up first. Ofcourse to an Aghori who sees everything as beautiful and pure this doesn't present much of an obstacle. But if you haven't tasted that state of consciousness then you would do well in concentrating on practices of purity and light to draw Kamala's attention. That means taking baths or ablutions before calling to her, wearing clean clothes, and keeping a clean home and altar with fresh offerings for her. The invocation of light within your energy field will also draw her near. An Indian Guru, Krishnanandaji, teaches a wonderful meditation technique involving light that I often practice along with Kamala's mantra. It has helped me open up to her presence even more. This is the technique as given in his site http://www.lightagemasters.com/meditation.html: [This is not a religious practice. This is purely Spiritual. Anyone can practise this. 

Sit erect facing North.



Look straight and close your eyes. Relax.



Imagine you are filled with Light.

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Don’t try to see the Light. You cannot see it. But experience the Light. You can do it.



Practise this for a minimum of 7 minutes to one hour.

 After the practice, lie down for a few minutes and relax. ] I usually add to this technique by chanting Kamala's mantra along with the meditation exercise:

"Om Shreem Hreem Shreem Kamale Kamalalayei Praseed Praseed Shreem Hreem Shreem Om Mahalakshmiyei Namah" Kamala devi loves things that evoke a sense of beauty and sweetness. I often offer to her roses, crystals, sweets, silk cloths, and nice scented oils. She has in turn blessed me with more than I ever anticipated. Afew years back I acquired her metal yantra from India and I have made a habit of invoking her presence into it and making offerings to it every Friday. Working with Yantras is an effective way of attuning to and invoking/evoking the presence of different deities and spirits and their energies. A Yantra (literal translation = "machine") is a geometrical diagram or talisman that is used as an aid to meditation or tantrik worship, somewhat similar to an icon. For those of you who are interested, there are several online suppliers such as the Rudra Centre (http://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/kamladeviyantra.htm) who provide some good quality yantras. There are several different pujas (worship rituals) for Yantras from simple ones to more complex

versions. The following video gives a simple ceremony to worship and make offerings to a deity through a yantra which can be used for the Kamala yantra along with a mantra of Kamala:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Prxbi0Dkrdo

Ever since I started worshipping Kamala's yantra every Friday I have found that my income has increased exponentially. Money comes to me from unexpected sources, and my career has been getting better with regular promotions and pay raises. My home has also taken on a sense of sanctity and I have enjoyed much peace and happiness in my domestic life. I also on occasion see the goddess Kamala in meditation and dreams as a celestial goddess of light. She is very lovely to behold and her presence is delightful. She has also been of much assistance to me when working on behalf of clients who are seeking employment, business advancement, or monetary prosperity in their lives. When I did the Mahavidya sadhana for Kamala (http://www.siddhashram.org/s19981155f.shtml) I felt my heart chakra open up completely. No drug, not even MDMA (ecstacy), could compare to this experience. I fell in love with the Divine, the world and all humanity. For three days I walked in a state of samadhi. I hugged people, trees and kissed the ground I walked on. Everything felt alive for me. Everything felt bright. My body tingled with pleasure. The following poem, Samadhi, (from *Whispers from Eternity*) by Paramahansa Yogananda best captures my experience:

Samadhi Vanished the veils of light and shade, Lifted every vapor of sorrow, Sailed away all dawns of fleeting joy, Gone the dim sensory mirage. Love, hate, health, disease, life, death, Perished these false shadows on the screen of duality. Waves of laughter, scyllas of sarcasm, melancholic whirlpools, Melting in the vast sea of bliss. The storm of maya stilled By magic wand of intuition deep. The universe, forgotten dream, subconsciously lurks, Ready to invade my newly wakened memory divine. I live without the cosmic shadow, But it is not, bereft of me; As the sea exists without the waves, But they breathe not without the sea.

Dreams, wakings, states of deep turiya sleep, Present, past, future, no more for me, But ever-present, all-flowing I, I, everywhere. Planets, stars, stardust, earth, Volcanic bursts of doomsday cataclysms, Creation's molding furnace, Glaciers of silent x-rays, burning electron floods, Thoughts of all men, past, present, to come, Every blade of grass, myself, mankind, Each particle of universal dust, Anger, greed, good, bad, salvation, lust, I swallowed, transmuted all Into a vast ocean of blood of my own one Being! Smoldering joy, oft-puffed by meditation Blinding my tearful eyes, Burst into immortal flames of bliss, Consumed my tears, my frame, my all. Thou art I, I am Thou, Knowing, Knower, Known, as One! Tranquilled, unbroken thrill, eternally living, ever new peace! Enjoyable beyond imagination of expectancy, samadhi bliss! Not a mental chloroform Or unconscious state without wilful return, Samadhi but extends my conscious realm Beyond the limits of the mortal frame To farthest boundary of eternity Where I, the Cosmic Sea, Watch the little ego floating in me. The sparrow, each grain of sand, fall not without my sight. All space like an iceberg floats within my mental sea. Colossal Container, I, of all things made. By deeper, longer, thirsty, guru-given meditation Comes this celestial samadhi Mobile murmurs of atoms are heard, The dark earth, mountains, vales, lo! molten liquid! Flowing seas change into vapors of nebulae! Aum blows upon the vapors, opening wondrously their veils, Oceans stand revealed, shining electrons, Till, at last sound of the cosmic drum, Vanish the grosser lights into eternal rays Of all-pervading bliss. From joy I came, for joy I live, in sacred joy I melt. Ocean of mind, I drink all creation's waves. Four veils of solid, liquid, vapor, light, Lift aright. Myself, in everything, enters the Great Myself. Gone forever, fitful, flickering shadows of mortal memory. Spotless is my mental sky, below, ahead, and high above. Eternity and I, one united ray. A tiny bubble of laughter, I Am become the Sea of Mirth Itself.

MATANGI

Matangi Mahavidya is truly the patron of outcastes. In India she has become a favorite deity for prostitutes, transgendered people, poets, artists, street children and con-men. She possesses the power of speech and mantras, and is called upon by tantrikas in all arts of enchantment, magnetism, attraction, and creativity. She is said to be one of the sexiest deities out there with a beautiful body, luscious lips and enchanting eyes. She can make a man fall in love with you, re-unite lovers, enchant a boss to give you a promotion, or just give you a great boost in your sexlife. She is very helpful in re-stimulating romantic sparks in a marriage that has lost it. She can also help you create a magnetic aura to attract people to you, whether it be for relationships or friendship. Being a goddess who is worshipped through polluted or left-over items, I have heard of prostitutes offering her sexual fluids from their love-making sessions to increase their business. She is also associated with the goddess Mohini (the Lord Vishnu when he disguised himself as a goddess and had sex with Lord Shiva), and is said to be androgynous and able to assume a male or female form. Because of this aspect of her, the transgendered and LGBT community in India takes her as a patron. She accepts all who society has discarded. She is mother, comforter and friend to all. She doesn't ask too much from her children and partakes of left-over food that has touched the lips and hands of her devotees. In return she blesses those who make such offerings with love, happiness and success. The Mahavidya Matangi is said to be linked to green Tara. Both have dark green colored skin, and their devotees see them as one and the same. Ofcourse in the greater scheme of things all the Mahavidyas are One, being different facets of the Divine Mother. The Mantra Mahodadhi of Mahidhara describes the goddess Matangi as she "whose complexion is dark like the cloud, who is seated on a pedestal studded with gems, who wears red cloth, who listens to the chirping sound of the parrot, who is stationed on a lotus, who is inebriated after the consumption of liquor, and who plays on the lute." It goes on to say that one can please Matangi and receive her aid by repeating her mantra ten thousand times ending with 1000 repetitions of her mantra during a Fire offering ceremony (Homa) in which Madhuka flowers are smeared with honey and offered into the fire. The mantra that is given in that text is "Om Hrim Aim Srim Namo Bhagavati Ucchistacandali Sri Matangesvari Sarvanjanavasamkari Svaha".

The Lalithopakhyana gives a prayer-verse with several names of Matangi: Sangeeta yogini shyama shyamala mantra nayika mantrini sachiveshani pradhaneshi shukapriya vina vati vainiki cha mudrini priyakapriya nipapriya kadambeshi kadamba vanavasini sadamada cha namani shodashaitaini kumbhaja It is said that the one who recites this stotra often can conquer all the three worlds. I once witnessed a Tantrika using a special powder to enchant a prospective lover with the help of Matangi Mahavidya. She smeared some black crow feathers with honey and her menstrual blood, burned them in a fire until they reduced to ashes. Then she took the ashes and inspired them with Matangi's tantrik mantra. She then proceeded to sprinkle the ashes in the pathway of her lover calling upon Matangi Devi to make the man fall in-love with her; as soon as he had stepped on the ashes he became enchanted by her. Matangi Yantra I have also used Matangi's Yantra etched on a sheet of copper to create love between two people. I took the pictures and other personal effects of the couple and place them on either side of a matangi yantra, then tied them together in a packet while chanting Matangi's mantras and asking her to bind them together in love. Then I placed the entire package in a red cloth and buried it in the house or yard of the one sought for love. Its never failed to bring the two people together as a couple.

Bagala Mukhi Mahavidya is a goddess who is sought by many who wish to silence their enemies. Too many times innocent people are the victims of malicious gossip and lies perpetrated by their open or hidden enemies to destroy their lives. Bagala Mukhi can be petitioned to stop such people. It is said that she once defeated a powerful demon named Madan by seizing his tongue and then beating him into submission. She has certainly been of much assistance to me in stopping the actions of those who have tried to destroy my reputation or those of my clients. One of the simplest spells she has taught me for doing so is to take a piece of flat chewing gum and name and identify it as the tongue of your enemy (or back-biter).

After doing so, take the tongue (gum) to a tree with a strong trunk. Also take with you some clove oil, 3 small iron nails, 3 sticks of nagchampa incense, turmeric powder and red cayenne pepper.

Go to the tree and draw with a stick or staff a small circle around it at the base of the tree surrounding the entire tree. You should be standing outside the small circle. Inside the circle (and on the ground next to the tree) place the three nagchampa incense sticks, light them as an offering, and call upon the Mahavidya Bagala Mukhi through her mantras or stotrams and through your own invocatory prayers. Then tell her about the person who has been bothering you and what you want her to do to him/her. Put some clove oil on the tongue (chewing gum) on both sides, and sprinkle some cayenne pepper and turmeric on it. The clove oil represents the power to numb the tongue, the cayenne pepper to burn the mouth when it speaks ill, and the turmeric is to bring Bagala Mukhi's influence in (as it is one of her main herbs, and is in her color, yellow).

Then place the tongue (gum) flat on the tree bark, offer it to Bagala Mukhi, and with three nails, one at a time, nail the tongue on to the tree while repeating the Tantrik Mantra for Bagala Mukhi: "OM HLREEM BAGALAMUKHI SARVA DUSHTANAM VAACHAM MUKHAM PADAM STAMBHAYA JIVHAAM KILAYA BUDDHIM VINASHAYA HLREEM OM SVAHA" Walk away from the tree without looking back and with full confidence that Bagala Mukhi will stop your enemy from speaking ill of you. I once used this spell to help a client who was facing a court case with a witness who was very hostile to her, and who was known for making up stories. During the court proceedings the witness got laryngitis and couldn't give testimony. The judge rescheduled the court proceedings, but the witness got cold feet and didn't testify. My client won the court case easily. Bagala Mukhi is supposed to be an expert in ISTAMBHAN (paralysing) magic, and she is said to be able to stop the movement of any living being or nonliving object in nature. She certainly froze up that witness from her probable false testimony. I came up with another spell for Bagala Mukhi that is usefull for freezing enemies tongues and actions from causing me harm. It is based on the popular freezing spell that many witches are familiar with. In my own adaptation of it I draw Bagala Mukhi's yantra on a small square piece of paper, along with the name of the person whose actions I want to freeze around it, and a message to Bagala Mukhi about what I wish her to do.

I then roll the paper away from me and bind it with a yellow string while chanting Bagala Mukhi's Tantrik mantra and tie it with a knot. I would place it in a small plastic bottle filled with water and put it in the back of my freezer.

As long as the package remains in the freezer the enemy's actions remains frozen. There is a joke going around in the magical community on whether we magical practitioners use our freezers for food after-all or just for for our magical goodies. Whenever I have done Bagala Mukhi Mahavidya's sadhanas I have had many strange and wonderous experiences. The following link gives one of her sadhanas which I have done in the past: http://www.anusthanokarehasya.com/article/Method-of-Maa-Baglamukhi-Sadhna-andattainment-of-siddhi.pdf I did this sadhana (spiritual practice) daily for 40 days in a row. I dressed in yellow, sat on a yellow mat and as I remember most of the implements and offerings I used in her worship were yellow colored. The sadhana involved chanting her many names, worshipping her yantra through a specialized puja, and doing her kavach invocation, strotram (hymn) and mantras. What I experienced was an intense feeling of heat in my spine and body. I had alot of energy and got little sleep at night. My will power also increased through the days, and I found myself capable of withstanding changes in the weather easily. Neither cold nor heat affected me. Many people reported to me that my eyes glowed with fire! I also felt a deep peace of mind and my

thoughts were stilled. I remember becoming very sensitive to the emotions and thoughts of others. One time a co-worker got me upset and I stared at him in anger. Suddenly he just started shaking for no reason and started babbling like an idiot and managed an apology. I think it was Bagala Mukhi's power that was waking up in me that affected him in such a way, causing him to act so strangely. I also was able to control some natural phenomenon.

Whenever it was a cloudy day and it looked like it was going to rain heavily I was able to look at the clouds and as I stared into them they would clear away and the skies would be clear once more. I noticed that when I did it while chanting Bagala Mukhi's mantra and projecting light from my eyes it would happen faster. The sadhana of Bagala Mukhi showed me who my real friends were and who were hidden enemies. My intuition increased immensely and I could read the hidden intentions of people. It just made me more wary of people in general, and I preferred solitude more than anything else. Despite that, I also noticed that people who didn't wish me well had bad things happen to them or they would leave my environment without me wishing them any ill-will. It was as if Bagala Mukhi's energy was shielding me from negative people and deflected them away from me. During my travels I have met many different Tantrik practitioners. One of the ones that impressed me alot was one who had developed the full siddhi (attainment) of Bagala Mukhi. He had uncanny abilities, one of which was a hypnotising stare. He could convince anyone to do anything he wished by looking into their eyes, and he wasn't consciously using any hypnotic techniques, nor did he admit to having studied hypnotism. It was as if his gaze was penetrating and took you into his sphere of influence. He also once demonstrated privately to me some of his siddhis. He took a piece of cotton, enchanted it with Bagala Mukhi's mantra and threw it at a passer-by. The person stopped in his tracks and couldn't move for afew minutes. I asked the passer-by if he was okay and he said that his legs were numb. It was amazing! Certainly Bagala Mukhi's reputation for paralyzing (istambhan) was literal. DHUMAVATI Dhumavati Mahavidya reminds me much of the Greek goddess Hecate in her crone aspect. Just like Hecate she is a patron of witchcraft and dark magic. She also rules the underworld. She is one of the Mahavidyas who rules over death (maran) magic, confusion (uchchatan) magic, and separation (vidweshan) magic, and is often called upon for those particular tasks. She also brings depression and poverty to one's enemies. Her magic is powerful and she is a favorite deity of those witches and sorcerors who perform works of black magic. I once had a client who was being attacked by a Tantrik witch who was working with this Mahavidya. My client was having many problems, which included bad health, poverty, and attacks from spirits known as "churail". The Mahavidya Dhumavati is Queen of the churail spirits which she dispatches to destroy someone when she is called upon to do such a task.

churail

["A churel, also written as "churail", or rather "chudail" (pronounced chew-dail) (Devanagari: ) is a female ghost out of Hindu folklore. She appears either as a hideous creature with long sagging breasts and unkempt hair, or as a beautiful young woman who can charm any man. Often, her feet are backward, and she has an unnaturally long and thick black tongue. The churel is said to be the unhappy ghost of a woman who died in childbirth or while menstruating. This connection means that she sucks blood, a habit shared with another monster, the vampire, and because young men are the cause of her death, the Churel always drinks from young men,

beginning with the one she loved in life. The churel usually lives near small rivers, springs or cemeteries. She is either seen wearing a white or a red sari, representing a widow or a bride respectively. Alternatively churels are said to be the spirits of black witches who sold their souls in return for powers of black magic."] Quoted from: Wikipedia.

Dhumavati

Anyhow, some evil witch (in India, witchcraft is not necessarily "white" as in the Wiccan religion; it is often malevolent) had done (through the assistance of the Mahavidya Dhumavati) a heavy curse on my client who was suffering horribly. When I arrived at his house I noticed that there were crows all over his yard. This is usually a sign of either the deity Shani (Saturn) or that of the Mahavidya Dhumavati. My client reported to me that he was suffering horrible nightmares in which he was being attacked by spirits that looked like old hags with long claw-like nails. Sometimes he would wake up with these nail-marks on his flesh. His house also had a gloomy feel to it, like a dark cloud was around the place. I also noticed a horrible stench like that of faeces inside the house. None of us could detect where it was originating from. All these were signs of dark spirits and occult forces at work. After performing divination and consulting my own spirits I received confirmation that my client was indeed under magical attack. So I made preparations to cleanse him of this evil. I made him a 9 herbs anti-hex bath with basil, rue, rosemary, spearmint, hyssop, juniper, bay, agrimmony, and mate. I enchanted the bath with mantras for spiritual purification and protection, and instructed him to use it daily for the next 9 days. I then proceeded to cleanse his home with ganga jal (water from the Ganga river) mixed with salt, and incense of looban (frankincense) and googal (myrrh) while chanting the Hanuman Chalisa (a prayer-chant to the god Hanuman) in each room of the house, paying special emphasis to the line in the Hanuman Chalisa which states: "Bhoot pisach Nikat nahin aavai Mahavir jab naam sunavai" Translation: "All the ghosts, demons and evil forces keep away, with the sheer mention of your great name, O Mahaveer!"

Hanuman

Hanuman is one of the most powerful deities in the Hindu pantheon. He plays a similar role as Archangel Michael in India, and ghosts and demons flee from the place where he is invoked. I chanted that particular line from the Hanuman Chalisa 108 times in each room, blew on the four walls of every room of the house while fumigating the house with the incense. I also enchanted 4 Tantrik Nariyals (small one-eyed coconuts) with the Hanuman Chalisa and buried them in the four corners of the house. I then did an offering of limes and pumpkins to Dhumavati at a crossroads and asked her to remove the curse on my client. The effects of the ceremonies I performed became evident within afew hours and my client regained his peace of mind. The curse was effectively removed and his general life and health improved for the better, and the dark cloud was lifted from his home. He also reported no more attacks from the churail, and the mysterious stench disappeared. I knew one Tantrika who was a devotee of Dhumavati. He wore black all the time and was able to read the minds of others. He attributed his powers to Mahavidya Dhumavati's blessings. I once witnessed him doing a break-up spell on a couple. He took two palm-sized rocks from a river.

He wrote on each rock individually with a lead pencil the name of the person, their mother's name and birthdate. He then lit some charcoal on his incense burner. He put some red chillies in the incense burner while invoking Dhumavati through invocatory prayer. He then named each rock with the name of the person while fumigating the rock with the chillies incense smoke. Afterwards he proceeded to ask Dhumavati to separate the couple and break-up their marriage, to cause hate in their hearts for each other. He took the two rocks and banged them together

while chanting Dhumavati's mantra "DHUNG DHUNG DHUMAVATI THAH THAH!" over and over again while hitting the rocks together until they cracked. It was so eerie the way he chanted the mantra, and he did it with such rhythm and precision. A cold shiver went up my spine. Finally he took the pieces of the two rocks and buried them in two graves at the opposite sides of a cemetary. Sure enough, the couple started fighting soon after and ended up divorcing. There are certain signs which herald the successful practice (siddhi) of different deities. For Chinnamasta it is usually a lightning storm. This has been my experience and the experience of most Tantrikas who have worked with this deity. She certainly lives up to her name of "Vajra Vairochaniya" (the lightning-force power behind the Lord who wields the Vajra).

The following is the experience of one spiritual practitioner of this great Mahavidya: Reprinted from: blog.BalancedSpirituality.com [Om vidyut sakti swarupinyai namaha. I offer my love and reverence to Divine Mother, who embodies raw electrical power. The sacred element of fire has probably always fascinated people, and lightning has certainly always been a source of terror and awe. I'll never forget one of my earliest experiences with Amma, when a sacred fire ceremony seemed to call forth an incredible response from Mother Nature. Many religions and cultures use candles, incense, sacred flames, or fire imagery in their ceremonies. In the ancient Hindu or Vedic tradition, fire has tremendous importance, and the Vedic rishis developed many powerful ceremonies to channel the spiritual power of fire for individual and societal benefit. Vedic fire ceremonies are called "yajnas" or "homas." Yajna derives from the Sanskrit root "yuj," which means to unite or merge. Homa comes from the root "hu," which means to offer. Thus, a homa enables us to merge in the Divine by making offerings, which actually represent the offering of our very own selves. An Unforgettable Fire Ceremony Throughout the years, I’ve been fortunate to attend many Vedic homas that were intensely moving, spiritually profound, and purifying on the deepest level imaginable. But out of all these auspicious homas, there is one homa that I will never forget, even though it took place in a simple setting, with no elaborate preparations or Vedic priests. Several years ago, I attended one of my guru's meditation retreats in the Catskill mountains of New York state. On the last day of the retreat, a Sri Lalita Sahasranama Homa was held. This is a homa in which Divine Mother Lalita's thousand names are recited, while making an offering of rice pudding into the fire with each name. The homa was held outside, amidst the beautiful splendor of Nature. There were plenty of rolling fields and beautiful trees, and the scene was framed by the gorgeously verdant Catskills. Several devotees were blessed with the opportunity to chant the Sri Lalita Sahasranama mantras that day. With each blissfully sweet name of Divine Mother, sweet pongal, which is said to please Divine Mother and give healing to the Earth, was offered into the specially prepared fire. Divine Energy Starts to Build as an Unexpected Storm Approaches As the chanting continued, I could feel a profound spiritual energy building, and the homa vibrations made it very easy to enter into a meditative state. Around the 500th name, I suddenly noticed that one corner of the sky was starting to turn very dark. The day had begun with absolutely clear skies and not a trace of a cloud. No storms had been predicted. However, as the energy kept building, I watched as the beautiful deep blue stormclouds rapidly overtook the entire sky. As they approached, the air became palpably electric with a special presence, and by the 800th name, the clouds suddenly broke open directly above us.

As the rain pelted down, people raced to suspend a tarp above the homa fire, so that it would be protected from the rain. Once a homa is started, it must be completed properly, and the fire should not go out. Many devotees had the rare opportunity to “shelter” God in the form of the homa fire by holding the tarp aloft. The rain poured down so abundantly that soon we were all sitting in two inches of water, completely soaked. Lightning Flashes Both Within and Without As lightning flashed and thunder cracked around us, I felt myself being overtaken by intense surges of electrical energy within my body. Suddenly, a torrential stream of energy was moving up my spine, and electrical vibrations were shooting down my arms and out my hands, which spontaneously formed chin mudra. This is a mudra commonly used in meditation, in which each thumb and forefinger are joined together. Feeling myself locked in a meditative posture even as I was becoming utterly drenched, I surrendered to the energy within. Every rolling boom of thunder seemed to be Divine Mother’s voice, speaking in a powerful and majestic “storm-language.” I felt each crash of thunder penetrate deep inside my ribcage, and the sound vibrations seemed to energize and heal my heart from the inside out. The thunder seemed like Divine Mother's blissful laughter, and as it rippled through my mind in the form of waves of bliss, I began laughing uncontrollably from sheer joy and exhilaration. It felt as if Divine Mother herself had come to bless everyone in the form of the storm, and I had no doubt that we were having darshan of Vajra Vairochani or Vidyut Sakti Swarupini, Divine Mother who is embodied in the power of electrical energy. Vajra means thunderbolt in Sanskrit, and Vairochani means "She who radiates brilliant light." It seemed clear that I was having darshan of Mother in her powerful form as Vajra Vairochani. With the combination of the sacred homa fire, the torrential downpour of rain, and the intensely powerful lightning crackling all around us, my subtle body felt energized and activated beyond belief. According to David Frawley, Vajra Vairochani is another name for Chhinnamasta, who represents the free flow of the kundalini energy within the sushumna, or central energy channel. So it's not surprising that the appearance of Vajra Vairochani in the form of thunder and lightning would cause my own kundalini energy to flow intensely up my spine. This experience seemed to highlight how intimately connected the Vedic tradition is with Nature, and how Sri Lalita Sahasranama is profoundly connected to the five elements as well as the subtle body of light within us. After the homa, when I came close to Amma to receive her blessing, Amma began laughing sweetly when she saw me. Touching her head to mine, she said in a joking manner, “We had fun at the homa, didn’t we!” I just smiled, too immersed in bliss to speak. Om vajra vairochanyai namaha. I offer my loving reverence to Divine Mother, who illuminates my heart-space like a brilliant flash of lightning.] Chinnamasta, who is also known as "Indrani" (the spouse of the Lord Indra), displays her power, pleasure and wrath through displays of flashes of lightning in the sky. The god and Deva-King Indra, her husband, is the bringer of lightning, storms, and rainfall, and she is the power behind his throne. I experience her as pure electrical force that surges through my body when her presence is near. Often times her energy is so strong that electrical equipment malfunctions during the period that I practice her sadhana. Cell phones malfunction, the television turns on and off by itself, light-bulbs blow out, and I will often zap myself with static electricity when she is around me. Such physical manifestations are common when working with her. I have also found her presence to bring about rapid changes in my life, sometimes more drastic than what I anticipated, but all for my highest good. Her energy is somewhat similar to the Tarot card "The Tower."

The Tower card symbolizes sudden and drastic changes that can cause emotional upheavals.

Chinnamasta's influence in our lives can sometimes feel that way. She will end relationships or employment that no longer serves your highest good, to open the way to new and better things. She will push you forward to accomplishing what you came here to do, sometimes accelarating your karma in an effort to transmute it quickly. The awakening of one's kundalini energies can feel like a roller coaster ride, but it is necessary to go through the spiritual alchemical fire in order to transmute the lead into the gold. Chinnamasta is the force that breaks the knots that keep the kundalini energy from flowing upwards towards its destination, to propel you to Oneness with the Divine. Thus she is also very useful in removing all obstacles in general, whether those obstacles be situations or people. One of the ways Chinnamasta can help with is in confusing or destroying one's enemies. Although I am not one who enjoys cursing others, I have observed Tantrikas doing a lime or lemon curse on their enemies with the assistance of the Mahavidya Chinnamasta. The lime or lemon is given a small slice, where hair or another taglock of a person is inserted, and then is named after the person and represents the persons head. The goddess Chinnamasta is then called through her mantras to assist in the spell and is offered the head of the enemy. Things are then done to the head (lime or lemon). Depending on what you wish to do to the person, it is done through the lemon. It can be pricked with needles and pins to cause pain and headaches, it can be pierced with nails from a grave yard to cause death or nails from a mental asylum to cause insanity. The lime or lemon is then tied to a cord that is hanged on a tree in a graveyard.

It can also be placed into a jar of vinegar to sour the person's life. Chinnamasta delivers the curse quickly to the target, as she has a severed head herself.

Whenever I think of the Mahavidya Tripura Bhairavi I always see a beautiful woman surrounded with flames in my mind. That is because that is how she always appears to me when I engage in any of her sadhanas (spiritual practices). The first time I made contact with her I wasn't specifically trying to attune to her. I was doing a homa (fire ceremony) to worship and receive the blessings of her husband, Kala Bhairava, who is a ferocious form of the Lord Shiva. I was having some problems in my life that were karmically related and an astrologer I know recommended that I propitiate Kala Bhairava through a homa. This Kala Bhairava homa is similar to the one I performed: http://www.vedicastrologer.org/homam/bhairava/bhairava_homam_english.pdf While engaged in the homa rite, I meditated on the sacred fire itself. Near the end of the ceremony I saw a beautiful woman whose skin was of a reddish-black hue with horns on her head who emerged from the flames, and who was holding a trishul (trident) in one hand. She was erotic and enticing, yet a detached faraway look was on her eyes as if she was engaged in this play just for the sake of us mortals. Her image reminded me of the spirit Pomba Gira from Brazilian Kimbanda:

I asked her who she was, and she told me that she was the shakti (feminine counterpart) to Lord Kala Bhairava, and that her true form in this world was that of the sacred fire itself. She said that when one invokes Kala Bhairava, she is also there, as there is no separation between the two other than that she is more immanent while he is more transcendent, although both can reverse these roles if it be their wish. She then initiated me into the 79th meditation technique from the Vigyan Bhairava Tantra. The particular technique is one of a series of techniques that Lord Shiva taught his wife on the ways of attaining samadhi. Lord Shiva explained the 79th technique thus:

"Focus on Fire rising through your form from the toes up until the body burns to ashes but not you." In the following link there is a more elaborate explanation of this technique:

http://www.oshoworld.com/tantra_medi/otantra.asp?news_id=79 Through the years Bhairavi has taught me other powerful sadhanas which have been of use in my own spiritual path. Among these is the powerful Panch Agni Tapasya ("five fires" austerity) which involves meditating with four fires surrounding you, with the sun being the fifth fire. Some practitioners increase the number of fires surrounding them as they continue to excel in such a practice. The heat and the flames puts one in an altered state of consciousness where one can commune with the gods, elements and spirits that is similar in nature to the Native American sweat lodge ceremony. The purpose of such a ceremony is to purify one's energy field, sins and negative karma through the power of fire. It is practiced by sinners and yogis who want rapid spiritual cleansing. Tripura Bhairavi told me that she always assists and blesses those who engage in such a sadhana sincerely.

Tripura Bhairavi also functions as a patron and teacher to those ladies who wish to engage in sexual tantrik spirito-magical sadhanas. That is one of the reasons why such a female adept is called a "bhairavi" or "ananda bhairavi". When one travels to certain Shakta Tantrik centers such as Kamakhya in Assam, India, one may have the good fortune to meet such a gifted female adept (ananda bhairavi) sitting in front of a temple or in a cremation grounds (samshan) who can initiate one into these advanced sadhanas. Some are young and supple, others are old and one-toothed, but all are accomplished practitioners whose touch is craved by gods and men. These bhairavis can initiate you into ecstatic states by their mere touch or flicker of the tongue on your body. By petitioning Tripura Bhairavi she can send to you one of her priestesses to initiate you into her mysteries. There are also male Vama Marg (Left Hand path) sexual adepts called "ananda bhairavas" as well, so fear not ladies and gents. All sexes are represented in Tantra. [In a big room, there are 150 girls and 150 boys. Meanwhile, Kaulacharya entered into the hall. Kaulacharya means the Guru, the guide of vama tantra, the left hand path. On his body, there is only one tiger skin on his waist. He has many locks in his hair. He brought an idol made of mud of the Goddess Mother and all the disciples decorated her. With his permission, all the disciples started chanting mother Goddess stotras, songs. As you know, in India so many creeds exist, Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisha, and Shudra. But in vama tantra, they are all considered the same, as they were all there. There were so many virgins: yoginis – those who did the yoga, rajikis – those who washed the clothes of the people, swopachis – those who cleaned the toilets, and kaivartakis – those who are the fishermen’s daughters. That was vasantarutu, the springtime. That was Sunday, the starting of the night. And Kaulacharya caught hold of one 16 year old girl’s hand and he brought her to the pedestal. She was beautiful and shapely. She was blushed in her face. Her lips were wet, as she was so beautiful. He made one tika, a decoration on her on the third eye with sindhur, fragrant and herbal powder. It was shaped in the third eye. Kaulacharya started chanting some mantras.“Ananda Bhairavim devim varābhaya lasath karābhām gora rupām varā rohām trinetrām raktavāsasam raktavarnām maharaudrīm sahasrabhairavān vitām brahma vishnu maheshā dyaihi stuyamānām shivām bhaje” – It means I salute to that Ananda Bhairavi, whose hands are giving blessings, in abhaya mudra, free from fear. Yes, she is in the form of a terrible posture, with 3 eyes, she has a beautiful, shapely form,

whose clothes are red, and her face is red and so beautiful. Yes, she contains 1000 of Bhairava’s energy in Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and all 3 murtis, energies of creator, nourisher, and destroyer, prostrate at her feet. Then Kaulacharya chanted “Sahaksha malavarayīm ananda bhairavyai vaushat.” Then he offered gandha, a powder made up of a sandalwood tree’s bark, saying “Gandha samarpayami,” means I offer to you the gandha. Then he sprayed some fragrant spray on her. “Pushpam samarpayami,” he said, then he offered her some flowers. “Akshatam samarpayami,” rice paddies. Then he offered her some fragrant scented sticks, “Doopam samarpayami.” Then he offered her the lamp, “Deepam samarpayami.” Then he chose a perfectly shaped youth from the men. He made him to stand beside her. He was very strong.“Raktavarnam chaktur bahom trinetram varadam shivam jatā jhota dharma devam vāsukī kunda bushitam” – It means the Shiva who is Aghora, is in the color of reddishness with 4 hands and 3 eyes. He is blessing us, who has so many locks in his hair and vāsukī – The biggest serpent is on his waist so he was inviting the almighty lord, Aghora, he who is not impure, into him. Then Kaulacharya removed a serpent from the box, and he garlanded him with that. And he made the puja, ritual, to him in the same way how he did to the Bhairavi. Then he asked all the disciples to do the meditation of Ananda Bhairavi and Ananda Bhairava together. Next, Kaulacharya asked Ananda Bhairavi to remove her clothes and asked Ananda Bhairava to remove his clothes. When the disciples opened their eyes, they saw Ananda Bhairavi and Ananda Bhairava in a total naked posture. And all the disciples started worshipping them. Even Kaulacharya removed his tiger skin from his waist. Immediately all the disciples removed all their clothes. Kaulacharya chanted this sloka, “Madhyam māmsam cha mīnamcha mudrā maithuna mevacha yeatea panchamakarāha shuhu moksha dāha hi yuge yuge” – mansam – meat, madhyam – alcohol, mīnam – fish, mudra – the posture, maithuna – sexual intercourse – It means that all these 5 can give the absolute reality to the sādhaka whose striving for it in every yuga, every time. Then Kaulacharya, with wheat powder made a chakra on the ground of navayonātmaka yantra, nine vaginas in geometrical form. On that chakra, a pot filled with whiskey has been kept. Then it has been given to the Bhairavi. She drank half of the glass and poured the other half of the glass into the pot. And all other sādhakis and sādhakas started drinking from it. And fish and mutton was offered to the Bhairavi. And Kaulacharya ate a little piece from everywhere, and it has been given to the sādhakis and sādhakas as prasada, an offering. After eating it, they started drinking from the pot. And it was a dark night that sadhana was going on. All are intoxicated, but all are in control. Then Kaulacharya started a particular performance. From Bhairavi’s yoni, vagina, he has drawn a line towards her third eye. The same way he did with the Bhairava, from his lingam, penis to his third eye, as he is her partner. And all the Bhairavis and Bhairavas started kissing the yoni vagina of the Bhairavi and kissing the lingam of the Bhairava. Then Kaulacharya took some whiskey from the pot and he started pouring it on the bodies of the Bhairavi and the Bhairava, and all others started licking it. There was so many balis, sacrifices, that were given to Bhairavi and Bhairava. And now it is time for the sambhoga, the sexual intercourse. In various postures they were having sex. “Aham Bhairava tvam Bhairavi hyavaī rastu samgamaha” – I am Bhairava and you are Bhairavi. Please come. We can have an alliance so that we can mingle as one. And they were in sexual intercourse. And they were chanting mantras and so many stotras. Some of the people are doing the fire worship and its fragrance was engulfing the entire atmosphere. Kaulacharya was in a good mood. He said, “Let it continue, but no ejaculation. And let this Bhairavi-Bhairava sangam, this mingling, continue. Let you be above all these

impressions. If at all you feel like ejaculating, please ejaculate in the pot which is kept in the Bhairavi chakra.” “My dear people, you are going to reach absolute reality. Don’t think that it is any ordinary sexual intercourse. You have to come out of all of this nonsense. This is only the way. And now, you are supposed to be meditating in your third eye. All this nonsense will go away. Once you enter into that absolute reality, you will not have any ejaculation. Shiva-shakti is mingled now. And you will reach the absolute reality. This is only the way. Fastly, you can come out of all this nonsense and you will reach the absolute goal. Here no new person will be allowed and you are never supposed to feel guilty about it, because this is the basic instinct we will have to go through. And we will be raising above all that. ” So my dear, Vama Tantra does not mean sexual intercourse. It is beyond everything. First we have to prepare our bodies and pranic, lifeforce, energies. And in the privacy with the guidance of Kaula Nanda Natha, the Kaulacharya, who is above all of the senses, it is supposed to be performed. ] -A ganachakra experience from: Diaries of Bhairavi Now that we have spoken in some detail about Bhairavi in her sexual form, we can touch a bit on her destructive form. Tripura Bhairavi in her aspect of destruction has been of great help to me in getting rid of bad habits and things that I am ready to let go of in life, be it people or situations. The easiest way I have found to do this is to write the names of things that no longer serve me on paper which I burn in a bowl or cauldron during the full moon while chanting her mantras. She works rapidly in clearing these issues from my life, sometimes through unpredictable means. Anyone who takes time to work with this powerful Mahavidya will receive many rewards. Although her nature is fearsome, she is still our Divine Mother in a different form.

The Mahavidya Bhuvaneshwari, the sovereign of all worlds, is very powerful indeed. She is Mother Earth and more, ruling over space, the cosmos and the material realm. Not a blade of grass can move without her consciousness or permission. She is Maya Shakti, the illusory power of the universe. In my worship of her I have learned many things about the way her energy manifests in creation. She is the energy behind the Five Elements of Creation and by working with her she will guide you in experiencing the elements first-hand and to be initiated into their energies. It is through the elements that she manifests her presence afterall. I am a person who loves nature and I spend much time in the woods, mountains, streams and rivers connecting to the genius loci as well as to mother earth herself. In Hindu theology mother earth is often called Bhumi-Devi. Bhuvaneshwari is the Tantrik form of Bhumi-Devi, but she is more than just the earth itself because her consciousness encompasses all the worlds in the universe. In Tantra Bhuvaneshwari is often propitiated for Wealth, Power and Health. Her gifts, like the earth itself, are nourishing and steady. She is very gentle in her approach. I have worked with her many times to connect with the earth and its natural energies. When I go to places where there are many plants and trees, I often like to chant or hum her beeja mantra "Hreem", and silently pray to her to guide me to the herbs and trees that I can use for natural magic. She will often give me insights on what trees are useful for what types of magic. For example I was once doing a love spell for a couple and she led me to a tree that was embracing another tree. Through the Doctrine of Signatures I knew that those particular trees would be useful for that type of magic.

According to the mystic Jacob Bohme, the creator marked objects with a sign, or "signature" for their purpose and use. By paying attention to what we see while in natural places we can find the solutions to many problems. Bhuvaneshwari can help you further in tuning in to these things if you silently chant her Bija mantra while engaged in such natural studies.

"Hreem" Bija

Another way that Bhuvaneshwari has been of help is in Real Estate magic. I often have a client or friend who is interested in selling a piece of property. By petitioning Bhuvaneshwari for assistance she has helped them to sell the property quickly, profitably and successfully. Working with her to sell property could be as simple as gathering some herbs which are useful for real-estate sales such as cinammon, cedar and cloves, placing them in a brown cloth which has the mantra "Hreem" written in red or black and in a red or black triangle pointing downwards, and chanting the mantra "OM HREEM OM" 108 times, blowing your breath on the herbs (while visualizing your goal) and folding the entire package and tying it with a red string, and praying over it asking the goddess Bhuvaneshwari to help you sell the property, and then burying the herbal charm in the backyard of the property. Bhuvaneshwari is certainly a very helpful deity, and will assist you and teach you much of value.

Lalita Tripura Sundari (Shodashi) is the goddess behind the Sri Vidya Tradition, one of the most powerful, complex and complete systems of Tantra. I was initiated into Sri Vidya in India when I was 17 years old and have been an avid fan and promoter of this system. The initiation (deeksha) itself was a long procedure culminating with the Guru placing his foot over my head and transfering his shakti (power/awakening energy) and lineage blessings to me as he repeated the Khadgamala Stotram. I was instructed into its deepest mysteries and was informed that Sri Vidya enables one to attain liberation from suffering in one lifetime. It is said that one who receives Sri Vidya initiation is either an incarnation of Sankara himself or is in his last lifetime before attaining full enlightenment. The practice of Sri Vidya involves the external and internal worship of the Divine Mother of the Universe and deities in her cosmology through her secret mantra and special yantra called the "Sri Chakra" or "Sri Yantra" until one attains union with and gives birth to her energies within one's consciousness. Sri Yantra

Practice of Sri Vidya builds one's light body, activates and harmonizes one's chakras, and merges one with the Supreme Creatrix, thereby transforming one into a liberated celestial being. Within the Sri Vidya system of practice there are many pujas (worship rituals) that can take hours to complete. It is said that Lalita Tripurasundari loves ritual, and she doesn't lack them in her system. These pujas involve the worship of many deities and celestial beings and meditation on each of the enclosures (avaranas) or levels of the Sri Yantra itself, like peeling through different layers of an onion. While there are many benefits in conducting these complex pujas, the sages of the Sri Vidya system came up with one condensced practice that takes less than half an hour to complete, but which goes through all the levels of the Sri Yantra cosmology and gives the full benefit of Sri Vidya practice. It is called the "Sri Devi Khadgamala Stotram" and involves the recitation of the names of each of the devis of the Sri Chakra while concentrating on each avarana (enclosure).

Transliteration:

Om Aim Hrim Srim Aim Klim Souh Om Namah Tripura Sundari, Hridayadevi, Sirodevi, Sikhadevi, Kavaca Devi, Netra Devi, Astra Devi, Kamesvari, Bhagamalini, Nityaklinne, Bherunde, Vahnivasini, Mahavajresvari, Sivaduti, Tvarite, Kulasundari, Nitya, Nilapatake, Vijaye, Sarvamangale, Jvalamalini, Citre, Mahanitye, Paramesvara, Paramesvari, Mitresamayi, Sasthisamayi, Uddisamayi, Caryanathamayi, Lopamudramayi, Agastyamayi, Kalatapanamayi, Dharmacaryamayi, Muktakesisvaramayi, Dipakalanathamayi, Visnudevamayi, Prabhakara devamayi, Tejodevamayi, Manojadevamayi, Kalyanadevamayi, Vasudevamayi, Ratnadevamayi, Sri Ramanandamayi Anima Siddhe, Laghima Siddhe, Garima Siddhe, Mahima Siddhe, Isitva Siddhe, Vasitva Siddhe, Prakamya Siddhe, Bhukti Siddhe, Iccha Siddhe, Prapti Siddhe, Sarvakama Siddhe, Brahmi, Mahesvari, Koumari, Vaisnavi, Varahi, Mahendri, Camunde, Mahalaksmi, Sarva Samksobhini, Sarva Vidravini, Sarva karsini, Sarva Vasamkari, Sarvonmadini, Sarva Mahankuse, Sarva Khecari, Sarva Bije, Sarva Yone, Sarva Trikhande, Trilokya mohana cakra swamini, Prakata yogini, Kamakarsini, Buddhyakarsini, Ahamkarakarsini, Sabdhakarsini, Sparsakarsini, Rupakarsini, Rasakarsini, Gandhakarsini, Cittakarsini, Dharyakarsini, Smrityikarsini, Namakarsini, Bijakarsini, Atmakarsini, Amrtakarsini, Sarirakarsini, Sarvasa paripuraka cakra svamini Gupta yogini Ananga Kusume, Ananga Mekhale, Ananga Madane, Ananga

Madananture, Ananga Redhe, Ananga Vegini, Ananga Kusume, Ananga Malini, Sarva sanksoghana sadhaka cakra swamini Gupta tara yogini Sarva Samksobhini, Sarva Vidravini, Sarva Karsini, Sarva Hladini, Sarva Sammohini, Sarva Stambini, Sarva Jrumbhini, Sarva Vasamkari, Sarva Ranjani, Sarvonmadini, Sarvarthasadhini, Sarva Sampattipurani, Sarva Mantra Mayi, Sarva Dvandva Ksayamkari, Sarva Soubhagya Dayaka Cakra Swamini Sampradaya yogini Sarva Siddhiprade, Sarva Sampatprade, Sarva Priyamkari, Sarva Mangalakarini, Sarva Kamaprade, Sarva Duhkha Vimocani, Sarva Mrityu Prasamani, Sarva Vigna Nivarani, Sarvanga Sundari, Sarva Soubhagya Dayini Sarvartha Sadhaka Cakra Swamini Kulottirna yogini Sarva Jne, Sarva Sakte, Sarvaisvarya pradayini, Sarva Jnanamayi, Sarva Vyadhivinasini, Sarvadharasvarupe, Sarva Papa Hare, Sarva Ananda Mayi, Sarva Raksa Svarupini, Sarvepsita Phala Prade, Sarva Raksakara Cakra Svamini, Nigarbha yogini Vasini, Kamesvari, Modini, Vimale, Arune, Jayini, Sarvesvari, Kaulini, Sarvarogahara Cakra Swamini Rahasya yogini Banini, Chapini, Pasini, Ankusini, Maha Kamesvari, Maha Vajresvari, Maha Bhagamalini, Sarva Siddhiprada Cakra Swamini Ati Rahasya yogini, Sri Sri Maha Bhattarike Sarvananda Maya Cakra Swamini Parapara Rahasya Yogini Tripure, Tripuresi, Tripura Siddhe, Tripurambe, Maha Tripurasundari, Maha Mahesvari, Maha Maha Rajni, Maha Maha Sakte, Maha Maha Gupte, Maha Maha Jnapte, Maha Mahannande, Maha Maha Skandhe, Maha Mahasaye, Maha Maha Sri Cakra Nagara Samrajni, Namaste, Namaste, Namaste, Namaha. In my years of practice in different spiritual and magical systems of the world I have been priviledged to learn many Invocations of great power such as the Berhatiyyah, Jaljaluttiyah, and hundreds of Hizbs, Azeemah, Wird and Adhkar of the Ruhaniya Tradition, the Invocation of the Headless One from the Greek Magical Papyri, the Drawing Down of the Moon Ritual from the Wiccan Tradition, the Enochian Calls, the Song of the Serpent, the Orphic and Homeric Hymns, the Litanies of Saints and Angels from the Catholic Tradition, the Prayer of Mary who dissolves Chains from Coptic Magic, the Invocation of the Jade Emperor and other powerful Invocations from Taoism, many mantras, stotrams and kavach prayers from Tantra, a number of

powerful mambos (songs/chants) from Palo Monte, etc., but I have found nothing in comparison to the powers that can be found in this Khadgamala stotram. If I had to give up all of my other spiritual practices I would do so and just practice this one Invocatory Hymn. By it I have accomplished many things that some would call miraculous. There are infinite powers hidden in this Invocation. Perhaps it is the grace of my teachers who have enabled me to unfold some of its gifts, but I have derived great benefit from it. By its power I have charged spells, amulets, charms, and talismans. By its Mercy I have seen many healed of incurable diseases. By its Wisdom I have had access to the libraries of infinite knowledge of the universe. By its blessings I have been privy to the secrets of celestial and terrestrial beings. By its potency I have experienced intimate association with the "One". Siddhis, Riddhis, and Niddhis have been its gifts. It is to me the equivalent of the Philosopher's Stone. The most amazing thing I have found from its practice is its ability to bring one's wishes into manifestation quickly. Who needs ritual magic or the ceremonial evocation of spirits when one can think of a wish, hold to it firmly while chanting this stotram, and have it manifested afew minutes or hours later? Ah, but the secrets to this Invocation I will probably carry with me to the grave. I have, however, given you enough clues to investigate further. My most memorable experience with it was when I traveled with a female friend to the L'Auberge du Lac Casino in Louisiana. She loved gambling and asked me for a blessing to help her win. I made her a gambling mojo bag which I charged with the Khadgamala stotram and with prayers to Tripura Sundari. That weekend she ended up winning $16,000 on the machines. Not only that, but as soon as we arrived at the Casino the managers put us in a Presidential VIP room as a courtesy. It seemed that lady luck was on our side. There was a door prize at the casino that I ended up winning as well, which was a funfilled carribean cruise trip for two. I attribute all our good fortune to this stotram which I silently chanted during that weekend at different times during the day.

An Experience with Tara Mahavidya

The goddess Tara has a special place in my heart. She is one of my patron deities and has always been there for me when I needed her. She is "Ma" (Mother) to me. She has many aspects but the one I have been closest to is Ugra Tara (the "wrathful" Tara). I have also had a good relationship with one of her Buddhist aspects known as "Green Tara". Infact the Buddhist main mantra of Green Tara ("Om Tare Tuttare Ture Swaha") can also be found in the Hindu text Tantrarajatantra. Throughout the years I have had many experiences with Tara, and I have been blessed with her presence in my life. She has helped me overcome many obstacles and healed me on many levels. She is truly "Tarini" the savior. One of the experiences that has always remained in my heart is an event that took place 8 years ago. At that time I had traveled to a Hindu ashram in Crestone, Colorado to celebrate Navratri, which is a 9 day festival honoring the Divine Mother. Most of my spare time (other than engaging in ashram activities and hiking) were spent chanting Tara's mantra "Om Tare Tuttare

Ture Swaha". I experienced much emotional healing from it. Things that were buried in my subconscious were brought to the surface and cleared. There were many tears shed. During my stay in Crestone and on the last morning I completed 125,000 repetitions of her mantra. As I got out of my kuti (hut) I was greeted by a beautiful rainbow glowing brightly in the sky. I took it as a good omen that my sadhana (spiritual practice) was successful. I was feeling really happy and the world seemed like a beautiful place. That morning we had to drive back to Denver, CO to catch our flight back to Houston. I was with a group of 5 friends, and we got in an SUV and started driving back through the Sangre de Cristo mountains. On our way back the car started stalling and soon stopped. Our driver checked under the hood and said that something was wrong with the car battery. He couldn't start the car, and there were no other cars around us. I told him to let me take a look at it. Everyone else had lost hope. We would either need a jump start or a new battery altogether and the ashram was 1 hour away. I reached out and touched the battery with both hands, thought of Ma Tara and prayed silently: "Ma please think of me. Om Tare Tuttare Ture Swaha". I then chanted her mantra afew times and blew my breath on the battery. I had a strong feeling that all would be OK, and I asked the driver to attempt to start the car again. As he turned the key, the car roared to life as if nothing was wrong. We all got in with a "Jai Ma Tara" (Hail to Mother Tara), and drove to the airport. As we arrived at the airport we realized that we were 30 minutes late for our flight. Everyone in our group was fearful about the situation not knowing whether we would be able to get another flight. I was the only one who was calm. I knew that Tara was protecting us. We went to the counter and inquired about our flight. The airport clerk told us that our flight was delayed for 30 minutes and had just pulled in the terminal at the other end of the airport. We were very excited, but also dreaded having to carry our bags in such a rush to the other side of the airport. As we started walking quickly with our luggage I silently chanted "Om Tare Tuttare Ture Swaha". The next thing that happened was really welcomed by all of us. One of the airport passenger carts drove by us and a guy yelled "Does your group need a ride?" We said "Yeah, Thanks!" and hopped in the cart, and he drove us right to the terminal we were supposed to be departing from. We got into our plane on time and had a wonderful trip back. Praise be to Tara! Another great experience I had with Tara was when she saved me from the psychic attack of a vicious psychic vampire (or "vampyre"). I had been invited to the OTO lodge in Austin to see a Gnostic Mass being enacted. One of the people at the mass happened to be a visiting member of another Left-hand path magical Order. She acted very interested in me and monopolized much of my time there. She was nice enough but not really my type. What I did notice was that when I had finished talking to her I felt physically exhausted. I didn't put too much attention to it, and drove back to Houston. The psychic attacks started soon after. I would wake up in the middle of the night around 3 AM with strong erotic dreams of this woman. The dreams felt very vivid and there was almost a tactile sensation to it. In the dreams I was having sexual relations with the woman who would ride me like a beast in heat. I was exhausted after the sex and felt drained energetically. I also would feel weaker and sick throughout the next day. After 3 or 4 days of this happening I knew something was wrong. I had a trusted friend do a divination for me which pointed out what was happening. This woman was astrally visiting me and stimulating fantasies in order to drain me of psychic energy. I didn't know if I should feel flattered or angry. I decided to strengthen my psychic shielding and the wards around my home. I also did a Puja for Ugra Tara and explained to her what was happening and asked her to put a stop to this woman's nocturnal activities. Tara showed me what to do. I wrote the woman's name 9 times on a piece of parchment paper. I then wrote Tara's seed-syllable "STRIM" on top of her name with Dragon's Blood Ink.

"STRIM"

I placed the name paper in a small iron cauldron and put mashed garlic on top of it. Then I took a pair of scissors and recited the mantra for Ugra Tara "OM HRIM STRIM HUM PHAT!" 108 times and blew on them. I opened the scissor hands and prayed to MA TARA to cut any and all vampyric cords between the woman and me. I then placed the scissors half-open on top of the small iron cauldron, and placed the entire package under my bed. I went to sleep while chanting Ugra Tara's mantra and visualizing her sitting on top of my head. At about 3 AM in the morning I felt someone trying to access my energy field and saw the face of the woman I had met at the Gnostic Mass. It looked like she had tendrils coming from two of her chakras trying to hook on to me. I chanted Ugra Tara's mantra mentally, and I felt Ma Tara come between me and the young woman. Ma Tara was holding a large pair of scissors that looked like shears, and she pushed the woman aside, and started chopping away all her tendrils. Then I heard her say, "Lets see how you feel when someone does this to you", and touched her with one hand and drained her of most of her lifeforce. Tara then touched me with her other hand and filled me with vital energy. The woman looked weak, like a baloon that had been deflated. Then Tara yelled "Begone!" and the woman was pushed by a strange force and I was no longer aware of her presence. I saw Tara Devi smiling and she vanished also. When I woke up I felt refreshed and full of energy.

I don't know what happened to the woman and I made no inquiries about it but I never had any more psychic attacks from her. All Thanks to Ma Tara, the great protector and guide!

An experience with Kali Mahavidya

The Mahavidya Kali is a very powerful and loving mother. She represents destruction and transformation and is the remover of the darkness of ignorance. Being the feminine counterpart to Lord Shiva in his destructive and fierce aspects, She is ferocious when she needs to be, and aggressively removes the obstacles, attachments and fears that we have. She will smack you on the back of your head (like a good Italian mother) if she feels that it will help you to "wake up". Many years back when I was serving in the U.S. Navy, I experienced Kali's energies first-hand. At that time I had a supervisor on my ship who was extremely abusive of his power. He would berrate others under him and treat them like shit. When he was assigned to me, he decided to shower me with his unkind and unwholesome behavior daily. Nothing I did was good enough. I was insulted by him daily and none of the other supervisors above him seemed to care or were willing to address my greviances. I dreaded even going to work, but that was not an option being in the military. At that time I was also engaged in intensive Kali Sadhana (spiritual practice). I was daily doing puja (worship ceremony) to a consecrated murti (image/statue) of Kali, followed by 108 repetitions of her Shabar mantra. Shabar Mantras are different than regular mantras in that they are more like spells with bija mantras in them, and were taught by Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath, the founders of the Nath and Aghori Tantrik Traditions. They are in a country-side dialect, but are extremely potent and produce results in a short time.

Anyhow, I remember getting back from work from a particularly exhausting day in which I had been berated all day long by my then supervisor whom I will call by the initials "NJW". Now "NJW" was an African American who had a chip on his shoulder. I say this without any racism in my heart... I have many good African American friends and have a great deal of respect for African American culture and African Traditional Religion. But NJW was a man who received a position of power in the military and used this position to take out his frustrations on others who were subordinate to him. And I happened to be his victim at the time. I remember going home, and sitting by my altar very upset, and attempting to do my sadhana to Kali. Trying to choke back the tears I finally called out to Kali and said to her "If you my Mother will not protect me, then who will? Ma, I appeal to thy Justice." Immediately I felt Kali's presence more real then life itself. She was angry and her eyes glowed red. I distinctly heard her say "How dare he abuse my child? He will learn a bitter lesson..." I had cold shivers running down through my back, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Kali Ma would take care of this situation. The next day I arrived at work on the ship and NJW was nowhere to be seen. He didn't report in to work during muster and our Chief said that he would call him to find out what happened. So our Chief picks up the office phone and calls NJW. NJW answers the phone and our Chief tells us that he (NJW)is drunk and not acting normal. He said to Chief that he had no more reason to live and that he was going to blow his head off with the gun he was holding, as his wife left him that night with his child and left him a note that he will never see them again. Chief told him to calm down, that everything will be ok, that he will come to him and talk to him and help him sort things out. NJW lived about 10 minutes from where our ship was home-ported, and Chief told us that he was going to NJW's home to help calm him down. The rest of us got back to work in the office in the ship. Afew minutes later NJW stomps in the office like a madman waving a knife. He was clearly drunk and extremely distraught. He tore off his Navy shirt and was calling for the Chief. "Where is Chief? He is the only one who cares. I want to kill myself. I hate my life. I wanna die! Where is Chief?" Some of the NCOs in my office tried to calm down NJW, but he would have none of it. He was going to cut his wrist infront of us, when the NCOs tried to tackle him in the office. NJW was a pretty big black man, and very strong, and he was throwing everyone back against the wall. Computers and printers were being thrown all over, and he was acting completely bananas. He was screaming "I just want to DIE! Why won't you let me

DIE! By God, if you try to STOP me I will take you OUT as well!" As I watched this fiasco, I clairvoyantly saw that the Goddess Kali had completely possessed NJW. I could see her clearly dancing over his head and back, with tongue protruded and a necklace of skulls, dancing the dance of destruction. It scared the hell out of me! And I wasn't going to get in her way, thats for sure. If that nut-job wants to kill himself, then by all means go ahead; I wasn't going to stop him! Anyhow, someone called the Captain and the Master-of-Arms, who came down with the Ship's Security to our office. They tackled down NJW, wrestled the knife from him, and tied him down to a chair. They literally strapped him to a chair until the Navy's paramedics arrived. He was then taken in a straight-jacket to the Navy's Mental Hospital. After several weeks there, he was discharged from the military. I must say that I was really shaken up after this event. I have a very "healthy" respect for the Goddess Kali, and have been very careful about what I ask of her. It was quite a learning experience, thats for sure!

Tratak - Developing One-pointed Focus Concentration

Many spiritual seekers often ask me how they can develop their magical and psychic abilities, how they can experience the "other" worlds and dimensions that some mystics and magicians have access to. I can only speak based on my own experiences. For many years I have been practicing a method of one-pointed focus concentration called "Tratak". It is an old technique that has been recorded in many Yogic meditation manuals. The word "Tratak" means fixed gazing at an object. It can be done with any object such as a candle flame, a dot on the wall, a

statue, a yantra, or even the picture of a mentor. Tibetans like to do it with the Tibetan letter "AH" in their "Zhine" meditation method.

Tibetan "AH"

As I said any object can be used. But there is one object that I have found very useful in my own practice, and it is doing Tratak on a flame, which is called "Jyoti Tratak". A flame is a living form of energy and I find it very useful in this practice. You can use either a clarified butter (ghee) lamp, an oil lamp, or a candle flame to focus on.

Instructions: 1. Place a lit candle (or other flame object) about 3 feet away on a stool or small table in a dark or dimly-lit room. 2. Sit on the floor or on a chair with your back straight. Breathe very slowly, holding your breath still for a few seconds between breaths. 3. Gaze at the flame continuously trying not to blink. 4. Keep gazing at the center of the flame. When thoughts come into your head, brush them aside and put your attention back on the flame. 5. When your eyes tear up (which they most likely will), keep on focusing on the flame. When you can no longer keep your eyes open, close them for a minute or two and focus on the after-

glow of the flame, keeping the image still on your forehead. 6. Open your eyes and continue focusing again for a couple of minutes. Close your eyes for a couple of minutes when necessary. 7. Repeat this procedure for 10 minutes total a day for the first month. Gradually increase it to 20-30 minutes a day. What will happen as you practice this technique? You may start seeing a halo around the candle, or flickering lights, or even tiny colored balls of light. As you gradually develop in concentration you will come to a point where you will feel yourself withdrawing from all your senses, and where only you and the flame remain. Your mind will enter into a state of inner silence. There may come a point where you merge your consciousness completely with the flame where you feel you are one with it. When you can do that at will, you would have mastered this technique. You can then move on to other objects and even advance to doing it with Yantras, which geometrically represent the bodies of different deities. As you continue practicing this exercise your powers of concentration will increase exponentially. You would come to a point where you can think one thought or hold one image continuously in your mind. Successful magic(k) and even meditation requires one-pointed focus. This exercise will assist you in getting there. It may also allow you to open up your Third Eye (clairvoyance), and some studies show that it is helpful in healing minor eye ailments as well as improving one's vision.

Kamala - The "Lotus" The last Mahavidya we will be focusing upon is the goddess Kamala, whose name means "lotus" and who is also known as Kamalatmika. She is the Tantrik version of the goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, beauty, prosperity and delight. She brings material and spiritual happiness to her devotees and is seen as a beautiful goddess of golden complexion sitting on a lotus. Elephants are around her showering her with divine nectar. She is called either the spouse of Vishnu or that of Sadashiv. The lotus flower is a symbol of purity and her worship leads to purity of mind and heart and to real devotion.

The story of her origin is as follows:

[One day Indra, the ruler of the heavens, saw Rambha and was lost watching her beauty. At that time, the fierce Rishi Durvasa appeared and gave a garland to Indra. But Indra, still mesmerized by Rambha, did not realize what he was doing and gave the garland to his elephant Airavat. Durvasa was angry with the disrespect shown to him and immediately cursed Indra thus, "You are the king of the Gods, but yet you are playing with women. You will lose Lakshmi. She will leave your kingdom." Goddess Lakshmi, true to the curse, left the heavenly regions. All the Gods were saddened, and led by Indra went to Vishnu to get his counsel.

Vishnu suggested that she would appear if they churned the ocean of milk. Both the Devas and asuras got together at the ocean of milk (Ksheera samudra), they used Mount Mandara as the central axle, Vishnu took the form of a giant tortoise to support the churning base, and the serpent Anant Nag was used to move the mountain. The asuras and the devas each took the opposite ends of the snake and churned the ocean. Out of the churning came a lot of beautiful people and objects – Ucchaishrava (the divine horse), Dhanvantri (the God of Medicine), the Sudharshana Chakra, the Parijata flower and then came Lakshmi. When they saw Lakshmi, the Gods offered her an asan with the greatest of respect. They did an abishek to her, offered her a lotus garland and entreated her to stay with them, to which she agreed. This form of Lakshmi is known as Kamala.]

[Source: http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/shakti-sadhana/66010-day-9-final-threemahavidyas.html ]

Kamala Yantra

Although Laxmi and Kamala are the same deity, Kamala is Laxmi as a full and complete deity on her own terms. In Laxmi's myths she is seen as inseparable from her husband Vishnu and at times even subservient to him. Kamala is just the opposite. She can stand on her own without reference to her spouse, and when he is mentioned it is made clear that she is the Supreme power in that relationship.

So what else makes Kamala different from Laxmi? Kamala is the more active form of Laxmi. While Laxmi may passively shower one with wealth and blessings, Kamala will actively ensure it. She will move heaven and earth to make sure her devotee gets what they want. Gold, treasures, love, peace, beauty, health, she gives it all. Laxmi may get you a job when you pray to her for one; Kamala will get you a job and then make sure you get promoted quickly in that job as well as move up the ladder. She is active grace manifested on the material level.

So how does one get the attention of Kamala? By having a philanthropic and prosperity consciousness. She expects you to be generous with your wealth, to share what she gives you. Since she is also beauty expressed in the material level, she desires you to keep the material world beautiful, to honor and preserve the natural resources and fellow creatures we have on earth. By taking care of others and helping the less fortunate you align yourself with her. She is after-all, the Great Mother of all things. You please her by selfless service, which develops more devotion in your heart. And what will she not give to her children when she is happy with them? She is the fullness of Divine Grace who gives everything.

Tantrik Mantra for Kamala: AUM AING HRING SHRING KLING HASSAU JAGATPRASUTAYEI NAMAH.

Another Mantra for Kamala: Om Shreem Hreem Shreem Kamale Kamalalayei Praseed Praseed Shreem Hreem Shreem Om Mahalakshmiyei Namah.

Gayatri Mantra for Kamala: OM KAMALAYAI CHA VIDMAHE VISHNU PATNI CHA DHIMAHI TANNO KAMALA PRACHODAYAT.

Shabar Mantra for Kamala: Om ayoni shankar omkar roop, kamla devi sati parvati ka savroop. Haath mein sone ka kalash mukh se abhay mudra. Shwet varn seva pooja kare, narad indra. Devi devatya ne kiya jai onkaar. Kamla devi poojo keshar paan supari, chakmak cheeni phatri til guggal sahstr kamlon ka kiya hawan. Kahe gorakh, mantar japo jaap japo riddhi siddhi ki pahchaan ganga gaurja parvati jaan. Jiski teen lok mein bhaya maan. Kamla devi ke charan kamal ko aadesh.

Om hareem kaleem kamla devi fat swaha.

Kamala Mahavidya Sadhana: http://www.siddhashram.org/s19981155f.shtml

Tripura Bhairavi - "The Terror of the Three Planes of Existence" The next Mahavidya in our series is known as "Tripura Bhairavi" or simply "Bhairavi". When she gets pissed off she becomes the fearsome "Kalratri" a very destructive form of the goddess Kali. The word "Bhairavi" means "terrifying" or "fearsome" and "Tripura" means the "three planes of existence."

She is the spouse of Kal-Bhairava, a dark and fearsome aspect of Shiva. The Bhairavi Stotra (Hymn of Bhairavi) says the following about her: "You are the origin of the world and yet you yourself have no origin, though there are hundred hymns honoring you. Even Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesvara do not know you, who is the Mother of all Sastras." She is said to live in cremation grounds, cemeteries and Himalayan forests and is the caretaker of these places. She also is said to reside in the Muladhara (Root Chakra) of every human being, and to be the Kriya Shakti (energy of action) that propels the Kundalini to rise up quickly so you can achieve a state of Union with Divinity. She is the remover of any obstacles to your quick spiritual growth,

whether the obstacle be your own sloth or delusion or something else. She will forcibly take away or remove those things that keep us from growing spiritually. Her reputation is so great that Tantrik female adepts, especially of sexual yogas, are often called "bhairavis". But a true Bhairavi is no submissive lady. She is fearsome and wrathful even in her love-making. An image of a dominatrix comes to mind as a perfect anology. Tripura Bhairavi is Divine wrath, but a controlled wrath that is channeled properly as fuel for sadhana (spiritual practice).

Bhairavi as Kalratri

She is the energy of Tapas (austerity) itself, giving us the fuel necessary to maintain fasting, celibacy, or any spiritual practice that takes great willpower. She will help you persevere against all obstacles that are blocking you. She also will stimulate in a spiritual aspirant the desire to leave all things behind (all one's attachments) and seek a place of solitude to practice austerities.

Tripura Bhairavi Yantra

Tantrik Mantra for Tripura Bhairavi: HASAIN HASKARING HASAIN Tripura Bhairavi Gayatri: Om Tripurayai cha vidmahe Bhairaviyai dhi-mahi Tanno Devi prachodayat. Tripura Bhairavi Shabar Mantra: Om sati Bhairavi Bhairo kaal yam jaane yam bhoopal teen netar tara trikuti, gale mein mala mundan ki. Abhay mudra peeye rudhir nashwanti. Kala khappar haath khanjar, kalapeer dharm dhoop khewante waasna gai satwe patal, satew patal madhye paramtatv mein jot, jot mein param jot, Param jot mein bhai utpann kaal bhairvi, tripur bhairavi, sampat prada bhairavi, kaulesh bhairvi, siddha bhairvi, vindhvansini bhairavi, chaitany bhairavi, kameshwari bhairavi, shatkuta bhairavi, nitya bhairavi. Jpa ajpa goraksh japnti yahi mantar matsyendranaath jee ko Sada Shiv ne kahayi. Riddh phooro shiddh phooro sat shri shambhujati guru gorakshnaath jee annat koti siddha le utregi kaal ke paar, bhairavi bhairavi khadi jin sheesh par, door haate kaal janjaal bhairavi mantar baikunt waasa. Amar lok mein hua niwasa.

Om hastro hasklro hastro.

Bhuvaneshwari - Mother Earth and the primal Goddess of the Cosmos

The next Mahavidya we are going to discuss is the goddess Bhuvaneshwari ("Queen of all worlds"), who is also known as Rajrajeshwari. She is Mother Earth herself but is also at the same time the primal goddess (Adi-Shakti) of Creation, Space and the Cosmos, the energy behind all things in the phenomenal universe. Her husband's name is Tryambak, "The ThreeEyed One", a title of Shiva.

A colorful story shows her unchallenged divinity. One time a great argument broke out in the heavens as to who was the Supreme deity. Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, the Trimurti (or Hindu trinity) were all making good arguments as to their supremacy. As the debate got more heated, the goddess Bhuvaneshwari mediated and decided to show these gods their real origin. She took the gods to her realm, where they saw themselves as her handmaidens. Bhuvaneshwari is Maya Shakti Herself, the Goddess of illusion, and even the Trimurti were under her influence. She had allowed them to forget that they were merely actors in her play, playing the parts of Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer. Only she was the true Supreme Cosmic Goddess, and her

power was so great that she could manifest herself as the earth itself, the cosmos, space and material creation. After being shamed by their experience, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva all started worshiping her.

Bhuvaneshwari Yantra

Infact her power is so great that Tantriks who are seeking magical powers will often do her sadhana. It is said that even the god Ram had to pray to her in order to conquer the demon Ravana. She is the Queen of the Universe unto whom every knee must bow. She gives both spiritual liberation and material enjoyments to her devotees. She brings good health, wealth, fame, good memory, clairvoyance, success and power to her devotees. Bhuvaneshwari Mantra: Hreem Bhuvaneshwari Gayatri: Om Subhagaayei cha Vidhmahe Kaamadhaayinyei cha

Dhi-mahi Thanno Bhuvaneswari Prachodhayaat.

Bhuvaneshwari Shabar Mantra:

Om aadi jyot aanadi jyot, jyot madhye pram jyot-param jyot madhye shiv gayatri bhai utpann, om pratah samay utpann bhai devi Bhuvneshwari. Bala sundri kar dhar var pashaankush annpurni doodhpoot bal de balka riddhi siddhi bhandar bhare, balkana bal de jogi ko amar kaya. Chaudah bhuwan ka rajpat sambhala kate rog yogi ka, dusht ko musht, kaal kantak maar. Yogi bankhand vaasa, sada sang rahe bhuvneshwari mata hreem.

Bhuvaneshwari sadhana: http://www.siddhashram.org/s19981155b.shtml

Tripura Sundari (Shodashi) - "Sweet Sixteen" The Third Mahavidya on our list is the Goddess Tripura Sundari (The "Beauty of Three Worlds") who is also known as Shodashi ("sixteen" or "vermillion-hued"), and Lalita (the "playful and graceful one"). Her spouse is known as "Kameshwara", also a name of Shiva.

She is the most beautiful of the Mahavidyas if beauty is measured by physical and spiritual

attractiveness. She is depicted as a beautiful young lady of the tender age of sixteen, and well developed in all aesthetic virtues. She is also one of the most important goddesses in the Shakta (Goddess-worshipping) Tradition, being the goddess behind the Shri Vidya Tradition, one of the most popular and influential Tantrik schools. Furthermore she is a goddess of enlightenment, beauty, attraction, wealth and prosperity, and bestows these gifts to her devotees. She is called the mother of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and brings transcendental awareness to those who contemplate her. Those who worship her radiate a silent and mesmerizing inner beauty even in their old age. There are two main stories told of her origins. In one of these stories it is said that Shiva once teased the goddess Kali and called her "darkie" which got Kali upset and made her go into spiritual retreat. She decided that she would recreate herself as the most beautiful and brightest of the goddesses. She did exactly that through her spiritual practices. When the sage Narada found Shiva alone he inquired as to Kali's whereabouts and was told that she had abandoned her husband and gone away. Narada knowing that Shiva was powerless without his spouse went to look for her and found her in the mountains. To convince her to return he told Kali that Shiva was looking for another wife, and that she had better return soon. Kali returned quickly and saw Shiva contemplating his own heart. As she gazed in his heart she saw a beautiful and light-complexioned goddess. Not realizing that it was herself she got jealous and mad at Shiva once again. Shiva laughed and told her to look with more discernment, wherein she realized that she was looking on her own beautiful reflection. "Yes, my love," said Shiva, "You are the most beautiful woman in all three worlds, with the beauty of a sixteen year old. And you will always remain my beloved." From then on she assumed the names "Tripura Sundari" and "Shodashi".

Tripura Sundari

The other story about her origins takes place when Shiva decides to go into deep meditation for a long time. His wife Parvati tried to get his attention but nothing worked. Finally she called for the help of the god Kama Deva (the god of lust and sex) to work his spells on Shiva to arouse him. When Shiva became aroused he got very angry and shot a ray of light from his Third Eye that reduced Kama Deva into a heap of dust. The gods then took pity on Kama Deva and tricked Shiva into giving them a mantra of resurrection. This they transmitted to one of Shiva's devotees who tried to resurrect Kama Deva. Due to the fact that he had been decimated by Shiva's wrath, the being who was resurrected turned out to be a demon named Bhandasura. Bhandasura went on a rampage causing problems for the gods and enslaving humanity with his powers. So the sage Narada advised the gods to do a great Yajna (Fire ceremony) to defeat this evil demon. As the gods conducted such a ceremony, the goddess Tripura Sundari manifested from the flames of the Yajna and undertook the wishes of the gods, fought and defeated the demon.

Shri Yantra

Tantrik Shodashi Mantra: HRING KA AE EE LA HRING HA SA KA HA LA HRING SA KA LA HRING Tripura Sundari Gayatri: Om Tripurasundari vidmahe, kameshvari dhi-mahi, tanno klinne pracodayat. Shabar Mantra for Tripura Sundari: Om niranjan nirakar avdhoo mool dwar mai bandh lagai, pawan palte gagan samaai, jyoti madhye jyot le sthir ho bhai om madhya: utpann bhai ugra tripura sundari shakti aavo shiv ghar baitho, mann unmann, budh siddh chitt mai bhaya naad. Teeno ek tripur sundari bhaya prakash. haath chaap shar dhar ek haath ankush. Trinetra abhay mudra yog bhog ki mokshadayini. Eida, Pingla Sushmna devi nagan jogan tripur sundari. Ugra bala, rudra bala, teeno brahmapuri mai bhaya ujiyala. Yogi ke ghar jogan bala, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiv ki mata.

Shreem hreem kleem aim saum hreem shreem km aeel hreem hans kahal hreem sakal hreem so: aim kleem hreem shreem.

Tara the "Star"

The goddess Tara is the second most important Mahavidya in Hindu Tantrik sadhana. Her name simultaneously means "Star" and "She who ferries one across the ocean of samsara". Her husband's name is Akshobhya, another name of Shiva. She is accepted by both Hindu and Buddhist Traditions as a savior. While Hindus accept her as one the most important manifestations of the primordial Divine Mother, Tibetan Buddhists see her as a Boddhisattva or a female Buddha. There is much evidence to show that Tara was originally a Buddhist figure before being accepted into the Hindu Tradition. Scholars are still debating this. Of all the Mahavidyas Tara is probably the easiest to approach. She is the only Mahavidya who does not need initiation (diksha) or extensive ritual to work with. Now don't get me wrong; there is a diksha for her and there are plenty of rituals to be found for her. But its all not required for her assistance and blessing. Tantrik writings state that the Siddhi (attainment/power/realization/perfection) of Tara can be gained merely by remembering her with devotion. Anyone can work with her. Anyone can use her mantras. She is for all. She is the greatest of healers and gives numerous blessings and protection to her devotees. Some of the

mantras used for her in both Hindu and Buddhist Tantras are the same. Although Kali and Tara are very similar in appearance, one of the main differences is that Tara carries a pair of scissors while Kali does not. The Hindu Tara and Kali are both described as bloodthirsty, unlike the more gentle depiction of the Buddhist Tara.

The Buddhist Tara is alittle more developed in character and myth than the Hindu Tara. There are several colors (aspects) of Tara described in Buddhist Tantras with the most popular being Green Tara and White Tara. The Hindu Tara is either described simply as "Tara" or "Smashan Tara" or "Ugra Tara". Sometimes she is given titles and names of Kali as well. There is a Buddhist liturgy that is very popular in several Buddhist Vajrayanna schools wherein 21 Taras are described along with their respective praise-mantras. You can read this liturgy and hear her praises chanted on the following site: http://21taras.net/

Tara Yantra

No discussion of the Hindu Tara would be complete without mentioning one of her most ardent and lovely devotees, Bamakhepa, the mad-saint of Tarapith. In Tarapith (in the West Bengal, India) can be found Tara's most important Temple shrine. Most of her devotees flock over there to receive her darshan and to conduct intensive sadhana (spiritual practices) in the samshan (cremation grounds) nearby. Bamakhepa's grave (or samadhi shrine) can be found there also.

[Bamakhepa was born in 1837-one year after Sri Ramakrishna-near Tarapith in the village of Alta. Although his parents were poor Brahmins, Bamakhepa’s father, Sarvananda Chatterjee, was well known and respected for his piety and so was Bamakhepa’s mother, Rajkumari. His name was actually Bama, but since he showed absolutely no interest in worldly matters even

from early youth on, people called him mad and added “khepa” (mad) to his name. Khepa is a term used mostly by Tantrics and Bauls and is not an ordinary madness. One who is called khepa is generally considered a great soul. As a young boy, Bamakhepa had a peculiar habit. At the dead of night, he liked to steal into his neighbors’ houses, take their images of Gods and Goddesses and carry them to a riverbank some distance away. There he worshipped the images all night long. When, in the morning, the villagers couldn’t find their family deities, they would make a big scene. Bamakhepa was discovered as the culprit but, no matter how severely his parents scolded him, they could not prevent him from taking the images. Bamakhepa’s education never went beyond the simple village school he attended. There was not enough money in the family to send the boy away for higher education and study of the scriptures. His father died when Bamakhepa was very young, and, therefore, his mother and widowed elder sister were the first ones who gave him any kind of spiritual instructions. They told the boy ancient Hindu stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and it was due to their efforts that Bamakhepa developed a spiritual sentiment early in life. He enjoyed singing devotional songs which he became rather good at it, to the delight of his mother and elder sister. Financial troubles worsened, and Bamakhepa’s mother had to send him and his brother to live at an uncle’s house. The uncle made and effort to make the boys active parts of his family and dispatched them to look after his cows. But when he found Bamakhepa unfit to take care even this simple task, he sent him back home to his mother. Bamakhepa proved incompetent to perform any kind of work. All he wanted to do was worship Mother Tara. When he saw a red hibiscus flower, he thought of Ma Tara. When he uttered “Ma Tara,” he became unconscious of his surroundings. Even his mother was convinced her son was mad and, in order to keep him out of harm’s way, she put him under house arrest. But at an opportune moment, Bamakhepa broke out, swam across the river Dwaraka and walked all the way to holy Tarapith. He had heard about Kailaspati Baba, the well-known Tantric who was believed to be a realized soul. Bamakhepa went straight to his cottage. Recognizing Bamakhepa’s potential for spiritual realization, the Baba accepted him as his disciple. Bamakhepa began to practice serious Tantric sadhana under the guidance of Kailaspati Baba. Meanwhile, Bamakhepa’s mother was worried about her son and, after a long search, found him in Kailaspati Baba’s cottage. When she realized that she couldn’t persuade him to come with her, she asked one of her family members who was a prominent man in town to help him. This uncle, by the name of Durga Charan Sarkar, was an agent of the Maharaja of Natore and, using his influence in Tarapith, he procured Bamakhepa a job of collection flowers for the service at the Tarapith Temple. But Bamakhepa was not meant for work, and couldn’t perform this task. Instead of picking flowers, he sat absorbed in thoughts of the Divine Mother. Forgetful of his physical comforts, he was unaware if it was day or night, hot or cold, rain or sunshine. Smoking hemp, he lived in the Tarapith cremation ground surrounded by snakes, dogs, cats, and jackals. Although Bamakhepa seemed to have caused nothing but trouble to his mother, and he had not contacted her for a long time, he had great love and reverence for her. When news reached Tarapith that she had died and that her body could not be brought to the Tarapith cremation ground due to excessive flooding, Bamakhepa swam across the flood-swollen river. With his

mother’s dead body in his arms, he returned to Tarapith and asked his brother Ramcharan to perform the funeral rites. How could this poor family afford to pay for the funeral? By divine providence, as it were, money and good came to feed all the guests. People in Tarapith still tell the story about the dark clouds that appeared in the sky as the body of Bamakhepa’s mother was burnt. Though a sudden heavy downpour flooded all of Tarpith, not a single drop fell on the funeral gathering. Bamakhepa was in the habit of moving around completely naked. One day someone asked him, “Why are you naked?” Bamakhepa replied, “My Father (Shiva) is naked; my Mother (Tara) is also naked. So, I am practicing that. Moreover, I don’t live in society. I live in the cremation ground with my Mother. So I have no shame or fear!” Under the guidance of his guru Kaliaspati Baba and the Tantric master Mokshananda, Bamakhepa completed all the major Tantric rites and sadhana in accordance with the shastras (scriptures). It is interesting that Bamakhepa, like Sri Ramakrishna, practiced Tantra while remaining absolutely celibate. Just as Sri Ramakrishna, Bamakhepa also looked upon women as mother. One day a beautiful, young woman tried to tempt Bamakhepa by offering herself to him as his bhairavi (here meaning: “partner in sexual practices”). No matter how much she tried, she could find no “male sign” in him. Suddenly, Bamakhepa cried out “Ma Tara” and bit the woman’s breast. Blood oozed from her breast and she fell down unconscious. When Bamakhepa’s spiritual guides saw that their disciple had attained perfection, Kailaspati Baba and Mokshananda installed him as the spiritual leader of Tarapith and left. Yet nothing, not even this high honor, could bind Bamakhepa. He neglected to follow temple regulations and did not obey social rules. Sometimes he sat with stray dogs, sharing his food with them, and sometimes he answered calls of nature within the holy temple terrain. He was not concerned, and the thought of purity or impurity did not enter his mind. He had practiced same-sightedness for so long. One day the temple priests caught Bamakhepa eating the temple food before it was offered to Ma Tara. They were so angry with him that they stopped supplying him with food. Four days after this incident, the Maharani (queen) of Natore had a strange dream. Ma Tara appeared to her and said: “I am thinking of leaving this place. I asked my favorite son Bamakhepa to eat, the priests have beaten him and taken away his food. If my son does not eat first, how can I, his mother?” When she woke up, the Maharani ordered that, henceforth, Bamakhepa should be fed before Ma Tara. After that, nobody dared to obstruct Bamakhepa. The mad saint of Tarapith became famous for his yogic powers and even people from far away came to see him. Some sought nothing but his blessings while others asked to be healed or helped in distress. Bamakhepa healed many sick people with his psychic powers. Once a dying man came to Tarapith and asked Bamakhepa for prasad (consecrated food). Bamakhepa took pity on him and fed him with his own hand. Soon after, the man miraculously recovered and walked home. There was a leper in Tarapith by the name of Nanda Handi, who belonged to the untouchable caste. Nanda often brought Bamakhepa food and, although he was a Brahmin of the highest caste, Bamakhepa accepted Nanda’s food. In return for the favor, he gave Nanda some mud one day and asked him to rub it on his sours. Nanda did as told and the terrible leprosy left his body. A man form Balagram by the name of Nimai suffered terribly form hernia problems. He had so much pain that he was unable to maintain his family. Thinking he was of no use to anybody, not

even to himself, he resoled the commit suicide. Rope in hand; he came to Tarapith one dark night with the intention to hang himself. Suddenly, he heard a terrible voice. It was Bamakhepa calling upon Ma Tara. Nimai was too scared to commit suicide and, not knowing what to do with himself, he remained in Tarapith near Bamakhepa. One day Nimai enraged Bamakhepa because he lit his pipe on Bamakhepa’s holy dhuni fire. The angry saint kicked the hernia patient in the lower part of his abdomen and Nimai fell down unconscious. But to his great surprise, when Nimai got up some time later, he was completely cured of the hernia afflictions. Another story about Bamakhepa tells of a dying tuberculosis patient who was brought to the saint on a stretcher for final blessings. Instead of blessing the man, Bamakhepa caught him by the neck. Furiously choking and shaking the man, Bamakhepa shouted, “Now, will you commit any more sin?” Strangely enough, after Bamakhepa’s rough treatment, the man got off the stretcher, asked for some food and drink and then walked home, healthier and wiser. But not all people who approached Bamakhepa were so lucky. When a couple of snobbish young men made fun of Bamakhepa because he shared his food with stray dogs, Bamakhepa suddenly touched them. To their horror, they saw in a vision that Bamakhepa and the dogs had turned into Gods while they had turned into hideous bats. Having heard about Bamakhepa’s healing powers, a priest by the name of Nagen Panda brought a dying man to Tarapith. The sick man was very rich, and Nagen Panda thought that he would be richly rewarded if he could get Bamakhepa to cure him. But contrary to Nagen Panda’s expectation, Bamakhepa did nothing of the sort. He just uttered the word “phat” and the man died immediately. Furious, Nagen Panda accused Bamakhepa of killing the man. “I am not responsible,” said Bamakhepa, “for it was the Mother who spoke through me.” Bamakhepa was not learned but the Mother revealed everything to him, as he used to say. The saint of Tarapith lived a long life and through his holy presence sanctified the place and the people who came in contact with him. He entered mahasamadhi (final liberation) in 1911.] [Source: Kali: the Black Goddess of Dakshineswar, Nicolas-Hays, York Beach, 1993, pp. 274281. ] Ugra Tara Mantra: Om Hrim Strim Hum Phat! Ugra Tara Gayatri: Om Ugrataare vidmahe shmashaanavaasini dhi-mahi tannastaare prachodayaat Other popular Mantra: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Swaha Tara Shabar Mantra: Om aadi yog anadi maya jahan par brahmand utpann bhaya. Brahmand samaya akash mandal tara trikuta totla mata teeno basai braham kapali, jahan par brahma, vishnu, mahesh utpatti, suraj mukh tape chandra mukh amiras pive, agni mukh jale, aad kunwari haath khadag, gal mundmal murda maar upar khadi devi tara. Neeli kaya, peeli jata, kali dant jivya dabaya. Ghor tara, aghor tara, doodh poot ka bhandar bhara. Panch mukh kare ha ha kara, dankini, shakini, bhoot palita sau sau kos door bhagaya. Chandi tara phire brahmandi, tum to ho teen lok ki janni.

Om hreem shreem phat, Om aim hreem shreem hoom phat.

Tara Mahavidya Sadhana: http://www.siddhashram.org/s19981155d.shtml

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