Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother

Travelogue: Kali Worship and Diwali

Diwali is a time to celebrate the sharing of our light with others. In our tradition, and in many parts of India, prior to celebrating Diwali we first worship Mother Kali, The Remover of Darkness. Kali Maa is the great mother who takes away our negativity so that the light can shine. This is one […]

World Peace Sankalpa – Maha Lakshmi Ashtakam – COMPLETED

Shree Maa has just blessed us with a new group sankalpa to continue our efforts in praying for world peace.

This sankalpa involves chanting the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, which will help to clarify our goals in the new year. Starting November 11th and ending on December 31st, this sankalpa includes a group total of 10,008 recitations. …read more

Shree Maa’s Sautéed Mushrooms

This simple, tasty sautéed mushroom recipe is one of Swamiji’s favorites and it takes less than ten minutes to prepare!

Shree Maa serves this as a side dish in a meal with other vegetable dishes and daal. Enjoy with warm chapati or roti. …read more

Travelogue: Satsangha with Swamiji

Tap….Tap….Tap…. was the sound of Swamiji’s walking stick as we sauntered down the cemented sidewalk that runs adjacent to the Ganges River. It was nice to breathe in the fresh air, which gently rolled off the river as if it were blessing us with its darshan. I felt doubly blessed this beautiful morning to also […]

Travelogue: The Daksheswara Mahadeva Temple

There are a few temples in the area of Rishikesh that are especially loved by Shree Maa and Swamiji. They almost always visit them whenever they come to Rishikesh, and even when they don’t, they send other devotees to these temples on their behalf with their blessings. The favorite temples in the Rishikesh area are […]

Travelogue: Arrival in Rishikesh and Swami Ramkripaluji’s Ashram

If you have ever had the occasion to listen to the joyous bantering between Swami Satyananda and Swami Ramkripaluji, I am sure you will find our arrival at Swamiji Ramkripaluji’s ashram quite amusing. As we arrive, par for the course, the joyous teasing ensued: So began our delightful stay in Swami Ramkripaluji’s ashram on the […]

Navagraha Deepam

The Navagraha Deepam (lamp) is lit in the puja room of our house to inspire positive vibrations. It brings prosperity, good health, peace of mind, and courage.

In this lamp, Lord Surya (Sanskrit: सुर्य, surya), the Sun, occupies the center place, and is surrounded by the other Grahas (plantets). Lord Surya is the source of life in our Solar System and represents the Light of Wisdom who dispels our darkness. …read more

Travelogue: Other Temples in the Jammu Kashmir Region

There are several other notable temples in the city of Katra and the larger region of Jammu-Kashmir that we simply were not able to visit due to time constraints. But Shree Maa and Swamiji cleverly narrowed down the temple selection to a few quiet temples in which they thought we would be able to worship […]

Take a Walk with Me

This wonderful poem, written by Sadhana Shakti, a devotee of Shree Maa and Swamiji, touches on an important and universal subject, that we are all Divine!

Written as if the Divine Mother was speaking to each of us directly, this piece is a wonderful reminder that we all harbor the great light inside! …read more