Temple of Divine Mother
(Sanskrit: चण्डी, caṇḍī)
The Goddess Chandi is She Who Tears Apart Thought. By tearing apart thoughts, Chandi takes us to the sanctuary of true peace and happiness. Through regular recitation of the Chandi Path, Mother shows us how to maintain divine perception as Gods and Goddesses and stay centered in divinity.
(Sanskrit: दुर्गा, durgā)
Durgam means confusion, and Durga is She Who Removes All Confusion. Durga takes us beyond confusion to the clarity of Wisdom in which we can perceive Her infinite energy in all aspects of creation. By worshiping Durga, we are empowered to live meaningful lives, rich with the remembrance of our Divine Nature.
(Sanskrit: गायत्री, gāyatrī)
Gayatri is the Goddess who manifests the divine attitude: the wisdom of the harmony of the Song of the Three. She is revealed in the form of the Gayatri Mantra, the 24 syllables which are a prayer for increase in Wisdom. The worship of Mother Gayatri, including the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra, brings inner illumination, mental clarity, and greater wisdom.
(Sanskrit: गणेश, gaṇeśa)
Lord Ganesha is the deity for all new beginnings. He is the divine son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the Lord of Wisdom, the Lord of the Multitudes, and the Protector at the Door. Without wisdom it will be impossible for any seeker to open the doors to the secrets of enlightenment — Ganesha grants that wisdom.
(Sanskrit: हनुमान, hanumān)
Sri Hanuman exemplifies the ultimate devotion and respect. He is the greatest devotee and the purest example of selfless service found in the Hinduism. Worshiping Hanuman inspires devotion, the purest conviction, and the greatest motivation in every devotee’s path.
(Sanskrit: काली, kālī)
Kal means Darkness, and Kali takes away all Darkness. That is why She is dark. Kal means Time, and Kali is beyond all time. By worshiping Kali we give up our darkness, illuminate our light, and become One with She who is Beyond Time.
(Sanskrit: कृष्ण, kṛṣṇa)
Krishna is the Doer of All. He inspires devotees to manifest the highest ideals of efficiency in every action, so that mind and heart unite with God.
(Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी, lakṣmī)
Lakshya is a goal. Lakshmi manifests the ultimate Goal. She is the source of abundance both spiritual and material. Lakshmi defines our goals, values, and aspirations. Her bija mantra is Shrim: the perfection of Peace in our minds and our hearts. The ultimate goal is Perfect Peace.
(Sanskrit: ललिता, lalitā)
Lalita is the beautiful, playful, and beloved aspect of the Divine Mother. Her name also means She who orders and organizes creation. She orders all the karma of creation, and all actions of existence are authored by Her. Her 300 Names embody Shree Vidya, the Knowledge of the Highest Respect.
Navagraha (Sanskrit: नवग्रह, navagraha)
Graha shanti (peace) is to put all of your planets into harmony.
The Sun is the light of wisdom; the Moon is the warmth of devotion; Mars is strength and focus; Mercury is the communicator.
Jupiter is the great guru; Venus fills us with love and Saturn takes us into discipline. Rahu and Ketu help to reconcile pairs of the opposites.
(Sanskrit: राम, rāma)
Rāma is the manifestation of perfection in the subtle body of Consciousness. Rāma shows us what it means to live a Divine life – to perform all actions with grace, truth, and gentility without selfishness for the benefit of all creation. The life of Rama depicts the perfect role-models for every relationship.
(Sanskrit: सरस्वती, sarasvatī)
Mother Saraswati is the Goddess of wisdom, art, philosophy, and music. She is the source of strength for students, and for anyone seeking knowledge. Her blessings grant the attainment of the Highest Wisdom.
(Sanskrit: शिव, śiva)
The letter “śa” is the illumination of Peace, the syllable “i” is the Causal Body, “va” means union with the Infinite, and the definition of “Śiva” is the welfare of all objects of perception. Lord Śiva is the eternal Consciousness of Infinite Goodness, beyond the apparent transformations of perception.
(Sanskrit: विष्णु, viṣṇu)
Viṣ means the universe and ṇu means who pervades or embodies. Viṣṇu is He who pervades the universe, everywhere and in everything. By performing Viṣṇu’s pūjā and by remembering God in all of creation, we reach towards perfection; towards becoming a being of illumination, inspiring divinity wherever we go.
The Chandi Path is the allegorical story of Surath and Samadhi – the former is a king, the latter a businessman. They both go through the angst of living – note this was not any different hundreds of thousands of years ago than it is now. They both find themselves grieving over things they are attached to, a way of life they were used to, which is no longer available to them – i.e. life’s various changes. They happen to have the good fortune of meeting with Medhas Rishi and seek his guidance. He narrates the Chandi to them, the summary is this – “Chant the Chandi – that is all there is for one to do, when you are ready, when the Divine Mother is ready, she will give you what you need and what you deserve. There is no need for angst, depression, anger, stress, tension, nerves and what have you.”
I feel I was not any different than Surath and Samadhi, neither is anyone else. My prayers brought me to Shree Maa and Swamiji and what they said in essence is exactly what Medhas Rishi said to Surath and Samadhi. “Chant the Chandi, it is a privilege, what more could one ask for”. Swamiji also taught the proper way to chant the Chandi per his lineage in Siddhasana with Pranayam.
I have now been chanting the Chandi since 2007. Initially it took me a week to chant the Chandi, over a matter of several months to a year and half, this improved gradually to where I was able to chant it in a matter of an hour and fifteen minutes. The Asana was very hard and painful, this too improved with time to where I could chant in one Asana and finish the Seedha Path.
Over the last 2 years I have been chanting the Chandi with Samputs. I was drawn to the Chandi Samput book that Swamiji has written and asked him about it, he encouraged me to chant it with the samput.
I have not resolved all my problems, have not answered the meaning of life and continue to float in the river of life. Chanting the Chandi has made me handle what life throws my way in a more mature, able, calm fashion. I have noticed the very same demons rise and fall in my being that is described in the various chapters of the Chandi and patiently wait for the fruition of the penance that is described in Chapter 13.
Raghu
