Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother


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Vishnu Worship Questions

Vishnu Sahasranam Question: In chanting the Vishnu Sahasranam, if you only have a limited amount of time, is it better to chant just the thousand names or just the puja? If you really are short on time can you break up the chanting of the thousand names into two separate sittings and should you do […]

Lalita Worship Questions

Can we recite Lalita Sahasranaam before the altar of Durga? Swami Says: Absolutely. There is no scripture that the Gods and Goddesses do not like to hear! Swamiji talks about chanting the 300 names of Lalita as greater and fruitful than Her 1000 names. Does this mean the thousand names are not as powerful as […]

Lakshmi Worship Questions

Offerings Question: In the Laksmi Puja there doesn’t seem to be the nectar bath offering. Why? Swamiji Says: All the offerings are in the Cosmic Puja. I didn’t want to keep cutting and pasting from one book  to another, so I gave the shell of the puja, and you can supplement as per your desire. […]

Story of How Ganesha was Born

~~OM~~ Shiva said to Nandi, “Go tell Parvati that I need to see her immediately.” And Nandi came into Parvati’s room and said, “Shiva is calling you.” And Parvati said, “Oh my goodness, you came in here without even knocking. This is terrible, I need some help. I need someone who is going to protect […]

Chandi Path Questions

Title of the Chaṇḍī Pāṭhaḥ Question: Sometimes the Chandi Path is referred to as the The Devi Mahatmyam, and The Durga Saptasati. Why are there three names for the same scripture? Are there differences in the contents in a book with one of the other names? Swamiji says: The scripture became known by different names […]

Learn About the Jyotirlingams

~~OM~~ The twelve Jyotirlingams are: Somanatham Mallikarjunam Mahakalam Omkareswaram Kedaranatham Bhimasankaram Visveswaram Tryambakam Baidyanatham Nageswaram Ramesvaram Ghusmesvaram Please click here for a presentation of the Jyotirlingam mantras. Somanatham The Divine Mother took birth in Daksha’s house in the form of Sati and after performing tapasya, became Shiva’s wife, and went to live with him on […]

About Ganesh

Meaning of Gam Question: What is the meaning of the syllable in “Gam”? Swamiji Says: There is a sanskrit shloka that explains the syllables: The letter “ga” is the form of wisdom; the letter “a” is that which is in the middle of creation; the anusvaara (m) is the form of perfection. Thus, the attainment […]

Guru Gita Questions & Answers

~~OM~~ Message of the Guru Gita The repetitive message in the Bhagavad Gita is “Serve God, Serve God, Serve God!” In the Chandi Path the repetitive message is “Take one asan and chant the Chandi!” What is the repetitive message in the Guru Gita? Swamiji Says: “na guroradhikam | na guroradhikam | na guroradhikam |” […]

Rudrashtadhyayi

Uvach in Rudri Question: Some of the scriptures progress/teach through a conversation between a God/Goddess and a devotee or Rishi. Why is there no particular conversation in the Rudrastadhyayi? Swamiji Says: The Rudrastadhyayi is Vedic. The Puranic scriptures occur in story form, but the Vedas are hymns of praise. Purusha Suktam Question: Are there different […]

Saints and Lineage

~~OM~~ Lineage of Sanyasis What are the different lineages established by Shankaracharya and why were they formed?Shankaracharya divided the Sannyasins into ten tribes called Dasnami: Bharati full of light Giri live in the mountains Puri live in cities Saraswati scholars Van live in forests Aranya live in groves Tirtha live in pilgrimage places Parvat live […]

Story of Disciple Seeking Darshan

~~OM~~ The disciple went to the Guru and said, “Guruji, How can I see God?” And the Guru said, “Take a bath.” So the Guru and the disciple went down to the bank of the river, and they went under the water and they started to take a bath. And just as the disciple was […]

Story of Shankaracharya and Trotakananda

~~OM~~ This whole Guru Gita is the king of mantras, because without devotion to the Guru you will never learn any other mantra. This is primary education. We want to fall in love with our teachers so we soak up their knowledge like a sponge. We want to become worthy of their knowledge. And we […]

Becoming Mad for God

In this age of darkness, fear of death has taken over the minds of us all. Ramakrishna and one of his disciples are engaged in a deep conversation regarding death. Ramakrishna says, “Look, God is the ocean of nectar. Don’t you have the desire to dive in and swim in the ocean of eternal bliss? […]