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

Sva: Your own
Sara: Ocean
Ti: personification

The Personification of your own ocean of existence, all you know is Goddess Saraswati

Kara Nyasa: Everything I touch, I touch with the name of God.

Kama means to fulfill or satiate all desires other than the desire to be with Mother.

Vedoktam Devi Suktam was composed by Ambrini, the daughter of Agastya Muni who sang the Vedas.

Q&A

What does it mean to bow to the Guru?

With full attention we grok what the Guru is saying and exemplying, follow the example of the Guru and apply it to our lives. This is not about touching toes. To bow to the Guru is to humble ourselves, to become the perfect container to receive th Guru’s grace. This is about bowing from your heart. Placing the highest part of me at the lowest part of you will cause the blessings to flow.

Why do we repeat the nyasas at the end of the Chandi recitation? How long do the benefits last?

The nyasas are before and after the Chandi Path. Its called Navarna Samput. We have sandwiched the 700 verses between two Navarna Viddhis. Do it as much we can. Do a minimum of one mala each time.

Yoga is chitta vritti nirodah, cessation of activity. How does it relate to bowing to her in the form of activity?

When we bow to her in activity, we are not attached to the action, we are not bound. We are doing it for Her, through Her.

The pin klim is in the navel – is that referring to the knot between the lower chakras and the heart – if yes, could you say a little about this please.

Klim is in the Manipura. Klim is the cause which dissolves the gross body into the causal body in perfection. We are removing pin and allowing the free flow of Kundalini to bring it into the Causal body.

In Chapter 1, The King asks the Rishi how to make the mind sit still.

The Rishi says, If you let the mind flow, ego takes over. If you fix the mind in one place through prayer and worship, you can dissolve the ego. She will withdraw the energy from the asuras and give that energy to the Gods.

In verse 5, enjoyment means enjoyment of fruits of Karma. Heaven refers to the divine illumination of attitude toward life.

Liberation means freedom from debt to our Gurus, ancestors, and Devas.

In verses 12-13. They gave the offering sprinkled in blood taken from their own bodies. This means they offered with extreme passion.

Give us pure, full, uninterrupted, infinite devotion. Give us that sincerity so that we pray to you will fully concentrated attention. When You come to see us I want to have answer on tip of my tongue. Rehearse it regularly.

If you chant the Chandi with concentration, She will come that’s her promise. Know what you want and have it on the tip of your tongue. If you ask for anything other than devotion, you going to have to come back to this earth and ask her again. Because anything else will not give you sustained satisfaction.

Wisdom is bhava bhakti, attitude of devotion. When we confront cicrcumstances with attitude of devotion that is wisdom.

Sadhana is not a choice. It is incumbent on us to do sadhana.

Q&A

1. It appears that our concentration when we chant the Chandi depends on what we do the rest of the time. Is that correct?

We want to work for her more and more and for her children and less for us. We want to remove selfishness in our behavior. That will assist us in paying attention when chanting the Chandi.

2. Is grace/kripa always “to do and to get” or is there also unmerited grace? I’m thinking of the Kalpataru tree and Thakur’s blessing – all sorts of people were there receiving.

Everyone had prepared their karmas in previous births or in this birth. So its always do and get. It takes very special individuals to receive that blessing. All of us are receiving the fruits of our prarabdha karma from this lifetime or previous lifetimes.

3. There are two verses for removing curses and two for removing pins. Are they two different pins or granthis?

In the Kilakam Stav, all 14 verses are used to remove the pin. Also the Brahmadi Sapa Vimochanam also removes the curse.

You have to have the right intention to perform this sadhana or you will go deeper into attachment. If we sell the blessings of the Goddess, this is a wrong understanding. Chanting the Chandi should not be a livelihood, it should be the substance of our lives.

4. Can you please speak more about our debt to the Guru? How do we create this debt? Is it specific to the Guru or is it debt that we accumulated in our life, from not acting wisely?

This is the debt accumulated by not acting according to the wisdom of our Gurus in many many lives. We must follow their teachings and incorporate them into the fabric of our lives.

5. What exactly does it mean when You say that She will come to us. Literally? Figuratively?

Literally. That energy pops out of the Murti and speaks to us. You can physically see and feel her. You will be consumed by Her energy. It is not figurative. It is a literal darshan, complete intuitive vision.

6. Did the idea for Sahasra Chandi yagna originate from this chapter?

Sahasra Chandi comes from here. Three years they propitiated the Goddess.

7. Can you please describe what Sadhana the King and Businessman actually did? In Verse 10 it mentions the “Devi Suktam Param Japam.” So did they chant the Suktam all day long?

This entire Chandi Path is a Devi Suktam. They did the Cosmic Puja, chanted the Chandi Path, studied Devi Gita, Kirtan, Classes.

8. Why can we not ask Her to give us whatever She thinks fit and for us to be conscious and grateful for that fact? Why do we need to know what we want versus what She will give us. Can you please help me understand?

The objective is to put our desire in attunment with hers. If you say have no desire you are lying. Desire is there in every atom. When you have no desire you go into samadhi. When you are doing sadhana and tapasya you desire something

9. In verse 3 and others, the Goddess is spoken of as the “perceivable form of consciousness”. Is this referring to the gross universe, virat, as being Her form or is it a personal vision one may have in more subtle realms as a culmination of one’s sadhana?

She is both. You can perceive her as you choose. She is all.

In this chapter, we recite the phala sruti – what will happen if we study and sing the Chandi.

Rishis and Munis get their siddhis (attainments) from tapasya
Gods get their siddhis from drinking the nectar of devotion
Asuras get their siddhis from wearing stones and amulets

So if you any adverse planetary influence sit down and do tapasya and you will get the attainments of rishis and munis.

In order to listen to it once and really listen, really intuitively grok the essence of the Chandi, we need to prepare ourselves. Some once asked Shree Maa, “Swami Vivekananda was touched by Sri Ramakrishna and he got enlightened by single touch, will you touch me like that?” Maa said, certainly, but first you become Swami Vivekananda.”

Q&A

1. In verse 20, what are offerings of animalistic nature?

Some people like to slay an animal. I like to slay my animalistic nature, my pashu bhava. The selfish guy within me is the one whom I want to scarifce. That is the purpose of this Chandi.

2. We are told to recite or listen with concentration and full devotion. In verse 11 we are told that it doesn’t matter whether or not we understand it. Is it possible to really have full concentration without understanding?

Yes. When we are beginning it is enough to be able to pronounce even a single line. More we study, more we understand and the easier it is to focus on the story of what is happening to me, the story of our personal transformations. Self-conceit and self-deprecation in us makes us follow our day dreams. The purpose of concentration is to focus on the scripture to the exclusion of these day dreams

3. In verses 20-22, other than the consideration of time, why do we recite a shortened version of the Chandi Path? Will the benefits still be the same?

The benefits are not exactly the same. The longer we sit, the more we benefit.

4. With all the benefits the Goddess showers upon the devotee, please tell us why it is NOT ok to ask Her for material benefits.

It’s certainly OK to ask her for material benefits. But when she grants you the wish,you will come back and ask her for something else. We want something permanent. The only thing permanent is devotion. If I am devoted, I love what I am doing, wherever I am at, and whomever I am with. If she gives me that devotion, everything else will come. Asking for material benefits is like going to a billionaire and asking him hey buddy can I have a dime for a cup of coffee.

5. Is the way Mother removes all obstacles, afflictions, and other bad things by our chanting the Chandi because through this practice we become in alignment with Her and by knowing our true nature none of these things can be of any consequence to us?

Yes, very true. When we are aligned with her of what consequence are robbers, lions, tigers, etc?

6. The chapter mentions ghosts and inimical forces. In the Chandi you have translated Asuras as Thoughts. Do negative and inimical beings (other than our thoughts) actually exist?

Yes, they do. They are in my thoughts. These are incorporeal spirits that are perplexing us and exist in our minds. Whether they have external existence as well us is of no consequence to us. They represent the conflicts and confusions that are making obstacles in our paths.

7. In verse 8, what are spiritual and physical confusions?

We have physical obstacles, limitations. For example, I have a pain in my leg and I have a confusion: should I sit or not sit in the asan. I have spiritual confusions – what is my dharma in this circumstances, a debate between two conflicting ideals of perfection. That’s a Dharma sankat.