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.

In this Chapter, we bow down again and again to Narayani. Nara means man, humanity; ayana means eyes. She is the eyes of Humanity. She energizes Narayana, She is the exposer of consciousness.

We bow down to Divinity with all the energy of consciousness.

Verse 29 in this chapter is a very important mantra that you can make japa whenever some one is ill.

In Verse 39, we pray her to terminate distubances in the three worlds: gross, subtle, and causal.

In verse 42, Vindhyachala is the Mountain of Kknowledge, the mountain of one pointed existence from Bindu.

Whenever oppression arise from confused thoughts the Goddess shall manifest to destroy the foes.

Q&A

1. Why does the poet switch the metre of the verse from 32 syllables to 44 in this chapter?

Anushtub (32 syllbles) is the chanda (metre) of narration, it is used for narratives. Trishtubh (44 syllables) is the metre of praise, it is used to express the song of devotion.

2. What is the relation between the heart and intelligence?

When we know in our heart, it is sincere and our response is svabhavic as opposed to knowing in our mind.
Maa says, when we have intelligence in our heart, it is medha.

3. In verse 6, if it is true that “all women in the world reflect your capacity entirely”, then why don’t we see this perfection in all women?

Shiva and Shakti revolve around each other reciprocally. You will inspire your Shiva to act like Shiva and he will regard his wife as the Divine Mother. Her inspiration makes him divine and his understanding makes her divine.

4. What does it mean to become a refuge to others?

We do so in different ways. By being a good friend, by providing inspiration and knowledge, by doing sadhana. Receive the knowledge of the Chandi and pass it on either through your words or deeds.

5. In verse 29, is there a way to sense whether Mother is frustrating our desires because She is displeased, or if the difficulty is our tapasya and we have to push through it?

Obviously we have to push through. Her displeasure indicates wither inappropriate desire or that the right effort to fulfill the desire was not taken (effort is not pure).

6. Does a devotee remain quiet when he/she has sickness or is it good for he/she to be humble and ask Divine Mother for help with the infirmity after doing japa and chanting?

Never inappropriate to ask Mother for what you need. Please remove my infirmity so that I have no obstruction to my sadhana.

7. Here the 3 eyes of the Goddess are described as being in union – sun /moon and fire – I assume that sun moon would be shiva/shakti in union – is the fire symbolic of divine passion or purification?

The Sun is the light of wisdom, the moon the light of devotion, and fire the light of meditation.

8. Historically, which came first: the Devi Gita or the Devi Mahatmyam?

Devi Mahatmyam is from the Markandeya Purana. The Devi Gita came from the Devi Bhagavatam, 900-1000 years later.

9. In Verse 20-21 chapter 7 – It says that Durga actually slayed the asuras Chanda and Munda. And Kali did not actually slay them but only brought Durga the heads of these asuras. Is this true?

Yes it is true. But Kali and Durga are the same. There is only one Goddess. One God.

10. Is the recitation of kshama prarthana reflect the style of self-deprecation?

No, it reflects humility. Self-deprecation: I beat myself and put myself down. Humility I plead to Mother to make me better. I push myself down so that She can raise me up.

11. What is the significance of the Bee (Brahmari) in verse 53?

The bee knows exactly where to find the nectar. It goes to the flower takes the nectar and nourishes other flowers and us.

Maa says be a bee, don’t be a fly. Flies move from one dirty place to another and are attracted to filth. Bees just go for the nectar and brings the nectar home and prepares the nourishment of honey.

12. Everyone is praising Mother with every action they perform. Can you explain this?

All energy is Her. So every action we perform is the manifestation of her energy. Some of us our praising her gloriously and some less. Thief wants to be perfect thief, sadhu the perfect sadhu. Every action is taking us to perfection, our definition of Dharma. One day we will realize what that ultimate perfection will look like and we will switch our energies to attain that perfection.

13. In verses 50-53 she assumes a terrible form, Bhimadevi, on the mountain Himalaya? What does Bhima mean?

Bhima means terrible. Not in the sense of awful. Terrible in the sense of astonishing, mesmerizing, grand, gigantic, so hard to describe. Maa says She is the authority over all energies.

14. When is the 28th epoch of Vaivasvata Manu. Is it an actual time? Is it saying here that the same Shumbha and Nishumba will be reborn. So self deprecation and self conceit will keep coming back. If this has already happened is there a text about these stories?

It is more a manifestation of mind. As mind evolves we go through the predominant characteristic of the mind. Right now we are in the reign of the eighth Manu. Best to call them as paradigms of reality.

15. Why slay the agitated awareness?

People who resist the predominant attitude of the mind will have confusion of agitated awareness. In this manvantara, Our ultimate dharma is to become Savarni. When they resist, Mother will remove the confusions born of agitated awareness. Because manifestations of nature are transient we have to unite with soul.

16. In verse 47, why does She have hundred eyes?

She sees in all directions, at all times.

17. In verse 46, what is the meaning of “rain shall cease for hundred years?”

This is not a literal interpretation. When there is no further nourishment of devotion, She can’t take birth in the wombs of women. She can take birth only in the heart of devotees. If earth is devoid of devotion, even still, I will take birth in the hearts of devotees.

18. Does the birth in the house of Nandagopa refer to the birth of Krishna?

No. It refers to the birth of Mahamaya. She tells Kamsa that you stop your oppression or you will meet your demise.

19. Will meaning of Goddesses become clear as we chant more?

Absolutely. More we refine our desire to sit still, pronounce correctly, invite Goddess into our lives. More sincere our worship the less likely asuras can come through the city of nine gates.

20. Is it impossible to be in equilibrium when doing Karma?

No. But very difficult. Our mind strays from our objective of being with Goddess to the oopbjective of doing karma.
Thinking of how to perform, for whom, what are the results, am I doing the best, what will happen if I don’t perform, etc.

21. How do we nourish our family with vegetables from our body?

Its all about love. Love my family, love life. Reinforce these attitudes and you will nourish everyone around you.

In Chapter 10 Goddess is fighting Self-Conceit on behalf of the Gods.

Q&A

1. What is the difference between Mahishasura from the second episode and Self-conceit in the third episode?

Mahisasura is the Great Ruler of Duality, of all dualities. He is the controller of the 6 ripus (limitations): desire, anger, greed, ignorance, avarice, and jealousy.
Self-conceit says, “Boy, did I do a good job. Look at my success. Even I admire me. I am sure everyone else does.”
Self-deprecation says, “Poor me. I blew it again. I am not good enough.”
They are similar. All three episodes are going on concurrently. It is not a linear progression. It all happens at once. All the asuras are acting simultaneously. What can we do? We can cry, “Maa please help us.”

2. What is the significance of the half-moon on the Goddess’ head in the Dhyanam of this chapter?

The moon is the emblem of devotion. The Goddess wears devotion as an ornament.

3. Does Swamiji recommend that we introspect on our negative thoughts in addition to chanting the Chandi to cut down asuras?

No. Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts, dwell on presence of Mother – “She is within me, She is in my heart.”
Dwelling on negative thoughts increases the strength of self-conceit and self-deprecation. Fill yourself with full, pure, loving, positive, joyous devotion.

4. If the goal of sadhana is to transcend the ego, how do we understand the ego’s desire to chant the Chandi?

God within us is inspiring ego to become Divine Ego. Purpose is not to destroy ego but to expand the ego become the greatest egoist. I am Shiva. Aham Brahmasmi. No negative small ego left.

5. Sumbha wanted to fight only one Mother and not her manifestations. What is the significance of this?

He was conceited that he thought that if She withdrew Her manifestations, he would be able to defeat her.

6. Can you please talk more about Verse 8?

When there is manifested existence, everywhere we look we see a different form. When Mother withdraws forms we are moving to non-duality, there is only Self-conceit and Mother: savikalpa Samadhi. Now, he is trying overcome and bring her to duality. She is saying, “no, you have to leave your self-conceit and see all the energy of the Universe within me: Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

7. What is the significance of the self-conceit bringing his fist down on Devi’s heart?

Heart is love center. He is striking at the devotion of the devotees, disrupting the love in Her heart.

8. In Chapter 8, Maa is the Shakti of Shiva and Shiva resides in the sahsrarara, what is the significance of Shiva being sent as messenger of Mother>

Consciousness is going to self-conceit and gives an order. Consciousness comes down from Sahsrarara and illuminates the chakras.

9. What is the significance of the Goddess striking self-conceit with the palm of Her hand?

He struck Her with her fist, She just gently strikes him with a palm. That’s enough to knock him down.

10. Maa Kali cuts off the heads of Her devotees during their sadhana. How does one visualize the ishta when one has no head?

It takes a lot of prayer to lose your head. And once you lose your head, no prayer is required, until it grows back.

11. Is there a correlation between the Goddesses that we meditate in each chapter and the negative forces She vanquishes in each chapter?

Yes. In this chapter when you have surrendered to Kameswari, you have only one desire left, to be with Her. If you contemplate her form, you will lose all your self-conceit, you have no more desires.

12. If Mother wants us to take us Samadhi, why do we hold on to worldly objects?

Ego rebels, when we say we going to kill it. There is a sense within that if I don’t survive how can I enjoy Samadhi? It wants to enjoy Samadhi and be there and then come back and tell everyone about it. And so I can tell everyone about it. Ego is devious when he comes out.

13. If we go back to original desire, will Devi destroy that too?

When we enter into the one desire to be with Mother, we lose all other desires. That is pralaya, dissolution of manifested existence. Then there is another creation. If we are fortunate we remember what it is like to be in samadhi and we quickly learn how we can unite with God and what good karmas I can do to inspire others to attain the same.

14. In verse 8, Chapter 4, Divine Mother is Svaha. Why do Gods become content upon hearing the word?

Svaha is the wife of Agni. When we make an offering, Svaha takes it away from Agni and gives it to Gods. So Gods become contented.

15. In Chapter 1, can the forest also be seen as symbolic of consciousness mind?

Yes. Absolutely. We are moving to forest of purity, tapasya, and non-attachment where we can contemplate purity and clarity and how we can unite with God without selfish desire.

16. When Mother fights self-conceit, why did all Gods just look on without participating?

They knew that only Mother can slay self-conceit. We (the Gods) become witness of Mother slaying self-conceit.

17. In Chapter 8, there were many energies of Goddess that could not defeat Raktabija. Why?

They could not because the seed of desire had won the boon that each time a drop of blood fell from his desire a new desire would be created. All energies wounded him and his blood poured profusely. And there was a new desire. Only Mother Kali could drink up all the blood.

18. Is it better to pray to Mother to take away desire than to pray to fulfill it?

Better to pray to be with Divine Mother. Then all the other desires go away of its own accord. They pale in significance to the desire for Mother. That’s why chanting the Chandi is such an important tool because singing the Chandi is a desire to be with You.

~~OM~~

In the meditation, She is the supremely divided one, who is both male and female continuously without end. S(he) is Ardha-nariswara or Ardha-nari-iswari.

In verse 11, Self-deprecation strikes the Lion, Dharma on its head. This means, every time we say, “I can’t”, “I’m not good enough”, Dharma is injured.

Q&A
1. The mind is very quick. We get a thought and then we can only observe that we that have had a thought. How does sadhana help us be a witness to the thoughts?

Sadhana is to call Mother to take the thought away. Focus on Mother to take the thought away. We are the observer of the thought in relationship to the Mother. That’s the sadhana.

2. Before we are attacked by self-deprecation or during self-deprecation, is the only thing to do to call on Divine Mother?

Yes. Take away my inefficiency. We are saying the words, at least. Make us feel the words. Give us devotion that causes us to focus our attention on you. So that we can perform with optimum efficiency, without self-deprecation or self-conceit, paying attention to You.

Ask for Suddha Pavitra Chirastay Vyakulat Ananya Bhakti – pure, purer, infinite, sincere, infinite Bhakti.

3. Could you tell us the difference between modesty and self-deprecation?

Modesty means, “I don’t want to blow my trumpet. I will try to be humble.”
Self-deprecation is the thought, ‘I am not good enough, my behavior is inadequate, etc.”

4. What does confidence mean?

I know my devotion is sincere. I am going to serve you with greatest sincerity possible.

5. If we make a mistake, what should we do?

First you say, “I appreciate the correction.” Then ask, ‘How do I do it correctly?” Learn from your mistake. Don’t focus on self-deprecation. Pay attention, absorb like a sponge. If you can, write down the answer. Then read it. Then read it again, later. One day you might share this lesson with others.

6. Why do we battle the Lord of Confusion (verse 30) and het worship Mother in the form of confusion in Chapter 5?

In Chapter 9, we say, “I don’t see You (Mother), and that’s why I am fighting the Lord of Confusion. Once self-conceit is defeated and we get out of confusion, I see that everything is You (Mother) in the form of confusion.

7. The asuric qualities described in the Chandi pertain to the conscious mind. How do we defeat the asuric qualities that are unmanifest in the unconscious mind?

We are still working with the conscious mind. Can I speak about the unconscious? No. I am not aware of them. We can only speak of what we are aware of.

There is samskar, an intrinsic nature which follows us from birth. We become aware of it over the course of our lives.

8. Self-deprecation’s shield is inlaid with eight moons. What is the significance of the moons?

Moon symbolizes devotion. We have a lot of devotion to self-deprecation. We become absorbed in self-deprecation even when people come to cheer us up.

9. How to become more aware?

Chant the mantra. Pray to Mother to give more sincerity, capacity, and devotion. How can I do your work in a way that pleases you?

~~OM~~

In Chapter 8, we meet Raktabija, the seed of desire and watch how She slays him.

Rakta means passion, blood, red, desire; bija is seed.

Q&A:

1. What is the significance of the energies adorning the same dresses and features of their male counterparts?

Consciousness is masculine and enery feminine. She acts and looks just as he.

2. Does Raktabija represent both fulfilled and unfulfilled desires?

Only unfulfilled desires.

3. If we have no desires, we would lose the zest for life. Does this chapter suggest that the sadhana will lead to a desireless state?

All desires are not done away with. Desire is inherent in creation. Only selfish desires are taken away by the Goddess. Then we are left only with selfless desires. You still will have the desire to eat, sleep.

4. Is the desire to pronounce better, sit longer in asan, etc. forms of raktabija?

These are Raktabija in a positive form. By pursuing these, we take away our negative desires. As we spend less and less time with the positive, we spend more time in negative.

5. Is blood symbolic or the gross substance that courses through our veins?

It is symbolic and symbolizes the negative passionate desire that draws us into worldliness.

6. What is the significance of water (that Brahmani sprinkles on the thoughts) and how can we use it in our daily lives?

Taking a bath is our first act of purification. When we do achaman in puja (sipping water) we purify our lips.

Water symbolizes equilbrium. It is always at the same level, always seeks its own level.

7. What is benefit of recording our spiritual experiences in a journal?

The only benefit is some years later I can read my journal and say that I do not need these journals any more. Objective is to know the experiencer. Remember the intensity of the experience and not the manifestation of the experience.

8. How do we offer desires to Mother?

Increase time spent with the Guru. Also think how would your Guru respond to a certain situation (where the desire arises).
This would be like in engaging in satsang throughout the day.

9. We have a strong desire to chant the Chandi. But then we have to do karma in the world and that prevents us from chanting. How can we overcome this?

You can say to Mother I love you and so I am going to demonstrate my love by doing karma. Then read whatever you can.

10. Surath and Samadhi abandoned their families and kingdom. This was not their highest ideal. Was it?

Both were driven from their kingdom and families. They had no choice. What they did subsequently was certainly their highest ideal because we remember them even today so many years later.

Also, when they left their family kingdom they had good thoughts about their families and kingdom.

11. What questions to ask or not ask our Guru. How do we decide?

Love them with all your heart. Ask the right question at the right time. Do not interrupt Her when She is talking. Be natural, be free.

~~OM~~

The protaganists on the side of asuras in Chapter 7 are Chanda and Munda, anger and passion.

Chamunda is the slayer of anger and passion. Cha is to move (from chara), Munda is head or all that is knowable or paradigm of reality. She who moves in the paradigm of reality.

Q&A

1. Spiritual experiences are signposts in our journey to God. Yet we do not undertake sadhana to achieve them. How do we reconcile these two positions?

Spiritual experiences are at best mild distractions. We should not get caught up in them. They prejudice the meditator. Talking about them diminishes their value. The goal is Her.

2. What is the symbolism of the red sari in the Dhyanam of this chapter?

Red is passion, love. She loves us strongly. She is taking sway our misdirected passion. When I am in love, I pay attention.

3. What to do with selfish passion, if we do not emote it?

First be vigilant. “He self, watch yourself.” Take a time-out. Take a deep breath and count to 10. Just remember Divine Mother. From that centre think about “what should I achieve from this interaction?”

4. How can we overcome misdirected passion or desires fro the world?

Start with yourself. Then expand your attention to the world.
Memorizing scripture, singing, Puja are positive expressions of your passion. Increase the positive and decrease the negative passions.

5. When does She destroy our thoughts in our sadhana?

All the time.

6. What does it mean that She destroys the thoughts and then eats them?

She take the negativities from us and that becomes the nourishment for Her.

7. How is the path of self-enquiry, “Who am I” related to our tradition?

We are more interested in Who is Mother than in “Who am I?”

Mother it is you who we are watching. You are the experience, I only want to witness you. That is our path.

8. Are the list of asuras in the Chandi an exhaustive list or just a sample of our negative qualities?

The are representative broad categories.

9. How to remember Her when acting in the world?

When you are acting remember Her mantra. When washing the dishes, chant the Mantra and She will wash the dishes through you. If you are doing something intense like brain surgery, chant the mantra whenever you have a moment to withdraw from
the surgery.

10. Is Mother energy or controller of energy?

She is the controller and the controlled.

11. What is difference on the effects of chanting one mantra versus chanting a dramatic scripture?

Chanting one mantra moves us into meditation without form (nirakara).

Chanting a dramatic scripture, we move into the attitude that this is the drama of our lives.

“I am the king, the businessman, the rishi. My negativities are going into her mouth.”

Chandi is a guided meditation where we relinquish our negativities.

12. Did Sri Ramakrishna come to propagate the superiority of bhakti over jnana?

Jnana is not inferior to bhakti. The more you know, the more you feel love, the more you want to learn.

They happen together, they are inseparably connected.

Sri Ramakrishna was a jnani, a bhakta, ana dhyani. He was a child of God.

13. If we want to cultivate good thoughts, why does the Chandi have so many violent images?

The best thought is that all negativities are entering the mouth of God. What better thought than that!

~~OM~~

Recall that Self-conceit was told about the beautiful Goddess by Chanda and Munda. So he sent a messenger to tell the Goddess to come to him and sit with him. “Your honor and glory will be enhanced”, said the messenger. The Goddess said, “Self-Conceit is the master of the three worlds an I’m just a woman. But I have made a promise that only one who can defeat me in battle and surrender his self-conceit can be my
husband. So go back and tell self-conceit this.” On hearing this, the ambassador got angry and said, “you come down or our army will take you by force.” Then he returned to his king and gave a report.

In Chapter 6, the leading character in self-conceit’s army is
Dhoomralochana, Sinful eyes.

Dhoom means smoke. Dhoomralochana has smoke in his eyes. He can’t see clearly, lacks discrimination, sees with selfishness.

The Goddess destroys Dhumralochana by pronouncing the mnatra, Hum.

Everytime we are confronted with sinful eyes in our lives remember the mantra, “Hum.”

In verse 18, the lion caused the bloods of thoughts to flow. This means Dharma takes away the misdirected passion from our thoughts.

Q&A:

1. What is the significance of the King of Snakes in the Dhyanam?

Snakes represent Kundalini Shakti. On the head of a cobra there is a shining jewel. The Goddess is effulgent with a multitude of these jewels. This means She is commanding the radiance of all energy.

In all living beings, kundalini shakti is alive and moving. It sleeps only in a corpse. When we speak of it as sleeping that’s poetry. I am asleep and I forgot about my kundalini shakti is a more accurate description.

Just as the farmers make ruts when they draw their bullock carts to plough the fields, we make ruts by which we become aware of the kundalini shakti.

When we are in our lower chakras (pashu bhava) the ruts are very short. As we move into virya bhava and sadhana becomes
second nature to us, the ruts become longer.

2. In meditation, should we focus on one chakra or move up and down from one chakra to another (like in Bhuta Shuddhi)?

Both are useful. All techniques are used to make us masters of focus. The more techniques you learn, the easier it becomes to decide which is more useful.

3. Can we chant Hum as a mantra alone? What is its significance?

Hum is the astra mantra to combat excesses of impure being. Ha is Rudra, u is circumstance, m is perfection. We see all circumstances in equilibrium of perfection.

4. Why did the Goddess use Hum for Dhoomralochana and not for
Self-conceit and Self-deprecation?

She has other tools for them. We armed Her with those tools in Chapter 2.

5. Does the lion represent determination?

Yes. The determination to live life according to Dharma.

6. How does sinful eyes manifest in our lives?

Every time we have selfishness, sinful ayes has attacked. We think about “me”, and not about “thee.”

7. How do we stay in our higher chakras when we act and interact in the world?

Everyone has experienced the higher chakras at one time or another. When we feel love, we are in the higher chakras. But then we move down when we become or express selfishness.

Sadhana can be done to make it stay up. Bring the love and stay in love. Train it to stay in certain states of consciousness.

8. In Chapter 4, can you explain the significance of “within You are the three qualities of nature”, in verse 7?

Gunas pervade every atom in existence. When a person is seated and engaging in spiritual discourse, focusing on the
still posture that person is tamasic, his passionate discourse makes him rajasic and the fact that is talking about God makes him sattvic.

Divine Mother embodies all th three. But She is not connected with any of the defects of the three.

~~OM~~

In Chapter 5, verses 14-76 contain the refrain:
“Namastasyai Namastasyai Namatasyai Namo Namaha.”

We bow five times (with five organs of knowledge, five organs of action, five elements (tanmatras).

Q&A:

1. The Divine Mother tells us in verse 6 that if we remember Her in times of adversity She will eradicate our every distress. How does she do this? In adverse situations that I encounter, I remember Her yet I am feeling the adversity and distress. Doesn’t the mind need to attain a level purity before the devotee can feel the presence of Mother any
situation, good or adverse?

When you are in distress, You are thinking two thoughts: Mother and distress. If you really remember her in devotion only Mother, the distress dissolves. With sincerity, with intensity, we bow to Mother exclusively.

2. What is the significance of the energy, the pin, the seeds, and the principles in the Viniyoga?

All of these will be explained more clearly when we discuss Murti Rahasya.

3. When we come out of Samadhi after chapter 4, does the ego return in chapter 5?

Swamiji asked the same questions of His Guru. All three battles (related the three episodes) are happening simultaneously. All the asuras are constantly changing and interchanging their forms. Our battle with the ego does not follow the linear sequence of the chapters in the Chandi.

4. In verse 82, what does remember in a physical form mean?

In a murti, in some symbol of divinity, saguna. Remember Mother and focus on one form. Then concentration is acute, more intense so that all thoughts are literally consumed by your concentration. It does not matter what that form is so long as you postulate that the form is my form of divinity

5. What does it mean that the ego took divine qualities?

How can the sun be bright if it is covered by a cloud. Self conceit and self deprecation obscure our wisdom and throw us out of heaven. But we know what to do. Sing before the manifested form of divinity and bow and bow.