Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother

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 […]

Story of Vedavyasa’s Conception

~~OM~~ Now the son of Parasara Rishi, who is Vedavyasa. You know, Parasara came to the river where he met Matsyagandha. She was Dasaraj’s daughter. Dasaraj was the king of the fisherman. And he had this daughter, Matsyagandha, who smelled like a fish. So she said to her father, “Father, what seva can I do […]

Story of Arjuna and Concentration

~~OM~~ You all know the story of the Gurukul at Dronacharya’s ashram. Dronacharya was teaching all the disciples how to shoot the weapon, the bow and arrow. And he called his son Ashwathama, and he said, “Ashwathama, see there is a bird in the tree. What do you see?” And Ashwathama said, “I see the […]

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? […]

Story of Keshab Sen and Ramakrishna

~~OM~~ Keshab Sen went to Ramakrishna and he said, “Thakur, Why don’t you build hospitals and schools, and be a benefactor to society?” And Ramakrishna got mad and He said, “Oh, Hospitals and schools! You’ll always have sick and you’ll always have ignorant. That’s not going to change the course of humanity. Let me realize […]

Story of Vashishta

~~OM~~ Vashishta completed the education of Ram and Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna in the Gurukul. On the day of graduation (it was called the Samavartan – the returning home after graduation when the snatak becomes an initiated member of society; no longer a student supported by society, but now entering into society ready to make […]

Respecting All Our Actions

Shree Maa has said how she has learned everything from her guru, Sri Ramakrishna. “When I was a young child, even from the age of l five years old, I used to help my grandmother in the household chores. One day I was sweeping the floor, and when I had finished cleaning the rooms, I […]

Story of Bhishma’s Death

~~OM~~ Bhishma got the boon of “ichcha mrityu” which means you can choose the time of your death. So when Bhishma was shot by arrows from Arjuna, the sun had just moved over the equator into the southern hemisphere. Bhishma was laying there on a be of arrows, shot so many times by Arjuna, he […]