Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother

Bhagavad Gita : Chapter 9

~~OM~~

    Verse 32

  1. The verse says ” For those who take refuge in Me, even if they took birth in a sinful womb, or as women, as business people or as laborers, all attain the supreme refuge.”

    My reason tells me that in this verse, which begins and ends with the Supreme, ultimately there are no differences in the One- Without-a-Second and through devotion and sadhana we all can attain the Supreme Refuge. Yet the alarms still go off inside me! How can I best understand this or deal with this resistance? Thank you very much

    We can give up the resistance by understanding the cultural context in which this was written. In that society there was a distinction of authority, and what this verse is saying is that no matter what one’s station in society may be, if one takes refuge in God, that individual attains the Supreme Refuge.

Story of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Vibhishana

~~OM~~ Ravana and Kumbhakarna, and Vibhishana, the three, when they were young men, they went off to do tapasya. And Brahma came and said, “I’m satisfied with your tapasya, what […]

Taking Refuge in Divine Mother

~~OM~~

Shree Maa and Swamiji’s Message

“Dear Beloved Children, Thanks for helping to bring peace to yourselves and this universe. We are very proud of you. This year please recite the following mantra: “saranaagata diinaarta paritraana paraayane sarvasyaarti hare devi naaraayani namo-stu te” (Translation: For those who are devoted to you and take refuge in you, even though helpless and perplexed, you save them from all discomfort and unhappiness. All worry you take away, Oh Goddess, Exposer of Consciousness, we bow to you.” Please do at least one maala (108 times) each day for 2008. With your prayer this world will get peace.”

Blessings,

Shree Maa and Swamiji

******

With the blessings of our Gurus, we have begun making japa of the Sharanagata Mantra in 2008. The Japa totals as of January 17th 2008 are as follows:

Aparna

1836
Devi

3888
Leela

864
Morningsong

756
Nanda

1080
Ramya

1080
Rosario

540
Srini

1080
Steve

4536
Total

16660

Story of Sagara

~~OM~~ Sagara was a great king of Ayodhya, and he was performing the Ashwamedha Yagya in order to become the emperor of the total known world. And while he was […]

Chandi Path: Summary

~~OM~~

The Chandi Path or Durga Saptasati comprises thirteen chapters.

To learn the form of the Divine Mother, Her pre-eminent quality (guna), and the asuras She vanquishes in each chapter of the Chandi, please view or download the following document:

Chandi Path: Summary

Story of Rama and Bharat

~~OM~~ When Bharat went to Chitrakut he said, “Ram, I want you to take the Kingdom, I’ll stay in the forest.” And Ram said, “No, that wasn’t father’s order. Father […]

Divine Mother, Your chariot awaits!

~~OM~~


Photo of the week – Jan 5 – Jan 11, 2008
(Picture taken December 2007 at Devi Mandir, Napa, CA)

May Divine Mother always ride with us!

Rudraksha related questions

In the video “Om Namah Shivaya”, I noticed that Maa uses the thumb and index fingers to move the mala. I have heard that index fingers are not to touch the mala. Can Swamiji please comment.
Swamiji says:
That is the method that Shree Maa uses to worship Shiva. But the important thing is not which finger you use, but that you do the japa. So many people waste so much time debating which finger to use, that they do not perform the practices.

Could Rudraksha beads be used for Narasimha mantras, and Ganesha/Lakshmi mantras?
Swamiji says:
Yes. More traditional would be a tulasi mala, but followers of Shiva and Shakti can definitely use rudraksha.

Is it forbidden to eat meat when using Rudraksha?
Swamiji says:
Is the question, “At the same time,” or “While wearing?”
Generally, there are vegetarians and non-vegetarians. There is nothing “Forbidden.” It is just a question of the practices one observes.
Vaishnavas forbid. Shaivites and Shaktis request us to use our discrimination.

Story of Jayant as a Crow

~~OM~~ One time Indra’s son Jayant assumed the form of a crow. And he was playing with Ram and Sita, and then he pecked Sita’s foot. And Ram got mad, […]

Swamiji at the Monroe Institute

~~OM~~

In 1987, while on one of their several tours throughout the United States visiting devotees, spiritual communities, and seekers; Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda met Robert Monroe at his institute in Virginia Beach.

Throughout the years, Mr. Monroe has written several books documenting his, originally, spontaneous out of body experiences. Over time he discovered a relatively simple process for inducing various levels of meditation and even out of body experiences in virtually anyone. He called this process Hemi-sync, and established an institute devoted to researching the ever increasing therapeutic uses of his discovery.

Briefly, Mr. Monroe discovered that by synchronizing brain waves of the two hemispheres of the brain, by means of playing separate pulses through earphones into each ear of a subject; one could be brought to ever deeper levels of meditation and finally to a full out of body experience.

This tape is a record of Swami Satyananda’s experience with Hemi-sync. And, it should be said that though Mr. Monroe has, over the years, guided hundreds of explorers to the farthest reaches of the Universe and to many levels of subtlety, the Swami’s experience was unique.

What Mr. Monroe heard was as follows. For devotees of the Mother Goddess, it speaks for itself.

Listen to Swami Satyananda at the Monroe Institute:

“I exist everywhere, in every time, in every object, in every form. But especially in those who know me in love and delight. Those who come to peace can come to love; those who are devoid of their own selves. Open your hearts and share with one another. Know that each and every form that you see is merely my reflection. Take joy in life. Be at peace. Be happy and share.. ” Download transcript: DOC

Story of How Narada Curses Vishnu

~~OM~~ Narada Muni went to meditate in a special grove which Shiva had blessed. And Shiva said, “This Tapovan, is this forest for tapasya, I am giving a special blessing, […]