We start our evening's Q&A with some book recommendations for the study and practice of Tantrik Shaktism, that is, devotion to the Divine Mother. (00:00-07:00)
Then we discuss some precautions around the Devī Māhātmyam sādhanā with regards to "fierce grace" with an excursus on the Power of Mantra/the Power of the Written Word. (07:00-16:00)
But to soften that, we then talk about Mā's non-dual nature as ultimately compassionate, even towards supposed "demons"! At 19:00 we discuss the importance of Guru and Lineage in Tantrik practice.
At 20:36 we talk about a "doxographic hierarchy": Samkhya then Advaita Vedanta then Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra which might roughly correspond to Sri Ramakrishna's "ajnana (ignorance)" to "jnana"(knowledge) to "vijnana". In the course of this discussion (20:36- 37:00) we talk about some of the risks and dangers that can come from improper sequencing of philosophy and practice (i.e narcissism, hedonism, complacency etc.) and how we might guard against that.
At 28:00 minutes we discuss the attitude of Mathura Bhava, "god as my Lover" in the context of Shaivism and then at 30:00 I argue against that in favor of the parivatsalya bhava, the attitude of "god is my Mother" with an emphasis on strong, demand, self-assured devotion as opposed to a self-effacing devotion. This discussion is particularly valuable since devotion is at the heart of this community's approach to spiritual life.
At 37:00, we reflect on the seeming paradox of how the Mother of the Universe (signifying mind-blowing transcendence and abstraction) can be my very own mother (in a very real, immediate and immanent sense). How to reconcile God's grandeur against Gods immediacy? We talk about Yashoda, Krishna's Mother, Swami Vivekananda and Anuradha Paudwal, the famous sangeet singer to explore various modes of devotion towards the Divine, as possible answers to the aforementioned question, so central to the devotee's life.
At 44:20, we talk about the playful, "little girl" aspect of the Divine Mother before reviewing all the different modes of devotion (handmaid, parent, servant, child, awe/fear etc.) before closing out what I feel was one of our most inspired discussions yet. Thank you for the stimulating conversation Ishānt-ji and thank you Jess Devī for the excellent question!
Lectures happen live on zoom every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and Friday at 6pm PST. There's Q&A right after the lectures.
It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815
For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnish
To get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM