SRI VIDYA UPASANA

Srividya is an ancient and influential school of Goddess-centered Shakta Tantrism. Centering on the goddess's three manifestations1.The beneficent deity Lalita Tripurasundari2. Her mantra; 3.and the yantra known as Sri Chakra. Srividya creates a systematic, esoteric discipline combining elements of the yogas of knowledge, of devotion, and of ritual.In the Shakta form of worship, Srividyopasana (i.e., the pursuit of enlightenment via Srividya) is considered the pinnacle of achievement. If the aspirant is initiated properly, it is the ultimate path, because it gives you the experience of union with the Universe, the Cosmos - or whatever name you prefer to call IT by. It is said you must, in past lives, have done thousands of years of sadhana of all the devatas such as Vishnu, Shiva, etc. to reach this point. It is said that one can obtain initiation into Srividya only if one is in his/her or his final birth - or is verily Shiva Himself.And within Srividyopasana there are stages of practice - from simple recitation of mantras to long and ritually complex mediations, all of which are followed progressively until suddenly you are THERE. In this context it is said that even if you are not really competent, some past meritorious karma can still you get initiated into Srividya, and you will become a yogabhrashta (an outcast in spiritual practice) – then in the next birth you will start where you stopped and will attain the union faster



There are many paths of sadhana within Srividya. Some are suitable for some and some are suitable for others. Which is right for a given aspirant depends not only on one's level of spiritual development, but also upon one's circumstances. Not everyone can cope with the rigorous rituals required by full-blown Srividyopasana, whether due to unfamiliarity with details, or lack of time and/or facilities. Not everyone can undertake daily austerities running into hours. The main practice of Srividya - worship of Sri Yantra - can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a full day, depending on how you do it. You have to go by your gut feeling to decide what's right for you.The two main types of pooja are srishti krama and samhara karma - or in English, the creation method and the dissolution method. In samhara karma, each Devi is worshiped and is absorbed into the next Devi, and it continues until we reach Lalita, in whom, by that time, all the Devis will be absorbed. In srishti karma, Lalita is worshipped first, and from her the next Devi is extracted, and from her the next one, and onward until all the Devis are in their rightful places


The full pooja takes hours, because at each point we pause and do smaller, detailed poojas. (What is pooja but an attempt at meditating on the form of Devi?) Hence the sages of yore created a recitation known as the Khadgamala Stotram. The Devi herself must have inspired the great Upasakas to create a capsule that contains everything so that for this time and clime it is THE upasana. All of the sadhana of Srividya can be achieved by the recitation of the Khadgamala. Hours of long ritual compressed to less than half an hour of intense meditation that will give you a ticket on the same plane as the great Srividya Upasakas. Says one experienced Srividya Upasaka, "Whatever your developmental stage, this is IT!" Even those who have not been initiated into Srividya can benefit from the Khadgamala.Sri.Amritananda Natha Saraswati himself describes it as follows: "The Khadgamala is the equation I=WORLD=BEYOND. Regular practice protects you, nourishes you, and takes you beyond. It fulfils all wishes, more than you desire, instantly. Therein lies its power. How should you practice Khadgamala? As you are reciting each name, a portion of Sri Chakra should spring up in your imagination. The power comes from intensifying concentration to visualize the form, hear the sound, feel the touch, taste, and smell of the divine perfume of the goddess manifesting that part of the ever youthful Goddess.The Goddess loves fun. She is deeply in love with You, making You HER Siva. So begin your journey to Goddess today, no matter how feebly. You can add power and depth as you move along.



All mantras cannot be recited by all people. The only people who are entitled to recite any mantra is a Sri Vidya Upasaka, for others the mantras are to be checked for compatibility. There are some mantras that are not compatible for some, so the person who gives should know what is compatible and what is not, that can be known only if you know all mantras or at least a large part as no one can really know ALL the mantras.

The advantage for a Sri Vidya Upasaka is that he knows quite a lot of mantras because he recites them all every day about 800+ mantras.A person doing Sri Vidya Upasana must be a Devi devotee, but not all devotee can do Sri Vidya Upasana. The Sri Vidya Upasaka can do Upasana of any devata. Only someone who is CHOSEN by Devi gets Sri Vidya. It is said you do not choose Sri Vidya but Sri Vidya chooses you. When you get it when you look back you will see how you have been guided slowly and surely to your guru



Some sadhakas may ask ?I am doing vigorous Tapas and meditation for the long time . With all that, my troubles and difficulties are multiplying. I have lost my job. I am starving now. What shall I do? Is this the Grace of the Lord? How can I continue my Sadhana when I have nothing to eat?like lot of incidence may occur when one starts upasana .why this happens ?When asked about the nature of Srividya, I was told that the mantra when properly received and done, will cause karma kshaya and papa kshaya(exhaustion of karmas and papas) at a dramatic rate, which is the reason for the above mentioned phenomenon.Same thing happens when doing sadhana with other mantras too, but not as rapid as it happens with Srividya

It is said one has to be verily Sankara himself or in one's last birth to get sri vidya. Since we are not Shankara, it has to be the last birth or when we get it, it becomes our last birth. So the karma kshaya or papa kshaya has to be faster than normal.

But let me tell you, I have observed that when one gets srividya and does upasana diligently normally and naturally you are thrust into greatness whether one realises it or not.
Surrender the difficulties to Devi and say (I mean TELL HER) .They are yours ,and see.......... what.... happens..............


Depending on the Samskara, capacity, tradition etc of the sadhaka, Tantra Shastra prescribes six ways of worship of the same Parabrahman. These are Shaiva, Vaishnava, Koumara, Ganapatya, Soura and Shakta. The most expansive of these is undoubtedly Shakta.The great Parabrahman is here known as Lalita, parA or ahamtA etc. The main upAsyA-s or deities worshipped are: Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala with their respective Shiva-s or Mithunas being Mahakala, Akshobhya, Panchavaktra, Kameshwara, Tryambaka, Kabandha, Dakshinamurti, Maharudra, Matanga and Sadashiva or Mahavishnu. Dhumavathi is a widow without a Purusha Mithuna. Other than these Mahavidya Goddesses, Navadurgas, Kaamakhya and others in the fifty-one Shakti-Peethas, Mahalakshmi-Mahasaraswathi-Mahakali are all indeed forms of the same great mother Mahatripurasundari.

Each Vidya has its own Rishi, Nyasa, Devata, meditation form, mantra, Yantra, Aavarana, Sadhana, Kavacha, Hridaya, Sahasranama etc.

The various deities worshipped in Srichakra as tutelary deities to Mahatripurasundari.There is not a single God or Goddess that is not worshipped in the Srichakra as a part of Srividya. Srividya includes Pratimaa puja, Linga pooja, Yantra pooja, Saligrama puja, Nyasa, Kundalini yoga, Mudra paddhati, Shodasha Samskara, Homa, Bali, Kamakala Dhyana and what not?The great galaxy of Devi worshippers includes Devas and seers- among who are the celebrated are Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Manmatha, Lopamudra, Sage Agastya, Skanda, Dattatreya, Indra and sage Durvasa.Some texts also mention Nandikeshwara, Surya, Yama, Shankara and Vishnu as well. Each of them has propagated their own schools regarding the worship methodology and significance of Srichakra and also the pattern of Srividya Mahamantra.

1. Kaadi vidya - Kali krama or Samayamata or Kundalini yoga.

2. Haadi Vidya - Sundari krama or Hamsavidya or Kaulamata.

3. Saadi Vidya - Tara krama or Samavarodhini vidya or Mishra marga.

The two most prominent schools of Srividya are Kadi Vidya which traces back to Manmatha and Hadi Vidya, with Sri Lopamudra as its propagator. Sadi Vidya is also prevalent to a certain extent in some places in Andhra Pradesh. Among the three schools, the five Sandhyas are devoted to different divinities. Sadi Vidya, also called Mishra Vidya, mainly relies on concepts of Samayamata, though some beneficial practices and some deities are borrowed here from Hadi Krama. The Tantra followed here is mainly Chandrakalashtaka. In the Kadi School, also called Kali Krama, Kamakala Kali is worshipped in the morning, Bhuvaneshwari in the afternoon, Chamunda in the evening, Samayakubjika at night and Kadi Vidya at midnight. In the Hadi School, also called Sundari Krama, the divinities worshipped in these Sandhyas are respectively Adya kali, Tara, Chinnamasta, Bagala and Hadi Vidya. The scriptures do not recomment this worship for householders. The Tara Krama or Sadi Vidya invokes Dakshina Kali, Tara, Bala, Jnana Saraswati and Sadi Vidya in these Sandhyas. The Kadi School is Satvic, Hadi is Rajasic and Sadi is Tamas as described in Tantraraja.



THREE TRADITIONS
As far as Srividya is concerned, the three traditions are Dakshinamurti - Hayagriva - Anandabhairava. Dattatreya Sampradaaya, if it may be called so, actually is a mixture of these three main Sampradayas and as such the Tantras do not recognize it as a primary tradition of Srividya. These Sampradayas are not contradictory to each other but instead are complimentary. The main differences are in the construction of Srichakra, Guru Mandala, Patra Sthapana in Srikrama etc.In the Hayagriva Sampradaya, the worship is conducted as per Dakshinachara. In the Ananda Bhairava Sampradaya, Kaula or Vamachara methods are followed.In the Dakshinamurti Sampradaya,worship is conducted according to Samayachara.

Written By Sri Guruji, Kamakodi Mandali
THIS ARTICLE HAS COPIED FROM KAMAKODI MANDALI WEBSITE FOR THE BENIFIT OF SADAKAS.

GURU [THE MASTER]

Guru
The guru is Brahma, the guru is Vishnu, the guru is deva Maheshvara. Clearly the guru is the supreme Brahman, to that Shri Guru hail - traditional tantrik coupletBecause the guru gives mantra to a disciple and because she or he embodies the spirit and life of that mantra in an unbroken lineage to the Rishi who first perceived it, she or he is held in the utmost regard in the tantrik tradition. According to the 13th chapter of the influential Kularnava Tantra, there is no difference between devata, mantra and guru. "Devata in truth is the same as mantra; mantra in truth is the same as the guru. The fruit of the worship of the devata, mantra and guru is the same." (Ram Kumar Rai translation). Liberation cannot be obtained by reading the Vedas or studying the shastras (sacred texts), the same Kaula tantra says. Only knowledge (jnana) gives liberation and that depends on the grace of the guru, who is one with Shiva and Shakti. "If the guru first mentally awakens the pupil and then reveals to him this high knowledge of Kula, then both enjoy direct companionship of Yogini and Vira and even cross this worldly ocean effortlessly." (Kularnava Tantra, II. 39-40). But a Kaula guru may behave in a different way from a disciple or the ordinary world expects, because she or he is liberated. "One may be like a child, a madman, a king, or like one in a swoon, independent minded, like a lord hero, like a Gandharva, or like a naked person, a tridandin or like one who sells Veda for cash. Effulgent One, the way to be is to act howsoever one wills, knowing both Akula and Devi's Kula." (Kaula Jnana Nirnaya, XII. 3-6.)


This tradition of the "crazy" guru is embedded deep in the lore of the tantriks and the Nathas and has its value in shaking the conditioning of someone who aspires to be a Kaula, the tradition avers. For similar reasons, some elements of the tantrik tradition in India, such as worship in cremation grounds, the consumption of pig flesh and some sexual practices, were intended to rattle orthodox tendencies in tantrik pupils. (For a full exploration of this topic, see Holy Madness by Georg Feuerstein, Arkana 1992). While orthodoxy appeared to regard women as inferior to men, the Kaulas took a different approach. Initiation from a female guru is held in the highest esteem, as she is Shakti on earth. The female guru is Ananda Bhairavi and the male guru Ananda Bhairava, together in sexual union, drinking the intoxicating wine of consciousness which is bliss (ananda) itself. Below, we find a meditation (dhyana) and an armour (kavacha) devoted to the Stri or female guru, ascribed to the Brahmayamala. The armour in the first translation is made up from the vidya (mantra) of the female guru. After this is a short hymn (stotra) to the male guru from the Matrikabheda tantra, in which his identification with Shiva is plain. The bija or root mantra of the guru, is Hskphrem

Seeking a Teacher in Tantra Path

In seeking a teacher or a Tantra path, how does one proceed? How does one know a "good" teacher?It is said that you don't find the guru.Devi herself sets the meeting of a Guru and Sisya, for the Guru is Devi reincarnate in the physical form..Things do not happen just for the hack out of it. But the most important thing that we should have is this desire to be guided, and it must come from within. From this inner desire, listen by DEVI herself and she will choose a suitable "guru" for you. There are people who think that they do not need a guru, least they forget that their mother is the first guru. Book knowledge is good, but book will remain a book. Book too is a form of "guru" and is very sacred, but you can never compare bookish knowledge with experience.Swami Rama (the founder of the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy and of the Himalayan Institute Hospital trust and Medical College, India) remarked in one of his lectures: A time will come when the seeker goes through a period of argumentation with herself/himself and cannot decide. At this time a real preceptor is needed. How will you find the right master? No one can search for a preceptor. There is a saying in the Scriptures:" When the disciple is prepared, the master appears." This happens only because of samskaras. Teachers and student samskaras are very ancient and strong. To the intense devotee, the Divine Mother Herself acts as the great Guru and guides him if sincerely prayed for."If you are a devotee of the Mother, can you set limits on how she can help her children?someetimes we receive her help through a living teacher, who may be man or woman, eastern or western, well known or not. Sometimes we receive help through a teacher who is no longer incarnate. Sometimes we find guidance in written lore, sometimes in own dreams, visions and reflections

INTRODUCTION

In this age of kali yug, Sacred and Secret Sciences like Tantra have been abused for commercial purposes with people selling mantras, disregarding adikara and interpreting scriptures to suit their own vested interests.

There are many Gurus who exploit the disciples for fame or money, demand donations for temples and worship and offer Diksha for a donation.

As a fresh wave of change, this is a humble attempt to consolidate the teachings of masters & Scriptures to present Tantra in its pristine purity to sincere seekers

All the paths lead to the same Truth. And that we waste a tremendous amount of valuable time and energy trying to prove that one is "superior" to the other, rather than using that time and energy to practice the path for which we so strongly profess to preferLet each path celebrate its unique beauty and perspective.”

Tantra's Message

The Kaulavali Tantra says that all women should be looked upon as manifestations of Mahadevi (the Great Goddess).The 'Kaulavali Tantra' says, 'One should bow to any female, be she a girl flushed with youth, or be sheold; be she beautiful or ugly; good or wicked. One should never deceive, speak ill of, or do ill to a woman and one should never strike her. All such acts prevent [spiritual] attainment.'"[And for women practitioners,] Tantra believes that first and foremost the Feminine must emerge from the woman herself. She must become aware of what she*really* is, and she must integrate that awareness into the way she views herself and the world, as it becomes part and parcel of her life." Actually, Tantra's message concerns both women and men. Every Tantric Shakti [woman practioner] is, or seeks to become, a *true* woman, one who dares to delve into her own being to discover her inner and ultimate wellsprings. She *is* the goddess - a living, present-day incarnation of the ultimate cosmic energy, although she may be unaware of it. Her true mystery is the mystery of life, that fantastic creative dynamism --which gives rise to atoms and galaxies, makes wheat sprout, makes bacteria proliferate -- is present and active at all times in all women."

The Nila-tantra says that one should desert one's parents, guru, and even the deities before insulting a woman. ..

Says the Shakti sangama Tantra:

"Woman is the creator of the universe,the universe is her form;woman is the foundation of the world,she is the true form of the body.In woman is the form of all things,of all that lives and moves in the world.There is no jewel rarer than woman,no condition superior to that of a woman.No wonder even the most powerful of gods, like Shiva above, crave to enter the feminine form, hoping to acquire at least some of her glorious power".

According to the Devi-Mahatmya:By you this universe is borne,By you this world is created,O Devi, by you it is protected.