The Goddess of the Tantras | Navaratri Special

 On the auspicious occasion of Navaratri, we launch into an exploration of Shakti, the Divine Goddess of the Tantras. By Her grace I hope to share with you some deep insights from Ramprasad, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda regarding the worship of Ma and its important in spiritual life. I am going to take an approach that is entirely like Ramanuja in that I will attempt to show, by Her grace, how we can use Jnana, Raja and Karma Yoga to attain to Bhakti Yoga, the highest. Faith and devotion. These alone are everything. But do they come easily and naturally? Hardly! We'll discuss Bhakti for those to whom Bhakti does not come naturally. It does not come naturally to anyone and those who say they they have it might only be making pretences! Who can truly Love the way a devotee loves?! May tonight’s lecture address that directly! We’ll discuss how the Motherhood of God offers a unique opportunity to deepen Bhakti. All this is Her play."Mother! Mother! My boat is sinking, here in the ocean of this world;Fiercely the hurricane of delusion rages on every side!Clumsy is my helmsman, the mind;Stubborn my six oarsmen, the passions;Into a pitiless wind I sailed my boat and nowIt is sinking!Split is the rudder of devotion;Tattered is the sail of faith;Into my boat the waters are pouring in!Tell me, what shall I do?For with my failing eyes, alas! Nothing but darkness do I see.Here in the waves I will swim, O MotherAnd cling to the raft of thy name!"- Swami Nikhilananda's translation of Ramprasad.This is the follow up discussion: How To Connect to Ma Kalihttps://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-connect-q-72564494?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator00:00:00 The Most Fascinating Icon of India00:03:00 What Today's Lecture Is About00:05:58 Swami Vivekananda's Early Experiences of Ma Kali00:22:25 Swami Vivekananda's Endorsement of Mother Worship00:34:13 Introducing Prakriti: The 24 Cosmic Principles00:47:49 Purusha: The Pure Spirit00:50:20 Shiva-Shakti 00:52:24 Why Does Prakriti Create?00:55:12 Moksha and the Movies: The Aesthetic Theory of Shaivism00:59:18 The Two Gifts of Ma Prakriti: Bhoga and Yoga01:08:21 Prakriti as Maha Mayi as Mother01:15:25 How Do I Get Bhakti: Love for God?01:19:44 Why Does Ma Kali Look So Terrifying? 01:21:22 Sri Ramakrishna on How To Realise God (Hint: Worship Mother!)01:28:27 Ramprasad's Poems on Kali01:37:46 Closing PoemSupport the show

Om Podcasten

The world of Yoga is wide and varied. In this podcast, yogi Nish the Fish shares the deeper dimensions of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra, asking the big questions: why do we practice? What is meditation? What is the purpose of a human life? What is Beauty? What is Death? Nishanth Selvalingam studied various South Asian philosophies with his Shaivite grandfather in an ashram in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and moved to Los Angeles to study philosophy, teach yoga and play guitar in a rock band. Join him and special guests as they explore Yoga, in all its splendours. For more episodes and instruction, and to support this humble offering of the heart, visit me on Patreon: patreon.com/yogawithnish