Magha Gupta Navaratri (10th Feb - 19th Feb 2024)
The first nine nights of the waxing phase of the Magha lunar month in the North Indian calendar, are also referred as the Magha Śyāmalā Navarātri and dedicated to the worship of Śrī Mātaṅgi and all aspects of Śrī Kāli, such as the Daśamahāvidyā-s. Śrī Mātaṅgi Devi is the tantric Sarasvati or the Goddess of Knowledge, both spiritual and material, speech, writing, as well as of all scientific and literary art forms. All that is known and unknown is Her.
Rāja Śyāmala devi is propitiated during this Navaratri ie from Māgha śuddha pratipada till māgha pūrnima by ŚrIvidyopāsakās. Depending on one’s sampradāya, each navarātri is observed for 9 days or 15 days. Goddess Śyāmala being the Ākarṣaṇa śaktI of Lalitā parābhattarikā is worshiped in her Geya cakra (yantra) along with her retinues during this navarātri. If one desires to have upāsanā siddhi in Lalitopāsanā, he should approach parābhattārikā through Rāja Śyāmalā. In other words, the grace of Śyāmalā plays a vital role in pleasing the Supreme Goddess.
Anugraha śakti of Lalitā - Out of compassion, the grace of Lalitā descends towards the upāsakā in the form of Śyāmalā to uplift him in Her path(upāsanā). This is also called śaktipāta.
Ākarṣana śakti of Lalitā – parāmbikā draws Her devotees closer to her through Śyāmalā. She ensures that her devotees do not get carried away with worldly distractions and continue to tread steadily in Her path.
Buddhi śakti of Lalitā - She was born out of Lalitā’s intellect. True spiritual knowledge rests upon buddhi śakti which is the power of the higher mind to discern the Truth from the false, the eternal from the transient, the real from the unreal and light from darkness. She directs the devotee in the form of intuition.
Sankalpa śakti of Lalitā – She is the will power of devi, present in every atom of the universe. Her grace is important to realize and accomplish one’s deeper motivation. Saṅkalpa is determination. Will power is a one-pointed mind plus determination. Worshipping Her will help us accomplish goals (both spiritual & material).
Those initiated into Śrī Mātaṅgi mantras may experience divine visions and/or fulfillment of wishes. All others can recite the 108 names - or the stotram itself. The kavacam is a must for those reciting Her mantras. All others can also recite the kavacam during these nine nights. Followers of Śrī Śyāmalā Devi may also recite the hymn called Śyāmalā Daṇḍakaṃ, written by the celebrated poet Kālidāsa.
Those initiated into the mantras of Śrī Rāja Śyāmala, can recite the mantras associated with Her aṅga devatās and Herself in the following manner for each day/night of the navarātris -
1. Laghu Śyāmala 2. Vāgvādinī Śyāmala 3. Nakulī Śyāmala 4. Hasanti Śyāmala 5. Sarvasiddhi Mātaṅgi 6. Vaśya Mātaṅgi 7. Sārikā Śyāmala 8. Śuka Śyāmala 9. Rāja Śyāmala.
Worshippers of the Divine Mother Kāli, may recite any of Her kavaca-s, stotra-s. Those with mantra initiations may experience wish fulfillment and all round happiness and prosperity. Performing the Mahāṣoḍhā nyāsa is a great plus during these nine festive nights.
For 2024, the dates of the Magha Navarātri-s are 10th February to 19th February Indian Standard Time. Readers may check the corresponding local time, based on the lunar calendar for that location.
This article is written by Krishna Vallapareddy and can be contacted at Krishna@manblunder.com
Photo: Courtesy Ruslan
WICCA
February 06, 2019 01:13 AM
Could you share Matangi mantras that doesnt required initiation, please?
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Krishna
February 06, 2019 08:41 AM
Śrī Mātaṅgi is a tantric deity like all other Daśamahāvidyā-s and by default the mantras require an initiation.
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Stephen
February 12, 2024 11:02 PM
Initiated people can chant her gayatri and the Vagvadini mantra. aiṁ klīṁ sauḥ vada vada vāgvādini svāhā oṃ śukapriyāyai vidmahe śrīkāmeśvaryai dhīmahi tannaḥ śyāmā pracodayāt
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Nesh
February 13, 2024 10:02 AM
Should it be śukrapriyāyai, as in Ūshānas Deva?
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Nesh
February 13, 2024 07:02 PM
śukapriyāyai Is correct. I apologize. If it is not too much trouble, please delete my comment saying śukrapriyāyai and this one, so they are not cluttering the space.
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Raghuveer
January 27, 2020 11:11 PM
One initiated to Medha Saraswati can follow the same?... Or Shyamala and Medha Saraswati are different?
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Krishna
January 31, 2020 10:40 PM
They are considered different from a Vedic and tantric perspective. The mantras therefore are different as well.
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Raghuveer
January 27, 2020 11:12 PM
Also, could you please post articles, mantras, etc related to Medha Saraswati?
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Krishna
January 31, 2020 10:41 PM
In due course of time, we will publish the mantras.
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Богдан
February 01, 2020 10:05 PM
Hello, what would you recommend for the mantra for sanctifying food?
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Jayanth
February 02, 2020 02:35 PM
Gayatri mantra is ideal for sanctify food
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Богдан
February 03, 2020 12:56 AM
Hello ,before sanctifying the food of the Gayatri Mantra, do you need to read 3 mantras that remove the curse from the Gayatri Mantra?
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Jayanth
February 04, 2020 12:04 PM
Take a spoon on water, put it on your palm chant the Gayatri mantra and sprinkle on food. This is enough
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Ishan
February 02, 2020 01:11 AM
Are we supposed to do the following specific steps for Gupta Naavarathri as usual Navarathri or it is not needed ? * 9th day of Navarathri (Final Havan in the morning, finish with Purnahuthi mantra). * After havan, Keep the books/business/work related laptop/equipments etc in front of deity. * No reading that day till next day (10th day) morning Puja/prayers. (Is this practiced? by Sadakas or applicable to just children who study ?) * Next day (10th): No havan that day. Prayers and Parana and conclude ? Thank you Ji for your articles and advice.
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Krishna
February 03, 2020 11:13 AM
Mantra japa is considered best for the gupta navarātri-s.
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Jothi Agaval
February 11, 2024 08:02 PM
In this Śyāmalā Navarātri I will talk about the Great Minister as Mudriṇī. Reader, know that your body is a miniature of the Macrocosm. When Kuṇḍalinī is sleeping, your body is only the Microcosm, but when Kuṇḍalinī wakes up, your body becomes the Macrocosm and the Microcosm simultaneously. Now open your palms and look at them. Your hands are Śrī Rāja Śyāmalā, the hands of God or Lalitā. Through your hands you can control the Microcosm and the Macrocosm. Your hands work like a "remote control" where you can manage and control everything. All Mantras can be replicated through specific Hand gestures. Forget other gestures with your body, the gesture of your hands alone can generate the same effect as reciting a specific Mantra. But you must know how to perform the hand gesture. The Queen of all Mudras is the famous Sarvayonimudrā (although almost everyone does not know the correct way to perform it). This Mudra is done only with the hands and generates the same effect as reciting the Pañcadaśākṣarī Mantra. This Mudra invokes Bindu and removes all defects from anything you speak. Everything you say will be perfect. When I recite the Pañcadaśākṣarī or display the Sarvayonimudrā alone there is no difference in the effects. This is how important Śrī Rāja Śyāmalā is. She is the hands of God. She acts in the name of the Queen and can do, undo and do nothing, according to her wishes. All Mantras have a corresponding hand gesture. Rāja Śyāmalā is that. Mudriṇī is that Minister who manifests herself like all Mudrās and who can do anything in the name of the Queen. Look at your hands again. They are Rāja Śyāmalā and you can control the Microcosm and the Macroscosm with them alone. Mudriṇī are one of Śyāmalā's sixteen favorite names.
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Stephen
February 12, 2024 11:02 PM
This is true. When I roll the rudraksha beads of my japa mala over different parts of my fingers I will get jerks in my body, usually in the spine. I do believe this is because the spines of the seeds brings my awareness to that part of the fingers and somehow that power in the finger is linked to kundalini devi.
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Krishna
February 13, 2024 01:02 AM
Namaste Dear Jothi. Thank you for the valuable input. I was in complete awe and deep contemplation since I read this description. It totally blew me away and immersed me in deep joy. All your input and every gesture, is also the aspect of the Divine Mother Mudriṇī. I have included your description in the article - https://manblunder.com/articlesview/sri-shyamala-sodasa-nama-stotram
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Jothi Agaval
February 11, 2024 08:02 PM
The hands are so important because they are associated with Anāhata Cakra, Vāyu and Time. When a Mantra is recited, you are performing Prāṇāyāma. When you perform a hand gesture or Mudrā, you are also performing Prāṇāyāma. Objects can only be transformed through the action of time or Vāyu. An object can be thought of in the past, present or future. It is Vāyu's action that makes him take on different forms at a given time. So, hands are related to the power to manage, transform, influence and control.
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Богдан
February 12, 2024 01:02 PM
I understand that this is the Panchadashi Mahamantra: ka-e-ī-la-hrīṁ ha-sa-ka-ha-la-hrīṁ sa-ka-la-hrīṁ? Of fame, of which you spoke earlier. I read somewhere on the Internet that the full version of this mantra has to be revealed by a Guru. Is this true? If You can tell about the not very complicated worship of Shri Yantra pressed on silver plate and not in Mahameru form. Thank you.
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Stephen
February 12, 2024 11:02 PM
This is also true. One of the secrets of the parabija is that it represents making love with the Goddess through our breath. This is well understood in Kali krama but in Sri krama things are less often revealed. All of creation is an inhale and exhale. It never stops. While Shiva exhales, Shakti inhales and visa versa. This is subtle and gross. The power a yogi gains comes from being extremely aware of this movement of prana and controling it through awareness. But please remember we are not an isolated island, we are making love with the entire world through our breath. If we truly understand how intimate this is we will immediately become overwhelmed with love, because Adi-Rasa is so incredibly beautiful. The grace of the Goddess is in Her breath.
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Jothi Agaval
February 13, 2024 01:02 AM
Namaste Богдан. It is a lie that the Pañcadaśākṣarī Mantra is incomplete. If you fall into the trap of thinking this, you will never achieve the perfection of this Mantra. It is a fatal error that goes against the sixteen meanings of the Śrīvidyā Mantra. In fact, the three Kūṭas are the three primordial Mahāvidyās: Kāli, Tārā and Ṣoḍaśī. The different variations of Pañcadaśākṣarī occur because the Divine Mother "plays" with different concentrations of the energies of these Mahāvidyās in the Mantra. In other words, Kāli prevails in the Pañcadaśākṣarī worshiped by Kāmarāja, but these three primordial Mahāvidyas are never separated in these Mantras. They play with each other in variations of the Pañcadaśākṣarī Mantra. The faithful devotee of any of these Mantras will sooner or later obtain the fruits of all the other Mantras. The difference only happens in the fruits that come faster or first than others. But in the end the three Mahāvidyās fully bless the devotee. Other Mantras are "studies" within the Kūṭas of the Pañcadaśākṣarī Mantra, but they are not superior, they are just studies of other facets of the Divine Mother. The only exception is the Parābhaṭṭārikā which is the heart of Lalitā. The Pañcadaśākṣarī emerges from the Parābhaṭṭārikā. Regarding the worship of the Śrīcakra, it is the same whether in your mind or outside it, but worship of this Cakra has a long path that must be traced by the Guru from the beginning to the end. I talk about important aspects as I have time available. But the truth is that Śrīcakra and Śrīguru are equal due to the constant need for instructions during the journey. For example, Yogini Māheśvari is a big problem. What I see most is people completely destroying their lives in minutes due to unnecessary uncontrolled anger. Māheśvari's controlled anger is Sāttvika Krodha, where anger is an instrument of establishing Dharma in accordance with the divine will. The devotee absorbs the Yoginis of the Śrīcakra and employs them in a very intelligent way. He is not someone without emotions, quite the opposite. But always when these emotions or powers manifest they are aligned with the Dharma and the divine will. He plays.
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Богдан
February 13, 2024 08:02 AM
Could You please tell us more about the spiritual practice of breathing? How to use it in everyday life. Thank You.
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Michael
February 13, 2024 01:02 AM
Dear Mr. Jothi Agaval ! Thank you very much ! Sincerely, Michael
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abhishek
February 15, 2024 04:02 PM
@krishna@manblunder.com Dear Sir, Can we have an article explaining the meanings of matangi sahasranama
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prem shankar
February 18, 2024 11:02 PM
Respected Guruji, Pranam. My son ( DOB: 31-01-2007, AT 8.29 AM, NEW DELHI) was a good student till class x. he passed class 10 board exmas with 98% marks in the year 2022. unfortunately, after that he lost his focus & interest towrads studies. all the time he is on social media and online gaming. his studies worst hit. I shall be highly obliged if you can help me to get his focus back to studies and do well in coming class XII and other competitive/ professional exams. Best Regards
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Krishna
February 21, 2024 03:02 AM
This has become very common and many are suffering due to the distractions and irresponsible behavior of children as well as the entitlement that we have provided to them. My suggestion is to take him to a Psychologist for therapy sessions. They can be good career guides and advise best on how to proceed from a practical perspective. In addition to this, I would suggest that you consider energizing a rudrākṣa mālā and offer it to your son. It will take some time to show its effects but your son will definitely become more responsible.
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prem shankar
February 29, 2024 08:02 PM
Respected Guruji, Pranam. I am grateful for your guidance and support. May I request you to kindly guide to energize a rudraksha mala and with which mantra. I understand that the mala shall be 108+1 beeds and panchmukhi. Best Regards
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Krishna
March 01, 2024 09:03 AM
You can use a Rudrākṣa māla of any number of beads and faces for wearing purposes. The benefits and the process of energizing the beads is described in the Rudrākṣa category on this website - https://manblunder.com/articles/rudrakshatearsofrudra. For mantra japa purposes, the japamālā mantra is different as described in various mantra articles on this website and elsewhere. However, for wearing purposes, the mantras for energizing them are different. We should not be using the same māla(s) for both wearing and mantra japa. Keep them separate. You can get a 108 + 1 Rudrākṣa māla and perform mantra japa with it. Once the mantra japa is complete, you should place it back in a māla bag and store in a dry and secure place. For wearing purposes, if a 6 face (mukhi) bead suits you the most, you may purchase 1 bead or a set of beads per your liking of any origin (Nepal or Indonesian or Papua or Australian or Hawaaian/American or Indian Rudrākṣa or Bhadrākṣa) etc. and wear it after energizing with the Purāṇic or the Tantric mantras that work best for you. In my case, I have an Indonesian 1-14 sarva siddhi māla that I energized with the tantric mantras and gave a couple of mālas to friends and family and also wear one myself. From an effects standpoint, it is too early to say, but I have had some peace of mind and resolution of some long standing issues in the last 2-3 weeks. It has only been 3 weeks since I energized the mālas. For me the 7 and 8, as well as the 14 face Rudrākṣas have been very effective and I witnessed some amount of auspiciousness and relief from worries. The 1 mukhi caused a lot of hindrances.
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Алексей
March 08, 2024 02:03 AM
Namaste dear Krishna. Tell me about = Rudrakshi 1-mukhi created many obstacles. Can you tell me = what kind of obstacles and problems did Rudraksha 1 Mukhi cause ? . Maybe according to Jyotish, there is a planetary period that is not suitable for wearing 1 Mukha?
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