(Major disclaimer: I am very novice with this stuff. Please seek other consultation and if so inclined, do your own reading and seeking and keep notes to compare and contrast what you come across. Somewhat like Dylan or Krishna or Omid may presently be here, and surely they will give much better guidance and explanations) Namaste Claire Yes, I did the full 18,000. However my concentration was quite messy, so I ended up exceeding 100,000 to feel confident I got to 18,000 mentally focused and clear pronouncements. I only partially completed the purascharana. The end result had a potentially striking effect on my life, it took maybe 4 months. Everything changed mostly for the better, but I still had lot of turbulence and shake ups and discomforts, they just happened to propel me forward. I also have kaal sarp, and when I began my Rahu was in, iirc, a less than optimal setting, and since then it has moved to two progressively better positions. The benefits from each of these shifts was fairly similar to the impact of the mantra japa which was completed during a malefic time. So I would say, under my structure of beliefs and level of skepticism, which is moderately high and led me to be an agnostic with a presumption of atheism for most of my life, this mantra process at least coincided with many statistically unlikely outcomes and events that look very serendipitous in hindsight. I am just coming off of some weeks of research and consultation with astrologers, Vedic and western, going through various chart systems and reviewing various nadi readings and making something like a self profile. Through this process, it has become clearer that Rahu coincides and links with Mars and Kethu on my Sahasrāra cakra. This may be quite significant to the outcomes of performing japa of this mantra. In hindsight, it is hard to decide if I would have done this mantra at all. Like many of the Navagraha mantras, they seem to bring faster effects. We might guess why, I’m personally lacking understanding to do so. However, for me the effects were chaotic and sometimes quite like an ice bath that eventually leads to greater clarity and vitality and healing, but at first is genuinely daunting. It seems to come down to the birth chart, and more fundamentally, to karmas, destiny potentials, and something like a soul contract. Regarding pronunciations, I will try. Honestly in just a minute, I’ll be reading the guidance of auspiciously brilliant Dylan, to hopefully find clarity regarding ending the bija syllables, but I digress. The straight forward closed-lipped hummed “m” ending is fine per Śrī Ravi Guruji. To the Rahu mantra, a useful rule: vowels with a bar (ā, ī, au) should be held for about two blinks of an eye. The nasal dot (ṁ or ̐) indicates a soft hum through the nose, like the tail-end of “song.” This nasalization isn’t forced, but should be allowed to resonate naturally through the nose or sinuses. It’s often recommended to only chant aloud until you’ve fully learned the pronunciation, and then gradually switch to mental recitation, where the real subtle effects seem to begin. The mantra begins with om̐, pronounced like “home,” but drawn out and ending in a hum. It sets the tone and should vibrate through the upper head. Next is sām̐, with ā as in “father” or “calm, said to be held for about two blinks of an eye/“matras”, and ending in that nasal hum: “saaam.” Then comes sīm̐, with ī like “machine” or “seen,” again long and nasalized: “seeeem.” The following saum̐ contains the diphthong au, as in “sound” or “out,” pronounced “sowm” with a nasal finish. Sam̐ is shorter, the short a often described as just one blink in length afaik, like the word “some,” but ending in a hum. It’s more grounded, and marks a return to centeredness. Then comes rāhave, pronounced “rah-ha-vay.” The rā is long like “bra” or “spa,” and the rest flows naturally. The “v” here is often soft, almost like a “w.” Finally, svāhā, pronounced “swā-hā,” with both ā vowels long as in “father.” The ending can have a slight breathiness, or at least it feels a bit like that to me, almost like an exhalation of offering (but not a breathy h sound, which is its own letter, the visarga, I fear I am unnecessarily muddling now though)

The path does end in the sense that liberation is the point of no return. Once you have crossed the threshold of whatever impulses of duality remain, you are finished. Anantaśaktipāda says in his commentary on the Vātūlanāthasūtras: "The stable abiding of this continuous consciousness is its condition as perfectly devoid of reversal. As it is permanent, there is no discontinuity due to the repeated unfolding of consciousness with thought constructs, nor is entry into it attained by that nature of consciousness which is devoid of thought constructs." In other words, in the liberated state one is not subject to falling back into dualistic thought, nor does it involve attaining anything. Abhinavagupta says in his Paramārthasāra: "Neither has liberation any abode, nor does it involve a going elsewhere. Liberation is the manifestation of one's own energies realized by cutting the knot of ignorance." Moreover, even in the midst of daily life one is incapable of falling. The Īśvarapratyabhijñākārikā says: "He who, having all as his essence, thus knows: 'All this multiform deployment is mine', he, even in the flow of mental constructs, attains the state of Maheśa." However, it is more complex than just that. The nature of the supreme reality is dynamic awareness. Its vibrating radiance manifests as everything in every moment. Even a liberated being continues to burn off the karmas that have already begun to bear fruit in (or as) this life, even though their sense of being a finite doer of action has ceased and so they are no longer bound by karma and thus are not reborn. It is comparable to a potter's wheel which, once put into motion, continues to spin for a while before stopping. It is said in the Śivasūtra: "The link with the vital breath is natural." The vital breath is a gross manifestation of the Unstruck Sound of consciousness, the aforementioned vibrating resonance. This being the case, the liberated soul remains perfectly reposed in the Bliss of Stillness. The "Unstruck" part indicates a resonance which, paradoxically, has no origin and no conclusion, no source and no form. This is nothing but Speech, which in its essential nature is the self-revelation of consciousness itself. This self-revelation takes the form of the world and all things. Even if the object of awareness is seemingly differentiated, it is ultimately nothing but this. This is Āgama, sacred revelation, which is reflected in the scriptures (which are condensed forms of this awareness) in their style: a dialogue between two people, usually Śiva and Devī. This being the case, though one is firmly established in the liberated state, he is continually surging with consciousness and bliss. It is like flying in an infinite sky where direction is meaningless, and yet somehow always flying higher and higher. So Abhinavagupta says in his Tantrāloka: "The state of emission is the projection of one's own nature from one's own nature into one's own nature." It is also said in the Kramasadbhāva: "Kālī does not eat anything, but She devours everything." The liberated soul's conduct is nirācāra, no conduct. It is said in the Brahmayāmala Tantra: "If the one who recites mantra is Still and abides within the body of an avadhūta, he then performs the yogic rite of adoration of Śiva. Avadhūtā is that energy he possesses and the one who is Still is Śiva." Note that nirācāra can also be taken to mean "without social convention", that is, this activity of the liberated being, which is nothing other than the vibrant radiance of consciousness, is beyond worldly norms and conceptualizations. What is meant by Avadhūtā here is Kuṇḍalinī, the energy of consciousness which has "shaken off" the impurity of duality. The sense of all of this is taught in the Śivasūtra: vismayo yogabhūmikāḥ: "The planes of union are wonder." This is the nature of Aśvarūḍhā in Śrīvidyā. Now concerning the endings of bījas. The anusvāra at the end is not actually just one part of the bīja, but encompasses several: bindu, ardhacandra, nirodhinī, nāda, nādānta, śakti, vyāpinī, samanā, unmanā. These are extremely subtle, inaudible resonances which are various levels of consciousness. In sṛṣṭikrama, they are the development of the world as resonance out of pure consciousness. In saṁhārakrama, that of mantroccāra, they lead back to that supreme state. The anusvāra at the end of a bīja is uttered at the palate where the Egg of Māyā/Rudra is understood to be in the subtle body. If you recite the anusvāra not as "mmm", but as "ng" (as in "sing"), your tongue will vibrate on the roof of your mouth. This pierces through the knot of Māyā and the subtle resonances follow, ascending up to twelve finger spaces above the top of your head. The central channel is likened to a lamp's wick, the resonance of consciousness being the flame which ascends on it. The subtle resonances between the brahmarandra and dvādaśānta are like a plume of smoke, at the end of which the energy of consciousness burns without smoke in its supreme state. The anusvāra at the end of bījas is thus also likened to the tip of the flame.

Did you ever stick with this Rahu mantra for 18,000 recitations? I have Kaal Sarpa yoga and would like to attempt this sadhana. Any hints on pronunciation ?

Namaste Nesh. The Sun of Consciousness in the Kālīkrama is the wheel of the twelve Kālīs who embody the dynamism of awareness. This wheel of energies performs the joyous dance and is itself that dance. The Jayadrathayāmala Tantra says: "The Sun of the Twelve Kālīs that is the illumining Light in the world has emerged from the middle of the Sun in the center. Within the Sun of the Twelve Kālīs is the Sun that illumines all the universe. The universe is filled with the network of of the rays of energy that emanate from Her, She who is Bhānavī Kaulinī." The triad of cognitive awareness consists of prameya, pramāṇa and pramātṛ. Each of these undergo the four cosmic cycles: sṛṣṭi, sthiti, saṁhāra and anākhya. So, taken together, the three and the four are the twelve Kālīs. This is technically called Anākhyacakra, in which the triad is subsumed in the Fourth state. This twelve rayed Sun emanates from its center, the Sun of the Sun, which is the unitary ground of the twelve. This is Bhāsa, the highest reality of the Kālīkrama and the object of worship at the conclusion of this system's pūjā (which, at the most elevated level, is not an external ritual but rather is absorption into the dynamism of consciousness). Concerning Bhāsa, Maheśvarānanda says: "The ignorant imagine a division by saying that Light is the fifth function of the whole. In reality, Light is the stem connecting the other functions and they are its leaves." The wheel of the twelve Kālīs is the expansion of consciousness, its resonance, which is the forceful attainment of its own nature. The same source of the original verse also says: "The Kālīkrama arises as Kuṇḍalinī, pulsing with energy by the delight of the consciousness of its savour. It merges into the supreme plane with the sound of a flying bee." Leading into your second question, the dance of the energies of consciousness is inherently uninhibited. However, it appears to be so due to ignorance. Kṣemarāja says in his Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam: "When one lacks realization of this, one exists in the state of a saṁsārin: that of being deluded by one's own powers." He then defines this state more concretely: "This state of delusion is one of being nailed down and thus paralyzed by the 'spikes' of various anxieties, doubts, and inhibitions, both worldly and religious. It is this which constitutes the state of being a saṁsārin." To explain by way of aesthetics again, it is understood that there are several factors which inhibit the viewer's sensitivity and thus capacity to cultivate rasa. Notably, if there is too personal an identification of the scene with one's everyday experience and if one is too caught up in their personal sentiments, they will not be as sensitive to aesthetic wonder. Sound familiar? Rasa is particularly understood as a different sort of experience, one that transcends everyday, common experience. It is a very potent engagement which is, ironically, brought about by this sort of detachment. Abhinavagupta says: "Once one has overcome distraction, the pleasure one enjoys through the sentiments of love, etc., expressed in poetry or drama, for example, differs from the pleasure derived from sense objects. This is because one gains access to it by the removal of of such obstacles as the anticipation of possible personal gain." What he is suggesting here is that rasa is not simply enjoyment of sense objects as such or simply an emotional state. As I said, rasa is not ordinary experience. The source of aesthetic rapture is oneself. More specifically, it is repose in oneself freed from, as Kṣemarāja says, anxieties, doubts, and inhibitions. One becomes satisfied in repose in the Self, and thus grasping and rejecting fall away. The scriptures take it further than just enjoyment of drama, though. The universe itself becomes a grand drama through which one experiences the wonder of the Self. It is not the specific contents of worldly experiences that thus become beautiful; it is You. And Your body is the Śrīcakra, the totality of all things. Nothing is excluded. Everything is of one flavor (though this does not mean that everything is "the same"; the universe is a garden, not an empty room). The energies of consciousness thus become uninhibited, flying freely in the sky of consciousness. Intoxicated with the bliss of the Self, they dance and sing, so to speak. This is a very general and short explanation, and the truth is there is much, much more that could be said about this. But to give a starting point for further study and practice more appropriate for Śrīvidyā, I will say that Vārāhī and Śyāmalā embody this secret in their own ways. You could say that they embody the aforementioned dancing and singing, respectively. They are at the left and right sides of Lalitā, the Playful One.

That clarified quite a bit, especially the phases of Kuṇḍalinī. You mention the final phase as resting in itself and that Śāmbhavopāya remains a means. Does the path ever really end, or does upāya become so transparent that it’s simply folded into being? And when awareness begins to practice itself, how do you distinguish that from inertia or passive spacing out? About triadic mapping of Yoni. Do you see a direct mirroring between that and the movement from inner triangle to middle to outer circuit in the Śrīyantra or Kālikā yantras? Or is that reading too structurally? Also curious what sort of orientation you’d suggest when working with cakra healing or Kuṇḍalinī modulation. Not in the sense of major awakenings or theatrics, but more in the subtle recalibration of one’s outlook and process of digestion. Or a conscious system update, ideally one that partially slips the ahamkar potential resistance up. Unrelated inquiry: I’ve come across a range of views on how to handle bija mantra endings, specifically the use of candrabindu, anusvāra, or full ma akṣara, and I am not sure about the situation. Some expert explanations from Sanskriters leads me one way and then I hear/read another well hashed out theory saying otherwise, and I am confused all over again. I’ve tried looking through some of the sources and spoken with a few sadhakas and gurus, but it still feels like I’m mostly guessing. At this point I’m just going off instinct and subtle feeling, but I’m not sure if I’m missing something deeper. Any clarity you might have here would be appreciated.

Namaste Dylan. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! That Kālikākrama quote at the end is a rare gem, like a whole initiation wrapped in two lines. If you ever have others like that tucked away, I’d be grateful to read them too. I’ve been sitting with a few things and wanted to ask a bit more. When the text talks about the “Sun of Consciousness” and the “lotus of consciousness,” are these referring to prakāśa and vimarśa in action, or is there something subtler going on? Also, your earlier point about the vīra’s capacity to see one taste in all things is swishing around my mind. Would you say that’s more a result of samādhi or a kind of cultivated sensitivity through insight? I loved the mention of the viewer’s aesthetic detachment in the drama metaphor. Do you think that detachment, that wonder, is what actually lets Śakti move freely through perception? Or is it more about the loosening of grasping that lets the play become luminous? I’ve also really been trying to let go of grasping lately. The rāga-dveṣa patterns feel so loud now (maybe because Tivra’s graciously shared nitya sādhana is working), and my mind feels more alert to its own projections and little compulsions. But that hasn’t made them easier to drop. I stumble over the same egoic reflexes again and again (and again, and again, and again…) even while watching them unfold. It’s odd to feel both clearer and more turbulent. There’s joy and even a few uncanny things creeping in, but I still flinch at things I want and recoil from things I fear, as if some older part of me refuses to believe it’s safe to just witness without clinging. Not to ramble, I’m trying to figure out what I want to convey. I suppose I’m asking: does this heightened discomfort plausibly indicate I’m on the right track, or just more awake to how (very) far there is to go?

Dylanji namaskaram ! The kaulasutras references were truly enlightening ! The word associated with swami narasimha is "rudra " As manifestation of rudra and the word for angry form is "raudram " ,this can be seen as pretty valid as in tamil nadu and some parts of andhra pradesh swamy narasimha abhishek is done by chanting shri rudram and rudra suktam, also the folklore of swamy narasimha manifesting from a linga the carvings can be seen in vaitheeswaran temple .The stambh from which swamy narasimha appeared is symbolic(narasimha stambh avirbhava) to when shiva appeared to sri vishnu and brahma , he appeared in form of endless agni stambh ( infinite pillar of fire ) . The concept of each diety having the param tattva is certainly valid but its unavoidable that the param tattva is shivatva itself the supreme consciousness . Anyways , maybe i may have an inclination towards advait, hence im stressing on these arguments.

Can anyone share information about Shadanvaya Shambhava? I remember Tivra Ji said it’s an extremely advanced practice but did not share much besides that. Very interested to learn more.

@hunting, for Bala absolutely not! That’s why we need a proper Guru for such questions, not facebook as the Guru! But we are replacing Gurus with facebook and internet/google! If one receives proper deeksha or mantra upadesha such questions do not arise.

For Bala absolutely not! That’s why we need a proper Guru for such questions, not facebook as the Guru! But we are replacing Gurus with facebook and internet/google! If one receives proper deeksha or mantra upadesha such questions do not arise.