If you have been instructed by your guru to do so, then you may begin. Otherwise, my suggestion is that you contact your guru and seek their permission to proceed.

Hello, My father passed away on 9th March 2025, i got engaged to a girl in december 2024. Can i do my marriage after 3 months of my father death? Or should we wait until we do one yr pooja to my father and then get married? Some people say a son should perform a year function atleast after 9 months and then get married, some people say no we can. I am confused please help me!

I am really grateful for such a beautiful translation in English. I have a request will you ever write Adya Strotam. You have quite a research steps for Nyas and all hence thought if you can describe Adya Strotam in future. Thanks a lot.

Do we need to take diksha for Uchchhishta Ganpati Yantra pujan....?

Hi sir, I have been initiated into sowbhagya panchadasi, can I chant this mantra or do I need initiation?

Based on my horoscope, Ishta Devata can be Bhairava, Kali or Durga, and I need a person who is really good in astrology and also has a spiritual practice to tell me for sure who it is.

Namaste, my experience after many trials is that the ishta devata dictated by the body, mind and energy (through the horoscope) is the best choice. Why it is the best was discussed plenty of times in this thread. Now, this is my understanding of what's been discussed: if for some reasons we don't like this ishta devata, then there are other deities which assoociated with the 7 karakas, of which we can choose. And among the deities, the one associated with the amatyakaraka should be chosen, and he/she will sit at the third-eye cakra to oversee all other cakras/karmas. And we should not worship no other deities.

Does anyone know who drew Sri Chakra on an Oregon dry lake bed in 1990?

Namaste Prince. The "poisonous rat" could also be understood to be a mongoose. According to the Mantravidyārahasya, it symbolizes the conquest of death. The vulture symbolizes the power of sight, which presumably means omniscience. The sacrificial ladle is interesting. According to the same text Siddhikarālī holds two ladles, one symbolizing satisfaction and the other symbolizing the performance of a fire sacrifice. The fire sacrifice is understood in an esoteric way as the dissolution of all things into pure consciousness, like a blazing fire which dissolves anything that is thrown into it within itself. The Vijñānabhairava Tantra explains: "When in the fire of the Supreme Reality in which even the highest void is dissolved, the five elements, the senses, the objects of the senses along with the mind are poured, with awareness as the ladle, then that is real homa." And in the Bhāvanopaniṣad: "Knowledge is the respectful reception; the object of knowledge is the oblation; and the subject who knows is the offerer of oblation." The ladle can also be understood to be the triad of energies: icchā, jñāna and kriyā, through which the nectar of immortality is poured into the fire of consciousness. And it is understood that this nectar is the cause of the highest satisfaction, that of repose in the Self. Concerning the corpse, there are a few parallels. In the Devīpañcaśataka, Kālī is visualized as holding the ear of a small child. Other forms of Kālī are visualized as having childrens' corpses as earrings. The significance of the child in this case is simplicity and dispassion. The Vivekacūḍāmaṇi says: "Just as a boy plays with toys heedless of hunger and other pains, so the wise man plays happily, unattached and selfless." The jeweled pot is a feature shared by Annapūrṇā. It signifies the world, the totality of all things from which the vivifying nectar of Self-realization is obtained. Recall what I said in my response to Nesh: "The expansion of the universe is merely the fruit of resting in one's own essential nature." The piece of meat, according to the Mantravidyārahasya, symbolizes the Goddess' virtuous or auspicious nature. The symbolism of meat is very profound, and it relates largely to Khecarīmudrā. The physical act of making the tongue go into the nasal cavity is simply a (mis)interpretation of it. The Ūrmikaulārṇava Tantra provides two explanations. The word for 'meat' in Sanskrit is ‘māṃsa’. 'Mā' is understood to mean ‘Māṇgālya’, auspiciousness. 'Sa' is taken to mean 'Sat', existence or truth. So, māṃsa is the auspicious reality of the Goddess and that which grants it. How? By "chewing on meat." In this context, "meat" means the tongue, which symbolizes the discursive mind which, like the tongue which articulates speech, formulates the stream of countless thoughts. To "chew" on this meat - the tongue of the mind - means to still it, to silence it. It is said in the Yogakhaṇḍa of the Manthānabhairava Tantra: "...one whose mind is free of thoughts is successful — this is the alchemical potion. Thought is only delusion and thought is in the mind. Once thought has been destroyed then there is success without any doubt."

Thank you all for the well-researched and well explained answers from last week, regarding the lotuses and their denizens of our Mother's yantra. For the fourth week of discussion, we are focusing on the interesting, and fantastic weapons held by Bharatopasita Maha Siddhikarali Devata. Learned Maha Siddhar Tivra wrote " In your right hands you hold a rosary of precious stones, a human skull, a shield, a noose, a lightning bolt, a staff with a skull on top, an explosive missile in the form of a flaming spear, a bow, a discus, a bell, a child's corpse, a philosopher's stone, a human skeleton, a mongoose, a serpent, a bamboo stick, a hammer, a fireplace, a double-headed musical drum, an iron plow, a sickle, an iron staff, a sword with a blade on each end, a barbed spear, an iron staff filled with nails, a jackal, and a boat. In your left hands you hold a rosary of bones, a sword, scissors, a threatening gesture, a goad, a royal scepter, a golden jar filled with precious stones, a trident, five deadly arrows of Lord Parāśiva called Pāśupatāstra that cause dryness, madness, fainting, destruction and death, a spear with a point at each end, the Kalpavṛkṣa coral tree, a dagger, a nail, a flower garland, a one-headed war drum, a vulture, a water pot, a piece of meat, a sacrificial ladle with two oval side excavations, a citrine stone, a needle, an axe, a pointed mace, a club, brass knuckles, a human corpse and a poisonous rat.” From my limited understanding, weapons such as the ‘philosopher’s stone’ may mean the wish fulfilling Cintamani stone, which is the construction material of Lalitambika’s Abode. What do the weapons such as the “poisonous rat”, “a vulture”, “sacrificial ladle (very specific)”, “a child’s corpse”, “a golden jar filled with precious stones”, “a piece of meat” signify ? While I may guess it shows that the plethora of items that the goddess holds may signify her grandeur, royalty and authority in all things from the most mundane to sacred and to the unthinkable. I would humbly request all to give your inputs regarding this. Thank you.