Thing is guru does not have to prove anything to aspirant. But as a shishya I have to prove daily my own worthiness. For someone this may look awkward, because modern mentality is all about some "rights", like everyone was born with a pre-defined set of Western liberal privileges and voting rights. But traditional ethics is all about "rin" — debts that cannot be ever paid in full. And one of these debts is to the guru.

definitely Krishna, thank you for sharing, facilitating and moderating this space.

That's a very good answer Dear Prince! In my personal opinion, it takes a lot of time and effort to see success in mantra sādhana. But if one is persistent and patient, chances are, in a few years of regular practice, they will see some success. As regards to siddha gurus, in today's world they are an extreme rarity. In my opinion, I feel gurus like Tivra, Tripuraghna, Jothi etc. fall in that category as their words and explanations of mantras are certainly profound. It is not possible to acquire this knowledge without actually experiencing certain high spiritual levels. Whether their words yield tangible results or not, is something that only those who are experienced the same, can attest to.

Dearest Kuru Sandhyasa, I totally understand the anguish a seeker would experience when their queries are not fully answered. In my opinion, we already have a wealth of information in the tantras that should be more than sufficient for our regular needs and as you have correctly pointed out, the esoteric information is hidden and must be learnt from the initiating gurus. What we find in the books, websites and publications may require clarification to help the seekers. I am very thankful and appreciative of the contributions made by revered Tivra, Tripuraghna, Jothi, Dylan etc. who have enriched our practice with the wealth of information that they have already shared so far. Let us not get stuck on the scriptural references etc and waste our time, effort and energy. If it appeals to us and if we are permitted by our guru tradition to accept the advice, then the same can be incorporated into our practice. One must definitely make all efforts to enrich their knowledge through the study of the tantras and above all, practice whatever is divulged to them, very seriously. I am totally in synch with you that anyone interested in serious tantra must consider getting an initiation and proceed with the suggested krama per their guru tradition. Please continue to participate and advice seekers on the merits of mantra practice and other aspects of spirituality as and when possible. I am certain this will be of great benefit to all!

Dear B Sharma, I understand the frustration and disappointment you are going through right now - it is a common feeling arising for normal people like us who attempt to seek help to experience the divine, but are often told, “wait, a highly qualified guru will come, and he will teach xx for you”. Sadly from my limited experiences, I can tell you that such sayings are mostly just to temporarily satiate your frustration, so that you do not lose faith in these systems. Let’s take our scriptures for example. Some scriptures already present 10 billion (highly exaggerating) restrictions to our proposed ‘spiritual path’ in order to progress. I am not saying that restrictions are bad, but the same scriptures (for example, claim only people from certain birth or nature can do xx practices, others should do yy practices - due to hierarchical differences; while other scriptures allow all to engage in practices provided, they do ‘x’ restrictions). The point is, first of all, we don’t have time for all of these, and we already live in a world that we cannot afford to spend time away from. In truth, it is your divine right to get all good knowledge, good wealth and happiness, without any restrictions, but all i can guess is, in the past, some relatively intelligent souls have restricted this information for their own benefit - under the guise of fear as such - “you are unfit to practise these; and if you do, you will harm yourself!”. We are all fearful of such experiences that we have no choice but to follow those restrictions. I am sorry, and I truly am, but know that the Divine is already in you. Why would it harm you ? If anything, if you feel you are ‘unfit’ for such ‘dangerous’ knowledge, then ask the Divine for the strength and capacity to conduct it safely - with true and unshakeable faith that is. I believe by doing so, you can circumvent the restrictions the external world puts on you. scriptures , and traditional gurus are definitely needed, but they can only do so much, and especially in today’s uncertain world. I only want everyone to be happy, peaceful and their days filled with love and life. Here is a short prayer that you can try, “Lord of all Universes, Lord of all worlds, Lord of all environments, Lord of all creatures and things, by my divine right, please show me the way to good knowledge, good characters and good actions. And if I'm not ready for these treasures, then please prepare me gently and nicely with absolutely no struggles, in order for me to know all these things. May I use your gifts for the wellbeing of myself, others, other creatures, worlds and the universes. May I always be protected by your Anugraha-Sakti (Grace).” You can do this prayer with utmost sincerity and faith is to your own favorite deity, because all deities are just the forms of the One. thank you and take care.

I would like to apologize for my rough and bold comments. We have had a troublesome few days due to disagreements in opinions, and I fear my comments and views have only further polarized view in the comments section. Anyways, the truth of the matter is, of course we can have differing opinions and viewpoints, I totally support that. But we shouldn't regulate the viewpoint and worldview of others, thinking that our own worldview and reference point as the absolute truth. and I only felt to speak up against it, as to defend the freedom of the speech of others. Anyways, i would stop defending myself further, as this may lead to further polarization. I wish all of you happiness and peace, and hope that Manblunder always remains a free space to express diverse spiritually relevant opinions and knowledge on spirituality, no matter how radical they are. Thank you and take care.

The million-dollar question is where the heck the authentic lineage of "Siddha Gurus" for initiation into Shri Vidya resides in the contemporary world—or must one conclude that such highly realized beings exist purely as ideal figures, having retired entirely into the hallowed memory of our traditional literature? Should anyone choose to respond, please immediately cut the traditional maxim that 'the guru appears when the disciple is ready.' I'm absolutely burnt out hearing that. Respect my boundary on the cliché. I need real tips, not spiritual cap. Thank you!

Dearest Krishna , the point is not in verifying the authenticity of anything , the point is that when a genuine teacher is asked that they will give the answer needed to bring the sadhaka closer to clarity. Even if the answer is "I don't know", from the mouth of a genuine guru, it will somehow reveal so much, because this is the action of such great beings. I will tell you first hand, when questioned this way, they may even be very unexpected in their responses in order to illicit a response that will then cause inner clarity. Their workings are subtle, complex, and beyond surface comprehension. And they cause changes not otherwise possible. Moving forth. Yes, Mahidhara did compile this text, but i believe he himself alluded to omitting and slightly modifying much from his own text in order to prevent misuse or improper revelation. Typically this is what happens , and yes there is a factor of timing in which things like this are to be revealed to the world. There are windows which do open in our world, which allow great revelation to happen in short periods. So public knowledge can be beneficial to humanity in these periods. The point is not to suppress information. But the point is that if anyone is approaching these types of teachings, they must be given directly the right teachings of lifestyle, approach, sadhana [diksha first and then consistent practice for a long period, an effective pranayama for their practice, whatever other principles are necessary for them] But especially through tivra's comments and the general direction of the community, everyone believes they can just practice any multitude of mantras uninitiated with no lifestyle change and attain results. This dries up and damages the body and makes the mind chaotic. There is a great deal of harm in this. There must be a change in a better direction for the actual benefit of those who don't know any better. There is an opportunity to genuinely transform lives with this platform rather than allowing chaos to take root under the guise of spirituality.

Thank you for looking out for me and the suggestions for improvement. I shall certainly consider the advice and ponder upon the same. I would like to point out that some of the advice provided by Tivra may not be received well by everyone, but there is no question that he is a well accomplished sādhaka and his benevolence in sharing deeper secrets of tantra sādhana have benefitted quite a few serious aspirants including myself. I am personally very grateful for all his contributions and look forward to more. One need not connect with everything that is stated or shared on this platform. Even the recent comment of Tivra discreetly describes the mantra that awakens the full power of the Kuṇḍalinī. Those who understand the Kādi and Hādi mantras may be able to discern the coded information. Those who question the validity of his statement need not subscribe to his views and instead stick to their own traditions and belief systems. Those who are willing to look further and explore deeper can ponder upon what is shared. Further, it has been the endeavor of Shri Ravi ji to share the deeper secrets of the Indic philosophies with the world that led to the creation of this website and various books published by him. We are simply doing our best to maintain the same and keep the continuity in our own ways through our chosen paths. Shri Ravi ji being an erudite scholar and practitioner, has provided insights into many practices and has taught the same to thousands of individual aspirants. All of his writings will be preserved and maintained for the current and future generation of seekers. Lastly, when we talk about authenticity, I would like to ask what is the source of Śrī Bāskararāyas Varivasya Rahasya that has become a textbook of Śrī Vidyā? Are these his own personal insights or of his gurus? Also, all the Purāṇas, tantras etc. were once oral traditions that became manuscripts at a later time. There are thousands of variations of mantras and stotras often attributed to the same source and further there are many variations in the practices of various sāmpradāyas and kulas. Who is authentic and who isn't? What to choose and what to ignore is best left to the discretion of the individual sādhaka to ponder upon. To quote another example, Mahidharā states that after practicing a couple of sādhanas and upon the insistence of his son and other śiśyās, he undertook the effort to compile all available sources of mantra sādhana to create the magnum opus called mantra mahodadhi. He clearly did not practice the sādhanas of all these deities but went ahead in publishing the same in his works without clearly quoting references for every verse and mantra. The references to rudrayāmala tantra are also unverifiable as the full text of the original document is considered lost. You may also observe that he has not provided the source of these mantras and to what original granthas they belonged to for all verses. It is our good fortune that his works were preserved through the generations despite the hostile conditions that prevailed during these times and the negativity and secrecy that remains to this day! Also, what is the source of Śrīvidyārṇava tantram and for what purpose did Yati Śrīvidyārṇava compile this manuscript when he did not have any aspire for anything and led an austere life? What was the purpose to compile the greatest compilation of mantras that has still not been decoded - Siṁha siddhanta sindhu? Can we even begin to comprehend the efforts and difficulties that ācārya Gosvāmi must have gone through to compile and preserve this compendium for the future generations that is still lying the archives of the Rajasthan Oriental Library? Honestly, why are we so against preserving and propagating these scriptures? Should we let them simply disappear? Who gave us the right to keep this information discreet and hidden from the world and judge who should be eligible to receive the same? I recently learnt from a scholarly priest that he stumbled upon an old notebook in a store selling used books. The muslim store owner noticing the priest offered the notebook free of cost stating that he had obtained it from a vendor selling paper by weight. This old notebook contains a rare unpublished manuscript that is now published in a printed bound book format and shared with erudite scholars with a secrecy clause! I had the good fortune to see the manuscript and offer my advice on some aspects. All I wish to state is, let us learn to tolerate our differences and live amicably. Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu! 

Let us not be critical of Krishna as he has put in lot of efforts to maintain this website, how many people are ready to invest so much time and energy to constantly churn up articles from many sources and keep things moving? We should look at the intention. Mr Tivra has given many secret mantras and techniques to us, so it's not right to be so critical. Again I understand that comments may not be to your liking but argue it out. Proper intellectual conversation will be fruitful for all as the conclusion cannot be disputed further. The reason for the article was to emphasize what our lineage says and the gist of the Indian philosophies in general and also to have a blue print for budding aspirants, as for advanced sadhakas they are grounded in the teaching of their lineage. Never imagined one small post would create so much ruckus. I understand that people have strong opinions from all ends, discuss it and not fight over it. If you don't agree say you don't politely and let it go.