Thank you for deciding to share such a precious treasure for the devotees of the Devi with us all! Keep on sharing it! Do I understand correctly that the Devi Abirami from the Thirukadaiyur temple and the Devi Balambika, Bala Tripura Sundari (Thaiyalnayaki) from the Vaitheeswaran Koil temple are forms of the Devi Parvati, in fact, they are the same Devi who manifested herself in different places in a slightly different way? They are depicted almost identically. Thank you.

Hi Krisna Thanks for posting my comment. I didn't think it would be published. But anyways there are several books available in amazon where funeral prayers and rites are mentioned in detail. I just want to add a few more things. 1. Garuda Purana was written way before bhagavad gita, so the socio order at that time must have differed greatly than kali yuga.    Edit: I have removed the rest of the comment due to its socio-political content as we do not wish to trigger a debate on these topics. This information can be posted on Quora or other discussion sites to target a bigger audience and ascertain the facts. - Krishna. 

Hi there, I am born in a Sikh family, married to a Hindu Bengali, Currently residing in Canada. I don't know much about Mantra sadhna or Santana Dharama as such(neither do my husband). Just three months back; don't know why, I started looking into youtube videos on Mantra Sadhna. Frankly, I don't even know my gotra (since Sikhs don't have one), not the exact time of my birth etc., don't know Sanskrit. Never believed in god, devtas etc. But still somehow been getting a feeling to pursue Mantra Sadhna. And watching youtube videos has made me realize that I would need proper guidance maybe a guru. Is it possible to understand these concepts properly, because having gone through innumerable videos on achman, pavtirikaran etc and so, I am still under-confident to take on a purascharan of any mantra. although for last 3 months I have been reciting a ganpati mantra, a bhairav mantra and 32 names of maa Durga(without knowing correct meaning and pronunciation). Can any of you guide me how to go about it. Oh and I don't know my Isht-devta as well, because I think my family never had one, for being Sikhs. This is the first message I am writing about spiritual side of mine, my apologies for sounding a complete noob.

It ended a week ago. I suggest you consult an almanac beforehand and plan accordingly.

Certain relevant aspects of the Garuḍa Purāṇa relating to death, have been discussed in this series. You must note that there are several redacted versions of every Purāṇa and not all portions make sense or are relevant. Many insertions in these scriptures have crept in due to socio-political reasons and have nothing to do with spirituality. The content of this website is purely for spiritual elevation. Further, for death related rituals, you may contact a priest in your area who deals with these matters. We have not published these mantras and the associated rituals anywhere on this website nor do we have any plans to do so in the near future. Ravi ji has now completely retired and may not reply to your message. i have taken the liberty to reply on his behalf.

Please check out the mantra initiations page on this website and see if you can find anyone to your liking. You may visit any Lalita devi temples in Tamil Nadu and make enquiries to find out who can help. There are also online schools that may help you. You may use any search engine to check out.

The way I see it, the kīlaka bīja itself is the key to unlock this Stotra or for that matter any mantra where the kīlaka may be specified. Otherwise there is no relevance to this Stotram and it can be trashed. Karma permitting, one may be able to successfully utilize this Stotra and derive the benefits. There is of course no substitute for a guru, to be able to benefit in a timely manner.

I suggest reading the Sanskrit version as is and understanding the meaning that it denotes. This serves both purposes. The same applies to the dhyāna ślokas too. When it comes to the nyāsas and mantra, only the Sanskrit version is applicable. There is of course no benefit derived if one does not understand the deeper meaning of the mantra and its relevance.

Hi Ravi ji, I just want to add that what you have posted here is a compact ( i will explain below why) and comprehensible version of the actual direct translation. I have a 2 part volume of Garuda Mahapuranam which is a poor translation by Mr. M.N Dutt, where he left some parts with question marks and just didn't finish his sentences. Grammar and spelling mistakes everywhere. The first volume I just skipped entire chapters because they were all incomprehensible. Anyway only in the second volume it touches on death where it gets interesting. I can't read Hindi so I have no second language to check on what's written there. Anyway back to the point. Your version is much better and easy on the reader. About compact, you skipped entire chapters where the Garuda Purana: 1. repeats lineage of who is the son/beget who and what of who to the point of frustration 2. Chapters dedicated to atonement for people who kill brahmins, rob them and take their wives. Its horrible but yes, by sacrificing a horse you are hereby freed of your murderous sins. One can only imagine why brahmins were the prime target at the time the book was written. 3. In the last part (moksha Purana I think) there are chapters dedicated to sati. All of the husbands sins (including braminicide) and sins of 3 families are washed away just by the wife jumping into the pyre of her husband. Nymphs and celestial beings welcome them both in the afterlife. As a woman this did not sit very well with me. 4. It seems clear cut that by performing vṛṣotsarjanam; by a son or female descendent if there is no male, or even when the person is alive (no descendents) every single sin is cleared, and the 3 gods will welcome you to Indraloka. I haven't finished it yet, but death has always fascinated me and despite poor translation, I'm going to finish the book. Moving on, I am not able to find a proper mantra or a set of prayers to recite before the body is taken out of the house to the funeral house/before cremation. I suppose you are the right person to inquire on this. Would you have happened to have it written down in one of your articles?

Is their anyone in tamilnadu who can give Sri vidhya upasana please?