Very profound Lorran. I have no words once again. I just keenly look forward to your posts everyday now!!! Last week after completing the transliteration of the kavacam (armor) and two Aṣṭottarams (108 names hymns) of Śyāmalā devi that I promised you, I ran into a book containing the Khaḍgamālās of all the Daśamahāvidyās. For some strange reason and the curiosity that I have towards the Divine Mother Dhūmāvatī, I transliterated Her Khaḍgamālā. For the next few days I lost myself spiritually and could not do anything productive, including the translations of the Śyāmalā devi stotras that I promised you (hopefully in the next couple of weeks, they will start trickling in). For this profound meditation on Śrī Dhūmāvatī, I will publish and dedicate Her Khaḍgamālā to you as well.

Thank you!

Does chanting the HAM-SA mantra aligned with the breath is sufficient enough to open up higher spiritual possibilities which are promised by other Powerful mantras like Sri Vidya or Kali etc? Can this alone turn out to be a powerful and self sufficient spiritual practice?

Pranaam sir , I want to ask how do you select suitable mantra for native which one is best suited for him . Is it according to his goal ? Or Diksha guru select for him.

Siddha puruṣās like Swamiji, Ravi guruji etc. can definitely give a direct initiation to Pañcadaśī, Ṣoḍaśī etc and the initiates may also benefit from the same. If we talk about śāstra pramāṇa (scriptural doctrine and authority), then we would need to reference the source granthas (manuals) of Śrī Vidya and those would be Śrī Paraśurāma Kalpa derived from Śrī Dattatreya Saṃhita and other major works such as Śrīvidyārṇavatantram, Mantra Mahodadhi, Mantra Maharṇava, Bṛhat Tantrasāra, Śāradā Tilakam, Nityotsava, Ṣoḍaśikārṇava etc. There are also various manuscripts listing the Śrī Krama etc. which include the initiation of Śrī Bālā, Śyāmalā, Vārāhī etc. There are some traditions associated with Kaula Mārga that suggest Vaiṣṇava Krama for incorporating Bhakti, Kālī Krama for destroying ones ego etc. prior to an initiation into Śrī Vidyā. While there is no such single authority that I am aware of which claims that Ṣoḍaśī devi initiation is not permitted directly, it is quite implicit that one must go through the krama of Śrī Bālā etc. The logical reasoning being that it is better to go through the karma cleansing in a gradual manner and build a strong foundation within Śrī Vidyā. So what really happens when one get directly initiated to Ṣoḍaśī? In many cases, absolutely nothing happens. Depending upon ones practice and sincerity, there could be rapid karmic cleansing and that may cause a lot of anxiety in personal relationships and finance. I am very close to at least 2 individuals who went through divorce and had severe financial setbacks. In my own case, I descended from Ṣoḍaśī to restart from the beginning with Śrī Mahāgaṇapati. The ajapa was so strong that I almost got into an accident and there were also severe financial setbacks in the months following the japa. It did not matter that I had practiced several other Mahāvidya, Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati mantras etc, including Puraścaraṇas. It is my experience and that of many other gurus that I have consulted with, that a proper Śrī Vidya krama is recommended instead of direct exposure to Ṣoḍaśī.

Greatly appreciate the reply and information...Best wishes

Having a realized guru is life's greatest blessing. Krishna Garu, Have a question on pre-requisites of Panchadasi initiation. Many many years ago during one of our trip to Varanasi, we met a very old Srividya Upasak. He mentioned to us its South Indian practice to have pre-requisite mantra purascharanas of Sri Mahaganapati, Sri Bala etc., before intiation into Panchadasi or Shodasi. Swamiji mentioned Panchadasi can be given directly. My Chinnamma was initiated into Panchadasi directly by a Srividya guru based in Rishikesh. Recently came across this interview of Sri Siddeswarananda Bharatiji. Swamiji says like Sri Tara, Sri Kali mantras etc Panchadasi/Shodasi can be initiated directly. "Its only regional practice and few recently written scriptures that talk about pre-requisites before Panchadasi/Shodasi initiation". Please watch from 16:40 onward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To24VDaM9Ik Is what Swamiji said is true?. If not, are there any "ancient" & "authentic" srividya scriptures which mentions the pre-requisites of Sri Mahaganapati, Sri Bala Tripurasundari, Sri Rajashyamala, Sri MahaVarahi before initiation into Panchadashi Mantra? Thank You.

Kevin, I suggest reciting 32 names of Mother Durga. You don't need a guru initiation to recite it. Easy, Very effective and Safe. Here is a YouTube video of Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, head of world-renowned Bihar School of Yoga, teaching the recitation of the 32 names. He repeats 3 times in the video as it is their Ashram practice to recite 32 names 3 times in the morning. Video has names & meanings too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7vCNJmB6-g

There is no religious restriction to discovering our own True Reality. Bhakti/belief is extremely important and is a prerequisite for practicing any mantra. The Durgā Caṇḍi Navārṇa mantra can be recited with the proper nyāsās, kīlaka, argala stotras and also by studying the Durgā Saptaśati and its hidden meaning. There are many good books on Devi Mahatmyam that you may refer to when time permits. Your yoga guru̍s recommendation can be followed and may that lead you to discover the Truth for yourself! Wishing you the very best in all your endeavors.

If you can read Sanskrit here is the link: https://archive.org/details/Kalika_Sahasranama_Stotra_From_Kalika_Kulasarvasva/mode/2up