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siddarth
December 22, 2018 12:47 PM

Namaste sir _()_ My deep gratitude to your Guruji and you.

siddarth
December 22, 2018 12:39 PM

Gratitude to you sir. Thank you for this article and also for sharing various other information and guidance. My humble submission to consider a change in the identifier 'Manblunder'. A great sadhaka with blessings of the Divine Mother, and who has attained state of pure consciousness, and guides/ shares with others, it is difficult to address such person as Manblunder. Apologies if it is an interference in your choice, just shared a perspective and request. Thank you once again. Namaste _()_

Rudra
December 22, 2018 09:36 AM

Thank you sir. If I want to chant this stotram for a continuous 11 times, do I need to chant everything (including nyasas etc) all the 11 times? OR just the stotram is enough?

swati
December 20, 2018 08:50 AM

thanks for clarification. didnt knew of "eṃ/एं" representing Ekapādādevi/Revati devi. Raviji did provide his guidance on bijakshara pronounciation including ऐं at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c5L2mqy1BU&list=PLmjLaiYER6ToAZtctQ5OgOqSzQJaSohL6 which is in line with what I grew up with. I guess its better to stick to it.

Krishna
December 19, 2018 11:42 PM

"ऐं"/ऐँ (aiṃ in IAST or aim̐ in IAST with the candra-bindu modification) should be pronounced like the English word "I'm". The only difference with the bīja-s or mantra seed syllables is that the bindu on the 'm̐' should be pronounced at the nasal bridge connecting to the forehead, which will make it sound like a 'n'. Some tantrics add a 'g' to make it sound like 'ng'. When pronouncing normally, the 'm̐' sound will make the lips close, but when synchronized with the breath, with the mouth closed and recited mentally, it would be similar to the 'n' sound. It is best to recite all mantras mentally rather than loudly. The mantra bīja एं/एँ ('eṃ'/'em̐') sounds like the English word 'Aim', keeping in mind that the 'A' needs to be stressed like the word 'Acorn'. This is the bīja of the mātṛka Ekapādādevi/Revati devi representing solitude. It is to be noted that the bīja "ऐं"/ऐँ (aiṃ/aim̐) is the Mātṛka Aiśvaryā devi bestowing wealth as well as that of the vāgbhāva or knowledge bestowing seed bīja mantra of Sarasvatī devi. The difference between 'em̐' and 'aim̐' is vast and the correct pronunciation is a must. Related to 'ळी' and 'ళీ', they're exactly one and the same, just different language scripts (lipi). Any language can be used to write Sanskrit. Most scriptures are in Devanāgari and there is a good amount of them getting transliterated to the Roman IAST script as well as other regional language scripts.

swati
December 19, 2018 08:11 AM

Thanks Krishnaji for clear explanation. "On ऐं " : Hindi speaking gurus pronounce"ऐं" like english word 'aim' and gurus from South with 'ai' sounding like 'ai' in "aisle". If all the telugu scholars have written 'ఐం' I am assuming both pronounciations should work equally fine. "On काली " : I agree with your suggestion - its better to switch to devnagari pronounciation. Is the pronounciation of ळी different from ళీ? "On ऋ, ऌ etc., " : I am aware of devnagari and telugu lipi/pronounciation differences on ऋ etc., BTW-One of the first things that I noted in your writings is the care you take to get chandrabindu/anuswaara, nukte/diacritics etc., right. thanks.

Krishna
December 16, 2018 02:53 AM

Yes we have them. We will publish them at a later time. It is associated with Guhyakāli and recommended for Her mantra initiates only. When we get to the Kāli mantras and pujas, we can include this as part of the āvaraṇa puja of Guhyakāli.

Sai
December 15, 2018 03:31 PM

Dear Sir, Do you have sapta pretAsanA for kAli? With thanks & regards, SAI

Krishna
December 15, 2018 02:24 AM

When you pronounce as kāḻī (काळी), the 'ḻ' pronounciation makes the tongue touch the roof of the mouth. But when we pronounce as kālī (काली), the 'l' is dental which make the tongue touch the teeth. My personal preference is the traditional sanskrit and I would stick with kālī (काली). You may choose the pronounciation that suits you the most. Please note that the pronounciation of 'ḻ'(ळ), with an underbar beneath, is different from the vowel 'ḷ'('ऌ') with a dot beneath. The vowel is to be pronounced as two dental 'l's combined with 'i' as 'lli'. The regional variations have it as 'llu'. Same is the case with ṛ('ऋ'), it is to be pronounced as two cerebral 'r's combined with 'i' as 'rri'. The regional variations have it as 'rru'. Since the mantras are in Sanskrit, we should stick with the Sanskrit variations, although the regional permutations are also in regular use. Several discussions and discourses have ensued over the correct pronounciations and there are also ample warnings everywhere in the tantras and other śāstras. Although the pronounciation is very important, it does not override the faith or bhakti that one should possess towards the mantra japa and the deity. Everything else is secondary compared to utmost faith and dedication. This is also reaffirmed by the scriptures again and again.

Krishna
December 15, 2018 01:58 AM

In regional languages such as Telugu, we have 'ఎ', 'ఏ' and 'ఐ'. Only the last two 'ఏ' corresponds to 'ए' (e) in Devanāgari and 'ఐ' corresponds to 'ऐ' (ai). So the bīja 'ऐं' (aiṃ) becomes 'ఐం'.

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