Sri Dasa Mahavidya Esoteric Philosophy and Mantras


Book Description

This book written by Siddhaguru Sri Ramanananda Maharshi details about the esoteric philosophy and mantras of Dasa Mahavidya deities.




Secret Goddesses of Tantra - An Esoteric Understanding of Tantra and Philosophical Interpretation of Dasha Mahavidya


Book Description

About the Book: What would you call a group of Goddesses that wear garlands of skull, while the other drinks her own blood? A Goddess with incomparable beauty while the other is a crone. A Goddess that loves leftovers while the other demands cleanliness. This book discusses Dasha Mahavidyas - one of the most important Goddesses of Tantra. As the laws of science define energy as primordial ever existent, that is utilized through a medium, similarly, Dasha Mahavidyas are the primordial Sakti or energy, that creates, destroys, and sustains the universe. They are Mahavidyas or “Great Knowledge” where each Goddess has something distinct to teach. Every Goddess in the book is dealt independently - illustrating appearance, stories of origin, symbolism, various forms and relation to other Goddesses, Mantras, Yantra, Sadhana procedure, temples and any parallels that can be drawn from other cultures. Tantra is often perceived as black magic, voodoo or art of love, but in reality, Tantra is “A way of life” that stretches the body to its limit and prepares one to walk the path of liberation. Tantra uses various objects that may otherwise be a taboo or appalling in nature, however, it is not what it appears to be. The objects are just extreme tools to control senses and mind. This book breaks such myths around Tantra and explores its hidden knowledge. It attempts to reason every aspect from a literary and philosophical point of view. About the Author: Mehul Vora is an accomplished writer, speaker, astrologer and a proponent of ancient Indian culture and Tantra. He is a vivid reader of ancient texts which inspire him to interpret knowledge in a simplified manner so that everyone can relish the treasures of wisdom. He has written on many topics that range from ancient history to world mythology. Mehul brings his experiences and knowledge of Tantra in this book.




Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine


Book Description

The Hindu pantheon is rich in images of the divine feminine—deities representing a wide range of symbolic, social, and meditative meanings. David Kinsley's new book documents a highly unusual group of ten Hindu tantric goddesses, the Mahavidyas, many of whom are strongly associated with sexuality and violence. What is one to make of a goddess who cuts her own head off, or one who prefers sex with a corpse? The Mahavidyas embody habits, attributes, or identities usually considered repulsive or socially subversive and can be viewed as "antimodels" for women. Yet it is within the context of tantric worship that devotees seek to identify themselves with these forbidding goddesses. The Mahavidyas seem to function as "awakeners"—symbols which help to project one's consciousness beyond the socially acceptable or predictable. Drawing on a broad range of Sanskrit and vernacular texts as well as extensive research in India, including written and oral interpretations of contemporary Hindu practitioners, Kinsley describes the unusual qualities of each of the Mahavidyas and traces the parallels between their underlying themes. Especially valuable are the many rare and fascinating images he presents—each important to grasping the significance of the goddesses. Written in an accessible, engaging style, Kinsley's book provides a comprehensive understanding of the Mahavidyas and is also an overview of Hindu tantric practice.




Dus Mahavidyas


Book Description

Exhibition catalog of ten contemporary Indian women artists; includes their brief life sketch.




In Praise of the Goddess


Book Description

About 16 centuries ago, an unknown Indian author or authors gathered together the diverse threads of already ancient traditions and wove them into a verbal tapestry that today is still the central text for worshippers of the Hindu Devi, the Divine Mother. This spiritual classic, the Devimahatmya, addresses the perennial questions of the nature of the universe, humankind, and divinity. How are they related, how do we live in a world torn between good and evil, and how do we find lasting satisfaction and inner peace? These questions and their answers form the substance of the Devimahatmya. Its narrative of a dispossessed king, a merchant betrayed by the family he loves, and a seer whose teaching leads beyond existential suffering sets the stage for a trilogy of myths concerning the all-powerful Divine Mother, Durga, and the fierce battles she wages against throngs of demonic foes. In these allegories, her adversaries represent our all-too-human impulses toward power, possessions, and pleasure. The battlefields symbolize the field of human consciousness on which our lives' dramas play out in joy and sorrow, in wisdom and folly. The Devimahatmya speaks to us across the ages of the experiences and beliefs of our ancient ancestors. We sense their enchantment at nature's bounty and their terror before its destructive fury, their recognition of the good and evil in the human heart, and their understanding that everything in our experience is the expression of a greater reality, personified as the Divine Mother.




Śakti Iconography in Tantric Mahāvidyās


Book Description

Tantric Tradition In India; The Locus And Characteristics Of Sakta-Tantras; Vidya Avidya And Mahavidya. The Consciousness-Power And Mantra Sakti, Mahavidya Iconography: Its Esoteric Meaning; The Traditional Indian Philosophy Vis-Avis The Mahavidya Philosophy.




Yantra Mantra Tantra and Occult Sciences


Book Description

There is hardly any person who is either not conversant with or not heard about occult sciences of which Yantra, Mantra, Tantra and not heard about occult sciences of which Yantra, Mantra, Tantra and forces are simply tributaries. Hindus, Jains, Muslims, ascetics, peers have written a lot about such sciences but only a selected few know how to use such devices ably and safely. The learned author has given detailed account on use, caution, warnings and methods for using such devices which are meant for relieving or causing agony/harm to a targeted person. The author has furnished relevant details about Yantra, Mantra and Tantra, black magic, sorcery etc. Hopefully, the right information will satiate urge of inquisitive readers, for some of whom it may be a new subject.




Shiva


Book Description

Lord Shiva is the personification of all the main practices of Yoga, as the origin and ruling power over asana, prana, mantra, inner seeing and meditation. The current book unfolds the presence, light, energy and consciousness of the Supreme Shiva to take us beyond all death and duality.




Change, Continuity and Complexity


Book Description

The Mahāvidyās are the representative Tantric feminine pantheon consisting of ten goddesses. It is formed by divergent religious strands and elements: the mātṛ and yoginī worship, the cult of Kālī and Tripurasundarī, Vajrayāna Buddhism, Jain Vidyādevīs, Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava faith, Śrīvidyā, the Brahmanical strand of Puranic traditions, etc. This volume is the first attempt to explore the historical process, through which these traditions culminated in the Mahāvidyā cult and the goddesses with different origins and contradictory attributes were brought into a cluster, with special reference to socio-political changes in the lower Gaṅgā and Brahmaputra Valley between the 9th and 15th centuries CE. Based on a close analysis of Purāṇas, Tantras and inscriptional evidence, and on extensive field research on archaeological remains as well as sacred sites, Jae-Eun Shin discusses the two trajectories of the Mahāvidyās in eastern Śākta traditions. Each led to the systematization of Daśamahāvidyās in a specific way: one, as ten manifestations of Durgā upholding dharma in the cosmic dimension, and the other, as ten mandalic goddesses bearing magical powers in the actual sacred site. Their attributes and characteristics have neither been static nor monolithic, and the mode of worship prescribed for them has changed in a dialectical religious process between Brahmanical and Tantric traditions of the region. This is the definitive work for anyone seeking to understand goddess cults of South Asia in general and the history of eastern Śākta traditions in particular. To aid study, the volume includes images, diagrams and maps. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.




The Veiling Brilliance


Book Description

Immediately, the seer Medhas challenges King Suratha and the merchant Samachi, saying that nothing in this world is as it seems to be and that what they don't know is the cause of their grief. Gifted with unfailing wisdom, the holy man is at once provocative, unpredictable, and loving as he takes his two new disciples on the journey of a lifetime-a journey to the heart of reality to self-discovery. This story of betrayal and loss, inner conflict, and the way to peace probes ever deeper into to the mystery of human existence and leads to the question, Who am I? Amid the deconstruction od everyday personality and the perplexing world, an astonishing new sense of self begins to shine through. Suratha's and Samadhi's struggles are everyone's struggles, and their growing understanding, nurtured by the irrepressible holy man, reveals the wisdom that resides deep in every human heart. The Veiling Brilliance is a compelling story, but more than that, it is a manual for living the empowers through a transformative vision of life in all its sacredness, where the commonplace becomes miraculous. Inspired by the Devimahatmya, the Sanskirt classic of Goddess-centered Hinduism, The Veiling Brilliance is an imaginative and eloquent novel that reinterprets for today's reader the psychological and spiritual wisdom of India's ancient Vedas and Tantras. At its core, The Veiling Brilliance is a book for seekers of direct, simple answer's to life's perennial questions and a book for those who wish to hear the hidden wisdom of the holy man's teaching simply, directly, and eloquently. Book jacket.