Shakti Shiva and Yoga

The power of Brahma (God) pervades the Brahmanda: Cosmos, and Pinda: individual equally. The universal individual has recognized this power of Brahma since the prehistoric age. Birds and animals, etc. are unable to develop their inborn power like people. Faith backed by effort has emancipated limited will power, knowledge and action power. The sincere and voracious individual experienced an opening of the eternal source of powers upon uniting with God. This was according to time and place. The source of power springs from worship and prayers of god or goddess. Although the worship and prayer of goddess is a part of the daily life of devotees, there is a specific significance to the worship during autumn and spring seasons at specific and enlightened Pithas: places of Sakti (power).

The chief goal of worship is to invoke the powers present in seed-form within the individual. According to different modes of will - power, knowledge power and action power, are found the names of the presiding deities in Puranic and Tantric literature. The source of Tantric performances is found in the seed-form in Vedic literature. The description of worship-method is available in Puranic & Tantric literature. Although there are present all the qualities: Tamas, Rajas & Sattva simultaneously in the individual, supremacy stands only in one of them. The individual can develop his or her power properly in that very direction. The individual gets proper benefit by worshipping the presiding deity related to the quality of Sattva, if the sattvic tendency prevails in the individual. The presiding deity of Tamasic quality is Rudrani. Brahmani is the presiding deity of Rajasic quality and Vaisnavi is the presiding deity of the Sattvic quality. Although these God powers relate to the god mutually, eternally and individually as the flame with fire, the individual has excessive faith on natural and feasible mother-powers.

The individual observes daily the sun, the moon (fortnight), the earth, the water, the fire, the air, the sky and the worshipper present in nature. The people observe these as the senseless lumps, flows, energies, vibrations, inter-resonances, prevalences and eternities. These all are surrounded by the attraction-powers. But the worship is required to be done of the presiding deities of these senseless lumps, (which work by influence of those deities) for acquiring the Sakti in the individual. The salvation-giver Lord Siva and the base Sakti, beyond the three-qualitied Saktis are both undivided as water and its waves while being separate. The cosmos, mobilized by the Siva & Sakti, expresses eternal and new energies and forces daily. Likewise, these appear daily existing in individual lump. The means of appearance of these are also Tantric & Yogic methods other than devotion, worship and prayer.

There is a good mixture of gross and subtle worship methods in Tantric ceremonies. In Yogic process, there is the goal to awaken latent energy with the physical flexibility. In both Yogic & Tantric process, the chief target of the individual is to receive integrity, peace & salvation by association of Sakti with Siva.

Here three articles: 1. Sakta philosophy; 2. Saiva philosophy & Yoga philosophy throw a special light on Sakti, Siva & Yoga respectively. The latent power in the individual is known as the serpent power: Kundalini. This is an image or proxy of the god-power in the cosmos and over it. According to Vedas the god-power's one foot (division) is present in this cosmos. The other three remain over it. This latent Kundalini power is to be awakened by associated undertaking of Tantric & Yogic processes. This human Pinda-ghata like an earthen pitcher becomes filled with nectar when this Kundalini sakti rises up and makes copulation with Lord Siva in Sahasrara chakra. This is the place of eternal and spiritual intercourse, great contact of eternal & great Sakti with almighty Lord Siva, where individual ego flows melted down and the fountain of nectar springs out. The mystery of success in human life is the conversion to the taste of bliss. The last aim of success in human life is tasting the juice of bliss, unchangeable pleasure.

The front cover picture - The condition of enlightenment, where the male and female principles are perfectly combined, Tibet, 16th century, Gilt bronze with jewels, h.II in.

Thanks and blessings to Dr. Oscar Pujol (Spain), Shri Chandra Sen Sharma, Shri Narayan Das (Varanasi) and Mr. Daniel Seymour (America) who helped the author in the translation of Spanish and English languages and proof reading. My blessings to universal disciples, who used to oblate financial assistance in this sacrifice of this book printing. Some of them are Pam Strayer (Berkley, C. A.), Zia Rawji (London), Prof. Dr. E. C. Krishnan, Jean Baptiste Leblay (France), Miss Susanne Trubel (Germany), Miss Kylie Fowler (Australia) and Mr. Alexandre P. Lima (Brazil). Thanks to Shri Dwarikadas Shastri & his sons Mr. Dharmakirti & Ratnakirti Printers of Sadhana Press, who accomplished this work promptly in time.

I cannot forget my wife Rekha Tripathi 'Sanskrit Bharati' and sons Mr. Vachaspati Tripathi, Dr. Vastoshpati Shastri, M. Sc., Ph.D. & Ashapati Shastri who kept my mind free from the maintenance of the household with the help of their respective wives Mrs. Versha Tripathi, Dr. Vasundhara Shastri, M. Sc., Ph.D. and Mrs. Sangita Shastri.

Blessing to my grand daughters Miss Vijaya and Vitanika Tripathi who helped me with the glossary.

Vagish Shastri

The distinguished word-philosopher & spiritual Master Mahamahopadhyaya Acharya Dr. Vagish Shastri, Ph. D., D. Litt. practised Tapas: austerity sitting under a Bodhi Tree on the bank of Ganges in Varanasi & in the Himalaya for several years. He was enlightened at the age of 21. He found the Vedic Technique 'Vagyoga' for awakening inner power. The source of knowledge sprung in him and he became a great spiritualist to transfer his supernatural power, 'Shaktipata' to his disciples more than 600 all over the world.

He used his Vagyoga : Kundalini powers also in the field of APARA VIDYA and invented a unique technique called 'Vagyoga :Mnemonics' to teach Mantra language Sanskrit within 300 hours. He has been an authority on Indological Sciences and appointed to the most eminent post of Director-professor, Indological Research Institute in Sampurnanand Sanskrit University of Varanasi, the city of light. He is the author of 40 books & 200 Research papers on the Veda, Ayurveda, Yoga, Tantra etc. He edited a research journal & about 200 manuscripts with scholarly introductions as a general editor of several series. More than 40 Indian & Western Research Scholars worked on Veda, Vedanta, Puranas, Astrology, Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda, Paninian Grammar, Dharma Shastra & Sanskrit Poetics etc. under his supervision.

This present book 'Shakti, Shiva & Yoga' has been written by an authority on Indological, specially Tantrika & Yogic fields both of the theoretical & practical learnings. It contains ritual & worship of Goddess Durga, Her other nine forms & Ten Mahavidyas & Shakta Philosophy. Here one article is in Spanish language also. This book suggests-how to awaken inner power of Goddess in an individual to make a union with the supreme God Shiva, who gives spiritual knowledge, peace and salvation to devotees. You read here-who is Shiva & how to worship & meditate Him along with the Shiva Philosophy. The yoga is a way which leads us to the goal, super conscious state, Shiva, through Goddess Kundalini. Yoga is the supreme panacea for the persons suffering from mundane ailments. This book throws a new light on Japayoga, Mantra-healing and Erotic cult in Vedas: The base of Yoga & Bhoga.