A Complete Kālī Sādhanā (Spiritual Practice)

As part of our New Moon (Amāvasyā) offering to you who are Mā embodied, I wanted to offer this class on how to perform Kālī Sādhanā. Of course, worshipping Kālī takes on many, many forms and most of them are primarily ritualistic. Performing pūjā (Tantrik ritual worship) daily in a consecrated temple or to an awakened image in the way enjoined by the Tantras (manuals for ritual worship) is the mainstream way for approaching and experiencing Mā.
Sri Ramakrishna always told us that rituals are helpful and cannot usually be dispensed with in the beginning. But the essence is Bhakti, simple, unalloyed devotion to God. According to Sri Ramakrishna, it is more important that you yearn for God with a longing heart and cry out to Her sincerely than it is for you to learn complex ritual procedures.
Admittedly I am myself very fond of ritual practices and admittedly, they do indeed have a place of prominence in the Tantrik tradition. In the Bhakti schools they are can be understood as indispensable preliminary practices (i.e Vaidhi Bhakti). But having said that, as we are told by the Kularnava Tantra that higher than external worship is mental worship and higher even that that is japa, repetition of the sacred mantra given by the Guru.
As such, in this class, which is a follow up for Monday night's discussion on the Karpurādi Stotram, which you can watch here, I lead you through a guided meditation exploring the steps of mantra meditation, using the dhyāna-shloka (meditation mantra) for Mā Kālī and the manāsa pūjā mantra (the mental or inner worship of Mā Kālī in the shrine of the Heart, where she is most likely to be found).
Most of this material as to the steps for meditation can be found in Patañjali Yoga Sutra (1:28) where japa is defined as "contemplation of the meaning of the mantra" and also from Swami Vivekananda's instructions in his Raja Yoga and Bhakti Yoga books.
May this serve you. Approach Mā with guileless and sincerity and you can't go wrong! Don't be afraid. Sri Ramakrishna always said: "she is your very own Mother! Not your foster Mother!" Why should you be afraid of your own Mother? Can you ever really do wrong in Her eyes? Therefore do not be afraid! Approach her sincerely and with love. Lose in yourself in that Love. This is my prayer.
Oh also! Because I find Hatha Yoga to be an invaluable preliminary discipline for preparing the body and mind for meditation, we begin the meditation with a light postural yoga practice which should help you get into the right bhāva or mood for meditation. But of course if this is not your thing feel free to skip ahead to 00:44:30
Jai Mā!
ॐ क्रीं करालवदनां घोरां मुक्तकेशीं चतुर्भुजाम्।कालिकां दक्षिणां दिव्यां मुण्डमालाविभूषिताम्॥१॥सद्यश्छिन्नशिरःखड्गवामाधोर्ध्वकराम्बुजाम्।अभयं वरदं चैव दक्षिणोर्ध्वाधः पाणिकाम्॥२॥महामेघप्रभां श्यामां तथा चैव दिगम्बरीम्।कण्ठावसक्तमुण्डालीगलद्रुधिरचर्चिताम्॥३॥कर्णावतंसतानीतशवयुग्मभयानकाम्।घोरदंष्ट्रां करालास्यां पीनोन्नतपयोधराम्॥४॥
शवानां करसङ्घातैः कृतकाञ्चीं हसन्मुखीम्।सृक्कद्वयगलद्रक्तधाराविस्फुरिताननाम्॥५॥
घोररावां महारौद्रीं श्मशानालयवासिनीम्।बालार्कमण्डलाकार-लोचनत्रितयान्विताम्॥६॥
दन्तुरां दक्षिणव्यापिमुक्तालम्बिकचोच्चयाम्।शवरूपमहादेवहृदयोपरिसंस्थिताम्॥७॥शिवाभिर्घोररावाभिश्चतुर्दिक्षु समन्विताम्।महाकालेन च समं विपरीतरतातुराम्॥८॥
सुखप्रसन्नवदनां स्मेराननसरोरुहाम्।एवं सञ्चिन्तयेत् कालीं धर्मकामार्थमोक्षदाम्॥९॥(सिद्धिदाम्)
oṁ krīṁ karālavadanāṁ ghorāṁ muktakeśīṁ caturbhujām।
kālikāṁ dakṣiṇāṁ divyāṁ muṇḍamālāvibhūṣitām॥1॥
sadyaśchinnaśiraḥkhaḍgavāmādhordhvakarāmbujām।
abhayaṁ varadaṁ caiva dakṣiṇordhvādhaḥ pāṇikām॥2॥
mahāmeghaprabhāṁ śyāmāṁ tathā caiva digambarīm।
kaṇṭhāvasaktamuṇḍālīgaladrudhiracarcitām॥3॥
karṇāvataṁsatānītaśavayugmabhayānakām।
ghoradaṁṣṭrāṁ karālāsyāṁ pīnonnatapayodharām॥4॥
śavānāṁ karasaṅghātaiḥ kṛtakāñcīṁ hasanmukhīm।
sṛkkadvayagaladraktadhārāvisphuritānanām॥5॥
ghorarāvāṁ mahāraudrīṁ śmaśānālayavāsinīm।
bālārkamaṇḍalākāra-locanatritayānvitām॥6॥
danturāṁ dakṣiṇavyāpimuktālambikacoccayām।
śavarūpamahādevahṛdayoparisaṁsthitām॥7॥
śivābhirghorarāvābhiścaturdikṣu samanvitām।
mahākālena ca samaṁ viparītaratāturām॥8॥
sukhaprasannavadanāṁ smerānanasaroruhām।
evaṁ sañcintayet kālīṁ dharmakāmārthamokṣadām॥9॥(siddhidām)
Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST, Friday 10am PST and again Friday 6pm PST.
There's Q&A right after the lectre.
It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
Use this link and I will see you there:
www.zoom.us/j/...
For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
/ yogawithnish
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[@Pallasathena-hv4kp]

Thank you, Nish 🙏 Jai Ma 🌺 Jai Sri Ramakrishna 🌺 Jai Swamiji 🌺🙏

[@B-ni1xo]

1:20:00 ( manasa puja)

[@WarriorSageNeha]

Please do Maa bhuvneshwari sadhana too

[@boogalu33]

Thank you

[@wildflower8658]

🙏🫶🙏💞🙏🫶🙏💯

[@aakaarshrestha3834]

Please do not fall for this my brothers and sisters. Sadhana is to be given by a qualified Gūrū, especially mahavidya sadhanas (Kali, Tara etc.) are hazardous without a Guru's guidance. Don't be fooled by these neo-vedantic charlatans who have no anugraha or parampara.