For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

The image of Mā Kālī  alone is unfathomably powerful in its symbolic richness! Having discussed Mā's iconography at some length in this lecture series.we now go a little deeper by investigating her bhāva, her mood which emphasizes three things, usually: intoxication, madness and arousal.Last week, we discussed Mā’s divine drunkenness (you can watch that lecture here) we now turn to the second of these three motifs: Her divine madness! We make three points about Her madness: first with regards to her svatantra, Her inherent freedom that defies the tyranny of reason and sanity, second with regards to Her very eccentric saints like Ramprasad, Kamalakanta and Ramakrishna who were all seen as mad in their day and third with regards to how we ourselves can actually practice this "divine madness" in a sustainable and meaningful way. What is it to be mad for God? And how does this compare to the other forms of mental illness that can sometimes be damaging and harmful to oneself, one's spiritual life and also to others? If you want to explore the topic of divine madness vs harmful mental instability some more, do watch this lecture.For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In this class, we first explore Yogarāja's mangala-śloka (opening verse), in addition to Abhinava Gupta's own mangala-śloka from the profound text, Paramārthasāra which teaches us some of the subtle nuances on Tantrik non-duality in all of its life-affirming, realist glory which of course sets it apart from classical Sāmkhya and also from other forms of non-duality like Advaita Vedanta. We introduce the 5 powers and 5 acts of Awareness, which from as it were two central doctrines in Tantrik Non-Duality and of course, no conversation about this subject can be complete without saying something about the 36 tattva model! So we introduce that briefly by showing Rudhiji's beautiful art work! We close with a discussion about whether or not AI is conscious! This is part of a larger series on the Paramārthasāra of Abhinava Gupta which you can watch here. https://www.patreon.com/collection/106196The class meets live every Friday at 11am PST via this link:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815Lectures also  happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again Friday at 6pm PST, via the same link. For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In this lecture, given on the auspicious ashtami of Jagaddhātri pūjā, I first take a moment to express gratitude for our community, let you in on what's upcoming and also  make an important point about the threefold epistemological model of learning: sat-guru, sat-tarka and sat-āgama! While the Guru is central, the role of the teacher in spiritual life is always checked and balanced against sound reasoning/philosophical understanding which is itself guided and refined through taking recourse to texts, "sat-āgama". I try to make a strong case for the centrality of primary sources (i.e the Sanskrit literature) in Tantrik study to offset the idiosyncrasy of teachers and also the proliferation of new-age nonsense on the internet and renew my commitment to you, our beloved community, to always try to stay close to these primary sources so we just don't spin off and make stuff up on our own! Let us always stay grounded! Also, I talk about how to work with texts like the Paramārthasāra especially with their mangalā-ślokas (opening verses) that can be treated like philosophical bīja mantras to attain not only non-dual awakening but also integration. Integration is the key! Anyone can have an experience. The key is holding and assimilating that experience until it becomes a consistent reality with us. Because I make a strong case for approaching the Formless Non-Dual through God with Form, and because we were discussing dīkshā and bīja mantras and what not, I decided to call this talk "Tantrik Tips for Realizing Non-Duality." But really it is just another installment in our Paramārthsāra series which you can follow along with here:https://www.patreon.com/collection/106196The class meets live every Friday at 11am PST via this link:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815Lectures also  happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again Friday at 6pm PST, via the same link. For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

In the introduction to this morning's Hatha Yoga classes, we say a few things about determinism and the illusion of free will, offering a few stories from the lives of Vivekananda, Sarada and Ramakrishna to demonstrate how liberation (jīvanmukti), at least outside of sāmadhi, is simply the recognition that Mā's will is absolute, that She is alone is the Do-er.:"Mā, I move as you make me move; I speak as you make me speak. You are the charioteer, I am the chariot! You are the operator, I am the machine!"As such, we should be, in Swamiji's words: "mad with joy, even at evil, seeing it all as the Mother's play!" Seeing the world as a picture, knowing that nothing affects us, let us step back and enjoy its beauty!Jai Mā KālīFor more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMAnd if you feel moved to donate to support me and this work, you're welcome to here:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jaimakaliSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

The iconography of Mā Kālī is unfathomably powerful offering us an important tool for philosophical reflection:For example, the 50 heads in Her garland represent the 50 letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, showing us that the Universe is a manifestation of Mantra, the Word that was with God, that was God etc., Her black skin is a symbol of tamas (darkness), and Her red protruding tongue held between two rows of white teeth make a case for rajas (power) channelled and harnessed by sattva (wisdom). Her nudity presents Reality, stripped of all pretense, innocent and guileless as formless, pure non-dual Consciousness. Her and Her husband, Shiva, together symbolize the two principles of Sāmkhya, Purusha (Spirit) and Prakriti (Enegery), the Subject and the Object, here reconciled in inseparable unity. The blood and jackals remind us that with Kālī, there is no such thing as high and low, pure and impure and that all things, without exception are equally divine expressions of Her non-dual Being. She is always aroused because She is Kundalini Shakti, the primordial power in the mūlādhāra,  that is always seeking samādhi, always craving wholeness, constantly desirous of union with her Playmate in the Sahasrāra cakra. The cremation ground signifies the ultimate joy of renunciation, of recognizing the impermanence of all things. All the world is the cremation ground for Her devotee for She is Time Herself, the All-Devourer. Her bloody sword aimed for our neck and the evered head invite us to contemplate the spiritual process: how suffering and grief are the ultimate forms of grace, deepening and purifying us until we realize our non-dual nature. Her full, motherly breasts, her boon-bestowing and fear-dispelling hasta-mudrās (gestures) and her sweetly, smiling face remind us that thought She is a madwoman reeling under the spell of divine intoxication, She is ever our benevolent Mother that does every thing only for our spiritual growth, for our highest good even when we ourselves might not see it that way at the time. We explore all of this in much more details in our lecture series on Kālī which you can watch here: https://www.patreon.com/collection/266524In this lecture, we go a little deeper, beyond the external appearance and all of its symbolic richness, into the "Bhāva", the "mood" of Mā Kālī. Almost always, She is depicted as drunk, mad and aroused. Now, what's all that about? In the first of three lectures in this mini-series on Mā Kālī's mood, we explore the motif of inebriation and intoxication.DISCLAIMER: many people around the world are struggling with series substance abuse issues and if at any point in this video, I sound flippant about these issues, do forgive me. I am making the case that spirituality is much finer vintage than any wine in the world, a much deeper high than any drug. That being said, there might be some elements of this conversation that those with substance abuse problems might find triggering. Be forewarned!Jai Mā!For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture librarSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

To know something of Mā Kālī, we have to know something of Her saints, those luminaries who like moths into a flame plunged into ecstasy of love for Mā and as such have become one with Her.  As it says in John 14:16, "none can see the Mother except by the way of the child!"Of course, Mā's most ecstatic child is Ramakrishna. In our community, we talk a lot about Ramakrishna and about his ecstatic love for Kali and we of course talk a lot about Sarada Devi and Vivekananda too who were themselves great devotees of Kali. Last year, during Śyāmā Kālī Pūjā, we gave an inspiring lecture on Ramprasad which you can watch here.But while we know something of Ramakrishna, Ramprasad, Vivekananda, Sarada, we might not know very much about the other ecstatic saints of Kali like Kamalakanta, Raja Ramakrishna (a different Ramakrishna) and Vama Khepa who are actually quite unknown outside of Bengal. So to inspire you to worship Kali with fervor and intensity, in this lecture, we read a few passages from Usha Harding's book "Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineshwar" which introduce us to Mā's saints and the ecstatic and wild lives that they lived!May we have even one fraction of their divine inebriation! Jai Mā!Oh! PS: there are some really beautiful black and white 1950s Bengali films about these ecstatic saints. Here they are:Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishnahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD1TsRBZnn8&t=60sSadhak Kamalakantahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm3q3l3vavYSadhak Bamakhepahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSV9PnTdJd8For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Swami Vivekananda, in his English poem "Kali The Mother" and in his Bengali poem, "And Let Śyāmā Dance There", highlights the Worship of God as the Worship of The Terrible: God might cure our cancer but She is also the one who gave us cancer! If God is truly all powerful then She must also be responsible for all the evil in the world as well as all the good. If God is truly non-dual and all inclusive then She must contain both the auspicious and the inauspicious! Ah, what a challenging theology! On this auspicious Hallowe'en which also happens to be Śyāmā Kālī Pūjā, the day when we worship Mā in her terrible aspect as radiant darkness, we gave a special talk on embracing evil as equally divine, in the name of the most radical and inclusive non-duality! This lecture of course references many of the ideas in our Theodicy Trilogy, one of our signature lecture series which you can watch here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfGGe32PDNMZe_6Yju87nv0rvxnSW2ub_&si=-GtdSqUZl-t-SOc3For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Last week we gave a talk on the very often misunderstood and misrepresented vāma-cāra, "the Left Hand Path of Tantra"  you can watch that here and then we went over some "left leaning" aspects of Kālī pūjā like the cremation ground Bali as well as the candālinī pūjā which you can watch here.Sri Ramakrishna once described this path as entering the mansion (of God realization) through the scavenger's door (i.e the back door). What did he mean by that? Also, is there a way to integrate the modalities of this path into our daily sādhanā in a safe and sustainable way? In this lecture, we explore some of these ideas in the context of interpreting the Kālī dhyāna śloka, with the translation by Swami Mahayogananda:ॐ क्रीं करालवदनां घोरां मुक्तकेशीं चतुर्भुजाम्। कालिकां दक्षिणां दिव्यां मुण्डमालाविभूषिताम॥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) dhyānam 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)For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMAnd if you feel moved to donate to support meSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Here is our pūjā vidhi (ritual manual):https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pV3lkIQpB75iNfadw3uJwaCpK-S8k50VvGTsoEjKxk4/edit?usp=sharingFor more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist:https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799The Secret Worship of Mā Kālīhttps://www.patreon.com/posts/secret-worship-111280272?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkA Complete Sādhanā, Spiritual Practice for Mā Kālī:https://www.patreon.com/posts/complete-sadhana-111343082?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkHow To Worship Mā Kālīhttps://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-worship-105659438?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkHow To Perform Kālī Pūjā:https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-perform-113071076?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkThe 15 Kālīs | & How To Worship Them:https://www.patreon.com/posts/15-kalis-how-to-111826734?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkHow To Worship The Kali Yantra:https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-worship-113360571?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMAnd if you feel moved to donate to support me and this work, you're welcome to here:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jaimakaliSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

We have a big week coming up! This Thursday, 31st of October, on the new moon of the Vedic month of Kartik, we are celebrating Śyāma Kālī Pūjā, my favorite day of the year! Here are a few thoughts on what this night represents along with a few suggestions as to how one might celebrate it!Here is our pūjā vidhi (ritual manual).The Secret Worship of Mā KālīA Complete Sādhanā, Spiritual Practice for Mā KālīHow To Worship Mā KālīHow To Perform Kālī PūjāThe 15 Kālīs | & How To Worship ThemHow To Worship The Kali YantraFor more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist.Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMAnd if you feel moved to donate to support me and this work, you're welcome to here:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jaimakaliSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM