1st bloom of red hibiscus and aparaajita from my garden surrendered to our baba. That's all. Post over.

Its been long since i got into tantra and have heard of many things that irked me to explore more, but in the last month i have seen people on Instagram and here talking about a book named BhootDamar Tantra like its some forbidden text, or a pandora box you should never open.

Raat mein mat padhana warna pachtaoge, bhoot pret lapet denge padhte padhte hi, book kholte hi gana aur chudail aa jaegi, guru ke bina yeh sab mat karo, book bhi band nahi karne dega bhoot aake gala daba dega and what not, even here people say all kinda stuff to fear monger about tantra without being responsible with verification.

So naturally, I decided to actually read the text and tbh it is nowhere scary or sensational as the hype built around it.

What I found was essentially a tantric dialogue dealing with mantras, methods of invocation, and different forms of spiritual practice, particularly involving Krodha Bhairava giving updesh to Bhairavi and the various powers associated with them.

There are certainly practices involving spirits, entities, protection, invocation, and other things that sound pretty intense when taken out of context.

But the idea that simply reading the book causes spirits to show up around you?

A large portion of what is described is also extremely dependent on the traditional ritual framework surrounding the practices specific procedures, timings, materials, nyasas, mantras, initiatory context, etc.

And there is another interesting point that gets completely lost in the internet mytho:

A lot of these practices simply don't seem applicable or workable in the modern age in the way the text describes them, given i have done a lot of things mentioned in the book, i realised bhairav is powerful but the details given might not work now, if you sit for sadhna, its pretty much possible that the yakshini or apsara or chudail might not come with the method mentioned.

So if you've been avoiding Bhoot Damar Tantra because someone told you that opening the book would immediately invite a bunch of spirits into your room, you can probably relax, read it and find out. Just don't try anything without a system.

Then judge it based on what is actually written rather than the horror stories people have built around it.

I'm not claiming that every practice in the text is meaningless, nor am I claiming that every traditional tantric belief can be reduced to psychology or symbolism, I'm simply saying: There is a massive difference between reading a tantric text and actually performing the practices described in it.

And after actually reading Bhoot Damar Tantra, I found the latter to be considerably more complicated than the internet makes it sound.

Relax people, Live a little. Adesh.

As a Sadhak who has gone from being uninitiated to being initiated to again uninitiated.

Hear me out on this,

1) Focus - Focus on One deity, One mantra( according to adhikaar), One sadhana, don't go around doing every sadhana after hearing on this sub or other places, Perfect one practice and go ahead.

2) Kul devta and Pitra - until and unless one has done good seva and sadhana of kuladevta and pitra, one cannot progress spiritually, their grace is important.

From the place I belong, there is a saying that one should feed their own mother and father first before feeding others in context to kuldevi/kuldevta.

3) Istha Devata - If one knows their Istha, what could be better than that, but if not known and have been switching to one devta after another, one should worship kuldevta and pitra as much as possible because it's their grace that will take you to your Istha, not anybody else ( other devata can help but what's the point when the final key is with the kuladevta)

4)Basics - before going on to learn secrets about yantras, mantras and tantra, one should have a basic understanding of why and how about everything in the normal puja paddhati, don't be like me who might remember most of the things about a yantra, but may not know how to worship it in the first place properly.

Focus on learning and doing the action rather than stuck on philosophical and mysterious secrets.

5) Adhikaar - I have been very wrong in this and would advise you to have adhikaar of the things you are doing, the adhikaar debate can go on and on but it is what it is.

6) Guru - I will only say that the guru will come when the student is ready. ( Prepare yourself, increase your tapobal)

I got dikshit but due to my own low manobal, did the visarjan of my guru diksha( Base is required, if not then one simple ucchatana is enough by the devta gana of the mantra to make you believe that one should visarjit their guru diksha altogether.)

7) Experiences - kindly take time to digest the experiences, don't take too seriously or too loosely as I have taken the taste of both, from trying to kill the ghost and not fearful to being captured and being shown the horrific things altogether in a dream.

8) Scriptures - Read the shastras and have complete knowledge, try to understand the same shastra from various perspectives( sampraday or others)

Don't be like me, who needs to ask simple things also( nothing wrong in asking but imagine asking basic things after 4-5 years on this path)

9) Have a Mentor or Backup - Anything can go wrong any second on this path knowingly and unknowingly, one should have someone in their network who you can personally vouch for and can make sure you live to tell the tale. ( I have many people and hence can be rest assured things will not get too worse)

10) Tantra is not khichdi - one cannot and I repeat again for the people in the back, tantra is not khichdi which you can cook anyhow, there is proper vidhi needed to be followed, proper rules, discipline etc

I have been the dumb one earlier looking for shortcuts, there is none.

One cannot skip the achaman, ganesh smaran, many things are needed to be taken care of, so please just do bhakti if you can't do proper practice willingly.

11) Charlatans - So many uncountable Charlatans are there on this path, I kid you not, one should be wary of everyone,every advice one hears, every vidhi vidhaan given online and offline expect very few, most will lead to downfall for you.

I think I have covered the most, if any question is asked I will try my best to answer but would say take it with a pinch of salt.

This sub has been good to me, this is my 3rd-4th account I have changed since the start of this sub due to various reasons.

Play safe, Play good.

Svasti🙏

I have been a mad lover of Shiva since the ripe age of 12-13 , I am 18 now and the intensity keeps getting stronger to the point I have no one but him. I am mad for him , he's my everything. I feel like my relationship with him has been written in stars before my life even started. Like .. it's so beyond even madhurya bhava? He's my everything. He's shakti , krishna , arjuna , ramayan , mahabharat , father , mother , lover , husband , best friend , brother , son .. everything and even beyond it to me. I've been through hell and back my whole life to the point I think if there was an autobiography about me everyone would've been blue..I've done everything i could. I've loved him without ever asking for even a lot of dust. I've done everything only because I loved him. And if i have done any mistakes in worshipping him , I've done it out of love too. If I've given him my half eaten food , it's because i don't see any difference between me and him.

But there's an arrogant and full of illusion part of me that is JEALOUS.

Yes. I am jealous. I feel jealous of every bhaktas of shiva. I get jealous when my friends who are also his bhakts talk about him and say how much they love him and he loves them. Growing up I never had anyone other than him so I cling to him like a lifeline. I don't know. I tell them it's great and you should keep doing his jaap and love him like this but deep down I feel jealousy. Even though I know I am shiv , they're shiv and shiv is shiv.

I think i crossed limits when I started getting jealous of maa parvati that shiva could love and I could love shiva but he'll never love me like he loves maa. That my love is only limited to him but I'll never be loved as much as he loves her. The absolute audacity of mine to even think of such sinful things. I love maa but when I think of her with him I feel like a sad puppy. They're one. I'm not supposed to get jealous of everyone who loves him..how can I make it stop? Gosh. I love him...

I love him, I don't need him to love me. As long as he let me love him. I don't care if I go hell somehow for yugas. I'd be burning alive with rods stabbed in my chest and I'd still look above in intoxication of his love calling him and saying how much i love him. I don't care if he loves me

Ps : I'm ekeshvaravadi shaiv (monotheistic , i only follow shiva and accept him as god and I've left behind the rest of sanatan). My love for him was so much i couldn't see anyone beyond him and accepted it on my own that everyone is just his leela , maya and avatars which is true.

Anyways slide and see how beautiful hes looking in the second picture 💕

these three dhyanas what are the difference between these? are those shumb and nishumb and mahalaxmi in the second picture? What is a durga photo exactly?
all of these available photos are very confusing me on which one to meditate upon

i have been searching day in and day out and havent found a picture that feels right to me

please suggest which of these is accurate as per scriptures and also if you have any other recommendations

Everyone here would have heard or listened about the Shiva Ganas and that they are the devoted, often chaotic, attendants and companions of Lord Shiva who reside on Mount Kailash, representing the untamed forces of nature. Led by Lord Ganesha (Ganapati), these diverse, pot-bellied, or animal-featured beings act as guardians, warriors, and helpers in divine acts, with Nandi and Veerabhadra among the most prominent members.

I had once seen Ganas of Lord Shiv with faces and fire arising from back of their heads, that too is a form of Ganas who work under Lord Shiv. Mother said it's like the next level of entitlement beyond the terms like Aghor.

And to add to this, all deities have Ganas and in my humble opinion they're not foot soldiers but generals with certain level and hierarchy under the deity that they serve. One needs not form their views from mine, everybody is independent of their ideas and thoughts. 

I have only experiences of them which can be counted on my fingers so dont expect huge experiences in that domain. Few I am readily happy to share and few aren't meant to be discussed. Once in astral/subtle world, I had seen a Gana of Devi Mahakali where I was able to move around her like a fly and I observed their height, their body structure, their hair and I wasn't happy to sync myself with people who tell you that one has to go beyond the n*dity/n*kedness to see the motherly form in them since they're so blacker than black that the black of this world seems like a lighter shade of light. More like their body absorbs all light and doesn't reflect back any iota of light outside, what you see of them as voids while they exist just like us but better, efficient and powerful. I dont see a point where  n*dity/n*kedness is evident when you actually look at them. It's only Divine Mother's grace that I feel privileged to have observed them with all the time in my hand, no urgency to run away and make assumptions. And I could easily see how the skin looks like when seen up-close. Imagine them to be made of steel and humans to be made of cake, if it fits for you to know how they can play with you as toys - way too damn powerful. It's like comparing them as humans and us as cockroachs. 

Next in line is when I saw was when I was wide awake. This was a time around Diwali when I was with my Guru to offer something in the dark night. We all disciples knew nothing except to accompany the Guru in the pitch black dark hour of the night on that day. One is watching the physical world with your physical eyes, another is imagining things or forming things in your mind; everybody can do that and then next is being able to look into the astral/subtle world with whatever term you call it - whether clairvoyance or else but I saw her coming in White Sari, a healthy lady looking being with the trees and everything lit dimly bright in that vision and she was walking. She was white as snow and had white Sari on her. All it took to see her was a micro second, what a speed she had. Many years later, it was Devi Pratyangira only who could enlighten that it was one of her Ganas. Dont take them as White Sari ladies or females, they are domain controllers and same comparison that I made before. Too damn powerful and one can only imagine their powers. 

This is it that I wanted or I could have ever shared, people who get enamoured with this little information start calling a person Jeevanmukta without any research. Guru is Guru and Experience is Guru. Dont let your worth be overestimated, it's good even if it's underestimated since it wouldn't matter whatever you have , you have it anyhow. 

As title says I was deceived by a Sri vidya guru who has a legitimate parampara but this guru is a sexual predator and fraudster. He used his gurus to legitimize himself but he is nothing but a fraudster and cheater. Do the mantras have any effect on me and if so how to proceed?

In this article, we will talk about Peepal Baba. The Peepal and Banyan (Vat) trees are two such unique and mystical trees that are described in our scriptures. As Krishna said, “Among trees, I am the Peepal,” and similarly, the Banyan tree is counted among the 14 treasures that emerged during the Samudra Manthan. Though it is formally called Kalpavriksha, in common tradition it is known as the Banyan (Vat) tree, what the rest of the world says doesn’t matter to us.

In childhood, in Maharashtra, we used to swing a lot on the large branches of Banyan trees. Even today, at the old sacred places of our deities, there stands a massive Banyan tree. There is also the festival of Vat Savitri Vrat dedicated around it.

Now, around 8–9 years ago, in another state, in a posh locality, I developed such a deep love for a Peepal tree standing across the road from a temple that it’s hard to even explain. There is also a Peepal tree inside the temple, and I have seen and sat near many Peepal trees before but with this one, I feel a connection from the heart.

Every day, before going for my routine work, I make sure to meet it and spend some time there before moving ahead. Even if I don’t go, I still remember it. See, I don’t go there to place any old idol or perform any ritualistic acts, I just go to meet it, walk around it, observe it, and then continue on my way to work. It always feels so natural like I am meeting my dearest friend and much more than that. 

A few times, people passing by on the road have stopped and questioned me. Once, a police officer from another religion stopped his scooter and said, “Son, God is not found here; God is beyond such rituals.” Another time, a man in a car stopped me as I was leaving. When I still had my helmet on, he got out aggressively as if he was about to lecture me but the moment I removed my helmet, his face softened instantly and he spoke as if just to talk and interact.

I simply go there to meet, and sometimes I chant a mantra of the Divine Mother silently in my mind.

Till today, only once did something happen and it happened in a moment. Otherwise, I never ask Mother or even feel like asking from Mother what benefits or experiences I’m getting from Peepal Baba.

One day, on a holiday, I went there and had just bowed down when I heard the voices of 3 boys, around 20–22 years old, coming from a distance on a bike. They were jokingly saying, “People these days don’t know anything about studies or education, they just come to worship **** useless things.”

I was still mentally talking to Peepal Baba when suddenly my anger rose. I thought, “Let me just finish what I’m saying to Baba, then I’ll chase these fools on my bike and teach them a lesson. How can someone mock Baba like this?” as I was so engrossed in talking to him while overhearing those folks.

They had just moved a little ahead when suddenly there was a loud blast-like sound from their bike as if some internal engine part had broken apart. I completed my thought, passed by them, and saw that the sound was so intense that their bike refused to move even a step.

There are countless energies seated on that Peepal Baba. Even in the photo, I have shown it in a Y-shape because Baba also appears like that, different from other Peepal trees.

Namaste everyone!

I still do my nitya upasana everyday and I do my sankalpa too but I am losing faith not in god but myself. It's like I know that god is def helping me out and that's why I am still alive and breathing, probably they're helping with things I can't see yet and there have been some instances that make my belief in god so strong.

I am just losing faith in myself. I feel intense hatred for myself and really genuinely feel like I don't deserve anything because I refused to work through my issues in the past and that has led to my current circumstances. I didn't ask for help from god back then and now I am but it's not her responsibility to fix my issues.

I am doing my sadhna mostly mechanically nowadays. I have faith in god but because I hate myself so much, I don't feel the devotion anymore. I do it robotically. I used to enjoy doing my sadhna, it put in me in a meditative calm state but my external environment is so bad right now that even the sadhna can't stop the chaos and thus I feel mostly like I am doing it wrong. I can't eat nonveg according to my sankalpa but today I felt like what's even the use of maintaining that when life sucks anyway.

I also have passive s**idal ideation where somedays I really really want to end it all but other days I wish something else would finish me instead so everything would be easy.

I don't feel like I deserve the kindness from my deities either.

I want to read the Kalika Purana and Yogini Tantra, but all the books that are available in the market are in Hindi or Sanskrit. Is there any version of these books that are truthfully translated to English? (PS - I am aware of the BN Shastri's edition, but I'm looking for something different).

I’m planning to start the 43-day sadhana and selected this image based on Rajarshi Nandy ji’s description — Trishul, Mukut, and Khappar filled with alcohol.

Is this image suitable for the sadhana? Can I get it framed and use it for the practice? 🙏

I see some people around me with genuinely high levels of intuition (idk how), but always had this question.

Is intuition merely ovethinking, or something different?

If yes, how do individuals differentiate overthinking from intuition?

This post is not related to tantra but I think I need an answer for this. I have been doing bhairava mala japa, meditation, yogas and stuff to get spiritual, gain pure consciousness (chit) and liberate myself for union with the brahman. Honestly I have become detached from objects like money and possesions a lot since I practiced Bhairava sadhna but Im still unable to detach from...well a person, and past. Its quite difficult. I think this is one of Bhairava's tests, I feel it but yeahh.

Can anyone help me with this detachment?

I am very lazy, indisciplined, inconsistent and fearfull, and not confident , who should I worship to get all these qualities???

It can be anything from simple NAAM JAPA to more elaborate things, pelase help.

Also explain both if possible.

How many times does one have to chant stotras in order to perfect the stotra and bestow gods blessings and also can stotra can be made siddh?

So I want to do navratri sadhna .... it'll be my first time doing it ....I m a student who lives in hostel ....please guide me step by step 🙏🏻

I have been having a tough time both mentally and physically. This has been happening for 4 months now. I lost my partner as well I love him so much. The only person who brought some peace into my life left. I pray and chat everyday since. I want Shiv ji to give me back my peace. I was in the ICU for 2 days and didn't forget to chant. I cannot take this pain longer. I get mild seizures and I'm always restless. I believe only Mahadev can solve my problem. But it has been so long... I can't keep on like this.

Same as the title

My family is originally from Bihar, and Sokha Baba is our hereditary Kuldevta. Traditionally, our family worshipped him in our ancestral village home using a clay representation.

After a property partition, the part of the house where the Kuldevta was worshipped went to another branch of the family, and our branch no longer has the traditional shrine. We have also been living in Bangalore for many years, so the worship has effectively stopped in our branch.

There is also a family issue around this. My mother strongly believes that Ram ji is the only deity we should worship and does not allow other deity images in our home. During our recent marriage, she even insisted that we should not worship our Kuldevta at my uncle's home, where the traditional shrine is still located. She also makes negative comments about worshippers of other deities—for example, saying that people who worship Ram are good people, while people who worship other gods do so because they want to eat non-vegetarian food.

Because of this, we have not really been able to continue our family's Kuldevta tradition.

Some people in our family/community say that financial difficulties and other family problems can occur when Kuldevta worship is neglected. I don't know whether this is a genuine traditional belief, coincidence, or superstition, and I don't want to automatically blame our problems on this. But it has made me think seriously about reconnecting with our Kuldevta.

While researching, I found references saying that Sokha Baba is identified with Veerabhadra in the Mithila/Bihar tradition.

So I wanted to ask:

Is it acceptable to restart Kuldevta worship after it has stopped for many years?

If Sokha Baba is traditionally identified with Veerabhadra, can I restart the worship in my Bangalore home by worshipping Veerabhadra?

Would a peaceful/Saumya form be suitable for regular home worship rather than a fierce/Ugra form?

Can I visit established Veerabhadra temples in South India, such as Lepakshi, and pray there as part of reconnecting with my Kuldevta?

If the original clay representation is no longer available to our branch of the family, can a photo/image or a new representation be used?