Shakti Upasana

A report provided by a guru
Aghor Ashram, Varanasi



MEANINGFULNESS OF LIFE

What is a meaningful life? How can we live a peaceful life? These are the questions that keep arising in every person. In search of peace, man has sought freedom from anger, sorrow and despair. Some have even sought it in the material realm, but peace always eludes them.

A meaningful life is one in which peace and contentment, growth and harmony are experienced. Human life has its own specialty. It’s main goal is to live an ideal life and to encourage others to live ideally as well. For this reason, there is a great need of cultivating shakti within. A person who is engaged in maintaining the self, who has compassion for the self and who seeks his own protection, is truly engaged in finding the absolute truth. This exploration, recognition, containment and proper utilization of shakti could be termed as Shakti Upasana.

In the Aghor way of life, shakti is recognized as the primal force which causes everything to happen. The word shakti literally means power, strength, energy or capability. Shakti is the life force. All the different names of the Divine Mother — Kali, Durga, Lakshmi, etc. — are just different names of the same life force, personified with different attributes.

Upasana is a very important aspect in the life of a seeker. Baba Avadhuta Sri Bhagvan Ram explained, “the meaning of upasana is to sit near your adored deity and to become permeated with their virtue, behavior and thoughts.” Being engaged in upasana is like being as an empty cup, ready to be filled with the virtues of the adored. Being born a human is most special. We are capable of achieving either divinity or beastliness, depending on our intention. Most of us are totally unaware of our shakti (strength, life force) because of the cravings of our sensory organs. Our preoccupation with satisfying these keeps us ignorant of our shakti. We roam about like lifeless creatures. Once we are aware of our shakti, we can realize our potential and enrich our lives. Therefore, shakti upasana is a must for those who want to live a meaningful life.

Shakti upasana begins with incorporating the virtue of divine beings into our daily lives. There may seem to be many gods and goddesses in different forms, but overall, they are all one. All the gods and goddesses procure their status by their virtue. In order to obtain that, one must have the right viewpoint. There are thousands of people with the name of Rama, Krishna or Jesus, but they differ from the original in that they lack their virtues. Therefore, we are searching for those qualities that enabled Rama or Jesus to be worthy of adoration. With the help of his strong character, Rama was able to embrace victory. The key elements of Rama’s character were his adherence to dharma and his dedication to his wife and his elders.



GOAL OF UPASANA

The main goal of upasana is to enrich ourselves with shakti. From insects to the Trinity, all exist because of shakti. Some have less shakti than others, as different light bulbs have different wattage. There is a great need for shakti in everything that exists. The shakti that we invoke is the same, whether it is the shakti of a human, of a divine messenger, or of a guru. Without this shakti, plants, animals, humans, gods, goddesses, and holy beings, etc., are all powerless. If they lack shakti, they are nothing but a shava.

There has been a tradition of shakti upasana in India from ancient times. Because of that, dharma and faith flourished in the past. Even today, great faith in God and in a humanitarian viewpoint is found in the people of this country. Not only Hindus, but people of other religions also engage in shakti upasana.

The shakti that awakens is not a separate entity from ourselves. People who gain intellectual and moral shakti, together with noble character, become divine beings. One can obtain these different forms of shakti only with the help of faith and devotion. These are needed to quiet the chitta. One can realize peace by quieting the chitta. Through upasana, and keeping the company of evolved beings, a person is able to recognize, contain and utilize his shakti.



HOUSEHOLDER SEEKERS

It is not true that a householder cannot be a true seeker. Householders have often obtained knowledge that is not attained by even the great renunciates. Nanaka, the founding father of Sikh dharma, had two sons, and Mohammad, the founder of Islam, was a family man as well. If one is engaged in the search with dedication, worldly things are never an obstacle.

We engage in upasana for the sake of elevating our being. If we are progressing in our practice, we should also take along our next of kin. While doing this we must be watchful of not getting attached, because attachment causes anxiety, fear and sorrow. Once we become attached, instead of being a comfort to our next of kin, we become weak and unfocused.



NECESSITY OF FOLLOWING ONE SPECIFIC PATH

Everyone does not walk on the same path. There are different paths for different people, yet the goal is often the same. Some people may even have a different goal. It is a matter of great happiness if all arrive at the same place with a disciplined, healthy, and happy heart-mind. With dedication, a disciplined heart-mind flourishes.

According to one’s understanding and condition in any place or circumstance, whatever one knows is right. There are various ways of worshipping, but the end is the same. Although there are various forms of the goddess with different virtues, they are manifestations of the One Goddess with one all-encompassing virtue. There are many people who have experienced many things, yet are at the same place they started. Who are these people who never arrived anywhere? It seems as if the road itself kept moving and they remained standing still. It is the same in upasana. If you then become involved in different practices, it becomes like climbing a sand dune. Everyone learns according to his own samskaras. Whether it is made of clay or gold, a pot’s size determines how much it can hold. If you stay with your one devotional practice, your samskara will also evolve as your shakti increases.



NECESSITY OF STABILITY

A person can attain great heights momentarily, but may be unable to remain there. One may be near God or the guru, which takes very little time, but to remain there takes great stability. This stability can be achieved only by love and affection. Just by seeing something lofty does not elevate the consciousness. Seeing alone is not meaningful, whether it is sadhana (practice), upasana (practice with devotion), dhyana (meditation), or asana (postures). If stability is not there, all these practices are useless.



NECESSITY OF LOVE AND AFFECTION

One needs to cultivate love and affection toward one’s deity. The expression of our love to the Divine should be practical. It can be expressed simply by manasic puja (mental worship). There should be a longing to be near our deity similar to the longing of a drowning person to reach the water’s surface. There should be a constant call for the deity. At such moments, the body is thrilled, hair stands on end, and each pore starts vibrating. The whole body experiences gentle, pleasant pulsation. These occurrences are the indication of the emergence of the goddess shakti within.

The main goal of worship and outer rituals in upasana is to develop love for our deity. This love is the only path to the proximity of our deity. It is the only asset that can be exchanged for the closeness of our beloved. Without the sentiment of master and servant, this kind of love does not arise. At the time of carrying out an action, there are two. Otherwise, both are one. Divine love is a practical aspect of human life that can be practiced by the visualization method of ritual worship.



NECESSITY OF SURRENDER WITH MIND, VOICE AND ACTION

We say Sarveshwari tvam pahimam sharnegatam. Once we have surrendered, and yet still commit evil acts, they are related to an insincere surrender, performed only by our voice and not by our heart-mind and actions. Once we perform our worship, and still harbor expectations, we should know that we have not surrendered totally.



NECESSITY OF DILIGENCE IN UPASANA

In upasana, it is our diligent practice that bears fruit. The element of fire is present in the wood, but it can be produced only by some effort (friction). In the same way, the element of the divine is present in the nature of cosmos, which can be obtained by diligent practice, provided we possess the method of invoking it. We must work hard. One who shuns hard work, being helpless and afraid, is forced to beg. Once we work hard, the same hand that is stretched out for begging, turns into a giving hand. Our hard work is never wasted.



NECESSITY OF FAITH

Faith is one of the greatest virtues. Our austerity, upasana and worship bear fruit only after being nourished by faith. We should inspire faith in others and strive for their trust. In faith, a farmer throws seeds in the ground and later harvests a bumper crop. We perform most of our actions based on faith. Without faith, our mantra, practice and medicine do not work. After receiving our mantra from our guru, we should practice it with utmost faith. It is only then that we are able to understand its power and our life becomes meaningful. Faith is our greatest wealth. Faith is like a new inspiration and a new life.



NECESSITY OF SHEEL (MODESTY)

Together with affection, modesty is a must. We must be modest before our beloved. The restlessness of our sensory organs, mind and limbs must come to rest. Only then will our upasana become fruitful. Engaging in sadhana is like sitting next to our deity. Therefore, we must remain aware of our body posture, behavior and appearance. No matter how much you love a person, if you do not behave properly, you will get deprived of their company.



NECESSITY OF CESSATION OF DOUBT

There is no emergence of shakti within a person who harbors doubt. As long as we are laden with doubt, we keep inviting confusion and trouble in our lives. Even a momentary doubt destroys our life-long earnings, and blunts our vitality. Therefore, we must remain steadfast in our conviction.



NECESSITY OF OUTER AND INNER CLEANLINESS

In our upasana, we must pay attention to our outer and inner cleanliness. Without outer cleanliness we become dull and sluggish, and without inner cleansing, trash accumulates in our conscience.



NECESSITY OF DIRECT GUIDANCE

In our upasana, various things become favorable to us, and others remain unfavorable. There is a reason for this adversity. All the theoretical teachings of religious texts are not worth following. Dharma and behavior should relate to the appropriate time and place in history, abandoning the old conventional ideologies that are no longer practical. If we embrace the practical ideas for our time, we invite peace in our lives. All the Vedas, Puranas, Gita, Quran and Bible are composed by men. These are entitled to be called experiences, or recollections of great beings. These books could give us direction, but cannot make us walk on the path. We need the shakti that enables us to walk on the path.

It is the guru, the administrator or doctor, of our time who can come to our aid. If we sit and wait for the healers mentioned in our history books to come and relieve us of our ailments, we will never get rid of our sickness. It is the guru or guide, who is available to us in our time, who can give us real guidance. By embracing the teachings of the gurus or saints we come in contact with, we can walk on the path of today.



CONCLUSION

By our upasana, instead of obtaining the grace of Maha maya, the Divine Mother, we have to seek our own grace. The favor and obligation of Maha Maya is already with us. The Divine Mother has already given us not only this human body and the company of holy beings, but most of all, has given birth to us on this holy earth. We should be grateful for this understanding, the goal of our lives. Let us practice the righteous way of living.