Goddess Kali -

Goddess Kali was depicted as the most ferocious with a dreadful appearance in Hindu mythology.  She has dark blue complexion, blood-stained tongue stretching outside, sparkling three eyes, vicious smile, adorned in magnificent crown decorated with a crescent moon adorned in various golden gem decorated ornaments all over the body, beautiful earrings,  ornaments on the chest, arms,  hands, waist, and anklets, she holds  various fierce weapons in hands,  powerful sword in one hand, lifeless head on the other, starch naked, garlands of skull and corpse on the neck, a large volume of curly and dark blue long unbound hairs  that covers the nudity, she is standing or sitting on the chest of Lord Shiva.  The significance of the worship of Ma Kali that begins over four thousand years from the pre-Buddhist period, rituals were considered as highly important in invoking Goddess Kali.  The performance of fire sacrifice to invoke deities, such as Lord Sun, Lord Agni, Lord Indra, Lord Varuna, etc.. the Veda describes the nature of Goddess Nirriti is the representation of death as dark complexioned with disheveled hair, alarming appearance, she is compared with Dakshin Kali who is originated from the direction South/dwelling place of Yama.  Goddess Nirriti reveals the dark side of nature of life such as physical as well as mental ailments.

In Jaiminya Brahmana, there is a legend of Goddess Dhirga Jihva who has long tongue stretched out was invoked out of the fire sacrifice and she licked away all the Soma rasa from the fire ritual,  that caused much irritation to Lord Indra.  This Somarasa provided immortality,  happiness, and health to everyone including deities.  Lord Indra assigned a young man Sumitra to fight against Dhirga Jihva was refused Sumitra who is lack of manliness.  Indra blessed Sumitra with immense manliness which satisfied the Dhirga Jihva and Sumitra attained the power to kill her during their amorous sport. 

During the Buddhist era Karma and Moksha gained popularity, which recommended meditation as a tool for attaining liberation from worldly bondage, this caused the diminishing of the performance of fire sacrifices.  The post Buddhist period gave the raise the knowledge in scriptures, which highly recommended fire worships for invoking deities.  The supreme spirit which has no duality and protector of the worshiper, thus began the origin of sub-sect as Shaivism, is the worship of Lord Shiva who is a Vairagin/abandonment,  Vaishnavism, is the worship of Lord Vishnu who is a Samsarin/householder along with Goddess Mahalakshmi, Shaktham is the worship of Ma Kali who represents female energy,  each has supremacy in its own way.  Ma Kali is depicted as the conqueror of demons, and there are various manifestations of Ma Kali.  Goddess Kalaratri who has appeared in the final night of war of Kurukshetra is another powerful form of Goddess Kali who lives in battlefields, a representation of rage and violence. 

Srimad Devi Bhagavatham of Markandeya Purana describes Ma Kali who originated from the third eye of Goddess Devi to kill the demons Chanda, Munda, Mahisha,  and Rakthabeeja.  There is a famous legend of Rakthabeeja who undertook severe penance praying to Lord Bhrama, finally attained a peculiar boon that if a drop of his blood fell on Earth would transform into a seed which causes to sprout duplicate of him.  Rakthabeeja has grown haughty and caused havoc in three worlds, therefore the deities, Lord Bhrma and Lord Indra approached Lord Vishnu to put an end to his atrocities.  Lord Vishnu requested to Lord Shiva also expressed his qualms so they have to approach Goddess Devi who assumed the form of multi-armed Chandi who is mounted on a tiger with various weapons and rushed to the battlefield.  Another form of Goddess Devi is Kali who has a long stretching tongue, drank all those bloodsheds with her propelling tongue before it falls on the ground.  Thus, Goddess Kali beheaded the demon Rakthabeeja, she has worn the garlands of the head of demons.

The Tantric scriptures describes various forms of Goddess like Kali, Tara, Chamunda, Chinnamastha, Tripurasundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Dhumavathi, Bagalamukhi, Mathangi, and Kamala.   Tantric scriptures describes elaborately on the sixty-four Goddess known as Tri-Devi, Tri-Ambika, Matrikas, Mahavidhyas, and Yoginiganas, are the goddesses as benevolent, bountiful, gruesome and malicious.  The Kalika Purana describes Maha Kali as the most perfect and supreme representation of Adi shakti.  Mahakali with her unbound hair of large volume, dark complexion, blood-stained tongue stretched out of the mouth, thirst for blood, and unbridled lust dominated her male form Lord Shiva/Bhairav.   The moment she sat on the chest of Lord Shiva or stands on his chest realizes her origin as awakened by him, she is the one who supplements him with her female energy.  She is the supreme Goddess who has venerable as well as frightening form; she is the creator of living beings and ultimately devours them.

Shaktism - 

Shaktism is one of the most important sub-sects of Hinduism.  It is one of the most popular worship of the supreme Goddess Adhishakthi, in her innumerable forms in different parts of the country.  Shakthi symbolizes ‘energy’/ ‘Potency’, worship of the same for attaining the highest spiritual benefits.  Shaktism is closely related to Shaivism, Shakthi/female energy of Lord Shiva.   Therefore, Shiva and Shakthi are inseparable, and the emotional disturbance of the Shakthi leads to creation.  Without the vital energy, Lord Shiva remains inactive.  As mentioned earlier, Shakthi has innumerable appearances as Kali who has fierce form; she is the destroyer of evil.  She has the manifestation as Janani who is the mother of living beings, she has personified as Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi who symbolizes wealth and richness, Goddess Durga who is the destroyer of sorrows and miseries, Goddess Saraswathi who symbolizes wisdom and knowledge, Goddess Sri who is the epitome of beauty, Goddess Parvathi who symbolizes love and virtues, she is the consort of Lord Shiva, she represents death and destruction.  


The Shakthites worship Goddess as the mother and the worshiper believes that the mother provides all that they yearn.  Hinduism believes the supreme Goddess Kali as the destroyer of evil and fear.  All that born on this Earth has to undergo constant transformation such as aging, illness, and death.  None of the living beings is out of these above-said transformations in life; hence all have the fear of death.  The Goddess Kali is portrayed as gruesome and alarming, to reveal the realities of life such as despair, sufferings fear of death and death.  This will help us to realize the stark nature of realities of life such the nature of impermanence.  The Earth we live in has to undergo various natural calamities, destruction, famine, drought, etc.., we are always surrounded by the constant threat of nature as well as wickedness of humans.  Goddess Kali is often portrayed as dwelling in funeral grounds, makes us realize the fact that all the living beings on the Earth have to face death, pain, and suffering.  It is an undeniable warning to living beings about the harsh truth of aging; illness and death, hence pursue the knowledge of ‘Bhramam’ which is supreme bliss.   The worldly existence is a web of sufferings, pain, agony, miseries, sorrows, displeasure and grief.  The worship of the gruesome form of Goddess Kali helps us to confront all the evils such as mental and physical ailments, and ultimately death.  None of the living beings in this world is going to be free from any of the nature of life on the Earth.  Therefore, the horrifying form of Kali is not to terrorize, the worship of Goddess Kali teaches us to confront the happiness and sorrow, beauty and ugliness, pleasure and displeasure, fear of death and death in a balanced state of mind.  The ultimate truth is that she is the Mother of Universe and its living being; she not only protects her worshiper but also instills them with the knowledge of the impermanent nature of life, so that the worshiper remains free from the worldly bondage practically and rationally.  Goddess Kali symbolizes energy and process of existence, worship of Goddess Kali would benefit the worshiper to overcome the fear of death, time and death which is inevitable.  The worshiper of Ma Kali sees kindness and love in her brutal appearance; she removes the fear of death, evilness, and worldly bondage.

The role of Tantra in Shaktism is significant, it is a method of worship of  Ma Kali.  The Tantra reveals the knowledge of all the dimensions and powers of the existence of manifestation of the energy of Ma Kali.  The Tantra is the knowledge which aims to transform the worshiper and elevates spiritually, and set free from all those destructive and binding nature of life.

The supreme Goddess Kali also depicts as Mother of living beings, with a pleasing personality, compassion and full of love.  She is the protector of her passionate devotees, she protects from the fear of physical as well as mental ailments.  Goddess Kali symbolizes creation as well as destruction, in order to create something new, something has to be destroyed which is already in existence.  These two actions should go correspondingly; Ma Kali is described as gruesome with a black complexion that represents death, and the divine Mother has a pleasant appearance with a beautiful smile represents creation which consists of good and evil as well.  The worship of Shakthi brings serenity in the worshiper, it teaches to embrace the destructive force such as destruction of the evil and the pleasing nature of the divine mother who protects her children, in the same manner.  Therefore, death and destruction are inevitable in human life; the worship of Goddess Kali brings the knowledge of awareness of the impermanent nature of life and helps to overcome those fears.

Shakti Peet

Kirit Shakthipeet – This is one of  the oldest sacred place where  the Shirobhushan/Ma Sathidevi’s crown fallen on the Earth, it is located on the riverbank of Hooghly close to Lalbag Kote, Kiritakona Village, Murshidabad, West Bengal.  The presiding deity is Goddess Vimala, also known as Bhuvaneshwari /Kiriteshwari along with Lord Bhairav Bhoothesha.

Katyayani Shakthipeet – It is located on the sacred land of  Bhootheshwar in Mathura, close to Vrindavan Railway Station, Brindavan.   The current structure of the shrine was constructed by Yogiraj Swami Keshavanand Bhramachari.  It is one of the Shakthipeet where Ma Sathidevi’s hair locks fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Katyayani/Uma, along with Lord Bhairav Bhoothesha.  This is the famous land on Earth/Kreedabhoomi where Lord Krishna performed amorous sport/Rasaleela with the passionate young maiden of cowherds, situated close to river Yamuna who is the daughter of Kalindi Girinandhini who purifies the souls.

Karaveera Shakthipeet – This famous temple is located on the banks of Panchaganga Rivers in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.  It is believed that Ma Sathidevi’s three eyes are fallen on this place.  The presiding deity is Goddess Mahishasuramardhini along with Lord Bhairava, Karaveera temple is the permanent dwelling place of Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi as well.  There are shrines of Lord Shiva and Nandikeshwara known as Vyakatesha, Kathyayani, and Lord Gaurishankar is housed in the main shrine of Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi.

Sri Parvath Shakthipeet – This is one of the sacred shrine of Goddess Sundari along with Lord Bhairav Sundaranath, it is the place where Ma Satidevi’s Dhakshina Thalp/Kanpati fallen on the Earth.  There are two opinions by the scholars about the location of this famous Shakthipeet, some has the opinion that it is located in Ladakh and others have the opinion that it is in Silhat, Assam.

Vishalakshi Shakthipeet – This is one of the famous Shakthipeet located in Meer Ghat on the river banks of Ganga, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.  It is the place where Ma Sathidevi’s  Karnnakundala/earrings fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Vishalakshi along with Lord Kalabhairav.

Vishweshwari Shakthipeet -  This is one of the famous Shakthipeet Sarvashail located on the river banks of Godavari, It is the place where Ma Sathidevi’s left cheek fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Vishweshwari /Rakini along with Lord Bhairava Dhandapani/Vathsanabh.

Shuchindram Shakthipeet – This is the place where Ma Sathidevi’s upper tooth is fallen down on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Narayani along with Lord Samhara Bhairava.  It is located on the Thrisagar Sangam/Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu. 

Panch Sagar Shakthipeet – This is one of the shrines where Ma Satidevi’s lower teeth fallen on the Earth.   It is located close to Varanasi Cantt. Railway Station, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The presiding deity is Goddess Varahi along with Lord Bhairava Maharudra.

Jwalamukhi Shakthipeet – This shrine is located on Kangra valley, Himachal Pradesh.  It is the place where Ma Sathidevi’s tongue fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Jwalamukhi/Goddess with the flaming mouth that has the appearance of flame along with Lord Bhairav.

Bhairav Parvath Shakthipeet –  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Avanthika along with Lord Bhairav  Lambakarnna.  There are two opinions about the place of the shrine, some says it is located near Bhairav Parvath, Girinar, Gujrat, others have the opinion that it is located on the river banks of Kshipra, in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s upper lip fallen on the Earth.

Attahasa Shakthipeet – This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s lower lip fallen on the Earth.  This shrine is located on the river banks of Ishani, Labhpur, and West Bengal. The presiding deity is Goddess Phullara who produces shrieking voices along with Lord Bhairav Vishwesha.

Janasthan Shakthipeet – This shrine is located in Panchavati, Nasik, Maharashtra.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s chin fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Bhramari along with Lord Bhairava Vikruthaksha.

Kashmir Shakthipeet or Amarnath Shakthipeet – This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s throat/neck portion fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Mahamaya/Saraswathi/Sharada along with Lord Bhairav Thrisandhyeshwar.

Nandipur Shakthipeet -  This is the place  also known as Nandikeshwar Temple where Ma Satidevi’s  ornaments fallen on the Earth.  This shrine is located in Sainthia, West Bengal.  The presiding deity is Goddess Nandini/Mahamaya  along with Lord Bhairav Nandikeshwar/Thrisandhyeshwar.

Srishaila Shakthipeet – This shrine is located in the Nallamala hills surrounded by deep forest, on the south of Krishna River, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s neck portion fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Mahalakshmi along with Lord Bhairav Shambaranand.

Nalhati Shakthipeet – This shrine is located in beautiful forest area of Rampurghat, Birbhum district, West Bengal.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s stomach portion/UdharaNali fell on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Kalika/Nalateshwari along with Lord Bhairav Yogesh.

Mithila Shakthipeet – There are a few different opinions about the location of this temple, some says that it is located in  Jabalpur, Nepal, and other says Samastipur, Bihar and Saharsa, Bihar, respectively.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s left shoulder fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity Goddess Vanadurga along with Lord Bhairava in  Janakpur, Nepal.  The presiding deity Goddess Jeyamangaladevi along with Lord Bhairava in Samastipur, Bihar, and presiding deity Goddess Ugrathara along with Lord Bhairava in Saharsa, Bihar. 

Rathnavali Shakthipeet – This shrine is located near Ghanteshwar temple in Khanakul, West Bengal.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right shoulder fallen on the Earth.   The presiding deity is Goddess Kumari along with Lord Bhairava Shiva.

Ambaji Shakthipeet – This shrine is also known as Arasuri Ambaji temple located on the Junarghad, on the hills of Girnarparvath, Gujarat.  It is believed that this is the place where Ma Satidevi’s stomach part is fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Chandhrabhaga along with Lord Bhairav Vakrathunda. 

Jalandhar Shakthipeet -  It is located in Jalandhar, Punjab.  It is believed that this is the place where Ma Satidevi’s left bosom fallen on the Earth. The presiding deity is Goddess Thripuramalini along with Lord Bhairav Bishan.

Ramgiri Shakthipeet – There are a few differences of opinion about the location of this temple.  Some say it is located in Chitrakoot, Uttarpradesh, while others say Maihar in Madhyapradesh.  It is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right bosom fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Shivani along with Lord Bhairav Chanda.

Vaidhyanath Shakthipeet - This temple is also known as ‘Chita Bhumi’ where Ma Satidevi’s heart fallen on the Earth.  It is located in Deoghar, Giritih, and Jharkhand.  The presiding deity is Goddess Jayadurga along with Lord Bhairav Vaidhyanath.  It is also believed that this is the place where the cremation of Goddess Sati was performed by Lord Shiva.

Kanyakumari Shakthipeet – It is located in the beautiful land where the temple overlook the confluence of three oceans, in Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu.  This is the sacred place where Ma Satidevi’s back portion fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Sharvani/Narayani along with Lord Bhairav Sthanu.

Bahula Shakthipeet – It is located on the river banks of Ajay in Kethugram, near Katwa Junction, Burdwan, West Bengal.  It is believed that Ma Satidevi’s left arm fallen on this place. The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Bahula along with Lord Bhairva Bheeruk.

Ma Harsiddhi Shakthipeet – It is located on the river banks of Kshipra in Ujjain.  It is believed that the place where Ma Satidevi’s elbow fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Mangala Chandika along with Lord Bhairva Mangalya Kapilmbar.

Manivedhika Shakthipeet – It is located on the river banks of Pushkar in Ajmer, Rajasthan.  It is also known as the shrine of Goddess Gayathri.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s wrist was fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Gayathri along with Lord Bhairav Sharvanand.

Prayag Shakthipeet -  It is located on the confluence river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s fingers fallen on the Earth.  There are different opinions about the locations of the temple; it is believed that the shrine is located in Akshayavat, Meerapur and Alopi.  The presiding deity of these shrines is Goddess Lalitha along with Lord Bhairava Bhava.

Uthkala Shakthipeet -  It is also known as Biraja Shakthipeet located in Puri, Yajpur, in Odissa.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s navel fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Vimala along with Lord Bhairav Jagannath Purushoththam.

Kanchi Shakthipeet – It is one of the magnificent temples located in Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu.  It is also called ‘Nabhisthana Odiyana Peedam’.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi's skeleton part of the body has fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Devagarbha/Kamakshi along with Lord Bhairav Ruru.

Kala Madhav Shakthipeet - It is located in Amarkantak close to Chitrakoot where the river Narmada initiates in Madhyapradhesh.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s left buttock fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Kali along with Lord Bhairav Asithanga.

Shona Shakthipeet -  It is located in Amarkantak, Annupur, Madhyapradhesh, it is also known as Narmadha Mandhir.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right buttock fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of this temple is Goddess Narmada along with Lord Bhairav Bhadrasen.

Kamakhya Shakthipeet – It is located on the beautiful Nilachal hill,  Kamagiri Parvath, in Assam, Guwahati.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s Yoni/reproductive organ fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Kamakhya along with Lord Bhairav Umanand.

Jayanthi Shakthipeet -  It is located on the hills of Jayanthiya in Meghalaya, Bangladesh.  This is the palce where Ma Satidevi’s left thigh fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Jayanthi along with Lord Bhairav Kramadhishwar.

Magadh Shakthipeet – It is located in Patna/Patalipura which was used to mention as Magadh,  Rajadhani of Bihar.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right thigh fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Sarvanandakari along with Lord Bhairav Vyomakesha.

Thristhotha  Shakthipeet – It is located on the river banks of Thistha in Shalwadi village, Jalpayigudi, West Bengal.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s left foot fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Bhramari along with Lord Bhairav Esha.

Thripurasundari Shakthipeet – It is located in Radha Kishore Gram in Tripura.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right foot fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Thripurasundari along with Lord Bhairav Thripuresha.

Vibhasha Shakthipeet – It is also known as Bhargabhima temple located on the river banks of Rupnarayana at Tamluk Village.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s left ankle fallen on the Earth.  This shrine is also known as Bhimkali Mandir, the presiding deity is Goddess Kapalini/Bheemaroopa along with Lord Bhairav Sarvanandha.

Kurukshethra Shakthipeet – It is located on the banks of Dhwaipayana Sarovar in Kurukshethra Junction, Haryana.  This shrine is also known as Sri Devikoop Bhadhrakali Peet, Savithri Peet, Kalika Peet, Devi Peet, Adi Peet, etc.. this is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right ankle fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddes Bhadrakali along with Lord Bhairav Sthanu.

Kshiragram Shakthipeet – It is located in Bardhaman district, west Bengal.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right toes fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Yogadhaya /Chinthapurni along with Lord Bhairav Khirakantha.

Virat Ka Ambika Shakthipeet -  It is located in  Viratgram/Vairatgram, Jaipur, Rajasthan.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s left leg fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Ambika along with Lord Bhairav Amritheshwar.

Kalighat Shakthipeet – It is located on the riverbank of Adi Ghat/Mayer Ghat in Kolkata, West Bengal.  It is famously known as Kalimandir.  This is the place Ma Satidevi’s right feet toe fallen on the Earth, presiding deity of the temple is Dakshin Kali along with Lord Bhairav Nakuleshwar Mahadev.

Manas Shakthipeet -  It is located close to the beautiful Mansarovar lake, Mount Kailash, Tibet.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right-hand palm fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Dhakshayani/rock form along with Lord Bhairav Amar.

Lanka Shakthipeet -  It is located in Trincomalee, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s anklets fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the shrine is Goddess Indrakshi/Nagabhooshani/Bhuvaneshwari along with Lord Bhairav Rakshaseshwar.  The idol of Goddess Indrakshi was consecrated by Lord Indra.

Gandaki Shakthipeet – It is located on the river banks of Gandaki, Nepal.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right cheek fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the shrine is Goddess Gandaki along with Lord Bhairav Chakrapani.

Guhyeshwari Shakthipeet -  It is located on the river banks of Bagmathi, near the famous shrine of Lord Pashupathinath in Nepal.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s knee cup fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the shrine is
Goddess Adishakthi/ Guhyeshwari/Vajrayogini/Mahashira along with Lord Bhairav.

Hingalaj Shakthipeet -   Hingalaj Matha Mandir/Nani Mandir is located in Hingol National Park, Baluchisthan, and a province of Pakistan.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s Bhramarandhra/pinnacle of the head, fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity of the temple is Devi Hingala/Kottari along with Lord Bhairav.

Bhabhanipur Shakthipeet/Karatoyatat Shakthipeet -  It is located in Begada, Bhavanipur, Bangladesh  It is located on the river banks of Karthoya.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi left palm fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Aparnna along with Lord Shiva Vaman Bhairav.

Chattel Shakthipeet -  It is located on the hills of Chandranath Hill,  near Sitakunda station of Chittagong District in Bangladesh. This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s right arm fallen on the Earth. The presiding deity is Goddess Bhavani along with Lord Bhairav/Chandrashekhara.

Yashohar/Jessore Shakthipeet -  It is  the third-largest shrine of Goddess Adishakthi located in Bangladesh  located in Jaisor Gulna, Bangladesh.  This is the place where Ma Satidevi’s left palm fallen on the Earth.  The presiding deity is Goddess Yashoreshwari along with Lord Bhairav Chandh.

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 28

King Ajathashathru mourns for the death of Devadatta who performed grave sin against his preceptor Lord Buddha.  He believed that it was Devadatta's wicked Karma against Buddha destroyed him, it was the bad luck Devadatta could not get a glimpse of Lord Buddha before death, even though he has arrived too close to his Tejavana Monastery.  Devadatta must have swallowed up by Earth or sunk deep into hell.  Ajathashathru regretted being in the association of Devadatta and supporting him in performing mischievous deeds against Lord Buddha.  He could not sleep that night thinking of all those evil deeds he has been a part with Devadatta against Lord Buddha. He sought the help of royal physician doctor Jivaka who replied: “ Your Majesty, I feel you should meet Lord Buddha at once, kindly pay your respects to him and apologize for all the sins.” King Ajathashathru felt it is perfect, he owes an apology to Lord Buddha for those wicked deeds. He took the royal physician with him to visit Jetavana Monstrey to meet Lord Buddha and offer his respects.

Ajathashathru bend his knee down before Lord Buddha and said “ Oh! Lord, I have become prey to Devadatta, and I have committed various sins that affected your reputation and belief.  I have realized my mistakes, I sincerely beg your pardon, kindly forgive me.  I promise I will not commit the same mistakes in my life.”  Lord Buddha said “ Your majesty,  It is a timeless law that hatred can be appeased by non-hatred, whoever associates with fools/wicked/deceitful will definitely be doomed to sorrow for a long time, whoever follows virtues and righteousness would shine like a blazing flame.  The people with mindfulness remain happy always and follow the path of righteousness.  A king should rule the kingdom with Dharma, his people remain happy.  Bhikkhus, all conditioned things has the nature to arise, persists for a while and pass away.   Therefore you should have the knowledge of impermanence nature of the living and non-living things on the Earth.  Whatever you are seeing is uncertain and unreliable.  A person who wanders in this worldly existence, shed tears of sorrow and sufferings form birth and being in the Samsara countless times.  The people who cling to the attachments in the form of sounds, smell, tastes, and touches of this world have not the slightest chance to go beyond the worldly existence.”

The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 27

One day Devadatta was sitting under the tree, one of the Monk Kokalika in the Sangha said “ Devadatta cannot you realize that you are not a suitable leader of the Bhikshu Sangha? The foremost disciples of Buddha venerable Moggallana and Sariputta gave instructions and teachings to your followers, after that all of them were left your hermitage and gone to Jetavana Monastery, for your information, only a few foolish and ignorant followers are with you.” Devadatta could not believe the words of the monk Kokalika who said “you are not a real monk, you are wearing a saffron robe to manipulate people, you are foolish and exploiting the emotions of the people to gain fame and honor.  You are boastful, you are wicked who turned down his own preceptor, and compete with him.  Therefore I have no wish to stay with you any longer.”  Kokalika left the hermitage of Devadatta.

After nine months, Devadatta was troubled with a critical illness.    There was no improvement for quite some; he has no one around other than his handful of followers to look after him.  He felt that it was the Karma of his deceitful behavior to Lord Buddha; he also realized that Buddha is a noble soul who has always been kind and compassionate to him.  He remembered Buddha never shown any slightest hatred or resentment towards him all these years. Devadatta understood his death is nearing; he heartily wanted to meet Buddha and beg for forgiveness.  He requested the Monks who were in the service to take to Jetavana Monastery.  The monks carried Devadatta to the Jetavana Monastery to fulfill his last wish, he felt miserable, could not even take breathe.  He got out of the palanquin and slowly walked towards the Monastry, suddenly the weather has changed, sky is burdened with dark clouds, a strong wind swept away the dust and dried leaves, the Earth under his feet split apart,  Devadatta’s half of the body sunk deep into the Earth, eventually his entire body up to neck plunged into mud, he cried out calling for help “ Oh! The noble soul who is the personification of wisdom and knowledge, virtues, Oh! Lord Buddha, who is the remover of darkness of ignorance,  Oh! Supreme preceptor, I sincerely offer greetings to you, I take the lotus feet of Lord Buddha as my shelter place forever.” Thus, Devadatta disappeared from the Earth.

Sant Nivriththinath Maharaj

Pranams at the lotus feet of Nivriththinath Maharaj!

Chapter – 3

Nivriththinath continued to be under the guidance of Gehninath Maharaj, he undertook extreme Tapasya and meditation.  At home, the three children Gnandev, Sopandev, and Muktha found their parents are missing.  Nivriththinath returned home after embracing Sanyasa under the instruction of Gehninath Maharaj.  The children supported each other’s in their difficult times, they go begging for alms but returned home empty-handed, villagers were refused to offer alms saying that ‘Alms are offered to Bhramins and Saints.”  The children were compelled to move out of their village Alandi due to the hatred of the villagers.  They approached the high intellectuals and scholars of the village Paitan, requested a date to perform the sacred thread ceremony, the children came to know about the verdict of death punishment as atonement imposed upon their parents which were utterly unjustifiable.  Gnandev performed the miracle before the villagers of Paitan to prove that the supreme Lord resides as a soul in all the living beings, he recited Sanskrit verse before a buffalo, it repeated the verses, in this way Gandev instructed the people to respect all the living beings on the Earth.

Nivriththinath and his siblings returned to Alandi after several years.  The villagers received the youthful and charming saints with great respect.  Nivriththinath was not only  an elder brother, but he was also a preceptor to his siblings, he advised Gnandev to write the great philosophical work Amruthanubhav, and Gyaneshwari which is the essence of Bhagavad Gita.  The people of Alandi became fervent devotees of the young saints and highly praised their knowledge. During this period, Mahayogi Changdev Maharaj visited Alandi and heard the fame of young Saint Gnandeva.  Changdev Maharaj send a message in a blank paper to Gnandeva to test his wisdom, he worked a spell on the devotees of Gnandeva, but it was removed by his devotion.  Changdev arrived on a leopard to meet Gnandeva to prove his supremacy.  Gnandeva who was sitting on the wall with his sibilings instructed the wall to move and stood before Changdev.  Finally, Changdev  Maharaj realized the divinity of Gnandeva and took shelter at his feet.  At the age of 21, Gnandev Maharaj attained Mahasamadhi in Alandi, Sopandev undertook Samadhi soon after Gnandev.  Nivriththinath Maharaj and Muktha left Alandi for a spiritual tour, during their journey Mukthabai attained the abode of Lord.  Nivriththinath Maharaj proceeded to Nasik, at the age of 24 attained Mahasamadhi in Thryambakeshwar.

Sant Nivriththinath Maharaj

Pranams at the lotus feet of Nivriththinath Maharaj!

Chapter – 2

Nivriththinath was ten years old, the family undertook a journey to Trayambakeshwar on foot, they have traveled through the dense forest in the night.    suddenly he was separated from the family, left alone in the middle of the forest. The family was alarmed; there was no one to call for help, all of a sudden there appeared few tribal people who were in search of the tiger.  They urged the family to hide in a safe place; otherwise, they have to face danger.  Nivriththinath wandered in the dense food and had the encounter with the tiger, he stood calm and serene before the animal, and he stared at it and the tiger left the place amicably.  Nivriththinath proceeded his journey through the woods and reached before a cave in the hills of Anjani.

Nivriththinath went inside the cave where he could hear the utterance of ‘Alak Niranjan’.  He met a saint inside the cave, it was Sant Gehninath who the disciple of Sant Gorakhnath Maharaj was long waiting for the arrival of Nivriththi. Further, Nivriththnath attained Deeksha from Gehninath Maharaj of Nath Sampradaya.

The villager’s cruelty and humiliation to Vittal Panth and his children increased day by day.  The children were mistreated, they were considered as sinners.  Vittal Panth decided to put an end to these kinds of mistreatments; he thought the performance of the sacred thread ceremony to the children would earn new respect in society.  He decided to approach the scholars of the village for getting an auspicious date to perform the sacred thread ceremony.  Rukmini felt miserable seeing her children in extreme hunger and humiliation.  Vittal Panth met the senior scholars of Bhramin assembly, he explained that he had not committed any sin and children are not sinners, he embraced Sanyasa with the permission of his wife while he has no interest in worldly matters, he returned to Grihasthashram at the command of his preceptor Sage Ramananda, therefore he or his children did not commit any severest sin.  The Assembly of Bhramin refused to give a date for the performance of the sacred thread ceremony of the children, instead, they advised Vittal Panth to perform the atonement for the sin committed, so that they may consider issuance of the date for sacred thread ceremony.  Vittal Panth agreed to perform any atonement for the bright future of his children, the Assembly ordered Vittal Panth to give up life as atonement for his sin.  He humbly prostrated before the Assembly of Bhramin and agreed to follow the verdict.  Rukmini decided to follow her husband in death punishment too.  On that night she put her children for sleep and the couple left home and took Jalasamadhi.