Class Transcript

Chandi Path, Introduction pps 2-14

Broadcast live from the Devi Mandir by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Class Duration, 1 hr 2 min

Contents

• Discourse
• Question & Answer Session
• Further Information

Discourse

Om Sam Saraswatyai Namah. Namaste.

This evening we are going to begin the discussion of the Chandi Path. And “chand” actually
means to tear or to cut apart. “Chandi” is She Who Tears Apart. And what does She tear apart?
She tears apart the duality and for those who are trying to be silent inside, She tears apart the
thoughts.

So one of the translations of the Chandi Path is “She Who Tears Apart Thought.” The recitation
of the qualities, the attributes, the episodes, the adventures of She Who Tears Apart Thoughts
and tears apart the duality. This scripture is also known as the Durga Saptasati, the 700 verses
about Durga. Actually, as we will find later in the text, it is not really verses it is 700 ahutis
(oblations). Because there is a different account of how many times we offer to the fire. So when
we include all the uvacas (he said, she said), half verses, verses, and all the anomalies
(namastasyai swaha), they all add up to 700. So it is called the “700 of Durga.” It is also called
the Devi Mahatmyam, “the Glory of the Goddess.”

Swamiji reads introduction on pages 2-8 in English.

We’ll go further into the table of contents when we get to the Brahmadi Sapa Vimocanam (page
49).

Let’s just read the table of contents because we are going to find great insight into the study that
we are about to embark upon.

Sapta Sloki Durga – Seven Verses That Express the Essence of She Who Relieves all Difficulties

Remember, “durgam” means an obstacle or a difficulty. Durga removes the durgam. So these are
the seven verses that describe the essence of Durga.

Sri Durgastottara Satanama Stotram - The Song Containing the 108 names of the Respected
Reliever of Difficulties.

These 108 names are indicative of 108 qualities that each of us devotees will want to inculcate
and exemplify in our daily behaviors.

2008 Devi Mandir Page 1 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

Brahmadi Sapa Vimocanam – The Removal of the Curses by Brahma and others
Remember, the Chandi Path was so powerful that Brahma and others gave curses to those who
abuse or misuse the verses of the Chandi. And the curses said that, “this is a scripture of personal
transformation. With this text, you have the ability to make yourself divine. You can become
pure; you can surrender the ego and all your attachments and become a pure devotee of God. If
you misuse these verses, and instead of using it to cut the ego, you use it for self aggrandizement;
if instead of surrendering your attachments, you use these verses for personal selfish
considerations, then this tool will not work for you as a tool of personal transformation.”

That’s the curse. So if you say to someone, “Give me money and I will recite the Chandi Path
and change the fruit of your karma,” that’s pretty selfish. The next time you are burdened or
perplexed by egotistical attachments and thoughts, where will you turn for solace? You have
already abused the tool. It won’t work for you. That’s the curse.

Atha Devyah Kavacam – The Armor of the Goddess

Here, we establish the energies of the Goddesses all throughout our bodies. And just like a suit of
armor, we establish her vibration inside. Cover it with a suit of armor and no antithetical or
inimical vibration can permeate our armor. We remain centered in the oneness with the Goddess.

Athargala Stotram – The Praise That Unfastens the Bolt

The door to the secret of the Goddess is formidable. It is closed with a deadbolt lock, a safety
latch, and a security pin. And now we are going to open that deadbolt lock. We open the
deadbolt lock by remembering the prayer:

“Rupam dehi” - give us your form. Let me be the manifestation of the perfect image of the
Goddess.

“Jayam dehi” - give us victory. Let me conquer this small self; let me conquer this selfish “I”
and become one with the big “I.” Let me take the broad view.

“Yaso dehi” - give us welfare. Make the whole universe filled with welfare.

“Dviso jahi” - eliminate all hostility. Remove all conflict. Make us in the greatest peace.

And if we keep that prayer deeply seated in our hearts, we can open the lock to the secret of the
Goddess.

Kilakam

We open up the pin. To open the pin is very clearly written, “Just as we give, so shall we
receive.” This is the form of the pin with which the door to the secret is closed and secured. And
that means if we give a lot, we will get a lot. If we give a little, we get a little. That’s the pin.

2008 Devi Mandir Page 2 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

Vedoktam Ratri Suktam - The Praise of the 1ight of Duality

Here we are in the field of duality. There is more than one. There is me, you, and all this world.
Now, we want to move from the darkness of duality to the perception of the Goddess who is
unity. This is the journey of the Chandi.

Tantroktam Ratri Suktam - Tantric Praise to the 1ight of Duality

Sri Devyatharvasirsam – The Highest Meaning of the Goddess

1avarna Vidhih – The System of Worship with the 1ine Lettered Mantra
The Navarna mantra is the moola mantra of the Chandi. We will talk more about that as we get
into the system of worship.

Let’s now look more at the body of the text itself.

Chapter One – The Balance of Too Much and Too Little

We said to Mom, “Mom we want to sit still, we want to be quiet, we want to have peace and
bliss inside.” Too Little said, “You can’t sit there, you don’t have enough. Get up and get some
more. Get an education. Get a job. Get more money. Get some more.” And then we went out in
to the world and did all that that was incumbent upon us and we brought home all the stuff.

“Now, Mom, we want to sit still,” we said. Then Too Much said, “You can’t sit still. You’ve got
too much. Get rid of the extra. Get rid of the excess. Take out the garbage. Clean your closet.”

Then Maha Kali came and She is the one who takes away all darkness and She illuminated how
much do we need and what is the right amount in order to accomplish our goal of sitting still.
And that is the balance of too much and too little. (28:00)

Chapter Two – The Slaying of the Armies of the Great Ego

We’ll talk more about them as they come. Well, you can see them everyday: Anger, Passion,
Foul Mouth, Irresistible Temptation, Wandering To and Fro, The Great Frustration, Haughtiness,
Blindness, Anxiety, Want of Resolution (what shall I become when I grow up?). These thoughts
that keep perplexing us even when we sit down and say, “I have come to meditate upon the
Goddess. I am a devotee”. Wandering To and Fro says, “Not there. Sit there. Not this guru, that
guru. Not this scripture, that scripture.”

Chapter Three – The Slaying of the Great Ego

How blissful is that feeling when we see Her take out Her broad-edged sword and, “Whoosh”,
with one stroke to the neck She cuts down the Great Ego.

Chapter Four – The Gods Praise the Goddess

2008 Devi Mandir Page 3 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

Without an ego, what else can you do?

Chapter Five – The Ambassador of Self-Conceit

Self-Conceit sent his ambassador. “Hey, Mother, come down from there, you will be so happy to
sit here next to me.”

Chapter Six – The Slaying of Sinful Eyes

Chapter Seven – The Slaying of Passion and Anger

Chapter Eight – The Slaying of the Seed of Desire

Chapter 1ine – The Slaying of Self-Deprecation

Chapter Ten – The Slaying of Self-Conceit

All these generals in the armies of duality come at us every time we sit down. Self-Deprecation
says, “If only I hadn’t. I blew it. I did it wrong.” Self-Conceit says, “Boy, did I do a good job.”
When she takes all those demonical energies away from us, all that is left is the Self.

Chapter Eleven – The Gods’ Song of Praise

Chapter Twelve – The Fruits of Reciting the Chandi

What do you get for doing this? What happens in your lives. I’m sure everyone of you has a
story.

Chapter Thirteen – The Granting of Boons

1avarna Vidhih – The System of Worship with the 1ine Lettered Mantra

Rgvedoktam Devi Suktam – The Vedic Praise of the Goddess

We are there with Her, in oneness, in unity.

Tantroktam Devi Suktam – The Tantric Praise of the Goddess

Pradhanikam Rahasyam – The Most Preeminent Secret

The one that came first. What is the origin of all the gods? From whence cometh the Goddess?

Vaikrtikam Rahasyam – The Modified Secret

What is the nature of her creation?

2008 Devi Mandir Page 4 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

Murti Rahasyam – The Secret of the Manifestations

Ksama Prarthana – Prayer for Forgiveness

Durga Dvatrimsannama Mala – The Rosary of the 32 1ames of Durga

Devyaparadha Ksamapana Stotram – A Song Seeking Forgiveness from the Goddess for the
Commission of Offences

“If I did anything wrong, Mom, please forgive me. I am trying to be a good devotee. I am trying
to be a Son of God. Please forgive me if I blow it. I will blow it, again and again. But please,
Mom, pick me up, dust me off, put me on the right path, and set me on my way again. Don’t let
me stay down. Please.”

Siddha Kunjika Strotram – The Song That Gives the Key to Perfection

This is a commentary on the Navarna mantra.

Candi Mam Ki Arati – Be Victorious!

Devimayi – Manifestations of the Goddess

Bhagavatistutih – A Song of Praise to the Supreme Goddess

Pranamah – Bowing Down with Devotion

In the back, we have a small glossary of how to pronounce Sanskrit. It will be of some help. At
least, it is written in Roman characters.

Question & Answer Session

We heard you say that, “through study and practice of this work according to the prescribed
procedure seek to free ourselves from the ego” Is the prescribed procedure, chanting the
Chandi Path with a prayer to Mother at the beginning of each chapter?

Swamiji: Well, that’s one part of the prescribed procedure. Also, the prescribed procedure means
sitting in one asana, keeping your back straight, paying attention, performing the functions which
are written in the book, telling it like it is, do it jingust as its written. That is the prescribed
procedure.

As you practice that, you will learn more about the prescribed procedure just by reciting along
with the Guru, who is the preceptor, the teacher exemplifying, “how do you chant the Chandi?”
How do you make digbandhan? These are all parts of the prescribed procedure. And what does it
mean - the intellectual understanding to accompany the intuitive feeling that we get when we
perform the Chandi recitation according to the prescribed procedure.

2008 Devi Mandir Page 5 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

It’s not like we are going sit down and read it like a novel (we can do that as a study). We are not
going to sit casually and lean back. This is a practical training manual. How do we be a sadhu?
What sadhana did they do to realize what they realized? What sadhana can we do to put
ourselves in the same bhava, in the same position, in the same environment, in the same mindset
so that we realize what they realized? The prescribed procedure.

How should we give all our actions and thoughts to God?

Swamiji: As much as we focus on the task at hand, so much all the others thoughts become
oblations to the Divine fire. If we are attentive to what we are doing when we say the mantras,
think the mantras, feel the mantras, and apply that to our lives, what happened to all the other
thoughts? They were the offering. Because now I am thinking about you – Mom! I don’t have
time to think about the other thoughts. Those are asuras that are coming to me to say, “Hey
Swami, leave that that lady over there and come out with us and march around the universe.
We’ll show you delight.” This isn’t true. We won’t accept that fallacy. So in this way, when we
fill our minds with the thought of the Goddess, the thought of the text, the thought of the fire, and
the thought of the oblations, all other thoughts are gifts that are offered to the Divine Mother.

Can you please share what led you to Chandi and what made you choose Chandi as your
primary sadhana?

Swamiji: My Guru chanted the Chandi and I didn’t know because he always talked about the
Vedas. And I kept saying what are you chanting, he said, “Here, study Rg Veda.” I studied Rg
Veda and said, “What are you chanting?” Finally, one day, he said, “It’s called Chandi.”

And I immediately raced to the bazaar and purchased a copy of the Chandi Path. I started to go
through the Chandi and look up every word in the dictionary and try as I could to break up the
sandhis and understand. Then I read a Hindi commentary and translation followed by a Bengali
commentary and translation. By that time, I was hooked.

Then I took my copy, put in a jola – one little bag, put a blanket on my shoulder, wrapped a
towel around my head, and walked around the Himalayas asking every single sadhu I met, “Can
you tell me what this means?” And boy, some guys came up with some whopper tales! Every
now and then, I met a beacon of light that was so inspiring. I would sit outside their mud hut and
I would recite the Chandi and I would go inside and ask, “What does this verse mean, how do
you apply this to you life?” We would talk about it. I have diaries that I wrote down what they
said. I did that for a couple of years. It was really a trip. What a way to see India, walking from
hermitage to hermitage, hut to hut, temple to temple. Everyone I met, I would sit down and chant
the Chandi and ask, “What does this verse mean?” The whole village would crowd around and
everyone would come out. “There is a foreigner in our village. What is he doing here? He must
be from the CIA. He must be trying to find our innermost secrets!” And it was true! I was
searching for the innermost secrets. I found the greatest treasure of India and I brought Her back
to America. And I tried to take Her essence and put her into a book. And share that around the
world with so many dear friends. That’s how I got hooked on the Chandi.

2008 Devi Mandir Page 6 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

Then it got better. There are other traditions, some of it is in Chandi, some of it is alluded to in
the Chandi, and much of it comes from the oral tradition. It became tapasya. So I would do
things like sit in the snow and chant the Chandi, sit in a glacial lake and chant the Chandi, sit in a
ring of fire and sing the Chandi (Pancha Agni). In many ways, I tried to go beyond just reading
the Chandi. I tried to make the Goddess the sum and substance of my life. I built a memorial to
her. I published her in books. I put her in the temple. I put Her in many, many temples. But this
(Devi Mandir) is a big temple we built ourselves! A whole family got together with the
inspiration of Chandi and built a memorial to our love for Chandi we where can share Her
essence. What does it feel like to be without thought or just have one thought and be so
passionate about that one thought? To be so much in love, that you cannot think of anything
else? That’s how all the thoughts become oblations to the Divine Mother. Because when you are
so much in love that you can’t think of anything else, what happened to all the other thoughts?
That’s just how it works.

Just as there are yogasanas customized to individuals, are there specialized sadhanas
customized for individuals? How to we find that special sadhana that is meant for us?

Swamiji: When you see an example of someone that has the bhava that you are looking for, that
has the feeling that you want to express, the dedication you want, they become the example, you
become the reflection of that example. They are the Guru and you become the disciple or sishya.
Sishya means a reflection, a mirror. You become the mirror that reflects the purity and clarity
and understanding and bhava and sadhana of your guru. That example reaches out to you and
touches your heart and inspires you.

We will get into that a little deeper when talk about the Devi Kavach but for now, here is a small
piece from a verse:

Prathaman sailaputri ca - First, the daughter of the mountain. She is the Goddess of Inspiration.
Dvitiyam brahmacarini - Second is the Goddess of Sacred Study. You get inspired and you start
to study.
Tritiyam candra ganteti - Third, Goddess of Practice. You get an inspiration, you cultivate the
knowledge and now let’s practice it.
Kusmandeti caturthakam - Fourth, Goddess of Purifying Austerity. She refines the practice until
it becomes second nature. You don’t have to think about it. It’s instinctive. It’s intuitive
knowledge, not just an intellectual concept.

Look for your inspiration. When you find it, the rest is academic. It is automatic. You take that
inspiration, you cultivate the knowledge, you start the learning, you start practicing, you use the
knowledge, and it becomes your own. And then you are empowered to be the next guru.

It is said that the whole Chandi is a commentary on two Rg Veda hymns, the Ratri Suktam
and Devi Suktam. Can you say something about how they are commentaries on the Chandi?

Swamiji: No! They are not commentaries on the Chandi. The Chandi is a commentary on the two
Rg Vedic Suktas. One says, here we are in duality and there is darkness. And now we invite the
light. And the other one says, here we are with the Goddess and all there is unity. All these gods,

2008 Devi Mandir Page 7 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

Goddesses, forms, and manifestations only emanated from Her and now She has withdrawn all
those forms into Her. And now here all our perception goes back into the Goddess. And we are
one with the Mother of the Universe. In this way, the Chandi Path is the commentary; it’s the
bridge that takes us from darkness of the night of duality to the illumination of the Goddess of
unity. This is step by step. How do you make the journey? This is a practical manual. How do
you do it? First, put too much and too little into balance. Then put yourself in the harmony of
yoga. And, step by step, inhale the mantra and exhale the mantra and make an offering of all
your thoughts. And she is going to show us how to do just that. That’s how.

What is meant by unfastening the bolt (argala) and removing the pin (kilak)?

Swamiji: The door to the secret of the Goddess is fastened with a deadbolt lock (argala). In order
to open up that door, we have to open the deadbolt. We have to unlock the door before we open
it. In order to do that, we remember “rupam dehi,” give us your form, let us reflect your attitude
completely. Give us victory, let us destroy this selfish ego. Give us welfare and remove all
enmity and hostility. Make me a being of peace. That’s the argala.

The kilakam is a sikal, a security latch. And you open the kilak and then you can open the door.
When you open the latch, the doors to the secret of the Goddess come wide open and we
devotees march right in. We enter into her being.

When reciting the Chandi or other scriptures, what is the significance of the meter? Does each
meter convey theirown mood or attitude?

Swamiji: Absolutely, very good. There are seven classical Sanskrit meters: gayatri, usnik, tristup,
anustup, jagati, brihati, and pankti. Like the seven notes of the scale, the seven levels of
Consciousness.

Various bhavas and attitudes are expressed:

Gayatri is the meter of the morning, of sunrise and beginnings.
Usnik is the meter of the mid-day. It’s the meter of accomplishment, performance, and
continuous production.
Anustup is the meter of the evening, of rest.

There are 3 caritras (episodes) in the Chandi. First episode is Chapter 1 and it is in gayatri. The
second episode is chapters 2-4 and it is in usnik. The third episode is chapters 5-13 and it is in
anustup.

You are absolutely correct. Each meter has its own bhava.

How should someone completely new to the Chandi begin?

Swamiji: We have filled our website with resources on learning about the Chandi. If you are new
to the Chandi, pick up the book and dive in, as deeply as you can. Because Her essence will
become more clear to you each time you read it. You will never read the same book twice. I
promise. I have been reading for more than 40 years and I have never read it the same way twice.

2008 Devi Mandir Page 8 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

If I were to translate the Chandi today, I would translate it in a whole new way. That’s why I
love giving these classes. Because I can explain the new insights and feelings that I have had
every time I read the Chandi.

It is said the Chandi is tantric and that it has many practices inside. Can you expound?

Swamiji: Mantra, yantra and tantra are inseparably connected.

Mantra. Man trayate is an intuitive experience; it takes away your mind. You go beyond mind
(just blow your mind).

Yantra is the intellectual understanding, often a graphical representation. It is an expression of

that intuitive experience.

And tantra. Tan means body. It is a practical application. What did you do to get that experience?
What did your body do?

Mantra, yantra and tantra are one and are inseparably connected like the heads and tails of a coin.
You can’t have a one-sided coin. You can’t have a spiritual experience without mantra, yantra,
and tantra. To speak of the Chandi as a tantric means it tells what do you do and how do you do
it? It is going to tell you what you feel like when you do it. And how far you can go beyond
expressing in verbal terms. What is that feeling? What do you do practically? How do you sit?
How do you breathe? How do you chant? How do you read? Where do you focus your attention?
It tells us and in doing so, it becomes a very practical training manual.

How do I teach my “self,” “You have been in the business of thinking for all these years and you
think “I” am something special.” Now, how do I train myself to stop thinking like that and
instead think, “You are something special. I am privileged to be a devotee sitting here looking at
you.” That’s a pretty big shift in consciousness. After training yourself for so many years to be
important in this world, now you are going to train yourself to be a nobody. So Chandi is going
to tell us how do this, practically. That’s what she does. She says, “It is a privilege to worship”

So that’s what it means as a tantric text. It is not from the tantric era historically. This is from the
old Puranic era, from the Markandeya Purana, which is the first and oldest purana. It even
contains passages of Vedic Sanskrit. So the transition from Vedic Sanskrit to Puranic Sanskrit
occurred somewhere between 1200 and 900 BC. So that’s where this text comes to us from. Now,
the tantras, as works of literature, were from the 3rd century AD. Mantra, yantra and tantra appear
all throughout from the inception of Vedic civilization. They cannot be segregated or divided.
Some people say that there are mantras that appear in the Vedas and other mantras that appear in
the puranas. So let’s divide the mantras that are only found in the Rg veda and call them vedic.

But in the Chandi, we have a Vedic Ratri Sukta, a Vedic Devi Sukta, a Tantric Ratri Sukta, and a
Tantric Devi Sukta. So this work is called “mishra” because there is Vedic and Tantric mixed.
This is a work from the passage of a transition and that’s just what it is designed to do. Help us
with our transition from the night of duality to the dawn of light on the horizon. I don’t have to
live in the darkness of duality any longer. I see the light on horizon. And then to the Devi Sukta.

2008 Devi Mandir Page 9 of 10 www.shreemaa.org

 Class Transcript

She is one goddess and all has emanated from Her. If She is kind to us, She will withdraw Her
energy from all, and it will dissolve within Her.

Om Sam Saraswatyai Namah. Namaste.

Further Information

36 classes were held in 2008 to discuss the Chandi Path. Please visit us on the World Wide Web
at http://www.shreemaa.org/ for the other classes and for more information. The Chandi Path text
used in this class can be found at the online bookstore.

2008 Devi Mandir Page 10 of 10 www.shreemaa.org