Hindu Thoughts

Thoughts on Ādyā Stotram.

Though Ādyā Stotram is one of the most popular hymns to Mother Kalī, I’ve always been hesitant to post it, probably due to its length and complexity. Recently while chanting it I found myself slipping into a mechanical recitation, I’d lost the mood of the hymn. As often with this blog, I find myself reflecting my inspirations, highs, lows and mood of my personal Sādhana. Volumes could be written about Ādyā Stotram, but for my own benefit I’ve gone through it and taken notes to reignite my love for this beautiful prayer.

Ādyā Stotram is taken from Brahmā Yamala Tantra, it’s spoken by Brahmā the Lord of creation to His son the sage Nārada, it’s a prayer to Mother Kalī as Ādyā, the foremost. Brahmā opens the hymn telling that whoever recites it with devotion with become dear to Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is pure consciousness He lies on a coiled serpent, at His feet is the Divine Mother as kuṇḍalinī Śakti, lakṣmī the definition of goals. By reciting this hymn regularly the kuṇḍalinī rises quickly bringing us closer to pure consciousness. Typical to the Śakta Tantras a number of fruits are given, freedom from fear, death illness, thieves and so on. For those of a lower nature, this will be taken literally, but they have a higher interpretation. Fear is the servant the ego, it keeps us from letting go to the higher nature, Kalī holds the head of the ego severed by the sword of wisdom. Truly by singing Her praise all limitations and problems disappear.

A very special one. Follow Lord Shiva’s page. And tell everyone. There is a Lord Shiva page. And page mentor is Prashant.

first: contrary to popular belief, hinduism is not a polytheistic religion (polytheistic meaning believing in multiple gods), but rather a monotheistic one. yes, there are several gods we reference (i.e.: brahma, vishnu, shiva, etc.) but if western writers actually bothered to properly research, they would find that some denominations of hindus believe that all of these gods are merely forms/manifestations of the Supreme Deity, Parameshwara, and that everything in the universe i also a manifestation of him/them. this does not, however, take away from the significance of other deities.

second: the syllable aum (om) is not merely something you say while standing in the tree pose, but also the most sacred sound of both hinduism and some forms of buddhism (which originated from hinduism) and represents the complete creation of brahma and by extension, Parameshwara. that is to say: the sound aum is the frequency of the universe.

third: karma, pronounced [karma] and not [KARma] is the record of everything you’ve done in your life, the good, the bad, and the ugly. it dictates what happens to you after your life is over not what happens to you while you are still alive, so the phrase “karma’s a b*tch” when used in the context of minor inconveniences in life is, in fact, inaccurate.

fourth: who the fuck told y’all we worship cows? while it’s true we consider cows sacred, and many denominations of hinduism don’t eat beef because of this, you won’t find anyone treating cows themselves like literal gods. that just isn’t a thing.

fifth: no, you cannot randomly call yourself hindu because you think “third eyes” and “chakras” and whatever exotified bullshit you ran into in yoga class is sooooo trendy. some people do convert to hinduism – personally i know a few hindu converts who aren’t of south asian descent, and they are some of the most respectful and religious people i have met – but please, don’t pick and choose the parts of a religion that you think are cool and exotic. and for the love of the gods, don’t culturally appropriate. recognise that hinduism has a deep and interconnected history with south asian culture, and that not all of it is your place to take part in.

sixth: a bindi/bottu/tikka/tip is not just a “forehead decoration,” it is a symbol of shakti, power, and corresponds with the mythos behind chakras (pronounced [chakra] not [CHAKra]). do your fucking homework before you misuse a powerful symbol of south asian culture and don’t try to tell us that we’re overreacting.

seventh: not all hindus are peaceful, and hindu extremists do exist! hindus have a long history of islamophobia, for one, which has resulted in violence, and also discrimination against people of the sikh faith (see: indira gandhi, anti-sikh riots of 1984). also, the hindu nationalist (or hindutva) movement is as violent as any other extremist group you’d encounter. most hindus are generally pretty chill and don’t agree with these extremists’ views but even so, it’s dangerous to assume every hindu is gentle, because that overlooks and minimises the actions of these groups.