Best hindu rituals & practice books according to redditors

Indian here. I have been studying Hinduism and other derivatives (Buddhism) for a while now. I will attempt to explain.

The end goal of Hinduism is the state of Nirvana - a state of eternal bliss, free from the cycle of birth and death and free from its physical pains. That is that in a nutshell. There is more to it, but assume that every spiritual practitioner's end goal is to "liberate" himself/herself from the physical body.

The means of achieving this goal is to elevate something called the kundalini (or the coiled latent energy) that is believed to reside at the base of every person's spinal column. This in itself will require great exposition, but just take it that all spiritual aspirants practice different forms of yoga/meditation in order to elevate this latent energy. When this energy begins to rise, it is believed to hit 7 chakras or wheels. These wheels have been known to corroborate with the endocrine glands, but not much research has been done. As this energy rises due to the practitioner performing various austerities and techniques (breath retention, meditation, etc), the body begins to experience various sights, sounds and smells. Finally, when the energy reaches the crown of the head, the person is enlightened. One such enlightened soul was the Buddha.

Now, with this background, the missing link is what does one do to reach Nirvana. Many techniques exist. Broadly, most of them are slotted into the left-handed path and the right-handed path. Most Hindus follow the right-handed path. This involves practicing yoga, meditation, following a vegetarian diet and complex breathing techniques that force the kundalini up the spinal column.

However, it is believed that in these times (the Hindus believe in 4 Yugas and in each Yuga, man ascends/descends towards materialism) man is in his most primal state of attachment with the earth. Hence, the traditional right handed path of pure meditation fails. As someone who has tried to meditate, I can attest to this. The mind if fickle and it is impossible to focus!

Thus, Tantra Yoga was born. Tantra Yoga was taught to man by the Lord Shiva himself. The Sanskrit root for tan means the body. Similar to Tantra are Mantra and Yantra. These are tools given to the yogic aspirant to still his/her mind. A Mantra is a phrase that is attuned to a person and when repeated many times over in the mind, it can lead to Nirvana. A Yantra is a visual image and the aspirant is asked to visualize and contemplate it in his/her mind for the same reason. One of the popular Yantras that the Hindus consider sacred is the Sri Yantra. Hindu temples (and many mosques) are adorned with these motifs to give the aspirant a means to focus.

This leads us to the last of the lot - Tantra. As I said before, Tantra is that form of yoga that uses the body as a vehicle to attain Nirvana. Now, the West has been guilty of reducing this sacred, ancient and left-handed path of yoga into Tantric Sex and there are many widespread wrong notions about it. A Tantric practitioner has to be initiated into a school. there are a few schools now still extant, but have been driven out of public eye due to their practices. While I can talk a lot about Tantric Yoga, I will address the sex aspect now.

In the Tantric Yoga school, it is believed that the kundalini's essence is carried in the body fluids. Thus, they place a great deal of importance on the semen and the vaginal fluids of the woman. The student of the Tantric Yoga will let you believe that there is nothing erotic or sensual about the ritual sex and is what it is - ritual. Most of the times, the women are middle aged and initiated specifically for this purpose and it is not anything like the porno and sleazy films that the West has pandered to its audience. During the ritual, the woman takes on the physical form of the Goddess Kundalini. She is propitiated and then stimulated. It is believed that as the woman slowly ascends to a state of ecstasy, her kundalini elevates and the devotees worship the goddess via the form of the dakini (this is the official word for the goddess when she enters the human form). The ritual will last for an hour or so. Animal sacrifices are normally made. Lots of meat and wine are consumed and then this sets the stage for more intense rituals which are not shared to the uninitiated.

Now, it is interesting that one of the core tenets of the left-handed path is idol worship. Because of the belief that man cannot let go of the material world easily, in order to facilitate his kundalini rising, he is asked to visualize the god and goddess via a stone carving. Today, this has been adopted by the right handed path and virtually every Hindu temple has dozens of idols. An example Traditional right handed followers eschew idol worship and entreat their brethren to focus on yantras in their mind if they so need to be visual!

A final word - the rising of the kundalini is exoterically explained to the masses as the meeting of the goddess with the Lord Shiva (who resides at the crown of one's forehead). This meeting results in a state of eternal bliss (Nirvana) and that it literally springs forth from his head. These images are metaphors and have sadly been lost in centuries that Hinduism has existed. Today, idols and murals of Shiva are made, yet few people understand its esoteric meaning. Similarly, the goddess Kundalini is represented as the ferocious Goddess Durga who is shown as a kick-ass woman, riding a tiger and stabbing a demon. Again, this is metaphoric and represents the destruction of the pleasures of the flesh as the Kundalini rises to meet Lord Shiva.

Hope this helps. A fascinating, thorough and a "for dummies" exposition of Tantra can be found in Georg Fuerstein's Tantra - Path Of Ecstasy

She is likely calling out to you. Particularly with that feeling. The Hindi gods are an interesting bunch. I worship Kali myself.

From what I understand, Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and Prosperity. As for my knowledge, many Hindu have altars set up in their home. I have one set up with Kali. For now, It's just a statue, with incense holders on the side.

This series of books have served my well, understanding a few of the Mantras. They are also available on YouTube to sing along with.

Remember that Hinduism is 5000 years old, and currently has 1.1 billion people who follow it. There are countless interpretations and various traditions. I can't possibly learn them all.

Ultraculture Journal Essential reading by Genesis P Orridge, my fave, I'm a fanboy, essays, edited by Jason Louv and a LOT of Jason's knowledge, this has been a favorite book of mine since I got it. Lots to draw from.

>According to this verse in the manusmriti, you shouldn't marry your son to a daughter named after something in nature:

The rishis themselves proclaimed that the guiding light of kali yuga should be logic.

>I've read (here in this book) that the probable cause for this rule was that people with nature-names were non-Aryan/non-Hindu and so you wouldn't want your sons to marry daughters from those families.

Which is bullshit analysis as thr caste, gotra, surname is a far better indicator of those things.

>Also, the Manusmrti rule does not specifically state not to name your daughter after things in nature - it just states that girls with nature-names are not marriageable.

The Manusmṛti has been altered by too many people and furthermore no logic is given for this particular verse, so by the requirements of the rishis themselves, it is best to disregard it.



>Does this imply, as it sounds like it does, that you should not name your daughter after rivers, even if you are Hindu and the name you choose is the name of a sacred Hindu river?

Not even then as the sacred rivers themselves are also goddesses and therefore beyond nature as well.

Despite my answers, I'm not a dedicated Kali Bhaktaa. I'd advise looking at these two books:

https://www.amazon.com/Kali-Puja-Swami-Satyananda-Saraswati/dp/1887472649

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Kali-Puja-Instructions-Ritualistic/dp/1463685327/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=S7BK217JY86M6EDM2CW2

Or at this online resource:
http://agiivideo.com/books/Book-4-Kali-Puja.pdf

Sufism is more influenced by the land where it travelled than by the Islam. Like in south Asia, Sufism has some sort of deep roots in Hinduism and other Indic traditions. (Mainly pre Sufi)

Like the famous trance dance they do in Sufi shrines find its direct roots in Shaivism.

> The Kularnava Tantra also insists on the fact that the practices typically associated with yoga, such as asanas (postures), pranayama (breath control), and the austerities, are not part of tantric practice. The only physical exercise that is practiced—in conformity with the Vijnanabhairava Tantra and with ancient texts and iconography—consists of the slow dance of tandava followed by a sudden stopping of movement. To avoid different interpretations, including my own, there is nothing better than to return to the Sanskrit words in the text as published by Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga.
Having been placed thus, turn the body slowly. As a result of this movement, in calmness, in spirit, O Goddess, the Divine, flooding in, culminates. (Vijnanabhairava Tantra, stanza 83)

> Turning, the body, and suddenly, falling down, on the ground, cessation of energy, which causes disturbance, there appears, Supreme Energy. (Vijnanabhairava Tantra, stanza 111)4

> In his commentary, the author makes clear that he is speaking of tandava.

> This method was used by mystics of the Sufi tradition in order to achieve elevated states of ecstasy and trance and to attain union with the Divine. Shiva’s dance of destruction, Tandav nritya, during which Shiva turned without stopping until the whole universe began to resonate with the vibration of this dance is a valid illustration of this dharana.

From Tantric Kali 2016

And also read another article from the same writer.

In Pakistan, first the State went after its Hindu past. Now militants are going after Sufi shrines


https://scroll.in/article/821813/in-pakistan-first-the-state-went-after-its-hindu-past-now-militants-are-going-after-sufi-shrines

This book is a great and devotional retelling of Krishna's life (including Gita but that isn't the focus)

The Complete Life of Krishna: Based on the Earliest Oral Traditions and the Sacred Scriptures https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594774757/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GuW7BbQTT7V8K

She might find this more appealing

I have given a Wisdom Card Deck to people. They are a card deck which has vedic quotes on each card. They are really nice

http://www.amazon.com/Dharma-Deck-Wisdom-Shawn-Laksmi/dp/1601090315

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dharma-Deck-Wisdom-Shawn-Laksmi/dp/1601090315

As it says:

>Humility, realization, hope and fulfillment, freedom, progress and reality — what do the sages have to say on these matters? Each card in this soulful deck offers a pure moment of sincere reflection from Dharma masters past and present. From the timeless wisdom that gave birth to such concepts as karma, mantra, and samsara comes 52 enlightening adages. Offering insight and inspiration from mother India's Vedic tradition including the Bhagavad-Gita, these cards also feature gorgeous photographs of her sacred lands and people.

Much cheaper than your budget, and I think it will be more useful than any figures or statues.

i do it and nothing has gone wrong yet! Read the work of author Jan Fries, right here: https://www.amazon.com/Kali-Kaula-Manual-Tantric-Magick/dp/1905297378