Her basic myth is simple, as the greatest stories tend to be: Mahisha, a great demon (asura), has undertaken extraordinary austerities, and thereby accrued such vast power that even the Gods can no longer defeat him. In successive battles, they lose the three worlds to Mahisha's superior might -- and the Cosmic Order in thrown into disarray.

Clearly, a hero and savior is needed—but who can defeat an enemy that is mightier than the Gods? Answer: The Power (Shakti) that created both the Gods and the enemy in the first place. In order to access that Power, the Gods must reverse the downward unfolding of Divine manifestation, i.e. the cosmic tattvas. (Not coincidentally, this is also the goal of any sadhana undertaken by a human devotee. To help understand the lesson offered here, think of Mahisha as the individual human ego.)

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—Devi Bhakta, ShaktiSadhana.org

You might also enjoy the Sri Durga Chalisa video at YouTube.

Komilla Sutton's recently published piece about Navaratri is also worth a read.

May Devi bestow upon us knowledge, strength, compassion, contentment, enjoyment, kindness, awareness, and great blessings!

A new chai blog. Dig it! And rest assured, these guys know chai —we are from the same chai walla tradition.

They're now open for business and serving up some tasty stories, yummy audio clips, scrumptious art and photography, and a tempting authentic masala chai recipe for all ya'll chai walla upstarts. Om!

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There’s no such thing as the “original culture”—we are always in a state of flux.

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—Tendzin Choegyal, the Dalai Lama's Youngest Brother, on Tokyo Mango

Some of you have already seen this, since it was Boing Boinged and all, but I just love this drawing.

And, well, Tendzin Choegyal wields a rare combination of down-to-Earth sweetness and biting criticism.... Maybe a bit heavy on the bite...

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Beautiful!

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Thanks Khamasea! (via)

[The links are NOW UPDATED. Purchasing the digital files is now a very simple, automated procedure!]

It is one of the goals of Namarupa to celebrate the many possible approaches to knowledge, and to the Divine, that India has offered to the world. Therefore, this day of Guru Purnima as an inaugural day is fitting, as it continues to set our intention of exploring traditional knowledge systems, passed down by the great teachers.

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—Robert Moses and Eddie Stern, Namarupa Publishers & Founding Editors

The brand new, all-digital edition of Namarupa is completely tree-free. There's no filler: it's all far-out, engaging, and a joy to read. Check it out—

Tantric Prospects by Dr. Robert E. Svoboda— Herein the good doctor elaborates upon how he came to India, the 'coincidences' surrounding his path to Ayurveda, and ultimately to his guru, the Aghori Vimalanada. He also enchants us with tales of his guru's guru, 'Junior Guru Maharaj'. (I want to go on Junior's tobacco-only, raw diet plan!) He elucidates upon a number of questions like, "Can you explain simply about Tantra?", "Where can we find the real practice of Tantra in India?", and the Lonely Planet koan, "Where is Vimalananda’s ashram?" Chock full of gems, it is.

Oral Tradition & The Naga Baba by Ram Puri— Quoting Jorge Luis Borges and Dattatreya in the same flow, this cat understands how the world is composed not of atoms, but of language. Splashing us, just a bit, with a moonlit stream of non-Euclidian poetics, he pointedly articulates the disjunct of language in the Kali Yuga. Into this, he weaves some teachings of yoga, of Sattva-Rajas-Tamas, of the Advadhatu Gita, the correlation between the dome of the mouth and that of the night sky, and of Gutenberg's legacy upon the living word.

Notes on Pagan India by Shri Gurudev Mahendranath— "Within the sections of this Notebook, it is intended to present the great spiritual sciences of Yoga, Shastra, Tantra, Vedanta (Upanishads), the early Vedas, and to deal with initiations, rites, rituals, customs and practices. We will base our fundamentals on Absolute Wisdom, realized by Saints and Yogis in the heights of Samadhi, and brought down to a worldly level as their teachings. India is a land where the ancient way of life continued for thousands of years and presented a happy, contented people who knew the real joy and rhythm of life. These were a people who knew how to fulfill their duties, attend to their livelihood, and enjoy the harmony of sexual pleasures, just as did the Great God Shiva and Parvati the Mother Goddess, to whom all Hindus bow in respect. This way of life goes beyond the sterility of mere theory. It finds fulfillment only in the living fire of practice."

Mata Ganga The Silent Teacher by Robert Moses— A remarkably vivid and colorful photographic journey to the source of the Ganges, adorned with the words of luminaries like Sri Swami Sivananda, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, and Shirdi Sai Baba.

Ganga Stotram translation & chanting by Vyaas Houston— "Whose waves break at the lotus feet of Hari; Gangā, the white froth of your waves like | snowy moonlit pearls; carry the burden of my mistakes far away. | Take me, out of your compassion, to the far shore of the ocean of existence."

Subscribe now. Read it instantaneously.

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Photo credit: Babas in conversation. Hari Puri Ashram, Haridwar, North India, April 2008. Photograph by Robert Moses (in Namarupa).