Shakta Dharma
There is evidence of the worship of the mother goddess in the Indus Valley Civilization. The Shakta sect, therefore, is one of the oldest sects in India and one of the three major sects of Hinduism- Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta. In the Shakta sect, Goddess Durga is considered to be the supreme power and supreme deity of the world. A new form of Shaktaism appears in the Gupta period.
During this period, the combination of Vaishnava and Shaiva sects gave rise to the Nath sect and the new Shakta sect. That is why some branches of Naths and Shaktas follow Vaishnavism and others follow Tantricism. Shakta Dharma is the science of the cultivation of power. Its followers consider Shakta religion to be as old as the ancient Vedic religion. Shakta religion developed alongside Vedic religion or with the need to incorporate it into Sanatan Dharma. It is a major form of worship in Hinduism.
During the Gupta period, the Shakta sect was popular in northeastern India, Cambodia, Java, Borneo and Malaya. In India, Shakta religion was more prevalent in Kashmir, South India, Assam and Bengal. With the influence of Shakta on Vaishnavism, Shakti was also worshiped in the Braj region. Famous Shakti Peeths like Mahamaya, Mahavidya, Karauli, Sancholi etc. are situated in Braj region.
The girl who was killed by King Kansa of Mathura, who was born of Yashoda, is worshiped as the life-giving goddess of Lord Krishna. This belief in Goddess Shakti extends from Braj to Saurashtra. The sinduri attractive goddess statue on the peak of Lord Dwarkanath in Dwarka is considered to be the sister of Krishna who always protects Krishna by sitting on the peak.
Braj region was the major stronghold of Tantrics till 100 years ago. The tantrics here have been famous all over India. Kamavan was also the main center of Tantra Vidya during the reign of King Kamasena, many tantrics lived in his court. After the introduction of Buddhism, the attraction towards Shakta religion decreased throughout India.
Temples and Shakti Peeths of various forms of the Goddess are found throughout India, from the Hindu Kush Mountains to the South Asian islands. The major text of the Shakta sect is ‘Sri Durga Bhagavat Purana’ is. ‘Durga Saptashati’ is also an excerpt from the same Purana. This book describes 108 Devi Peeths. Of these, 51-52 Shakti Peeths are of special importance. There are also thousands of ancient temples of Maa Durga. An Upanishad was also written under the name of Devi Upanishad.
Almost all the religions of the world believe that God, can be like man but Shakta religion is the only religion in the world that is ‘mother-element’ considers the Creator of creation. In the Shakta sect, the goddess is considered to be omnipotent and is worshipped. According to this view, different goddesses are different forms of the same almighty goddess. There are also many traditions under the Shakta doctrine which range from Lakshmi to Raudrarupa Kali. Some Shakta sects associate their goddess with Shiva or Vishnu.
Lord Shiva's wife, Maa Parvati is also called Shakti. This is Sati, Durga and Bhagwati. Navratri festival is organized twice a year for his special worship. The first Navratri of the year falls in the month of Chaitra it is called ‘Chaitriya Navratri’ They say. The second Navratri comes in the month of Ashwin called ‘Shardiya Navratri’ says.
The nine days of Sharadi Navratri are celebrated like a festival called Durgotsav. Chaitriya Navratri is for Shaiva Tatrikas under which tantric rituals and difficult sadhana are performed. Sharadi Navratri is for Sattvic seekers who are celebrated to attain the devotion and grace of Mother.
Tantric followers of Shakti are mainly called Shaktas. Shaktas not only worship Shakti, but perform arduous sadhana to enhance, control and transform its Shakti-appearance into the Shakti or energy of the human body and the living universe. It is believed that the power, ‘Kundalini’ in form is located at the anal base of the human body.
‘Complex-Attention’ and ‘sexual compound rituals’ Through the Kundalini power can be awakened. In this state, the Kundalini rises upwards from the Sushumna of the astral body and enters the last chakra at the top of the head, penetrating several chakras along the way, and there it meets with its husband-beloved Shiva in ecstasy. P>
Experience the mythical combination of Goddess and God ‘Harshonmadi-Rahsya Samadhi’ as ‘psycho-somatic’ form, the explosion of which is called bliss. It is this bliss that overflows from the cranial region and flows down throughout the body as a flow of ecstasy and deep bliss.
On the one hand, Vaishnavism and Shaivism were flourishing from north to south on the land of India, while on the other hand, a leftist sect called Shakta Dharma was also taking shape with various philosophical interpretations. In the Vamarmaga, the path of the seeker's advancement was sought through the five elements - wine, fish, meat, sexual intercourse and posture - and the achievements were desired by means of tantra-mantra and yantra.
In this view, many sadhana methods like Bhairavi Sadhana were created in which the seeker was required to take the company of Bhairavi. Some limits of this Tantra Sadhana were fixed which every seeker had to follow. According to this view, Bhairavi is ‘power’ is a form of the same and the whole emotional ground of the tantra is ‘power’ is based on.
Through this sadhana, the seeker was made to realize the fact that woman is not only a means of fulfilling desires, but also a source of power. Only the Sadguru can accomplish this act of attaining power under his direction, because he alone knows the feelings and sensations of one of his disciples. This is why in the field of Tantra, female association as well as the guidance of the guru was desperately needed.
Alcohol was the first to find a place in the left-wing view of Shakti worshippers. Then came the practice of sacrifice and the consumption of meat. Later it was also split into two parts. Those seekers who consumed wine and meat were called ordinary tantrics. Tantrics who consumed wine and meat as well as the five makaras such as meen (fish), mudra (special actions), maithuna (female association) were called siddha-tantrics.
The masses began to fear these Siddha-Tantrics. Both the ordinary tantrics and the perfect tantrics tried to attain Brahman through their own sadhana. More and more energy was created by the five makaras and that energy was used in Kundalini awakening.
By awakening the kundalini, the thousand-fold was pierced and the tenth gate was opened to understand the mysteries of creation. Thus, in Vama Sadhana, Brahman was attained by proper use of desire. Another view emerged in Vama Sadhana which gave preference to Bhairavi-Sadhana or Bhairavi-Chakra. The seekers of this view believed in the five makaras, but their main goal was to attain Brahman through work.