Host:
Welcome to the YouTube channel of Guptasadhakshyamakhapa.com. Our Guru, the spiritual practitioner Sri Shyamakhapa, is presenting a series of episodes on the 'Dashamahavidya' (The Ten Great Wisdoms). Today, we would like to hear from him about the third Mahavidya—Shoroshi.
Guru:
Yes. Shoroshi refers to Kunjika or Kamakhya. Usually, spiritual seekers have to cross various stages one by one. Kamakhya is where 'Kam' (desire/lust) has been transcended ('Akkha'). When we perform worship, we call Goddess Kamakhya 'Kameshwari' and her Bhairava is called 'Kameshwara'.
Guru:
Beyond Kamakhya, she has another form called Bagiswari-Bagiswara, located a bit above the New Bongaigaon station. Kameshwara-Kameshwari and Bagiswara-Bagiswari are the core aspects of our Tantric practice. Among the six 'Ripus' (vices/weaknesses), 'Kam' (desire) comes first. Ma (the Goddess) has kept desire under her control; hence, one of her names is Kamakhya.
Guru:
Regarding her iconography, while no specific form is found easily, one particular depiction shows Deva-adhibhava Mahadeva lying upon a lion. From his navel, a lotus emerges, and Ma is seated upon that lotus. Her hands and body are portrayed in various colors. Her ten hands are of ten different colors; they are not identical.
Guru:
This is a conceptual visualization. Ma is seated on the lotus arising from Mahadeva's navel. As I said, no specific, physical form is easily found; I haven't found anything else particularly unique. To conquer desire, one must go to Kamakhya. This is a stage in the journey. First, one masters the path of Kali, then Tara. After completing Tara, one moves to Kamakhya.
Guru:
At Kamakhya, one must perform penance with great sincerity to conquer desire. All the 'Dashamahavidyas' (Ten Great Wisdoms) are present there in various forms. Each 'Vidya' is incredibly powerful. The first is Tara, then Kali, followed by Shoroshi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta—all ten are scattered there. We see the Ten Mahavidyas at the main entrance of Kalighat, but at Kamakhya, you will find all ten. Some are inside caves; most, in fact, are found within caves where people perform their spiritual practices.
Guru:
The highest among them are Ma Bhuvaneshwari, Bagala, and Smashankali. They are all there. It is truly an ideal place for penance. However, Kamakhya—or Kunjika as it is also called—is meant specifically for spiritual seekers ('Sadhakas'). Desire is a spiritual obstacle, and to conquer it, Sadhakas worship Goddess Kamakhya. People now worship at the 'Yoni Desh' (the sacred site of the Goddess), but traditionally, only dedicated seekers would perform penance there to eliminate their desires. There are six spiritual enemies: desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride, and envy. Among these, desire is the root. That is why we worship Ma Kamakhya. Her meditation is also very extensive. I will recite the dhyana mantra:
Guru:
[Guru recites Sanskrit Mantra] "Om bandhuka kusuma bhasam, pancha mundadhi vasinim... Ya Chandi madhu kaitabha prabhardini... mang patu vishweshwari..."
Guru:
This is how Ma's meditation is performed. In the meditation mantra, it is said that Ma sits upon five skulls ('Panchamunda'). Ma Kamakhya is also composed of the bodies of seven 'Satis' (virtuous women). You will see the colors of these seven Satis reflected in her hands or body. This is a visualization. Among the seven Satis, we consider Gouri, Gandhari, Kirati, Matangi, Krishna, and Yashoda.
Guru:
These were all 'Mahasatis'. Kamakhya is a 'Sati Peeth'. By 'Sati,' we mean women who never thought of or sought any man other than their husbands. Gouri is considered a Mahasati as she worshipped none but Shiva. Then there is Gandhari, who married a blind husband. Then Kirati, and then Krishna—referring to Draupadi. Then Yashoda, who raised Krishna. Ma Kamakhya is formed from the bodies of these seven Satis.
Guru:
Whatever chanting or penance we do is held by these seven Satis. We cannot contemplate Kamakhya without considering them. We have chosen these seven specifically. There are many other Satis, like Behula, whom we don't include here, but there are many. Among those we honor are Gouri, Matangi, Kirat-Kirati, Krishna, Yashoda, and from the Mahabharata—Gandhari. These are the Mahasatis.
Guru:
As I mentioned, Ma Kamakhya is seated upon five skulls. This is her conceptual form. For those who wish to conquer desire, Kamakhya is the destination. It is entirely a place for monks and seekers. Many householders go there now and perform various rituals, but truly, the 'Gouri Yoni' or 'Gouri Patta' is where seekers should practice.
Guru:
Everything has become a bit mixed up now. Places that belonged to seekers are now occupied by householders. Consequently, seekers are losing their space. When I used to perform penance there 30 or 35 years ago, there wasn't such a crowd. Neither at Kalighat, nor Tarapith, nor Kamakhya. Now, it is a sea of people. Everyone wants to be a seeker now! Householders and seekers have become indistinguishable. As a result, householders occupy the space first, and seekers have moved away.
Guru:
There is a pond there divided into two parts. One part is for the Goddess's cooking water, and the other side is for people to bathe. That pond is very significant—it is said to cure snake bites. If someone bathes in that pond, all snake-related afflictions—except for the 'Brahma' snake—are cured. There is a mantra for this. When you go to Kamakhya, first offer salutations to the Ganesha figure drawn on the wall near the water. Then bathe in the pond. There are small stairs around the pond. After bathing, one should circumambulate the pond seven times while reciting the following mantra:
Guru:
[Guru recites Sanskrit Mantra] "Sring Sring Sring, phat... Hring Hring Kling, saubaya saubaya, sarpam nashaya nashaya... Namaste Rudra rupayai, namaste madhu mardini... namaste mahisha mardini..."
Guru:
This is how the penance is done. Ma is also associated with sixteen letters—that is why she is called Shoroshi (Sixteen). She is associated with sixteen 'Beeja' (seed syllables). These seed syllables should never be given to just anyone. A true Guru may give these to an original seeker, but they cannot be given to everyone. These sixteen seed syllables represent Ma Shoroshi. These are usually given to monks or those dedicated to Kamakhya's practice. These syllables are rare; you won't find them easily with most people. I gathered these sixteen seeds with great effort and I don't give them to everyone. However, if I see a worthy candidate or a good soul, I tell them to record it but not to share it with others. This 'Beeja Mantra' allows one to attain the Mother easily.
Guru:
Some say that the sacred stone ('Shila') of Kalighat floated down from Kamakhya. It supposedly floated down the Brahmaputra and reached the Ganges at Kalighat. It is said that Atmaram Babu discovered and installed that stone. There is a legend that a cow (Kamdhenu) used to come every day and stand there. Atmaram Babu wondered what the cow was doing. He saw the cow providing a large amount of milk at that spot. He grew suspicious and cleared the area, finding the 'Nakuleshwar' stone. He realized it was Kamdhenu bathing Nakuleshwar with milk. This is closely related to Kamakhya.
Guru:
As I said, we worship Ma Kamakhya as Kameshwari-Kameshwara in Tantra. Her sister, Bagiswari-Bagiswari, is also in Assam, on a hill near the New Bongaigaon station. We worship both.
Guru:
There is a story about the King of Cooch Behar. He once told the Mother, "Mother, I want to conquer Assam. If I succeed, I will plate your temple in gold." He conquered Assam and came to the Mother. At that time, there wasn't a grand temple; she stayed in a cave. A seeker used to perform her worship and recite hymns every evening. There was a condition: during the hymn recitation, the Mother would appear to the seeker, but if anyone else saw her, the seeker would be killed.
Guru:
The King of Cooch Behar asked the seeker to let him see the Mother. The seeker refused, explaining the condition. However, the King resorted to a trick. He hid behind a pillar at dusk. The seeker began his hymns, and the Mother appeared. She then killed the seeker for the breach. She grabbed the King of Cooch Behar by his hair, dragged him from behind the pillar, and warned him, "If you ever look toward the Neelachal hills again, you will be destroyed. Never come here or look this way again."
Guru:
The King was terrified. Ma said, "I am letting you go, but you promised to build me a gold temple. Build it." The King returned to Cooch Behar and forgot. Suddenly, the Mother appeared in his dream and asked about the temple. The King consulted his ministers, realizing he didn't have enough gold in his treasury for a solid gold temple. Ma appeared in another dream and said, "I understand. Use one 'ratti' (a tiny unit) of gold in every brick. Vishwakarma (the divine architect) will build this temple." Even today, in the Kamakhya temple, every brick contains one ratti of gold.
Guru:
Ma also warned him never to look at Neelachal again. To this day, when the descendants of the Cooch Behar royal family pass through Guwahati, their car windows are covered. They are not allowed to look at the Neelachal hills.
Host:
Guru, we will conclude our discussion for today here. we will hear the remaining parts in the next episode. Friends, please subscribe to the Guptasadhakshyamakhapa.com channel. Share and like the videos our Guru is presenting to you.
Narrator:
[Outro] "Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu niramaya... maa kashchit dukhabhag bhavet."
Spiritual Insight
Guru Shyama Khyapa introduces the third Mahavidya Shoroshi (also called Sorashi or Kamakhya), the goddess of sixteen syllables who transcends desire (Kam). Seated upon a lotus emerging from Mahadeva's navel, she represents the stage after Kali and Tara in the seeker's journey. The Guru reveals the profound connection between Kamakhya and the seven Mahasatis—Gouri, Gandhari, Kirati, Matangi, Krishna (Draupadi), and Yashoda—whose virtues form the foundation of her worship. The legendary temple at Kamakhya, built with one ratti of gold in every brick by Vishwakarma himself, stands as testimony to the King's promise and the Mother's warning. The sixteen seed syllables (Beeja) of Shoroshi, carefully guarded and transmitted only to worthy seekers, hold the key to conquering the root of all spiritual obstacles—desire itself.