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MALUR SRI BALAMBIKA TEMPLE Address: Maruthi Extension 2nd stage, Kasaba Hobli, Malur Taluk, Kolar District, Karnataka - India Website : http://malurbalambikatemple.com Email : contactus@malurbalambikatemple.org Instagram: balambikadivyasangam
Issue 6 | Volume 16 | October 2026 Balavin Kural
Kshetra Varalaru series: "Sri Sharada Peetam - Shakthi Peetam at Pakistan", by Smt. Indumathi It is said that there is another Shakti Peetham in Pakistan—the Sharada Peetham. However, there remains a question as to whether it truly qualifies as a Shakti Peetham. It is referred to as one because Adi Shankara established a shrine there dedicated to Goddess Sharadamba. Yet, the definition of a Shakti Peetham usually requires a part of the Goddess's body to have fallen at the site; there was lingering doubt about whether this was the case there. Nevertheless, Adi Shankara had constructed a magnificent temple there in his time. People used to visit it back then, as the region was part of “Akhanda Bharat” (Undivided India)—it was not Pakistan when Adi Shankara was present. However, after the region came under Pakistani control, following Islamic invasions, the site fell into ruin, and it is said that only four pillars remain. At one time, the Sharada Peetham was a center of learning where Sanskrit, the Vedas, and the Puranas were taught. Now, however, it stands as a bare structure with just those four pillars. Thank you, friends. Image courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharada_Peeth
What's inside:
Cultural Connect: "The Mudgala upanishad" Introduction The Mudgala Upanishad is a minor Upanishad traditionally associated with the Rig Veda and included among the 108 Upanishads of the Muktika canon. It belongs to the Vaishnava tradition and focuses on the spiritual significance of the Purusha Sukta, the celebrated Vedic hymn describing the Cosmic Being (Purusha). The text interprets the universe as a manifestation of the Supreme Reality, identified with Narayana, and explains the relationship between the individual Self, creation, and Brahman. Central Teaching The Mudgala Upanishad teaches that the Supreme Purusha is both the source of the universe and the reality that transcends it. All beings and forms of existence arise from this Cosmic Being, yet the Supreme Reality remains infinite and unaffected by creation. The Upanishad offers a philosophical interpretation of the Purusha Sukta, emphasizing that the visible universe represents only one aspect of the divine reality. Narayana is understood as the indwelling Self of all beings, establishing an essential relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme Being. Creation and Spiritual Realization The Upanishad explains creation through the symbolism of the cosmic sacrifice described in the Purusha Sukta. The different aspects of the universe emerge from the Cosmic Being, illustrating the interconnectedness of all existence. These descriptions are intended to reveal the divine foundation of creation rather than merely explain its physical origins. Through contemplation of the Supreme Purusha and understanding the deeper meaning of the Vedic hymn, the seeker develops spiritual knowledge and moves toward liberation (moksha). An Important Verse The following is the opening invocation of the Mudgala Upanishad, expressing its central teaching about the Supreme Purusha. Śrīmat-puruṣasūktārthaṃ pūrṇānanda-kalevaram | Puruṣottama-vikhyātaṃ pūrṇaṃ brahma bhavāmyaham || English Translation "I am the complete Brahman, celebrated as the Supreme Person (Purushottama), whose nature is fullness of bliss and who is revealed through the sacred Purusha Sukta." Meaning of the Verse This verse expresses the profound relationship between the individual Self and the Supreme Reality. Purushottama refers to the Supreme Being, while Purna Brahman signifies the infinite, complete, and all-encompassing reality. The declaration Brahma Bhavāmyaham ("I become Brahman") expresses spiritual identification with this ultimate reality. The verse suggests that the highest spiritual realization comes when the seeker transcends limited individuality and recognizes the divine foundation of existence. References Mudgala Upanishad — Original Sanskrit Text (Sanskrit Documents) 108 Upanishads — English Translation (includes the Mudgala Upanishad, translated by Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier) Mudgala Upanishad — Commentary by Swami Harshananda
Shiva Sutras – The Wisdom of Kashmir Shaivism The Shiva Sutras are a profound collection of spiritual teachings belonging to the non-dual tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. They reveal the nature of consciousness, the relationship between Shiva and Shakti, and the path to self-realisation.These sutras explain that Shiva is not merely a deity outside us; Shiva is the pure consciousness that exists within every being. The Shiva Sutras teach three essential principles: Shiva is the Pure consciousness. Shakti The dynamic power of consciousness. Jiva: Individual consciousness experiencing itself as limited. Shiva sutra says, Spiritual awakening is not about acquiring something external. It is about recognising the divine consciousness that is already your true nature. Hence the central wisdom of Kashmir Shaivism explains the universal consciousness within our individual experience. There are three sections of Shiva Sutras The Shiva sutra text contains 77 aphorisms divided into three sections: First section: Shambhavopaya central teaching is Realisation through pure awareness. Second section: Shaktopaya teaching is Realisation through the power of thought and Shakti. Third section: Anavopaya teaching is Realisation through individual practices and disciplines Few Important Shiva Sutras and their meanings. 1. Chaitanyam Atma Consciousness is the Self. Tells your true identity is not merely your body, mind, emotions or thoughts. Your essential nature is pure awareness. This makes us reflect upon I am not every thought that arises in my mind. I am the awareness that observes those thoughts. 2. Jnanam Bandhah Limited knowledge is bondage.When we identify ourselves with limited beliefs, memories, fears and perceptions, we experience limitations. Reflection: Am I seeing reality as it is, or is it through the conditioning of my mind? 3. Yonivargah Kalashari Ram The limited manifestation of individual existence is shaped by the powers of differentiation.This sutra points towards how universal consciousness manifests as individual experience. Universal consciousness is infinite. It has no boundary, no limitation and no separation. But when this infinite consciousness manifests as an individual being, it experiences itself through a limited identity. 4. Udyamo Bhairavah The sudden arising of awakened awareness is Bhairava. This is one of the most beautiful teachings. When consciousness suddenly becomes completely alert, beyond habitual thinking, one experiences a glimpse of the divine. Reflection: Pause. Become fully present. Experience the present moment without trying to change it. 5. Shaktichakrasandhane Vishvasamharah Through the integration of the powers of Shakti, the limited perception of the universe dissolves. This points towards the transformation of ordinary perception into expanded consciousness. In Kashmir Shaivism, consciousness expresses itself through five fundamental powers. Shakti Meaning How it manifests in us. Shakti Meaning Manifestation within Chit Shakti Power of consciousness The ability to be aware Ananda Shakti Power of bliss Inner fullness and joy Iccha Shakti Power of will, desire Intention and aspiration Jnana Shakti Power of knowledge Understanding and discernment Kriya Shakti Power of action Expression, creativity, manifestation Shaktichakrasandhane Vishvasamharah teaches us that when the diverse powers of consciousness are integrated into their source, the perception of a fragmented, separate universe dissolves into the experience of non-dual awareness. It is the essence of Shiva-consciousness and it is not withdrawing from life, but recognising the divine unity underlying all experiences. Gratitude Balambika Charanam Image courtesy https://www.thebodhiyoga.com/ the-shiva-sutras-exploring-the-nature-of- reality-and-spiritual-practice/
Devotee Speaks: "Shiva Sutras", by Smt. Roopa V Rajan
Below is the integration of Agasthiar’s Pancha Bhūta with Bālā Tripurā Sundarī, how the five elements dissolve into the ever young Goddess within. Agasthiar says: “Aindhum avalē; avalē aindhum”. The five are She; She alone is the five. Bālā is not above the five elements, but Bala is the secret harmony of all five elements. We see all the five elements with Bala. PṚTHVĪ (Earth) BĀLĀ AS STABILITY OF INNOCENCE. Siddhar insights are Earth is weight, memory, karma. When an unrefined earth element brings heaviness, depression, and inertia. Bālā’ in Action. Bālā lightens Earth. She removes karmic heaviness, brings childlike trust, softens rigid self-identity. Hence it brings out our Inner recognition: “I am held by the Mother.” Result: Safety without fear JALA (Water) BĀLĀ AS SWEET FLOW. Siddha Insight: Water is emotion, attachment, and longing. Bālā’s Action: She purifies emotion without suppression. Turns grief into tenderness. Desire into devotion. Loneliness into intimacy. Inner recognition: “What I feel is allowed by Goddess”. Result: Emotional healing. AGNI (Fire) BĀLĀ AS GENTLE TRANSFORMATION. Siddha Insight: Fire wrongly used creates anger, and burning thoughts. Bālā’s Action: She cools the fire without extinguishing it. Our Ego in fire becomes inner light. Effort becomes effortless clarity. Inner recognition: “I don’t need to fight to know.” Result: Peaceful intelligence. VĀYU (Air) BĀLĀ AS RHYTHM OF PRĀṆA. Siddha Insight: Air governs thought speed and anxiety. Bālā’s Action. She slows the breath naturally. Thoughts lose urgency. The mind becomes playful, not restless. Inner recognition:“Life breathes me.” Result: Mental lightness ĀKĀŚA (Ether) BĀLĀ AS EVER-PRESENT AWARENESS Siddha Insight: Ether is space, silence, consciousness. Bālā’s Action: She reveals awareness as sweetness, not void. Silence becomes loving, Emptiness becomes fullness. Inner recognition: “I am not empty—I am being held.” Result: Non-dual bliss. AGASTHIAR’S SECRET: BĀLĀ AS THE SIXTH ELEMENT Agasthiar reveals: The five elements dissolve into a sixth state, called Sukshma Chaitanya that is BĀLĀ. Bala is Consciousness before division, joy before desire, Knowledge before thought. BĀLĀ MANTRA AS PANCHA BHŪTA KEY ॐ ऐं क्लीं सौः Agasthiar’s inner mapping: AIM comprise Ether + Air (Awareness & movement), KLĪM comprise Fire + Water (Transformation & devotion) SAUḤ comprise Earth dissolving into bliss. FINAL REALISATION (Agasthiar’s Essence): “When the elements rest in love, the Goddess appears as youth. When effort ends, Bālā remains.” Bālā is not attained. She is remembered. Balambika Charanam
Know your Mythology: "The First Wave: When Soundarya Lahari Began...", by Thulasinathan Kandasamy Dawn had barely crested over the Ganga, casting a pale, silver sheen upon the stone ghats of Varanasi. The young Acharya walked with quiet, measured footsteps through the sacred alleys. His intellect was unblemished; he had established across the land the unyielding truth of Kevala Advaita—that the formless, unmanifest consciousness alone is real, and the cosmos of names and forms is but a fleeting ripple of Maya. Turning into a narrow lane of worn flagstones, his path was blocked. A frail, elderly woman sat in the dust, cradling the lifeless head of her husband on her lap. Her eyes held no wild lamentation—only a deep, unwavering stillness. The alley was too narrow to pass without stepping over the inert body. "Mother," the Acharya said gently, bowing his head. "Pray, could you move the departed slightly aside, or grant a little space, so that a traveler on the path of truth may pass without dishonoring the fallen?" The woman looked up, her gaze untroubled by the morning chill. "O learned renunciate, why ask a grieving woman? You teach the supreme truth. Why do you not ask the man himself to move?" The Acharya paused at the simplicity of her words. "Mother, the breath has departed. Matter without the animating spark has no agency; a corpse cannot move of its own accord." The woman’s voice dropped into a hush that seemed to silence the distant river. "You say matter cannot stir without the animating force. Yet, noble scholar, you teach that the Supreme Reality is completely inactive, unmoving, and untouched by power. If Brahman possesses no kinetic energy, who breathes motion into this cosmos? Who kindles the inquiry in your mind? Who shapes the words upon your tongue?" The Acharya froze. In an instant, the dialectics of a lifetime dissolved. If the Infinite denies its own dynamic manifestation, it remains incomplete; if consciousness cannot move, it is not free. The woman continued, her words falling like rain upon parched stone: "Without Shakti, even Shiva does not stir to create—He remains in silent, unmoving contemplation. It is Her presence alone that awakens the dance of existence." In that suspension of thought, the Acharya already knew. Yet his intellect, still reaching for a definition, began to race. As he thought of innocence, the bent, aged frame melted before his eyes into the luminous form of the young child Bala, laughing with boundless delight. When his mind turned to time and the void, the vision shifted instantly into dark, star-crowned Mahakali. When he remembered the burning pyres of Manikarnika just beyond the wall, She shimmered into the fierce, untamed grace of Smashan Tara. With every concept his intellect grasped, Her form dissolved and reshaped to mirror it—an endless, dazzling kaleidoscope of divinity. Realizing the futility of chasing forms with thought, the Acharya closed his eyes and stilled his mind. Contemplation ceased. Analysis surrendered. When he opened his eyes, the shifting forms had settled into majestic stillness. Before him sat Annapoorna, radiant with golden grace, cradling the ladle of boundless nourishment. Her eyes held the infinite tenderness of a mother welcoming her scholar-child home. She offered a gentle, knowing smile, whispered, "It is all Me," and vanished into the morning air. The Acharya’s staff slipped quietly from his fingers. The great logician fell prostrate in the sacred dust. When he lifted his gaze, the lane was clear beneath the rising sun. Walking down to the water's edge, his heart began to hum the first sacred wave of the Soundarya Lahari—realizing that while wisdom perceives the silent God, it is love that allows Her to dance. Image courtesy: https://achyuthan.com/soundariya-lahari.html
Devotee Speaks: "Shiva Sutras", by Smt. Roopa V Rajan Shiva Sutras – The Wisdom of Kashmir Shaivism The Shiva Sutras are a profound collection of spiritual teachings belonging to the non-dual tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. They reveal the nature of consciousness, the relationship between Shiva and Shakti, and the path to self-realisation.These sutras explain that Shiva is not merely a deity outside us; Shiva is the pure consciousness that exists within every being. The Shiva Sutras teach three essential principles: Shiva is the Pure consciousness. Shakti The dynamic power of consciousness. Jiva: Individual consciousness experiencing itself as limited. Shiva sutra says, Spiritual awakening is not about acquiring something external. It is about recognising the divine consciousness that is already your true nature. Hence the central wisdom of Kashmir Shaivism explains the universal consciousness within our individual experience. There are three sections of Shiva Sutras The Shiva sutra text contains 77 aphorisms divided into three sections: First section: Shambhavopaya central teaching is Realisation through pure awareness. Second section: Shaktopaya teaching is Realisation through the power of thought and Shakti. Third section: Anavopaya teaching is Realisation through individual practices and disciplines Few Important Shiva Sutras and their meanings. 1. Chaitanyam Atma Consciousness is the Self. Tells your true identity is not merely your body, mind, emotions or thoughts. Your essential nature is pure awareness. This makes us reflect upon I am not every thought that arises in my mind. I am the awareness that observes those thoughts. 2. Jnanam Bandhah Limited knowledge is bondage.When we identify ourselves with limited beliefs, memories, fears and perceptions, we experience limitations. Reflection: Am I seeing reality as it is, or is it through the conditioning of my mind? 3. Yonivargah Kalashari Ram The limited manifestation of individual existence is shaped by the powers of differentiation.This sutra points towards how universal consciousness manifests as individual experience. Universal consciousness is infinite. It has no boundary, no limitation and no separation. But when this infinite consciousness manifests as an individual being, it experiences itself through a limited identity. 4. Udyamo Bhairavah The sudden arising of awakened awareness is Bhairava. This is one of the most beautiful teachings. When consciousness suddenly becomes completely alert, beyond habitual thinking, one experiences a glimpse of the divine. Reflection: Pause. Become fully present. Experience the present moment without trying to change it. 5. Shaktichakrasandhane Vishvasamharah Through the integration of the powers of Shakti, the limited perception of the universe dissolves. This points towards the transformation of ordinary perception into expanded consciousness. In Kashmir Shaivism, consciousness expresses itself through five fundamental powers. Shakti Meaning How it manifests in us. Shakti Meaning Manifestation within Chit Shakti Power of consciousness The ability to be aware Ananda Shakti Power of bliss Inner fullness and joy Iccha Shakti Power of will Desire, Intention and aspiration Jnana Shakti Power of knowledge Understanding and discernment Kriya Shakti Power of action Expression, creativity, manifestation Shaktichakrasandhane Vishvasamharah teaches us that when the diverse powers of consciousness are integrated into their source, the perception of a fragmented, separate universe dissolves into the experience of non-dual awareness. It is the essence of Shiva-consciousness and it is not withdrawing from life, but recognising the divine unity underlying all experiences. Gratitude Balambika Charanam Image courtesy https://www.thebodhiyoga.com/ the-shiva-sutras-exploring-the-nature-of-reality-and-spiritual-practice/