Our Vision
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The Shakambhari Devi Temple was conceptualized by the Goddess herself as revealed to Gananathamritananda Swamiji in a vision presented in 2009. The Temple, when completed, will offer a space for sincere seekers to empower their spiritual sadhana and to receive teachings, blessings, and spiritual initiations. Set in a rural forest atmosphere, in the sacred Blue Ridge mountains, near Charlottesville, Virginia, the Temple will provide a retreat from modern living and a space for the empowerment of spiritual practice. The center will be home to Swamiji and a few close disciples who help to maintain the temple and run the various teaching programs of the Soma Matha Spiritual Center. The Temple will be built according to the strict mandates of the holy Agamas, designed and constructed according to the mystical science of Sthapatya Veda, and consecrated through the traditional and elaborate process called Kumbhabhishekam. We have been working energetically to prepare the region for the powerful presence of such a temple. Such a temple, inspired by the Goddess herself and built and consecrated according to the Vedic traditions is rare to find in the West and has the power to uplift consciousness of the whole region as it alters the karmas of the people in surrounding areas, reducing stress and ill health, increasing peace, harmony, and prosperity and helping to allay conflicts, wars, crime, disease, pandemics, natural disasters, poverty, starvation, and general troubles. |
Photo from Devi Puja Ceremony
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The Goddess has been guiding us as we prepare for helping to bring her vision of a Sacred Temple to fruition. We have been conducting a series of spiritual practices as instructed by Devi herself and have moved to several different properties to facilitate our efforts. We are now working to raise funds to purchase a property for the permanent placement of the Temple in the mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia.
Swamiji has had a vision for many years of a property which is on the side of a high mountain, with running water, old growth forest, and 29 acres. It is important that the Temple have 29 wooded acres for the establishment of Shakambhari here. Many sacred aksharas are established at the site of sacred Temples and some are rare and capable of much healing and upliftment of humanity. Aksharas are an energetic presence, which bestows the spiritual power of a temple, empowering the physical structure from the inner realms. They require great efforts and certain material requirements to establish. Aksharas relating to Goddess Shakambhari are quite rare and difficult to establish, but their effect upon humanity is uniquely profound. Goddess Shakambhari's connection to the forest will help to heal the land from which people have become very disconnected. The process is very complex and requires years of effort to achieve.
We have completed 600,000 repetitions of the Shakambhari Gayatri Mantra and are excited to announce that after years of work, we are nearing the phase of acquiring a property for the Temple and beginning to purify the space in preparation for prana pratishtha (invocation manifesting the life breath of the Goddess) and kumbhabhishekam (consecration of a sacred space). We intend to record what parts of this mystical process that we can in order to teach about the Agamic rituals used for purification the and consecration of a sacred space.
Swamiji has had a vision for many years of a property which is on the side of a high mountain, with running water, old growth forest, and 29 acres. It is important that the Temple have 29 wooded acres for the establishment of Shakambhari here. Many sacred aksharas are established at the site of sacred Temples and some are rare and capable of much healing and upliftment of humanity. Aksharas are an energetic presence, which bestows the spiritual power of a temple, empowering the physical structure from the inner realms. They require great efforts and certain material requirements to establish. Aksharas relating to Goddess Shakambhari are quite rare and difficult to establish, but their effect upon humanity is uniquely profound. Goddess Shakambhari's connection to the forest will help to heal the land from which people have become very disconnected. The process is very complex and requires years of effort to achieve.
We have completed 600,000 repetitions of the Shakambhari Gayatri Mantra and are excited to announce that after years of work, we are nearing the phase of acquiring a property for the Temple and beginning to purify the space in preparation for prana pratishtha (invocation manifesting the life breath of the Goddess) and kumbhabhishekam (consecration of a sacred space). We intend to record what parts of this mystical process that we can in order to teach about the Agamic rituals used for purification the and consecration of a sacred space.
Who is Goddess Shakambhari?
Goddess Shakhambhari Devi is a tantric form of Goddess Durga expounded within the Murti Rahasya of the Devi Mahatmyam (or Chandi Patha). She is revered as an incarnation of Goddess Parvati (the Mountain Consort of Lord Shiva). She is described in detail in the Shakambhari Mahatmyam of the Devi Bhagavata Puranam. Shakambhari, like other forms of Goddess Durga is strong and protective. She is benevolent and loving like a mother to her devotees but can become fierce to protect them from danger and to humble them when qualities like greed, anger, fear, and egoism get out of hand. She grants protection and confidence and the ability to assert oneself positively while keeping egoism and arrogance in check. Shakambhari differs from other forms of Durga in her unique role as carrier of nourishment and Goddess of the forest.
Shakambhari means "she who nourishes" (bhri) through "vegetation" (shaaka). As the story goes, when the demon Durgamasura had attained great spiritual power by practicing intense austerities, this lead to the suppression of spiritual knowledge and the obstruction of prayers to the Devas which lead to a subsequent drought throughout the world which caused vegetation to dry out and famine to spread. The Sages prayed to the Goddess who appeared in the form of Shakambhari and precipitated life-giving rains which fell for 9 days nourishing the Earth and stimulating the growth of plants, fruits, veggies, and healing herbs. At several important points in the development of the Temple, rain has fallen for nine consecutive days, most notably when we established the Temple's orchard when we purchased and began planting 54 heirloom fruit tree saplings. Shakambhari is also known as Vanashankari (Goddess of the Forest) in South India.
Shakambhari means "she who nourishes" (bhri) through "vegetation" (shaaka). As the story goes, when the demon Durgamasura had attained great spiritual power by practicing intense austerities, this lead to the suppression of spiritual knowledge and the obstruction of prayers to the Devas which lead to a subsequent drought throughout the world which caused vegetation to dry out and famine to spread. The Sages prayed to the Goddess who appeared in the form of Shakambhari and precipitated life-giving rains which fell for 9 days nourishing the Earth and stimulating the growth of plants, fruits, veggies, and healing herbs. At several important points in the development of the Temple, rain has fallen for nine consecutive days, most notably when we established the Temple's orchard when we purchased and began planting 54 heirloom fruit tree saplings. Shakambhari is also known as Vanashankari (Goddess of the Forest) in South India.
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