Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Adyakali is the ever-pervading, causeless, and all-encompassing cosmic reality. The energy that is the most primordial.
She is depicted with Mahadeva as the pedestal upon which she stands, with his Kundalini shakti completely absorbed by Adyakali, represented as the snake coiled at her feet. She is not depicted with the Abhaya or Varada mudra; she holds the kapala (skull) in her left hand with the head dripping blood, representing her sadhaka's prana being controlled by her. In the right hand, she holds the khadga (sword), depicting the slaying of ego, and the vel with trishula, representing readiness for any battle and knowledge. She adorns the corpses of babies as her earrings, representing everything that arises and dissolves within her.
The devotion and veneration of Devi Adyakali, the Primordial Creator Mother Goddess in her form appropriate for the upcoming Kaliyuga, is at the heart of the Adyakali Sampradaya, which is the embodiment of the revival of Shakta worship. Under the direction of Guru Praveen Radhakrishnan, it is a unified lineage of seekers, sadhakas, and upasakas who share similar beliefs.
Our Sampradaya's main goals are the revival of Bhairava worship and the advancement of Adya Kali worship via the unification of both spiritual endeavors. Additionally, our Sampradaya supports removing restrictions placed on the worship of Tantric deities like Adya Kali by majoritarian groups, worshipping the Parivar deities as well to demonstrate that Devi Adya is the catalyst for all creation, which does not contradict but rather correlate with the teachings of other sects.
Kaliputra Mission is an endeavor aimed at inviting you to join in the effort to promote the teachings and name of Devi Adyakali broadly and on various social media platforms via your creativity and love. This is an attempt to inspire and direct true seekers towards the path of Devi Adyakali.
To join the mission, you have to fill the Google response sheet using the link: https://forms.gle/GX7Mv5DyCqE1BxYT8
The group is inclusive and diverse, and we welcome sincere spiritual seekers who are intent on understanding Devi Adyakali and, through this process, understand themselves. There is no discrimination based on religion, ideology, politics, sexual orientation, caste, or race. The sampradaya prohibits minors under the age of 18 from participating without parental agreement and direction.
Guru Praveen Radhakrishnan is the founder of the AdyaKali Sampradaya and the central figure associated with the resurgence of Adyakali worship in India. He is a nonconformist who believes the worship and sadhana of AdyaKali is for all, contrary to traditional Tantric philosophy that certain deities are only appropriated after gaining initiation and eligibility for sadhana. He believes in bhakti and karma yoga to approach AdyaKali and that Bhairava worship is ancillary for the same, extending beyond the current limitations set by certain practitioners of Tantra.
The Fifth Head of Brahma is an analogy for the esoteric meaning of how Bhairava, who emerged out of the fire pillar (Sadashiva), created a separate path (by decapitating the fifth head of arrogant Brahma) for overcoming the karmic implications in Kaliyuga and ascending towards self-realization at an accelerated pace by realizing the all-pervading form of Devi Adyakali and Bhairava at its core.
The word Tantra comes from the Sanskrit root tan, which means “to expand,” “to spread,” and tra, which means “instrument.” Therefore, Tantra literally means the “instrument to expand” the level of consciousness from ordinary to extraordinary, with Self-realization as its ultimate goal.
"Nothing exists that isn’t divine." This is the quintessence of Tantric philosophy.
She is a fierce yet all-loving, affectionate mother.
She is approached with sincere love and devotion, with a bhava of surrender to seek oneness with her. She is the primary and most important priority in your life as a sadhaka. Her shakti can be stabilized by building a strong base of Bhairava upasana, who will guide you to the ultimate truth, i.e., Adyakali. You cannot approach her with insincere or malefic intent.
The Adya Kali Sampradaya believes:
Worship of Bhairava and Adyakali is universal, and with devotion, anyone can walk the path.
It reiterates the importance of karma and bhakti yoga to appropriately worship one's ishta deity.
It believes that Adyakali is the Guru deity of the 10 Mahavidyas and that she can be worshipped and her essence understood by consolidating Bhairava upasana as its base.
The knowledge of her worship lies outside the Vedic paddhati (4 heads of Brahma) in the Fifth Head of Brahma, a path created by Bhairava for worship in Kaliyuga to go beyond the limitations and rituals of traditional paths.
Currently, the Sampradaya activities are restricted to its creative mission wing (Kaliputra Mission) and to disseminating information of the Sampradaya on social media platforms. We are working towards a visionary future to make this Sampradaya accessible to all and plan future meetings, satsangs, and events.
Adyakali worship is for all, regardless of one's traditions, beliefs, caste, regionality, nationality, or sexual orientation. There are faulty projections that she cannot be approached directly. Her worship is apt for seekers at the most nascent stage of spirituality. What matters is intent.
Currently, the Sampradaya is at its incipient stage.
You can contribute by joining the Kaliputra Mission (creative endeavor). You can also support the accounts of Guru Praveen Radhakrishnan on various social media platforms and help propagate the mission.