Should an ordinary householder recite the Siddha Kunjika Stotram, considering it contains bija mantras? Would you recommend any modifications?
I often encourage her to keep her worship simple and inwardly focused, but much of it seems mechanical and mixed with a fear that the devas may become displeased if certain rituals are omitted.
What you say is true in general. It is only the lower vital gods who are tied to rigid physical rituals and these are not always kind and generous. Men mistake them for the true deities. In fact the higher the Deity in the scale, the less it is tied to mechanical rituals. The high deities respond instead to the truth, to true feelings, true thoughts, true attitudes. They are not rigidly tied to the exact precise formulas and formulations. But these true and high gods do not act simply because we ask them for something and please them through poojas. They see the truth and do not give favours or act granting wishes even though it may contradict the Divine Will.
As to beej mantras, the rule is that they work only if they are transmitted by a guru who has mastered its powers. An uninitiated person chanting them is unlikely to have any effect, positive or negative.
But it does raise a question about why do we seek God, – for some earthly rewards, for heavenly rewards, for individual moksha or for the fulfilment of the Divine Will in us and in the world. The last is the highest aspiration and draws the response of the Highest. Individual moksha is also acceptable though a subtle form of illusion. But the first two, especially if done out of fear is simply to move in the unending cycle of ignorance with a seesaw between happiness and sorrow. It is to remain caught in the same old school of suffering and pain. It is the core aspiration and faith that matters most. The method becomes less and less important as we move up the ladder of consciousness. As the well known saying goes,
‘Ulta Naam japa jag jaana, Valmiki bhaye Brahm samana.’
