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Nava Durga 9 forms of Durga.. http://rampuri.com/navdurga-navratri/

10/16/2012

 
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Navdurga, are the nine forms of Durga collectively worshipped by Shakti devotees. Scriptures differ in naming the nine incarnations. Pictures and paintings of the Nava-Durga also varies from region to region. The most widely accepted account of the nine forms of Durga is the one found in the Devi Mahatmya – Sailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skanda Mata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Maha Gowri and Siddhidayini.
The nine forms of Durga are worshipped during the nine days of Navratri.

Sailaputri or Shailaputri Among the Nine Durgas, Maa Shailputri is considered to be the first manifestation of goddess Durga.  She carries the trishul and the lotus in her hands. Her vehicle is the Bull, Nandi.

The narrative regarding her birth has been described in scriptures like Shivapurana and Devi Bagvaatam Maa.

Shailputri in her previous birth was born as a daughter to Daksha Prajapati.  She was named ‘Sati’.  She had been deeply devoted to Lord Shiva since her childhood.  When she grew into a maiden, she propitiated Lord Shiva by her penance and devotion and desired to beget him as her consort.  Lord Shiva bestowed the desired boon on her and accepted her as his consort.

Once her father Daksha Prajapati organized a great Yanja in which all the gods including Brahma, Vishnu, Indra and saints and sages were invited, but Lord Shiva was excluded.  When Goddess Sati came to know of it, she could not tolerate the disgrace of Lord Shiva. So, she decided to pay a visit to her father. Getting angry Sati spoke to Lord Shiva, “O Dear Lord! My father Daksha Prajapati is performing a grand fire sacrifice.  All the gods, saints, seers and sages have been invited to participate in this sacrifice, but he has disgraced you openly by not inviting you.  I can never bear your insult.  So, you kindly let me go to my father to speak out my mind to him.”

Seeing the infuriated Sati, Lord Shiva said to her, “O Goddess!  It does not behoove you to lose your temper over such a trifle.  Daksha Prajapati is the performer of this great sacrifice.  It is his sweet will to invite or ignore any one.  You must not poke your nose into his affairs.  Such trivial steps may cause bitterness in your relations.”

Sati’s anger did not subside even after such a lecture given to her by Lord Shiva.  Seeing her great obduracy, Lord Shiva ultimately granted her the permission to see her father.

When Goddess Sati reached the site of the Yajna, she heard everybody denouncing Lord Shiva.  Even Daksha, her father, surrounded by his servants was busy with the condemnation of Lord Shiva.  All her sisters were mocking at Sati.  Such a hostile situation fanned the fire of her fury even more.  She failed to endure such a horrible disgrace of her Lord and consigned herself to the sacrificial flames.  When Lord Shiva heard of Sati’s self-immolation, he sent his attendants to destroy the sacrifice.

Sati in her next birth was born as a daughter to Himalaya, the Lord of Mountains.  She was named Parvati or Hemvati.  Since she was born as a daughter to the mountain-king Himalaya, she is also known as Shailputri.  She propitiated Lord Shiva by her severe penance and begot him has her husband.  Among the Nine Durgas, the importance and powers of Mother Shailputri are unlimited.  On the first day of auspicious Navaraatri, she alone is adored and worshipped.

Mantras for Shailputri Devi
Om Devi Shailputryai Namah (108 recitation of this mantra)

Vande Vanchhit Laabhaay, Chandrardhkritshekharaam | Vrisharudham Shooldharaam Shailputriim Yashaswinim ||

I worship Goddess Shailputri to fulfill my wishes, who is adorned with crescent moon on her head, rides on a bull, carrying a trishul and is illustrious.

Brahmacharini In this form Durga is two-armed, clad in white and carries a rudraksha mala and sacred Kamandalu. She is in a highly pious and peaceful form or is in meditation. This form of Durga is related to the severe penance undertaken by Sati and Parvati in their respective births to attain Lord Shiva as husband. Some of the most important Vratas observed in different parts of India by women is based on the strict austerities followed by Brahmacharini. She is also known as Tapasyacharini and is worshipped on the second day of Navrathri.

The narrative regarding her birth has been described as follows:

Having immolated herself in the sacrificial fire, Sati was born of Maina as a daughter to the Mountain-King Himalaya.  Keeping in view her auspicious traits, she was given the name of ‘Parvati’.  When she had grown up into a beautiful maiden, the celestial sage Narada while roaming about happened to reach the court of king Himalaya. Sage

Narada was warmly welcomed by the Lord of mountains.  Thereafter Himalaya and Maina prayed to Sage Narada to predict the future of Parvati by reading her palms.  Sage Narada agreed to their request. Seeing Goddess Parvati, Sage Narada stood up and bowed to her with great reverence.  The mountain-king Himalaya and queen Maina were amazed at such an unusual behavior of Sage Narada.

They were curious to know the cause of this unique behavior. Thereupon he spoke with a smile, “O Lord of Mountains!  This daughter of yours in her previous birth was Sati, the daughter of Daksha and the consort of Lord Shiva.  She sacrificed her body in the fire of the Yanja as Daksha hurled disgrace on Lord Shiva.  Now she is born again as your daughter Parvati.  That is why I bowed to her.  By virtue of her merits, she shall again beget Lord Shiva as her husband.”

Having listened to the prediction of Sage Narada, Goddess Parvati inquired of him how to beget Lord Shiva as her consort.  Thereupon Sage Narada advised her to perform an austere penance.

Acting upon the advice of Sage Narada, Goddess Parvati renounced all the pleasures of the palace and started performing penance to beget Lord Shiva as her husband. She spent the first thousand years of her penance by living on fruit and roots.  Thereafter she lived on leaves for another three thousand years of her penance.  Then she lived on water and then air alone braving heat and cold, rain and storms and all kinds of sufferings.

Goddess Parvati meditated on Lord Shiva for thousands of years.  The austere penance performed by her reduced her to a mere skeleton.  A great hue and cry prevailed in the three worlds because of her severe penance.  All the Gods including Indra and Saints and Sage were terrified by her penance.  They approached Brahma in a body and prayed to him to bestow the desired boon on Parvati.

At last Brahma, appeared before Parvati and said to her, “O Goddess!  All the Gods bow to you in deep reverence.  Such an austere penance can be performed only by you.  Your cherished desire shall soon be fulfilled.  You shall beget Lord Shiva as your consort.  By virtue of this austere penance you shall be known as “Brahmchaarini” – a woman of celibacy.  Thereafter Brahma restored her physical charm and grace.

Thus Goddess Parvati begot Lord Shiva as her husband by virtue of her penance.  She earned the reputation of being a Brahmchaarini.

The worship of Maa Brahmchaarini is conducive to penance, renunciation, virtue and nobility.  Her devotees are endowed with peace and prosperity.

Mantras for Devi Brahmacharini
Om Devi Brahmcharinyai Namah (108 recitation of this mantra)

Dadhaanaa Kar Padaabhyaamakshmala Kamandalu | Devi Prasidati Mayi Brahmcharinyanuttamaa.

Which means, O Goddess Brahmcharini, who holds rosary and Kamandalu in her hands, please on me.
A devotee who is eager to know God, who want knowledge, he should worship Devi Brahmcharini on the second day of Navratri.

Chandraghanta or Chandra-khanda In this form Durga is 10-armed and rides a tiger. This is a terrible aspect and is roaring in anger. This form of Durga is completely different from earlier forms and shows when provoked she can be the terrible or malevolent. Chandraghanta is worshipped on the third day of Navarathri.

Her forehead is bedecked with the crescent moon resembling the shape of a ghantaa.  That is why she is called Maa ‘Chandraghantaa’ by devotees.

By her grace all the sins, distresses, physical sufferings, mental tribulations and ghostly hurdles of the devotees are eradicated.  Riding on the lion the Mother inspires her devotees with fearlessness.  She is the very embodiment of serenity.  The devotees who adore and worship her with their deeds, minds and speech develop an aura of divine splendor.  Their persons emit out invisible power-waves which exercise
a great impact on those who come in contact with them.  They easily achieve success in every walk of life.  Maa Chandraghantaa is ever ready to destroy the wicked, but to her devotees she is ever visible as the kind and compassionate Mother showering peace and prosperity.

The complexion possessed by Maa Chandraghantaa is golden.  She possesses ten arms which wield weapons and missiles like the sword, the bow, the mace, the arrows and the like.  During the battle between the gods and the demons, the horrible sound produced by her ghantaa had sent thousands of wicked demons to the abode of the Death-god.  She is ever in a warring posture which shows her eagerness to destroy the foes of her devotees so that her devotees may ever live in peace and prosperity.  Divine vision is acquired by her grace.  If a devotee happens to enjoy divine fragrance and hears diverse sounds, he is said to be blessed by the Mother.

Maa Chandraghantaa should be adores and worshipped with great purity in mind and heart observing all the rites properly.  Having acquired her grace, we get rid of all worldly turmoil and enjoy Supreme bliss.  Devotees should always have her gentle form in their minds while meditating on her.

Mantras for Chandraghanta Devi
Om Devi Chandraghantayayi Namah (108 recitation of this mantra)

Pindaj Pravaarudh chandkopastrkairyuta | Prasadam Tanute Madhyam Chandraghanteti vishrutaa ||

Which means, O Goddess Chandraghanta, who rides on Tiger, angry on enemies, holds many weapons in 10 hands, be propitious to me.  Devotees, who have many enemies and obstacles in their life, should worship Devi Chandraghanta on third day of Navratri. Goddess Chandraghanta then destroy all obstacles and fears of devotee and destroy enemies and demons.

Kushmanda The fourth manifestation of Goddess Durga. She is adored and worshipped on the fourth day of the Navaraatri.  She dwells in the abode of the Sun God.  That is why her hue and spendour is as brilliant as the sun itself.  It is her spendour that pervades every plant and creature of this universe.  All the ten quarters are illuminated by her divine refulgence.

The name Kushmanda is made of three other words that are “Ku + Ushma + Amnda= Kushmanda”. Here “Ku” is “Little”, “Ushma” is “Warmth or Energy” and “Anda” is “Egg” , meaning the one who create the universe as “Little Cosmic Egg” with the energy of Her divine smile, is called “Kushmanda”.

When this universe was non-existent and darkness prevailed everywhere, it was Maa Kushmaandaa who produced the Cosmic Egg with her mere smile. So Maa Kushmanda is also known as the creator the whole universe. Maa Kushmanda is also named as “Adi Shakti”. She is the only one who has the power and strength to live in the core of Suryaloka. Her body shines like the glowing Sun. All directions get light from Her Divine smile including the Sun God itself. Maa Kushmanda also known as “Ashtabhuja” as she is often depicted as having eight arms. In her seven hands she holds Kamandalu, Bow, Arrow, Lotus, a Jar of Nectar, Discus, and Mace. In her eighth hand she holds a mala capable of giving eight Siddhis and nine Niddhis. She rides a lion who represents “Dharma”. On worshiping Her, ailments and sorrows are eliminated and life span, name, strength and health improved.
 
Mother Kushmaandaa is the bestower of all pleasures.  Her adoration and worship delivers a person from all kinds of ailments and leads him on to the path of prosperity and pleasures.  So, a devotee should adore and worship her with a purified mind and intellect.

Mantra for Kushmaandaa Devi
Om Devi Kushmandayayi Namah (108 recitation of this mantra)

Suraasampoornam Kalasham Rudhiraaplutamev Cha | Dahdana Hastpadmaabhyaam Kushmanda Shubhdaastu Me ||

Which means, Goddess Kushmanda who holds two pitchers full of Madira and Blood in her lotus hands, be propitious to me.
Goddess Kushmanda is Mother of Sun. She creates the entire universe and solar system. Devotees must worship her in order to get success in her creation. Devotees, who has malefic Sun in their birth chart should worship Kushmanda Devi.

Skanda Mata In this form Durga is four-armed and rides on a lion. She carries a lotus, a kamandalu and a bell. Her one hand is in blessing posture.

Skandamaataa is the fifth manifestion of Goddess Durga.  She is worshipped on the fifth day of the Navaraatri.  Her son Karttikeya is also called Skanda.  So, she is called Skandamaataa or the Mother of Skanda.

Lord Skanda can be seen in her lap.  She possesses four arms out of which two hold the lotus flowers.  One of her hands is always in the boon-conferring gesture and with the other she holds her son Skanda in her lap.  Her complexion is white and she is seated on the lotus.  So, she is also called the Goddess with a lotus-seat.  The Lion also is her vehicle.

Skandamaataa who possesses the brilliance of the sun fulfills all the desires of her devotees.  He who is selflessly devoted to her, attains all the achievements and treasures of life. The worship of Skandamaataa purifies the heart of a devotee.  While worshiping her, he devotee should have absolute control over his senses and mind.  He should free himself from worldly bondage and worship her with a single-pointed devotion.  Her worship is twice blessed.  When the devotee worships her, Lord Skanda, her son in her lap, is automatically worshipped.  Thus the devotee happens to enjoy the grace of Skandamaataa along with the grace of Lord Skanda.

If a devotee worships her devoid of selfishness, the Mother blesses them with power and prosperity.  The devotees who worship Skandamaataa shine with divine splendor.  Her worship is ultimately conducive to salvation.

Mantras for Skandamaataa Devi
Om Devi Skandmatayayi Namah (108 recitation of this mantra)

Sinhaasangataam Nityam Padmaanchit Kardwayaa | Shubhdaastu Sadaa Devi Skandmata Yashaswini ||

Which means, Skandmata, who rides on Lion with Kartikeya, holds lotus in her two hands and Varmudra in one hand, be propitious to me.
Skandmata take care of a devotee as her own child. Devotees must worship Skandamata specifically if they have many obstacles in life. Skandmata then take care of devotee as her own child and remove all his obstacles.

Katyayani In this form Durga is four-armed and she carries a sword, shield and lotus. One hand is depicted as giving blessing. She rides a lion.

Mother Kaatyaayani is worshipped as the sixth manifestation of Goddess Durga.  She is adored on the sixth day of the Navaratri.  The narrative regarding her birth has been as follows:

The world-renowned sage Kaatyaayana was born in the dynasty of sage Kaatya.  He was an excellent devotee of Goddess Durga and performed an austere penance for many years to propitiate her.  Being delighted by his devotion, Goddess Durga appeared before him and asked him to demand the desired boon.  Thereupon the great Sage Kaatyaayana demanded that she should be born as a daughter to him.  Goddess Durga granted his wish.

When the atrocities committed by Mashisha, the wicked demon, became intolerable on the Earth, Goddess Durga’s sixth manifestation appeared as a daughter to sage Kaatyaayana.  She came to be known as ‘Kaatyaayani’ as she was the daughter of Sage Kaatyaayana.

As soon as Mother Kaatyaayani was born, she assumed a huge and massive form.  Seeing her Universal Form, sage Kaatyaayana bowed to her with great reverence and adored and worshipped her for three days from the Bright seventh to ninth.  Having accepted the adoration and worship of the sage, Mother Kaatyaayani assassinated demon Mashisha.

Mother Kaatyaayani can give everything to her devotees.  The gopis of Braja too worshipped her on the banks of the Yamuna in order to beget Lord Krishna as their husband.  The four-armed Mother Kaatyaayani rides the Lion.  She is easily propitiated by devotion and destroys all sins of her devotees.  Her worship is conducive to Dharma, wealth, pleasures and salvation.

Mantras for Kaatyaayani Devi
Om Devi Katyayanyayi Namah (108 recitation of this mantra)

Chandrahaasojjval Karaa Shaardoolvarvaahanaa | Katyayani Shubham Dadyaad Devi Daanavghatini ||

Which means, Devi Katyayani, who holds Chandrahaas Sword and other weapons in her ten hands, rides on Lion, and destroying demons, be propitious to me.

Om Hrim Katyayani Swaha (108 Recitation of this Katyayani Mantra)

Kalaratri In this form Durga is four-armed and rides a donkey. She carries sword, trident and noose. With one hand she blesses. In this form she is dark and repulsive in appearance. She is cruel and excited. This is the violent and dark side of Durga. This form primarily depicts that life also has dark side. Kalaratri is worshipped on seventh day of Navarathri. Her person is like the dense darkness and is absolutely black.  She possesses three eyes in her forehead which are as round as the universe itself. The hair on her head is very dense but disheveled.  She is bedecked with a glorious garland round her neck which emits great refulgence.  She breathes out horrible and terrible flames of fire.  Although her person is absolutely black yet refulgent rays keep on emanating from her.

Although the outward form of Mother Kaalaraatri is extremely frightening yet she always bestows boons on her devotees.  So, she is also called Shubhankari as she always brings about the welfare of her devotees.  All sins are washed off by her adoration and worship.  Devotees deserve all kinds of merits by having her vision.  Those who adore and worship her selflessly are relieved of all distresses and turmoil.  They will enjoy prosperity and pleasures.

Mother Kaalaraatri is the destroyer of demons, ghosts, goblins and evil-minded persons.  All planetary hurdles are removed if a devotee chants her name with devotion.  She confers the state of fearlessness on her devotees.  A devotee should worship her with a purified mind and intellect in order to derive full merit of his devotion.

Mantras for Kalaratri Devi
Om Devi Kalratryayi Swaha (108 Recitations)

Ekveni Japakarnpoora Nagn Kharaasthita | Lamboshthi Karnika karni Tailaabhyaktshariirini ||
Vaam Paadollasallohlata Kantakbhushanaa | Bardhan Moordham Dhwajaa Krishnaa Kalratribhayankari ||

This mantra describes her form. She is naked, rides on an donkey, long tongue, lustrous body, wearing ornaments in legs like lightning, black in color, unlocked hair, big eyes and ears and very dangerous looking. Meditating on this form of Kalratri removes all obstacles as well as removes all magical effects created by others.

Mahagauri or Maha Gowri In this form Durga is four-armed and she rides on a bull or a white elephant. She carries a trishul and a damaru. Two hands are in blessing posture. She is pure and is believed to have been in the form of Mata Parvati when she did penance to get Shiva as her husband. Purity is depicted in this form of Durga. Mahagowri form of Durga is worshipped on the eighth day of Navratri. Goddess Parvati made up her mind to perform an austere penance as advised by Sage Narada so that she might beget Lord Shiva as her husband.  So, she renounced all the comforts of the palace and started performing penance in the forest.

Her severe penance continued for many years.  She braved heat and cold, rains and drought and terrible storms.  Her body was covered with dust, earth, soil and leaves of trees.  She had developed a blackish skin over her body.  At last, Lord Shiva appeared before her and gave his solemn word that he would marry her.

He bathed her vigourously by the holy waters of the Ganga emanating from his matted hair. The holy and sacred waters of Ganga washed off all the dirt clinging to Parvati’s person and she became became white-complexioned and glorious.  Thus by virtue of having acquired a white complexion, Parvati came to be known as Mahagauri (Extremely Fair).

Mahagauri Devi is worshipped on the eighth day of the Navaratri. This manifestation of hers is very placid and serene.  All the sins of the devotees are burnt to ashes by her adoration and worship.  She possesses invincible powers and bestows merits on her devotees.  She destroys all the distresses of her devotees and blesses them with all kinds of merits and virtues.

Maa Mahagauri’s meditation, her adoration, her worship, and her devotion are conducive to the welfare of devotees.  He who concentrates his mind on her will enjoy her blessings.  He who enjoys her grace achieves perfection in every walk of life.  Mother Mahagauri fulfils all the desires of her devotees.  She enables them to enjoy prosperity and pleasures here in this world and salvation hereafter.

Mantras for Mahagauri Devi
Om Devi Mahagauryayi Namah (108 Recitation of  Mahagauri Mantra)

Shwete Vrishesamarudha Shwetaambardhara Shuchih | Mahagari Shubham Dadyanmahadev Praodadaa ||

Which means, Goddess Mahagauri who rides on white bull, wear pure white clothes, giver of happiness, be propitious to me.

Siddhidayini or Siddhidatri In this form Durga is seated on a lotus and is four armed. She holds a lotus, mace, discus and book. In this form Durga removes ignorance and she provides the knowledge to realize That or Brahman. She is surrounded by Siddhas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Demons and Gods who are worshipping her. The Siddhi that she provides is the realization that only She exists. Siddhidayini form of Durga is worshipped on the ninth day of Navaratri.

She is the mistress of all achievements and perfections.  The narrative regarding her emergence runs as follows:

When the Universal Mother was gripped with the idea of projecting Creation, She, first of all, created Lord Shiva who prayed to Her to endow him with perfections.  For this purpose, the Universal Mother (Durgaa) produced Goddess Siddhidaatri from Her own person.  As the behest of the Universal Mother, Goddess Siddidaatri bestowed eighteen kinds of rare perfections and powers and potentialities (Siddhis) on Lord Shiva.  By virtue of these siddhis, Lord Shiva happened to develop a divine splendor.

Having acquired the siddhis from Goddess Siddhidaatri, Lord Shiva created Lord Vishnu who in turn created Lord Brahma who was entrusted with the task of the Creation whereas Lord Vishnu got the task of Protection and Lord Shiva that of Destruction.

Lord Brahma felt a great difficulty in his task of the Creation in the absence of man and woman.  Thereupon he remembered Mother Siddhidaatri.  When she appeared before him, Lord Brahma said to her, “Oh Great Mother!  I cannot carry on with the task of the Creation in the absence of man and woman.  You kindly solve this problem of mine through your supernatural attainments (siddhis).”

Having heard Lord Brahma, Mother Siddidaatri converted half the person of Lord Shiva into a woman.  Thus Lord Shiva became half-male and half-female and came to be known as Ardhanaarishwara.  Thus the problem of Lord Brahma was resolved and the task of the Creation went on smoothly.

Mother Siddhidaatri possesses four arms and she rides on a lion. She carries the mace, the lotus, the conch-shell and the disc in her four hands. He who acquires her grace attains salvation after enjoying the pleasures of life. She fulfills all the mundane and divine aspirations of her devotees. Her worship destroys all distresses.

Mantras
Om Devi Siddhidatryayi Namah (108 Recititation of Siddhidatri Mantra)

Siddha Gandharva Yakshdyairasurairamarairapi | Sevyamaanaa Sadabhuyaat Siddhida Siddhidayini ||

Which means, Goddess Siddhidatri who is worshipped by Siddha, Gandharva, Yaksh, Gods, Demons etc., holds Conch, Chakra, Gada and Lotus in her hands, giver of all siddhis and victory all over, be propitious to me.

Devotees worship Goddess Siddhidatri on ninth day of Navratri because she gives the results of nine days worship.
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Mahishasura Mardini Story

Mahishasura Mardini Long ago in a time not so different from now, the mighty Asura king Mahishasura was granted the boon of immortality by Shiva, through extreme tapasya and prolonged meditation. Shiv Ji was so pleased with Mahishasura’s devotion, that he blessed him with eternal life, declaring that no man, beast, demon or deity would ever be able to kill him.

Mahishasura’s father, Rambha and his brother Karambha, had also both been great tapasvis. Rambha had done tapasya to Agni Dev, sitting amidst five sacred fires on the banks of the river Indus, he performed the Panchagni sacrifice. Karambha did his austerities standing neck-deep in the Sindu river to please and receive the blessings of Varuna Dev.
Indra, the king of Gods, realizing the feat of the two Asuras, felt threatened by their intense austerities and decided to kill them both. He took the form of a crocodile, slipped into the waters, grabbed Karambha’s feet, pulled him under and killed him.
When Indra tried to kill Rambha, he was saved by Agni because of his intense devotion. Rambha realizing his brothers death increased the intensity of his austerities and was given several boons, most importantly the boon that he could not be killed by any human, God or Asura – demon.
Empowered with his boons, Rambha began a rampage of fear and destruction, killing all living beings to cross his path. One day, roaming the garden of Yaksha, he met the beautiful female-buffalo Mahishi – who was actually the princess Shyamala, cursed to be a buffalo – and fell in love. Rambha, in an expression of love, transformed himself into a male-buffalo and seduced Mahishi. But all too soon a real buffalo discovered Rambha and being without protection against animals, killed him.
Through their union, Mahishi became pregnant and at Rambha’s funeral rites, threw herself into the funeral pyre. Out of the flames sprang a mighty beast with the head of a buffalo and the body of a human. This was Mahishasura.

Mahishasura, having received Shiva’s boon, now considered himself invincible and started a reign of terror and conquest of the three lokas. Slaying and killing mercilessly, he and his army of demons soon conquered earth, and set their eyes upon Devaloka, the abode of the Devas. Mahishasura attacked the Gods, and in a feroscious battle seized Devaloka, driving out Indra and the Devas. He grabed the throne of Indra and declared himself to be the new ruler.
The Devas hurried to seek the aid of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who were not pleased to hear of Mahishasura’s deeds. The stories of Mahishasura’s violent conquest enraged the three to such a degree that a light of anger sprang out of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The display of anger from the three sent out a light, which illuminated the three worlds and combined to take the beautiful form of the Goddess Durga.
Mahishasura in his arrogance had not considered that a woman could be of any threat, but Shiva, having given Mahishasura his boon, knew that he was only protected against animals, men and Gods, and that a woman, a Devi, with the boons and powers of the three would be able to slay the demon and restore balance and prosperity to the worlds.

When Mahishasura saw Durga on the battlefield, he fell in love instantly, enthralled by her beauty, he proposed to marry her. Durga agreed, but on one condition, Mahishasura would have to defeat her in battle.
Then began a fierce battle between the two and their armies of Devas and Asuras, the fighting continued for nine days and nights with much gore and destruction. Finally on the tenth day, Durga had the upper hand and Mahishasura, desperately trying to avoid defeat, transformed into a wild buffalo. Durga pinned him to the ground with her left leg, Mahishasura shapeshifted back to his human form and leapt up. Durga pierced his chest with her trishul and swiftly beheaded Mahishasura with her sword, liberating both man and Gods of the terrible demon and restoring peace and balance to the worlds.

Thus Durga was given the name Mahishasura Mardini, the slayer of Mahishasura.


​By Baba Rampuri



Nayikas.

10/15/2012

 
Picture
 Radhe Radhe....

NAYIKAS: Love is a powerful emotion that inspired Vedic poets, Puranic writers down to the modern times. It is also expressed in fine arts such as natya, drawings, images and sculptures etc. When one sees a portrayal of Radharani and Krishn
a, their love-lore and dalliance come to the mind. Theme of love has been part of Puranic lore. Simultaneously, the concept ‘nayika’ is equally central to the expression of love.

The proximate South Indian term is ‘nayaki’ meaning heroine as opposed the male hero, the ‘nayaka.’ More than over, the female nayika is the romantic heroine portraying shringara rasa nayika. That is the dramatic and colourful mood of love. They have deep and penetrating gazes, one that seeks enquiry beyond their clothes, hairstyles and alankara. Indeed Shringara rasa nayika concept gave colourful three dimension images to written words. It went beyond the sensual words and arts to the purely spiritual. Nayika went on to become an important spiritual metaphor – all Nayikas are essentially Jivatmas, in pursuit of the male Nayaka, the Paramatma. This is picturisation of bhakti. Unless this spiritual concept is understood, one adds vulgarism to their distorted picture of Nayikas. A writing or a picture which severs the Jivatman-Paramatman connection renders the Nayika to be an object.

BHARATANATYAM: Bharatanatyam has a divine origin. Brahma was asked to create a Veda that would be understood by one and all, as Kali Yuga was nearing: "When the universe was overcome by desire, greed, jealousy and anger, when people became slaves of pleasure and pain, Brahma was moved to create a form of entertainment seen and heard and understood by everybody at the same time, as people could no longer understand the mystic and ambiguous scriptures".

Bharata natyam was created "not merely for pleasure, but to embody the cosmic relationships and expressions (bhava) for all the worlds. So this performing art follows the worlds' movements in all activities and states: work and leisure, calm and laughter, fight and wars. It will confer righteousness onto the righteous, a moral restraint for the unruly, and discipline for those who are guided by rule. It will teach wisdom both to the ignorant and the learned. It will provide entertainment for kings, and it will console the miserable ones. Natya will express all the moods and passions of the soul. It will incorporate all kinds of the deeds: the noble, the mediocre and the mean"

Thus Brahma created Natya Veda as the Panchama Veda or the fifth Veda. This is a quintessence of the main four Vedas. It combined Pathya or words of Rig Veda, Abhinaya or communicative elements of the body movements of Yajur Veda, geetham or music and chant of Samaveda, and rasam or vital sentiment and emotional element of Atharvaveda. The Natya Veda was then assigned over to Bharata Muni to handed over to the material world. Bharata instructed the Gandharvas and Asparas of Indra’s court to perform natya before Lord Shiva. The Lord asks Thandu Maharishi to develop. That became the Thandava taking after the name of Thadu rishi. Thandava then became Shiva’s Cosmic Dance. Lord Shiva then imparts this knowledge to Mother Parvathi as Lasya Natya. Parvathi taught it Usha, the daughter of Banasura. Usha then passed it on to the gopis of Dwarka. The gopis then taught the women of Sowrashtra. Thus Natya Shastra came to be the fundamental authority on the technique of classical Indian dances, especially the Bharanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam. The name Bharatanatyam is also attributed to Bharata Muni. In Bharatanaytam dance performance, various Nayika moods and bhava are expressed by graceful body movements.

ASHTAKA NAYIKA is the woman in love who shows the superior emotions by exhibiting the ups and downs bhava. ‘Ashta Nayika’ are the eight ‘nayikas’ exhibiting the eight emotions or ‘bhavas’ as described in ancient literature. Nayika-bheda are the Ashta Nayika classifications appearing in Natya Shahstra authored by Bharata of the 2nd century BC. These are elaborated in works such as Dasarupaka of the 10th century and Sahityadarpana of the 14th century. Kamashastra texts such as Anangaranga and Smaradipika gives it a poetic and erotic treatment.

The Nayikas are well depicted in Indian art and sculptures. They are brought to the public by the performing arts such as Bhartha Natyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. Theru Kuthu or street folk songs and dramas have a crude way of expressing the bhavas. These emotions are emotionally described Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda in the context of Radharani and Sri Krishna as lovers. Through his poetry He blended all the eight bhavas in his poetry to set the stage for Radha-Krishna divine romance and union.

Jayadeva as well as many writings present Radharani’s emotions as one of varying moods but intense love for the Lover. There are no mincing of words of Radha experiencing ecstasy of being in union with Him. At the same time she expresses the pain of separation in her own poetic way. Between one extreme and the other she expresses herself as all of the Nayikas. Radha is also a Shringara Nayika.

Abhisarika – The Nayika here means ‘one who moves’ meaning the heroine who sets aside her modesty and moves out of her house against convention to secretly meet her Lover. Radha is many times over depicted to leave her house to the tryst, taking all kinds of risks. She is hardly worried about wild creatures in the darkness of the forest. Clouds, rain, thunder and lightning do not mean anything to her. She is full of hope and full of devotion. Her mind is pointed to that one destination from where the melody of the flute emanates. She is always in her hurry to meet her Lover.

Vasaka sajja – Means ‘one dressed up for union’ and one that awaits the lover returning from a long journey. The Nayika here is depicted is as one waiting in the bed chamber filled with lotus and garlands or the grass banks of Yamuna. Radha is decorated and fully prepared to meet her lover as she is in eager expectation of His love’s pleasure. Kamadeva and Rati are in the air. Radha hears the flute playing and collects flowers and strings them into a garland. And she waits as the flute sound is nearing.

Vipralbdha – The Nayika here means ‘one deceived by her lover’ and one who waits long hours for the lover. In anger they dishevel their hair, even throwing away jewelry. The Lover has breached his promise and anger is expressed such. Here the lover has promised a tryst and breaks the promise. Radha is there at the appointed time and appointed place. All she gets to see is the passing river breeze. She experiences the pain of being made to wait.

Virahot kanthika – Means ‘one distressed by separation’ and thus distressed by it. She is pining and yearning for her beloved. The Lover may be having his own chores or obligations and fails to turn up. Radha waits for him; no matter what, the other gopis are unable to convince her to retire. She sits and stands by the bed. She is in and out of the pavilion. Or she is simply walking aimlessly around the kadamba tree. She sees if the birds bring her any message. Her ears are sharpened to hear a flute sounding in the air. In such waiting, Radha experiences immense pain.

Khandita – Tha Nayika here means ‘one enraged with the lover’ as he is late. She hurls harsh words at him and he turns away. The anger and frustration makes her do that. This is a Radha-Krishna lila. Radha has to show her lover that she is offended. He could be away on one of his love-jaunts and Radha is full of pride and resentment. She refuses to greet the Lover. So He deserved that rebuke for his shortcomings. Offended by this rudeness, the Lover leaves. This leaves Radha repenting her petulance. This is only a temporary show, for hardly seconds after she is locked in His arms eternally.

Kalah antarita – Means ‘one separated by a misunderstanding or quarrel’. So the lovers are separated for a while. Radha depicts herself to be disheartened. She is full of regret and remorse at having turned away her lover. Does he understand her body-language or the language of her tears? She becomes heartsick. She repents her actions and her words. But then again she puts up that little drama to refuse his compromising advances. She becomes shringara nayika.

Proshita patita – The Nayika here means ‘one with a sojourning lover’. Radha is often under painful situations where her Lover is gone away on some chore. He does not return on the day she expects. So she sits and waits for his return. She is in a kind of a mourning even though she knows her lover often plays the hide seek game. It is another of the Lovers’ lila.

Swadhina bhartika – Means ‘one having lover in subjection’. The Nayika is one who is loved by the Lover and she controls him. The lover is subjugated by her intense love and devotion. He is a slave to her pleasing qualities. The beloved returns and He knows Radha’s power over him, for he surrenders and asks for forgiveness in His own way. Helping her with solah shringar, mahendi on legs and hands are part of the Nayika. In a way it is implied commanding of love. Throughout Radha has been the commanding one. As his pleasure potency the Lover knows that too. It is part of their raas leela. After their divine but fierce coitus, all she needed was a sharp look and the Lover had to arrange her disarrayed makeup.

VRINDAVAN BHARATA NATIYAM: What had been the classification of Nayikas in natiyam had been the eight kinds of nayikas of Radha’s divine dance according to her state of mind and the Lover’s needs. At each instance her exposition of the nayika bheda expressed an attitude and psychological bent of mind. Often she was backed up by the Lovers musical instrument, the divine flute which complemented the dance steps. They had been the godly qualities expected from mortals; qualities of a normal mortal in extreme love or just Godly qualities.

FIERCE AND VIOLENT NAYIKAS: ‘Canda’ means ‘fiery, fierce and violent.’ This name is attached to Durga’s manifestation to portray a fierce or violent character. They are Athi-Canda; Camunda - a yogini of the Kalika Purana, a Navadurga and a Saptamatrika; Canda - a yogini of the Kalika Purana; Candanayika -a yogini of the Kalika Purana; Candavati -a yogini of the Kalika Purana; Candroga -a yogini of the Kalika Purana; Pracanda and Ugracanda or Ugra, a yogini of the Kalika Purana.

ILLICIT LOVE NAYIKAS: In ancient Indian society sexuality was not defined. Some minor deities, therefore, personified illicit love, if that could be defined spiritually. It could be a symbolical expression of what may or may not be done. The nayikas are Aruna, Balini, Jayini, Kameshvari, Kaulesi, Medini, Sarvesvari and Vimal.

KAMA SUTRA NAYIKAS: Another use of the term nayika refers to real-life women who, as the Kama Sutra states, may be approached and joined by men without such 'intercourse' being regarded as sin; hinting at the fact that they are so-called sacred or ritual prostitutes.

KAMA SUTRA: The Chapter on ‘Women, Types of Women to Marry, Avoid and be Friends’ with elaborates the type of nayikas. They are of three kinds: Maids, Women twice married and Public women. Gonikaputra adds a fourth kind – a woman who is resorted to on some special occasion even though she be previously married to another. ‘Special occasion’ is briefed as a self-willed women enjoyed by others and could be resorted without violation of dharma; she could be attended to without danger; one who loves ardently and knows all the weak points and be willing to be united without tarnishing reputation.

Charanya notes of the fifth kind of Nayika kept by a ‘minister’, one who repairs to him occasionally; she is also a widow who accomplishes the purpose of a man. Suvarnanabha notes of the sixth kind Nayika, a woman who passes the life of an ascetic and in a condition of a widow. Ghotamukha notes of a seventh Nayika kind, the daughter of a public women who is still a virgin. The eight kind of Nayika is noted by Gonardiya in a doctrine that any woman born of good family, and one who has come of age. Notwithstanding the author of Kamasutra, Vatsayana is of the opinion that are are 4 kinds of Nayikas: the maid, the twice married women, the public woman and the woman resorted for a special purpose.

The following despicable Nayikas are not to be enjoyed: a leper, lunatic, outcaste, one who reveals secrets, one who expresses sexual desire openly, one who is extremely white or black, a near relation, a female friend, an ascetic and wife of a relation.

Nyikas to be avoided are ‘friends’ who have played in the dust, ie childhood, one bound by an obligation, one of the same disposition, a fellow student, one acquainted with secrets and faults, child of a nurse, one who is brought up an hereditary friend. Qualities of a friend: telling the truth; those not changed by time; favourable to designs, firm, free from covetousness; not capable of being gained over, not revealing secrets.

9 Goddess's of the 9 Raginis... An interesting aspect of Navaratri...

10/15/2012

 
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|| Nine Goddess and the Nine Raginis ||

An Introduction to Bharateeya Shaastreeya Sangeeth... on the Auspicious occasion of Navaraatri, Mahaalaya Amaavaasya ...

With Pranaams at the feet of my Poojyaneeya Guruji, Late Pt Dattatreya Bhaaradwaaja Hareendra _/\_

on the Auspicious occasion of Mahaalaya Amaavaasya , 15th Oct 2012.

SANGEET( music) gaayanam evam Vaadanam( vocal & instrumental ) , is a creative activity spread across the 3 SAPTAKAS.

The SAPTAKA is the wide canvas across which the 7 SWARAS( notes) of SA, RE ,GA, MA, PA, DHA, NI, play to create melody.
The 3 SAPTAKAS are MANDRA ( lower octave) MADHYA( middle ) & TAARA( higher octave) ..of the 7 notes, the SWARAS of SA (SHADJA) & PA( PANCHAMA) are the ACHALA OR PRAKR.TI ( constant, unchanging, natural notes ) .the other 5 notes of RI( RISHABHA) , GA ( GAANDHAARA) ,MA( MADHYAMA), DHA( DAIVATA) & NI( NISHAADA) are the variable SWARAS which can take on 2 forms, the SHUDDHA & the KOMALA . Therefore, in the SAPTAKA, the play of the 7 SWARAS Is actually the PLAY OF 12 SWARAS, SA, PA & the 10 VARIANTS .

:: THE RAAGA/ RAAGINI : :

A RAAGA is like a human being with a personality of his own..just as each creation of God is beautiful in it's diversity, a RAAGA too has it's own personality, being different from the others..there are 2 KEY factors in shaping the RASA, BHAAVA & CHAARANA of each RAAGA/ RAAGINI, namely, the VAADI & SAMVAADI SWARAS .. The remaining SWARAS are the ANUVAADI SWARAS which complement these two ...The SWARAS NOT USED IN THE RAAGINI are VIVAADI SWARAS( limited/ unused) ..The musician lingers for a longer time on the VAADI/ SAMVAADI SWARAS .

:: POORVAANGA & UTTARAANGA PRADHAANA RAAGAS ::

If the VAADI Swara is in the earlier half of the Saptaka, it is POORVAANGA PRADHAANA ( SA, RI, GA, MA & PA ) and if the VAADI is in the latter half, it is UTTARAANGA PRADHAANA Raaga (MA ,PA ,DHA, NI & SA*) ... Normally. POORVAANGA PRADHAANA RAAGAS are EVENING RAAGAS & UTTARAANGA PRADHAANA RAAGAS are MORNING RAAGAS.

:: THAAT OR MELA ::

The Samooha of the 7 SWARAS is the THAAT OR MELA..this CANNOT be a RAAGA IN ITSELF, but has the ability to give birth to a RAAGA, it therefore has no AAROHANA/ AVAROHANA .

:: THE TAALA ::

Is a cycle of definite , numbered beats..these COUNTS are TAALA MAATRAS...THE LAYA ( RHYTHM) is the specified, constant interval of time between 2 MAATRAS..THE SAMA( beginning of the beat count) is THE MAATRA on which EMPHASIS is laid...THE TAULI( beat) on which there is no tap is KHAALI( counts in the air!!) The music plays within the framework of the TAALA, albeit subconsciously in a seasoned musician..

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We shall continue with one RAAGINI,for each of the NAVA RAATRIS , starting with KALYAANI (YAMAN) , SHIVARANJINI, BAAGESHRI (VAAGEESHWARI), SHREE, RAAGESHRI, HAMSADHWANI, SARASWATI, BHOOPAALI, DURGAA & conclude with BHAIRAVI ON VIJAYADASHAMI..
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PRANAAM..


- from the desk of Anuradha Udayshankar

Jai Jai Kali Ma  by Yogi Ananda Saraswathi...

10/14/2012

 
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GODDESS MA KALI: Ma Kali, the great Mother Goddess, is the Source, the One that gives birth to all. Known as the slayer of demons, she in fact destroys the army of mind-born delusions symbolised by demons that cause a separation between our true Self and the Divine. To our limited and contracted ego, she appears to strike terror while in reality, She is Supremely beautiful, beloved and of incomparable grace overwhelming with love. Kali is never understood by the intellect. She and the essence She symbolises are beyond the mind. She is felt in the heart. One may assemble her by letting the mind step aside and allow the heart and soul to ponder Her greatness.

Goddess Kali is also known as Kalika. She is the most well known and worshipped Goddess. Mother is considered to be the earliest manifestation of annihilation in the Hindu pantheon. This figure of annihilation has its opposing Divine Mother, the ‘redeemer of the universe’ role. She destroys only to recreate and it is sin, ignorance, ego and decay that she annihilates. It is Rudra-Shiva that destroys creation and Kali is the power or energy on which the Lord Acts. Thus she is Shiva-Shakti without which Shiva could not act. In their ‘kala’ they both assume dark formlessness. In their void they are yet full of potential.

WORSHIP: It is widely believed that Kali worship is pre-Aryan and that she is a Goddess of Dravidian origin belonging to the Indus Valley civilization. There has been no evidence that Aryans ever raised a female deity to the ranks held by Mother Kali. The Aryan Invasion Theory has caused much confusion. Kali has always been the female energy of Lord Shiva. Vedic recognition of Shiva-Shakti has not been in dispute. Each manifestation of Kali is being worshipped in a particular way. Animals sacrifices are made to her and this practice continues to this day, for example in Kalighat temple in Calcutta where a goat is immolated in her honor every day. This has its own philosophy and justification by devotees.

Of all the Dark Goddesses, Kali is the most realised. Blood offering, probably by the warrior group worshippers, was finding the greatest strength from the Protector. Kali represents a multi-faceted Goddess responsible for life from conception to death. Her worship therefore consists of fertility festivals. She is worshipped in her three manifestations: Triple Goddess of creation, protection and destruction; that of heaven, earth and the underworld and the three stages of life. Worshippers recognise that Kali first appears as their Divine mother, then as Shiva’s consort, then she appears as Kalika. Three kinds of priestesses tend her shrines: The Maidens – Yoginis and Shaktis; the Mothers – Matris and Dakinis.

GUNAS: The three gunas are represented by sacred colours; white for Virgin, Red for the Mother and Black for crone. These too represent the cycles of birth, life and death. Together and by being Black it means the formless condition she assumes between creations when all elements are dissolved in her primordial substance.

TANTRIC TRADITION: Kali is not always thought of as a Dark Goddess; rather, she is also referred to as a great and loving primordial Mother Goddess in the Hindu tantric tradition. In this aspect, as Mother Goddess, she is referred to as Kali Ma, meaning Kali Mother, and millions of Hindus revere her as such.

KUNDALINI: As Kundalini she is the Female Serpent. At the beginning of the universe, she starts to uncoil in "a spiral line movement, which is the movement of creation." This symbolically represents death and rebirth as movement into the disappearing-point of formlessness, and out of it again, to a new world of form.

Kundalini or Kali, said to be the essence of speech, lies dormant in the Muladhara Chakra of the subtle body. The Krishna Yajur Veda 2.1.4 states that Vitra is bound by Sixteen Coils, which represent the Sixteen Vowels of the Sanskrit Language, as the primal essence of speech or Vak. The Sixteen chakras also relates to the Throat-Chakra, from where Speech proceeds. These are also origins of the Sixteen Kalaratris or Dark Nights of Kali in Tantra, as representing the Sixteen Kalas or Vowels.

DASA MAHAVIDYA: She is the foremost among the Dasa Mahavidyas, the Ten Tantric goddesses. In Sri Vidya principles, the Goddesses are said to be manifestation of Mother Kali. The counterparts of the Ten Mahavidyas are the Tradition of the Seven Goddesses which are the seven Pranas and Chakras of the Vedas, also Rudras. But they are also Fire-Goddesses and forms of Agni’s wife, Svaha. Agni himself is Vedic Rudra or Shiva, hence the Seven Goddess Tradition is also Vedic as the seven Maidens that are the forms of Agni, his Mother in Rig Veda and wife and mother of Rudra. Manduka Upanishad 1.2.4: “Kali (black), Karali-terrific, Manogava-swift as thought, Suloha-very red, Sudhumravarna-purple, Sphulingini-sparkling and the brilliant Visvarupi-having all forms, all these playing about are called the seven tongues of fire.” The entire teaching of the Mahavidyas is merely a feminine form of Vedic worship of Rudra and the Maruts of the Rudras. The Rudras like Mahavidyas are born from Maharudra or Rudra, like Durga. Kali or Svaha is also the chief of the Devi Cult and hence chief of Vedic Atharvanism.

KALA: The root word of this name is ‘kala’ meaning time. It also means ‘black and dark colored’. It also refers to the Lord of Death, Siva who is ‘eternal time’. Thus his consort, Kali, is also ‘Time’ or death. Kali is the feminine form of kala. It describes that she is time itself or beyond time. In the ‘Shabdakalpadrum’ dictionary is this phrase: ‘kalah sivah tasya patniti kali’ meaning “Shiva is Kala (time) and thus his wife is Kali". As Kalaratri she is ‘black night’ or Kalika ‘relating to time’. Thus she is the power of time which devours all. She has a power that destroys and should be depicted in awe-inspiring terror.

Generally she is the central deity of Time. She created the world and destroys it. She is beyond time and space. After the destruction of the Universe, at the end of the great cycle, she collects the seeds of the next creation. She destroys the finite to reveal the Infinite. This Black Goddess is death, but to the wise she is also the death of death. This can only be revealed through the worship of Kali, and meditation on her mysteries.

VEDAS, UPANISHADS AND PURANA:

RIG VEDA: Rig Veda 57.2 discusses a Goddess later associated with the Goddess Kali, commonly portrayed as the goddess Shakti, in her most supreme form. Although dark, she destroys spiritual darkness, known as “tamas”, which she merges into her own dark formlessness. Kali meaning black or time is also called Ratri -Night, which also refers to her name Prishni - spotted; meaning spotted with stars, which later become her garland of white skulls on her black body.The moon is the symbol of ego and the severed head Kali holds. On this, the following verse from the Rig Veda 10.127.2 states “The immortal Goddess, she fills the vast, high and low places: She destroys tamas (spiritual darkness) with her Light.

RIG VEDA 7.72.12: Kali is the deity who slices the Ego and takes us into Immortal life or Moksha as in the Mahamritunjaya Mantra to Rudra. This mantra appears in RV 7.72.12 long before its apperance in Krishna Yajurveda (also known as Taittriya Samhita)

AITAREYA ARANYAKA 4.6.14: In the Vedas, the Goddess or Divine Mother was lauded as Speech. Speech is the Mother in Hinduism. This refers to Tara and also to Kali’s origin, as Speech and Tongue, respectively as a Goddess as in Mundakopanishad.

ATHARVA VEDA 10.19.53-54: All things in the Universe exist in frames of Time (Kala). The Universe as Time is the Mother of all. It is the Infinite One or Primal-Being (Aditi). Kali means 'The Cause of Time', and as such, is the Transcendent Time itself (Parakala).

In this regard, we note of the Kala Suktas of Atharvaveda (10.19.53-54). It states:-'From Time (Kala) the waters arose, from Time Brahma, the Heat (Tapas), the Regions. Through Time the Sun arises, in Time, he goes down again.

ATHARVA VEDA: 10.19 54: Through time does the wind blow, through Time the great Earth; the sky is within Time. In Time, the son gave birth to that which was, and shall be.'

MUNDAKA UPANISHAD 2.4: Kali is mentioned as one of the seven tongues of Agni, the Rigvedic God of Fire. Agni had seven flickering tongues of flame of which Kali was the black horrible tongue. The Seven tongues Mundaka speaks of, starting with Kali, are the Opened or Awakened Seven Chakras, or the Seven Speech-forms, Seven Tongues inside Agni who is Vaishvanara or Purush, the Cosmic or Subtle Body of Man. Kali is hence the essence of the Vedas, the essence of awakening and the Adi or Primal Speech, from where all other forms originate from. As the tongue, she is the speech or Sanskrit and physical language we speak, and hence describing as coiled up in Muladhara as Kundalini, and representing awakening through Vedic mantra.

BRIHAD JABALA UPANISHAD 1.2.5: Kali as Time and Space, is hence the ‘eater’ of all things in the relative Universe, since all of creation is swallowed back up into her own dark formlessness, at the end of physical time. All things come from spece, and all things, senses, are lost into space. This connects Kali to Aditi. ‘Ad’ also means ‘to eat/consume’.

TAITRIYOPANISHAD 1.3.3: Kali is Tamas or Darkness. Yet, Darkness is the Supreme Form, wherein all desires have been destroyed. It is where all Attributes (Gunas) are Nir or None. It is hence Nirguna. It is this state, which represents the state of Para – transcendence that Jnanis or Yogis strive to attain. Even the Vedas proclaim that the Mother was First before the father.

MAHABARATHA 10.8.64: The Sauptika Parvan mentions Kali in her present form. In the Pandava soldiers’ dream she appears as Kalaratri, meaning ‘black night’. She also appears amidst the fighting during an attack by Drona’s son Ashwattama.

DEVI MAHATMYAM: She is one of the Shaktis of Mahadevi. She defeats the demon Raktabija meaning bloodshed.

KALIKA PURANA: Venerates Kali as the ultimate reality or Brahman. Kali is often regarded as the Shiva-Shakti or the Shakti of Shiva and always associated with him in the Puranas. The Kalika Purana depicts her as the "Adi Shakti" meaning ‘Fundamental Power’ and "Para Prakriti" or beyond nature. In this Purana, Bhairavi and Kali are interchangeably used.

MATSYA PURANA: Mentions that Goddess Kali began as a tribal Goddess of Mount Kalanjara in the present north-central India and east of the Indus Valley. This Purana comes very much later than the Upanishads.

COMPLEXION: Kali is the color of the darkest night, a deep bluish black. As the limitless Void, Kali has swallowed up everything without a trace, hence she is black. In the ‘Kalika Purana’ she is depicted as possessing a soothing dark complexion, as perfectly beautiful, riding a lion, four-armed, holding a sword and blue lotuses, her hair unrestrained, body firm and youthful.

Black colour is also symbolic of The Infinite and the seed stage of all colors. The Goddess Kali remains in a state of inconceivable darkness that transcends words and mind. Within her blackness is the dazzling brilliance of illumination. Kali's blackness symbolizes her all-embracing, comprehensive nature, because black is the color in which all the colors merge; black absorbs and dissolves them. The Mahanirvana Tantra states - "Just as all colours disappear in black, so all names and forms disappear in her"

Of her complexion, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1836-86) states:
"Is Kali, my Divine Mother, of a black complexion?
She appears black because She is viewed from a distance
But when intimately known She is no longer so
The sky appears blue at a distance, but look at it close by
And you will find that it has no colour
The water of the ocean looks blue at a distance
But when you go near and take it on your hand, you find that it is colourless".

EYES: Kali has three eyes; the third one stands for wisdom. Her eyes are described as red with intoxication, and in absolute rage. As Shiva’s consort, Triyambaka, Kali is also known as Triyambake. Her milder form, Durga is known as Trinetra.

HAIR: Kali's luxuriant hair is disheveled and, thereby, symbolizes Kali's boundless freedom. Another interpretation says that each hair is a jiva (individual soul), and all souls have their roots in Kali.

TONGUE: Her tongue is blood red. A more philosophical interpretation of Kali's tongue is that it symbolizes Rajas (the color red, activity) and that it is held by her teeth, symbolizing sattva (the color white, spirituality). The meaning: tamas can be conquered by rajas, and rajas by sattva. It is also said to be a gesture of coyness-because she unwittingly stepped on the body of her husband Shiva.

ARMS: Kali's most common four armed depictions shows each hand carrying variously a sword, a trishul or trident, a severed, a severed head and a kapala or skull-cup catching the blood of the severed head. In the ten-armed form of Mahakali she is depicted as shining like a blue stone. She has ten faces and ten feet and three eyes. She has ornaments decked on all her limbs. There is no association with Shiva.

HANDS: Right hands - These are in the abhaya or fearlessness and vaada mudras form. These show her blessings and guidance of her devotees here and the hereafter. The Left hands - holding a sword and a severed head. The Sword signifies Divine Knowledge and the Human Head, demon Raktabija’s signifies human Ego which must be slain by Divine Knowledge in order to attain Moksha. It is also symbolic of receiving jnana from Mother Kali; one has ti surrender the mind and buddhi at her feet. Looking at Kali's right, we see good and the positive aspects, and looking at her left, we see bad or the negative aspects that she suppresses. The drooping arms worn around her waist represent the capacity for work, and Kali wears all work, potential work or action, and the results thereof around her waist.

FOOT: Two paths are available in Tantric philosophy. With her right foot forward to symbolize the more popular Dakshinamarga or right-handed path, which means the individual practices meditations designed to unite Shiva and Shakti forces within his own body and without recourse to a partner. The second path is "Vama Marga" or the "left-hand" way, and it is this way that is sometimes termed "sacred sex" or sexual Tantra. The couple, with their "coupling" worship each other as incarnations, or murtis (forms), of Shiva and Shakti, and the Shakti is the dominant psychic energy that, with worship, can lift them beyond mundane connecting to an ultra-dimensional realm of ego-loss.

SERPENTS: She is also accompanied by serpents and a jackal while standing on the prostrate body of Shiva, is a a shocking appearance. Here she has absorbed the inexorability of Rudra and Shiva as Bhairava. Yet there is both life and death in this form of the Divine Mother. It is also symbolic of Her stepping on and suppression of ego.

NUDITY: She is ‘digambri’ or clad in space. Kali is portrayed as naked except for a girdle of human arms cut off at the elbow and a garland of skulls. Her nudity symbolizes purity as she has nothing to hide. Her breasts are symbolic of her maternal manifestation, are partly covered by her dishevelled hair and the garland. She is the nourisher of all beings and need not hide her motherhood. Kali's nudity shows that She is garbed in space or sky clad. Kali is the Absolute Supreme Truth and her nudity is the bright fire of truth, which cannot be hidden by the clothes of ignorance. Such truth simply burns them away.

MAYA: She is Nature (Prakriti in Sanskrit), stripped of 'clothes'. It symbolizes that she is completely beyond name and form, completely beyond the effects of maya (illusion). But in her absolute, primordial nakedness she is free from all covering of illusion or maya. She is pure nirguna being-consciousness-bliss and far above Prakriti also. Therefore her nudity is said to represent totally illumined consciousness, unaffected by maya. As Adi-Shakti she has no permanent qualities of form and she is the pure unmanifested energy – Brahman in its supreme unmanifest state. In Shakta Tantric beliefs, she is worshiped as the ultimate reality of Brahman. Shaktas consider her as the redeemer of the Universe – Bhavatarini and also as Mother Goddess. In her transcending black colour she is Nirguna Brahman.

GARLAND: Ma Kali wears a garland of skulls and a skirt of dismembered arms because the ego arises out of identification with the body. In truth we are beings of spirit and not flesh. So liberation can only proceed when our attachment to the body ends. Thus the garland and skirt are trophies worn by Her to symbolize having liberated Her children from attachment to the limited body.

This imagery is also derived from Vedic concepts – the white skulls that garland her dark appearance are the Vedic Nakshatras or the Tantric like Maruts that shine against the Night Sky, her body. The Maruts are all also letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, as the white skulls also represent in the later Devi images. Again, Kali here is representing the Vedic language and mantra.

By having the severed heads of Brahma, Prajapati or Brahmanaspati, Lord of the Vedas and Vedic mantra, she shows the relation of vedic mantras and the extracted essence of the Vedas being Vidya, wisdom of Brahma’s head, leaving the rest of his body behind. This is an important vedic imagery to understanding Kali as Sanskrit Shakti also.

Kali represents the Jivatma-Soul within our hearts as this Formlessness. She is the Jatavedas – Knower of all births, as represented by her garland of heads representing Samsara and pevious Jatas or births. She wears a girdle of severed human arms or limbs, signifying previous karmas. Yet in her dark appearance as Space, Ether or liberated Jiva, shows that she remains unattached to these, since Formlessness cannot attach itself to her; hence, she is the liberated Jiva or Yogi, who wonders unattached to all, making his karmas and births disappear into his own dark formlessness of transcendent nothingness.

MOTHER PRINCIPLE: Ma Kali is a full-fledged symbol of Mother Nature in her creative, nurturing and devouring aspects. Her destructive aspects are that of the ‘I’ and ego. She represents the most powerful form of the female forces in the Universe. One is not to see her seemingly physical form for she is considered the kindest and most loving of all Goddesses. Indeed she is regarded as the Mother of the whole Universe. “Who do you run to when you are in trouble?” asked Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, “My Mother is the principle of consciousness. She is Akhanda Satchidananda; indivisible Reality, Awareness, and Bliss. The night sky between the stars is perfectly black. The waters of the ocean depths are the same; The infinite is always mysteriously dark. This inebriating darkness is my beloved Kali”

AGHORI WORSHIP: Aghoris worship Shiva or Mahakala - the destroyer, or its female manifestation: Shakti or Kali, the goddess of death. Kali is worshipped as Smashana Kali or Bhadrakali. Both Smashana Kali and Bhadrakali are on the ferocious ends, more than one can suppose. Kala Bhairavi is another manifestation and consort of Kala Bhairavar. Andamantine Kali is Mahakali from the cremation grounds. However, aghoris recognize that each deity is just one manifestation of God. It is Rudra and Kali’s requirements that is met by aghoris.

Jai Ma Kali.
Yogi Ananda Saraswathi

Para Shakti

10/11/2012

 
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MOTHER ADI PARASHAKTI.

Mother's name implies Eternal Limitless Power, the Power Beyond the Universe. Mother is the power of Para Brahman. All other deities are forms, extensions and manifestations of Her. She is the active energy to create and destroy. As such Devi Bhagawata Mahapurana describes Her as Param Prakriti. Adi Parashakti is often mistaken for Shakti. Mother Adi Parashakti is spirit without form. Shakti refers to power or material energy of the Trimurtis or other deities. She is present in everything we see. She is represented in plants, the animals, the birds, the sea, the sky and the holy river. Thus Mother is Sakthi Power who drives this world. It is gainsaid that She is the mother of the mankind. Parashakti is made to appear as saguna form for the purposes of expression and visibility to her children. It is the same with art and sculptures.

For instance, Goddess Parvathi is a saguna manifestation Mother Adi Parashakti possessing gunas. To assign the role in the Universe, in Devi Bhagavatam, Mother tells the Trimurthis: ‘I am Adi Parashakti, goddess Bhuvaneshvari. I am the owner of this universe. I am the Absolute Reality. I am dynamic in feminine form and static in masculine form. You are three parts of me. You all are my partial expansions. You have appeared to govern the universe under my jurisdiction. You are the masculine form of Absolute Reality, while I am the feminine form of that Reality. I am beyond form, beyond everything, and all the powers of God are contained within me. You will admit that I am the Eternally Limitless Power.’

Thereafter Parashakti assigns each Deity their respective roles. Thus Mother rules the three lokhas and performs the material tasks of the Trimurthis. In Devi Bhagavata Purana 4.44-50: Bhagavan Narayana tells Brahma the warning tale ...You are the Creator, I am the Preserver and Rudra is the Destroyer; yet it is to be known that the saints, versed in the Vedas, have come to this conclusion by inference from the Vedas that creation, preservation and destruction are performed by creative force, preservative force and destructive force. The Rajasik creative force residing in you, the Sattvik preservative force residing in me, and the Tamasik destructive force residing in Rudra are the all-in-all. When the Shaktis become absent, you become inert and incapable to create, I to preserve and Rudra to destroy....”

DEPICTION: Adi Parashakti's appearance is described variously in the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Lalita Sahasranama and Kalika Purana. She is said to be the goddess sitting on a jeweled seat in a chariot drawn by seven lions. Her face contained the radiance of millions of stars and her celestial beauty was so great that even the Trimurti were not able to look at her directly. Then then concede that She is the creator, preserver, and destroyer of the whole universe. She is said to reside in Akshara Dhaam, the Imperishable Abode. Mother is also depicted in the Auspicious and Inauspicious nature.

BHAGAVATA PURANA: The Supreme Cosmic Form of Adi Parashakti is described in Devi Bhagavata Purana 7.33.1-21 to be: “The Satyaloka is situated on the topmost of Her head; The Sun and Moon are her eyes; The quarters of the sky are Her ears; The Vedas are Her words; The Universe is Her heart; The Earth is Her loins; The space between earth and sky is Her navel; The constellations are Her Thighs; The Maharaloka is Her neck; The Janarloka is Her face; Indra and the Devas of the Svarloka are her arms; Sound is the organ of Her ears; Fire is within her Face; Day and Night are Her wings; The mountains are Her bones; The rivers are Her veins, And the trees are the hairs of Her body. Childhood, youth, and old age are Her finest modes; The two twilights are Her raiment; And the Moon is the mind of the Mother of the Universe.”

AUSPICIOUS NATURE: Manifesting as Lakshmi, Sati-Parvati and Prthivi, She plays the positive roles of protection, fertility and establishment of dharmic order, cultural creativity, wifely duty and material abundance. These are seen as three aspects of Adi Parasakthi.

(1) Wisdom, Learning and Liberation: based on three aspects: The Mahabaratha states Mother to be liberator and mother of the Vedas. She is also the destroyer of ignorance. Lalita Sahasranama describes as Mahabuddhi – great intelligence; Vijnanabhanarupini – Mass of Knowledge form; Prajnatnika – Wisdom itself and Pasupasavimocini – Releases from bondage.

(2) Embodiment of Female Beauty: The Saundaryalahari describes her to be divine beauty; In Lalitha-Sahasranama she is stated to be Ramya-beautiful one; Kanta – loveliness; Vamanayana – Beautiful eyes and Ratirupa – the form of Rati.

(3) Food and Nourisher: Mother is associated with Prithvi- Earth. Lalitha Sahasranama describes Mother as Annanda – Giver of food; Pusti – gives nourishment; Satakasi – hundred eyes; Sakambari – bestows vegetables; Annapurna – abundant food and Jagaddhatri – supports the world.

INAUSPICIOUS NATURE: Mother Adi Parashakti, through her manifestations depicts terrible and ferocious appearance. Her shaktis, Durga, Kali and Bhairavi are associated with war, blood, destruction and death. They enter into fierce battles against demonic characters. They assert the spiritual power of Para Brahman or Lord Shiva by their material energy. They maintain peace and order. Anger is reduced to calmness and lead aspirants to higher spiritual levels.

SHAKTI MANIFESTATIONS: The sect of Hinduism that devotes to the goddess is known as Shaktism, and a member of this sect is called a Shakta. Shakti is divine, or sacred feminine power of Hindu Shaivite and Vaishanavite Goddesses. As consorts they compliment Virya, the power of male Gods in their life force, creative and procreative power. Virya is authority or energy that tames, directs, constructs, and gives purpose to the Shakti power and energy. However in Shaktam, goddesses play an independent role outside the male domain. They hold that Shakti is taken to be an abstract and all-pervasive power. For instance, Durga and Kali and not depicted with Shiva. Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Parvathi also stand independent in various roles. Indeed they are equal partners in the divine power-play. One without the other is redundant divinity. Therefore it is Shakti and Shakti alone that is the ultimate feminine power behind all creations. This is the concept of Adi Parashakti.

Shakta theology sees the threefold power and nature ie creation, preservation and destruction, as a positive, creatively potent illusory power, rather than a crafty, deceptive power. Prakrti is nature, or the material manifestation of Maya and Shakti. Maya is illusion, the illusory power of the goddess. Prakrti is both the body of the goddess, and all other material forms, as these are part of her body. Mother also has a lila function or divine play. Its purpose is to bring pleasure which again is part of maya. Thus Adi Parashakti is Shakti, creating all the material forms as Prakriti or Nature which is the goddess herself with Maya, the illusion that these forms have an existence apart from her; for the purpose of her own divine pleasure which is lila. For this Mother takes four main manifestations.

1. SATI-PARVATHI: The original manifested form of Adi Parashakti is Gauri, the virgin Parvathi and Durga. She is declared to be the greatest Goddess by the Devi Bhagavatam. They are beyond reach even to Lord Shiva, Brahma or Vishnu. Thus she is considered to be the Supreme Goddess, the parallel being Lord Krishna of the Vaishnavites. Her mild form is represented by Lakshmi and Saraswathi; the wrathful form by Kali and Chandi. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are her masculine forms. Mother’s colour is white and she is the embodiment of purity, love and bliss.

2. MAHASARASWATI: She is the first expansion of Adi Parashakti and the shakti of Brahma. She represents Sattva guna. Mother is the goddess of wisdom, creation, and learning. She is the source of all of the arts. She removes darkness; hence she slew Sumbha and Nisumbha who symbolized ignorance and ego. Mahasaraswati was created from the body of Mother Parvati. Industry, spirituality and devotion is attributed to her. Her colour is yellow. When she is formless, she becomes the Pranava Om.

3. MAHALAKSHMI: Mother is the second expansion of Adi Parashakti. She represents Raja guna. As goddess of wealth, she preserved the material world b bringing fortune and spiritual satisfaction. She is the Shakti of Lord Vishnu. Mother is born from Goddess Parvathi’s mind and advents as Katyayani. When mother is formless, she becomes Light.

4. MAHAKALI: Mother is the third expansion of Adi Parashakti. She represents Tamas guna. She is the shakti of Shiva. In her ferocious demeanor, Mother presides over destruction of the universe, thus paving the way for new creations. Mahakali is the goddess of spiritual fulfillment. She is born from Parvathi’s eyes. The demons, Madhu and Kaitabha represent ego and evil. Mother slew them symbolically to compliment Vishnu’s preservation powers. Her colour is dark blue or black. When mother is formless, she becomes Heat.

SHAKTI PEETHS: Mother Goddess Adi ParaShakti or Adi Maya Shakti manifests as various forms of Goddess devi. Brahma, Vishnu and Siva reacted to her splendor and celebrated Her. While male-god temples made room for Mother Goddess, the reverse was always not true. Mother worship was redefined and in her sacred seats, especially in the Shakti Peeths. Mother Goddess stood independently with the exception of their companions or attendants ‘moved to the courtyard’.

Some 108 temples are said to be exclusive to Mother Goddess. Of these 51 are attributed to Shakti’s manifestation from Sati’s severed body. Out of these 18 are very prominent Peeths. These Shakti temples are spiritually energetic places of worship; something that the male god temples did not really enjoy. They were personification of Goddess Adi Parasakthi’s various iconic forms, Her bounty, wisdom and mystery. It would appear that the great acharya Adi Shankara, while strongly propounding advaita vedanta, consecrated several Shakti temples and sang beautiful Shakti hymns.

SAPTH MATRIKAS: The classic text of the Devi Mahatmya, tells a story of Saptha Matrika’s Shakti Energy. Each shakthi possessed the form, ornament, and mount of the particular god. These are the goddesses who serve Adhi parasakthi and carry out her functions. The Saptha Matrikas are: 1. Brahmani, 2.Vaishnavi, 3.Indrani, 4.Chamunda, 5.Maheswari, 6.Kumari and 7. Varahi. They represent eight mental qualities which are morally wanting: Yogeswari – kama or desire; Maheswari – krodh or anger; Vaishnavi – lobha or coveatness; Brahmani – mada or pride; Kaumari – Moha or illusion; Indrani – Matsarya or fault finding; Yami or Chamunda – tale bearing and Varahi – asuya or envy.

DASA MAHA VIDYAS: The Ten Mahavidyas are known as Wisdom Goddesses. Dasa means Ten. ‘Maha’ means great. Vidya means 'revelation, manifestation, knowledge, or wisdom’. It is a total representation of Goddesses of Great Knowledge. Thus Dasa Mahavidyas means the Great Wisdoms of the ten aspects of the Divine Mother or Devi in Hinduism. The ten manifestations are also believed to be that of the Divine Mother Kali in ten different facets or cosmic personalities. These personifications are Tantric in nature and also what is hidden, secret, subtle and sensitive, what has to be searched out and discovered.

The Maha Vidyas represent knowledge, teaching and comprehension. Thus they are inner guiding power through ten wisdom forms which teach intellectually. This is a challenge to look deeper. Their forms may be disturbing and difficult to bear. Indeed they are not meant to be merely present but to jolt one from ignorance or to awaken the coiled serpent called kundalini. They inspire and promote the deepest spiritual inquiries in their ambiguous, contradictory, even paradoxical forms. The Dasa Mahavidyas are provocative Shakti energy of Mother Adi Parashakti.

TEN MAHA VIDYAS: 1. Kali - the Eternal Night; the ultimate form of Brahman; Devourer of Time; the Supreme Deity of Kalikula systems; 2. Tara the Compassionate Goddess; the Goddess as Guide and Protector; 3. Lalita Tripurasundari, Shodashi the Goddess who is Sixteen Years Old, referred as the"Beautiful in the Three Worlds" 4. Bhuvaneshvari the Creator of the World
5. Chinnamasta, the Goddess who cuts off her Own Head 6. Bhairavi, the Goddess of Decay; The Fierce Goddess 7.Dhumawati the Goddess who widows Herself 8. Bagalamukhi the Goddess who seizes the Tongue,Paralyzes Enemies 9.Matangi the Goddess who Loves Pollution; The Outcaste Goddess 10. Kamala the Last but Not the Least; The Lotus Goddess; the "Tantric Lakshmi"

GROUP DIVERSIONS: Apart from the major forms of Parvathi, Mahasaraswathi, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali, Adi Para Shakti also takes several manifestations and diverts into groups. Some of Her manifestations are Saranya – wife of Sun God; Rohini – favourite of the Moon God; Svaha – Consort of the Fire God; Sachi – the Divine Queen; Manasa – the Serpent Goddess; Jivantika – the Divine Midwife; Vedavati – the Hermit Woman; Sita – the Devoted Wife; Rukumani – Krishna’s Queen; Radha – the Beloved of Krishna; Revati – Balarama’s Wife; Yamuna – the River Goddess; and Ganga – the River of Heaven.

VILLAGE GODDESS: Adi Parashakti is all mercifull to cater all levels of bhaktas. She also becomes a village Goddess, the Grama Devi who is affectionately called Ma, Mata, Ambe, Ayi, Amma or Amman. Being a popular and soothing saguna form, rural population had their local manifestation of Shakti. Notable ones are Bahuchara of Gujarat, Ammavaru, Kanyakumari of TamilNadu, Vaishnavi of Jammu, Meenakshi of Madurai, Mariamman of Karnataka, Pattini of TamilNadu, Hidimbi of Himachal Pradesh, Renuka-Yellamma of Belgaum, Ganamma of Andhra Pradesh, Bhagavati of Kerala and Kumari of Nepal. Sometimes they were village or locality name origins. Thus we have Kali of Calcutta, Mumba of Mumbai, Chandika of Chandigarh, Bhavani of Bhavnagar and Syamala of Simla.

Om Shakti, Om Para Shakti,Om Maya Shakti
(draft Gods and Goddesses)

Yogi Ananda Saraswathi

Tara Maa @ Tara Pith

10/9/2012

 
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Tara
In Hinduism, the goddess Tara (Bengali:দেবী তারা মা )(Sanskrit: Tārā, Devanagari: तारा) meaning "star" is the second of the Dasa (ten) Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom [goddesses]", Tantric manifestations of Mahadevi, Kali, or Parvati. As the star is seen as a beautiful but perpetually self-combusting thing, so Tara is perceived at core as the absolute, unquenchable hunger that propels all life.

Origin

The oral tradition gives an origin to the goddess Tara. The legend begins with the churning of the ocean between the Devas and Asuras. Lord Shiva drank the poison (Halahala) that was created from the churning of the ocean (in the process turning his throat blue and earning him the epithet Nilakantha), thus saving the world from destruction, but fell unconscious under its powerful effect. Tara Ma appeared and took Shiva on her lap. She suckled him, the milk from her breasts counteracting the poison, and he recovered. This story is reminiscent of the one in which Shiva stops the rampaging Kali by becoming an infant. Seeing the child, Kali's maternal instinct comes to the fore, and she becomes quiet and nurses the infant Shiva. In both cases, Shiva assumes the position of an infant vis-à-vis the Goddess.

Iconography

The similarities in appearances between Kali and Tara are striking and unmistakable. They both are described as standing upon a supine Shiva in inert or corpse like form. However, while Kali is described as black, Tara is described as blue. Both wear minimal clothing, however Tara wears a tiger skin skirt, while Kali wears only a girdle of severed human arms. Both wear a necklace of severed human heads and the previously mentioned girdle of arms. Both have a lolling tongue, and blood oozes from their mouths. Their appearances are so strikingly similar that it is easy to mistake one for the other. Indeed, they are often said to be manifestations of each other; for example, in their thousand-name hymns they share many epithets as well as having each others names. Tara, for example, is called Kalika, Ugra-kali, Mahakali, and Bhadra-kali. Tara is said to be more approachable to the devotee (Bhakta) or Tantrika because of her maternal instincts; however a large population of Bengali Hindus approach Kali herself as "Ma" or "mother".

Tara
Like Kali, furthermore, Tara in her Hindu context enjoys blood. In her hymn of a hundred names from the Mundamala-tantra, she is called "She Who Likes Blood", "She Who Is Smeared with Blood" and "She Who Enjoys Blood Sacrifice". The Tara-tantra describes Tara's delight in both animal and human blood but says that the latter is more pleasing to her. The blood of devotees is to be taken from specified parts of the body, such as the forehead, hands, breasts, head, or area between the eyebrows; some of these areas may correspond to the different chakras, spiritual centers within the body.
Tara can be distinguished visually from Kali primarily via her implements. Four armed, she carries a sacrificial sword, a severed head or skull cup, a lotus and scissors. Kali never holds a lotus or a pair of scissors.

Tarapith temple

Main article: Tarapith
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The murti at the Tara Ma mandir in the village of Tarapith, a highly important Tantric site for Bengali Shaktas (and highly contested as to whether or not it is truly a Shakti Pitha; scholarly evidence points towards no), is mostly covered by Garlands of flowers. There are two Tara images in the sanctum. The stone image of Tara depicted as a mother suckling Shiva – the "primordial image" (seen in the inset of the fierce form of the image of Tara) is camouflaged by a three feet metal image, that the devotee normally sees. It represents Tara in her fiery form with four arms, wearing a garland of skulls and a protruding tongue. Crowned with a silver crown and with flowing hair, the outer image wrapped in a sari and decked in marigold garlands with a silver umbrella over its head. The forehead of the metal image is adorned with red Sindur (vermilion). Most devotees will not have a chance to see the actual stone image, as there are only 15 or so minutes of Darshan or viewing of the stone at 4:30AM when the temple opens and only the first lucky few will be admitted into the sanctum sanctorum to see the stone.

Unlike most Indian villages and towns, the smashan or cremation ground is not situated on the periphery of the village. As cremation grounds are seen to be polluting, most Indian smashans are located far from the center of town. Both the Tarapith mandir and smashan are very close (within 100 yards or so) to the center of the town. It is said that Tara Ma's footprints are preserved in the smashan; this is a common theme in Hinduism, where deities or their especially holy followers are said to leave their footprints in rocks. Many Sadhus and Tantrikas live in the smashan, some with permanent huts as residences. The smashan is filled with dogs, traditionally polluting animals who were said to share food with the Vamamarga saint Bamakhepa, whose samādhi or tomb is located next door to the main Tarapith temple.

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Journey back to Tarapith... Where Babukishan started him Sadhana with his Grandfather...... Avadhuta Baul Saint Nabani Das Khyeppa Baul in the early 1960's.... they remember Babukishan and were very happy to see him after so many years.. they remember....

Savitri Maa

10/9/2012

 
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GODDESS SAVITRI

is said to have cursed the Trinity; was that a blessing? Mother Savitri is a manifestation of Goddess Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning and arts. As Savitri, She is the consort of Hindu God Brahma. Mother is the godde...ss of wisdom, intellectual knowledge, fine arts and creativity, embodies the very wisdom of Devi. She is believed to inspire speech and the written word. She is the ever-flowing river of consciousness that is the Shakti of Creation. She is also Savitri the goddess of dawn who dispels the darkness of ignorance and lights the diya or lamp of Eternal Knowledge. In her absence, chaos and confusion prevail. To realize her, is to know the unchanging eternal serenity of the Spirit. Goddesses Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati are three goddesses representing the presiding deities of the famous Gayatri mantra chanted thrice a day.

MATSYA PURANA:

A verse in this Purana gives authority for the belief that only Goddess Saraswathi is intended, though she is called by several names: ‘Brahma next formed from his immaculate substance a female, who is celebrated under the names of Satarupa, Savitri, Sarasvati, Gayatri and Brahmani.’

VARAHA PURANA:

Mother Saraswathi is addressed as Gayatri, Saraswati, Mahesvari (one of the names of Mother Parvati) and also Savitri. Mother is regularly worshipped once a year as the Goddess of Learning.

DEPICTION:

Savitri is the presiding deity of science. Savitri and Gayatri are Primordial Energy of Brahma. They are his Brahmi Shakti or Divine Energy. The vehicle of Gayatri is a swan. Swan is symbolic of sattwa guna and purity. Its feathers do not get wet representing detachment. Its eating qualities are symbolic of viveka meaning prudence and discrimination.

Rosary connotes meditation and books means self introspection via scriptural studies etc. This then is the image of maternal power. It is the presiding deity of human glory thus it has one face. The vehicle of Savitri is a lotus. Lotus means joy and enlightenment.

Savitri has five faces; three of the five heads of Savitri are Shiva, Vishnu and Brahman, the masculine Trimurti. The 10 arms of Savitri mean 10 senses of the body. It is through the power of the senses that the body functions. Her five heads also symbolize the five elements, and also the five koshas or sheaths which cover our inner nature or Atman. Her ten arms hold the ten weapons of Vishnu, signifying the ten incarnations. She is seen as the mother and culmination of Sri Lakshmi, Sri Parvati and Sri Saraswati. She is the supreme power or Adi Shakti of God. Her ten eyes look in the eight directions as well as to the earth and sky. She is the unity in eternity of the past, present and future.

BRAHMA’S HEADS:

Shiva Purana - Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. Brahma's wife is Saraswati. He has two other wives Savitri and Gayatri. All his three wives are Vedic Goddesses and are revered as Vedamata meaning Mother of the Vedas. Brahma is often identified with Prajapati, a Vedic deity.

Brahma originally possessed one Head. From a part of his own body, He created a woman Shatarupa, a face with 100 beauties known as Savitri, Brahmi, Saraswati., Gayatri and Sandhya. Apparently Brahma fell in love with his own female creation and could not take his eyes off her extraordinary beauty. Shatarupa felt shy and tried to evade his gaze by moving away on all sides. As she moved to the right, to the left and behind him, a new head sprang out each direction. The Savitri went in the direction of the skies and a fifth head appeared. Thus, to follow her wherever she moved, Brahma created his 5 heads. His several heads were his most salient features. It was Shiva who deprived Brahma of his fifth head but how this occurred comes with varied accounts. However all versions highlight the tensions that existed beween Brahma and Siva. Superiority contest amongst the Trinity is a Puranic plot. There is also the issue of Brahma’s lie in one to establish his superiority over Vishnu in which Shiva shines supreme.

SKANDA PURANA:

In the legend in this Purana, though by Savitri, Sarasvati is intended, Gayatri represents some other person who became a second wife of Brahma. Lord Siva is addressing Parvati to tell the story: “Listen O Devi and I will tell you how Savitri forsook Brahma and he consequently espoused Gayatri. The Vedas have declared the great advantages which are derived by yajna, by which the Gods are delighted and therefore bestow rain…..

To secure therefore the vendure and validity of the three worlds, I perform sacrifices and in imitation of me, sacrifices are performed by gods and men. For the same purpose Brahma and his wife Saitri, the immortal and the holy sages repaired to Pushkara. But when all the preparations had been made, with all due rites and ceremonies, for performing yajna, Savitri, detained by some household affairs, was not in attendance. ‘I have not completed my dress, nor arranged my person (we all know how long ladies take to wear the saris or cosmetics, it is no difference then and now, no offence!) how therefore can I enter the assembly…….

‘Savitri is engaged and will not come’ said the priest. Bhavani, Ganga, Svaha and Indrani had arrived except for the Trinity consorts. The gods were incensed at the conduct of Savitri and thus they spoke to Indra. This was after-all Brahma’s yajna and without a wife what advantage can be derived from these rites. So they summoned Indra and in obedience to his order ‘bring a wife from wherever you can find one’ for Brahma. Indra proceeded, as he passed hastily along, he saw a milkmaid, young, beautiful and smiling countenance, carrying a jar of butter. He seized her and brought her to the yajna assembly....

Now, looking at the milkmaid’s beauty, Brahma addressed the assembly “O gods and holy sages if it seem good unto you, I will expouse this Gayatri, and she shall be the mother of the Vedas and the cause of purity to these worlds. Upon this Brahma was united to Gayatri, who was led into the bower of the bride and there arrayed in silken garments and she adorned the costliest ornaments……

Just as Brahma was leading his new bride to the yajna, Savitri accompanied by Vishnu’s Lakshmi and Rudra’s Uma and the other gods entered the palace of sacrifice. Seeing Brahma clasping hands with a milkmaid and the yajna performance commenced, Savitri was incensed with anger. In all loud voice she addressed Brahma Pitmahar “O Brahma! Hast thou conceived so sinful an intention to reject me, who am thy wedded wife? Hast thou no sense of shame, that thus, influenced by love, thou committest so reprehensible an act?....how can I now show my face; or deserted by my husband, call myself a wife?

Then Brahma apparently goes on plea “The priest inform me that the time for the sacrifice was passing away, and that it could not be profitably performed unless my wife be present; and Indra having produced Gayatru, it was Vishnu and Rudra gave her in marriage to me. Firgive, therefore, this one act and I will never offend thee!”

SAVITRI’S CURSES:

Shiva Purana - On hearing these words and knowing the benefits of the yajna for the three worlds, Savitri exclaimed “By the powers which I have obtained by the performance of my tapas, may you Brahma never be worshipped in temple or a sacred place, except for one day in each year……And Indra, since thou did bring that milkmaid to Brahma, thou shalt be bound in chains by thine enemies in a strange country. Addressing Vishnu, Savitri said “ Since thou gavest her in marriage to Brahma, shalt thou, in consequence of Bhirgu’s curse, be born and reborn amongst men and thou shalt endure the agony of having thy wife ravished from thee by thine enemy; and long shalt thou wander as the humble keeper of cattle! To Rudra she said : by my curses shalt thou be deprived of thy manhood. To Surya and Agni “mayest thou be a devourer of all things, clean and unclean. To all the priests “henceforth shall ye perform yajna solely from the desire of obtaining usual gifts and ye be satisfied with the food of others and be dissatisfied with your own houses.”

Thus spoken, Savitri left the assembly hall. Lakshmi and Uma accompanied for a short distance and returned to the yajna assembly as dutiful consorts. On seeing this Savitri was incensed again. She addressed Lakshmi “Since you forsake me, O Lakshmi, mayest thou never remain stationary…. She thereafter threw her words against Indrani “When Indra incurs the guilt of brahmanicide by slaying Tvastri’s son, Nashusha shall acquire the kingdom and shall desire thee flesh.” Then she pronounced a collective curse “May you all remain barren and may you never enjoy the pleasure of having children. Vishnu tried to appease Savitri but she made an angry departure.

GAYATRI’S REDEMPTION:

Shiva Purana: Thereafter Gayatri modified the curses. She promised all kinds of blessing including final absorption of all worshippers of Brahma. Though Indra was to be bound, his son should release him. Though Vishnu would lose his wife, he would regain her. Though Rudra be deprived of his manhood, he would be represented neither as a male nor a female and universally worshipped as Linga. Though men made gifts to the priests, it would be because they revered the gods and finally, none of the goddesses would suffer cause or regret for not having children of their own.

CURSED AND REDEMPTIONS:

Do they ring a bell and would they be curses or blessings ?

PADMA PURANA ENDING:

Vishnu and Lakshmi pursue Savitri at Brahma’s request. They induced her to return. She agrees and on re-entering, Brahma asks Savitri what she wished to be done to Gayatri. Savitri was too bashful to speak, whereupon in full assembly Gayatri threw herself at her feet. Mother Savitri was all merciful and said “A wife ought to obey the wishes and orders of her husband, for that wife who reproaches her husband, who is complaining and quarrelsome, deprives him by her conduct of length of years and when she dies, most assuredly go to hell. Considering this, the virtuous wife will do nothing displeasing to her husband, therefore let us both be attached to Brahma.” So be it” said Gayatri “thy orders will I always obey and esteem thy friendship precious as my life, O Goddess! Deign to protect me.”

GAYATRI MANTRA:

This appears in Rig Veda 3/62.10 and is the most sacred of the Vedic mantras. It is named after, Gayatri Devi, the Veda Mata and she is the divine hymn; the personification of Parabrahman, the Absolute Deity. As Veda Mata, she is the supreme mother of the Thirumurthi and also the protector of the five pranas. As such, Gayatri Mantra, the Goddess and a river attributed to her are also known as Savitri.

SURYA – SAVITRI – GAYATRI.

In Vedic thoughts, the name Savitri is linked to the Surya, Sun God. Rig Veda V.81 is a hymn by Rishi Shyawashwa to Savitri. "The illumined yoke their mind and they yoke their thoughts to the illumined godhead, to the vast, to the luminous in consciousness; the one knower of all manifestation of knowledge, he alone orders the things of sacrifice. Great is the praise of Savitri, the creating godhead."

Vedas make reference to Savitri and Surya in the context of “illumined or the luminous, as also the illumined thinker.” In its crystallized thoughts, the Vedas mention Surya-Savitri; root of 'Surya' also means to loose, to release, to speed forth to create, revealing vision. So what we have is that Surya-Savitri is not only the Creator, but also the, the all-seer. What Surya-Savitri create are not words manifesting from them but self-conscious Truths. Due to this illimitable harmony between Surya and Savitri, the Vedic seer chose to evoke them in the Gayatri Mantra. Indeed, in their thinking Savitri was the Creator and Surya was the Revealer.

By Vedic accounts, Savitri is the daughter of the goddess of the supreme Truth who comes upon earth to save her from death and to bring into her immortality. She is ordained by selfborn Brahma and later born to King Ashwapathy. This effulgent daughter was named as Savitri. Savitri of the vedic rishis is reflected as Supreme in the Skanda and Shiva Puranas.


Hara Hara Mahedeva
Yogi Ananda Saraswathi

RAAI RAJA..from the original teachings...

10/8/2012

 
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 RAAI RAJA . ....NOT Radha Rani ..... Raai means radha and Raja means king . It is one of the leelas of Krishna that is specially popular in  TRADITIONAL Gaudiya Dharma ......... (of which there is a huge difference.. New Age Vaishnavism from Bengal is like what The Jehovah Witness's are to the Chistianity.. it is changed and never what Chistianity or Vaishnavism was even supposed to be....  Extensive research must be done in this area.. and the oral traditions need to be part of this research not just the new age side with their printing presses.. Real Authentic Traditional Gaudiya or Bengali Vaishnava's never put down or call names... they are sweet people..)))  inside the brackets is by Trishula Das

Here radhika is worshipped as a king or monarch by her maids and krishna is brought int...o her durbar ...... this picture commemorates that leelain shantipur , descendants of Advaita Acharya still live and they have many ancient Gaudiya Temples .

On raasa purnima the deities are publickly brought out in majestic processions, and in these processions  little Virgin Girl childs are dressed as Radha and made to sit on throne like a king, as the flotas wander down the streets, devotees and commoners Bow to her as a living Radha.

Raai Rajarai Raja Leela is one of the many Leelas popular in TRADITIONA GAUDIYA VAISHNAVISM but not specially cultivated in THE NEW AGE Vaishnavism call ISKON. Notable other leelas like this are NAVI NARI  KUJAR , kalahantarahita , kalanka mochana etc
 
As far as i can remember .. Krishna was brought in presence of radha who pretended to be the king of Vraja and her Sakhis acted as the ministers . Krishna himself was in guise of a woman  i have forgotten the details.
 

Nava Nari Kunjar is the leela where nine Gopis form themselves into the shape of an elephant by twisting their bodies into acrobatics to carry Radha and Krishna.... 
 
 Kalanka Mochana is where Radharani feels sad to hear her neighbors say ill words about her chastity . she appeals to krishna to prove her chastity to the villagers . Krishna devises a clever plan and ascertains that Radha is the highest sati (chaste girl) in the whole or Vraja Kalahantarahita is Leela based on feeling of seperation and love all these , and many others constituted the bed rock of Gaudiya Dharma . Due to some strange reason they are not cultivated in Bhaktivinoda Thakur's new age vaishnava movements !

By Halley Goswami 

(As a footnote, the reason these practices  are NOT preseved or cultivated is because, the New Age Vaishnava movements are just that New Age, they do not have any roots to the Oral Traditon meaning the roots of Vaishnavism in Bengal)

The New Age Vaishnavaism is a book traditon based on Colanised British thought of the time. They tried to preserve Vaishnavism in Bengal by calling the authentic traditional Vaishnava's of the village and some 13 other sects degraded among other names) 

They tried to make Vaishnavism a one God Christian One Book Traditon. 

Using names like Demi God amongst other names None of them were from the ROOTS of the Vaishnava Tradition and the people that were ) Bengal Vaishnava Bauls being on group did not care what they were writing or doing and had no input into the New Age Movement other that raising money for them and doing free concerts without any knowledge of what had been writen or was being said or writen about them behind their backs. 
Trishula Das



Usha Maaa!!

10/6/2012

 
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GODDESS USHA. She is the Goddess of Dawn. In Rig Vedic terms she is the Goddess of Divine Consciousness.  In the Puranas, Brahma, having created Parajapati, is dumbfounded as the prajapatis could not multiply. Lord Shiva’s counsel is obtain...ed as the Lord stands as Ardhanariswara. That gives a clue and Brahma creates Usha, the first woman. But in Rig Veda 1.48, Usha is said to be the daughter of the sky. She inspired some of the most beautiful hymns and for that she

is called the goddess of the Rig Veda. Vedic poets speak of bright apparition or of a bright goddess of a natural vision or a visible deity. Usha’s symbolism outshines the physical dawn.  
 


Usha is also called Ahana and Dyotana meaning the ‘illumine.’ The Rig Veda describes Usha in various ways: Yuvati – eternally youthful; Shukravasah – robed with light; Subhage – blissful one, rich in joy; Sumangali – most auspicious; Devati bartim – manifests the advents of Gods; Shreshtatama – Most excellent. 
 
Usha’s transition from Devi, the ‘bright’ to Devi the goddess, is easy; the daughter of sky so readily assumes the same personality which is given to the sky. Usha, Dawn, is famous as the goddess who destroys darkness: Rigveda 10.75.2. Usha and Nakta both the Goddesses are symbols of day and night. Both Goddesses give inspiration to the good deeds present in a human being.
 
Usha is the daughter of Dyaus and sister of Agni. Like her brother, Indra, whose triple birth in the sea and in the clouds, Usha is revered as the friend of humankind and the link between heaven and earth. Sometimes Ushas is said to be sister to the Adityas, sometimes wife of Surya, the supreme Truth-Light: RV 7.75.5. Her vahana is similar to that of Surya, a shining chariot drawn by seven ruddy cows. Usha is also mentioned along the twin-deities Ashvins in many hymns as their beloved. Ashwins are gods, the donors of health to the sick.    
 
Goddess Usha is said to be clothed in crimson robes and veiled with gold. She was likened to a gentle bride or to a wife whose beauties seem greater every morning when her husband beholds her. She is eternally young and gives the breath of life to all living beings, waking sleepers from their seeming death. She sends men on their tasks. She arouses birds from their nests.  She is impartial as she brings reasons of wealth to the great and humble. Usha gives honour to all their dwellings. However she brings age to mortals.  
 
MORNING: Dawn is praised in the Rigveda in many ways, but mainly in the form of the Goddess taking away darkness. It is also praised as the one who wakes up the one who is sleeping, the well-wisher of mankind, destroyer of the enemies, one who gives wealth etc.

DAWN: In the mortal world darkness is a symbol of sadness and hopelessness. The dawn destroys darkness and brings happiness, prosperity, inspiration and light in life. When man comes into this mortal world he experiences grief, pain, hopelessness, destruction and gets unhappy because of it. He is coveted to get rid of it. The wait on dawn means like waiting for happiness, inspiration and cheerfulness.

How does dawn emerge? By the truth in their thoughts, they brought to birth the Dawn: Rig Veda 7.76.4. The
seeker has to open himself systematically to the reign of Truth, rejecting the rule of falsehood. His mind and its activity of thinking must be filled with the movements of truth. Truth in though, truth in feeling, truth in speech, must become normal to his life. It is only then that the Dawn consent to manifest and open the gates of Heaven. Just as the physical dawn and day do not last long, alternating with the night, similarly the dawn of divine consciousness in man does not last long. It is followed by the ordinary consciousness, appropriately termed ‘Nakta’ or night.

USHA-NAKTA: Goddess Usha is often with Goddess Nakta. Her sister, Nakta means night. Nakta is the same as the deity Ratri also meaning night. Thus the combined Rig Vedic phrase ‘Nakta-Ushas’ or ‘Ushanakta’ –
the pairing first appears in Rig Veda 1.13.7. Dawn and Night, we seek with desire Two mighty mothers of the Truth with their front to us, who increase our beings space: Rig Veda 5.5.6. Also ‘Common, unending is the path of the sisters, guided by the Sun alternatively, they travel; Well-lighted, different in hues, common minded, Night and Dawn do not clash.’ – Rig Veda 1.113.3.

Naktas and Ratris stand for ordinary consciousness which is open to all sorts of forces and influences. This includes the darkness of ‘tamas.’ Enveloping darkness haunt inertia and the forces of darkness are like demons, rakshasas and pichachas. These run away when Usha, the divine consciousness arrives. Symbolically it puts
pressure on us towards the higher goals. Usha makes her appearance, signifying the onset of divine consciousness and she brings the other Gods and their powers. She literally opens the doors in our inner being and allows the divine light to flood within. The opening of the doors of the inner being spiritually has been popularized by the later Tantrik literature.

The two sisters do not conflict with each other: RV 1.13.7. They are mighty mothers of Truth: RV 5.5.6. Usha, is the daughter of Aditi, the mighty mother of undivided consciousness; Nakta is associated with Diti, the mother of divided consciousness. And their path is unending: RV 1.113.2. Nakta is characterized by darkness whereas Usha is associated with the rosy color of the rising Sun and the multifarious colors thereafter: RV 1.113.3. Thus it is Usha that dispels thick darkness by spreading her radiant lustre everywhere.

MEDITATION:
So when the dawn dawns the world and brings with it happiness, inspiration and cheerfulness in the same way when the Yogis meditate they experience inspiration and cheerfulness in their soul. The knowledge of soul is like the dawn. The dawn spreads brightness in this world to remove the inertia caused by the night, in the same way the dawn enters the soul to inspire it, to awaken it and take it on the path of knowledge.

Dawn is considered as the best time for the Yogis to meditate. At this time the connection of mind is the best which is not so at any other day timings. The Yogis mind is stable at dawn. If one practices mediation at dawn all the grief and trouble in his life will vanish just like the darkness is destroyed by the coming of the dawn. Yajna, the morning vedic ritual is performed only adter the onset of physical dawn. One has no need to pray for dawn as it is readily there and the actions of the Gods are undeviating of the alternations of physical night and physical dawn: RV 1.124.2 and dawn prepares and brings fresh revelation of knowledge at each advent: RV 1.92.6. Both night and day prepare the yajamana for the manifestation of the various powers of God in him.

TRUTH: Usha is born from Truth: RV 4.51.7. Rta means Truth. Satya signifies that which the eternal, the suoreme, existence in its own from sat. Rtam signifies that which is evident or perceptible, manifested out of the satyam, what has come to be in accordance with satya or that which represents satya. Rta is the Truth in manifestation. Usha is the guardian of this rta: RV 1.113.12. She moves according to the path of Truth and she does not limit her regions: RV 1.124.3. RV 5.80.1: Of a luminous movement, vast with the Truth, Supreme in the Truth, bringing with her svar. 
 
Dawn born in heaven opens out things by the Truth; she comes manifesting the greatness: RV 7.75.1. She is the Goddess who awakes the seat of Truth: RV 4.51.5. Usha and Nakta are mothers of Truth: RV 5.5.6. Dawn, true in her being with the Gods who are true; vast with gods who are vast: RV 7.75.1. As ‘sunrtanam netri’ is she the impeller of happy truths and as ‘sunrtai rayanti’ she is the impeller of true and happy worlds: RV 1.113.4. She carries us to the supramental home of Truth. Thus Usha, the goddess of illumination first activates the inner being of Jiva to come forward and she prepares the path for all the Sun’s powers to pervade the inner being.

SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS: 
Usha is not simply physical dawn; she is the Goddess of Spiritual Consciousness signifying the dawn of divine consciousness in the individual aspirant. Dawn is the physical symbol of this divinity. The coming of divine consciousness indicates the existence of the higher world of bliss and perfection. This is beyond the pale of ordinary consciousness. By Usha’s dawn the consciousness of the human aspirant is widened. The narrowness of outlook characteristic of our ordinary human condition is washed away, as it were, like the tropicak rain that washes  away all the dirt in the streets. We are less prone to be critical of other people, less prone to magnify the limitations of people around us. We have more faith in the ability of the divine to bring greater harmony and progress among all of us, and in our collaboration with the divine. Thus Usha is not the physical dawn. However to see and enjoy the ordinary dawn, no special capacity is required. Only the eyesight is enough. Rig Veda 1.30.20: O Usha, deathless one, which mortal is fit to enjoy thee? O luminous one, whom does thou attain? The phrase implies that only rare persons have the good fortune of having the experience of Usha.

Usha creates a separate world and appropriate conditions for each individual. But man gets up take grab the opportunities of enjoyment and physical wealth or heroism without being aware of the help provided by Usha. However she moves in slowly to extend their vision that humans are only instruments. The yogi knows the both Usha and Dawn bring happiness. He is aware of the Isha Upanishdic dictums that knowledge and ignorance must be known together. He knows it as both in one – the knowledge and ignorance, by ignorance crosses beyond death and by knowledge enjoys immortality.

Usha and Nakta are progressions according to the rule of a divine action to bring boons of Ananda; the blessings of all the divine existence. Usha is ancient and eternal; the Dawn of Light was from the beginning but in her arrival Usha is ever young and fresh to the soul that welcomes her.


Divine Dawn comes thus to the soul with the light of her knowledge, prajnana, confronting all the worlds as field of that knowledge, - all provinces, that is to say, of our universal being, - mind, vitality, physical consciousness. Foundation of the Truth, is the foundation of the Dawns. They are the descent upon mortal nature of the light of that immortal Truth, rtam jyotih. The Lord of Truth is the sole Lord of things. He is Varuņa, soul of vastness and
purity; he is Mitra, source of love and light and harmony. His creative Wisdom is unlimited in its scope. Usha shines as the light of immortal existence as Suntrah, she invokes in man the powers of Truth and Joy.

Hara Hara Mahadeva. (draft Gods and Goddesses)
Yogi Ananda Saraswathi


Kamarupini

10/5/2012

 
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KAMA RUPINI.
Does Mother Goddess Devi hava a rupa-form and is She subjected to kama-desires? Mother smiles, when down below, Her children clamour as to who is Kamarupini. This name could be understood in many ways. It can mean one who has a ...desirable or beautiful form or rupa. Rupa means form, shape, appearance, sight or vision. It is only an adjective used to praise any divinity that a bhakta chooses as ishta devi. God-realization has many paths, so to Shiva bhaktas, Lord Shiva is everything; Vishnu bhaktas would claim Lord Vishnu is everything. The Shaktas would say Mother Goddess is everything. These are all not wrong because in the end they lead to Self-realisation also.

Mother Goddess Devi manifested as Saraswathi, Lakshmi and
Parvathi. From them, we have Goddess Tripurasundari of the Tantrik path. We also have Mother Durga and Mother Kali as the most beautiful and symbolic rupa. What about Vishnu’s Mohini deemed to be so beautiful? Surely one cannot discount Rati, the pretty and exotic consort of Kamadeva also. Then one has the long list of Vedic, Puranci and Minor Goddesses. These are facility of paths for your
spiritual walk to reach Mother.  

Kamarupini can also mean one who takes any rupa that she desires –kama. This has nothing to with sex as blindly written and interpreted. The Devi Mahatmya explains this to state that Mother Goddess Devi takes her various manifestations to fight dark forces of demons. As the ‘giver of form of desire’ should that not be Lakshmi, the divinity of prosperity? For example Mother puts a check on Alakshmi so that one is blessed by Lakshmi. We also cannot rule out Saraswathi who is the divinity of knowledge, the foundation of property and wealth. We may desire, but the desires turn into reality only through knowledge.

Kama is desire and rupa is form; so knowledge turns desires into reality. Sometimes all these go overboard. So
Mother Parvathi enters the scene as Mother Kali to put one’s prejudices, clouded mind or the ego in check. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states that Mother assumes any forms at her will. In Katha Upanishad 2.2.9 ‘rupam rupam praturupo babhuva’ means ‘it shapes itself to the forms it meets.’ 

Rupa is body or any form, applied even to the forms of the gods which are subjective to us. The rupa-lokhas are worlds where the body and its appearance is a vehicle to take one to the arupa-lokha where the body forms are much less definite to us humans. ‘Arupa’ means formlessness but again this word is not to be taken so strictly as
to means there is no form of any kind whatsoever; it merely means that the forms in the spiritual worlds, the arupa lokhas are of a spiritual character far more ethereal than the forms we see in the rupa-lokhas. In the spiritual world one conceives God as an enclosing sheath of energy. To perceive this, you start with your inner guru as it is you walk the path of spiritual life. It is the inner guru that guides you between rupa and arupa of the Divine. Over time your wisdom would prevail over legendary stories of the Puranas. Siddhir bhavatu te sada – May success be yours always.

Om Namah Shivaya.....

Yogi Ananada Saraswathi



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    Trishula  Sandra Das

    Practitioner of Jyotish, Yoga Tantra, Ayurveda,  Shakti Sadhana
    ​for 40 years.

    ~ VedicAstrologer ~

    ~ Researcher East & Western Wisdom, Past Life Regression, Mysticism ~

     ~ Mind Body Soul~
     Believer in Love,  Humanity, Peace, freedom & Soul Mates 
    ​
     ~ Baul Scholar ~
     ~ Qigong Master ~

    ~ MOTHER ~
    ~Photographer~

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