Guest guest Posted February 26, 2002 Report Share Posted February 26, 2002 "Goddess Saradamba represents the Saguna Brahman as Jaganmata, the Great Mother of the universe. She is also guru-rupini, as She showers Her grace on the devotees through the person of the Jagadguru. She is worshipped as Gayatri, Savitri and Sarasvati, the Goddesses of the Gayatri Mantra, and is also identified at various times with Mahesvari, Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati, the Great Goddesses of Puranic Hinduism. She is most often worshipped as Brahmavidya, the personified Goddess of Brahman Knowledge, and as Vagdevi, Ila, Bharati and Sarasvati, the ancient Vedic Goddesses. She holds in Her four hands, a jar containing amrita, the nectar of immortality, a book, signifying Knowledge, a rudraksha-mala, and the Chinmudra, signifying the advaita-tattva. Thus, She represents Brahmavidya, and is conceived as not different from Brahman Itself. Interestingly, these adornments in Her hands are identical to those that Dakshinamurti, the eternally youthful, silent Guru, holds. Both Devi Sarada and Guru Dakshinamurti are sometimes also pictured holding a Veena in their hands. In the advaita tradition in particular, and Hinduism in general, Brahman is worshipped both as the God and as the Goddess, and both with human form and without. Brahman is not limited by gender or form. Saguna Brahman can be equally He or She, because Brahman is beyond such human characterization. In the words of Swami Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati, "All forms belong equally to the essentially formless Brahman." That is why Sri Sarada reigns alone in Sringeri. In temples which are organized according to the Agamas, the Devi is usually worshipped along with the Svami, Her Divine Consort. But Saradamba, as worshipped by Adi Sankaracharya himself, includes all the Devatas and transcends them. In the Prapancasara, Adi Sankaracharya describes Goddess Sarada as Brahmavidya, which is identical to the Incommensurable Brahman Itself. As Brahman, She encompasses the Trimurtis, Siva, Vishnu and Brahma and their Saktis, respectively known as Uma, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. This is brought out well in the various Slokas composed in Her honor, by the Sringeri Acharyas over the ages. She is sometimes addressed as Sarasvati, sometimes as Isvari, or as Sri, and at other times, even the specific attributes of the Trimurtis are attributed to Her. The idea is that She is identical to the essentially formless Brahman, and therefore is the basis of all these specific forms. To denote the fact that She is not limited by human form, She is also worshipped as the Sriyantra, the mystic diagram described in the Bhavana Upanishad, and is identified with Kamala and Lalita Tripurasundari, the Supreme Goddesses of Srividya. Hence, She is also called Sarada Parameswari, and the Lalita Sahasranamam and the Lalita Trisati are recited in the daily worship in the Saradamba temple. " FROM KANCHI KAMAKOTI PEETHAM ********************************************************************** As shri ramakrishna paramahamsa says- 'THAT which is shakti is also Brahman. that which has form, again, is without form. that which has attributes, again, has no attributes. brahman is sakti , sakti is brahman. they are not two. these are only two aspects, male and female of the same reality, existence-knowledge-bliss ABSOLUTE. " hari om tat sat!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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