ANAGHA DEVI

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ANAGHA DEVI

 

By Sri Kuppa V.Krishna Murthy

 

 

 

Is God male or female? This question will pop up in one's mind at one

time or the other. Such a question is natural because, all the

differentiation and classification are man made except the

differentiation of gender, for which alone nature is responsible. The

differentiation based on gender is not unique to mankind, but is seen

in all living beings. Because God is responsible for this, it is

possible that even the Almighty falls inside the purview of this

classification. Thus, the above question seems quite natural.

 

But, we will face a contradiction if we think the Almighty to be

either male or female. If the Almighty was to be male or female just

like us humans, then it follows that the Almighty too should have

parents. If the Almighty was to have a father, then who created the

father? This question will remain unanswered. Thus, it is not

possible for the Almighty to be a male or a female.

 

Many religions use masculine gender while referring to God. The

Vedas, the oldest literature known to humankind has used both the

genders while referring to the Almighty. At some places, they have

even used the neuter gender. By this, our question becomes even more

complicated.

 

Therefore, it becomes inevitable for us to seek other means to find

out the answer. If we can first understand who the Almighty is, then

we can try to know if the Almighty is male or female. Let is try this

path.

 

To understand completely about a substance, we need to know, in

addition to its external form, its composition also. To find out the

composition, we have to disintegrate the substance in to small

particles and then analyse it. Because we believe that the whole

creation came from the Almighty, it follows that if we analyse the

creation in detail, we will come to know about its basis, namely the

Almighty.

 

The creation is so vast that we can not analyse in detail each and

every object. But there is a way out.

 

There may be innumerable objects in this creation. But every object

is a combination of one or more elements. Till date, a hundred and

odd elements are known to us. There may be many more. Be that as it

may. If we analyse further, we will come to know that atoms of every

element are made up of sub atomic particles such as electrons,

protons, neutrons etc. . If we analyse even further, we will observe

that what remains in the end is only energy, which, unlike a solid

object, does not have form.

 

After Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of our era, gave us the

equation E=mc2, it was established that the omnipresent energy, on

account of some unknown reason, will transform itself in to different

kinds of atoms.

 

What then is energy? Is it Light? Sound? Heat? Electrical energy? All

these are different forms of energy, but none of them can be called

as the fundamental form of energy. It means that there is a kind of

fundamental energy, which we can not see, but the manifestations of

which can be seen in the form of light, sound et cetera. The same

energy takes the form of protons, electrons and other particles to

form an element. Thus, however vast the universe may be, we can say

that all the objects have come from the same fundamental energy. This

is the truth that the modern science has established.

 

The same truth has been narrated in our ancient scriptures. They have

referred to this fundamental energy as Bhagavanta. The fundamental

cause for all the objects in this creation is the same energy - say

our scriptures. This is exactly what the modern science says!

 

This concept has been expressed in an episode in Chandi Saptashati, a

famous treatise of ancient India. The situation is that of a demon

wanting to fight against Goddess Saraswati, who is surrounded by

different goddesses. The demon chides her saying, 'what is so great

about fighting with so many energies helping you?' The goddess smiles

and says 'You are not capable of seeing the reality. So you are

seeing so many energies. The fact is that only I am here.' - so

saying, the Goddess drew all the energies represented by different

goddesses in to herself, stood alone and killed the demon.

 

Does not this story make it amply clear to us that though the energy

manifests differently, it is only one in its fundamental form? Is

this not what today's science has established?

 

Anagha Devi

 

 

 

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By Sri Kuppa V.Krishna Murthy

 

(Continued from last month)

 

(In the previous issue, we set out with the question - Is God male or

female? And concluded that the same fundamental energy manifests in

different forms and that it was in perfect agreement with the modern

science. Now let us proceed with the rest of the essay)

 

The basis for the whole creation is that energy. That itself is

called as Bhagavanta. It now becomes irrelevant to know the gender of

that energy because it is meaningless to attribute gender to energy!

 

If the fundamental energy does not have differentiation such as

masculine or feminine or neuter, how then can the creation - which is

its product have beings with such a classification? A good question

indeed. The fundamental energy has no form. When the fundamental

energy has no form, how then did the atoms (which came from it) gain

form? (This is an important question in Vedanta and is beyond the

scope of this article). We do not know how it happened. But we know

that it has happened. Similarly, from the fundamental energy which

was asexual came the creation which consists of heterosexual beings.

 

The scheme by which the differentiation of gender entered creation is

called as 'Eshwara Sankalpa' in the shastras. It means that it did

not take place without the knowledge of the Almighty. It was on

account of conscious effort by Eshwara. It means that the factors

responsible for the differentiation, namely the energy hidden in the

X and Y chromosomes are inherent in that energy. Therefore, when that

energy wants to take a form, it can take the form of Anda(ovum) or

Jeevakana(sperm). Therefore the Almighty manifested sometimes in

masculine form and sometimes in feminine form. Irrespective of the

manifestation, the original form of the Almighty (i.e., the

fundamental energy) is beyond the differentiation of gender.

Therefore the Vedas have referred to the Almighty in neuter gender in

addition to masculine and feminine genders.

 

The same concept is echoed in an episode in the Dattatreya Purana.

 

When Lord Dattatreya, the combined incarnation of the Trinity was a

child of five years, many old sages spotted his greatness and started

insisting him to show them the path of Yoga. The child Datta wanted

to test them. He disappeared in to a pond and remained there for one

hundred years. Some of the sages waited for Him on the banks of the

pond while the infant Datta was in a state of complete Samadhi for

hundred years. Even after coming out of the pond he continued to test

the sages.

 

Dattatreya, who was 105 years old then, brought out His Yogic energy

through His Brahma Randhra (an astral orifice found in the centre of

the skull, through which Yogis can leave the body), and gave it the

form of a woman. Because the energy came out from Him, He was its

natural owner. He declared her to be His consort. In order to test

the sages, she drank wine and started dancing.

She was born as a youthful woman. Seeing her drink wine, some of the

sages called her 'Madhumati'. Others called her as 'Nadee' looking at

her dance which resembled the dancing movements of a flooded river.

Still others realised that she was none other than the Yogic Energy

of Lord Dattatreya and prayed to Him. Some others went away.

 

Then Lord Dattatreya came out of Samadhi. She now appeared as an

ascetic. Lord Dattatreya named her as Anagha.

 

Agha means sin, sorrow. Those who called her as Madhumati and Nadee

had identified her as one who possessed sin. But in reality she was

sinless. Therefore Dattatreya had named her as Anagha(Sinless, Pure).

Those who had recognised her to be the energy of Dattatreya, obtained

the true vision of the Lord and could transcend all sorrows. In other

words, because of her their sorrows (Agha) disappeared. This was

another reason why Dattatreya named her as Anagha (one who removes

sorrows)

 

Etymologically, the word Agha means that which comes to the

experience of the doer (kartaaram anghaati iti agham. Aghi gatow). He

who thinks that he is the doer, will experience pain and pleasure.

According to vedantic view, even the worldly pleasure is in fact

pain. Thus, one who thinks oneself to be the doer is always

suffering. That energy which removes the feeling of doership is

Anagha.

 

According to another etymology, Agha means that which causes

sufferings to remain for ever. (Na jahaati duhkham it agham. O haak

tyaage) Sorrow is caused by poverty, disease, fear of enemies,

greed , ignorance etc.. That which removes sorrow by bestowing

prosperity, health, affection, contentment, wisdom etc., is Anagha.

 

Because all these in mind, Lord Dattatreya called her as Anagha.

Those sages who could comprehend this could see her as the

manifestation of energy and could attain positive benefits. The

demons who could not comprehend the reality only saw her as a dancer

and therefore were annihilated. You may have read about this in

detail in 'Sri Datta Darshana' written by our Gurudeva Sri Ganapati

Sachchidananda Swamiji.

 

This particular episode makes it clear to us that those who thought

the Almighty to be merely a female caused their own destruction.

Those who consider the Almighty to be male only, als, accounted for

their own doom.(The stories of such demons can be found in many

puranas) Those who could realise that the Almighty was above such

differentiation and was of the form of fundamental energy could

transcend affinity and aversion. They alone could experience

unalloyed bliss.

 

We can appreciate this concept in the incarnation Anagha more than

any other incarnation. Therefore Sadguru Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda

Swamiji is popularising the worship of Dattatreya accompanied by

Anagha throughout the world.

 

Dattatreya is popularly known as a Yati(Ascetic) and an Avadhoota(one

who has shaken off himself from worldly feeling and obligation). How

then can he have a consort? - is one of the frequently asked

questions. This question will not arise in the minds of those who

have read the Datta Purana. Only those who consider Anagha to be a

separate entity will raise the question "how can Dattatreya have a

spouce?" Only when we realise that Anagha is the manifestation of His

own energy, we will understand that His ascetic nature will not be

disturbed when Anagha is seated next to Him.

By worshipping only Dattatreya, absolute knowledge of the self will

set in. On the other hand, by worshipping Dattatreya along with

Anagha, even the worldly difficulties will be removed and eventually

Atma Jnana will set in. In Kaliyuga, human beings can achieve wisdom

only in an unhurried pace. Therefore Lord Dattatreya himself preached

the method of worshipping Anagha.

 

The story of the thousand-armed Kartaveeryarjuna in Datta Darshana is

highly symbolic. He was one of the favourite disciples of Lord

Dattatreya. Dattatreya Himself taught him the method of performing

Anaghashtami pooja. Kartaveerya got his boons on the eighth day of

the dark half of the month of Margashira. Lord Dattatreya has himself

marked this day to be auspicious for conducting the Anaghashtami

Pooja. He has further ordained that this pooja be performed every

month on the eighth day of the dark fortnight. Bhagavan Vyasa has

narrated the method of worship in the Puranas. But on account of the

vicissitudes of time, it slowly became less and less practised so

much so that questions like "What? A woman sitting by the side of

Datta?" are being asked.

 

Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji, who is verily Dattatreya in

disguise has been spreading the multifaceted aspects of Dattatreya

throughout the world. In fact no other person has carried out such an

extensive propagation of Dattatreya and His teachings. Sri Swamiji is

also exposing the concept of worshipping Anagha Devi along with

Dattatreya and to fecilitate it, has established several temples in

which both the deities have been consecrated. It is as though the

philosophies of yore are being re-taught by Lord Dattatreya Himself.

It is therefore highly beneficial for the seekers to adopt this path

in their spiritual pursuit.

 

(concluded)

 

 

 

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