Kanyakumari: The Cult of the Virgin

March 1, 2005

This message was posted [see msg 819 ]by Devi_Bhakta loooooooong

time ago. He ended with :

"The scholar Devdutt Patatnaik observes, "The cult of the virgin is

popular in many parts of India. It is believed that when a woman

does not enjoy the company of husband and children, her creative

energy bottles up inside her and becomes destructive. This bottled

energy is feared and hence worshiped."Well -- that's not very

politically correct, is it? Anyone care to comment? Discuss?"

This was never taken up. It came back to me again when I download

pictures on the Kumari Pooja in our homepage.

When I asked one of our senior member, his remark is : you find out

about the kumari. I came upon sutra 13 of Siva Sutra which reads :

IcchA Saktir umA KumAri.

Commentary given: The eternal state is his whose mind has ascended

by Yoga the Supreme BhairavatA [an aspect of Siva]. To that Yogin

the energy of desire comes by degrees, that energy is called

ParAbhattArikA {Supreme Queen]. She is known as the 'unmarried'

[Kumari]. As Sport, she creates the universe from SadAsiva to the

earth [36 tattvas]; hence she is kumAri.

or she destroys [mArayate] the ground [ku] of the great illusion

[hence she is kumAri]. KumAri is enjoyer of everything. KumAri is

not to be enjoyed by the Yogin who is the Bhairava himself, who can

enjoy everything [except kumAri] as she is one with the enjoyer.

KumAri is umA, she who has renouncedd all attachment and is chiefly

devoted to the Lord. Such is the IcchAsakti in Yogins; this is the

easy path discovered by the great teachers [anuttaradesikas]"

March 1, 2005

Sorry I forgot to give the interpretation :

IcchA Saktir umA KumAri.

1] as in Siva Sutra [KsemarAja] : The will power of the yogi who is

in communion with Siva is UmA [splendour of Siva] who is KumAri.

2] In BhAskararAya's Commentary :The energy of desire is UmA, the

Unmarried.

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