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The Significance of Devi Worship

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The Significance of Devi Worship

 

 

It is important for all to know and rightly understand the real spirit and

significance of Devi worship so that tangible spiritual and material benefit of

a lasting character may be derived by everyone to a maximum extent.

 

Rightly understood, the method of this worship shows you the true way to lead

the divine life. It teaches you to live in such a way as to make your life a

real and practical worship and adoration of the Divine Mother. It reveals the

secret of rising from darkness, untruth and mortality unto the grand realm of

light, truth and everlasting life.

 

Devi worship or Durga Puja is the adoration of the Divine Mother of

all things, who bear the seed of Universe in her imperishable womb,

the Mahat-Brahma. Devi is the consciousness-power or the Chaitanya Shakti, the

glory of the supreme Sovereign of the universe made manifest to the manifested

Jivas in the world of creation. As the

creator, the preserver and the destroyer of the universe are but

one God appearing in three forms, so the power which is inseparable from God

appears in its threefold aspect.

 

Even as a person here is known from his characters and powers, God is revealed

in his Shakti which is the sum total of all knowledge, will and action, visible

and felt as well as invisible and beyond comprehension. The whole universe is

the manifestation of the

richness and the glory of its immortal creator who hails beyond the dust of the

earth and the luminaries of heaven. He, the Divine Master, works everywhere

with his twofold Shakti, Viz., Vidya and Avidya.

 

In the nine-day worship of the Divine Mother or Navratri Puja, is illustrated

the process of the overcoming of the dark and blind powers of the lower nature

by the splendid and intelligent powers of the higher nature. The Great War

between Devas and Asuras marks the life of both the objective and subjective

sides of the created universe.

 

Vidyashakti always gains an upper hand and everywhere there is a

transcendence of the limitations and imperfections characteristic of

Jivahood and Asurahood by the divine Jananashakti which pierces

through every quarter and cranny in its works of vanquishing

unconsciousness or ignorance together with its train of effects,

desire and selfish action. In the Devi Mahatmya or the Saptashati, Devi is

described as the mass of the effulgent energy of the gods,

headed by Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. This Shakti is released when the

Devas begin to complain to these higher powers. The sense-energies

presided over by intelligence, which are symbolized by theDevas

together with their ruler Indra, when they are oppressed by the

demoniacal, forces of passion, anger, greed, malice, etc., of a

destructive nature, begin to feel actually humiliation in the forms of the pains

of life and resort to the highest Nature for help. At once, the Divine

principle within reveals itself in its tremendous and in its unifying

absoluteness of truth an puts an end to the tempestuous life of animalism and

all that is undivine or that which

belongs to the realm of Avidya.

 

The three aspects of the Devi Puja are goodness, prosperity,

and knowledge. Goodness reveals the Truth; prosperity ushers in

happiness; and knowledge precedes the dawn of intuition and leads you to the

goal of Sat-Chit- Ananda. To strive to bring about these three above-mentioned

factors into the life of mankind constitutes the real invocation and adoration

of the Divine Mother who is manifest in every form of humanity.

 

Ritualistic or ceremonial worship no doubt good, but it is the living worship

that truly transforms and spiritualizes you more quickly and leads you on to the

highest realisation. To consecrate the Divine Mother in the holy alter of your

heart, to manifest Her divine power within and to live to serve and do good to

all the best and the Divine Mother Durga.

 

To invoke the Goddess Lakshmi, you have to try ceaselessly to bring prosperity

into the lives of all. Its significance is that

one should be large-hearted and generous, charitable and kind. The

aspirant will have to strive hard to remove the pain and sorrow and

bring happiness to all as per his capacity. Those who are monetarily gifted, to

them I would ask to open free dispensaries for the poor patients and feeding

centers for the destitutes, to educate the illiterate and to aid and encourage

through every means the increase of the wealth of the country, for where

prosperity and happiness prevail, there alone Goddess Lakshmi is more easily

propitiated.

 

Now, to manifest the Goddess Sarasvati you have to educate yourself first. You

have to become a flood of light, and thereby you should radiate the Divine

Knowledge to everyone. Such sincere aspirants can go to the slums and backward,

illiterate localities and give free lessons on secular and spiritual matters as

well. You can

thus offer the grandest and worthiest form of worship to Devi

Sarasvati.

 

O seekers of perfection in Truth! Even as you reach a destination only along a

path leading to it and intimately related only through the several degrees of

empirical reality which act as steps in the ladder of spiritual experience. The

universe of the several planes of consciousness with their different values and

grades of truth is the Shakti of God. In the worship of Asambhuti and Sambhuti

leads to the gradual attainment of ultimate perfection. God cannot be conceived

of as divorced from his Supreme power which appears as and

governs this universe, even as you cannot have fire and heat distinguished. You

know a substance through its quality. You realise God through his Shakti, who

is Devi, Maha-Maya, Prakriti, the progenitress of all.

 

You can worship Devi either through Vaidika or Tantrika methods. She is

worshipped even without rituals, through Para Puja or Pure meditation alone.

Indeed, this is the highest kind of worship,

where the Divine Mother is considered as his or her own by the

spiritual child. The grace of the Devi is the experience of the participation

of the higher Nature by the devotee on account of his conformity to the laws of

manifestation in its orders of divine Shaktis or the forms of the one Divine

Power. No order of the reality can be stepped into unless one fulfils the

demands of the one lower to it.

 

The Devi Upasaka, thus knowing that Devi is Parabhrahma Shakti itself, not

creating a barrier between God and his Shakti, even as one does not consider the

sun and his luminosity as separate, reaches the state of Brahman through the

grace of Devi. It means that in the Sadhana Marga, which an aspirant follows,

he has to

proceed from the earthy consciousness to the higher states

step by step through the transcendence of the manifested orders of phenomenal

experience, without unwisely thinking that he

can jump over the extremely elevated terrace without climbing

the steps be low.

 

In this way, Devi Puja has a great spiritual meaning. Therefore, worship the

Mother of the Universe, the Shakti or Brahman in its Supreme Form, or in her

manifested form according to your capacity. I need not stress over the obvious

fact that you should strictly

practice Ahimsa, Satya and Brahmacharya, if you are to realise

Devi, the glorious Divine Power of the Supreme Reality. I stress upon the moral

side and the ethical side of Sadhana, because you are likely to miss it and no

valuable achievement is possible without it. Without it highflying idealisms

will bring nothing; they will be a waste like oblations offered on ashes.

Worship of God or Goddess, if it is to result in spiritual illumination, the

observance of Yama and Niyama is absolutely necessary. These form

the twofold equipment to overcome brute nature and hoist the banner of spiritual

victory. Offer to Goddess Durga the animal nature, the Pashu, of your inner

evil traits of passion, anger and greed. Do not kill animals of the external

world in the name of Balidana to the Goddess. She wants your animal-man within.

No Himsa should be committed on the excuse that it is for the Devi. You have no

right or justification to hurt any living creature for whatever

reason. Ahimsa should be free from all exemptions whether pertaining to class,

place, time or circumstance.

 

Ahimsa is universal vow to be practiced absolutely. No worship, no

prayer, no act whatsoever in life can justify injury protection cannot justify

murder. Even self-protection cannot justify murder. You have to stick to the

rule of universal love to the best of your ability, to the utmost extent

possible. The offering of the self, the surrender of the ego to the Divinity is

the supreme sacrifice. Nothing is superior to it. Nothing can be equal to it.

This is the

most exalted form of Divine worship. Worship the Almighty with Atma-

bhava, with sarvatmabhava. This is the greatest and the most glorious thing

that can ever be done bibe the knowledge or real worship of the Divine Being.

May the Devi shower Her blessings upon you all!

 

During Navratri, observe strict Anushthana and purify your inner

nature. This is the most auspicious time in the year for Mother-worship. Read

Saptashati or Devi Mahatmya and Lalita-Sahasranama. Do Japa of the Mantra of

Devi. Perform worship with purity, sincerity and devotion. The Divine Mother

will bless you with

the knowledge, the peace and the joy that know no end! May the Divine Devi, the

Mother bless you all!

 

(http://www.divyajivan.org/articles/siva/devi_worship.htm)

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To Devi Shakti:

 

Nice article; I would just add a few brief comments.

 

You wrote: *** You realise God through his Shakti, who is Devi, Maha-

Maya, Prakriti, the progenitress of all. ***

 

This is what I like to call the Taxicab School of Devi Worship -- in

which Devi is conceived primarily as the vehicle who drops you off

at Siva's or Vishnu's feet. In many Shakta schools, however, She is

conceived not only as the vehicle, but also as the Destination.

 

*** Therefore, worship the Mother of the Universe, the Shakti or

Brahman in its Supreme Form, or in her manifested form according to

your capacity. ***

 

^:)^ Whew! That's more like it! ;-)

 

*** I need not stress over the obvious fact that you should strictly

practice Ahimsa, Satya and Brahmacharya, if you are to realise Devi,

the glorious Divine Power of the Supreme Reality. ***

 

I disagree. The strict practice of Brahmacharya is by no means a

prerequisite to realizing Devi; in fact, it can be a serious

impediment (as we have seen played out even in this very forum).

Shakta is not really a renunciate's path; most embark upon it as

grihastas, or householders.

 

Other than that, I enjoyed the piece.

 

Aim MAtangyai NamaH

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93

 

, "devi_bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote:

> This is what I like to call the Taxicab School of Devi Worship -- in

> which Devi is conceived primarily as the vehicle who drops you off

> at Siva's or Vishnu's feet. In many Shakta schools, however, She is

> conceived not only as the vehicle, but also as the Destination.

 

Actually in all shakta-schools it is thus. That is why they are designated as

shakta :).

 

Devi Shaki wrote:

> *** I need not stress over the obvious fact that you should strictly

> practice Ahimsa, Satya and Brahmacharya, if you are to realise Devi,

> the glorious Divine Power of the Supreme Reality. ***

 

DB wrote:

> I disagree. The strict practice of Brahmacharya is by no means a

> prerequisite to realizing Devi; in fact, it can be a serious

> impediment (as we have seen played out even in this very forum).

> Shakta is not really a renunciate's path; most embark upon it as

> grihastas, or householders.

 

Exactly :). Kaula-tantras condemn brahmacharya as it is understood commonly.

Sri Abhinavagupta in TA, 29th ahnika, defines true brahmacharya as dwelling in 3

kinds of

ananda, of which sexual is the essential.

 

The matter of ahimsa is rather questionable though to a lesser degree. In temple

worship

animal sacrifices have to be conducted - which is not seen as himsa.

 

Love is the law, love under will.

A.

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