Devi Gita

[Guest guest]

Dear bhakta-s,

 

namaste and AUM. Despite being incompetent

to discuss or say anything about the DEVI, it was a general feeling that one

can earn some of Her ever-present grace by talking about what She has said to

others. That is the origin of this series of Devi Gita. Mistakes are mine

and I

ask for forgiveness in advance.

 

happy navaratri to all of you.

 

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Introduction

 

Devi gita constitutes the last ten chapters of the seventh Skandha of the Devi

Bhagavatam. In the puranas, one will find several gitas and many mahatmyas.

The

differences are that in the mahatmya, the glorification of the deity is by

recounting the various deeds of the God and offering praise to the divinity. A

gita, on the other hand, is a direct revelation of the truth from the

disciple,

which often includes the manifestation of the cosmic form. While mahatymas

emphasize bhakti, gita stresses a balance of bhakti and jnana.

 

Specifically, we are interested in discussing the Devi gita. To avoid any

confusion and also be aware, there are two other devi gitas. The first of

which

is found in the Kurma purana. This is a conversation with Parvati and Himavan,

introduced by Lord Vishnu as Kurma. Goddess Parvati is praised here by 1008

names and She grants him two cosmic visions and instructs him. The other devi

gita is found in the Mahabhagavata purana, which actually refers to the

conversation of Parvati and Himavan as Parvati Gita. The narrator of this

section of the Mahabhagavata Purana is Lord Shiva. However, by Devi gita, we

refer only to the gita found in the Devi Bhagavatam.

 

Setting

 

The setting of the Devi gita is introduced by Janamejaya’s query to Vyasa

regarding the supreme light who became manifest on top of the Himalaya

mountain. Vyasa talks about the demon Taraka, who has obtained a boon that he

can be killed only the son of Lord Shiva, knowing fully well that Sati has

immolated herself. Therefore, the gods became scared and went to Himalayas

and

worshipped Her asking to born and marry Lord Shiva. Shakti then appears before

them and grants them a boon that her manifestation will be born as Gauri as

the

daughter of Himavan. Himalaya becomes choked with emotion when he hears that

She, whose belly contains millions of universes, is about to become his

daughter. He requests as follows, “Proclaim to me your nature, and declare

that

yoga conjoined with bhakti and that jnana in accord shruti whereby you and I

become one.”

This sets the scene for Devi Gita and the teachings.

 

Brief summary

 

In the Devi gita, following Himalayas request, the Devi proceeds to describe

her essential forms. The Devi declares that prior to creation, She is the only

existent entity, the one supreme Brahman and is pure consciousness. Then She

outlines the basic evolution of the causal, subtle and gross bodies of the

supreme Self when enjoined with maya. The treatment here is very similar to

that of Vedantasara and Panchadasi, but in much more simpler terms than the

latter. Then She reveals Her forms (both the frightful and pleasing) to the

gods and Himalaya. Then follows a detailed summary of the yoga, the stages of

bhakti and the ways to attain Her.

 

Simplicity and Profoundness

 

Devi gita is both simple and profound. It is different from other gitas in

the

respect that statements are clear and can not be reinterpreted according to

one’s taste. For example, several commentaries have been written on the

Bhagavad Gita of Krishna, wherein each commentator feels differently regarding

bhakti and jnana. For example, it required Madhusudana Saraswati to explain

krama mukti in clear terms (though Shankara mentions it also) of bhakti. But

Devi Gita is clear “Even when a person performs bhakti, knowledge need not

arise. He will go to the Devi’s Island (similar to Brahmaloka). Till the

complete knowledge in the form of my consciousness arises, there is no

liberation.” Similarly, the words of “coming” “going” “becoming” cause

confusion since one can not “become” Brahman, if one is already one. The Devi

Gita provides a clear explanation that all these terms are applicable only as

long as one in maya. It is the clarity of these terms and the simple

explanation of complex vedantic and philosophical questions that makes Devi

Gita unique.

 

What I will try to provide are the main excerpts of the Devi Gita in weekly

postings. I will leave it up to the learned members to discuss these

principles

in conjunction with the teachings of modern saints like Shankara and others.

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

looking forward to these postings. Thank you explaining the different Devi

Gitas, this was very educational for me.

 

 

Jai Ma,

Parvati