Bhakti and Jnana- WAVE 9......Bhavani ............

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One of the Names of Sri Mata in Sri Lalita Sahasaranama is *Bhavani*

 

Sri Lalita Sahasaranama describes Bhavani as

 

 

BavaanaI Baavanaagamyaa BavaarNyakuzairka |

 

The purpose of Bhavani (divine mother worship) is to take you to

Bhavani shankar (shiva) and when you achieve shiva , bhaya (fear)

goes away. Till then you have to take refuge in Bhavani - that which

has to be touched by Bhavana. (bhakti) All upasana is based on

bhavana only; but unfortunately most Sadhakas are only bothered by

details. If we don't have bhava then an idol will be just an idol. If

we have bhava, shakti will manifest there. So bhava has to be invoked.

 

In bhakti marga, there is a lot of 'bhava' or emotions expressed by

the devotee. A bhakta wants to sing , dance and rejoice in the divine

presence of his/her ishta nishta .

 

Here is how our Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada expresses his Divine

feelings towards his Beloved Divine Mother Bhavani

 

bhavaani stotuM tvaaM prabhavati chaturbhirna vadanaiH

prajaanaamiishaanas-tripuramathanaH paJNchabhirapi |

na shhaDbhiH senaaniir-dashashatamukhairapyahipati-

stadanyeshhaaM keshhaaM kathaya kathamasminnavasaraH || 1 ||

 

 

O Bhavaani, Spouse of Shiva! Brahmaa the Creator cannot perfectly

describe You with his four mouths! Nor can Lord Shiva do so even with

five mouths! Lord Kaartikeya cannot possibly describe Your glories

with his six mouths. Let this be as it may, but even Adi Sheshha (who

bears Lord Vishnu) cannot describe You with his thousand mouths.

Therefore, tell me O Bhavaani, how is there any scope for others

(like me) to praise You perfectly?

 

Comments:

 

Shankara is worshipping Brahman in the form of the Goddess here. The

point being made is that Brahman or the Goddess is beyond the reach

of words or the mind. In order to describe something we have to have

the imagination and the vocabulary to construct the description. But

Brahman is beyond the grasp of the mind and words.

 

(http://www.ambaal.org)

 

If we constantly think and meditate on our Ishta nishta and keep

focussing our minds on the lotus feet of the Divine mother , we

become 'one' with the object of our love and veneratio. This is

called 'tamayata'!

 

How do we get closer to OUR ISHTA-NISHTA ? Rememberig Her Name (

Salukhyam) and meditating on her Beautiful/divine form ( Saruupyam)

and by this process of meditating on the name and form of your chosen

deity, you come nearer to Her ( Saamipyam) and finally merge with Her

(Saayujyamm) !

 

'You cease to exist! All that exists is Her, Her ALONE'

 

In Saundarya Lahari, Adi Shankara prays thus to Mata Bhavani

 

Bhavaani tvam daase mayi vitara drishtim sakarunaam Iti stotum

vaanchan kathayati bhavani tvamitiyah; Tadaiva tvam tasmai disasi

nija-saayujya-padaveem Mukunda-brahmendra sphuta-makuta neeraajita

padaam".

 

Kanchi Maha periavaal explains this in the following manner

 

"When the devotee began saying Bhavaani tvam, he was only addressing

the Divine Mother by calling Her Bhavaani, and invoking Her grace,

though the expression can also be interpreted as meaning, "May I

become You". It is this merger with the Supreme that the Mother

granted as soon as She heard the words "Bhavaani tvam". The

significance of this verse is that one imbued with true devotion gets

things unasked.

 

The saayujya the devotee attains by Her grace is the condition of

supreme saanti, like that which rivers attain when they merge in the

ocean. The same condition of peace and bliss is reached by the bhakta

who starting from dvaita bhaava (feeling of duality of himself and

God) reaches saayujya or oneness with Isvara through Her grace. "

 

Yes! from a visishtadvaitin one becomes an Advaitin - all it takes

is 'devotion' devotion' devotion to HER name and form!

 

In another beautiful Sloka 'Bhavaniashtakam' , Asi Shankara

Bhagvadapada sings thus :

 

Na Janaami Dhanam, Na cha dhyana yogam,

 

Na janami thanthram, na cha sthothra manthram,

 

Na janami poojam, na cha nyasa yogam,

 

Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam thwam ekaa Bhavani

 

 

 

Neither do I know how to give,

 

Nor do I know how to meditate,

 

Neither do I know Tanthra*,

 

Nor do I know stanzas of prayer,

 

Neither do I know how to worship,

 

Nor do I know the art of yoga,

 

So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani

 

(http://www.geocities.com/ramya475/GeneralIndex.htm)

 

Dear Hearts! Yes ! 'bhavana ' is very inportant in Saadhnaa or

Upasana ! There should be 'Shakti ( Power) in One's Sadhana and

Sadhna should be about shakti ( praying to mother goddes to empower

you) !

 

The Shaktivad of Kashmir has got its roots in the Bhavani

SahAsranama. It is religio-spiritual text, with a philosophic

interpretation on Shakti with the thousand attributeS of Bhavani.

Nandakeshwara asks his Spiritual Guru Mahadeva about his `Avirata-

Pathan' / constant recitation of Nama – Rupa Japam, which he does.

Mahadeva initiates him in Bija-Mantra of Bhavani, which runs as;

 

"BIJA TRAYAYAI VIDMAHE, TAT PRADHANAYAI DHIMAHYE, TANNAH SHAKTIH

PRACHODAYAT"

 

"May we meditate upon Bija traya/ the Triple seed of consciousness,

may we be conserving our energy with the Primordial Existence and may

we be bestowed with the Shakti!" The Triple seed of consciousness is

the Shiva-Shakti –Nandakeshwara. The Primordial Energy is Para Shakti

Bhavani.

 

Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati

 

When Appayya Dikshitar went to Tirupati temple in South India, the

Vaishnavas refused him admission. The next morning they found the

Vishnu Murti in the temple changed into Siva Murti. The Mahant was

much astonished and startled, asked pardon and prayed to Appayya

Dikshitar to change the Murti again into Vishnu Murti.

 

When Tulasidas went to Brindavan and saw the Murti of Lord Krishna

with flute in His hands, he said, "I will not bow my head to this

form." At once Lord Krishna's form assumed the form of Lord Rama.

 

If one worships god/ess with 'bhava' or feelings , sooner or later

all feelings of 'duality' vanishes , one becomes 'one' with the

object of worship! This is keeta-bhramara nyaya! ( The mind becomes

that on which it meditates in accordance with the analogy of the wasp

and the caterpillar !

 

Yes the heart is capable of holding all emotiions- jNANA IS IN THE

HEAD AND BHAKTI IS IN THE HEART! but pure jnana and pure bhakti is in

the heart only - or it is all 'consciouness' ..

 

Thanks michaelji for your wonderful statement!

 

 

JAI BHAVANI! JAI Ksheera Bhavani ! Jai Bhavani Shankara!