Mother Durga

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Bhakta Jan Mares Prabhu wrote:

 

> >If she'd act as a guru she could do it too, isn't it?

 

Bhadra Govinda Prabhu responded:

 

> Any guru including mother Durga and Lord Shiva cannot give 'true'

> liberation. Mukunda, Krishna is the only giver of liberation. That is

> the reason they direct sincere seekers to the feet of Mukunda.

 

The devas, including Durga have dui-daya, two types of mercy:

 

1) Kapata-krpa (false or cheating so-called "mercy")

2) Niskapata-krpa (genuine mercy)

 

Kapata-krpa is vancana or cheating because it is dahika or only benefiting

the temporary material body. Niskapata-krpa is paramarthika, transcendental.

It is mercy by which one obtains Krishna-bhakti.

 

Bhadra Govinda Prabhu stated:

 

> Mother

> Durga or Lord Siva, even in the capacity of guru cannot give one Mukti.

> They can only direct one to Mukunda's lotus feet.

 

It is true that Mukunda is considered the only bestower of liberation. Yet

devotees are not concerned about getting liberation, they are more eager to

get the association of a premi-bhakta such as Durga Ma. When Lord Narayan

offered a benediction to the Pracetas they told Him, "We are not interested

in liberation the only thing that we want is association with Your dear

devotees." (Bhag. 4.30.34).

 

This is because by association with the Lord's devotee one may obtain

bhakti:

 

bhaktistu bhagavad bhakta sangena parijayate

 

"Bhakti becomes manifest by the association of the Lord's devotees"

(Brhan-naradiya Purana 4.33 quoted in HBV. 10.279)

 

Bilvamangala Thakur has described the relationship of bhakti and liberation:

 

muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate 'sman

 

"Liberation stands with folded hands waiting to serve one who has bhakti."

(Krishna-karnamrta 107)

 

This point is made many times in our bhakti sastras. In BRS (1.1.17) when he

describes the first symptoms of bhakti, Rupa Goswami has stated:

 

"moksa-laghutakrt -- bhakti makes liberation seem insignificant."

 

Aside from the pertinent examples cited by Bhakta Jan Prabhu, one may also

refer to Sanatan Goswami's Brhad-Bhagavatamrta 2.1.35-37. Therein Sanatan

Goswami describes how Durga came in a dream and gave the gopal mantra to one

brahman who had been worshipping her. The brahmana did not even know who

Gopal, the Deity of the mantra was, yet following Durga's order he continued

to chant until he achieved Krishna-prema.

 

Bhadra Govinda Prabhu wrote:

 

> All your stories of the deliverance of various persons by mother Durga

> only prove this point.

 

Yes, I thought they were good examples of how Durga can give one bhakti, by

which liberation is an insignificant by-product.

 

Das anudas, Madhavananda Das

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