A Petal from the Thousand Names of the Divine Mother

[Guest guest]

Do you know this book? "With commentary by T.V. Narayana Menon"? It's an

AMMACHI PUBLICATION with the isbn 1-879410-67-2, light brown with the Sri

Chakra on the front cover and the most beautiful picture of Sri Lalita Devi

inside of it.

 

The commentary explains the meaning(s) of the mantras, with cross references

to different scriptures, and gives sometimes quite lengthy expositions on

the various attributes and implications of the parts of the mantras. I

really loved it from the moment I got it -- 21 August 1999, at the San Ramon

ashram, as I was headed back to graduate school after a summer of research,

tour, and a difficult pregnancy loss (that Mother explained away first off

as "there's no reason to be miserable," as if there ever is...).

 

Swami Ramakrishnananda was in residence at San Ramon, and I was only able to

go to a few of the satsangs in August before returning to Minnesota. That

may have been the one where Amma blessed me with a heart-blosssoming petal

upon petal unfolding experience of utter radiance. I was thinking about it,

Prajna, when you described how you have your Devi Bhava (wedding) sari

draped on a chair. Because Mother's chair was on the stage at the ashram,

and at the bottom of the large picture, one of the inmates/residents (I

think, not sure who it was actually...) had placed most reverently this

rather large lotus. It was so beautiful, and staring at it, inspired the

most peaceful energetic response. When I closed me eyes to go into it, the

heart opened in this incredibly gentle way. I rarely am able to reconnect

physically with that memory, or actually imagine offering petals from my

heart to the Deity or the Guru. But it, the experience, is there to

inspire. (Like Amma's recent posted sanctioned official satsang on the

amritapuri web-page suggests -- not be attached to the experiences but to

find them a reason to keep moving forward.)

 

Now perhaps there is a mantra about the Devi who opens the flower petals of

our heart -- Hridaya Pushpa?? But in any case, to the point, while I carry

around "my" chanting book, I don't do it with any of the regularity that I

know some of you do, to great benefit with your inner peace and the good of

the world and all that. Salutations to you who pray on behalf of the World.

 

But I do, almost every night, and a lot of mornings, open up the book to see

which one of the 1000 names Amma might have me think about for a while.

 

Last night, as I headed to sleep with some anger about crudeness

Balakrishnanan and some others and myself just complained publicly about, I

was off to a good start. Mantra 564. Mrdani, She who is the wife of Mrda

(Siva). Which explains further "Mrda is the giver of happiness, Siva. Devi

is not only the wife of Mrda, but is Herself the giver of happiness to

everyone. Mrda is Siva's predominantly sattvic aspect." (page 246 of the

Names with Commentary).

 

OK, off to a good start. My husband is "into" Siva, so this little bit was

an inspiring reminder.

 

Then I kept reading... 567 Bhaktanidhih, She who is the treasure of the

devotees... guarded with great care in the hearts of Her devotees and then

onto the take-home message for the night, speaking directly to the

complexity of interacting in satsang.

 

570, Maitryadi vasana labhya: SHE WHO IS TO BE ATTAINED BY LOVE AND OTHER

GOOD DISPOSITIONS.

 

I don't know the inflections of Sanskrit, or the meanings of the scriptures,

but I had never quite thought of our vasanas (if that is the same word, with

horizontal small bars over the first and the last "a" letters?) as Prof.

Menon then described (p. 248)

"It is said that there are four types of vasanas (dispositions): maitri

(friendship), karuna (compassion), mudita (rejoicing), and upeksha

(indifference). These are explained in the BHAGAVATA PURANA. One should

cultivate friendship of the happy, show compassion to the miserable, rejoice

with the virtuous (take pleasure in association with the virtuous) and show

indifference to the sinful. Those devotees in whom these vasanas take root,

easily attain Devi or Her grace. PATANJALI YOGA SUTRA (I.33) also indicates

that undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating these very same

four vasanas."

 

This seemed like a direct remind of the blessings to you on this list who

are so compassionate and friendly, who rejoice in the wonderful amma-zing

expriences, and who are able to be indifferent to the poorly aimed word

arrows.

 

It's a good book.

love, Prashanti