Reply to Aparna Ma--Ullooka Vahana of Goddess Lakshmi Devi

[Guest guest]

Dear Aparna Ma, I had given an earlier posting on Owl and it's significance when answering a query posed by one of our esteemed members.I also mentioned about Ullooka Sadhana and it's dangers in it. Owl is called 'Ullooka' in Sanskrit.The word is presumably derived as an imitative word of the hooting and tweeting of the bird in the night. white owl Lakshmi Devi,Goddess of fortune, dispenses both material and spiritual riches from her mount,Ullooka,the owl. Goddess Mahalakshmi is depicted as seated on a pink lotus with approximately 1000 arms each holding weapons and other miscellaneous objects. She is the consort of Lord Vishnu. She is revered across the globe as a deity of beauty, power, wealth and abundance. She is worshipped on Diwali and Navaratri. Goddess Mahalakshmi is always accompanied by elephants throwing water from urns on her as a mark of respect for the goddess who emerged from the churning of the oceans by the gods and demons. She is also seen riding Elephants as a prosperity symbol. However not many know that Lakshmi Devi's vahana is a white owl.But many visual representations show a brown owl. Not many know that Hanuman ji rides and has a vahana much less knowing that it is a camel. Ustra vahane' Hanumanthaha Ulluka Vahane' Lakshmi Devihi, it is said. Ushtra means a camel in sanskrit.It also means a hunch back. And you can obviously derive the etymological connection for

yourself. In the West,the Greek Goddess of wisdom and war, Athena is also said to move around with an owl. Indra was a great worshipper of Lakshmi devi and thus it is said according to some scholars that he consented to be Lakshmi Devi's vahana as a white owl. Lord Indra's appellations are many -- Vritra-han (The destroyer of Vritra), Vajra-pani (He who carries the thunderbolt), Megha-vahana (mounted upon the clouds), Sata-kratu (of a hundred sacrifices), Deva-pati (Lord of the gods), Marutwan (Lord of the wind), Jishnu (leader of the celestials) and finally Uluka (the owl). This is the mythological aspect. Ullooka sadhana which is a dangerous sadhana done by some Tantrics is another misuse of a bird for nefarious purposes. Owl is a friend of the humans by eating rodents like rats and mice in the night. To kill an owl is a greave sin according to Hindu texts and it is said one pays with heavy karma for it as it displeases Goddess Lakshmi. If one sees a U.S.Dollar bill one will see a very small owl symbol in it almost invicible to the naked eye. It is said that this symbol gave prosperity to USA. (If one notices carefully one sees a small image of owl perched on the decoration to the numerical symbol 1. if you look with a magnifying glass (it’s easier if you look at this graphic), at the top right hand corner on the reverse side of the dollar bill, on the top left corner of the "crest" surrounding the number one, you will see a very tiny owl. No one seems to know what this represents... if you look with a magnifying glass (it’s easier if you look at this graphic), at the top right hand corner on the reverse side of the dollar bill, on the top left corner of the "crest" surrounding the number one, you will see

a very tiny owl. No one seems to know what this represents... The owl traditionally represents wisdom and is vigilant while we are all sleeping The symbology of the dollar bill was of deliberate design, and is

resplendent with Egyptian/Masonic symbology.) From time to time politicians like Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Jr. have been caught with a camera flashing the horned owl symbol with their hands. George Bush flahing the horned

owl Bill Clinton Owl is also known as Nishasari. It is said in Rigveda about God Yama -the God of death that 'The owl (úluka) and the pigeon (kapóta) are mentioned as his messengers, but the two four-eyed, broad-nosed, brindled dogs, sons of Sarama

(sarameyáu) are his regular emissaries.' Now this owl is a regular owl whereas Goddess Lakshmi Devi's owl is a white owl with a golden tag around it's neck. Owl symbolises the ever-vigilant eyes of Devi to remove black karmas in the form of 'rats' which eat away the prosperity. Owl is the only bird which can trun it's head around almost 360 degrees.This is yet another aspect of vigilance. Owl is very swift when it catches a frog or a rat.It waits for the opportune

moment and then suddenly swipes down and picks up it's prey. This bird thus teaches us that one should do similarly for opportunities be it yogic or mundane. In shakuna shastra to see an owl augurs good in some cases but bad in others. One should however harbour no illfeeling to this odd looking bird and term it as evil. All are children of Amba. Hope this much information on the heavenly bird is enough. Tweet-to-hoot singeth the owl bird in the lair! Man's play not too dismal but nevertheless unfair! ---Junking Richardson Yours yogically, Shreeram Balijepalli --- Dear Mr. Shreeram, This is absolutely wonderful mail on the three places-kollur, kolapuri and kolhapur. I wanted to know is there is a significance of lakshmi having owl as a Vahana... In this urbanisation i see Owl very often in my neighbouring buildings and my own home, though there are no trees around. Can you throw some light on this topic Regards, aparna

 

 

 

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...

 

 

 

 

Click to join Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru

FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.