God as Mother - Destruction: The Springboard To Construction

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shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

> CONTENTS

>

> Publishers' Note

> Prayer to Mother

> The Indian Concept of the Divine Mother

> The Worship of the Divine Mother

> The Power Of The Transcendent Reality

> The Destroyer Of Destructive Forces

> Destruction: The Springboard To Construction

> Lakshmi: The Supreme Sustainer

> The Path Of Prosperity

> Goddess Of Auspiciousness At Home And At Heart

> Creation: The Music Of Mother's Veena

> The Goddess Of Success

> The Path To Final Liberation

> The Great Goal And Its Attainment

>

>

>

 

THIRD NIGHT

Destruction: The Springboard To Construction

 

y:a dðv:i s:v:üB:Üt:ð\:Ø Â:¹a-p:ðN:

s:öesT:t:a .

n:m:st:sy:ò n:m:st:sy:ò n:m:st:sy:ò n:m::ð n:m:H ..

yà devã sarvabhåteùu ÷raddhàråpeõa

saüsthità |

namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namaþ ||

 

SALUTATIONS again and again to the blessed aspect as Durga, Kali the

Terrible. Now try to see Divine Mother, the ultimate Goal and

Destination of all spiritual aspiration, the Divine Mother who is

one with the Para Brahman, Who is the origin and support and

ultimate destination of all creation. We have dwelt yesterday upon

Mother in Her aspect as Durga, Kali the Terrible, and tried to see

and understand how beneath Her terrible exterior and how within Her

drama of apparent destruction, She is in reality the all-

compassionate and all-benign Mother who destroys in order to build,

who takes away in order to give in abundance, and who is in reality

the one who ultimately reveals Herself to us as the Light of

lights, the Eternal Light of the Atman, after having helped us

annihilate the dense darkness of ignorance. The very conception of

the name Durga, the Mother in Her apparently terrible and

destructive aspect, is a significant thing to be understood. In the

Saptashati the origin of the name Durga has been given in one verse

where we have it described that She, who saves us from all that is

calamitous, She who saves us from danger and trouble, is known as

Durga. Because She saves Her devotees from all sorrows, dangers and

calamities, She is called Devi Durga. She being conceived of in this

peculiar aspect of an all-destroying power is not only capable of

being esoterically interpreted and explained that She destroys all

that is undesirable but also it is based upon universal experience.

 

Life Involves Destruction

 

We find that this entire world and the life of man is pervaded by

destruction. Without destruction there can be no life. The

destruction is ultimately a part of a continuous constructive

process. This philosophy of destruction can be realised even through

an observation and a study of man's everyday life. Annagatah

Pranah refers to man's life which is founded upon physical body.

If we withdraw this food, man's body cannot last. Let us take

this process of nourishing the body and keeping up life. The very

process of producing food is based upon a continuous series of

destruction.

 

We have first of all—if we desire to cultivate grain—to

destroy all thorns, weeds and jungle-growth upon the surface of the

earth. Then we have to break the surface of the earth and we have

the implements which are driven into the earth; the earth is, as it

were, wounded. Then we have to sow the seed which dies in order that

it may sprout forth into a plant. This process of destruction

continues when the grain is produced. We have to husk it. It

destroys the outer covering, then the grain is got. If it is

to be converted into food, we have to destroy trees for timber with

the cruel axe. This firewood in its turn has got to immolate itself

in the flame. Thus destroying itself, it gives up heat and thus the

food is cooked. Upon the table man destroys the food. The form, the

shape and the nature of the food are destroyed. Until it reaches his

body and manifests there as vitality, a series of the process of

destruction has got to go on. This is only one typical instance.

Like that we may observe any part of man's life upon earth; and

we will find that whatever is built is based upon a series of

apparent destructions. The sum-total of it is found to achieve the

desired result of ultimate construction.

 

Upon a much larger scale also we find that this process is

inevitable for the very sustenance of life upon earth. If the

process of destruction of the human body at death were not to be,

then we would never need a Malthus to confront us with the frightful

theory that there would not be enough space or food to house and

feed the overpopulated earth. Overpopulation is a terrible spectre

which is not visible to the ordinary layman; but to the economist

and the politician who have got a world-view of things.

Overpopulation is a constant menace to mankind. It is the

institution of this destructive aspect of the Mother as death and

annihilation of the physical body that keeps the spectre of

overpopulation at bay and also saves mankind. In spite of this, when

the population on earth far exceeds the capacity of man to produce

the necessities of life, a situation is there before mankind which

makes him tremble, a situation which baffles the politician and the

economist. There again steps in the Benign Power of the all-

compassionate and loving Mother in Her destructive aspect. Man does

not know how to stem this tide of menacing overpopulation; She

manifests as an earth-quake, as a war, as a widespread famine, as

floods, as epidemic the cosmic aspect.

 

Therefore, we find in all processes of human life if each of the

several processes is taken, by itself, we find that even the most

constructive process is nothing but an ultimate culmination of a

series of necessary and inevitable destructive processes—

destructive as conceived by man. To the ordinary mind destruction

usually implies the removal of anything from existence, a thing that

is, when destroyed, ceases to be. This philosophy of the ceasing to

be in one form and developing or progressing into another form is

the very basis for this conception of the Mother as the all-

destroying Durga or Kali. It is this philosophy of destruction that

is ultimately found to be a philosophy of transcendence. It is the

outcome, the necessity, of transcending the lower, if we have to

reach the higher. It is a process of destroying the gross in order

that scope may be given for the manifestation of the subtle. We have

to destroy darkness if light has to come in. We have to transcend

impurity, if we have to reach purity. Imperfection is destroyed if

perfection is to be gained. Even so the lesser is destroyed to give

place to the greater.

 

Not Destruction but Transcendence

 

Thus destruction upon the spiritual level ultimately comes to

express itself as a positive transcendence where a series of

progressive constructions are undertaken, by a series of destruction

of each lower form so that it may give place to each succeeding form

higher than itself. Thus, we see that this process of transcending

is a desideratum and not something to be shirked; for as long as we

are clinging to the lower, as long as we refuse to let the lower go,

we will not be able to attain the higher. It is the intervention of

the divine power in this aspect of destroying lower that makes it

possible for the attainment of the higher. As today we are to

specially consider this application of Mother in Her aspect of Durga

or the all-compassionate Kali to the specific process of Yoga and

Sadhana, we shall see how Mother is to manifest Herself in the

individual personality of the seeker, in what way is the Sadhaka to

invoke and to make manifest the Divine Mother within himself if She

is to be a tangible and helpful force in the progress of his Yoga

Sadhana. In trying to consider this, we will do well to first of all

get an idea of what this process of Yoga Sadhana actually implies.

 

Yoga Sadhana is as we all know a process of the human being

transcending the imperfections and limitations, defects, weaknesses

and impurities of his limited, finite, human nature and ascending

upward into and partaking of the infinite, eternal, divine

consciousness. In setting about to do this through the path of Yoga

and spiritual life, man is confronted with a peculiar situation, a

problem. It is not as though he has merely to take a single step

from his human nature to divine nature; because when he sets about

this task, he finds that inherent in his human nature, there is a

whole range of qualities that are essentially subhuman. This is

explained in a special manner which is peculiar to the Hindu

culture. The theory of reincarnation has laid down that the Jiva has

arrived at the stage of man after having gone through a long series

of transmigrations, through numerous lower births from the most

elementary forms of the minerals and the plant and the primary forms

of life like the amoeba. During this process of passing through

various lower stages of life, his consciousness acquires the

impression of the predominant traits of each one of these birth

phases. Therefore, when he arrives at the human stage, in addition

to this quality of human intelligence, the power of thought and

discrimination, he has also a whole host of previously-acquired

tendencies and characteristics which belong to the subhuman plane.

Therefore, we find in him such qualities which are usually

attributed to particular types of animal—the cunningness of the

fox, the cruelty of the tiger, the venomousness of the scorpion and

the lethargy of the lower species of creatures, the gluttony of the

pig, and all the evil qualities which are not to be classed as

human.

 

These form part of the nature of man though he has risen above the

bestial kingdom. Man is thus a brute endowed with a higher capacity

of discrimination, knowledge, thinking, etc. Therefore, we find

that the human being is a triune being. He is as it were midway

between the beast-world and the God-world. There is the brutal

nature on the one side of him. There is the divine nature upon the

other side of him. In between he finds himself sometimes swayed by

the bestial instincts on him—as lethargy, passion, cruelty,

anger; and sometimes raised up, at rare moments, to sublime heights

where he manifests divine qualities like compassion, justice, truth,

purity and so on.

 

Sacrifice the Beast in You

 

The Sadhak's task is, therefore, to first and foremost entirely

eradicate all that is gross, all that is animalistic, brutal and

beastly in his nature. These qualities have to be thoroughly

overhauled and taken out of his nature. After this process is done,

the transformation of the human nature has to be taken in hand and

it has to be sublimated, and transformed into a higher divine

nature. It is precisely this study of man as a composite being

containing the lower animalistic nature and then the human nature

endowed with discrimination, consciousness of higher ideals of a

noble divine purpose of this human birth upon this earth, and the

capacity to actually rise up into a higher divine consciousness—

it is this study of man and this knowledge of the nature of man that

has led to the conception of the animal sacrifice as also the

Narabali which later on became degenerated into the actual outward

practice of sacrificing animals at the altar of Mother Kali. What

was an idealistic conception to symbolise a certain inward process

in man's spiritual life later on became externalised in a

degenerate form in the shape of the practice of animal Sacrifice.

For what the animal sacrifice to be done to the deity Kali

symbolised was the invoking of this divine power in Its destructive

aspect as Durga or Kali, within the personality of the seeker so

that this divine power may work within the aspirant and completely

annihilate the beast within the man. This sacrifice of the lower

self of the seeker, of the animal nature of the Sadhaka is what is

achieved by Mother Durga or Kali in the first stages of an

aspirant's Sadhana-life.

 

To this end, the aspirant has first to analyse and try to ascertain

what are the prominent aspects in which the animal side of his lower

nature has its play in his present personality. One may be a slave

to anger more than to anything else; another lust, to carnality; and

a third one to some other aspect. One may find several aspects are

dominant in his lower personality and holding him slave. It may be

that at different times different passions get the upper hand. He

has, therefore, to first of all introspect, analyse himself and try

to find out what particular manifestation of the gross lower Gunas

are operating within his nature. A sincere study of one's own

nature is absolutely indispensable to the Sadhaka. Unless he knows

what is there in him that is undesirable, inimical to success in

Yoga, that stands as obstacle to Sadhana, it is not possible for him

to proceed correctly upon this difficult inward Path of Yoga. More

difficult is it because these dark aspects of the gross part of

man's nature, of the Tamo-Guna are not always clearly expressed

and visible within himself. Far more easy it is to fight the

external foes, because you know what they are and their nature and

strength so that you can meet them on their own level. The inner

enemies of man—anger, lust, jealousy, hatred, cruelty, etc.,—

have various forms and are invisible; they are cloaked under

various disguises and unless the seeker invokes the grace of

Antaryamin or the Indwelling Presence of the Divine in him, to aid

him, it will be a difficult task for him to proceed with this

process of destroying his lower, selfish, egoistic nature. To

analyse another person is an easier matter because you can observe

his outward behaviour, etc., but this self-analysis is a very

difficult task—first, because of the basic extrovert tendency of

the human mind—it tends to go outward to the objects of the

universe and to make it go inward is itself a delicate task;

secondly man is prevented by the ego-sense from finding out and

knowing what is defective, what is bad, that which is not gratifying

to the ego. It is common experience that that which is not pleasant

to the ego is hidden from its gaze.

 

Therefore, it is difficult of self-analysis, and this is one of the

reasons why in the Eastern mode of spiritual life the aspirant is

asked to go and submit himself to a Guru. He approaches the Guru,

surrenders himself to the Guru and tries to live with the Guru so

that the defects and undesirable qualities within him which he will

not be able to perceive by his own efforts, by his own study of

himself, can be easily perceived by the Guru and then the Guru puts

the aspirant in such situations where he will be able to overcome

these defects and also sometimes gives him such tasks where the

eradication of these qualities becomes absolutely necessary; and he

may also give the aspirant specific instructions and where necessary

even admonish him so that these hidden defects, hidden to the

aspirant but not hidden from the gaze of the Guru, its destruction

becomes facilitated. Thus the Guru also fulfils to a great extent

the role of Mother Kali in helping the aspirant to destroy the

vicious tendencies and evil traits that are the stumbling blocks in

the very first stages of one's spiritual life.

 

Manifestations of Durga in Spiritual Sadhana

 

Mother Durga thus manifests Herself in and through the form of the

Guru, in the form of an aspirant in the aspirant himself to rise to

a higher plane, in the form of a ruthless self-criticism and a self-

examination; and when this analysis reveals to the seeker the

picture of his lower animalistic self in all its detail then the

Mother has to be invoked by him as a strong resolution and a strong

determination to completely root out these evil tendencies because

this aspect of the Mother is absolutely necessary if one has to

start progressing upon the path of Yoga. To be unaware of the

defects is the first great obstacle; and then if we get over this

and become aware of our defects, but if we do not do anything about

them in spite of our knowing our defects, the defects will remain

and we will not progress. The next stage is, we must have a fiery

determination and a strong power of will to completely break down

this lower nature within us. Once this determination is invoked, the

Mother manifests Herself as a strong will-power and a resoluteness

in the aspirant to conquer and attain victory over his animalistic

nature.

 

Next She has to manifest Herself in dynamic will. This will has to

be translated into dynamic action, as Sadhana-Sakti, in the

aspirant, so that day by day he begins to fight these evil

tendencies in all moments of his daily life, in his actions, in his

dealings with others, in his thoughts and motives and in his

attitudes; this is done by the Sadhana-Sakti aspect of the

Divine-Mother. Thus the Sadhana must proceed. For doing his task

successfully he has to generate the power of the Divine Mother as

Sadhana-Sakti and all the different processes of Yoga. If he is prey

to certain lower appetites, he has to completely destroy those

appetites, by a series of Sadhanas like Tapascharya, leaving off

certain things, denying himself the gratification of those

appetites.

 

It may be said that the denial of certain appetites may drive them

underground as it were, to overcome man at some propitious moment,

in the form of temptations. Here we have to put forward a certain

great truth. It has been found out that to try to overcome an

appetite by feeding it is the most impossible thing upon earth;

because sense-cravings are likened to a huge conflagration or

fire—and if we try to satisfy them, they say, this process acts

as ghee poured into the fire. So that we actually give it something

to consume; and by consuming it the fire blazes forth all the

stronger and more furiously. It is on the other hand, by withdrawing

the food to this blaze of sense-cravings that they die a natural

death. Therefore, Tapascharya is another form in which Mother Durga

manifests Herself in the aspirant.

 

In order to bear the rigour of Tapascharya, one must develop the

power of Titiksha, the power of enduring things which may be very

unpleasant and which may be very difficult and undesirable to the

lower side of man. Titiksha in its various forms like fasting,

vigil, etc., and self-denial in its various forms like giving up

those things which the mind likes best for some period of time,

e.g., saltless diet, taking tea without sugar, non-using shoes, come

under this category. Methods by which we check some natural downward

tendency and control some sensual appetite which draws the

personality towards the objective world, have to be intelligently

thought over and thus a whole programme of Sadhana has to be worked

out by every individual Sadhaka or spiritual aspirant. It is the sum-

total of these expressions of the Mother in the Sadhaka that

ultimately enable him to transcend the first stage of spiritual life

and Sadhana and completely attain victory over the lower nature in

him.

 

Thus, the animal sacrifice, as it were, is achieved through the

invocation of the divine Power within us in its evil-destroying,

darkness annihilating, and Tamas-overcoming aspect. This is the

significance and meaning of the worship of Mother Kali in the

spiritual life of the aspirant.

 

It is impossible for anyone to cover the entire field of the

manifestation of the Mother in Her aspect as Durga in the life of

the aspirant. It is naturally a process which each one has to think

out and work out for himself. It is only in its general form that we

can say that Mother has to be manifested in the form of a ruthless

self-analysis, a firm determination and a dynamic attempt to give

expression to this resolution and the qualities like austerity,

endurance, self-denial, fasting and the various other aspects of

Yoga Sadhana, that we will be able to give it while dealing with the

question in a general way.

 

Saptashati's Lesson

 

Next, we have to transcend even the human nature with all its wrong

conceptions and with its ego-sense, if we are to reach the higher

divine consciousness. This process of overcoming even the human side

of the aspirant's consciousness is symbolised by human sacrifice

or Narabali. The arrangement of the Saptashati in the three aspects

of first the killing of Madhu-Kaitabha, secondly the killing of

Mahishasura, and thirdly the killing of the brothers Shumbha and

Nishumbha with their host of demons, symbolises the different stages

of Sadhana. Madhu and Kaitabha represent the gross form of the lower

nature of man. Mahishasura represents the next stage, the

annihilation of the Rajo-Guna aspect. When we come to the third

part, we find the Asura is a far finer type of demon; he is a king,

very wealthy, greatly cultured, but with a supervening vanity. He

possesses dominance over all the celestial hosts and he possesses

the entire wealth of the world. Everything that is desirable, all

that is best in all the fourteen worlds, are possessed by the

invincible brothers and they command a huge host of warriors. One of

the warriors is a demon called Raktabija who is equated with the

human egoism. It is after the destruction of egoism in its lower

form that the ultimate destruction of Shumbha and Nishumbha is

possible, symbolising as it were the destruction of Vikshepa and

Avarana Shaktis, by which the last barrier between the human and the

Divine is removed and the culmination of the Sadhak's

spiritual life is achieved through the grace of the Mother, with the

attainment of identification with the Cosmic Supreme Being.