God as Mother - Goddess Of Auspiciousness At Home And At Heart

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shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

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> 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

>

>

>

 

SIXTH NIGHT

Goddess Of Auspiciousness At Home And At Heart

 

S:rN:ag:t:din:at:üp:er*:aN:p:ray:N:ð

s:v:üsy:aet:ührð dðev: ! n:aray:eN: ! n:m::ð|st:Ø

t:ð

÷araõàgatadãnàrtaparitràõaparàyaõe

sarvasyàrtihare devi ! nàràyaõi ! namo.astu te |

 

SALUTATIONS crores of times to the blessed Divine Mother who is the

one Power that sustains the universe. She is the source of Power

manifest in and through the various names and forms. Salutations

again and again to Her who manifests within our hearts as

aspiration, as Sadhana-Shakti and preserves our Yoga and who

ultimately manifests Herself as Pure Knowledge in our consciousness

and illuminates our entire being.

 

Today we come to the third sacred day of worship of the Divine

Mother in Her aspect of Sri Lakshmi or Vishnu Shakti or Narayani. On

this sixth day of the Navaratra Worship ours is the rare blessing

and good fortune to dwell upon the Goddess Lakshmi as She manifests

to the individual in the intimate sphere of the home, the domestic

sphere, at heart in Her very important and significant inner aspect

as the Daivi Sampat which are developed in the personality of the

seeker and Sadhaka and the Mumukshu. In these two aspects She is of

a special and practical importance to us all in as much as knowing

the Mother in these aspects we shall be able to recognise both Her

presence and Her absence as such, and by recognising which we shall

be able to strive to preserve those aspects in which She is present

and try to cultivate and bring into manifestation and expression

those aspects of Hers which we may find to be

absent.

 

Glorious Indian Womanhood

 

In the domestic sphere the conception of the Goddess Lakshmi is

wonderful and unique in this blessed land of Bharatavarsha. For the

home itself is regarded as the Abode of Lakshmi where the Mother

manifests Herself in the worshipful form of the Grihini. Therefore,

we are familiar with the expression Grihalakshmi, the Mother who

presides over the auspiciousness, welfare and progress of the home-

life and family. She is conceived of as the very embodiment of

Goddess Lakshmi. Herein we have a unique feature of the Bharatiya

Samskriti which is a thing that is found to be absent in the West.

In the West the woman is more conceived of as the wife, an equal

partner to the man vying for privilege with him in all spheres of

activity and trying to assert not only her equality but even further

her personal independence. Whereas, to the Hindu heart woman is the

mother. It is the motherhood of the woman that is ever present in

the consciousness of the true Hindu. This is the blessing of being

born in this Punya-Bhumi for out of this conception we shall

be enabled to rise to the realisation of the Motherhood of God. This

Matri-Bhav or the attitude and the vision of woman as the Mother is

a means of purifying our hearts and minds and elevating us to a

higher state wherein the descent of divine light becomes

facilitated.

 

Thus, home is the abode of Lakshmi to the Hindu; therefore, every

home in Hindu society is a temple of auspiciousness, of Mangalya,

presided over by Lakshmi in and through the pure person of the

Grihalakshmi. The greatness, the power and the radiance of the

Mother as embodied in the mother of the home is the radiance of

chastity, Pativrata Dharma, which forms the grandeur, the glory and

the inner radiance of the Grihalakshmi. To her it is the power that

is unsurpassed in the whole world. The entire conception of Dharma

for women may be summed up in this single word Pativratya. To the

Grihalakshmi in her sphere of the home, the husband or the Patidev

is what to the Sadhaka and the seeker in the Spiritual life, (in the

sphere of Yoga) the Guru is. Even as the Sadhaka looks upon the Guru

as the Supreme Being Himself, as identical with God, as brought out

in the couplet:

 

Twam Hi Vishnur Virinchistwam Twam Cha Devo Maheshwarah

Twameva Shaktiruposi Nirgunastwam Sanatanah

 

Even so the Patidev is to the wife. Pativratya is the greatest

treasure that a woman can possess in this life that makes her not

merely an exceptional woman but which makes her a veritable Goddess-

upon-earth. For, this power of chastity is the divine element of

Goddess Lakshmi Herself. Added to this, the external expression of

this internal virtue of chastity, is in the form of modesty. The

ornament of the Hindu woman is modesty. She does not care to see

others and be seen. This is a craze, a disease, which is developing

in the modern era. One likes that the attention of others may be

attracted towards oneself; and to this end colourful dresses and

every device as invented by the fertile brains of people who are

immersed in the deepest of darkness, are utilised so that attention

of others may be attracted. This is the direct antithesis or

contradiction of the sublime and noble virtue of modesty. If

modesty is neglected and this craze for attraction is given place

to, then it becomes a denial of Lakshmi Devi. It is Alakshmi. We

must always bear in mind that in the eyes of Hindu idealism, modesty

is a virtue of paramount importance and in this form the Mother

manifests Herself in and through the ideal of noble Indian

womanhood.

 

Lakshmi also manifests Herself in the home in the personality of the

Grihalakshmi as grace and sweetness of manners, behaviour and

speech. A woman should never be harsh. No harsh word, no rude

speech, no hard utterance should ever cross the holy lips of the

presiding deity of the Hindu home. This is the ideal, for

graciousness and sweetness are a part and parcel of the Hindu

conception of the Grihalakshmi. Never to utter harsh words is one of

the methods of honouring Lakshmi and worshipping Her. This is to be

borne in mind in all homes; for that alone conduces to real

happiness, peace and welfare of the home.

 

Another custom which is not properly understood is the adornment of

the person with two important things, besides the Mangalya-Sutra

which is the distinct sign of the Grihalakshmi. In two more aspects

Lakshmi is present in the Hindu home; that is in the form of two

factors of adornment of the ideal Hindu woman—in the form of

flowers and in the form of Tilak. A Hindu woman should never go

without the Tilak. There is a special significance and a deep and

important reason for the wearing of a sizeable Tilak upon the

forehead which is not understood. But it may be accepted without any

doubt that there is a very real necessity and importance for this

Tilak both from the subjective point of view of the lady wearing it,

as also from the objective point of view of all people who have to

contact her during Vyavahar. Also, flowers. Flowers are the very

manifestation of Lakshmi and they are also to be worn. But, at

the same time we should not forget that Mother Lakshmi acts both as

the Vidya Maya as also the Avidya Maya. Therefore, in this aspect as

the Avidya Maya she is always to be worshipped from a very safe

distance and we should daily pray to Her that she may save us from

that aspect of Her play and She may only bless us as Her Vidya

aspect.

 

Apart from the manifestations of the Goddess Lakshmi in the person

of the Grihalakshmi, She is also manifest as a continuous attitude

of worshipfulness to the Patidev and a continuous willing self-

sacrificing service of the Lord in and through the husband.

 

Goddess Lakshmi Herself is the greatest exemplar of this sublime

Pati-Seva. For, the Vaishnavite conception of the great Mother is as

an Eternal Sevika of the Lord in Vaikuntha. She is ever at the feet

of Bhagavan Vishnu, ever intent on the perennial eternal service of

the Lord. This conception of the Goddess Lakshmi is very significant

one, that is to be borne in mind and translated into action in the

personal life of each model Hindu woman. Manifestations of Lakshmi

in the Home

 

Coming from the person of the Grihalakshmi to the surroundings of

the house, cleanliness is the one important way in which Lakshmi is

Present. The very dust and dirt about the house is Alakshmi. It is

referred to in South India as Daridrya.

 

Then, lamps. The moment the time of twilight and sunset comes we

will immediately find that every Hindu Home will at once have a lamp

lit and saluted and thus brightness and illumination will at once

come in before darkness sets in. This is a practice which is

followed in every Hindu home where it is recognised that light or

illumination is an aspect of Lakshmi as She is manifest in the

domestic sphere.

 

Then the worship of the gods. This is of paramount importance. Where

the gods are not worshipped, there Lakshmi does not stay. She may of

course come and take Her abode in Her extreme Avidya aspect; money

may be accumulated, but ultimately prosperity will go from the home,

and grief, suffering and sorrow will be the ultimate fate of those

homes where the gods are not worshipped. This is a very important

factor which people of this sacred land, who have come to be

increasingly influenced by occidental thought and Western ways of

living, will have to bear in mind and to beware of if they really

wish their ultimate happiness and the prosperity of the family. Gods

have to be worshipped; that is to be the most important part of

domestic life and observance of the traditional forms of festivity

and sacred days. For if these days like the Janmashtami, Rama-

Navami, etc., which are observed in this holy land, are neglected,

we remark that there is no auspiciousness in that house.

 

Charity. This is also an important manifestation of Mother Lakshmi

in the Grihasthasrama. The Grihastha has the unique privilege of

sharing what he has with others of the three Ashramas—the

indigent Brahmacharis who wish to carry on their studies, the

wandering Sannyasin and also the Vanaprasthin who has renounced home

and is living a holy life and preparing to qualify himself for the

fourth order of Sannyasa. To give charity to these three classes of

beings is a rare privilege of the second Order and to utilise this

privilege is to manifest the power of Goddess Lakshmi in the

domestic sphere; for, it is by this that preservative aspect of

Vishnu is exercised, by which Dharma is preserved and the other

Ashramas are helped to be perpetuated.

 

Hospitality to the Atithi (guest) is an important aspect of Lakshmi.

Where a stranger or a guest is turned away, there Lakshmi does not

abide. But where there is a welcome for the beggar, and the

unexpected guest, there Lakshmi dwells in all Her radiance and

blesses that home. Hospitality, charity and generosity are also

important aspects of Goddess Lakshmi which have to be diligently and

religiously preserved by the devout Hindu Grihastha.

 

Two things which are peculiarly Indian, and I may say peculiarly

Hindu, which are also important factors in which the Goddess Lakshmi

manifests Herself in the Hindu home are these. First, as the sacred

basil (Tulsi) plant. No home should ever be without the Tulsi plant.

For this is one of the living forms in which the Goddess Lakshmi is

present upon earth. She is the direct Vibhuti of the Divine Lord. In

this respect I may say that the Maharashtrians are very particular

about this; no matter where they might live, they may be

millionaires and they may be living in materialistic surroundings in

big cities; they may be living in tenements where hundreds of

families live together in four or five-storeyed houses; yet you will

find that every Maharashtrian home will have a small pot where the

Tulsi plant will grow. The moment you enter the house, you will see

the Tulsi plant. It is thus that the Mother blesses such families

where She is worshipped in this very special form. No Maharashtrian

Grihalakshmi will ever take anything until she has at least offered

a flower at this Tulsi plant or burnt a little camphor or done

one Pradakshina and bowed her head in devout salutation to Tulsi-

Devi.

 

The second form of the Goddess which is unfortunately fast

disappearing from all Hindu homes in the urban areas is the sacred

cow—Gomata. It was the custom of all Hindus a couple of

generations ago to have the worship of cow every day in the house.

Without Gopuja the devout Hindu wife will not take her food. In

cities it is very rare to see a cow and all milk is supplied in

bottles from dairies. Therefore, this is a tradition that is dying

away except in villages. To make up for this even though it may not

be possible for the Hindu Grihalakshmi to preserve this tradition,

of daily Gopuja, as a sort of Prayaschittha, at least upon one or

two sacred days a year every devout Hindu lady must make it a point

to perform this Puja. There is of course one particular day in the

year which is specially set apart for Gopuja; and upon that day

people somehow manage to worship the cow wherever they can find it.

Thus opportunities for such Puja should be created where there is

this manifestation of the Goddess in the form of the sacred animal

the Cow which at one time formed the grand conception of wealth

according to the Hindu mind. Thus far for the manifestation of the

Mother in the sphere of the house.

 

Spiritual Wealth in the Sadhaka

 

Now we come to the most important aspect of the Goddess Lakshmi in

this world as the Moksha-Dayini. Mainly Mother in Her aspect of

Lakshmi is of the Rajo-Guna; because, through Rajas activity is kept

up. Life has to be preserved by dynamic processes. Therefore, the

Mother is partaking of the Rajo-Guna. But yet She has within Herself

the inner resources of Pure Sattva because Vishnu partakes of Sattva

Guna and ultimately She has to merge in Her third aspect as Goddess

Saraswati and as we approach the borderland between the

manifestation of Lakshmi and Saraswati, Mother Lakshmi manifests as

Mokshalakshmi—that is the means that helps us to attain

deliverance.

 

In this aspect it is that the Mother manifests in the life of the

Sadhaka. The Sixteenth Chapter of the Gita gives us some of the main

qualities in which the Mother is manifest; She is manifest as

fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga,

alms-giving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of the

scriptures, austerity, straightforwardness, harmlessness, truth,

absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of

crookedness, compassion to beings, uncovetousness, gentleness,

modesty, absence of fickleness. Here two very interesting points may

be noted. In Her aspect as Avidya Maya, Lakshmi is manifest as

wealth and the concomitants of wealth, viz., greed for more wealth,

the sense of acquisition and pride and vanity as part and parcel of

the Abhimana of wealth; and also She is manifest as fickleness. It

is very significant when the Lord enumerates the Daivi Sampat upon

the spiritual path. He points some of the aspects of the Mother

which are directly in opposition to Her own manifestation as the

Avidya-Maya. That is why in the second verse of the Sixteenth

Chapter, we get both non-covetousness as also absence of fickleness.

These are the twenty-four Daivi-Sampat which are aspects in which

the Goddess Lakshmi takes Her abode in the heart of the spiritual

aspirant.

 

Then Sama and Dama are two divine attributes that are manifest in

the heart of the Sadhaka, serenity as opposed to fickleness,

selflessness as opposed to selfishness which all possessions bring

about. Obedience: this is an important aspect in which the Mother

manifests Herself in the heart of the Sadhaka; for She is obedience

personified in relation to Her Lord Maha-Vishnu. Even as She

denotes the very acme of Pativratya and absolute absorption in the

service of Her Lord, She manifests Herself in the heart of the

Sadhaka and the seeker as spontaneous Guru-Bhakti that is

worshipfulness towards the spiritual preceptor, and its natural

concomitant, i.e., wholehearted, dedicated, self-sacrificing service

of the spiritual preceptor, Guru-Seva with Ananya-Bhava.

 

Mother manifests Herself in the Sadhaka's personality as keen

observation, alertness and wakefulness. To have these qualities is

of paramount importance upon the path of Yoga. One should not be

lethargic; one should not miss important things from which he may

have to learn invaluable and priceless lessons; and therefore the

quality of keen observation is a very necessary one for the

spiritual Sadhaka for he has to learn in this school of life where

experience is the method of education and unless one has got this

power of observation by which he learns valuable lessons through

these experiences, he will be missing the most important aspect of

Goddess Lakshmi.

 

Discipline: one must have spiritual discipline. This is a sign of

auspiciousness because it springs out of self-control and firmness

of mind, as the preservative aspect; just as Mother as power gives

us the necessary quality of firmness and determination of mind. If

this has to bear fruit in Sadhana one must have regular, unbroken

and continuous Sadhana. Therefore, continuity in one's spiritual

Sadhana and regularity in Sadhana are two ways in which the Goddess

Lakshmi as Vishnu-Shakti manifests Herself in the heart of the

Sadhaka. For, these two qualities sustain the Yoga-Abhyasa of the

seeker.

 

Persistence and Perseverance: These two are important aspects of

Daivi Sampat through which Lakshmi is manifest. Then, a feeling of

desirelessness and self-sufficiency, contentment or Santosha are

also the expressions of Goddess Lakshmi within our hearts.

 

Even as cleanliness in the domestic sphere, so also Saucha in the

life of a Sadhaka is a necessary expression of Goddess

Lakshmi—inner as well as outer cleanliness in all aspects of the

seeker's life.

 

Health and cheerfulness—these two aspects are manifestations of

the Goddess. Slight Not the Mother

 

Having thus summed up the manifestations of the Mother both in the

domestic sphere and the sphere of the life of Yoga and Sadhana, we

have to bear in mind an important law with regard to the

manifestation of this aspect of the divine power of the Mother.

Where Lakshmi is worshipped and propitiated there She stays. Where

She is neglected there the Mother does not stay. This is to be

always borne in mind by all people whether in the domestic sphere or

in the Sadhana-life. Knowing this one must be very careful and avoid

all slightings of the Mother. When such manifestations of Goddess

Lakshmi are present, if we do not make use of them, if we ignore

them, then we slight the Goddess. There, we neglect to honour Her as

She would have us honour Her. Therefore, if Lakshmi is neglected and

if She is slighted, prosperity and happiness, secular as well as

spiritual, will depart from that person.

 

Realising this important law, we must be ever careful to avoid

slighting the Mother in any aspect. Therefore, in the Hindu home we

have always the belief that one should not get angry when he is

sitting down to take his food. One should not speak harsh words at

food-time. To refuse food is a very great blunder; for it becomes a

direct insult and slighting of the Goddess in Her visible form of

sustaining the very life upon earth. One should never slight

food or treat it with disrespect. Therefore, in the Hindu family

where this important fact is recognised, the Grihalakshmi will never

allow specially rice to be thrown about on the floor, for to tread

upon this rice is a very great mistake. Anna is Lakshmi. One should

never waste or throw away food unnecessarily, because by this

throwing away of food, we fail to recognise the worth and importance

of this manifestation of the Goddess. We may by all means

give food in charity, by all means feed the animals, the cow, the

dog, the cat, any hungry creature; but wantonly we should not throw

away food. For, if when She comes to us of Her own gracious will, we

thus fail to recognise Her worth, then at a time when we need Her we

will find that She is absent.

 

One more important manifestation of Lakshmi in the Sadhaka is

memory. Yaa Devi Sarva Bhuteshu Smriti Rupena Samsthita. Therefore,

the spiritual seeker must always try to cultivate the Mother in this

aspect. Mother is the Smriti in all beings, says the Devi Sukta,—

Smriti of the precious and sublime words of Upadesh, of wisdom, of

Jnana, from the lips of the Guru, and also from the lips and from

the example of all great saints, the men of God in this world

from whom we obtain this knowledge. It is through Smriti that these

gems of spiritual instructions are preserved; if we do not bear them

in mind, reflect over them, do Manana and Nididhyasana we will not

be able to reap the full benefit out of this Upadesha. Unless we

have this memory aspect of the Divine Mother in us, we shall never

be able to carry out the instructions and orders of the Guru in a

satisfactory manner. Therefore we should not neglect this important

aspect of the Goddess Lakshmi; and give the excuse " I did not

remember. " If we do not remember the Guru's Upadesh we will

be the losers. Therefore, may we pray to the Mother Lakshmi to bless

us and grace both our homes and our hearts in all these divine

aspects of Her Vidya nature and may we make the fullest use of Her

presence in our homes and hearts and thus try devoutly to honour and

worship the Mother. May we thus attain our eternal welfare here as

well as hereafter.

 

A few special words to all devotees and aspirants who have this

unique privilege in this life of having come into the sacred shelter

at the feet of our divine Gurudev and have got the unique privilege

of trying to mould our lives in accordance with his Upadesh as also

to observe the lofty divine life as lived in this sacred and holy

place, Ananda Kutir. Herein we have one of the rarest manifestations

of Mother Lakshmi in all Her radiance and all Her glory. For She has

given Herself to us in the form of this unique Ashram, the unique

Institution where all the Daivi Sampats are there in profusion and

in divine abundance. For, here is a unique, most auspicious and

blessed place where having come into this rare human birth and

having had the unique good fortune of Mumukshutva and the crown of

the third blessing of contact with a sage established in the highest

transcendental realisation of the Atman, we have in addition, been

given the blessing of this wonderful place wherein every aspect of

our Sadhana is being preserved from day to day and helped in

every way.

 

For the Bhakta there is abundant opportunity to do Upasana in the

temple, chant the Name of the Lord and sing Kirtan in the Bhajan

Hall and every type of facility to have Sravana, Smarana, and other

nine modes of Bhakti, and all facilities for doing Japa in the ideal

surroundings in the temple or in the forest, on the unique sacred

banks of the Ganga.

 

For the Vedantin every facility is here to hear sublime discourses

on the Upanishads, to have Satsanga with great souls like Sri Swami

Krishnanandaji, and also to have the opportunity of deep meditation

in the seclusion of the forest-surroundings.

 

So, too, for the Karma Yogi. For the Karma Yogi it is a paradise; if

only he has got the real wish to spiritualise, to transform his life

itself into Sadhana. So, too, for the Raja Yogi: to develop all the

virtues, to practise Asanas and Pranayama—there are the best

facilities here.

 

In short this is what a Sanskrit Pundit might say: a place the like

of which Na Bhuto Na Bhavishyati.

 

One very rarely comes across such a wonderful place having every

facility for every type of Sadhana through which one could reach the

highest goal, the destination of human life, and become eternally

blessed. This place is the visible manifestation which the Goddess

Lakshmi has bestowed Herself upon unstintedly, in this most glorious

and most gracious manner. There is this Ganga, Himalayas, Guru,

Govinda-Aradhana and all that is left to us is only to honour and

adore this wondrous manifestation of Mother Lakshmi in our lives,

by making the best use of this opportunity, by utilising this unique

privilege and opportunity which the Lord has bestowed upon us.

 

As I drew your attention just a while ago, let us not commit the

blunder of neglecting all these wonderful divine blessings which the

Mother has bestowed upon us in this form; for if we neglect, this

rare opportunity will pass away. Life is very uncertain and time is

fleeting and this rare unique opportunity of a human birth in such

ideal conditions will pass away all too soon. If this is neglected

and it becomes too late the regret will be entirely ours and then

we shall not be in a position to make up for what we thus lose.

Mother, once She has given an opportunity and She has been rejected,

will not easily come, and very difficult indeed it will be for us to

get such an opportunity once again. Therefore, while the Grace is

flowing, in all its abundance, may we be alert and vigilant and fill

ourselves with it by all means by being diligent in Sadhana,

persisting and persevering in our spiritual practices and thus

with the blessings of the Divine Feet of Gurudev and the Grace of

Mother Lakshmi let us quickly finish this journey of this life on

earth and reach the abode of perennial light, eternal bliss,

immortality and divine perfection.