Devi: Now listen attentively about the supreme devotion (parabhakti)

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Supreme Devotion to Devi.

 

In Hindu mythology, female goddesses perform special functions that

male gods are incapable of performing. The most important female

deity is Devi, the wife of Shiva, who is often referred to simply as

the Goddess. Like Shiva, Devi is contradictory in nature. In her

gentle and subservient moments she takes on the form of a goddess

named " Parvati. " In more fierce moments she takes on the form of the

goddess known as " Kali, " who is depicted as wearing a necklace of

human skulls, tearing away the flesh of sacrificed victims. As the

mother goddess of all, Devi has a special creative power beyond all

the Gods. The Hindu term for this creative power is shakti and, so,

devotees to Devi are called Shaktas. These followers see her as the

single original reality from which the three gods of the Trimurti

emerge. They also see her creative power as the source of the

origination (pravrti) and dissolution (pralaya) of the successive

universes, as described above. Although the Puranas focus mainly on

the male Gods of the Trimurti, the Devi Bhagavata Purana is devoted

specifically to Devi and her creative powers. About one thousand

pages in length, the text is classified as one of the 18 great

Puranas, although it competes for that classification with the

Bhagavata Purana discussed above....

 

The text vividly describes the concept of supreme devotion

(parabhakti), a central component of all the Puranas. One passage

explains that there are three kinds of Yoga: that of action (karma),

knowledge (jnana), and devotion (bhakti). According to Devi, who

narrates the text herself, " Of these three, the Yoga of devotion is

the easiest in all respects. " However, she explains, there are three

lower forms of devotion that should be avoided. Some people worship

Devi to spite other people. Others worship Devi hoping to attain

some personal desire, such as fame. Still others worship Devi as a

means of purifying their actions. A fourth type of devotion, though,

is supreme devotion, which is completely selfless. As described

below, it is so selfless that the worshiper does not even desire the

experience of release itself.

 

Now listen attentively about the supreme devotion (parabhakti) which

I will now describe to you. He always hears my glories and recites

my name. His mind always dwells in me, like the incessant flow of

oil, and he is the receptacle of all good qualities and gunas. But

he does not have the least trace of any desire to get the fruits of

his actions (karma). Indeed, he does not want the various levels of

release (moksha), including being on the same plane as God

(salokya), nearness to God (samipya), having the form of God

(sarsti), union with God (sayujya) and other forms of release.

 

Devi continues noting that true worshipers abandons all concepts of

themselves, completely identify themselves with Devi, and make no

distinctions between themselves and anything else. Worshipers find

Devi in everything, including other souls:

 

He becomes filled with devotion for me alone, worships me only,

knows nothing higher than to serve me, and he does not even want

final release. He does not like neglecting the notions of " serving "

(sevya) and the " servant who serves " (sevaka). He always meditates

on me with a constant vigilance, actuated by a feeling of supreme

devotion. He does not think of himself as separate from me, but

rather thinks to himself, " I am the Lord (Bhagavati). " He considers

all souls (jivas) as myself, and loves me as he loves himself. He

makes no distinction between the souls and myself since he finds the

same pure consciousness (caitanya) everywhere and manifested in all.

He does not quarrel with anyone since he has abandoned all ideas of

separateness. He bows down and worships the pure consciousness and

all the souls. He becomes filled with the highest love when he sees

my place, sees my devotees, hears the scriptures, describes my

deeds, and meditates on my mantras. His hairs stand on end out of

love for me and his tears of love flow incessantly from both of his

eyes. He recites my name deeds in a voice that is choked with

feelings of love for me. With intense feeling he worships me as the

mother of this universe and the cause of all causes. [Devi Bhagavata

Purana, 7.37]

 

Supreme Devotion to Devi

EASTERN PHILOSOPHY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CLASSICAL THEORIES OF

HINDUISM, BUDDHISM, CONFUCIANISM, AND TAOISM

www.utm.edu/staff/jfieser/vita/research/Eastphil.htm