Happy Mothers Day

[Guest guest]

(from the Devi Bhagawatam)

 

What is that S'aktî? Which you mentioned to us before; as well by whom

Vishnu is conquered? Whence is She born? What is the power of that

S'aktî and what is Her nature? O Suvrata! explain to us these fully.

 

How was it that Yogamâyâ overpowered with sleep the Highest Deity

Bhagavân Vishnu who is everlasting-intelligence bliss! who is the God

of all, the Guru of the whole world, the Creator, Preserver and

Destroyer, who is omni-present, an incarnate of purity and holiness

and beyond Rajoguna; how was such a personage brought under the

control of sleep? O Sûta! You are very intelligent and the pupil of

Vyasa Deva; destroy our this doubt by the sword of wisdom.

 

Hearing this, Sûta said :-- " O highly fortunate Munis! There is none in

the three Lokas who can clear your this doubt; the mind-born sons of

Brahmâ, Nârada, Kapila and other eternal sons get bewildered by these

questions; what can I, then, say on this very difficult point! See,

some persons call Bhagavân Vishnu omnipresent, the preserver of all

and the best of all the Devas; according to them all this universe

moving and non-moving, is created by Vishnu.

 

they bow down before the Highest Nârâyana Hrisikes'a Janârdana

Vâsudeva and worship Him, whereas others worship Mahâdeva S'ankara,

having Gauri for the other half of his body, endowed with all powers,

residing in Kailâs'a, surrounded by hosts of bhutas, that destroyed

the Daksha's sacrifice, who is mentioned in the Vedas as

S'as'is'ekhara (having moon on his forehead), with three eyes and five

faces and holding trident in his hand and known as Vrisadhaja and

Kaparddi. O highly intelligent ones! There are some other persons,

that know the Vedas and worship the Sun everyday in the morning,

mid-day and in the evening with various hymns.

 

In all the Vedas, it is stated that the worship of the sun is

excellent and they have named the high-souled sun as Paramâtmâ (the

Highest Deity). Whereas there are other Vedavits (the knowers of the

Vedas) who worship the Devas, Fire, Indra, and Varuna. But the

Maharsis say, that as Gangâ Devi (the river Ganges), though one, is

expressing Herself by many channels, so the one Vishnu is expressing

in all the Deva forms. Those who are big Pundits, declare perception,

inference, and verbal testimony as the three modes of proofs. The

Naiyâyik Pundits add to the above three, a fourth proof which they

call upamâ, resemblance, similitude and some other intelligent Pundits

add another fifth proof called Arthâpatti, an. inference from

circumstances, presumption, implication. It is deduction of a matter

from that which could not else be; it is assumption of a thing, not

itself perceived but necessarily implied by another which is seen,

heard or proved; whereas the authors of the Purânas add two other,

called Sâkshî and Aitijhya, thus advocating seven modes of proofs. Now

the Vedânta S'âstra says that the supreme being (Para Brahmâ), the

Prime cause of the Universe, cannot be comprehended by the

above-mentioned seven proofs. Therefore, first of all, adopt the

reason leading to sure belief, the Buddhi, according to the words of

the Vedas and discriminate and discuss again and again and draw your

inference about Brahmâ. And the intelligent person should adopt what

is seen by perception as self-evident and what is inferred by the

observance of good conduct. The wise persons say, and it is also

stated in the Purânas, that the Prime Force is present in Brahmâ as

the Creative Force; is present in Hari as the Preservative Force; is

present in Hara as the Destructive Force; is present in Kurma

(tortoise) and in Ananta (the thousand headed Snake) as the earth

supporting Force; is present in fire as the Burning Force, is present

in air as the moving Force, and so is present everywhere in various

manifestations of forces.

In this whole Universe, whoever he may be, all are incapable of any

action if he be deprived of his force; what more than this, if S'iva

be deprived of Kula Kundalinî S'aktî, He becomes a lifeless corpse; O

great ascetic Rishis! She is present everywere thus in every thing in

this universe from the highest Brahmâ to the lowermost blade of grass,

all moving and non-moving things. Verily everything becomes quite

inert, if deprived of shakthi; whether in conquering one's enemies, or

in going from one place to another or in eating -- one finds oneself

quite incapable, if deprived of shakthi. Thus the omnipresent S'aktî,

the wise call by the name of Brahmâ. Those who are verily intelligent

should always worship Her in various ways and determine thoroughly the

reality of Her by every means. In Vishnu there is the Sattviki S'aktî;

then He can preserve; otherwise He is quite useless; so in Brahmâ

there is Rajasik S'aktî and He creates; otherwise He is quite useless;

in S'iva, there is Tamasik S'aktî and He destroys; else He is quite

useless. Thus, arguing again and again in one's mind, everyone should

come to know that the Highest Âdya S'aktî by Her mere will creates and

preserves this Universe and She it is who destroys again in time the

whole Brahmânda, moving and non-moving; no one is capable to do his

respective work be he Brahmâ, Vishnu, Mahes'vara, Indra, Fire, Sun,

Varuna or any other person whatsoever; verily all the Devas perform

the respective actions by the use of this Âdya S'aktî. That She alone

is present in cause and effect and is doing every action, an be

witnessed vividly. The intelligent ones call that S'aktî twofold; one

is Sagunâ and the other is Nirgunâ. The people, attached to the senses

and the objects, worship the Sagunâ aspect, and those who are not so

attached worship the Nirguna aspect. That conscious S'aktî is the Lady

of the fourfold aims of life, religion, wealth, desires, and

liberation(dharma, artha, kaama and moksha). When She is worshiped

according to due rules, She awards all sorts of desires. The worldly

persons, charmed by the Mâyâ of this world, do not know Her at all;

some persons know a little and charm others; whereas some stupid and

dull-headed Pundits, impelled by Kali, start sects of heretics,

Pâshandas for the sustenance of their own bellies. O highly fortunate

Munis! In no other Yugas were found acts as prevalent in this Kali

Yuga, based on various different opinions and altogether beyond the

pale of the Vedic injunctions. Behold again, if Brahmâ, Visnu and

Mahes'a be the supreme Deities, then why do these three Devas meditate

on another One beyond speech, beyond mind and practise, for years,

hard austerities; and why do they perform Yajñas (sacrifices) for

their success in creation, preservation, and destruction?

They know, verily, the Highest Supreme Being, Brahmâni Devî Shaktî

eternal, constant and therefore they meditate Her always in their

minds. Therefore the wise man, knowing this firmly, should serve in

every way the Highest S'aktî. O Munis! This is the settled conclusion

of all the Sâstras. I have heard of this great hidden secret from

Bhagavân Krisna Dvaipâyana. He heard it from Nârada, and Nârada heard

it from his own father Brahmâ. Brahmâ heard this from Vishnu. O Munis

it is well that the wise even should not hear or think anything to the

contrary from other sources; they should with their concentrated heart

serve the Brahmâ Sanâtanî Shaktî. It is clearly witnessed in this

world that if there be any substance wherein this conscious S'aktî

does not exist, that becomes inert, quite useless for any purpose. So

know this fully that it is the Highest Divine Mother of the Universe

that is playing here, residing in every being.

 

 

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Hari OM

Shri Gurubhyoh namah

Shyam