Guest guest Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Dear Ramanuja Bhaktas, Va:tsalyam, Maternal Love, is celebrated by our A:cha:ryas and A:zhwa:rs as being one of the Supreme Being's greatest qualities. Loving a child the way a mother does is something that no male has been fully able to understand or experience. It is something so uniquely feminine that it has been identified as being a quality of the Feminine Side of the Divine, Sri Mahalakshmi, The Supreme Goddess. But, the idea of a Male and Female Divinity should never be taken too literally since it would serve to contradict the fundamental idea that there is only One Supreme Spirit. It is mainly a metaphor to explain how the Supreme Being can be both powerful, majestic and protective, and at the same time can be patient, compassionate and loving to all the souls. To show us that the Supreme Being can take on either or both moods at the same time, the Lord's archa rupam (iconographic form) sometimes takes on a feminine form. The photo in our web site is from a recent photograph of Srinivasa lovingly decorated to appear as Gaja Lakshmi, the maternal form who appears with elephants lovingly caring for Her. This photograph is from the Balaji Vedic Center in Michigan, USA. It can be found at: http://ph./photos/browse/1b2c?c= Note to members: this photo section is open to all members for sharing photographs of interest. adiyen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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