Chapter 2

[Guest guest]

1. The first thing that strikes me (no pun intended) about this

chapter are about the weapons of the Goddess, which I am beginning to

see as tools, my tools. Number one - The Sword of Worship. I am not

accustomed to thinking of Worship as an offensive weapon. It is

something in which you sit quietly and watch others (priests and

ministers) deal with the God stuff and listen to their preaching.

Absorbing like a sponge and docilely accepting. But, no! Ritual

(puja, fire sacrifice) is a weapon with which to drive away and

destroy the asuras, the inimical thoughts, the negative forces from

around me. The sword is the most common weapon, the one every warrior

had in ancient times. Without it, that warrior is helpless. So

every day I take the sword of worship in my hand to do battle with

those asuras that are plaguing me. Then I can follow my dharma, then

I can do sadhana.

 

2. The great lengths of time that may be necessary for the asuras to

finally be subdued. The Gods fought against them for hundreds of

years. And so many asuras were produced that the battlefield was

overflowing with them. And yet when all the Gods (parts of the mind?)

came together and agreed and said, in effect, " No more, this ends

now! " then Divine Mother came to their aid. They put everything,

literally into this decision. All their energy, all that made them

what they are.

 

3. Many of the asuras seem to come in pairs and work as a team. The

Mahisasura works alone, the rest are his employees only. There is

only himself, as far as he is concerned.