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By
S K Harihareswara
(8412 Fontenay Way, Stockton, CA 95210-5237)
E-mail: <Hoysala@worldnet.att.net>
Phone: (209)957-6825
God, The Mother Principle:
God is One, wise call It by different names (‘ekam sat vipraH
bahudhA vadanti’ - Rgveda 1.164.46; Atharva 9.10.28) - declare the
Vedas. For some, God is the Father figure and for others the Mother (
‘tvam strI tvam pumAn asi, tvam kumAra uta vA kumArI’ -Shvetashvatara Up.
4.3 ). The Divine Mother who brought forth the Universe with ease and
spontaneity is called as LalitAmbika. We worship the Divine Mother
chanting hymns of Her various glorifying attributes and our philosophical
concept about Her.
Among Her one thousand names (‘sahasra-nAmAvaLi’) we are singing to
worship her, the first few are themselves so enchanting:
· Sri Maata : She is our auspicious mother. We seek her tender and
motherly protection, as all living beings, humans inclusive, crave for.
· Sri Mahaa-raajni : The imperial upholder of the Law and our guide so
that we go in the right path.
· Sri Simhasana-Ishvari : Sitting on the highest altar of our hearts,
She, the enthroned exhibits her ever vigilant sovereignty.
· Chit agni kunda sambhuta. : Originated from the fire of intellectual
awareness.
· Deva kaarya samudyata: One with the intent of promoting the Divine &
virtuous activities.
Sri Lalita Stotras, the Source:
The brahmAnDa purANa is one among the major eighteen Puranas. In
the uttara-khanDa (latter half) of this Purana, we have the narration
called ‘Sri Lalita upAkhyAna’, as a dialogue between Sri hayagrIva swAmi
and the sage agastya. In this narration, we find the story of Sri Lalita,
the famous ‘Lalita sahasra-nAma stotram’ and the popular ‘Lalita
tri-shatI stotram’.
One version of the ‘Lalita aShTottara-nAma stotram’ also occurs
in that narration. The second version is in a ‘Tantra’ text,
‘Rudra-yAmiLa’. There is a third version, a more popular and beautiful
version (of unknown origin) starting with
‘rajatAchala-shringa-Agraha-harmyasthA...’
In addition to this, there is a not-so-famous ‘Lalita
pancha-shati-stotram’ in a ‘mantra-shAstram’ called ‘saubhAgya-kalpa’.
The Story:
There was a demonic king by name ‘bhanDa-asura’ ruling over the
kingdom of ‘shoNita-pura’. When his evil activities became unbearable,
on the advice of the sage nArada, Indra, the king of devas performed a
Yajna, worshipping the Supreme Power, ‘parA-shakti’ on the banks of the
river BhAgIrathi at the foothills of Himalayas. From the middle of this
altar of this Yajna, an unique resplendent Sri Chakra originated. From
the center of this Sri Chakra, appeared Sri Lalita graceful, beautiful
and splendors. She agreed to fight with the evil demon BhanDa and his
army. Ultimately, she killed him in the battle and the peace again
prevailed in the universe.
The invincible demon BhanDa’s earlier story is also interesting.
When Cupid, Manmatha tried to disturb Shiva from his penance and induce
romantic sentiments in him towards the attending PArvati, Shiva got
angry, opened his third eye and reduced Manmatha into ashes.
One of Shiva’s attendant, Chitra-karma collected the ashes and
molded it into a human form. While Rati, Manmatha’s wife begging Shiva to
revive her husband, Shiva caste a merciful look at the human form so
molded and infused life into it. A lustrous young person with
unparalleled beauty appeared out of it. He worshipped Shiva very
devotedly and pleased him. Shiva blessed the young person with a lot of
boons that made him a great king with extra-ordinary strength. This made
him arrogant, unscrupulous, cruel and evil. Brahma ridiculed Shiva who
was responsible for all these menace with the exclamation ‘bhanD, bhanD!’
That’s how the king got the name BhanDa.
Sri Lalita who appeared out of Sri Chakra from the altar of the
Yajna Indra and other divinities performed, was none other than Devi
herself. She became the consort of Shiva. When Rati and other divinities
prayed, she revived Manmatha again. Vishvakarma, the divine architect
constructed a beautiful city called Shripura for Sri Lalita to reside.
Sri Lalita, accompanied by Shiva, presides over this Shripura. Sri Chakra
represents graphically the city of Shripura.
Symbols are essential in all religions. Images are one type;
Diagrams called ‘Yantras’ are the other type. ‘Sri Chakra’ is one such,
but the Supreme!. For a devotee, however, this is indeed a form of the
Mother herself (‘chakreasyApi maheshyA na bheda-lesho api bhAvyate
vibhudhaiH”). Puja performed to Sri Chakra is puja to Mother Herself.
Sri Lalita Puja:
While describing the system of ritualistic worshipping, the
Divine Bhagavati herself distinguishes between the two types:
dvi-vidhA mama pUjA syAd bAhyA cha abhyantarA+api cha|
bhyA+api dvi-vidhA proktA - vaidikI, tAntrikI tathA ||
vaidikya+archA+api dvi-vidhA mUrti bhedena, bhU-dhara|
vaidikI vaidikaiH kAryA veda-dIkShA samanvitaiH||
tantrokta dIkShAvadbhis tu tAntrikI samshritA bhavet ||
People worship me in two ways: External & Internal. Again, in the
External type, Vaidika and Tantrika are the two styles. In the Vedic
style, depending on the vyApaka and a-vyApaka mUrti pUja, worship
differs. However, Vedic style is adopted by the one who is initiated by
the Vedic mantras, whereas the Tantric style is adopted by the one with
the Tantric mantras.
Lalita Sahasra-nama:
Brevity is the essence of most of Vedic scriptural literature.
Most of the ‘sUtra’ literature are of this type. Take for example,
Brahma-sUtra, Dharma-sUtra, Grihya-sUtra, nArada-bhakti-sUtra,
shAndilya-bhakti-sUtra etc. These aphorisms are so concise and compact
that commentaries on each run to pages explaining the succinct words with
meanings literal, subtle and contextual. Just like them, this Lalita
sahasra-nama also falls into that category. Even though the Stotra format
has helped the poet-visionary to sing with poetic ecstasy, the words used
are mostly technical terms of Tantra shastra, and without a rudimentary
knowledge of which, the profound meaning of the names may not be
intelligible at all. (There are several commentaries: the one that is
referred to by many is the Soubhagya-bhaskara of Sri BhaskararAya-makhi,
who himself was an UpAsaka of Shri VidyA.)
The Shakti Principle in Puranas:
In the very beginning, there was the Primordial Supreme
Principle. That itself is the transcendental Attribute-less, Form-less
nirguna, nirAkara, parabrahma tattva. Out of Its own free will this
Supreme Immensity split into two, and there appeared the Supreme Power,
parA shakti. According the Bahvrucha-Upanishad,
devI hi ekA agra AsIt| sA eva jagadanDam asrujat|
tasyA eva brahmA ajIjanat| viShNur ajIjanat|
rudro ajIjanat| sarve marudgaNa ajIjanat|
gandharvA-aprasaH kinnaraU Aditya AdinaH samantAt
ajIjanat| bhogyam ajIjanat| sarvam ajIjanat|
sarva shaktim ajIjanat| anDajam, svEdajam, udbhijam,
jarAyujam, yat kinchai tat prANi sthAvara jangama
mAnuSham ajIjanat| sA eShA parA-shaktiH||
Every thing - movable, immovable, living and inanimate - all were
created by Her, by this primordial Supreme Power - and we call her
parAshakti!. And She herself declares in Devi Bhagavata,
sarvam khalu idam eva aham| n anyad asti sanAtanam|| (All this
is myself. None existed and exist but me!)
As a spectrum of different colors are brought out (while passing
a ray of white light) through a colorless field (of a prism)
(Ref: ya eko avarNo bahudhA shaktiyogad varNAn anekAn nihitArtho dadhAti
- Shvetashvatara. Up. 4.1), the Supreme One assumes the form of many.
Answering to the vision of the Vedic rishis who chanted
“tvam strI tvam pumAn asi, tvam kumAra uta vA kumArI” (You are
the Man and You are the Woman; You are the Boy and You yourself are the
Girl! - Shveta. Upanishad. 4.3-4), Devi has affirmed, in Rigveda
(1.10.125):
aham rudrebhir vasubhir charAmi|
aham Adityair uta vishva-vedai||
aham mitrA varuNobhA vibharmi,
aham indrAgnI aham ashvinobhA||
(I manifest in the forms of Rudra, Vasu, Aditya, Mitra, VaruNa, Indra,
Agni and Ashnvini twins.)
The Divine Mother also manifests in different faculties in the living
creatures. She herself declares in Devi Bhagavata (3.6.8.1):
aham buddhir aham shrIsh cha dhritiH kIrtiH smritis tathA |
shraddhA medhA dayA lajjA kShudhA triShNa tathA kShamA ||
kAnti shAnti pipAsA cha nidrA tandrA jarA+ajarA|
vidyA+avidyA spruhA vAnChA shaktish cha+asdhakatir eva cha||
vasA majjA cha tvak cha+aham druShTir vAk anrutA ruta |
parA madhA cha pashyantI nAdI+aham vividhAsh cha yAH||
kim nA aham pashya samsAre, mad viyukta kim asti hi|
sarvam eva aham iti+evam nishchayam viddhi padmaja ||
(I myself am the knowledge, grace, courage, memory, sincerity,
intelligence, modesty, hunger, thirst, capacity, luster, peace, sleep,
aging, blood, bone, marrow, nerve, skin, sight, truth, untruth, para,
madhyama and pashyantI sounds - and everything else in this Universe,
believe me, I am. What is there that I am not?)
And, in Devi Mahatmya of Markandeya Purana (‘chanDi’/
saptashati’), She is addressed as:
yA devi sarva bhUtEShu shakti/buddhi/shraddhA....
rUpeNa samsThitA|
nams tasyai, nams tasyai, nams tasyai, namon namaH||
(To Her who is in the form of Strength/Knowledge/Sincerity.... our
salutations!)
Sri Lalita Puja is basically the worship of that Devi sarvAtmikA,
the all pervading Energy!
ShAkta Agamas:
ShAkta Agamas are usually known as Tantras. Most of them are in
the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati. They recommend worship
of Shakti, which is the worshipping the Supreme Brahman as the female
principle. There are three main sub-schools of Tantric path: Kaula,
Mishra and Samaya. Samaya-Achara concentrates on the efficient method of
worshipping the
goddess as the Divine Mother. Some of the important works in this field
are: Tantraraja Tantra, Subha-Agama-Panchaka and Parasurama Kalpa-sUtra.
Even the Soundarya-lahari attributed to Acharya Sri Shankara falls in
this field of Agama. She is the only Reality which pervades the whole
universe. The attitude of forgiveness, compassion and affection are very
natural to a mother. She is the mother of the whole universe. She is
worshipped as Mahashakti, Tripura-sundari and Sri Lalita.
The Need for a Puja:
It is easy to decry and belittle the importance of external
worship. However, it is a fact that most of us need these external
‘helps’ to enter into finer aspects. God may be conceived as SaguNa or
NirguNa; but a proper state of mind of the devotee is needed for a vision
in the latter type. (Ref: “ nirguNA saguNA cha iti dvidhA proktA
maniShibhiH | saguNA rAgibhiH sevyA, nirguNA tu nirAgibhiH ||” - Devi
Bhagavata 1:8:40). Even though
meditation is the better one, it helps a lot to proceed step by step,
starting with the external worship. “Puja is based on the psychological
fact that repeated suggestion to the mind with proper physical movements
affects the mind profoundly and slowly purifies it - which is aim of all
sAdhanAs” (Ref. 4, p 46).
To many of us, God in the form of Divine Mother is Vigraha-
AtmikA and may be worshipped in an image form. She is YantrAtmika too,
in a diagram; She is also MantrAtmika to be conceived in the form of
Sound by chanting a mantra.
Sri Lalita Sahasra-nama Puja resorts to this last method of
praying for Her blessings to Her children.
References:
1 Swami Adidevananda: “Sri Lalita Sahsra-nama & Sri Lalita Trishati’,
Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Mysore, 1969.
2 Nagesh R Kulakarni: “Srimad Devi Bhagavata”, Pratibha Granthamaala,
Dharawar, 1982
3 Dr Yajneshwar Shastri: “Foundations of Hinduism”, Yajneshwar
Prakshan, Ahmadabad, 1993
4 Swami Swahananda: “Hindu Symbology & other essays”, Sri Ramakrshna
Math, Madras, 1983
5 Swami Chidbhvananda, “Facets of Brahman”, Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam,
Thirupparaitturai, Tamil Nadu, 1985
© Copyright 1997, S K Harihareswara
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