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Re: Divine Mother
On 4 Mar 1996, Dhruba Chakravarti wrote:
> Date: 4 MAR 1996 02:33:09 GMT
> From: Dhruba Chakravarti <dchakrav@netserv.unmc.edu>
> Newgroups: soc.religion.hindu
> Subject: Divine Mother
>
> Dear Friends:
>
> In the SBG, God said that He seeds His Mahadbrahma (read Divine Mother)
> to create the creation, and He also said that at the end of every
> ahorAtra, He returns the creation to Her in the form of the elements
> the creation is made of. We all have heard how Lords BrahmA, Vishnu and
> Maheshvara are involved in the creation, maintenance and dissolution of
> the creation. Is this in conflict with the SBG?
>
> In the Vedic upanishads (the 12 cannonized by Sri SankarAchArya), as far
> as I have read, references to 'three Devas' are not references to Lords
> BrahmA, Vishnu and Maheshvara, but to the three worlds. In
> Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Rishi Yajnyavalkya too elaborated the three
> Devas to be so. Guru NanakDevji said that God (aKAlapurusha) created
> three excellent disciples, so who are the three?
>
> I chanced on this reference by accident, which to me, solves the puzzle.
>
> brahmANI kurute sR^ishtiM na tu brahmA kadAchana.
> ataeva maheshAni brahmA preto na saMshayaH.
> vaishNavI kurute rakshAM na tu vishNuH kadAchana.
> ataeva maheshAni vishnuH preto na saMshayaH.
> rudrANI kurute grasaM na tu rudraH kadAchana.
> ataeva maheshAni rudraH preto na saMshayaH.
> brahmAvishNumaheshAdyA jaDAschaiva prakirtitAH.
> prakincha vinA devi sarve kAryAkshamA dhruvaM. (kubjikA tantra,1 patal1-4).
>
> This is extraordinarily simple sanskrit, nevertheless, the translation is:
>
> BrahmANI is the creator, not brahmA; therefore, maheshvarI! brahmA is preta
> (dead body), there is no doubt about that. VaishnavI is the maintainer,
> not Vishnu, therefore, maheshvarI! vishnu is preta, there is no doubt about
> that. rudrANI is the devourer, not rudra, therefore, maheshvarI!, rudra
> is preta, there is no doubt about that. brahmA, Vishnu and Mahesha are
> described as non-functional (jaDa), because surely, they can not function
> without Prakriti.
>
> The Divine Mother is the Shakti of God, She is the parAshakti. I read
> that Her jnAnashakti is brahmANI, icchAshakti is vaishnavI, and
> kriyAshakti is rudrANI. I have also found this reference about the
> definition of brahmANI.
>
> brahmANI brahmajananAd.h brahmano jIvanena vA. (devipurAna).
>
> (She is known as brahmANI since She is the mother of brahmA, that is, She
> gives life to brahmA).
>
> This is expanded in the very well known verse:
>
> shR^ishtisthitivinAshAnam shaktibhute sanAtani
> guNAshraye guNamaye narayaNI namo.astute.
>
> (O personality of Shakti, involved in creation, maintenance and
> destruction, hostess and embodiment of the (three) guNas (Prakriti),
> I bow to you.)
>
> Guess why Swami VivekAnanda, the advaitin that he was, also was such a
> devotee of the Divine Mother! No brainer, is it not?
Vivekananda's close association with Sri Ramakrishna no doubt had much to
do with this as well. I am impressed with your point of view and see both
Ramakrishna and Vivekananda in it as well. It always amazes me how
two people like these could both worship the supreme Lord in two totally
different ways and yet end up achieving the very same end. Through
Ramakrishna's devotional path our hearts are won, through the great
intellect of Vivekananda we learn the liberation of the advaitia Vedanta.
Only within Hinduism could such unity within apparent diversity be reveiled.
Most excellent letter!
>
> With best regards,
>
> Dhruba.
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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