Lalitha Sahasranamam - 123

123 SARADHARADYA – She who is to be worshipped during Navarathri celebrated during autumn.

Here I have to mention that she is worshipped round the year and many of us worship her at different times.

Navaratri is celebrated four times a year. They are Basantha Navaratri, Ashada Navaratri, the Sharana Navaratri, and the Poushya/Magha Navaratri. Of these, the Sharada Navaratri of the month of Puratashi and the Vasantha Navaratri of the Vasantha kala are very important.
1. Vasantha Navaratri - Basantha Navrathri, also known as Vasant Navratras, is the festival of nine dedicated to the nine forms of Shakti (Mother Goddess) in the spring season(March – April). It is also known as Chaitra Navratra. The nine days of festival is also known as Raama Navratri.

• The Story Behind the Origin of Vasanta Navaratri
  In days long gone by, King Dhruvasindu was killed by a lion when he went out hunting. Preparations were made to crown the prince Sudarsana. But, King Yudhajit of Ujjain, the father of Queen Lilavati, and King Virasena of Kalinga, the father of Queen Manorama, were each desirous of securing the Kosala throne for their respective grandsons. They fought with each other. King Virasena was killed in the battle. Manorama fled to the forest with Prince Sudarsana and a eunuch. They took refuge in the hermitage of Rishi Bharadwaja.
  The victor, King Yudhajit, thereupon crowned his grandson, Satrujit, at Ayodhya, the capital of Kosala. He then went out in search of Manorama and her son. The Rishi said that he would not give up those who had soughts protection under him. Yudhajit became furious. He wanted to attack the Rishi. But, his minister told him about the truth of the Rishi’s statement. Yudhajit returned to his capital.
  Fortune smiled on Prince Sudarsana. A hermit’s son came one day and called the eunuch by his Sanskrit name Kleeba. The prince caught the first syllable Kli and began to pronounce it as Kleem. This syllable happened to be a powerful, sacred Mantra. It is the Bija Akshara (root syllable) of the Divine Mother. The Prince obtained peace of mind and the Grace of the Divine Mother by the repeated utterance of this syllable. Devi appeared to him, blessed him and granted him divine weapons and an inexhaustible quiver.
  The emissaries of the king of Benares passed through the Ashram of the Rishi and, when they saw the noble prince Sudarsana, they recommended him to Princess Sashikala, the daughter of the king of Benares.
  The ceremony at which the princess was to choose her spouse was arranged. Sashikala at once chose Sudarsana. They were duly wedded. King Yudhajit, who had been present at the function, began to fight with the king of Benares. Devi helped Sudarsana and his father-in-law. Yudhajit mocked Her, upon which Devi promptly reduced Yudhajit and his army to ashes.
  Thus Sudarsana, with his wife and his father-in-law, praised Devi. She was highly pleased and ordered them to perform Her worship with havan and other means during the Vasanta Navaratri. Then She disappeared.
  Prince Sudarsana and Sashikala returned to the Ashram of Rishi Bharadwaja. The great Rishi blessed them and crowned Sudarsana as the king of Kosala. Sudarsana and Sashikala and the king of Benares implicitly carried out the commands of the Divine Mother and performed worship in a splendid manner during the Vasanta Navaratri.
  Sudarsana’s descendants, namely, Sri Rama and Lakshmana, also performed worship of Devi during the Vasanta Navaratri and were blessed with Her assistance in the recovery of Sita.
  2. Gupta Navaratri - Gupta Navratri, also referred as Ashada or Gayatri or Shakambari Navratri, is nine days dedicated to the nine forms of Shakti (Mother Goddess) in the month of Ashada (June – July). Gupta Navaratri is observed during the Ashada Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon). Ashada Navratri is very important festival for those who worship Goddess Varahi, one of the Saptha Matrukas (Seven Mothers) who helped Devi in slaying the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha.
  During Ashad Navratri,Gayathri devi is worshipped as the main deity in her Navdurga forms (9 avatars). In some regions Maa Shakambari Devi is worshipped for nine festive nights with utmost devotion. In Viajayawada Kanaka Durga Temple, Badrakali Temple in Warangal (Andhra Pradesh) Shakambari Navratras are celebrated jubilantly. Ashada Navratri are celebrated as Guhya Navratri in Himachal Pradesh.
  3. Sharana Navaratri - This is the most important of the Navratris, and is simply called Maha Navratri (the Great Navratri) and is celebrated in the month of aashivina. Also known as Sharad Navaratri, as it is celebrated during sharad (beginning of winter, Sept-Oct). There are several and legends associated with celebration of this Navratri Festival.
  As per one legend Mahishasura the mighty demon worshipped Lord Shiva and obtained the power of eternity. So he started to kill and harass innocent people and set out to win seven lokas. Intimated by his power all the gods from swargaloka appealed to Lord Shiva to tame the demon. Then Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar (Shiva) united their supreme powers and created a divine being called Shakti or Durga the Warrior Goddess. Mahishasura who happened to see this divine beauty Durga got mesmerized by her beauty and approached her with the intention of marriage. Goddess Durga agreed to marry him but in one condition that Mahishasura should win over her in duel. Mahishasura who was proudy of his power agreed for the duel. The duel went on for 9 nights and the end of 9th night Goddess Durga beheaded Mahishasura. So the nine nights for which the war was fought is called Navrathri. The tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashmi.
• According to other legend King Daksha of Himalayas had a beautiful and Virtuos daughter Uma who had a wish to marry Lord Shiva. As a result she worshipped Lord Shiva and pleased him. Lord Shiva married Uma. Once Uma visited her parents to participate in a Yagna conducted over there, during that time King Daksha insulted Lord Shiva unable to bear the insults meted on her husband Uma decided to end her life by jumping into the agnikund where she was united with the eternity. Henceforth she was also known as Sati. Sati was reborn again and peace was restored between her and parents. In that birth also she married Lord Shiva and lived happily thereafter. It is believed that Sati comes to stay with her parents for 9 days in every year and that time is celebrated as Navarathri.
• One hypothesis states that in ancient times Kshatriyas debarred themselves from participating any warlike activities during monsoon season. Once monsoons got over they found the time to start afresh with their war activities. So before the start of their war journey these Kshatriyas worshipped different aspects of Devi for 9 days which is today celebrated as the Navratri.
• According to one legend Lord Rama who wanted to release Sita from the clutches of mighty demon king Ravana prayed Goddess Durga in nine aspects for nine days in order to gather the strength and power to kill Ravana. Those nine nights became to be known as Navrathri and on the tenth day Rama killed Ravana that day is called Vijayadashmi or Dashera

4. Poushya Navaratri - Poushya Navratri, is nine days dedicated to the nine forms of Shakti (Mother Goddess) in the month of Poushya (Dec – Jan). Poushya Navaratri is observed during the Poushya Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon).
5. Magha Navaratri - Magha Navratri, also referred as Gupta Navratri, is nine days dedicated to the nine forms of Shakti (Mother Goddess) in the month of Magha (Jan – Feb). Magha Navaratri is observed during the Magha Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon).Devi is beautiful and bountiful, beneficent and terrifying, compassionate and ruthlessly righteous. She is Durga and Kali in Bengal, Ambika and Bhadrakali in Gujarat, Vaishnodevi in Jammu and Kashmir, Chamunda in Karnataka, Santoshi Ma and Bhavani in Maharashtra and Kamakhya in Assam. She is invoked in many more forms that symbolize the Devi’s characteristic attributes. To most of us she is just Ma, the universal mother, who is conceived as protector of those who need her protection.

A whole chapter in the tenth mandal of the holy Rigveda deals with the devotional sadhanas of Shakti. A hymn here describes – "I (Shakti) am the Omnipresent Power. I am the ultimate savior, who stretches and empowers the arc of Rudra to ruin the demonic evils. I alone generate the valor and move the forces in the battlefronts. I am the Mother (Genesis) and the sole Protector of the whole creation. I am in every living being (as the source of life-force). I am the paramount divine power, which knows its unity with the Para Brahm; I am the absolute reality". The "Devi Sukta" and "Usha Sukta" of the Rigveda and "Ratri Sukta" of the Samveda similarly sing paeans of praise of sadhanas of Shakti. Before the beginning of the Mahabharat war, Lord Krishna had worshipped Durga – the Goddess of Shakti– for the victory of the Pandvas, on whose side laid justice, morality and wisdom. The epic Ramayana also describes Rama’s worship of Goddess Durga.Worship of shakthi in different forms has been popular in Buddhism as well. The upasana of Shakthi is the basis of all tantrika practices. The Puranas also describe in parables, stories and anecdotes the pre-eminence of Shakti. In fact, one of the Puranas- "Devi Bhagavat"- is exclusively devoted to the Divine exploits of Durga. The "Markandey Purana" describes the manifestations of the Supreme Shakthi as Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. Mahakali destroys the forces of the evil, crushes ego and eliminates ignorance. Mahasaraswati is the deity of discerning intellect, pure knowledge and creative talents. Mahalakshmi is the Goddess of beauty, harmony, prosperity and progress. The hymns describing the magnificence of the great manifestations of Shakthi and the 700 mantras of its sadhanas are compiled as "Durga Saptashati" in this Purana. The Skanda Purana describes the epic incarnation of Goddess Durga. The Brahm Purana and Brahmvaivarta Purana also narrate the divine descent of the powers of the supreme Shakti. Lord Brahma is cited in the Markandey Purana as mentioning to Rishi Markandey that the first incarnation of Shakthi was as Shailputri. Other incarnations of the Divine Mother are: Brahmcharñi, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri in that order. These nine manifestations of Shakti, are worshipped as "Nava-Durga". The fifth chapter of the Rudra Sanhita of Shiva Purana also vividly describes the various Divine Emanations of Durga. Shakti is the original power at the root of creation, limitless expansion and expressions of Nature. It is also referred to as the Âdi Sakthi or Brahm Shakti. All the visible and invisible plays of Nature are reflections of this eternal Shakti. All powers originate from it; all existence emerges from it. She is who enables the creation, growth and protection of the universe. She is the Mother of Trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The Skanda Purana describes this fact in a telling manner– Lord Shiva without Sakthi is like a shava (a corpse); Lord Shiva is "Shiva" because of the presence of Sakthi in Him. The Cosmic Consciousness. Force and its endless expressions also emanate from Shakti. This alone is expressed in the beings as life-energy, consciousness, vigour, courage, intelligence, radiance, thought-power, memory, steadiness, contentment, compassion, generosity, intrinsic light, faith, emotions, etc. The Primordial Sakthi generates the potential and tendency of motherhood in the living world. Its different manifestations in the cosmic creation are indeed countless. Sakthi is Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali as manifested respectively through its sublime, eternal attributes (guñas) of sat, raj and tam. In fact, all the manifestations of divine powers emanate from and merge into the single Brahm Shakti, which is known in the spiritual literature as Gayatri. Since the Vedic Age of the Rishis, the devotional practices recommended during Navratri are primarily those of Gayathri Anushthana. The varied customs of arbitrarily worshiping of this Omniscient Sakthi are offshoots of the medieval era of religious anarchy and cultural pollution. In spite of the ignorance and superstitions introduced in this period, the sadhana of Gayathri has maintained its pre-eminence. The light of Culture could not be extinguished even in the dark phases of our history. In the Vedic Age of the Indian Culture, the religious philosophy and devotional practices were focused towards true knowledge and ultimate realization of the supreme power ofGayatri (Bram Shakti). The Vedas were the basis of all streams of spirituality and science those days.Gayatri has been the source of the divine powers of the gods in the heavens and their angelic manifestations and incarnations. Gayatri sadhana was also paramount in the higher level spiritual endeavors of the yogis and tapaswis. Gayatri Mantra was the core-focus of daily practice of sandhya-vandan (meditation and devotional worship) for everyone. As guided by the rishis, specific sadhanas and upasanas of the Gayatri Mantra were sincerely practiced during the festival period of Navaratri by every aspirant of spiritual enlightenment. The nine-day period of Navarati is of supreme importance for physical, mental and spiritual health as it lies at the juncture of two seasons. The nourishing energy currents in Nature are at their peak during this transitive phase to eliminate the harmful, negative elements and impressions from our gross and subtle bodies. The sublime domains of consciousness force as stabilized in earth consciousness by the rishis and yogis are most active during this special period. It thus offers us a rare opportunity of expeditiously accomplishing the sadhanas of spiritual elevation. It assumes greater significance in the first decade of the 21st Century, which is prophesied to be the heralder of a new era of Divine Manifestation of life, love and light on earth – through humanity. Laghu Anushthana sadhana of Gayatri is recommended as most suitable for the Navarati period. It consists of twenty-four thousand japa (repeated rhythmic chanting) of the Gayatri Mantra with meditation on the rising sun and adoption of certain self-control disciplines. Mental or upanshu japa of twenty-seven rosaries (malas) needs to be completed every day for this purpose. This can be done in about three hours' duration by the people who are used to daily practice of the japa of this mantra. Completion in one sitting in the early morning (by commencing the japa two hours before dawn) is the best. However, depending upon one's constraints, it could be completed in two to three sittings at convenient times. But the regularity of timings and place where the japa is carried out should be maintained. Ideal sitting posture is sukhasana with erect spinal column. One should not sit directly on the earth. Sitting on kusha mat or cotton cloth is most suitable. Essential disciplines include strict chastity of body and mind and prohibition of using anything made of leather. The subtle properties of what we eat have great impact on our mind. Fasting is therefore prescribed during this sadhana. Depending upon one's health and level of self-control, the fasting could be observed by consuming only milk or fruits once or twice a day; taking tasteless (without salt and sugar) food; or taking simple and light vegetarian food only once a day, etc. The other common disciplines include – austere life-style; sleeping on a mat on the floor or on plain wooden cot; attending to one's personal tasks by oneself; observing honesty and humility in conduct. The advanced devotees may also adopt some higher level disciplines that serve the dual purpose of cleansing and purification of the body and the mind and thorough practice of self-restraint. A havan (yagya) should be performed on the last day of the anushthana to mark its completion. The number of herbal oblations (along with loud chanting of the Gayatri Mantra) made in the sacred fire of this yagya should be at least one hundredth of the total number of japas completed. Those who cannot do twenty-four thousand japas, may do the sadhana of chanting the Gayatri Chalisa two hundred forty times or that of writing two thousand four hundred Gayatri Mantras in the nine days, along with adoption of as many of the above mentioned disciplines as possible. The sadhana-anushthans ofGayatri accomplished during the shakti Parva (Navaratri) will prove to be milestones along the path of spiritual elevation. The grace of Divine Mother bestowed upon the sadhaka would orient his otherwise dry knowledge and ego-centric scholarly attainments towards sagacious activities and altruistic purposes. This would transmute his religious faith and devotion into inner enlightenment without which these are nothing better than emotional excitements and superficial rituals of worship. The hidden force of sakthi awakened within the sadhaka transforms his shraddha (deep intrinsic faith) into nishtha (firm motivation and enlightened faith) towards divine values and noble deeds. The same shraddha, which was evaporating in the void without Shakti, could now be the source of supramental attainments and spiritual awakening.

Lalitha Sahasranamam - 122

122 SAMBHAVYA – She who is married to Shambhu

This statement brings to light many things known and unknown.Shiva, and his consort Shakti, referred to as the Divine Couple; the ultimate union of masculine and feminine. If we look deeper though, the sexual union of Shiva/Shakti is not just about yoni's and lingams meeting with a couple of namastes thrown in for good measure! In the Vedic tradition the Shiva Lingam and Yoni symbolize the sacred union of the inactive and dynamic aspects of consciousness. So the desire to be in Union with our partner represents the fundamental desire to be in union with the Beloved or our true nature (consciousness).Their union is often considered to be a way of living for every human being in this world.

let me narrate the story of how parvati married shiva.

Legend goes that once Lord Shiva and his wife Sati or Shakti were returning from sage Agastya’s ashram after listening to Ram Katha or story of Ram. On their way through a forest, Shiva saw Lord Rama searching for his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by Ravana, the King of Lanka. Lord Shiva bowed his head in reverence to Lord Rama. Sati was surprised by Lord Shiva’s behavior and inquired why he was paying obeisance to a mere mortal. Shiva informed Sati that Rama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Sati, however, was not satisfied with the reply and Lord asked her to go and verify the truth for herself. Using her power to change forms, Sati took the form of Sita appeared before Rama. Lord Rama immediately recognized the true identity of the Goddess and asked, "Devi, why are you alone, where's Shiva?" At this, Sati realized the truth about Lord Ram. But, Sita was like a mother to Lord Shiva and since Sati took the form of Sita her status had changed. From that time, Shiva detached himself from her as a wife. Sati was sad with the change of attitude of Lord Shiva but she stayed on at Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.Later, Sati’s father Daksha organised a yagna, but did not invite Sati or Shiva as he had an altercation with Shiva in the court of Brahma. But, Sati who wanted to attend the Yagna, went even though Lord Shiva did not appreciate the idea. To hre great anguish, Daksha ignored her presence and did not even offer Prasad for Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and was struck with profound grief. She jumped into the yagna fire and immolated herself.Lord Shiva became extremely furious when he heard the news of Sati’s immolation. Carrying the body of Sati, Shiva began to perform Rudra Tandava or the dance of destruction and wiped out the kingdom of Daksha. Everybody was terrified as Shiva’s Tandava had the power to destroy the entire universe. In order to calm Lord Shiva, Vishnu severed Sati's body into 12 pieces and threw them on earth. It is said that wherever the pieces of Shakti’s body fell, there emerged a Shakti Peetha, including the Kamaroopa Kamakhya in Assam and the Vindhyavasini in UP. Lord Siva was now alone undertook rigorous penance and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She performed penance to break Shiva’s meditation and win his attention. It is said that Parvati, who found it hard to break Shiva’s meditation seeked help of Kamadeva - the God of Love and Passion. Kaamadeva asked Parvati to dance in front of Shiva. When Parvati danced, Kaamadeva shot his arrow of passion at Shiva breaking his penance. Shiva became extremely infuriated and opening his third eye that reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. It was only after Kamadeva’s wife Rati’s pleading that Lord Shiva agreed to revive Kaamadeva. Later, Parvati undertook severe penance to win over Shiva. Through her devotion and persuasion by sages devas, Parvati, also known as Uma, was finally able to lure Shiva into marriage and away from asceticism. For the most part Shiva and Parvati's married and family life is portrayed as harmonious, blissful and calm. In iconography the two are typically shown sitting in happy, intimate embrace. There were also many moments of philosophical discourse between the two. While Shiva taught Parvati the doctrine of Vedanta, Parvati responded by teaching him the doctrines of Sankhya, for if Shiva was the perfect teacher, Parvati too, as a yogini was no less. Parvati was constantly by Shiva's side, encouraging, assisting and, participating in every activity of his.

The association between Parvati and Shiva represents the perennial tension in Hinduism between the ascetic ideal and householder ideal. Parvati, for the most part, represents the householder. Her mission is to lure Shiva into the world of marriage, sex, and children, to tempt him away from asceticism, yoga, and otherwordly preoccupations. In this role Parvati is cast as a figure who upholds the order of dharma, who enhances life in the world, who represents the beauty and attraction of worldly, sexual life, who cherishes the house and society rather than the forest, the mountains, or the ascetic life. Parvati civilizes Shiva with her presence; indeed, she domesticates him. Of her role in relation to Shiva in the hymns of Manikkavacakar, a ninth-century poet-saint from South India, it has been said: "Shiva, the great unpredictable 'madman', is rendered momentarily sane (i.e. behaves in a socially acceptable manner) when in the company of the goddess. . . Contact with his properly cultured spouse seems to connect him with ordinary social reality and temporarily domesticates him."Throughout Hindu mythology it is well known that one of Shiva's principal functions is the destruction of cosmos. In fact, Shiva has about him a wild, unpredictable, destructive aspect that is often mentioned. As the great cosmic dancer, he periodically performs the tandava, an especially violent dance. Wielding a broken battle-ax, he dances so wildly that the cosmos is destroyed completely. In descriptions of this dance, Shiva's whirling arms and flying locks are said to crash into the heavenly bodies, knocking them off course or destroying them utterly. The mountains shake and the oceans heave as the world is destroyed by his violent dancing. Parvati, in contrast, is portrayed as a patient builder, one who follows Shiva about, trying to soften the violent effects of her husband. She is a great force for preservation and reconstruction in the world and as such offsets the violence of Shiva.

When Shiva does his violent tandava dance, Parvati is described as calming him with soft glances, or she is said to complement his violence with a slow, creative step of her own.
Parvati's goal in her relationship with Shiva is nothing less than the domestication of the lone, ascetic god whose behavior borders on madness. Shiva is indifferent to social propriety, does not care about offspring, declares woman to be a hindrance to the spiritual life, and is disdainful of the trappings of the householder's life. Parvati tries to involve him in the worldly life of the householder by arguing that he should observe conventions if he loves her and wants her. She persuades him, for example, to marry her according to the proper rituals, to observe custom, instead of simply running off with her. She is less successful, however, in getting him to change his attire and ascetic habits. She often complains of his nakedness and finds his ornaments disgraceful. Usually prompted by her mother, Parvati sometimes complains that she does not have a proper house to live in. Shiva, as is well known, does not have a house but prefers to live in caves, on mountains, or in forests or to wander the world as a homeless beggar. Many myths delight in Shiva's response to Parvati's domestic pleas for a house. When she complains that the rains will soon come and that she has no house to protect her, Shiva simply takes her to the high mountain peaks above the clouds where it does not rain. Elsewhere, he describes his "house" as the universe and argues that an ascetic understands the whole world to be his dwelling place. Parvati, quite naturally, assumes the identity of Shiva's Shakti. She is the force underlying and impelling creation. In this active, creative role she is identified with prakriti (nature), whereas Shiva is identified with purusha (pure spirit). As prakriti, Parvati represents the inherent tendency of nature to express itself in concrete forms and individual beings. In this task, however, it is understood that Parvati must be set in motion by Shiva himself. She is not seen as antagonistic to him. Her role as his Shakti is always interpreted as positive. Through Parvati, Shiva (the Absolute) is able to express himself in the creation. Without her he would remain inert, aloof, inactive. It is only in association with her that Shiva is able to realize or manifest his full potential. Parvati as Shakti not only complements Shiva, she completes him.

This reminds me of soundarya lahiri which states:

Shivah shakthya yukto yadi bhavati shaktah prabhavitum

Na chedevam devo na khalu kusalah spanditumapi;

Atas tvam aradhyam Hari-Hara-Virinchadibhir api

Pranantum stotum vaa katham akrta-punyah prabhavati

Lord Shiva, only becomes able.To do creation in this world along with ShakthiWithout her, Even an inch he cannot move,And so how can, one who does not do good deeds,Or one who does not sing your praise,Become adequate to worship youOh , goddess mine, Who is worshipped by the trinity.

Lalitha Sahasranamam - 121

121 BHAYAPAHA – She who removes fear

When we ask the mother to protect us first thing that she does is to remove our fear in life and she takes the form of kali to protect her children.she is often mistaken to be the goddess of destruction. yes. she destroys. destroys what the ego in a person.The Goddess Kali is represented as black in color. Black in the ancient Hindu language of Sanskrit is kaala. The feminine form is kali. So she is Kali, the black one. Black is a symbol of The Infinite and the seed stage of all colors. The Goddess Kali remains in a state of inconceivable darkness that transcends words and mind. Within her blackness is the dazzling brilliance of illumination. Kali's blackness symbolizes her all-embracing, comprehensive nature, because black is the color in which all the colors merge; black absorbs and dissolves them.
"Just as all colours disappear in black, so all names and forms disappear in her"
-- Mahanirvana Tantra
On the other hand, black is said to represent the total absence of color, again signifying the nature of Kali as ultimate reality. This in Sanskrit, the color black is named as nirguna (beyond all quality and form). Either way, kali's black colour symbolizes her transcendence of all form.
"Is Kali, my Divine Mother, of a black complexion?She appears black because She is viewed from a distanceBut when intimately known She is no longer soThe sky appears blue at a distance, but look at it close byAnd you will find that it has no colourThe water of the ocean looks blue at a distanceBut when you go near and take it on your hand, you find that it is colourless".
-- Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1836-86)

Kali is the Guardian. The Protectress. The Mother. Kali is Dharma and Eternal Time. Kali shines with the brilliance of a Million Black Fires of Dissolution and Her body is bathed in vibuthi (sacred ash). Shiva is under Her Feet and the Great Devotee, Ramprasad, envisioned Kali as stepping upon a demon that was transformed, by Kali’s touch, into Lord Shiva Himself!
Just as the night sky appears black due to it’s fathomless depth and as the ocean appears deep blue due to it’s fathomless depth~ so too Kali appears dark due to Her Infinite depth. Kali assumes the form that reflects the attitude and bhava (emotion) of the person who approaches Her. If Kali is appraoched with the bhava of Motherly Love, She assumes the form of Lakshmi. If Kali is approached as the Guru, embodying Wisdom, Art and Education, She assumes the form of Saraswati. The demons approached Kalika with the bhava of destruction and evil. Consequently, the Divine Mother assumed the form of their Destruction by reflecting, in form, their own Evil. In truth, Kali is all of these forms and beyond them.

Her three forms are manifested in many ways: in the three divisions of the year, the three phases of the moon, the three sections of the cosmos (heaven, earth, and the underworld), the three stages of life, the three trimesters of pregnancy, and so on. Women represent her spirit in mortal flesh.
"The Divine Mother first appears in and as her worshipper's earthly mother, then as his wife; thirdly as Kalika, she reveals herself in old age, disease and death."
Kali's three forms appear in the sacred colors known as "Gunas": white for the Virgin, red for the Mother, black for the Crone, the three together symbolizing birth, life, death. Black is Kali's fundamental color as the Destroyer, for it means the formless condition she assumes between creations, when all the elements are dissolved in her primordial substance.

At first sight, Kali, complete with blood dripping from her trident and out of the corners of her mouth, is repellent. But contemplating the significance of her form further reveals a more expanded and realistic view of the mother of the universe. Her nakedness tells us that she is without illusions or veils of ignorance to cover her. She is clothed with the sky, with the universe itself. Her full breasts epitomize her ceaseless act of nurturing, her eternal state of motherhood. Her disheveled hair represents her boundless freedom. Her protruding tongue symbolizes the passionate nature of the feminine force and her insatiable appetite. With her tongue she stimulates us to act out both our attractions and our repulsions. With her teeth she cuts off our intense longings and aversions, devours our ignorance, and leads us into liberation. Most people all over the world prefer not to entertain the inevitability of suffering or death as an aspect of life and of creation. Yet death is certain, and so is birth. Kali is the harbinger of both life and death, and of joy and suffering. She represents the most extreme potential of all creation. All the good in the universe is contained within her left side, all bad is within her right side. She is the giver of all and the destroyer of all. She grants us the gift of life - its joys, its pain, its beauty, and its ugliness. And after we've become totally immersed in her creation, entangled in her enchanting world, we fear the inevitable, which is her power to take it all away. In the end she ushers us into her eternal black night in which we become endowed with absolute joy beyond compare. We become supreme reality. We become resplendent. We become Her.

Kali is thought to have originated as a tribal goddess indigenous to one of India’s inaccessible mountainous regions. The Matsyapurana gives her place of origin as Mount Kalanjara in north central India, east of the Indus Valley floodplain. But owing to the late date of the Puranas’ composition, this evidence regarding Kali’s place of origin cannot be taken as particularly reliable.
At least thousand years before the Matsyapurana, the name of Kali first appears in Sanskrit literature between the eighth and fifth centuries BCE. The reference, in Mundakopanishad 1.2.4, names Kali as one of the seven quivering tongues of the fire god Agni, whose flames devour sacrificial oblations and transmit them to the gods. The verse characterizes Agni’s seven tongues as black, terrifying, swift as thought, intensely red, smoky colored, sparkling, and radiant. Significantly, the first two adjectives — kali and karali — “black” and “terrifying,” recur in later texts to describe the horrific aspect of the goddess. Karali additionally means “having a gaping mouth and protruding teeth.” This verse scarcely suffices to confirm that Kali was a personified goddess during the age of the Upanishads, but it is noteworthy that the adjective that became her name was used to characterize an aspect of the fire god’s power.
Kali first appears unequivocally as a goddess in the Kathaka Grihyasutra, a ritualistic text that names her in a list of Vedic deities to be invoked with offerings of perfume during the marriage ceremony. Unfortunately, the text reveals nothing more about her.
During the epic period, some time after the fifth century BCE, Kali emerges better defined in an episode of the Mahabharata. When the camp of the heroic Pandava brothers is attacked one night by the sword-wielding Asvatthaman, his deadly assault is seen as the work of “Kali of bloody mouth and eyes, smeared with blood and adorned with garlands, her garment reddened, — holding noose in hand — binding men and horses and elephants with her terrible snares of death” (Mahabharata 10.8.64-65). Although the passage goes on to describe the slaughter as an act of human warfare, it makes clear that the fierce goddess is ultimately the agent of death who carries off those who are slain.
Kali next appears in the sacred literature during the Puranic age, when new theistic devotional sects displaced the older Brahmanical form of Hinduism. In the fourth and fifth centuries CE the Puranas were written to glorify the great deities Vishnu, Shiva and the Devi — the Goddess — as well as lesser gods. One such Purana, the Markandeya, contains within it the foundational text of all subsequent Hindu Goddess religion. This book within a book is known as the Devimahatmya, the Shri Durga Saptashati, or the Chandi.
The Devimahatmya’s seventh chapter describes Kali springing forth from the furrowed brow of the goddess Durga in order to slay the demons Chanda and Munda. Here, Kali’s horrific form has black, loosely hanging, emaciated flesh that barely conceals her angular bones. Gleaming white fangs protrude from her gaping, blood-stained mouth, framing her lolling red tongue. Sunken, reddened eyes peer out from her black face. She is clad in a tiger’s skin and carries a khatvanga, a skull-topped staff traditionally associated with tribal shamans and magicians. The khatvanga is a clear reminder of Kali’s origin among fierce, aboriginal peoples. In the ensuing battle, much attention is placed on her gaping mouth and gnashing teeth, which devour the demon hordes. At one point Munda hurls thousands of discusses at her, but they enter her mouth “as so many solar orbs vanishing into the denseness of a cloud” (Devimahatmya 7.18). With its cosmic allusion, this passage reveals Kali as the abstraction of primal energy and suggests the underlying connection between the black goddess and Kala (‘time’), an epithet of Shiva. Kali is the inherent power of ever-turning time, the relentless devourer that brings all created things to an end. Even the gods are said to have their origin and dissolution in her.
The eighth chapter of the Devimahatmya paints an even more gruesome portrait. Having slain Chanda and Munda, Kali is now called Chamunda, and she faces an infinitely more powerful adversary in the demon named Raktabija. Whenever a drop of his blood falls to earth, an identical demon springs up. When utter terror seizes the gods, Durga merely laughs and instructs Kali to drink in the drops of blood. While Durga assaults Raktabija so that his blood runs copiously, Kali avidly laps it up. The demons who spring into being from the flow perish between her gnashing teeth until Raktabija topples drained and lifeless to the ground.

Kali is a powerful and complex goddess with multiple forms. In times of natural disaster she is invoked as the protective Rakshakali. At the magnificent Dakshineswar Temple in Calcutta, she is revered as the beautiful Bhavatarini, Redeemer of the Universe. The Tantras mention over thirty forms of Kali. The Divine Mother is also known as Kali-Ma, the Black Goddess, Maha Kali, Nitya Kali, Smashana Kali, Raksha Kali, Shyama Kali, Kalikamata, Bhadra Kali, Ugra Chandi, Bhima Chandi, Sidheshvari, Sheetla (the goddess of smallpox) and Kalaratri. Maha Kali and Nitya Kali are mentioned in the Tantra philosophy. When there were neither the creation, nor the sun, the moon, the planets, and the earth, when the darkness was enveloped in darkness, then the Mother, the Formless One, Maha Kali, the Great Power, was one with the Maha Kala, the Absolute. Shyama Kali has a somewhat tender aspect and is worshipped in Hindu households. She is the dispenser of boons and the dispeller of fear. People worship Raksha Kali, the Protectress, in times of epidemic, famine, earthquake, drought, and flood. Shamshan Kali (Shmashanakali) is the embodiment of the power of destruction. From her mouth flows a stream of blood, from her neck hangs a garland of human heads, and around her waist is a girdle made of arms. She haunts the cremation grounds in the company of howling jackals and terrifying female spirits. Tantrics worship Siddha Kali to attain pefection. Phalaharini Kali to destroy the results of their actions; Nitya Kali, the eternal Kali, to take away their disease, grief, and suffering and to give them perfection and illumination. She is also known as Kalikamata (“black earth-mother”) and Kalaratri (“black night”). Among the Tamils she is known as Kottavei. Kali is worshipped particularly in Bengal. Her best known temples are in Dakshineshwar and Kalighat in Kolkata (Calcutta) and Kamakhya in Assam.
Some early Buddhists identified Kalika with their Prajnaparamita, the “Perfection of Wisdom”, conceived of as a multi-armed goddess/female wisdom energy. Buddhist tantrics viewed Prajnaparamita as the original Buddha-consort, and over time, developed this vision further. They viewed Her as the saviouress Tara, “the Compassionate One”, “She who helps the devotee overcome suffering”. As the dark four-armed Ugra Tara, with the dark blue Dhyani-Buddha Aksobhya on her crown, she became “the Wrathful Saviouress”, externally fierce to ward-off enemies and unbelievers, but internally compassionate, the “Embodiment of Compassion”. Buddhists also knew the Dark Goddess as Shyam (the “Dark One”) and Kali. According to the noted Bengali authority on Indian Buddhist Tantra, Dr Benoytosh Bhattacharyya, “Kali, according to Buddhist tradition, is Kadi or Kakaradi, or, in other words, all the consonants of the alphabet….all the consonants of the (Sanskrit) alphabet are deified in her.”
As Maha Kali (with form) the Great Goddess is most commonly visualised as twenty-armed, ten-faced, with three eyes on each face, her complexion dark and shining. In this form she destroys the egoistic demons Madhu and Kaitabha. This is a form which emanated out of the dark goddess Durga. As Kala Ratri, tawny-eyed, cruel and fond of war, wearing tiger and elephant skins, holding axe, noose, other weapons and a skull-bowl from which she drinks blood, Kali is the “Night of Destruction” at the termination of this world, the Female Spiritual Power always ready to defeat the last demons, so none can pollute the next world. Forms of Bhadra Kali have sixteen arms, eighteen arms or one hundred arms, all giving protection to her devotees. Bhadra Kali is always visualised as huge, wearing a three-pointed crown ornamented with the crescent moon, a snake about her neck, her body draped in red and her mood jolly. She pierces the body of a buffalo with her lance, one of her many weapons. Hindu tantrics believe that in this form She pervades the whole universe.
Some of the more striking similarities between Kali and Goddesses of other parts of the world are as follows:
We find Kali in Mexico as an ancient Aztec Goddess of enormous stature. Her name is Coatlicue, and her resemblance to the Hindu Kali is striking. The colossal Aztec statue of Coatlicue fuses in one image the dual functions of the earth, which both creates and destroys. In different aspects she represents Coatlicue, “Lady Of the Skirt of Serpents” or Goddess of the Serpent Petticoat”; Cihuacoatl, “the Serpent Woman”; Tlazolteotl, “Goddess of Filth”; and Tonantzin, “Our Mother,” who was later sanctified by the Catholic Church as the Virgin of Guadalupe, the dark-faced Madonna, La Virgen Morena, la Virgen Guadalupana, the patroness and protectress of New Spain; and who is still the patroness of all Indian Mexico. In the statue her head is severed from her body, and from the neck flow two streams of blood in the shape of two serpents. She wears a skirt of serpents girdled by another serpent as a belt. On her breast hangs a necklace of human hearts and hands bearing a human skull as a pendant. Her hands and feet are shaped like claws. From the bicephalous mass which takes the place of the head and which represents Omeyocan, the topmost heaven, to the world of the Dead extending below the feet, the statue embraces both life and death. Squat and massive, the monumental twelve-ton sculpture embodies pyramidal, cruciform, and human forms. As the art critic Justino Fernandez writes in his often-quoted description, it represents not a being but an idea, “the embodiment of the cosmic-dynamic power which bestows life and which thrives on death in the struggle of opposites.”
We find Kali in ancient Crete as Rhea, the Aegean Universal Mother or Great Goddess, who was worshipped in a vast area by many peoples. Rhea was not restricted to the Aegean area. Among ancient tribes of southern Russia she was Rha, the Red One, another version of Kali as Mother Time clothed in her garment of blood when she devoured all the gods, her offspring. The same Mother Time became the Celtic Goddess Rhiannon, who also devoured her own children one by one. This image of the cannibal mother was typical everywhere of the Goddess of Time, who consumes what she brings forth; or as Earth, who does the same. When Rhea was given a consort in Hellenic myth, he was called Kronus or Chronos, “Father Time,” who devoured his own children in imitation of Rhea’s earlier activity. He also castrated and killed his own father, the Heaven-God Uranus; and he in turn was threatened by his own son, Zeus. These myths reflect the primitive succession of sacred kings castrated and killed by their supplanters. It was originally Rhea Kronia, Mother Time, who wielded the castrating moon-sickle or scythe, a Scythian weapon, the instrument with which the Heavenly Father was “reaped.” Rhea herself was the Grim Reaper.
We find Kali in historic Europe. In Ireland, Kali appeared as Caillech or Cailleach, an old Celtic name for the Great Goddess in her Destroyer aspect. Like Kali, the Caillech was a black Mother who founded many races of people and outlived many husbands. She was also a Creatress. She made the world, building mountain ranges of stones that dropped from her apron.
Scotland was once called Caledonia: the land give by Kali, or Cale, or the Cailleach. “Scotland” came from Scotia, the same goddess, known to Romans as a “dark Aphrodite”; to Celts as Scatha or Scyth; and to Scandinavians as Skadi. Like the Hindus’ destroying Kalika, the Caillech was known as a spirit of disease. One manifestation of her was a famous idol of carved and painted wood, kept by an old family in Country Cork, and described as the Goddess of Smallpox. As diseased persons in India sacrificed to the appropriate incarnation of the Kalika, so in Ireland those afflicted by smallpox sacrificed sheep to this image. It can hardly be doubted that Kalika and Caillech were the same word. According to various interpretations, “caillech” meant either an old woman, or a hag, or a nun, or a “veiled one.” This last apparently referred to the Goddess’s most mysterious manifestation as the future, Fate, and Death–ever veiled from the sight of men, since no man could know the manner of his own death. In medieval legend the Caillech became the Black Queen who ruled a western paradise in the Indies, where men were used in Amazonian fashion for breeding purposes only, then slain.
Spaniards called her Califia, whose territory was rich in gold, silver, and gems. Spanish explorers later gave her name to the newly discovered paradise on the Pacific shore of North America, which is how the state of California came to be named after Kali. In the present century, Irish and Scottish descendants of the Celtic “creatress” still use the word “caillech” as a synonym for “old woman.”
The Black Goddess was known in Finland as Kalma (Kali Ma), a haunter of tombs and an eater of the dead. The Black Goddess worshipped by the gypsies was named Sara-Kali, “Queen Kali,” and to this present day, Sara is worshipped in the South of France at Ste-Marie-de-la-Mer during a yearly festival.
Some gypsies appeared in 10th-century Persia as tribes of itinerant dervishes calling themselves Kalenderees, “People of the Goddess Kali.” A common gypsy clan name is still Kaldera or Calderash, descended from past Kali-worshippers, like the Kele-De of Ireland. European gypsies relocated their Goddess in the ancient “Druid Grotto” underneath Chartres Cathedral, once the interior of a sacred mount known as the Womb of Gaul, when the area was occupied by the Carnutes, “Children of the Goddess Car.” Carnac, Kermario, Kerlescan, Kercado, Carmona in Spain, and Chartres itself were named after this Goddess, probably a Celtic version of Kore or Q’re traceable through eastern nations to Kauri, another name for Kali. The Druid Grotto used to be occupied by the image of a black Goddess giving birth, similar to certain images of Kali. Christians adopted this ancient idol and called her Virgo Paritura, “Virgin Giving Birth.” Gypsies called her Sara-Kali, “the mother, the woman, the sister, the queen, the Phuri Dai, the source of all Romany blood.” They said the black Virgin wore the dress of a gypsy dancer, and every gypsy should make a pilgrimage to her grotto at least once in his life. The grotto was described as “your mother’s womb.” A gypsy pilgrim was told: “Shut your eyes in front of Sara the Kali, and you will know the source of the spring of life which flows over the gypsy race. We find variations of Kali’s name throughout the ancient world.
The Greeks had a word Kalli, meaning “beautiful,” but applied to things that were not particularly beautiful such as the demonic centaurs called “kallikantzari,” relatives of Kali’s Asvins. Their city of Kallipolis, the modern Gallipoli, was lefted in Amazon country formerly ruled by Artemis Kalliste. The annual birth festival at Eleusis was Kalligeneia, translatable as “coming forth from the Beautiful One,” or “coming forth from Kali.”
Lunar priests of Sinai, formerly priestesses of the Moon-Goddess, called themselves “kalu.” Similar priestesses of prehistoric Ireland were “kelles,” origin of the name Kelly, which meant a hierophantic clan devoted to “the Goddess Kele.” This was cognate with the Saxon Kale, or Cale, whose lunar calendar or kalends included the spring month of Sproutkale, when Mother Earth (Kale) put forth new shoots. In antiquity the Phoenicians referred to the strait of Gibraltar as Calpe, because it was considered the passage to the western paradise of the Mother.
The Black Goddess was even carried into Christianity as a mother figure, and one can find all over the world images of Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, depicted as a black Madonna.

There are two stories on the origin Kali Maa, and the one from the Durga Saptashati (a poem in praise of Durga Maa), which is part of the Markandeya Puran is more popular.
Long long ago there existed two powerful demons called Shumbhu and Nishumbhu. As they grew in strength, they usurped the vast empire of the King of Gods, Indra and dispossessed all the gods like Surya, Chandra, Yam, Varuna, Pawan and Agni. Both of them also managed to throw the god-host away from heaven. Sorely distressed the gods went to the mortal realm (Earth) and began to brood on how to get rid of these demons permanently. The solution was to pray to Durga Maa in her form of Parvati, the wife of Shiva. They reached the Himalayas and prayed to please the kind hearted Goddess Parvati. Agreeing to help, the body of Mother Parvati emerged a bright light in the form of a divine lady called Ambika. Her exit from Devi Parvati’s body caused the latter to turn dark and black. She was then known as Kaushiki who began to dwell over the mountain ranges.
When the sycophants of the demons, Chand and Munda saw the dazzling light in the beautiful form of Ambika, they were enchanted by her superb beauty. They went to the demons Shumbhu and Nishumbhu and said, “Your Lordship! This woman is the most beautiful female in the entire Universe.” They described her beauty in such superlative terms that Shumbhu and Nishumbhu could not resist sending their messenger Sugreeva to bring her to them.
Sugreeva reached Ambika and extolled the virtues of his masters Shumbhu and Nishumbhu to influence the Goddess. But she smiled indulgently and replied: “You may be right in the assessment of your masters but I cannot break my oath. I might have done it rather unconsciously but the fact is that now I stand committed to my oath, which is that whosoever can defeat me in battle and brow-beat me; whosoever can match my power, only he shall only be my master. So go and tell your masters to show their strength and win me in the battle.”
The messenger replied: “Listen, O Lady! You are very arrogant and adamant. Don’t challenge my masters, against whose might the universe shudders in fright. They, who have browbeaten the gods and have thrown them out of Heaven, are very powerful. You are a mere woman, and you cannot match their might. Follow my advice and come with me to accept their proposal. Or else you shall be pulled by your hair and taken to their feet.”
The Goddess replied: “Whatever you say may be true. Maybe your Shumbhu is so powerful and your Nishumbhu is so virile but I am committed to my pledge. But go now and explain the whole situation to the Demon-lords. Let them come and defeat me!”
Sugreeva then went to his masters Shumbhu and Nishumbhu and explained the whole situation at length. Shumbhu and Nishumbhu became angry and they sent another demon Dhoomralochan to fetch her. But a mere loud cry and wrathful gaze of the Goddess was enough to incinerate the demon Dhoomralochan. The lion of the Goddess slayed the accompanying demons. Then the Demon kings sent Chanda and Munda with a large army to capture the Great Goddess. They encircled the Himalayas to nab the Goddess. The Goddess then produced a black figure of frightening form, called Kaali-Devi or Kaalika Devi. She destroyed the demons easily, hacked off the heads of Chanda and Munda and brought them to the Goddess Ambika. Since she had hacked off the heads of Chanda Munda, she became famous as Chamunda Devi.
Hearing the death of Chanda and Munda, the Demon Kings sent another huge army headed by seven commanders. To match their combined strength the seven gods: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiv, Indra, Mahavaraah, Nrisingh, Swami Kartikeya dispatched their forces. Seeing the temerity of the demons, another beam of power in the form of a woman emerged from the Goddess’s body, who sent Lord Shiv as her messenger to Shumbhu and Nishambhu with the message: “If you want your welfare, return the realm of gods to gods along with their right to perform yagyas, and you must now go down to Paataal Lok (Nether world)”. Shumbhu and Nishumbhu refused to accept the Goddess’s advice and leading a huge army of terrible demons, reached the battlefield. Supported by the divine powers, the Goddess began to massacre the demons. At that time the demon forces were led by a demon, Raktabeeja. He had the power to reproduce as many demons of his form and dimension as the drops of his blood which fell to the ground. After a fierce battle the Goddess ordered Chamunda (Kali Maa) to spread her mouth far and wide and swallow Raktabeeja alongwith his blood. Chamunda did exactly that and hacked off the head of demon.
Kali Maa then devoured the slain bodies of the asuras and danced a fierce dance to celebrate the victory. This dance of destruction began by Kali and her attendants continued for long and none could stop her. To stop her, Shiva himself mingled among the asuras whom she was annihilating. Shiva allowed himself to be trampled upon by her in this dance of victory because this was the only remedy left to bring her to senses and to protect the world from total annihilation. When Kali Maa saw that she was dancing over the body of her husband, she put her tongue out of her mouth in sorrow and surprise. She remained stunned in this posture and this is how Kali is shown in images with the red tongue protruding from her mouth.
Durga Maa then fought the demon Nishumbhu who was slain in no time. Now Shumbhu decided to take on the Goddess (Durga Maa) himself. Reaching the battlefield, he said to the Goddess: “You take pride on others’ strength. Why don’t you show your own power!”
The Goddess replied with a smile: “Fool! The whole world is just Me. All Creation is my form in a variety of dimensions. I am the cause and effect of everything: all things emerge from me only and ultimately’ enter me only. The whole world is in harmony with My Being.”
Then after the nine celestial powers (Kali Maa being one of them) which had emerged from the Goddess (Durga Maa) went back into her and she single handedly killed the demon Shumbhu.

So when she is everywhere why fear?

Lalitha sahasranamam - 120

120 BHAKTHI VASYA – She who can be controlled by devotion

She is often referred to as goddess of devotion. All potencies of the Lord have personified forms. In Madhurya-kadambini (1.3) Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that bhakti is the svarupasakti of Bhagavan and that she is yadrccha, which means that bhakti has her own will. Being sva-prakasa, self-manifest, she is not dependent on any other agency in order to manifest in a person’s heart. In the Bhagavatam (1.2.6) it is said: yato bhaktir adhoksaje ahaituky apratihata - "that by which causeless and uninterrupted bhakti for Lord Adhoksaja arises.”
The word ahaituky in this sloka indicates that bhakti has no cause. The only cause of bhakti is bhakti herself. Srila Cakravartipada analyzes the meaning of this statement. He says that bhakti situated in the heart of a bhava-bhakta is the only cause for her manifesting in others. The Bhagavad Gita (7,16) mentions four kinds of devotees: the distressed, the ones desiring wealth, the ones thirsting for knowledge and the wise. The distressed seek freedom from suffering and disease from God. Those desiring wealth pray for the joys and comforts of wealth. Those thirsty for knowledge address the Divine as the supreme teacher. They see God as the source of all knowledge, art and wisdom and desire knowledge, proficiency and wisdom. The highest type of devotee, the jnani, doesn’t seek anything from God but lives and acts from the realization that God is all and all is God. The wise desire nothing but to realize and become one with the Divine itself. They love God for her own sake.such devotion creates a bond between god and her devotee which is controlled by the devotee because of his love towards her.

There are so many stories which shows how the goddess protects and allows her devotees to take command of her. it only to shows her love for them that she plays such lilas.

Shri-Dhar was an ardent devotee of Ma Vaishno Devi. He resided in a village called Hansali, 2 Km away from the present Katra town. Once Ma appeared to him in the form of a young bewitching girl. The young girl asked the humble Pandit to hold a 'Bhandara'. (A feast to feed the mendicants and devotees) The Pandit set out to invite people from the village and near-by places. He also invited 'Bhairav Nath'. Bhairav Nath asked Shri-Dhar how he was planning to fulfill the requirements. He reminded him of the bad consequences in case of failure. As Panditji was lost in worry, the Divine girl appeared and told Him not to be despondent as everything had been arranged. She asked that over 360 devotees be seated in the small hut. True to Her word the Bhandara went smoothly with food and place to spare.
Bhairav Nath admitted that the girl had supernatural powers and decided to test Her further. Bhairav Nath followed the Divine girl to Trikuta Hills. For 9 months Bhairav Nath was searching for the mystic girl in the mountains. He saw the 'girl' hitting the stone with an arrow and water gushing out of the stone. He 'saw' the 'girl' sitting on the mountain top. When Bhairav went to that place, he saw footprints on the stone. Bhairav wondered how the 'girl' had eluded him for 9 months! Wondering whether she was hiding in the cave (Adi Kunwaari), he decide to enter it.
On seeing Bhairav entering the cave, Ma tore open a path behind the cave, by Her trident and came out. Ma reached the beautiful cave in the Trikuta mountain. She urged Bhairav not to follow Her. But he disobeyed. The Goddess took the shape of Fierce Chandi and killed Bhairav. The head of Bhairav fell on the mountain peak. Bhairav had Spiritual powers. So though his head was severed, he still retained consciousness. Bhairav repented for his conduct. Ma forgave him and granted him the boon that whosoever worshipped Her would later visit his shrine.
Meanwhile Pandit Shree-Dhar became impatient. He started to march towards Trikuta Mountain on the same path that he had witnessed in a dream. He ultimately reached the cave mouth. He made a daily routine of worshipping the 'Pindis' in several ways. His worship pleased the Goddess. She appeared in front of him and blessed him. Since that day, Shree-Dhar and his descendants have been worshipping the Goddess Mother Vaishno Devi.

Another typical example of devi listening to her devotees command is when It is believed that Kamakshi was originally a Ugra Swaroopini, and that Aadi Sankaracharya, upon establishing the Sri Chakra, personified her as the Shanta Swaroopini (see also Akhilandeswari at Thiruvanaikkaval). It is believed that during the days of Adi Sankara, the presence of the Ugra Swaroopini was felt outside the temple precincts, and that Sankaracharya had requested her not to leave the temple complex. Symbolic of this, the festival image of Kamakshi, takes leave from Sankaracharya, at his shrine in the inner prakaram, each time she is taken out in procession.

Lalitha sahasranamam - 119

119 BHAKTHI GAMYA –

She who can be reached by devotion

Devotion to God, sincere and heartfelt, has been the simplest, most effective way to reach Her. While the paths of wisdom, knowledge and performance of one's duties also help a person to attain this goal, faith and devotion form the cornerstone of every mortal's ultimate endeavour. The Upanishads tell us that whatever we pray we will experience. But the experience of Prahlada is unparalleled. When asked, "Where is God?" the boy-devotee countered the challenge with "Where is He not? He is present even in your words." Such fervour and piety resulted in the spontaneous manifestation of Vishnu as Nrisimha, whose ferocious demeanour notwithstanding, He is an epitome of grace and beauty to His devotees.

Recently I read an article which defines God and the devotion a person has.

I quote:"Bhakti is the path to Love; it is the simplest path to reach God Realization, but yet it is rarely achieved.Bhakti is the simplest and sweetest way to reach God realization.Bhakti is a divine power of god. In order to receive this power, we have to win God.Can anyone win god?In order to win god, we must understand what god is.God is known as AUM.He is one in number & at the same time, he is 2 in number.Also neither one nor two.He is neither He nor She.He has form & at the same time he does not have form.He is the Father of the universe & at the same time he is the Mother of the universe."

So be it devi or shiva or vishnu. God can be looked upon as As a Friend,As a Master,As a Parent,As a Child,As a Sweetheart.Bhakti is having this sweet relationship with God. It directly relates to devi, who is beyond Maya. This is why bhakti is called nirgun. It is very simple and sweet. All you have to do is having 100% faith in Her and She will bestow Her Grace upon you. This faith, love, remembrance, asking and humbleness are called bhakti.when you have faith in someone, you begin to like him. When you like him more, you begin to love him. When you love him, you like to serve him. When you serve him you become humble and like to be near him, and all that ends up into deep affinity. A true affinity has no demands and no requisites. There is only one desire to love him and to serve him and to make him happy, because you feel happy in his happiness; such feeling is bhakti.

A simple sloka from Mukunda Mala such as:
Namaami naaraayana paada pankajam – I salute the lotus feet of Narayana
Karomi naraayana poojanam sada - I always worship of Narayana
Vadaami narayaana nama nirmalam – I always utter the crystal pure name of Narayana
Smaraami narayana tatvam avyayam - I always contemplate the unchanging nature of Narayana
brings about communion with the Lord.

In Sivananda Lahari, Sri Sankraacharya says:
Amkolam nijabija santati ayaskantopalam suchika
Saadhvi naija vibhum lata kshitiruham sindhussaritvallabham
Praapnoteeha yatha tatha pasupatehe padaaravinda dwayam
Cheto vrittihi upetya tisthati sada sa bhaktirituchyate

“Just as the seeds of the Amkola tree stick to it again, just as the iron needle is attracted to a magnet, a youthful woman comes to her husband, a creeper entwines a tree and the river flows into the sea, so an individual is attracted to and reaches Pasupati’s (Siva’s)feet . Bhakti is the state of the cessation of antahkarnas (inner mental tools- manas, buddhi, chittam and ahamkaram) and remaining thus always.”
Many more beautiful expressions about bhakti are available in our literature. The most famous bhaktas (devotees) are spread throughout our country. The alwars and nayanamars of Tamil country; Chaitanya Maha Prabhu, Jayadeva, Tukaram, Sakkubai, Purandaradasa, Annamayya, Ramadasu, Kabir, Suradas, Haridas, Meerabai, Narayanateertha, Sadasivebrahmendra, Tyagaraja and many such eminent personalities.
This is all saguna bhakti. Saguna bhakti involves using manas and other antahkaranas to pray, chant, sing and use poetic and intellectual abilities to express the devotion. Here the auspicious qualities of the favourite deity are meditated upon, chanted and sung during the spiritual journey.
In nirguna bakti the antahkarnas are trained to be tuned to their source, the state of Atman/Brahman, and no personal God or Goddess is worshipped. It is complete concentration on tatvam – tat tvam –and involves only Jnaana marga (the path to God through knowledge).
Swaswaroopa anusandhanaam bhakti iti abhidheeyate (“Tuning the mind to its source, its original state is bhakti“) is a famous nirguna definition of bhakti. This has interesting implications. Bhakti is tuning ourselves into our original state and thus experiencing shaanta rasa (the emotion of peace). This original state (rasa sthiti) is the state of bliss, peace and silence. In these experience states, our identity as an individual is merged in the real identity that is ego, time and thought transcending state of mind. This happens when we contemplate spiritual expressions and arrive at our intended destination, rasa sthiti. This approach is the path of artha bhaavanam (contemplation on the meaning). When we understand we experience. When we experience we understand. Experience and understanding are simultaneous. By experiencing the meaning of uttered (heard) sounds and sentences or by comprehending divine utterances and their implications we are able to reach the tatpara (absorbed and being one with Tat) or taatparya (purport or import or rasa) state of language. We must be aware that we use the same mind to learn and master languages and other disciplines as we use for doing routine tasks. The state of thoughts or feelings is known as the vibhakti state of mind. Of course in grammatical terminology, vibhakti refers to nominal case terminations. Patanjali and Bhartruhari have initiated, nurtured and developed a theory of language acquisition and communication making use of the same Advaita concept of Vedantins.

Here is a story from Mahabharata which illustrates how god helps his devotees.

We are told that Asvatthama, one day, approached his father Drona and said: "You teach everything to Arjuna, whatever you have taught me. What is the difference between a disciple and a son? No difference at all? The son naturally is dearer than disciples. You teach Arjuna everything. Will you not teach me something which Arjuna does not know?" Drona thought: "This is a very foolish son, not as wise as Arjuna, and I should not teach him mysteries that may enable him to work havoc". But Asvatthama went on pressing the father with importunities: "Teach me something which Arjuna does not know, otherwise what is the good of my being your son." All the Astras Arjuna was taught. There was nothing that Arjuna did not know, because of instruction from Drona. But on account of a fatherly affection for even a stupid son, which every father has, Drona finally agreed. "All right, come here, I shall give you something, but beware. I am giving you fire in your hands by which you can burn the worlds; but my child, do not use it against devotees of God, because it will not work against devotees of God. It will work against real enemies. This is the Narayana-astra, the missile that is invoked with the power of Narayana. I am telling you this today, and I am initiating you into this mystery. If you release this, all the world can be reduced to ashes; but do not use this. I am warning you, lest you should be yourself in danger when you misuse it." Yet Drona was cautious. He did not tell him how to withdraw the missile, because if he could withdraw it, he would go on using it again and again. He knew the lack of understanding of Asvatthama and the eagerness of his to use it one day or the other! So he could use it only once. Once if is let off, it is let off forever. It could not come back for a second use. But there is a method of withdrawing it also, which in this particular case, Drona never told Asvatthama.And you know, the occasion came for it. When Drona left his mortal coil, the fury of Asvatthama knew no bounds. He said: "I know the secret; today the Pandavas shall not be in this world. My father has told me something, and today there shall be none remaining on the Pandavas' side, not Yudhishthira, not Bhima, not Arjuna; and he took out his 'cat out of the bag', and he let it out with the invocation of Narayana-mantra. Well! You know what happened? Not even an atomic bomb can work such havoc. It multiplied itself into a million-fold. Everywhere, the whole sky was filled with burning missiles; and there were no stars, no sun, no moon, no sky. It was all fire. That was all. And when Arjuna saw that sight, Krishna was accosted: "O Lord! What is this that is coming? I cannot understand it. Some new thing is coming which I have not seen up to this time." Krishna said: "I know what it is, and there is no remedy for this. No one can stand against this. The best thing for you all is to stop fighting. It shall not do any harm to those who will not fight it. It is destructive only to the enemies. Those who prostrate themselves before it are not its enemies, and so the best thing for you would be to cast down your arms and offer prostration to it, and then it shall exhaust itself" Nobody knew what this mystery was, what it was that was coming; but then Krishna said that there was no fighting with it; and to all it was proclaimed loudly: "Cast down your arms, prostrate yourself before this Fire that is coming; that is the only way of saving yourself." And all did this except Bhima. He retorted: "I am not a coward. I, a Kshatriya to cast down arms - nothing doing! I shall see to it." He took up his mace and began brandishing it. Krishna and Arjuna went there and told him: "This is not the time to show your valour, friend, please listen to us." But he would not listen; then he was pulled down by Krishna and Arjuna. "Come down, stupid man, you do not know what you are doing." Since there was nobody to fight, the Astra went here, there, everywhere, seeing and searching for a single enemy. Nobody was there to fight with it, and so, finally, it extinguished itself. Thereafter, the flame entered the body of Krishna, because He was Narayana Himself. It entered the body of Narayana.

Mrigandu maharishi was a staunch devotee of Shiva. Together with his wife Marudhamathi, he led a simple life of worship and penance. The couple were happy with everything save one, the absence of a child to shower their love on. The couple however never gave up hope and continuously invoked Eeshwara to bless them with a child. Pleased with their prayers Shiva himself appeared before them and granted them their boon.
“Mrigandu, I am extremely happy at the devotion shown by you and your wife towards me. I am more than willing to bless you with Putra Bhagyam, but here are my conditions. Would you like to have a child who would be just like you in your wisdom and devotion but would live for only sixteen years, or would you prefer a hundred children who would live for many many years to come but would be challenged in their intelligence quotient? The choice is yours.”, said Shiva, his face alight with his beautiful smile.
“Maheshwara”, said Mrigandu, his hands raised in obeisance, “Give me that one intelligent son. I will be happy with that.”
“So be it, Mrigandu”, blessed the lord and then disappeared.
Soon after, Marudhamathi became pregnant and in due course of time gave birth to a lovely child. All the grahas were in auspicious positions at the time of his birth. The child himself had all the Lakshanams for a bright (but unforunately short) life. The couple named him Markandeya.
Markandeya grew up with time, and was liked by one and all. When he was at a suitable age, his father himself initiated him into the study of the vedas and puranas. Within a short span of time the boy mastered all the scriptures. His parents were proud of his achievements. Markandeya was very pleasing in his manners and behavior. He won the heart of everyone he spoke to.
At the age of twelve, he was initiated into the sacred and mystic Gayathri manthra. His upanayana was conducted with much fanfare and all the guests blessed the boy to have a long and happy life. It was then that the stark truth hit the couple. In four short years their son would no longer be with them. Gloom spread into their hearts which was brimming with pride and affection for their only son.
Days passed and their gloom became more tangible to Markandeya. He could see that his parents were inwardly grieving at something and hiding it from him. As his sixteenth birthday approached his parents were hardly seen without tears in their eyes. Not able to bear the secret any longer, Markandeya confronted his parents.
“Father, mother, I see that you are worried greatly about something. I am unable to figure out what is causing you so much misery. Would you not tell it to me? Isn’t it the duty of a child to allay his parents’ miseries?”, he begged.
Marudhamathi finally broke down with the truth. “Markandeya, when Parameshwara blessed us with a son, he gave us a choice of an intelligent short-lived son compared to many foolish long-lifed children. We ofcourse stuck with the first choice. And now, as you turn to be sixteen, we are afraid that Maheshwara will take you back from us. How can we bear the shock?”, she cried out her anguish.
Markandeya smiled at his parents. “Is that all? Is that the problem? I am sure Shiva can save me from the clutches of death. He is very benevolent to his devotees. Dont we all worship him as Mrithunjaya or the victor of death. He will not let me down. For your happpiness, I am going to pray to him to ask him for a longer life. I am sure he will grant me an extension”, said Markandeya, trying to calm down his mother.
“Father”, he said, “Grant me permission to take leave and bless me for success. I will return back to you only after I get his blessings”. Saying so he left the aashrama of Mrigandu, leaving both his parents in fresh bursts of anguish.
The boy came to the forest on the banks of the Kaveri and made a Shivalinga out of the wet sand. He offered flowers to it and fruits from the forest. Then sitting in front of the linga, with matted locks and dressed in the barks of trees, he immersed himself into the chanting of the holy Panchakshara. Days passed again and Markandeya showed no signs of hunger or thirst, of sleeplessness or fatigue. His body glowed with the heat that his tapas was emanating.
As the last day of his fifteenth year was drawing to a close Yama sent his Kingkaras with orders to take the life of Markandeya and return to Yamaloka. The Yama Kingkaras came down to the banks of the kaveri and approached the boy. However the heat that was being given out by Markandeya did not allow them to get anywhere close to him. Surprised by this unexpected hurdle they ran back to Yamaloka to report this to their master.
“Prabho”, they cried in unison, “The boy is unapproachable. A divine heat is pouring out of his body and we are unable to go near him.”
Yama was shocked and he himself came out to take Markandeya’s life. Seated on his buffalo, with a mace and his characteristic noose in his hands, he appeared before the linga that Markandeya was meditating on.
“Markandeya”, he cried, “your time in this world is over. You are now to accompany me to the legions of the dead.”
Markandeya opened his eyes. Yamadharma Raja who is usually not visible to the mortals appeared before him due to his intense devotion and piety. “Yama Raja, all I request of you is time enough for me to complete my worship. You can take me then”, said Markandeya, his face calm and serene.
“No”, cried Yama in shock. “I can not let you live even for a second after you are sixteen. I will fail in my duties if I did so. Come with me this very second”, he ordered.
Markandeya hugged the Linga in devotion, “No Dharma, I cannot leave my worship unfinished. I need to complete my prayers to Maheshwara before I leave my mortal coils”, begged Markandeya.“Aaargh, I am not going to argue with you anymore. You will come with me now”, thundered Yama and in a flash he threw the noose around Markandeya. The noose fell around the rudrabhaga of the linga too. Yama then started pulling the linga along with the boy. Lo and Behold, the linga split open and out came Shiva looking furious. He kicked Yama with his left leg on his chest and in a moment he plunged his trishula into Yama’s body. Yama cried out in pain and sprawled down, lifeless. The lord of Death himself was dead, at the hands of the master of the universe.
All the devas came down to earth to the sacred spot where Shiva stood over the corpse of Yama. They cowered at the very sight. They all venerated Shiva and praised him as Mrithyunjaya and Kaala Kaala (the Yama of Yama himself). The lord’s anger cooled down and he returned to his Shantha swaroopa.
Markandeya approached Shiva and bowing to him said thus, ”Parameshwara, restore yama back to life. The world will be unbalanced without the lord of death to keep control of their sins and good deeds. Please bring him back.”
Shiva was extremely pleased with Markandeya’s selfless intentions. He restored Yama back to life and warned him, “There is no death to my devotees. Those who venerate me and pray to me with the purest of hearts will not suffer problems from you. It will be good for you if you keep this in mind.” Yama nodded meekly at Shiva’s warning.
“Markandeya”, called Shiva, “to you there will be no death. You will remain sixteen forever. You will neither become old nor gray haired. Every desire of yours shall be fulfilled and you shall remain this young till the end of all times.” Blessing Markandeya thus Shiva disappeared from the spot. True to Shiva’s boon, the hindus believe that Markandeya is still very much alive, young and vibrant as always. They venerate him as one of their siranjeevis and pray to him for longevity.
The place by the banks of kaveri where Markandeya had set up the linga and where Shiva vanquished Yama is today known by the name of Thirukkadaiyur. Yet another of the Ashta Veeratta Kshetras, Thirukkadaiyur is located 20km from Mayiladuthurai. The Abhirami sametha Amrithaghateshwarar temple is one of the best known ones of the Veeratta sthalas. The moolavar linga is a swayambhu. The mark that was made by the noose of Yama can bee seen even today.

Abhirami bhattar was a scholar who lived at Thirukkadaiyur during the rule of Raja Sarabhoji. He was branded as a lunatic by his peers because of his blind devotion for the goddess. This allegation ultimately reached the king’s ears and he came to the temple to check it for himself. It was the sacred thithi of Amavasya or new moon day and the Bhattar was deeply engrossed in worship of the goddess. The king approached him and asked, ”Bhattar, what thithi is it today?” The bhattar who was captivated by the shining moon like face of Abhirami told him, “Why my king, it is Pournami (full moon) indeed.” The king was aghast and repeated his question to which the bhattar answered back in his same tone “It is Pournami my lord.”
The king was furious and ordered, ”If we dont see the moon tonight you will be consigned to flames. You will be made to sit on a swing which will be lowered gradually into a burning pit of fire. As the night passes without the appearance of the moon, the closer you will get to death”.
The bhattar was shocked when he came back to his senses. He looked at the idol of Abhirami, “It was you who made me say that it was a full moon and it will be you who will save me from the plight”. In the evening the bhattar was made to sit on the swing suspended over the fire pit and the swing was gradually lowered. The bhattar called out to Abhirami for help. He sang a hundred verses in praise of the grace and power of the divine mother. At the completion of the 79th verse Devi Abhirami threw one of her glittering earrings onto the heavens where it shown brightly like a full grown moon. The king and everyone gathered were ashamed at what they had done ta a devout soul like Abhirami Bhattar and begged him to forgive them. Bhattar forgave them all and continued his existence on the beauty of the Ambal. As a mark of his respect, the king decreed that one hundredth of the royal revenue should annually go to the descendents of the Bhattar. The copper plates proclaiming this decree are still owned by the surviving descendents of the Bhattar. The hundred verses he sang are now devotedly sung as Abhirami Andhadhi, invoking the blessings of the goddess.
The legend of Kungulinga Kalayar is also quite famous. This rich merchant Kalayar, used to offer Kungulingadhupam (an incense) to the lord everyday and hence he got his name thus. Due to an unseen turn in the fortunes he lost his wealth and was left penniless. One day, to have their daily meal, his wife had to part with her Thirumangalyam (sacred marital thread) to buy them some food. Such was the level of poverty that they had to endure. Kalayar took this to the market with a heavy heart. There, seeing a woman selling Kungulingadhupam, he lost himself and bought some for the temple. He rushed to the sanctum and immersed himself in the worship. The lord taking pity on his devotee and extremely happy with his selfless behaviour, filled his house with gold and grains to last for three generations and bade him to go home. Kalayar returned home, afraid of his wife’s scolding but was taken aback by the wealth that was piled in there. Realising the divine play, he danced with joy at the tender heart of the lord and continued his service to the lord till his very end.

Lalitha sahasranamam - 118

118 BHAKTHI PRIYA – She who likes devotion to her

As the mother goddess of all, Devi has a special creative power beyond all the Gods. The Hindu term for this creative power is shakti and, so, Devi is called Shaktas. She the single original reality from which the three gods of the Trimurti emerge. Her creative power is the source of the origination (pravrti) and dissolution (pralaya) of the successive universes. Although the Puranas focus mainly on the Trimurti, the Devi Bhagavata Purana is devoted specifically to Devi and her creative powers. About one thousand pages in length, the text is classified as one of the 18 great Puranas,where in devotion towards devi is specifically dealt with in detail.

The text vividly describes the concept of supreme devotion (parabhakti), a central component of all the Puranas. One passage explains that there are three kinds of Yoga: that of action (karma), knowledge (jnana), and devotion (bhakti). According to Devi, who narrates the text herself, "Of these three, the Yoga of devotion is the easiest in all respects." However, she explains, there are three lower forms of devotion that should be avoided. Some people worship Devi to spite other people. Others worship Devi hoping to attain some personal desire, such as fame. Still others worship Devi as a means of purifying their actions. A fourth type of devotion, though, is supreme devotion, which is completely selfless. As described below, it is so selfless that the worshiper does not even desire the experience of release itself.

"Now listen attentively about the supreme devotion (parabhakti) which I will now describe to you. He always hears my glories and recites my name. His mind always dwells in me, like the incessant flow of oil, and he is the receptacle of all good qualities and gunas. But he does not have the least trace of any desire to get the fruits of his actions (karma). Indeed, he does not want the various levels of release (moksha), including being on the same plane as God (salokya), nearness to God (samipya), having the form of God (sarsti), union with God (sayujya) and other forms of release. "

Devi continues noting that true worshipers abandons all concepts of themselves, completely identify themselves with Devi, and make no distinctions between themselves and anything else. Worshipers find Devi in everything, including other souls:

He becomes filled with devotion for me alone, worships me only, knows nothing higher than to serve me, and he does not even want final release. He does not like neglecting the notions of "serving" (sevya) and the "servant who serves" (sevaka). He always meditates on me with a constant vigilance, actuated by a feeling of supreme devotion. He does not think of himself as separate from me, but rather thinks to himself, "I am the Lord (Bhagavati)." He considers all souls (jivas) as myself, and loves me as he loves himself. He makes no distinction between the souls and myself since he finds the same pure consciousness (caitanya) everywhere and manifested in all. He does not quarrel with anyone since he has abandoned all ideas of separateness. He bows down and worships the pure consciousness and all the souls. He becomes filled with the highest love when he sees my place, sees my devotees, hears the scriptures, describes my deeds, and meditates on my mantras. His hairs stand on end out of love for me and his tears of love flow incessantly from both of his eyes. He recites my name deeds in a voice that is choked with feelings of love for me. With intense feeling he worships me as the mother of this universe and the cause of all causes. [Devi Bhagavata Purana, 7.37]

When it comes to devotion who can forget tulasi and her devotion for Lord Krishna.

Srimati Tulasi devi is one of the most exalted devotees of the Sri Krishna. All scriptures stress on the importance of getting the mercy of Tulasi devi if one has to make progress in the path of devotion. In the Skanda Purana it is said: ‘Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the Tulasi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuntha world."

Five thousand years ago when Sri Krishna descended on Earth to do His pastimes, Vrinda devi created the proper environment for His pastimes in Vrindavana. Millions of years before the descent of Sri Krishna, Vrinda devi had appeared as the daughter of the pious Emperor Kedera. Then she performed penances for sixty thousand years. Pleased by her penances, Lord Vishnu gave the benediction that any austerities performed in Vrindavana would be very potent. Thus Vrinda devi sanctified the place and it got the name Vrindavana. Later Vrinda devi once again descended here as Tulasi devi, the daughter of King Kushadvaja to perform penances and attain perfection here. Once Tulasi devi descended as the daughter of King Kushadvaja. She was married to Jalhandara. It is said that Samudra deva the demigod controlling the nether regions had Lakshmi devi as a daughter (since she appeared from him at time of the churning of the ocean) and Jalandara (one who is born from water).
Jalandara was married to Tulasi devi and drew strength from her purity and chastity. So firm was her chastity that even Lord Shiva could not defeat Jalandara in battle and all the demigods went to Lord Vishnu for help.
At this time, Lord Vishnu went to Tulasi devi assuming the form of her husband, Jalandara. When Tulasi devi greeted Him, thinking Him to be her husband, her chastity was momentarily broken. Taking advantage of this the demigods killed Jalandara.
When Tulasi devi understood what happened, Lord Vishnu revealed His original form. An enraged Tulasi devi cursed Lord Vishnu for His stone hearted behavior to become a stone. Honoring His pure devotee, Lord Vishnu accepted this curse and promised to appear as the Saligrama shila in the Gandika river (now in Nepal). He also gave Tulsai devi the benediction that she will eternally reside with Him as His consort in Vaikuntha. He said that for the benefit of every one she will assume the form of a plant which will be most auspicious for anyone performing devotional service.
Thus devotees never offer anything to Krishna without a Tulasi leaf. He always adorns Himself with a Tulasi garland. The goddess of fortune, Laksmi, is sometimes envious of the Tulasi leaves which are placed at the lotus feet of the Lord, for they remain fixed there and do not move, whereas Laksmi, although stationed by the chest of the Lord, sometimes has to please other devotees who pray for her favor. Laksmi sometimes has to go to satisfy her numerous devotees, but tulasi leaves never forsake their position, and the Lord therefore appreciates the service of the tulasi more than the service of Laksmi.

Quoting from the Gautamiya-tantra, the Hari-bhakti-vilasa states:
tulasi-dala-matrena

jalasya culukena va

vikrinite svam atmanam

bhaktebhyo bhakta-vatsalah
‘Sri Krishna, who is very affectionate toward His devotees, sells Himself to a devotee who offers merely a tulasi leaf and a palmful of water.’
In the Nectar of Devotion, service to Tulasi is glorified as one of items of devotional service.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam (3.15.19) it is said that although flowering plants like the mandara, kunda, kurabaka, utpala, campaka, arna, punnaga, nagakesara, bakula, lily and parijata are full of transcendental fragrance, they are still conscious of the austerities performed by tulasi, for tulasi is given special preference by the Lord, who garlands Himself with tulasi leaves.
In the Skanda Purana there is a statement praising the Tulasi tree as follows: ‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Tulasi tree, which can immediately vanquish volumes of sinful activities. Simply by seeing or touching this tree one can become relieved from all distresses and diseases. Simply by offering obeisances to and pouring water on the tulasi tree, one can become freed from the fear of being sent to the court of Yamaraja [the King of death, who punishes the sinful]. If someone sows a tulasi tree somewhere, certainly he becomes devoted to Lord Krishna. And when the tulasi leaves are offered in devotion at the lotus feet of Krishna, there is the full development of love of Godhead.’

Lalitha sahasranamam - 117

117 BHAKTHA SOWBHAGYA DHAYINI

She who gives all good and luck to her devotees

When we talk about good luck and prosperity we are often reminded of goddess lakshmi.

Is she good only to her devotees?I doubt it.Let me narrate the story of lakshmi and you will see that not only does she brings good and luck but determines the worth of everyone.

Draped in a red saree, bedecked with gold ornaments, seated on a lotus, pot in hand, flanked by white elephants, the image of Lakshmi adorns most Hindu homes and business establishments.Lakshmi, also called Laxmi, is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, luxury, beauty, fertility, and auspiciousness. She holds the promise of material fulfillment and contentment. She is described as restless, whimsical yet maternal, with her arms raised to bless and to grant her blessings.
Shri is the sacred name of Lakshmi. Shri is written atop most documents and spoken before addressing a god, teacher holy man or any revered individual. The word evokes grace, affluence abundance, auspiciousness and authority. When the word is spoken or written an aura of holiness is established. Whatever follows is imbued with divine blessing. Just as the word “Om” is associated with the mystical side of life, Shri is associated with the material side of existence.Lakshmi represents the beautiful and bountiful aspect of nature. As Bhoodevi, the earth-goddess, she nurtures life; as Shreedevi, the goddess of fortune, she bestows power, pleasure and prosperity on those who deserve her grace. To realize her, one must respect the laws of life and appreciate the wonders of existence.In the beginning, there was water everywhere. There was nothing to eat and nowhere to live. Prajapati, the divine patriarch, father of the gods and demons saw the plight of his children and invoked Devi.
The goddess whispered into his ear, “The earth lies trapped under the water. Raise it up.”
Prajapati took the form of a mighty boar called Emusha, plunged into the sea and found the earth-goddess Bhoodevi on the ocean floor. Placing her on his snout, he gently raised her to the surface.
Prajapati then turned into Akupara, a giant turtle and offered Bhoodevi a seat on his back.
Seated on the celestial turtle, the earth-goddess nurtured life in her bountiful arms. She offered food and shelter to all.
The devas, gods, admired her beauty; the asuras, demons, craved her wealth. They fought many a battle over her. Finally, under the leadership of Bali, the asuras emerged triumphant.
Impressed by Bali’s strength, the goddess came to him as Shreedevi and crowned him king of the earth. She offered him a throne, a footstool and held a parasol over his head.
Shreedevi’s sacred white elephants turned into clouds and sprinkled life-bestowing rain upon the earth, watering fields and pastures so that crops grew abundantly and cows gave plenty of milk. Everyone was happy with Bali as their king.Power made Bali arrogant. He declared, “The earth belongs to me; I can give anyone anything he desires.”
These words greatly disturbed the earth-goddess. She belonged to no one and certainly not a commodity to be given to away as a gift.
Indra, leader of the devas, meanwhile, bereft of Shreedevi’s grace had been reduced to poverty. He approached Bali and begged for some land. To mock him, Bali pointed to Vamana the dwarf and said, “I shall give you as much land as this little one can cover in three strides.” Vamana was no ordinary dwarf but rather an incarnation of vishnu the preserver. As soon as Bali said this, Vishnu began to grow in size, he turned into a giant who strode across and claimed all of Bali’s Kingdom in two steps. With his third step vishnu shoved Bali into the nether region.Vishnu thus wrested control of the earth for the gods.”The gods may lack strength, but they are intelligent. I shall go to them.” So saying, Shreedevi turned away from Bali and went to the gods. She blessed the gods with ruling majesty, material prosperity, physical health, bodily beauty and divine fortune.
Angry and bitter in defeat, the demons rasped, “Shreedevi is Chanchala, the fickle one. Once she favored Bali, now she favors Indra. She is faithful to none.”
“That is not true,” said the goddess, “I am eternally faithful to he who does not abuse my gifts.”

Vishnu, who had conquered the earth for the gods, let Indra become king. “Don’t you want to be lord of the universe and enjoy the splendors of the cosmos?” asked Shreedevi.
“I desire nothing. By defeating the demon Bali, I have done my duty. I seek no reward for it.”
These words of Vishnu pleased Shreedevi.The goddess said, “He who takes good care of the earth-goddess Bhoodevi, wins the affection of Shreedevi, goddess of fortune and becomes king of the cosmos.”
But Indra did not heed her words. Soon after being crowned king, the leader of the devas, he retired to the pleasure gardens. There, he drank wine, enjoyed song and dance and neglected his royal duties.
The earth, left ungoverned was plundered.
Bhoodevi’s lamentation fell on deaf ears. This made Shreedevi very angry. She turned away from Indra.“Wealth and power corrupted the demon-king. Now, pleasure and comfort has weakened the god-king. Neither holds on to dharma for long. Neither deserves my grace.” So saying, the goddess dissolved herself in the ocean of milk.
Instantly a gloom descended upon the world: it no longer reverberated with song and dance. Weapons lost their power, gems their luster, men their vigor. Cows did not give milk, fields became barren, and trees bore neither flower nor fruit. The cosmos became a desolate place bereft of joy and laughter.The goddess’s disappearance caused panic in the three worlds.
“We must bring her back,” said the gods.
“But how?” wondered the demons.
“By churning the ocean of milk,” said Vishnu.With Mandara, king of mountains, as the spindle and Akupara, king of turtles as the base, the devas and the asuras created the cosmic churn. Using Vasuki, the king of the serpents as the churning rope, they began churning the ocean of milk.The churn twisted and turned, the ocean frothed and fumed, waves roared and spewed foam in every direction. Eons passed. Nothing emerged. But the gods and demons were determined to bring the goddess back and continued to churn the great ocean.
Pleased by their efforts, the goddess finally emerged as aLakshmi, the desirable one, in all her splendor.
Seated on a dew drenched Lotus, dressed in red silk, bedecked in gold, she was the very embodiment of affluence, abundance and auspiciousness.
As she rose, rasa, life giving sap, began flowing in every direction. The earth palpated with life. Joy filled the air.
The gods saluted her; the demons sang songs to her glory.
Sacred elephants who hold up the sky came from the eight quarters of the universe raised their trunks and consecrated her with life sustaining water.Along withLakshmi rose Alakshmi, the goddess of barrenness and misfortune from the churning of the ocean milk. She was ugly with matted hair, sunken cheeks, shriveled breasts and coarse limbs.
Said the goddess, “Lakshmi will dwell where there is nobility and righteousness, cleanliness and beauty, virtue and compassion. Alakshmi will dwell elsewhere, attracted by sloth, envy greed, lust and pride.”
And so it is that people who wish to keep Alakshmi away keep their houses clean, their bodies beautiful and their minds pure.With Lakshmi came a cow called Kamadhenu with enough milk to feed the world for all eternity, a wish fulfilling gem called Chantamani and a tree called Kalpataru that bore every flower and fruit desirable. In her hand she held the basket of bounty: the Akshaya Patra overflowing with grain and gold.With Lakshmi appearance from the ocean of milk came Kama the delightful god of pleasure. Riding his parrot surrounded by bees and butterflies, this handsome god raised his sugarcane bow and shot arrows dripping with desire into the heart of every being. He roused the senses, excited the mind and inspired the heart.
With Kama came Priti and Rati, goddess of love and longing and Vasantathe lord of the spring. Wherever they went flowers bloomed bees buzzed to welcome them with offerings of nectar and pollen.
Behind Lakshmi stood Rambha, the beautiful nymph who knew 64 ways to pleasure the senses and Sura, the goddess of intoxicants who could soothe tired nerves and enchant the mind with dreams.Along with Lakshmi came the six tusked, white skinned elephant, Airavata and the seven-headed flying horse, Ucchaishrava. The gods claimed the elephant, the demons claimed the horse.The goddess also brought forth a throne, a crown, a footstool, a parasol, a fly-whisk, a cushion, a fan, a bow and a conch. “These symbols of kingship,” she said, “will go to a worthy being, one who will use power to preserve and protect life.”
“Give them to me,” said Indra the king of gods. “No you are too obsessed with pleasure,” said Lakshmi. “Give them to me,” said Bali King of demons. “No wealth corrupts you and makes you arrogant.”
Lakshmi sought someone who would not succumb to the allure of power, pleasure and prosperity; someone strong, wise and virtuous, capable of using force, charm and guile with discretion to uphold the laws of life. She choseVishnu.Lakshmi placed Vaijayanati, the fragrant garland of victory roundVishnu’s neck and made him her consort. He became known as Shreenatha, beloved of fortune.Vishnu placed Shreevasta, the symbol of Lakshmi on his chest.
Their abode, Vaikuntha, became the pivot of the universe.Vishnu battled the forces of chaos and corruption and diligently performed his duties as guardian of the world, pleasing Lakshmi who rewarded him with her love and affection, tending to his every need as his devoted wife.

Though retained by Vishnu as his consort, Lakshmi remained an avid devotee of Lord Shiva. An interesting legend surrounds her devotion to this god:
Every day Lakshmi had a thousand flowers plucked by her handmaidens and she offered them to the idol of Shiva in the evening. One day, counting the flowers as she offered them, she found that there were two less than a thousand. It was too late to pluck any more for evening had come and the lotuses had closed their petals for the night.
Lakshmi thought it inauspicious to offer less than a thousand. Suddenly she remembered that Vishnu had once described her breasts as blooming lotuses. She decided to offer them as the two missing flowers.
Lakshmi cut off one breast and placed it with the flowers on the altar. Before she could cut off the other, Shiva, who was extremely moved by her devotion, appeared before her and asked her to stop. He then turned her cut breast into round, sacred Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos) and sent it to Earth with his blessings, to flourish near his temples. Tradition also associates Lakshmi with Kubera, the ugly lord of the Yakshas. The Yakshas were a race of supernatural creatures who lived outside the pale of civilization. Their connection with Lakshmi perhaps springs from the fact that they were notable for a propensity for collecting, guarding and distributing wealth. Association with Kubera deepens the aura of mystery and underworld connections that attaches itself to Lakshmi. Yakshas are also symbolic of fertility. The Yakshinis (female Yakshas) depicted often in temple sculpture are full-breasted and big-hipped women with wide generous mouths, leaning seductively against trees. The identification of Shri, the goddess who embodies the potent power of growth, with the Yakshas is natural. She, like them, involves, and reveals herself in the irrepressible fecundity of plant life, as exemplified in the legend of Shiva and the Bael fruit narrated above, and also in her association with the lotus.

In a mythological sense her fickleness and adventurous nature slowly begin to change once she is identified totally with Vishnu, and finally becomes still. She then becomes the steadfast, obedient and loyal wife who vows to reunite with her husband in all his next lives. As the cook at the Jagannatha temple in Puri, she prepares food for her lord and his devotees. In the famous paintings on the walls of the Badami caves in central India, she sits on the ground near where her lord reclines upon a throne, leaning on him; a model of social decorum and correctitude.

The most striking feature of the iconography of Lakshmi is her persistent association with the lotus. The meaning of the lotus in relation to Shri-Lakshmi refers to purity and spiritual power. Rooted in the mud but blossoming above the water, completely uncontaminated by the mud, the lotus represents spiritual perfection and authority. Furthermore, the lotus seat is a common motif in Hindu and Buddhist iconography. The gods and goddesses, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, typically sit or stand upon a lotus, which suggests their spiritual authority. To be seated upon or to be otherwise associated with the lotus suggests that the being in question: God, Buddha, or human being-has transcended the limitations of the finite world (the mud of existence, as it were) and floats freely in a sphere of purity and spirituality. Shri-Lakshmi thus suggests more than the fertilizing powers of moist soil and the mysterious powers of growth. She suggests a perfection or state of refinement that transcends the material world. She is associated not only with the royal authority but with also spiritual authority, and she combines royal and priestly powers in her presence. The lotus, and the goddess Lakshmi by association, represents the fully developed blossoming of organic life.
Sakthi is known by different names in different countries around the world.

• Harappa seal No.279 : Human figure with a foot on a buffalo’s nose, grasping a horn with one hand and thrusting a spear into its back.
• Dordogne, France nude female holding a buffalo horn in her upraised hand.
• Nubia: Temple of Nagar – Goddess slaughtering a demon, with her raised sword, a lion in the background, a snake symbol over her head and winged angels above.
• Japan: Juneiti Kannon or cundi and Juntei Butsubo – the mother of millions of Buddhas – Sapta koti buddha matri.
• Jains accepted Ganesh, Saraswati & Laxmi.
• Buddhists accepted Tara, Laxmi, Ganesh and Mahisasura Mardini in the form of Vajra Varahi in Tibet and Markula in Lahaul.
• Tara - Pre-Vedic Savior Goddess, known from India to Ireland
• In Tibetan, she is called Dolma or Do'ma, When her cult developed exactly is unknown. The Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang who visited the north Indian region between 633 and 645 reports describing, a Tolo image in a temple near Nalanda Buddhist University to which the general population was particularly devoted.
• In China cosmic union, Sacred Marriage, is represented by the square in circle MANDALA, shown in YAB-YUM statues of continuous union
• Durga/Kali (death) among whose followers were the Thugs - as Sara-Kali she was worshipped by gypsies in France as the Black Virgin or Virgin Mary.
• The Roman goddess MENS (Bright Moment/Mind) is associated with Shakti and menstruation.
• Shekina is the feminine aspect of God and is the Jewish Cabalist version of the Hindu Shakti, who when joined to Her male counterpart forms the perpetual cosmic union the star of David which is the Tantric mandala of Shiva (the upward pointing triangle) and Shakti (the downward pointing triangle). The concept of Shekina appears in the medieval ages associated with the celebration of the Shabat.