Mool Mantar - The true Guru has made available (for me) the glimpse of this truth.
"That homogenous supreme reality (God) first was written as numeral one (in mool mantar)and then He was incribed as Ura syllable of Gurmukhi, further pronounced as Oangkar. Then He was called Satnam, the truth by name Kartapurakh, the creator Lord, Nirbhau, the fearless one, and Nirvair, without rancour. Then emerging as the timeless Akal Moorat to be called as unborn and self-existent. Realised through the grace of the Guru, the divine preceptor, the current of this primeval truth (God) has continuously been moving since before the beginning and throughout the ages. He is verily the truth and will continue to be the truth forever. The true Guru has made available (for me) the glimpse of this truth. One who merging his consciousness in the Word establishes a relationship of Guru and disciple, only that disciple devoting himself to the Guru and progressing from worldiness attunes his consciousness in and with the Lord. The gurmukhs have had a glimpse of imperceptible Lord who is the fruit of delights." (www.khalsanet.org)
The Mool Mantar
Ik Onkaar - The One God, the Absolute Reality
Satnaam - Whose name is Truth
Kartaa - The Creator
Purakh - Present in all creation
Nirbhau - Without Fear
Nirvair - Without vengence or anger
Akaal Moorat - of Eternal Form
Ajuni Unborn
Saibangh - self-Illumined
Gurparsaad - Attainable through the Grace of the Guru
"The Mool Mantar (also spelt Mul Mantra) is the most important
composition contained within the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy
scripture of the Sikhs; it is the basis of Sikhism. The word "Mool"
means "main", "root" or "chief" and "Mantar" means "magic chant"
or "magic portion".
Together the words "Mool Mantar" mean the "Main chant" or "root
verse". It's importance is emphasised by the fact that it is the
first composition to appear in the holy Granth of the Sikhs and that
it appears before the commencement of the main section which
comprises of 31 Raags or chapters.
The Mool Mantar is said to be the first composition uttered by Guru
Nanak Dev upon enlightenment at the age of about 30. Being the basis
of Sikhism it encapsulates the entire theology of Sikhism. When a
person begins to learn Gurbani, this is the first verse that most
would learn.
It is a most brief composition encompassing the entire universally
complex theology of the Sikh faith. It has religious, social,
political, logical, martial and eternal implication for human
existence; a truly humanitarian and global concepts of the Supreme
power for all to understand and appreciate.
This Mantar encompasses concepts which have been evaluated and proven
over many eras (or yugs) and known to be flawless beyond any
ambiguity what so ever. The rest of Japji Sahib that follows this
mantar is said to be a elaboration of the main mantar and that the
rest of the Guru Granth Sahib totalling 1430 pages, is a detailed
amplification of the Mool Mantar.
This is the verse that all beginners to Sikhism have to learn and
repeat over and over again until it becomes an automatic process.
After learning this short verse and its full meaning, it is common
for beginners to awake early in the morning, wash and sit and mediate
on the Mantar for 10 to 20 minutes focussing on the sound and meaning
of each word.
It is said that the rest of the Guru Granth Sahib is an elaboration
of the Mool Mantar and that this Mantar itself is an explanation and
amplification of the single phrase Ek Oankaar, which is the first
entry in the holy Granth."
SikhiWiki, the Sikh Encyclopedia
www.sikhiwiki.org/
Dear devotees of the Aykaa Mayee,
Namaste - i bow to the Divine Mother who resides in you!
Bhai Gurdas Ji was a respected man of wide learning especially in
ancient texts and philosophy, and devoted his exceptional talents to
preaching the Sikh faith. When Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji compiled the Adi
Granth, he chose Bhai Gurdas Ji to inscribe the entire text. Bhai
Gurdas Ji also composed Vaars which are valued for their vivid
exposition of the teachings of the Gurus. Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji put
his seal of approval on them by designating them as the "key" to the
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. In Vaar 39 (see below), Bhai Sahib gives an
explanation of the complete Mool Mantar, confirming once again that
it ends with Nanak hosi bhi such.
"That homogenous supreme reality (God) first was written as numeral
one (in mool mantar)and then He was incribed as Ura syllable of
Gurmukhi, further pronounced as Oangkar. Then He was called Satnam,
the truth by name Kartapurakh, the creator Lord, Nirbhau, the
fearless one, and Nirvair, without rancour. Then emerging as the
timeless Akal Moorat to be called as unborn and self-existent.
Realised through the grace of the Guru, the divine preceptor, the
current of this primeval truth (God) has continuously been moving
since before the beginning and throughout the ages. He is verily the
truth and will continue to be the truth forever. The true Guru has
made available (for me) the glimpse of this truth. One who merging
his consciousness in the Word establishes a relationship of Guru and
disciple, only that disciple devoting himself to the Guru and
progressing from worldiness attunes his consciousness in and with the
Lord. The gurmukhs have had a glimpse of imperceptible Lord who is
the fruit of delights." (www.khalsanet.org)
It is this Aykaa Mayee within and Her incarnation Shri Mataji Nirmala
Devi without who have given the Sacred Knowledge of the Mool Mantra.
It is the Divine Mother whoby manifesting the eschatological heart
and soul of Judaism, Christianity and Islamhas made available the
Sacred Knowledge, knowledge that is beyond the grasp and challenge of
Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and all
others. The Gurparsaad of the true Guru has made available (for me)
the glimpse of this truth, the End of Sacred Knowledge that towers
far over and above all religious and spiritual organizations.
"Gur" meaning Guru, and "Parsaad" meaning blessing. By this
attributes God Almighty is reached by the Guru's Blessing. The Guru
or 'Teacher' removes that darkness of ignorance as not only do we not
recognize the Truth, but we are not even aware that we are ignorant.
So the all-compassionate Mother in Her supreme kindness has manifested
Herself as the Guru to inspire, guide and reveal to us Her true
nature and liberate us from the bondage of samsaara. Therefore we
say, "Guru Brahmaah, Guru Vishnuh, Guru Devo aheshwarah, Gurureva
Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah." Guru is the Creator, Brahma.
Guru is the Sustainer, Vishnu. Guru is the Destroyer, Shiva. Guru is
the Lord of the Universe. Guru alone is the Absolute Reality, the
Param Brahma. Unto that noble Teacher, my humble prostrations."
Aykaa Mayee: The Mother
In the Japji Sahib Guru Nanak reveals who this noble Guru (Teacher) is:"Aadays, tisai aadays. Aad aneel anaad anaahat, jug jug ayko vays.
Obeisance, obeisance to Her, the Primal, the Immaculate, without beginning, without end, Immutable through all ages.
Aykaa maa-ee, jugat viaaee, tin chalay parvaan.
The Mother was conceived alone in some mysterious way and She procreated three deities.
Ik sansaaree, ik bhandaaree, ik laa-ay deeban.
One was Creator, one Sustainer, and one Destroyer of the world.
Jiv tis bhaavai, tivai chalaavai, jiv havai phurmaan.
The world moves as She ordains and as She pleases.
Oh vaykahi, onaa nadar na aavai, buhutaa ayho vidaan.
She sees all, but no one sees Her: this is a great wonder."
Shri Guru Gobind Singh confirms the same Truth in the Jaap Sahib:
"52. Namo Sustar Anai, namo Atar Manai. Namo Parm Gayata, Namo Lok Mata.
Salutations to Thee, Wielder of weapons and Pride of arms, Perfect of knowledge and Mother of all....
Bhagawati Chhund Tav Parsad (By the Grace of the Divine Mother)
150. Keh Zihr Zhoor Hain, Keh Hazr Hzoor Hain. Hamaisul Salam Hain, Samstul Kalam Hain.
O Lord, Ever manifest in all Thy splendour, Ever present in all Thy glory, Thou art the Fount of eternal peace, Thou art the Source of all scriptures." (end)
It is the Aykaa Mayee alone who is the one Knower and Revealer of all the sciences including the knowledge of one's own nature, which brings about liberation. She is the Aadi Guru, the First Guru. She alone appears again and again in the form of different Gurus to bless the seekers. She alone is our Guru.
What can be said about one's Guru? What words can describe Her Compassion and Grace, Her Parsaad?
A mere side glance of Her can transform a sinner into a saint, destroy the evil of ignorance, wash away the sins of countless lifetimes and ends the burning sorrows of samsaara. Her lotus feet are the one refuge in the many storms of life. They are the mighty boat, which alone can take us across the samsaara saagara, the ocean of transmigration. Even the devtas, the heavenly denizens, cherish the sacred dust of Her feet.
How can one describe or even enumerate the infinite glories of the Guru? The Vedas become silent in their reverence, the Rishis are choked with emotion and the poetic saints are at a loss for words.
Shri Kabirdaas once said, "Sub dharti kaagaz karo, lekhan sub ban rai, saat samudra ki masi karo, Guru gun likheeya na jaee." If the entire earth were turned into paper, all the trees in all the world's forests into pens, and all the seven oceans into ink, still they would not suffice for me to write about the glories of my Guru."
The greatest Parsaad or 'Grace' of the Guru is the Supreme Knowledge the End of Sacred Knowledgewhich reveals to us our true infinite nature, shows us our identity with God and destroys all our karmas, the bondage due to the results of actions gathered through millions of lifetimes.
How can we experience and understand Gur Prasad? Gur Prasad is the blessing, the grace, the transforming touch of the Guru, the Aykaa Mayee. Her Grace alone completes our full merger with the Infinite. This experience is a gift from the Inner Guru.
To surrender in devotion at Her Lotus Feet, is the only one direct means of salvation.... "Na Guroh adhikam tatvam, na Guroh adikham tapah, tatva gyaanaat param naasti, tasmai Shri Gurave naamah." There is no reality higher than the Guru, there is no tapas or austerity greater than service to the Guru, there is no knowledge higher than knowledge of the Truth. To that Teacher who is my all, my humble prostrations.
She alone can expound the mysteries enshrined in the Scriptures. She is that brilliant sun in whose light and warmth the lotus flower of Knowledge blooms. One who has surrendered to Her and is in the protection of the Guru shall certainly realize the Truth.
Gurparsaad is what we should seek. In other words, we should seek God in the form of the compassionate Guru. Surrender to the Divine Mother, serve Her and open your hearts to Her ever-flowing parsaad or grace. The greatest service we can render to the Teacher is obedience to Her instruction, for such instruction is given for our benefit alone.
The Aykaa Mayee requires nothing for Herself, and the greatest offering one can make to one's Guru is to abide in the Knowledge given by the Teacher. In this way one can fulfill the purpose of human existence, which is a rare form of life attained after experiencing millions of life forms.
manamukh firehin chaethehi moorrae lakh chouraaseeh faer paeiaa
The self-willed manmukhs wander around, and they do not remember the Lord; the fools are consigned to the cycle of 8.4 million incarnations.
Page 434 Guru Nanak Dev
lakh chouraaseeh maedhanee ghattai n vadhhai outhaahi
They will pass through 8.4 millions species; this number does not decrease or rise.
Page 936 Guru Nanak Dev
chouraaseeh narak saakath bhogaaeeai
The faithless cynic has to endure 8.4 million hellish incarnations.
Page 1028 Guru Nanak Dev
bhram bhram ddolai lakh chouraaseeh
People wander lost, staggering and stumbling through 8.4 million incarnations.
Page 1344 Guru Nanak Dev
regards to all,
jagbir
Guru Nanak: Without grace and guidance of Guru we cannot discover God's home inside us
Note: In a lengthy but crucial conclusion [to "Mool Mantar - The true Guru has made available (for me) the glimpse of this truth"] that allows us to further comprehend and confirm that the Gurparsaad of the Aykaa Mayee leads to the eternal afterlife, i quote from "The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices" by William Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi. There would have hardly been a difference if this article was titled "Jesus Christ: Without grace and guidance of the Comforter/Holy Spirit we cannot discover the Kingdom of God inside us that leads to the eternal afterlife".
William Owen and Piara Singh conclude that "Guru Nanak was also practical and we must turn not only to the concept of liberation but to the techniques which Sikhism advocates for attaining liberation". Shri Mataji, as the incarnation of the Divine Feminine entrenched in all Holy Scriptures, has given humanity the concept and technique of attaining liberation/resurrection into the eternal afterlife.
The underlying unity and sacred knowledge of all Holy Scriptures is that salvation is only attainable from within ourselves, where God resides! That is why it must be again repeated that if you have to take even a single step in any direction to seek the Divine you are going the wrong way. God's home is within us on this physical plane. Only in the afterlife will liberated souls experience it without as Sach Khand (the Sphere of Eternity).
The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices
Cole, W. Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh
"The search for God might be the consequence of dissatisfaction or of 'meeting the Guru'. Someone may succeed in the moral struggle, in the practice of asceticism, in visiting pilgrimage centres or mastering the Vedas or philosophical systems and yet be aware that something is still missing. On the other hand, it may be that without conscious effort, perhaps as a result of karma, someone hears the voice of God and the latent divinity is activated so that release is obtained. At this point we come to the difficult concept of the grace of God. The problem sometimes exists for the western reader who may already be aware that the word has a Christian context, and even if he has not studied Pauline theology he knows something of the term because of its popular usage. A word used in the Adi Granth that is translated as 'grace' is 'nadar', which has to do with 'sight'. Sikhism is above all else a particular kind of guru cult and it might help to consider a similar word to 'nadar', 'darshan', the Guru's glance, as we may try to understand grace.
India is a land of villages, pilgrimage places and gurus. Almost every day there is some local festival, some holy man whose anniversary is being commemorated and in many villages there is a guru to whom people turn for enlightenment and guidance. Some of the gurus become famous beyond the locality and the roads to their teaching centres are busy with travelers.
Others have only local reputations and are visited by a small but steady trickle of devotees. Outside the guru's home the faithful and the hopeful will sit and wait for him to appear (most gurus are male). He may be away from the village in which case they will remain until his return. When he does appear there need be no words, merely a benign look of acceptance that is enough to convey a blessing. That glance is darshan. It is this that Sikhism has in mind when it speaks of God's grace. God is the supreme Guru. Experience teaches that some people make the hard journey of asceticism or moral effort but do not receive this glance of acceptance. Others with but little struggle are not only smiled upon, they are initiated into the close fellowship of disciples. Acceptance or rejection is not arbitrary or the result of some quixotic impulse; the person who sought darshan and was refused it may be disappointed but the guru knows best. Even the disappointment is a pronouncement. It may be that the seeker must try harder, is being tested, is not yet ready for enlightenment. `Baba knows everything'; even that the time for release may not be in the present life; perhaps the next birth will bring acceptance. One thing is certain; the hopeful pilgrim believes that the guru is necessary for liberation. With this concept of guruship in mind it may be possible to understand such apparently harsh sayings as:
All bounties come from God. No one can claim them as a matter of right. Some who are awake do not receive them, others are roused from their slumbers to be blessed. (AG 85)
Good actions may procure a better existence, but liberation comes only from grace. (AG 2)
God cannot be understood or realized through cleverness (AG 221)
God cannot be won through rites or deeds. Learning cannot give help in comprehending the Divine. The Vedas and eighteen Puranas have also failed to reveal the mystery. Only the True Guru has revealed the one to me. (AG 155)
In Sikhism grace is the word which describes the way in which God focuses attention upon a person. No one is ever beyond God's care; God `takes care of everything, though remaining invisible' (AG 7).
Even to those how have not found God there is knowledge through dissatisfaction:
You are clearly present in the world because all crave for your Name. (AG 71)
Grace is the means by which this longing is met. It is the special notice which God takes of someone. It can even be a glance of disapproval but then its consequences are disastrous: `A displeasing glance from God reduces even monarchs to straw' (AG 472).
In the Japji Guru Nanak describes the five stages of human development. The first is the region or stage of piety (Dharam Khand). This is the realm into which all humans are born. They may practise devotion and so reach the realm of knowledge (Gian Khand) in which they become aware of the vastness of the universe and the mystery of existence. The seeker may progress further, to the realm of effort (Saram Khand). In this stage mind and intellect become perfected or attuned to God. A person has now gone as far as possible in developing natural gifts. The stage of grace (Karam Khand) is only possible with the help of spiritual strength, which comes from God. Help to enter this realm is willingly given by the loving God.
It is the region in which only the great saints (bhagats) live in divine bliss.
In the realm of grace spiritual power is supreme, nothing else avails. Brave and strong warriors in whom divine spirit lives dwell there, those who are blended with the One by songs of praise. Their beauty is beyond description, the Divine Being lives in their hearts. They do not die and are not deceived. The congregations of the blessed live there too. They dwell in bliss with the True One in their hearts. (AG 8)
Grace in Sikhism has therefore a number of meanings. It is the glance which a Guru bestows upon the disciple denoting acceptance and conveying a blessing. It is also a glance which liberates the devotee in such a way that the efforts which were once taken to win recognition are now acts of loving service. Grace also transforms the disciple from being a hopeful seeker to being someone who has found the meaning of personal existence and is now at ease and at peace, having realized God.
However, Karam Khand is not the last region; there is Sach Khand, the region of truth where God exists in a formless state. It cannot be described, only experienced by the liberated soul.
In the realm of truth dwells the formless One who having created, watches over creation, looking upon them with grace. People live in bliss. There a world upon world, form upon form. All have their functions as God's will [hukam] ordains. God sees creation and seeing it rejoices. To describe it is hard, hard as steel to the hand. (AG 8).
Guru Nanak was acutely aware of the paradoxes which are part of life, of seeking for God but not finding, of striving but not being satisfied, of knowing that God is latent in everyone, yet many are unaware of how to become God-realized. The solution lay in the Indian concept of guruship which Guru Nanak accepted but interpreted in his own particular way. Two passages sum up both the paradox and the solution:
Inside you is the royal throne from which justice is dispensed. By the shabad we discover God's home is inside us (AG 1092); Without the grace and guidance of the Guru we cannot know the essence of the truth, the unfathomable God lives in everyone. (AG 1093).
Guru Nanak was also practical and we must turn not only to the concept of liberation but to the techniques which Sikhism advocates for attaining liberation."
The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices
Cole, W. Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh, 1973, pages 79-82
Sussex Academic Press
The Three Meanings of Atman - Parabrahman, Brahman and brahman
"Ultimately there is only one Self, the supreme Self, which is manifested at different levels of reality. First of all, the Paramatman, the Supreme Self, can be conceived as beyond all word and all thought. It is the ultimate transcendent mystery. Secondly, the atman can be conceived as the source of all reality, the source of all creation, of consciousness and of human existence. Thirdly, the same atman can be conceived as indwelling in each person, each thing. In each one of us the One, the Supreme Spirit, is dwelling. That Supreme Spirit dwelling in me is my higher Self. These three senses are fundamental. The absolute Supreme, beyond everything, the 'Parabrahman' or 'Paramatman', then the brahman or atman as the source of everything, the creator Spirit, and then the atman or brahman manifested in every person in every thing, the indwelling Self. That is my higher Self and it is ultimately one with the Supreme."
The One Light - Bede Griffiths' Principal Writings
Chapter IV, East, Part One - The Wisdom of India p.204
Edited and with Commentary by Bruno Barnhart
Templegate Publishers, Springfield, Illinois
ISBN 0-87243-254-8
The Mahadevi
Central Theological and Philosophical Characteristics
The Mahadevi, both the saguna and nirguna form, has always insisted on this: "Let Us Meditate". The appended article is probably the best i have read about the Mahadevi, who not only is my very Self (brahman) but the entire cosmos too (Brahman) ....... and Beyond (Parabrahman)!
This quintessence (the most perfect embodiment) of Divine Knowledge, the very elixir of immortality, ends all searching. It is a most priceless pearl of Sacred Knowledge that must be deeply contemplated forever.
regards to all,
jagbir
The Mahadevi
Central Theological and Philosophical Characteristics
An underlying theological assumption in texts celebrating the Mahadevi is that the ultimate reality in the universe is a powerful, creative, active, transcendent female being. The Lalita-sahasranama gives many names of the Mahadevi, and several of her epithets express this assumption. She is called, for example, the root of the world (Jagatikanda, name 325), she who transcends the universe (Visvadhika, 334), she who has no equal (Nirupama, 389), supreme ruler (Paramesvari, 396), she who pervades all (Vyapini, 400), she who is immeasurable (Aprameya, 413), she who creates innumerable universes (Anekakotibrahmandajanani, 620), she whose womb contains the universe (Visvagarbha, 637), she who is the support of all (Sarvadhara, 659), she who is omnipresent (Sarvaga, 702), she who is the ruler of all worlds (Sarvalokesi, 758), and she who supports the universe (Visvadharini, 759). In the Devi-bhagavata-purana, which also assumes the ultimate priority of the Mahadevi, she is said to be the mother of all, to pervade the three worlds, to be the support of all (1.5.47-50), to be the life force of all beings, to be the ruler of all beings (1.5.51-54), to be the only cause of the universe (1.7.27), to create Brahma, Visnu, and Siva and to command them to perform their cosmic tasks (3.5.4.), to be the root of the tree of the universe (3.10.15), and to be she who is supreme knowledge (4.15.12). The text describes her by many other names and phrases as it exalts her to a position of cosmic supremacy.
One of the central philosophic ideas underlying the Mahadevi, an idea that in many ways captures her essential nature, is sakti. Sakti means "power"; in Hindu philosophy and theology sakti is understood to be the active dimension of the godhead, the divine power that underlies the godhead's ability to create the world and to display itself. Within the totality of the godhead, sakti is the complementary pole of the divine tendency towards quiescence and stillness. It is quite common, furthermore, to identify sakti with a female being, a goddess, and to identify the other pole with her male consort. The two poles are understood to be interdependent and to have relatively equal status in terms of divine economy.
Texts of contexts exalting the Mahadevi, however, usually affirm sakti to be a power, or the power, underlying ultimate reality, or to be the ultimate reality itself. Instead of being understood as one or two poles or as one dimension of a bipolar conception of the divine, sakti as it applies to the Mahadevi is often identified with the essence of reality. If the Mahadevi as sakti is related to another dimension of the divine in the form of a male deity, he will tend to play a subservient role in relation to her. In focussing on the centrality of sakti as constituting the essence of the divine, texts usually describe the Mahadevi as a powerful, active, dynamic being who creates, pervades, governs, and protects the universe. As sakti, she is not aloof from the world but attentive to the cosmic rhythms and the needs of her devotees.
In a similar vein the Mahadevi is often identified with prakrti and maya. Indeed, two of her most common epithets are Mulaprakrti (she who is primordial matter) and Mahamaya (she who is great maya)... In the quest for liberation prakrti represents that from which one seeks freedom. Similarly, most schools of Hindu philosophy identify maya with that which prevents one from seeing things as they really are. Maya is the process of superimposition by which one projects one's own ignorance on the world and thus obscures ultimate truth. To wake up to the truth of things necessarily involves counteracting or overcoming maya, which is grounded in ignorance and self-infatuation. Liberation in Hindu philosophy means to a great extent the transcendence of embodied, finite, phenomenal existence. And maya is often equated precisely with finite, phenomenal existence. To be in the phenomenal world, to be an individual creature, is to live enveloped in maya.
When the Mahadevi is associated with prakrti or maya, certain negative overtones sometimes persist. As prakrti or maya she is sometimes referred to as the great power that preoccupies individuals with phenomenal existence or as the cosmic force that impels even the gods to unconsciousness and sleep. But the overall result of the Mahadevi's identification with prakrti and maya is to infuse both ideas with positive dimensions. As prakrti or maya, the Devi is identified with existence itself, or with that which underlies all existent things. The emphasis is not on the binding aspects of matter or the created world but on the Devi as the ground of all things. Because it is she who pervades the material world as prakrti or maya, the phenomenal world tends to take on positive qualities. Or perhaps we could say that a positive attitude toward the world, which is evident in much of popular Hinduism, is affirmed when the Devi is identified with prakrti and maya. The central theological point here is that the Mahadevi is the world, she is all this creation, she is one with her creatures and her creation. Although a person's spiritual destiny ultimately may involve transcendence of the creation, the Devi's identification with existence per se is clearly intended to be a positive philosophical assertion. She is life, and to the extent that life is cherished and revered, she is cherished and revered.
As sakti, prakrti, and maya, the Devi is portrayed as an overwhelming presence that overflows itself, spilling forth into the creation, suffusing the world with vitality, energy, and power. When the Devi is identified with these well-known philosophical ideas, then, a positive point is being made: the Devi creates the world, she is the world. and she enlivens the world with creative power. As sakti, prakrti, and maya, she is not understood so much as binding creatures to finite existence as being the very source and vitality of creatures. She is the source of creaturestheir motherand as such her awesome, vital power is revered.
The idea of brahman is another central idea with which the Devi is associated. Ever since the time of the Upanishads, brahman has been the most commonly accepted term or designation for the ultimate reality in Hinduism. In the Upanishads, and throughout the Hindu tradition, brahman is described in two ways: as nirguna (having no qualities or beyond all qualities) and saguna (having qualities). As nirguna, which is usually affirmed to be the superior way of thinking about brahman, ultimate reality transcends all qualities, categories, and limitations. As nirguna, brahman transcends all attempts to circumscribe it. It is beyond all name and form (nama-rupa). As the ground of all things, as the fundamental principle of existence, however, brahman is also spoken of as having qualities, indeed, as manifesting itself in a multiplicity of deities, universes, and beings. As saguna, brahman reveals itself especially as the various deities of the Hindu pantheon. The main philosophical point asserted in the idea of saguna brahman is that underlying all the different gods is a unifying essence, namely, brahman. Each individual deity is understood to be a partial manifestation of brahman, which ultimately is beyond all specifying attributes, functions, and qualities.
The idea of brahman serves well the attempts in many texts devoted to the Devi to affirm her superior position in the Hindu pantheon. The idea of brahman makes two central philosophical points congenial to the theology of the Mahadevi: (1) she is ultimate reality itself, and (2) she is the source of all divine manifestations, male and female (but especially female). As saguna brahman, the Devi is portrayed as a great cosmic queen enthroned in the highest heaven, with a multitude of deities as the agents through which she governs the infinite universes. In her ultimate essence, however, some texts, despite their clear preference for the Devi's feminine characteristics, assert in traditional fashion that she is beyond all qualities, beyond male and female."
David R. Kinsley, Hindu goddesses: visions of the divine feminine in the Hindu religious tradition
University of California Press; 1 edition (July 19, 1988) , Pages 133-37
"She is verily the Brahman and hence she is called in contradictions"
Mahisasurmardini-Durga
The origin of Mahisasurmardini-Durga is as mysterious as her rise to the status of Mahadevi or Mahasuri. Some scholars have attempted to trace her origin from the cult of Mother Goddess of the pre-vedic society, where mother was all powerful. She was however more than that; she became the proto-type of the cosmic energy (Prakrti). The worship of the Mother Goddess of the matriarchal society in the pre- vedic society virtually formed the nucleus of the later Saktism.
Durga finds mention in the Taittiriya Aranyaka, but not as a warrior goddess. The connotation of the word Durga are the demon Durga, great danger, impediments of the world, evil deeds, grief, worries, hell punishment of Yama, birth, fear and disease. The term is used in sense of killing. Since the Devi kills or removes all these is known as Durga.
There are two hymns in the Khila-Ratri-Sukta which refer to the goddess Durga. The three deities, namely Vac-Sarasvati, Ratri and Sri of the Sukta are the three important manefaetations of Sakti as Mahakali, Mahalaksmi and Maha-Sarasvati.
The Sakta Upanisads enhanced the status of the goddess to an unprecedented degree in a philosophical garb. The Devi UpanisadI relates directly to the personification of Sakti such as Durga, Mahalaksmi, Sarasvati and Vaisnavi depicting as Brahmasvarupini.
Pushpendra Kumar observes in Sakti cult in Ancient India that: she is infinite, unborn, incomprehensible and one because of her omnipresence. She is also not one as she is the whole universe. She is verily the Brahman and hence she is called in contradictions, being and not being all this universe, gods and all that exists. That, beyond which there is nothing, is Durga. She is three-eyed and wears red garments. She is all compassion. She takes one beyond the ocean of births and deaths...
Philosophical: As Sakti, prakrti and maya, the Devi is portrayed as an overwhelming presence that overflows itself, spilling forth into the creation, suffusing the world with vitality, energy and power. When the Devi is identified with these philosophical ideas, then a positive point is being made: the Devi creates the world, she is the world, and she is not understood so much as binding creatures to finite existence as being the very source and vitality of creatures. She is the source of creatures their mother-and as such her awesome, vital power is revered.
The idea of Brahman is another central idea with which the Devi is associated. In the Upanisads, and throughout the Hindu tradition, Brahman is described in two ways: as nirguna (having no quality or beyond all qualities) and saguna (having qualities). As nirguna, which is usually affirmed to be the superior way of thinking about Brahman, ultimate reality transcends all qualities, categories and limitations. As nirguna, Brahman transcends all attempts to circumscribe it. It is beyond all name and form (nama-rupa). As the ground of all things, as the fundamental principle of existence, however, Brahman is also spoken of as having qualities, indeed, as manifesting itself in a multiplicity of deities, universe and beings. As saguna Brahman reveals itself especially as the various deities of the Hindu pantheon. The main philosophical point asserted in the idea of saguna Brahman is underlying all the different gods is unifying essence, namely, Brahman. Each individual deity is understood to be partial manifestation of Brahman, which ultimately is beyond all specifying attributes, functions and qualities.
The idea of Brahman serves well the attempts in many texts devoted to the Devi to affirm her supreme position in Hindu pantheon. The idea of Brahman makes two central philosophical points congenial to the theology of Mahadevi: (1) she is ultimate reality itself, and (2) she is the source of all divine manifestations, male and female (but especially female). As saguna Brahman, the Devi is portrayed as a great cosmic queen enthroned in highest heaven, with a multitude of deities as agents through which she governs the infinite universes.
She is not just an icon to be worshipped; an art object to be curated in a museum, a symbol to be decoded, a metaphor to be pried open, an ancient goddess that is an anthropological curiosity, a goddess whose marriage is a sociological analysis. Perhaps she is all of this but she is much more than the sum of those disciplines. She is chit, our very being, she Sakti or the energy that animates us and the world around us; her presence is a doorway to anada or bliss; she is the very embodiment of isaundarya or beauty; not just sensuous but spiritual, a spandana or throb of knowledge through which we seek our own self."
NILANJANASOM
http://nilanjanasom.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html
