Gwenaël Verez – The Search for the Divine Mother
Gwenaël Verez’s reflections illuminate the Divine Mother as the supreme consciousness, the source of Kundalini, and the key to spiritual awakening. Drawing from the Bahvricha Upanishad, Devi Gita, and Shri Mataji’s teachings, the article affirms that She alone is the Self, the blissful Brahman, and the inner light within all beings. The Kundalini is Her reflection, the Inner Mother who awakens seekers to their divine nature. This universal truth transcends religious boundaries, revealing the feminine power behind creation, liberation, and the unfolding of the cosmic Self.
Of Brahman without duality,
Like a wave of Existence and of Joy.
She has entered all beings,
within and without
Of each of them, and on all
She shines Her light!”
yoga, meaning union, and the word 'religion', which comes from the Latin religare, meaning to bind or link.
The union of the individual with the All, with the cosmos, results from an inner process which allows human awareness to focus on the supreme and ultimate reality, the Self, God in us as Jung wrote. This process makes it possible for our attention to go beyond the Ego, the I, and beyond the conditionings nourished by our society, by our education, and by our past in general. It is an inner movement which, like every living thing in the universe, needs energy. This energy puts us in touch with the absolute of our being, our Spirit, hence we can properly call it a Spiritual Energy. Indian tradition, stretching back over thousands of years, has given it a name: Kundalini.
This tradition teaches us that the awakening of Kundalini is what ultimately confers on the purified ascetic, as it did on the Buddha, the total realisation of God, Nirvana.
And yet, Kundalini does not always wait until the seeker is entirely purified before stirring. Responding to the desire for inner growth and spiritual evolution, the Kundalini awakens to bestow Self-Realisation, which opens the way to awareness of the infinite. This experience has been described by many saints from all religious traditions, such as Meister Eckhart and Dante in the Christian tradition, Rumi and Attar for Islam, the early Zen patriarchs, Namdev and Tukaram from India, to name only a few. This experience of Self-Realisation has also been described by outstanding scientists such as Pascal, Einstein and Jung. In this experience the Kundalini spontaneously awakens, giving a spark of absolute reality to the seeker and initiating him into inner knowledge of his own Divine nature. It is then up to him to protect and nurture this light through introspection and meditation.
The awakening of Kundalini is not the end, but the beginning. It is the gate which opens onto the way towards spiritual awareness, union, that is, yoga.
Many masters—and, alas, many false teachers—have taught about Yoga without explaining that it involves the awakening of this spiritual Energy. This has led to confusion, particularly in the West, as mystical union, the ultimate aim of seeking, lost any connection with a living and tangible experience. The prophets of the past, who gave rise to the great religious movements, spoke in allegorical terms of the eternal feminine power which leads to the revelation of our Divine identity. In India it is the Kundalini, described in remarkable terms by Shankaracharya and Jnaneshwar. For Lao Tze it is the Tao, in Jewish mysticism it is the Shekinah, and in the New Testament we find it in the image of the Holy Spirit.
The link between these allegories and The Mother Goddess is sometimes clearly stated, as in the Tao Te Ching, and sometimes obscure, as in the New Testament. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, the Great Goddess proclaims: 'There is no distinction between Me and the Kundalini'. The Kundalini is the Inner Mother, reflection of the Great Goddess within each being. In the Shri Lalita Sahasranama, a Sanskrit text which lists a thousand names or attributes of the Goddess, one of these is 'Kundalini'. And when the seeker aspires to attain the supreme reality, the spiritual union, it is only the Divine Mother, in Her guise of the supreme energy, the Kundalini, who can lead him.
Indian tradition warns us it is difficult to awaken Kundalini, and that only the most dedicated seekers have succeeded, and then only after long years, perhaps lifetimes, of withdrawal from society, penance, and meditation. But, as we shall see, times have changed."
Bahvricha Upanishad
Om!
May my speech be established in my mind, and may my mind be established in my speech. May the knowledge of the Vedas shine upon me. May I not forget what I've learned. Through my studies, day and night, may I harmonize my being with truth and speak of it sincerely. Protect me, and protect my teacher. May there be peace, peace, peace.
There was one single goddess—Shakti. She alone created the universe, which is known as Kamakala, the source of creative energy, and Shringarakala, the divine essence of beauty and attraction.
From Her, Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra were born. All the divine beings—Maruts, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Kinnaras—were created by Her. Everything that exists, the tangible and intangible, all creation, living and non-living, human and otherwise—was brought into being by Shakti.
Shakti is the supreme divine power, referred to as Shambhavi Vidya, Kadi Vidya, Hadi Vidya, and Sadi Vidya (representing different aspects of spiritual knowledge and energy). She permeates all realms—both within and beyond—and illuminates the inner consciousness, manifesting as Maha Tripura Sundari, the supreme reality.
She alone is the Self, and everything apart from her is unreal or non-Self. This divine consciousness transcends both existence and non-existence, shining as pure knowledge and bliss—advaitic realization. She manifests as waves of Sat-Chit-Ananda—Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss.
She is meditated upon as the Supreme Vidya, the essence of mystical knowledge, represented by various names like Maha Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Chamundi, Saraswati, Gayatri, and many more. Her form encapsulates divine joy and liberation.
Om! May my speech be established in my mind, and may my mind be established in my speech. May there be peace, peace, peace.
Bahvricha Upanishad
“The Upanishad states the universe began from the feminine.” Wikipedia
"The Bahvricha Upanishad (Sanskrit: बह्वृच उपनिषद्, IAST: Bahvṛca Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism.[7] It is classified as one of the eight Shakta Upanishads and attached to the Rigveda.[4]
The Upanishad is notable for asserting that the Self (soul, Atman) is a Goddess who alone existed before the creation of the universe.[8][9] She is the supreme power, asserts the text, she is the ultimate reality (Brahman), from her being and because of her the universe was born, she is the knowledge, the consciousness and the soul (Atman) of every being.[8][10][11]
The philosophical premises of Bahvricha Upanishad assert the feminine as non-different, non-dual (Advaita) from transcendent reality, she is the primary and the material cause of all existence,[8]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahvricha_Upanishad
Gwenaël Verez's The Search for the Divine Mother: An Analysis
Gwenaël Verez's The Search for the Divine Mother explores the concept of the Divine Feminine as a central force in spiritual awakening and self-realization, drawing from a rich tapestry of Indian spiritual traditions, global mysticism, and contemporary interpretations. The text connects deeply with the Bahvricha Upanishad, a Shakta scripture that elevates the Goddess as the supreme reality, while also resonating with broader discussions of the Divine Feminine on platforms like adishakti.org and the teachings of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, identified as the Paraclete and an incarnation of the Adi Shakti.
"Through Her we know the Consciousness,
Of Brahman without duality,
Like a wave of Existence and of Joy.
She has entered all beings, within and without
Of each of them, and on all
She shines Her light!"— Bahvricha Upanishad
Overview of The Search for the Divine Mother
Verez's book positions the Divine Mother as the ultimate spiritual energy, manifesting within each individual as Kundalini, the dormant force that, when awakened, leads to union with the infinite—yoga in its truest sense. He frames this process as both a personal and universal journey, bridging the etymological roots of "yoga" (union) and "religion" (to bind or link). The excerpt you provided (pp. 24–26) emphasizes Kundalini as the "Spiritual Energy" that facilitates this union, a concept rooted in Indian tradition but universally experienced by mystics and scientists alike, from Shankaracharya to Einstein.
Verez underscores that Kundalini's awakening is not merely an endpoint but a gateway to spiritual awareness, aligning with the Bahvricha Upanishad's portrayal of the Goddess as the source of all existence and consciousness. He also draws parallels between Kundalini and various cultural symbols of the eternal feminine—Shekinah in Jewish mysticism, the Holy Spirit in Christianity, and the Tao in Taoism—suggesting a unified thread across traditions. This aligns with the mission of adishakti.org, which presents Shri Mataji as the Paraclete, embodying this universal Divine Feminine.
The Bahvricha Upanishad and the Divine Feminine
The Bahvricha Upanishad, a medieval Shakta text attached to the Rigveda, asserts the Goddess (Shakti) as the sole reality, the Atman (Self), and the non-dual Brahman. The English translation you provided reflects its core philosophy: Shakti alone existed before creation, manifesting as Kamakala (creative energy) and Shringarakala (divine beauty), giving rise to the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra) and all existence.
This resonates with Verez's depiction of Kundalini as the "Inner Mother," a reflection of the Great Goddess within. The Bahvricha Upanishad's description of Shakti as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss) mirrors Verez's emphasis on the experiential awakening of Kundalini, which he describes as a "spark of absolute reality" that initiates inner knowledge of the Divine.
Wikipedia's entry on the Bahvricha Upanishad reinforces this interpretation, noting its assertion that the Self is a Goddess, the primary cause of all existence, and non-different from Brahman. This Shaktadavaitavada (non-dual Shakti) tradition underpins Verez's argument that spiritual union depends on the Divine Feminine's energy, a process he ties to Kundalini's awakening.
The Divine Feminine at adishakti.org and Shri Mataji as the Paraclete
The website adishakti.org presents Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi as the incarnation of Adi Shakti, the primordial Divine Feminine, and the Paraclete promised in the New Testament (John 14–16). This aligns with Verez's broader narrative of the eternal feminine as a living, transformative force. Shri Mataji's teachings emphasize Sahaja Yoga, a method of spontaneous Kundalini awakening that grants Self-Realization, echoing Verez's claim that this experience is accessible to seekers today, not just ascetics after lifetimes of effort.
The Bahvricha Upanishad's portrayal of the Goddess permeating all beings “within and without” finds a parallel in Shri Mataji's concept of the Cool Breeze, a tangible sensation of the Holy Spirit/ Kundalini felt after awakening. This experiential aspect ties directly to Verez's assertion that Kundalini's awakening is a “living and tangible experience,” contrasting with the abstract mysticism of past teachings.
Synthesis and Detailed Analysis
1. Kundalini as the Mechanism of Union
Verez ties Kundalini to the Bahvricha Upanishad's Shakti, describing it as the energy that “puts us in touch with the absolute of our being, our Spirit.” The Upanishad's "wave of Existence and of Joy" reflects this, portraying Shakti as the dynamic force of Sat-Chit-Ananda, which Kundalini mirrors in Verez's framework.
2. The Goddess as Non-Dual Reality
The Bahvricha Upanishad's Advaita perspective—“She is Brahman without duality”—is central to Verez's argument that Kundalini transcends ego and conditioning, uniting the individual with the cosmos. This non-duality is echoed in Shri Mataji's teachings, where the awakened Kundalini dissolves the illusion of separation, revealing the Divine within.
3. Universal Feminine Across Traditions
Verez's linkage of Kundalini to the Holy Spirit, Shekinah, and Tao parallels the Bahvricha Upanishad's expansive vision of Shakti as “entering all beings, within and without.” Adishakti.org extends this by identifying Shri Mataji as the Paraclete, fulfilling biblical prophecy while rooted in Shakta tradition.
Conclusion
Gwenaël Verez's The Search for the Divine Mother interprets the Divine Feminine as a living, accessible energy (Kundalini) that aligns with the Bahvricha Upanishad's portrayal of Shakti as the non-dual Brahman, permeating all existence with consciousness and bliss. This vision is enriched by Wikipedia's scholarly framing of the Upanishad as a Shakta-Advaita text and finds contemporary expression in adishakti.org's depiction of Shri Mataji as the Paraclete/Adi Shakti. Together, they present a cohesive narrative: the Divine Mother, whether as the Upanishadic Goddess, Kundalini, or Shri Mataji, is the key to spiritual union, shining Her light on all beings to reveal their inherent divinity.
Grok 3 (xAI), in discussion with the author, March 31, 2025.