Discourse of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji on Chandi Saptashati – Day 2 Navaratri Celebrations – Mysore – October 17, 2012
Jaya Guru Datta
“Today we will discuss the middle portion of Saptashati. For this section, Vishnu is the presiding sage. Ushnik is the poetic meter. Sri Mahalakshmi is the presiding deity. Shaakambhari is the energy. Durga is the seed. Vayu, or Air is the principle. This is of the form of Yajur Veda. To obtain the grace of Mother Mahalakshmi, this should be studied, meditated upon, and listened to.
Bhajan: Saa Lakshmi saa Durgaa
She is Lakshmi. She is Durga. She is Durgi/Lakshmi. May she protect me. She was instrumental in killing the demon Durgama. She destroys bad fortune and undesirable circumstances. She is the beloved of Lord Shiva. She is beautiful and charming. She destroys the delusion born from the feeling of duality (the feeling that one is separate from God and His Creation). May such Durgi Lakshmi protect me.
She is Lakshmi Devi. She is Durga whose head is adorned by the crescent moon. She blesses all good persons with prosperity and happiness. She has a beautiful form. She bestows spiritual knowledge and detachment.
By the worship of Durgi Lakshmi violent tendencies get destroyed. Gentleness increases. Spiritual knowledge awakens. Meditation upon her sacred feet purifies the soul. She is the giver of Sat, Chit and Ananda, Absolute Truth, Pure Consciousness, and Eternal Bliss.
Sage Medho continued to speak with Suratha and Samadhi.
“Long ago, when Purandara was the King of the Celestials and Mahishasura, the son of Rambhasura, was the King of the Demons, a battle took place between them that lasted for a hundred years. In that fight, the celestials were defeated by the powerful demons. Mahishasura ascended the throne of Indra. The celestials, led by Brahma, went to Katyayana Ashrama to see Shiva and Vishnu. They conveyed to them the torments that they had suffered at the hands of Mahishasura. They informed them that Mahishasura had even usurped the powers of the Dikpalakas, the Lords of the directions.
Hearing this, Shiva and Vishnu became furious at Mahishasura. Their faces emitted a great brilliance. Witnessing this, the gods also became enraged. Their faces also emitted a powerful radiance. This collective radiance assumed a divine female form. Shiva’s radiance formed her face. Yama’s radiance became her hair. Vishnu’s radiance formed her hands. The Moon’s radiance became her breasts. Indra’s radiance formed her waist. Varuna’s radiance formed her thighs and calves. The Earth’s radiance formed her rear portion. Brahma’s radiance became her feet. The Sun’s radiance formed her toes. The elements and minerals formed her fingers with their radiance. Her nose was formed by the radiance of Kubera. Her teeth took shape by the radiance of the Prajapatis like Daksha. Fire’s radiance formed her eyes. Dawn and evening twilight, with their radiance formed her two eyebrows. Air’s radiance formed her ears. In this manner with the radiance that emanated from each of the celestials, her entire form took shape and revealed itself. It looked most divine. The gods were very pleased.
Shiva gave this divine Goddess the trident. Vishnu gave her the wheel, the discus. Varuna gave her the conch shell, Fire gave her energy, Air gave her a bow and two arrows, and Indra gave her the Vajra weapon, and a bell that was extracted from the Airavata. Yama produced another staff of Death from his own, and gave it to her. Varuna gave her a rope, and Brahma offered her a garland of Rudrakshas and a sacred water pot. The Sun filled the pores of her skin with his divine rays. Time offered her a sword and a shield. The Ocean of Milk presented her with a pearl necklace and two pieces of indestructible clothing. Vishwakarma gave her several jewels such as a hair ornament, a pair of earrings, bracelets, a half-moon shaped jewel to decorate the parting in her hair, shoulder ornaments, ankle chains, a necklace, rings, a most pure axe, and a protective shield. The Ocean gave her two lotus garlands that would never fade, and a lotus. Himavan, the lord of the Snow-capped Mountain gave her a lion as her vehicle, and several diamonds and other precious gems. Kubera offered her a vessel filled with an intoxicating beverage. Adi Sesha, the celestial snake gave her a serpent necklace. Besides these many other deities presented her with a variety of weapons and ornaments and worshiped her reverentially.
Mother Goddess, as she received the worship and offerings by all the gods, laughed out loud. The sound that she made resembled the roar of a lion. The sound reverberated in all directions. It made the earth tremble. It made the ocean swell. It gave courage to the deities. As the Mother ascended her Lion, the celestials cheered her with shouts of victory. The roar that she produced reached the ears of Mahishasura. He gathered his weapons and got ready for war.
Mahishasura saw Parashakti in the battlefield in complete readiness. The battle began between the demons and Parashakti. Chikshura, the commander, and Chamara along with the four types of battle array (with chariots, elephants, horses, and foot soldiers) commenced the fight against her. Udagra, Mahahanu, Mahasura and such mighty warriors came there with their armies consisting of 10 million chariots and fought the battle. Asiloma with 50 million chariots, Baashkala with 60 million chariots, and Bidaala with 500 million chariots fought against Parashakti. As Mother Goddess was engaged in this fight, Mahishasura entered the battlefield. He fought with a variety of fierce weapons, such as axes, spears, clubs, and so on. Mother fought effortlessly without showing any strain on her face. The sages began singing her praises.
The lion that she rode on did its part in the fight with great valor and courage. Each time Mother sighed, hundreds of thousands of celestial energies manifested there and fought against the demons. Mother made some demons fall unconscious merely by the sound of her great bell that she used as a weapon. (At the commencement of worship the bell is rung to dispel all negative forces). Fighting simultaneously with numerous different weapons given to her by the gods, Mother killed crores of demons. The mighty demon warriors Chikshura, Chaamara, Baashkala, and Bidaala were killed by her. Thereafter Mahishasura fought a terrible battle against her. The celestial forces got frightened a little at his might.
Mother Goddess invoked rage and fury with the intention of killing the demon. The Demon assumed different forms by the power of his Maya, illusion, and carried out his attack. Parashakti took a stance of valor, and determined that he should no longer be tolerated, pressed her foot firmly on his throat, and killed him with her trident. At that time from the body of Mahishasura which was in the form of a buffalo, emerged a human face. The demon army got frightened at the death of Mahishasura and quickly dispersed and ran away. The celestials, the sages and the divine singers sang in praise of the valor of Mother Goddess. The celestial dancers danced.
In the fourth chapter of Saptashati there is a chant of praise composed by Indra and others extolling Mother Goddess. It is a very important prayer.
“We offer our devotional worship to that Mother of the Universe, who assumed as her form the collective radiance from all the gods, who is worshiped by Brahma and other deities, and by Narada, Vashishtha and other sages, and who pervades the entire universe.
O Mother! Please protect us with your spear, your sword, the sound of your bell, and the twang of your bow,” the gods prayed to her. Mother was pleased and asked them to express their wish. The celestials prayed, “Mother, you have killed Mahishasura, who has been a thorn to all the worlds. What more is there for us to wish for? If you wish to grant us a boon, let it be that any time we remember you, you will destroy the dangers that we face. To those human beings who remember and chant this prayer, grant all comforts and prosperity.”
When the angels offered such a prayer for the benefit of the worlds, Mother Bhadra Kali felt pleased and said, “So be it,” and disappeared.
O King Suratha, I have described to you how the Mother incarnated by the combined energies from all the bodies of the different deities, with the intention of benefiting all the three worlds.
Even at the time of the killing of Shumbha and Nishumbha, Mother Goddess incarnated as Kaushiki out of the body of Gowri, in this same manner. I will narrate that story also. Please listen,” said Sage Medho.
This concludes the middle portion of the Saptashati.
It is woman’s nature to be compassionate. That is why the collective energies and brilliance of all the celestials and deities took the form of a woman. Mother Goddess protected the celestials by killing the demons. But she also rescued the demons from their Tamo Guna, spiritual ignorance, by absorbing them into herself after she killed them. She assumed anger and fury only for the purpose of destroying evil. You must develop the nature of being compassionate, of treating everyone equally. A mother loves all her children. If her son is wicked and hardhearted, she still loves him and will set aside food for him, even against her husband’s wishes. A Sadguru is the same way. He loves everyone equally. He sees no differences. You must learn to behave like human beings, being compassionate towards all. If you are not that way and if you give in to anger, jealousy, arrogance, greed which are the qualities of Tamo Guna, you are degenerating into demons. Having attained a human birth after taking countless births as different species of creatures on this earth, unless you behave like a human being, this lifetime is wasted. If you practice being human now, then it will get easier for you in future lifetimes. If you behave like demons now, the only fate reserved for you is to get killed. Do not think highly of yourselves and think that you are great and everyone is looking at you and talking about you. Do not be sensitive to insults, being ignored, and being scolded. Treat praise and blame equally. There is nothing great about anyone. Do not build your ego and expect special treatment.”
Sri Guru Datta
Courtesy: Hira Duvvuri