Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sri Devi Navaratri Festival – Day 1 – Bhagyanagaram, Hyderabad – Pratipat – October 3, 2024
Aum Aim hrīm śrīm śrī lalitā tripurasundaryai namaḥ |
Today, on the first day of Navaratri, the ever compassionate Mother has let us offer Navāvarna puja. This puja can be done very elaborately or even very subtly. The way Swamiji does this puja does not find mention in any books. If you observe, there are also changes in the puja done each day. For as long as Durga Parameshwari Mata gives Shakti to your Swamiji, this Navāvarna puja will be offered.
This is not an easy puja – starting with location, to finding the right people, all the puja articles for offering worship and finally restraining the senses – all of these are prerequisites for worshipping Mother Goddess, who is the embodiment of the five elements.
Sri Vidya Upāsana dates back to Krita and Treta Yuga – but in those days, it was a fierce form of worship. Adi Shankaracharya, who is verily Lord Shankara Himself, used the magic of his words to transform the fierce form of Devi into a more gentle form. He begged the Pandya king to allow him to spend the night in the Madurai Meenakshi Devi temple, but the king refused. Devi would be in a fierce form, and at night, She goes about devouring beings as Her anger had not abated after slaying the demon Bhanda.
We must remember how Lakshmi Devi came in the form of Chenchu Lakshmi to calm the angry Narasimha Swami (after He slayed Hiranyakashipu).
This Bhanda, who is all powerful, is Manmatha’s form – He is a very dear son of Parvati Devi. When Manmatha wished to entice Lord Shiva with his arrows so that Shiva would wed Parvati Mata, Lord Shiva scorched him to ashes. The demon Bhanda takes form from these ashes. He is even more powerful than Mahishasura. His slaying was also rather strange and although Mother Goddess took 3 forms, as Madurai Meenakshi, as Devi at Jambukeshwara and as Kanchi Kamakshi; Mother Goddess’ fury did not abate.
Since She granted the Pandya King a boon, she remained at Madurai, but in Her fierce form, She slays all those who are demonic. There are many demons who roam about in the guise of humans.
In Heart to Heart, many years ago, Swamiji had mentioned that a terrible war would occur in the world this year. Mother must slay such (warmongering) demons!
Sri Shankarabhagavad Padacharya wished to transform Her fierce form to a gentle form using mantras and bījāksharas. As Kings cannot speak out against the wishes of ascetics, the Pandya King finally had to agree and he allowed the young ascetic to spend the night in the temple. The king remained restless and awake the entire night, fearing the worst.
When the young ascetic was in the temple that night, he saw Devi and called out to Her saying “Mother Mother!!” Devi saw him and asked, “why have you come here? You know I slay demons and devour them.” The young ascetic said, “you can make a meal of me instead.”
Thus, Lord Shankara who came in the form of that young ascetic swiftly answered every question posed by Mother Goddess. As all the Vedanta secrets were exhausted in the course of their conversation, Sri Shankarabhagavad Padacharya wished to prolong the conversation. He said, “Mother, I wish to play a game (like Pachisi or Indian Ludo) with You. It is okay even if I am defeated, but I must see for myself as You win, and chant Jaikara! I shall be so delighted if my mother wins, and that way, I must also know how I shall be defeated, so that I may never again be defeated.”
He then requested Mother to allow him to create a rangoli pattern with rice flour, vermilion and turmeric powder. “You must be seated in this pattern, since there are no peeṭhās here.” Since Devi would look for Her throne, Sri Bhagavadpada drew a Sri Chakra yantra. Based on the āvaraṇās, dice were rolled and as each set of numbers appeared, She was winning. At each juncture of the game, as he called Her “Amma Amma!” She kept melting and asked him not to call Her by that name. This game comes in the form of anuloma-viloma as I see it before me. It therefore comes in the natural and reverse orders.
On the pretext of prolonging the game, they both discussed Sānkhyā shāstram extensively. You all are blessed to learn Sānkhya philosophy as part of Bhagavad Gita, which is very dear to Mother Goddess.
At the end, when Devi won, She became angry because it was nearly the hour of dawn and She could not go out to devour demons, nor could She eat this child of Hers.
The Pandya king worried as he reached there, expecting the young ascetic may have been devoured. He then overheard their conversation. In the Sri Chakra Yantra created by Shankaracharya, Mother spread out Her vast golden saree, but all the ends of her saree were fastened to the corners of the Yantra. She was fixed to it and unable to leave. The king was baffled on seeing the game being played by this young ascetic and his daughter – Meenakshi.
As the Divine Mother was unable to free Herself, Sri bhagavad Padacharya said, “You are sitting in this Gorāksha! Only when You transform all the Aksharas in this Sumeru to a gentle form, will this saree be unfastened from the corners.
These 15 aksharas cannot be mentioned now. They are most secret, and each letter is associated with 1 or 3 numbers and represents the entire world! This Sri Chakra is a most sacred representation and must never be thought of as a toy or a mere design.
Sri Adi Shankaracharya, who is a spiritual emperor, is thus the first Guru. All the other teachers came later. “O kamakshi Devi! O Gauri Amma! The path to salvation is very difficult and narrow. It is not an easy path to walk.”
You can get a bus ticket or a movie ticket if you stand in line, but how can you attain salvation so easily? In order to attain Moksha, one must walk the narrow path, strewn with slush, while carefully holding on steadfastly to the stick representing faith to Mother Goddess. The stick which represents Her cool and Divine glance prevents us from falling into the muddy slush which is samsāra. Only with Her divine glance one can be freed from arrogance, ego and all that causes one to be born again and again. If one has to be free from prārabdha karma (the sum total of residual karma from previous lifetimes), one necessarily requires Mother’s Divine compassion and the Guru’s Grace!
Guru and Mother are one and the same. Sri Mata teaches us this! Just as one cannot take the bag of money seen in the mirror, one cannot easily catch hold of the Divine Mother either.
Mother Goddess in the form of Sadguru first draws in the disciple with the fruit of action. As the devotee keeps worshipping Jaganmātā, the craving and attachment to the fruit of action dissipates. So magical are the Divine Mother’s ways!
Once, the young child Sri Rama, refused to eat food unless Kausalya Mata brought the moon to him. She tried to cajole the child and told him about astrological science, how the moon is in the skies and how the moon could not be brought to Sri Rama! Kausalya Mata is so very knowledgeable. That is why she did not shed tears when Sri Rama was exiled. When Sri Rama still cried for the moon, Kausalya Mata brought a mirror, and showed the moon’s reflection in the mirror.
Eventually, the child Sri Rama realised the futility of trying to catch the moon and instead just asked to be fed. In the same way, the Guru also instructs disciples. The Guru bestows Vairāgya so that we may attain Gnyāna and eventually the Divine.
Once, a woman was carrying her child, but it was a very hot day and the child was heavy. Unable to carry the child anymore, she decided to play a game. The child had to catch his shadow. Unmindful of the heat, and the hot road scorching his feet, the boy kept sprinting ahead, in the hopes of catching his shadow.
A sage who was sitting in the distance decided to teach the child a lesson. He called the child and said, “come boy! I shall teach you a mantra to catch your shadow.” The boy eager to learn, went to the sage and sat down. As noon approached, the shadow came closer. Finally, as the afternoon sun shone directly above the boy, the boy’s shadow was directly above his head! The child was thrilled that his shadow had entered into him. Thus, we must understand that when the afternoon sun shines on our head, it is equivalent to offering Sūrya Namaskaras.
Like the wise sage, Mother Goddess also makes us know our real identity. Once you know who you are, you will not grieve or worry anymore. Without your realising, your anger will also come under your control; and you will find contentment.
It is good that all of you are here for Devi Navaratri. A lot of time and years have been wasted! It is good that you all are here worshipping Mother Goddess now.