Question & Answer sessions with HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji – 2015
Why does Mother Goddess need an army ?
Question : The question is about Mani Dveepam. We heard a description of Mani Dveepam as given in the Devi Bhagavatam, with some additional details. In Mani Dveepam there are many enclosures. In those, there are many Shakti deities standing guard like an army giving protection. Why does Mother Goddess need an army? This Loka exists at an even higher plane than Goloka. At such an exalted location, why does Mother Goddess require an army? The forms, faces, and words of the guards are described as cruel. Why is such a fierce army present near Mother Goddess?
Answer : This is a good question. If we pay close attention to the description, we will find the answer. It is true that there are many compounds inside the Mani Dveepam. If the first enclosure is a hundred yojanas wide, the second has a width double that. That is where I said the secret lies. A house within a compound is always much smaller than its surrounding area. The third enclosure is even wider than the second, and the size increases progressively through the sixteen enclosures. This Mani Dveepam cannot be perceived in normal human terms. It must be visualized in the mind with a yogic and enlightened vision. Then all questions will be answered. The moot point raised today is why the deities are fierce. The guards are not fierce. They have a gentle demeanor. There are billions of them. They are not angry, as in certain descriptions given in the Chandi Saptashati. They have the form of Mother Goddess Herself.
Only Maha Rudra and His army are ferocious. Other deities and commanders-in-chief are merely awaiting orders from Mother Goddess. Each deity has billions of warriors. They all protect the world. They protect those who follow the path of Dharma, who follow Guru, and who perform good deeds. The warriors punish the wicked who harm pious persons. This is what we must understand. This is the most important aspect of the description of Mani Dveepam.