Devi Maahaathmyam- Introduction

Devi Maahaathmyam- Introduction

Navarathri of this year begins on Saturday October 1^st or for some on Sunday october 2nd. I thought it will be auspicious to go through Devi Maahaathmyam during Navarathri and hence my humble attempt to rememember Mahaamaaya's stories as given in Devi Maahaathmyam.

Devi Maahaathmyam is contained in Vedavyaasa Muni's Maarkandeya Purana. This has thirteen chapters and toal number of slokaas are seven hundred. Because it has seven hundred slokaas, it is also known as Sapthasathi.

We have heard about Purusha and Prakruthi. Purusha is the cause of all causes, beginningness, endless, seat of eternal bliss and remaining only as a witness. Prakruthi is the cause of the manifested world or drushya prapancham. So Devi or Prakruthi is the divine power gifted by Purusha that made possible the creation of the whole Universe that we see and live in. Before proceeding further, let us do a namaskaaram to Purusha or Paramaathma Chaithanyam or Brahmam and Aadi Paraashakthi, the universal mother!

At this context, it will be useful for us to go through the process of creation desscribed in Bhagavatham or any other puranam to understand the glory of Devi whi is in complete charge of the manifested Universe.

After the Mahaapralaya or final dissoutution, everything including Mahammaya is dissolved in the Paramaathma Chaithanyam. It is the absolute Advaitha state. When time comes, prompted by this Chaithanyam (or with attributes, we can say Maha Vishnu) Kaalam or time stirrs up Mahaamaaya by disturbing the equilibrium of the three Gunaas-Sathva, rajas and Thamas. (No creation will take place when the three gunaas are in equilibrium when Maaya reamins dormant in Paramaathma chaithanyam. ) Now Aham thathvam or feeling I am separate (with out the feeling of "mine" and "who am I") is born and then from that Ahamkaaram or the feeling of "I, mine and who am I" is created. This Ahamkaaram divides in to three : Saathvic Ahamkaaram, Raajasic and Thaamasic.

From the Saathvic ahamkaaram, Mind is evolved and along with that the presiding dieties of four aspects of mind and the 10 senses are born. From the Raajasic ahamkaaram, the 10 senses, five Jnaanendriyaas and 5 Karmendriyaas are born. Then everything else that we see in the manifested world comes from the Thaamasic Ahamkaaram. Actually Thaamasic ahamkaaram starts with the subtle element sound and gives birth to all sublte elements and their gross elements called Pancha thanmaathraas and Pancha Bhoothaas- Shabdam, aakaasham, sparsham, vaayu, roopam, agni or thejas, rasam, jalam, gandham, bhoomi. From these Pancha bhoothaas everything in the universe is manifested. So drushya prapancham comes from the Thaamasic Ahamkaaram.

Now Devi's role is very important and interesting. She actually created this Maayalokam with the divine energy provided by Purushan or Bhagavan and people who are vulnerable stay in this maayalokam for thousands and thousands of centuries by going through the repeated cycle of birth and death. This is the Leela of Bhagavan to help us ecperience and exhaust the results of our past karmaas and it is beginningness and endless. But the same Mahaamaaya helps and guides spiritual aspirants, with out any bias, to go beyond all the three gunaas to get freedom from the frightening wheel of time and attain Eternal bliss never to come back. Only with Vishnumaaya or Mahamaaya's grace we go beyond Her to attain Eternal bliss.

In Devi Maahaathmyam it is illustrated how one can go beyond the three planes of our mind Thaamasic, Raajasic and saathvic, to reach the Abosute with no gunaas. To remove the Thaamasic enemies, she manifests as Durga Devi, to remove the Raajasic enemies she comes as Devi Mahalakshmi and to remove the saathvic enemies, She appears and Saraswathi Devi. Even though sathav Guna is always considered as desirable, there is still a subtle, transparent barrier between Ssathav Guna and Ultimate Truth.Even though Truth is visible from a Saatvic state, to reach the Eternal Truthm one has to remove that subtle barrier also. Of course removing that last barrier is much easirer than the dark, opaque Taamasic barrier and the unsteady, swaying barrier formed by Rajoguna.

As mentioned, Devi removes the three types of impurities of our mind and this removal of the enemies of our mind is explained through the story of Devi Maahaathmyam.

The evil forces of the Thaamsic mode is represented by two demonns by the name Madhu and Kaitabha. In the first chapter, Devi''s manifestation as Durga to remove or kill these demons are described.

Then Devi manifests as Mahalakshmi to remove the enemies in the Raajasic mode represented by Mahishasura and Rakthabeeja.

Third manifestation is as Saraswathi Devi, personification of knowledge desroys enemies of Saatvic mode represented by Sumbha and Nisumbha.

First two demons Madhu and Kaitabha represent Kama and Krodha or desire and anger, Mahishaasura and Rakthabeeja represent more subtle enemies of a restless mind. It is called Vikshepa Shakthi or power of projection and hence it keeps changing. Finally Sumbha and Nisumbha are the powers of the truth -covering ignorance called Aavarana shakthi, which is still subtler.

We need Devi's blessings to destroy these enemies with in oursleves to attain freedom from the repeated cycle of birth and death.

May Devi bless us to attain moksham!