Devimaahathmyam 1

Devimaahathmyam 1

Today Navaratri starts and we will see how Devi in the form of Durga Bhagavathi wins over the demons Madhu and Kaitabha who are the personification of all Thaamasic qualities like anger, never-ending desires and greed.

Our Manvanthara is Vaivaswatha Manvanthara. This story that we are going to explore happened in Saavarnika Manvanthara. A long, long time ago, there lived a king called Suratha. He was a righteous king who ruled and expanded his kingdom and made his people happy by his good actions. But once there was a dispute over some yajnaas and rituals and king ended up having some enemies. Those protested kept on disturbing all yajnaas and caused unrest in the once peaceful kingdom. Slowly they acquired more power and took over almost everything. Seeing his kingdom crumbling down, disappointed, frustrated and  disillusioned, but still loving and worrying about his kingdom, his people and family went to the forest near by. Presence of great sages brought peace and tranquility to that forest and he started walking through the forest lost in thoughts.

Then he saw another person who looked as unhappy as he was. His name was Samaadhi. He was a wealthy business man. He shared his story of how a woman came to his household as his wife and ruined the peace of his mind. She and their son robbed him of all his wealth and sent him out of his own house. So he was also as disillusioned as the king and just like the king was still attached to his family and worried about them. Even though they knew that it was futile to love them who betrayed them,  they could not remove the feeling of "I", mine and who am I" from their minds.

Together they went to a pious Brahmin called Sumedhas to help them overcome their sorrow. Suratha explained everything and requested to help them identify the power that was causing the ignorance in their mind and made them miserable. 

Sumedhas said: That power is called Mahaamaaya and you are under her grip. This Maaya causes undue attachment and delusion that you are experiencing. This Mahaamaaya is Devi Bhagavathi and only with Her blessings, you can go beyond her and get freed from this repeated cycles of birth and death. Suratha and Samaadhi wanted to know more about this Devi.

Sumedhas narrated the story for them and for all us:

During final dissolution, Mahavishnu rests in Yoganidra and the whole Universe along with Brahma. Siva, Maaya, inanimate beings and animate beings with all their accumulated karmaas dissolve in that Chaithanyam . During Yoganidra ear wax accumulates in Maha Vishnu's ears and from this wax, two demons Madhu and Kaitabha, representing complacence, lethargy, laziness etc of a thaamasic mind are born. These demons wanted to destroy Brahma and prevent creation and thus approached near the navel of Bhagavan. Brahma, seeing Bhagavan in Yoganidra or deep sleep, approached Yogamaaya who was remaining dormant in Bhagavan and extolled Her glories by addressing her with various divine names like Swaaha, Swadha, Vashat, Bindu, Mahaavidya, Mahaamaaya, Khatgini, Shanghini, Chaapini, Soumya etc. Then Brahma requested her help to destroy the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. Actually Brahma extolled the frightening form or aspect of Devi also and prayed to kill the terrible thaamasic demons.

Vishnu Bhagavan was awakened by Kaalam and YOgamaaya and upon their request, He fought with the demons for 500 years. But they kept battling until Mahaamaaya created delusion in their mind and then they became intoxicated with their power. They thought themselves as the most powerful in the world and with that arrogance, promised Vishnu Bhagavan that what ever boon He wanted from them, they would give Him!! Vishnu Bhagavan said:

"I want the the boon that you two will die with my hands". Filled with arrogance,  they told Him to kill them on that spot where earth is not flooded with water. Once the Maaya started acting on them, it was easy to kill them because they went blind with the power and arrogance. They lost their power of discrimination and hence Bhagavan killed them keeping them on their thighs. That was the only place where water was not present after the torrential rains and flood happened during dissolution. Then He made the earth with the fat (medhas) from their bodies and hence Bhoomidevi is also called Medini. 

So here Mahaamaaya helped Vishnu Bhagavan or made His mission easy by creating delusion and arrogance in them. Mahaamaaya always helps Bhagavan in His leelaas either to give salvation by helping blessed spiritual aspirants to go beyond Her or to help others to be deluded by Her and exhaust the results of their accumulated karmaas! It is not that Bhagavan cannot kill them, but he wanted to show us how one gets entangled in Maaya leading to one's own destruction.

Sree Mahathripurasundaryai Nama:

Samasthaaparadham kshamaswa.