Durga Saptashati ........ Do as You please !

[Guest guest]

On these Auspicious days of Navaratri, i am sure many of you are

reading the 700 verses of Durga Saptashati. Yes! Quite an eye opener

is it not ? As you go through each chapter day by day , a new day

dawns with fresh insights and wisdom . Are Mahisasur , Shumbha ,

Nishumbha , Chanda , Munda , Duhmralochana , Raktabeeja etc etc are

mere asuras or do they represent the tamasic and rajasic gunas in

each one of us ? Yes ! As you finish rading each chapter you have a

sense of great accomplishment - Oh! I HAVE DONE IT .... YOU ARE

OVERPOWERED BY A SENSE OF EGOTISTICAL FEELING ... BUT LITTLE DO YOU

REALIZE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO KILL ONE'S EGO - THE AHAMKARA

VRITTI !

 

someone in the group asked an interesting question - DO WE ASK DURGA

MAA for Siddhis or Moksha ? DO WE REALLY NEED TO ASK MAA FOR

ANYTHING ? SHE IS BHUKTHI -MUKTI PRADAYINI ! She grants

both 'bhukthi' ( enjoyment ) and 'mukthi ( liberation) to the

deserving as She pleases ! The key phrase is 'as she pleases! Maa

knows what her children want and accordingly she fulfills their

desires. You all know the story of Swami Vivekananda . He and his

family steeped in poverty not knowing where their next meal came

from. Young Naren approached Thakore ( Sri Ramakrishna) and asked

him to pray to Maa kaali on Naren's behalf and ask for material well

being for naren and his family. Sri Ramakrishna advised Naen to pray

to Goddess KAALI HIMSELF AND ASK FOR BOONS . After intense Saadhnaa

when the divine vision of Mother Kaali appeared before young Naren ,

young Naren was so overcome with the dazzling 'divinity' of Maa

kali , he became speechless and tears started flowing down his

cheeks - he totally forgot what he wanted to ask mother Kaali ?

tHIS IS THE STAGE OF A PARAMA BHAKTA - A TRUE BHAKTA NEVER ASKS FOR

MATERIAL BOONS NOT EVEN 'MOKSHA' - ALL HE /SHE ASKS IS " MAA !

fORGIVE THIS KUPUTRA /KUPUTRI ! May I NEVER FORGET TO WORSHIP YOUR

LOTUS FEET JANMA AFTER JANMA !

 

The Devi has many instruments in many of her hands ! Of special

interet are 1) noose and 2) goad ! Noose stands for 'pasham' - the

instrument of 'bondage' - We humans are always bound buy our desires

for this or that - either kama or moksha - both desires anyway ! and

the goad reprsents 'ankush' that takes away the desires and leads us

on the right path! so , it is Devi wh grants us desires as well as

how to overcome the desires on the spiritual path.

 

so , should we ask Devi for anything at all ? She will do as she

pleases !

 

Salutations to Devi Durge!