Guest guest Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Namaste friends, I want to share my 2 cents on this topic based on what I realized from my personal experience. More learned ones can ignore my 2 cents. * * * Though I offer this navarna mantra in fire before and after saptashati everyday as a part of my daily Chandi homam, I did not have an attachment to this mantra and did not appreciate what it represented. I could appreciate the outward and inward meanings of the stories of saptashati, but I was clueless on the navarna mantra and was offering it in fire merely ritually. In contrast, I was (and am) quite attached to [savitru] Gayatri mantra, meditated with it a lot more, had many experiences with it and had a much better understanding of it. Even when meditating at the end of Chandi homam as the poornaahuti burnt, I always used Gayatri mantra rather than navarna mantra. When I was at the Dakshineshwar temple in 2008 summer with my spiritual guru, somehow I felt a strong urge to meditate with the navarna mantra and did so. The Mother was kind and I could experience some things and some things became clear about that mantra. I realized through experience that navarna mantra is not that different from Savitru Gayatri mantra! It is actually a slightly different expression of the same reality, even though this may sound strange to some. * * * Those who do homam know the following mantras from the uttaraangam: " OM bhUH svaahaa - agnaya idam na mama, OM bhuvH svaahaa - vaayava idam na mama, OM suvaH svaahaa - sUryaayedam na mama " . Note that the planes of consciousness represented by bhUH, bhuvaH and suvaH (physical, mental and spiritual planes or, using alternate terminology, gross, subtle and causal realms) are associated with Fire (Agni), Wind (Vaayu) and Sun (Surya) gods. After all, it is Fire who transforms and transmutes things and enables physical matter to come from aakaasa (space); it is Wind that causes motion and thoughts in the mind; and, it is Sun who fills the entire universe and each being in it with the essence that soul is. In Chandipath (i.e. saptashati), we have 3 charitras for which Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati are the devatas. The beejas associated with the 3 charitras are Aim, Hreem and Kleem respectively. And, Agni, Vaayu and Surya are mentioned as the tattwa (essence) of the three charitras respectively! In other words, the 3 beejas aim, hreem and kleem that start the navarna mantra are associated with Agni, Vaayu and Surya, who also represents the realms of bhUh, bhuvaH and suvaH. Basically, " aim hreem kleem " in navarna mantra similar to " om bhurbhuvassuvah " that is usually appended to the Gayatri mantra. The word " vid " that is part of " vichche " (vid + cha + ee) is an expression of " dhiyo yo nah prachodayat " . The word " ee " that is part of " vichche " is an expression of " bhargo devasya dheemahi " . * * * The difference between navarna mantra and Gayatri mantra is in one way like the difference between Bhagavad Gita and Avadhoota Gita or Ashtavakra Gita. Avadhoota Gita by Dattatreya and Ashtavakra Gita by Ashtavakra (taught to king Janaka) are fantastic vedantic texts that throw light on the state of a liberated being. Bhagavad Gita taught by Sri Krishna also does the same thing. However, the difference is that Bhagavad Gita shows practical paths that one can follow in order to be liberated. Of course, if you can imbibe the thinking described in Avadhoota Gita or Ashtavakra Gita also, you can become liberated. But, it is not easy for most people to imbibe that thinking just like that. Bhagavad Gita shows a more practical and realistic path. Similarly, Gayatri mantra refers to the resplendent spiritual essence of the entire universe (gross, subtle and causal) and asks us to know it and be established in it. Navarna mantra is also referring to resplendent spiritual essence of the entire universe (gross, subtle and causal) and asking us to know it and be established in its resplendence. But, in addition, it is giving us a realistic path (chaamundaayai) to achieving such a state of sat-chid-aananda from the deeply dual state that we are in. Except for that additional recognition of deep duality and showing a path towards realization, it basically expresses the same realization captured in the Gayatri mantra. * * * To answer the specific question on which deity this navarna mantra is for, my answer is that it is for the root energy (aadyaa shakti) of this universe, that makes every being - including Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - be, have desires, think, know, act etc. This root energy is essentially the Shakti of the Supreme Cosmic Being (Parama Purusha). In saptashati rahasya, She is described thus: sarvasyaadyaa mahaalakShmIstriguNaa parameshvarI lakShyaalakShya svarUpaa saa vyaapya kR^itsnam vyavasthitaa maatulungam gadaam kheTam paanapaatram cha bibhratI naagaM liMgaM cha yonim cha bibhratI nR^ipamUrdhani tapta kaaMchana varNaabhaa tapta kaaMchana bhUShaNaa shUnyam tadakhilam svena pUrayaamaasa tejasaa This describes that Mahalakshmi of 3 gunas was the first of all beings and supreme of all beings. She filled the entire universe with Her shakti. The rahasya further describes that She divided Herself into 3 deities - Mahaakaali, Mahaalakshmi and Mahaasaraswati - symbolizing the 3 gunas. They then created Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and their consorts. Of course, one can question whether this aadyaa shakti is the first of all beings as the verse above says or whether it should be Parama Purusha that is the first of all beings. The answer is that they are not actually two different beings, even though we tend to look at them that way. It is the Aadyaa shakti that makes Parama Purusha (or Aadya purusha) be, think, desire, know and act. Without Aadyaa shakti, Aadya purusha has no thoughts, no desires, no knowledge and no action, i.e. he is non-different from unmanifested Brahman. His very self-awareness is through Aadyaa shakti, just as my self-awareness is through my Kundalini. Thus, Aadyaa shakti and Parama purusha are not really two different beings, but two different aspects of one being. Narayana and Narayani are one. * * * One word on intellectual analysis of mantras: One can get only a very limited understanding of mantras by analyzing them and understanding them intellectually. One can realize and understand the nature of a mantra through an internal experience of the mantra. One should focus the mind so completely on the mantra that one's mind is eventually withdrawn from everything else, including one's body and sense inputs, and reverberates with the mantra with absolutely no other thoughts running in the mind. When the mantra *fills* one's mind like this, one experiences and understands the mantra. If you want to experience a mantra, try to focus your mind on the mantra and forget everything else. Even several notions you may have in your mind about the mantra and its deity may become blockages. Just forget everything and focus the mind on mantra alone. If you spend your time contemplating your own actions and motivations behind them and try to root out ego whenever it raises its head in your mind, it will be helpful. I do not mean pride by ego here and mean self-identification with a body and a name. As long as such an identification is strong, it prevents one from being able to focus fully on a mantra. A person with no or very subtle ego is far more likely to be able to achieve what I mentioned above, than a person with a dense ego. When contemplation and attitude correction go in parallel to meditation, the two activities enhance the effectiveness of the other and eventually one breaks through and succeeds in lowering ego and starts to experience subtler and higher things. When mind is so pre-occupied with body, name etc, it cannot experience subtler things that well. * * * > So you will find the more samhara rupas, that is tamasik, > raudra forms of Kali, Chamunda, Shivaduti under the essence > of Mahasaraswati, whereas the Mahakali rupa is beautiful; > like Dakshina Kali. :-) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To a devotee of Smashaana Kaali, She may be the most beautiful. Best regards, Narasimha Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homam Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpana Spirituality: Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org sohamsa , " Sarbani Rath " <sarbani wrote: > Hare Rama Krishna > > Dear Visti, > > Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati are the trigunatmika form of Adya Shakti as given in the Sri Sri Chandi and other texts. This is the same as the Nila Shakti, Bhu Shakti and Sri Shakti as mentioned by Parasara. > > Adya Shakti appears in many forms and in Sri Sri Chandi she appears as Chandika Devi. As Tamas Shakti or Mahakali she had initially emerged from Anantashayin Vishnu as Mahamaya to demolish the demons Madhu and Kaitabh. Because she emerged from Vishnu, she was known as Vishnumaya. > > Later, she re-appeared as the joint tejas emanating from Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar. The tejas emenating from Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara were of Rajasik, Sattvik and Tamasik by nature and since the Rajas tejas from Brahma, Sattva tejas from Vishnu and Tamas tejas from Shiva conjoined to create Sri Durga, she is trigunatmika. She is at once Brahmi, Vaishnavi and Raudri. The tejas from the other devatas emerged as well to add to the created being of tejas, and this heap of accumulated tejas was visualised by the devas in Maharshi Katyayan’s ashram. Since the tejas were from the bodies of the devas, the accumulated tejas in this case had a predominence of rajas and sattva guna. Here the Devi or Sri Durga’s mula prakriti was the 18 armed Mahalakshmi. Whereas as Vishnumaya, where she killed Madhu and Kaitabh, her mula prakriti was Mahakali. So Sri Durga appeared on Krishna Chaturdashi in Maharshi Katyayan’s ashram. On Shukla saptami, ashtami and navami Katyayan worshipped Sri Durga. Hence she is known as Katyayani. On Dashami she killed Mahishasura. Hence she is known as Mahishasuramardini. She is also called Chandika Devi. This Chandika Devi though appeared initially in a samhara murti form, later manifested her essential rajas nature and appeared as Mahalakshmi. So if you have a Durga mantra, the devata maybe mentioned as Mahalakshmi. The Chamunda hrdaya bijas, aim hrim klim, is the Mahalakshmi hrdaya; hence you will see in many places Chamunda is referred to as Mahalakshmi devata. > > Chandika Devi had promised the devas that she would reappear whenever they would need him. At their calling, she appeared next as the exquisitely beautiful goddess Ambika. This time she emanated from Parvati’s body and was formed from her body cells. She was the shakti inherent within Parvati, as Parvati is Adya Shakti, the unified trigunatmika form. Ambika Devi’s essence is Mahasaraswati. She enticed the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha and after they fell in love with her, Kali emerged from her forehead, in a ferocious form. She was known as Chamunda. (The Kali puja that is performed in Assam, Bengal and Orissa during the amavasya of Deepavali is essentially Chamunda Puja. Elsewhere Lakshmi is worshipped on this day). Now Chamunda Devi’s external form is fearful. Skin on bones skeletal structure, red, sunken eyes, tiger skin clad, skull-garlanded, huge faced, darting tongue, making loud fear inspiring sounds, she ate the demons. She was created in the extreme tamas rupa, as the demons she was demolishing were very tamasik in nature. She beheaded Chanda and Munda with the Hang bija and displayed the severed heads to Chandika Devi, who then told Kali that she will be henceforth famous as Chamunda. So Chandika/Ambika/Durga is the mula goddess and Kali/Chamunda emerged from her forehead. In the Mahasarawati essence, there were many other Kali forms that emerged from Chandika Devi, like Shivaduti, who was so ferocious she made sounds like the jackal. She was called Shivaduti as she used Shiva as a duta or a messenger during her demon demolishing spiel. Chamunda also killed Raktabija but Shumbha and Nishumbha were killed by Chandika herself. > > So you see, Chamunda specifically manifested as a tamas guna form like Kali. But her hrdaya bija is that of Mahalakshmi like Durga. And she emerged from Chandika, who is Adya Shakti, hence the root devata for the navarna mantra is Mahalakshmi, Mahakali, Mahasaraswati. The immediate form of Adya Shakti here is Chamunda. Like in the Vishnu Sahasranama, the devata is Narayana, the immediate form worshipped is that of Vishnu. Because the mula is one but their manifested forms are many. > > The Damaratantra says this of the Navarna Mantra: > > Nidhutanikhiladhvante nityamukte paratpare > > Akhandabrahmavidyayai chitsadanandarupini > > Anusandadhmahe nityam vayam tvam hrdayambuje > > Itham vishadayetyosha ya kalyani navakshari > > Asya mahimaloshopi gaditung kena shakyate > > Vahunan janmanamante prapatye bhagyagauravat. > > (Destroyer of the darkness of agyana, eternally free, paratpara, akhanda- brahmavidyarupini, Chidanandasvarupini – I meditate on you always in my heart lotus.) Brahmashakti is divided as Sat, Chit and Ananda. There is a shloka: > > Mahasarasvati chite mahalakshmi sadatmake > > Mahakalyanandarupe tattvagyanasusiddhaye > > Anusandadhmahe chandi vayam tvam hrdayambuje. > > (i.e. Mahasarasvati is Chidrupa, Mahalakshmi is sadrupa and Mahakali is Anandarupa. O Chandi, in order to get tattvagyana, I meditate on you in my heart lotus.). > > To go back to the earlier shloka: > > Nirdhutanikhiladhavnte = Aim bija = Chidrupa Mahasaraswati > > Nityamukta = Hrim bija = Sadrupa Mahalakshmi (although Mahalakshmi’s bija is Shrim, it is stated that sha and ha belong to the same category and can be used as each other’s replacement.) > > Paratpara = Klim bija = Anandarupa Mahakali > > Chamunda = one who is situated in a supreme seat like the munda or the head which is a collection of buddhi or sukha. > > Vicche = Vi+ Che + i, Chidanandarupini > > Navarna mantra = O sat-chit-ananda-rupini brahma mahishi, O Chandi, to achieve Brahmavidya I meditate upon you in my heart lotus. > > So here we see, that the deeper meaning of the navarna addresses Adya Shakti, as parabrahmasvarupini, but the immediate form is Chamunda, whose external form is like Kali, but whose hrdaya bija is that of Mahalakshmi! > > Narratives in the Devi Bhagavat will differ slightly, but the Markandeya is the more acknowledged source, as is the Kalika Puran. Please be aware, the triguna division of the Devi is as follows: > > Mahakali: Tamo guna > > Mahalakshmi: Rajo guna > > Mahasarasvati: Sattva Guna > > But, look at the trimurti co-relation: > > Mahakali: Brahma > > Mahalakshmi: Vishnu > > Mahasaraswati: Rudra. > > So you will find the more samhara rupas, that is tamasik, raudra forms of Kali, Chamunda, Shivaduti under the essence of Mahasaraswati, whereas the Mahakali rupa is beautiful; like Dakshina Kali. > > There is more...and a lot unsaid. But this should suffice for now. > > With love, > > Sarbani Rath > > Homepage: <http://sarbani.com/> http://sarbani.com > > Sagittarius Publications: <http://sagittariuspublications.com/> http://sagittariuspublications.com > > Sohamsa: <http://sohamsa.com/> http://sohamsa.com > > Sri Jagannath Centre: <http://.org/> http://.org > > On Behalf Of Visti Larsen > 14 August 2009 18:05 > > Re: [Om Krishna Guru] Navarna Mantra (For Durga or Kali) > > à ¤¹à ¤°à ¥‡ à ¤°à ¤¾à ¤® à ¤•à ¥ƒà ¤·à ¥Âà ¤£ > Dear Sarbani, Namaskar. > To add, Sham's confusion is justified as Devi Bhagavatam states Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati to be the Devataa of the Mantra. Yet, clearly Kali and Mahakali are not the same. > Yours sincerely, Visti Larsen > ---------- > Jyotish Guru (Vedic Astrologer) > www: http://srigaruda.com > @: visti > > Sarbani Rath skrev: > > Hare Rama Krishna > > Dear Sham, > > The mantra devata is Chamunda or Chandi. The Navarna mantra was used by Ram with the addition of an OM, thereby making it a dasakshari. He worshipped Durga with this mantra just before emabrking on the final battle with Ravana, promising to the Goddess that he if he was victorious, he would worship her immediately after the battle. He did perform the puja and it was the month of Ashvina. Since this is normally not the time when Durga is worshipped, it is known as Devi’s Akalbodhan. This Akalbodhan Durga Puja is followed in Bengal, Orissa and Assam. Chandi is also the presiding devata of Durga Saptashati. So yes, if you must make a choice, then it is for Durga and not for Kali. In most Durga/Bhagavati/Chamunda temples, the deity is worshipped with this mantra. > > Best Regards, > > Sarbani Rath > > Homepage: http://sarbani.com <http://sarbani.com/> > > Sagittarius Publications: http://sagittariuspublications.com <http://sagittariuspublications.com/> > > Sohamsa: http://sohamsa.com <http://sohamsa.com/> > > Sri Jagannath Centre: http://.org <http://.org/> > > On Behalf Of sbm_sharma > 12 August 2009 07:38 > > [Om Krishna Guru] Navarna Mantra (For Durga or Kali) > > Dear All, > > If anybody has a moment out of their valuable time please reply. Thanks in advance. > > Is the following well-known mantra for Durga (Rahu) or Kali (Moon)? I have seen both deities associated with the following mantra, hence the question: > > " Om aim hrim klim Chamundaye Vicche " > > Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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