The Hindu : Worship of the Divine Mother

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Worship of the Divine Mother

CHENNAI APRIL 2 . Among the phenomenal range of scriptural texts attributed to Sage Veda Vyasa, the 18 Puranas composed by him form a class of their own. The Puranas expound the teachings of the Vedas for the lay people and hence they have been discoursed upon traditionally. Though one can study any Purana according to one's preference it must be borne in mind that the import of all these texts is the same. The Devi Bhagavata is a Purana expounding the glory of the Divine Mother in 18000 verses, divided into 12 cantos. The opening verse of the Soundarya Lahari of Adi Sankara gives in essence the teachings of this Purana— the importance of worshipping the Divine Mother during the four seasons, though in practice, only the autumn festival (Sharadh Navaratri) is popular.

Generally, seasonal changes affect the health and hence worshipping the Divine Mother wards off illness and blesses the devotee with prosperity and good health. The Navaratri has traditionally been associated with the Ramayana and hence the epic is recited during this period, which is sacred to Devi worship. The spring festival coincides with the birth of Lord Rama (Rama navami).

In his discourse, Tharamangalam Sri S. Subramania Sastrigal said the Ramayana was the exposition of the Gayatri Mantra. This incantation is the very essence of the Vedas and when the Lord incarnated as Rama in the world, the Vedas were written as the Ramayana by Valmiki. Every 1000th verse of the Valmiki Ramayana starts with a syllable of the Gayatri, which has 24 syllables. The Devi Bhagavata Purana also undertakes an elaboration of the Gayatri Mantra.

The feminine aspect of the Supreme Being (Sakti) is responsible for the dynamic functions in creation. Thus each of the Vedic trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, has a consort who plays an active role in the cosmos. She is the Mother of all beings, the personification of compassion ever ready to come to the succour of mankind.

The Purana at the outset describes how Vyasa sired Suka, who was not born of a mother's womb. The narration includes the Almighty's incarnation as Hayagriva in which form He taught the Vedas to the creator, Brahma, and his consort Saraswati, the presiding deity for knowledge.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Miscellaneous

Stories in this Section

All in the game

Cartoon

Cartoon - II

The Hindu Crossword No. 7636

Solution to puzzle No. 7635

Worship of the Divine Mother

dated April 2, 1953: Corbusier Plan for New City

dated April 2, 1953: MALA Silver Jubilee

National Weather