Hari Aum.
The Divine Mother, as we know, has countless names and forms. Three of the most well-known forms are Durga (or Parvati), Lakshmi and Sarasvati. Although every name and form of the Mother is complete in itself and contains the whole of existence within, some of these emphasise a specific aspect of Her nature.
The number three comes up a lot in spiritual traditions. Creation, preservation and dissolution are three important activities of the Divine, and each of these three forms of the Mother are especially associated with one of them.
Saraswati is regarded as the Creative power of the universe, She is the Mother of wisdom, of divine knowledge, the granter of material and spiritual knowledge. It is by Her power that the universe is created.
Once the universe has been created, it is Lakshmi that preserves it by Her power. She is the maintainer of harmony, the aupicious one who nourishes what has been created. She is the giver of the good things in life, both material and spiritual. She gives wealth, fame, husbands/wives, children, property. She is also the giver of noble virtues that enable one to progress on the spiritual path.
After the universe has been maintained for a long time, it is dissolved and becomes unmanifest before the next cycle of creation begins. Parvati or Durga is the energy that dissolves the univese; She destroys what is no longer fit for purpose. She is also the Mother who destroys evil, who fiercly loves Her devotees and protects them.
She actively defends the forces of goodness in the universe. Like Sarasvati and Lakshmi, She too is described as very beautiful but She is especially associated with war. War on evil-- both outside and inside oneself. While Lakshmi and Saraswati are typically depicted as sweet and peaceful, She is depicted as filled with divine noble wrath; divine anger that protects the good and destroys evil. In spiritual life, She destroys the ego (the obstacle between the devotee and God) particularly efficiently.
One way of worshipping the Mother, that is described by many Gurus, is a sequential approach. This is suggested by Sivananda for Navaratri worship. At the beginning of the spiritual path, He says, approach Mother Durga. Ask Her to remove all impurities. Then once some cleaning of the mind has occurred, by Her grace, approach Mother Lakshmi. Ask Lakshmi for virtues, for auspiciousness, for spiritual qualities. Then, when impurities have been thinned out, and virtues have been greatly cultivated, one is fit to approach Mother Sarasvati to request spiritual wisdom.
This, he says, is the hidden meaning behind the sequential worship of the Mother during Navaratri (the first three days are dedicated to Durga, the next three to Lakshmi and the final three to Sarasvati. The final tenth day, the auspicious Vijaya Dashami, is meant to symbolise spiritual victory, conquest over one's lower nature and union with the Divine). Regardless of whether one calls the Divine by these three names of the Divine Mother, the reality that this form of worship represents the natural progress of spiritual life for most seekers.
It is a bit like gardening. Imagine a garden that is full of thorny weeds and poisonous plants with bitter fruits. This is the mind of most spiritual seekers at the beginning of the spiritual journey. The mind-garden is filled with negative thoughts and emotions, undesirable harmful qualities and ignorance.
In order to get the best out of this overgrown garden, the first step is to thoroughly weed it. All the thorny, poisonous, unpleasant plants need to be rooted out. This cleaning can take a long time (varies depending upon the garden).
It is Durga in particular, the Goddess with tremendous power to destroy evil, who the spiritual aspirant needs to invoke to tidy the mind-garden. Prayer to Durga is said to rapidly cleanse the mind; She uproots the weeds with tremendous energy. It can be difficult as the bitter fruits of many negative past karmas may manifest in the process but this is necessary. Her grace always protects Her devotees and all obstacles are ultimately surmounted.
Once a significant amount of cleaning of the mind-garden has been completed (full cleaning is not completed until spiritual liberation), one can then approach Mother Lakshmi to plant some beautiful plants that produce fragrant flowers and sweet fruits.
Lakshmi, the nourishing aspect of the Mother, helps us to sow the seeds of virtues in the mind-garden and enables us to water these with devotion. She actively helps us to develop devotion to the Supreme Being. This devotion is the water and potent fertiliser that helps the plants take deep root in the mind-garden and to grow well. The sunlight of divine grace gives strength to the plants and they thrive and grow spectacularly.
As the beautiful plants grow, the threat of unwanted weeds unfortunately remains; they can come back at any time, and if they do and take root, they can destroy the garden. Hence the spiritual seeker needs to remain vigilant until liberation is attained. However, with the grace of Durga and Lakshmi, the mind-garden is kept well-cultivated and the beautiful plants grow tall and strong while the unwanted weeds are kept at bay.
Then, at an auspicious time, in accordance with divine will, the plants begin to bear fragrant flowers and lovely fruits (the fruits of spiritual labour). Finally, the most precious fruit of all, the spiritual fruit of liberation, appears in the mind-garden (once this happens, the weeds can never again return). This granting of the divine fruit of wisdom and liberation is associated with Mother Sarasvati. (All forms of the Divine Mother can grant liberation in reality but Sarasvati is particularly associated with the acquisition of wisdom).
At this stage, the Upanishads say, one sees the Truth as clearly as perceiving a fruit in one's hand. One realises one's true immortal nature as a part of the Mother, of the Supreme Being. One then enjoys an eternal bliss that cannot be experienced by the consumption of any material fruits or other material objects. One experiences a wisdom that cannot be acquired even from the best of universities-- the recognition of oneself as being one with God.
So this is the general process of evolution for most spiritual seekers regardless of the form of God we worship (and whether or not we worship God as the Divine Mother).
These three forms of the Divine Mother, namely, Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Durga, are represented as the female counterparts of the three forms of the Divine Father (Brahma, Vishnu/Narayana and Shiva). They are said to be all different forms of the one God or Supreme Being.
Although Narayana is the main deity I worship, I have also been very drawn to Durga all my life. This may be due to a variety of reasons--may be due to samskaras (mental impressions) from past lifetimes, the fact that the women in my family are mostly strong-minded, independent professionals (embodying the Durga aspect), and perhaps because my first name (Aparna) that was given to me by my parents at birth is one of Durga's names.
As Sivananda has advised, when I have worshipped Her, I have asked that She remove the impurities within and thus allow me to make spiritual progress. While there is still much work left to do, I feel She has not ignored my requests entirely; I feel She has done some work on me in response to my prayers. And of course, this will need to continue until the spiritual goal is achieved.
The Swami I spoke to recently, who advised me to adjust my spiritual approach (as mentioned in my previous post from July 16), also advised that I focus on worship of the Divine Mother as Lakshmi for a while, rather than as Durga. She was of the opinion that I currently need to actively seek some divine nourishment (Lakshmi) rather than divine discipline (Durga).
Although Durga is also loving and nourishing, She is mainly portrayed as the Mother in Her fierce, fiery, disciplinarian form (it can feel like 'tough love' sometimes). That, the Swami said, is less helpful for me right now. In contrast, she said, the energy associated with Lakshmi is more gentle, more cooling and more nourishing. "You're burning up" she said to me, "You need some cooling and nourishment, so worship Lakshmi!"
The yogis say we gradually manifest the qualities of the deities we invoke within us. Having invoked Durga for a long time, I have now been asked to invoke Lakshmi. "Be a sweet wife and mother" said the Swami to me recently, "Be like Lakshmi!". Having tried to live up to my given name as Aparna (name of Durga symbolising intense tapas) for a long time, the time has perhaps come to focus on the Vishnupriya aspect (name of Lakshmi symbolising auspiciousness; this is my other/spiritual name given by the Swami). I will still worship the Mother as Durga of course (I cannot give Her up obviously), but for now, I will make Lakshmi the primary form.
So I have taken Swami ji's advice onboard and have decided to meditate on Lakshmi. For years now, when I have done mantra japa, I have visualised Narayana present within a blazing bright light within the heart space (anahata chakra). And while doing the japa verbally, I have made offerings to Him as a form of a simple manasik puja (worship done in the mind).
Following the traditional format of pujas done in temples, I have offered Him a seat, light, incense, fruit, flowers, Tulasi leaves, sandal paste, food and drink. Again and again during the process, I have brought my wandering mind back to the manasik puja, some days with more success and some days with less. This has occurred most days for close to eight years. I have sometimes visualised Lakshmi present on the chest of Narayana (as She is said to reside there) but the main focus has always been Him.
Since the Swami's recent advice, I have introduced a manasik puja of Lakshmi during my japa of the Narayana mantra (as they are one). In this puja, Lakshmi is the main deity visualised and Narayana is seen as present with Her heart (as He is said to be present within the hearts of all).
Visualisation is said to play a key role in the practice of meditation based on bhakti yoga, the path of devotion to the divine. So I visualise or imagine the realm of Lakshmi-- a cool, pleasant place, filled with clear lakes containing lovely lotuses (She is associated with this flower), water fountains and flowing milk (another cooling substance associated with Her). In this place, in my mind's eye, I see pretty buildings made of cool white marble, sparkly crystals and diamonds. In the centre of this realm, in a grand building filled with divine splendour, She, the Mother of the universe, Herself resides.
I imagine myself visiting Her at Her home in this realm, Lakshmi who is my Divine Mother (and the Mother of all beings). I enter a hall where She is seated on a magnificent throne. Other companion goddesses are also present (these are described in the Shakta tradition of worshipping God as Mother; they are various aspects of Herself).
I visualise Lakshmi as having the form of a beautiful woman, filled with divine golden radiance. She is dressed in rose-coloured silks and sparkling ornaments. She has a lovely face with a sweet and affectionate smile. In Her hands, She holds lotuses which represent divine blessings (She is traditionally depicted in this way). The entire hall is decorated with soft white silks, diamonds and flowers. There is the sound of water gently flowing from nearby fountains just outside. The air is fragrant with incense. The atmosphere is incredibly tranquil and soothing.
I imagine myself greeting Her as my Mother. I then sit down on a seat next to Her to prepare to start my mantra japa in Her presence. I bow my head to both Her and to Narayana whom I see within Her heart. I see Her smile and acknowledge my arrival. She approves of the japa of Narayana of course and is happy to observe this. To give me Her blessings and support before I begin, She gives me a plate of sweet foods (kheer, gulab jamun and rasgulla! I often offer these to Narayana in my manasik puja of Him). These represent positive qualities that are helpful in spiritual life.
She treats me with affection-- similar to that which an Earthly mother would have for her child only much more (as She is the Universal Mother after all). I accept Her blessing (prasad) with gratitude and then commence my ashtakshara mantra japa.
This goes well-- in such a soothing, pleasing atmosphere, with such divine company and sweet food, the mind wanders much less! I see that She is pleased with the japa of the Narayana mantra. At the end, I bow to Her and Narayana and take my leave, asking Them both to remain with me always. She and He bless me, and She gives me another sweet as prasad (Her blessing).
This new type of meditation with Lakshmi as the focus definitely makes me feel soothed and nourished. It has brought a refreshing change to my spiritual routine.
I currently have two sessions of japa per day (morning and evening). I plan to do a mixture of this manasik Lakshmi worship as well as my traditional manasik puja of Narayana each day depending upon how I feel.
The Narayana puja is more formal; I am the devotee and He is the Lord and I make Him the offerings. The worship of the Divine Mother Lakshmi is more intimate, more informal; I am the child and She is the Mother, and She provides me with spiritual nourishment.
The intimate connection that easily forms between a child and the mother is probably the reason why, in many spiritual traditions, it is held that the Divine Father is accessible only via the Divine Mother. In fact, in some traditions, the devotee is strongly advised to worship Lakshmi before worshipping Narayana.
I have also decided to soak my mind in Lakshmi mantras and prayers. I will listen to and recite the Sri Suktam when I feel like (will do it spontaneously in accordance with Swami ji's advice- no fixed planning).
This is a beautiful and powerful Vedic hymn that praises Lakshmi. It is said to be Lakshmi Herself in the form of sound (as with all Her mantras). It is regularly recited in the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh and I used to recite it occasionally in the past (lost the habit in recent years).
I will also explore more prayers and mantras related to Lakshmi in the coming months (there are many that I have not yet discovered).
The purpose of all these prayers will of course be the same as my reason for worshipping Narayana and Durga, namely spiritual progress and general world peace (as I feel we are in dire need of this. Lakshmi is often worshipped for material gains but, as She has blessed me with enough professional skill and wealth to live comfortably, though not lavishly, I am grateful and satisfied and do not therefore wish to ask Her for more).
I also plan to avoid any more rigid daily spiritual disciplines aside from continuing the ashtakshara mantra japa. Everything else will be spontaneous for now as the Swami advised, including the Lakshmi worship, kirtan, puja, homam and so on.
I am including a link (below) to my favourite rendition of the Sri Suktam online (with English translation). There is a lot of meaning behind the verses (it is not just a simple description of a beautiful Goddess) and I plan to explore this in the coming weeks (will perhaps write a post on it in the future).
Om Sri MahaLakshmyai Namah.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
