From a satsang with Pt. Umadutt Maharaj, Spiritual Leader, SWAHA Bhakti Jyot Mandali
In the revered Devi Bhagwat Purana, a resplendent scripture of 18,000 verses gracefully unfolds across 38 chapters. Its verses, like cascading rivers of wisdom, reverberate with praise for all divine manifestations, including the Divine Mother who is held in sublime reverence. Here, the divinity reveals itself as Devi, the Supreme Power, the vital essence infusing life into the vast cosmos. In this elaborate dance of existence, Devi Maa stands as the very heartbeat of creation, an energy resonating at myriad frequencies.
She is the Cause, beyond the constraints of birth, progression and culmination. In her omnipotence, she is Sarva Devi, the Goddess of All. In humble supplication, we utter: “Ya Devi Sarva Bhuteshu, Sarva Rupayna Sansthitaa.” O Mother, you are the cornerstone of existence; all that thrives in this universe is an emanation of your divine grace.
According to the Devi Bhagwat Purana, the devout seeker, who adorns the Devi with praises, sees afflictions dissolve like morning mist. Poverty, illness and tribulations scatter before her benevolence. She serves as the haven for the entire cosmos, an omniscient being, guiding our existence. Her forms, dual in nature, oscillate between serenity and ferocity. For instance, as the embodiment of time, Kali Devi, she orchestrates the inevitable conclusion of all things and beings. Every entity, animate or inanimate, moves with the pulse of her energy.
She bridges the realms of the tangible and intangible, the real and the illusory. Devi is the Maayaa, the mystic force weaving the fabric of creation, the liberator from the cycle of birth and death. She is the Eternal Maahaamayaa, known as Mahaamaayaa Brahmavidyaa, ensnaring all in the web of delusion (maayaa) but also granting the divine knowledge which liberates us. She unveils the transient, ephemeral nature of the world, as both its cause and controller. She embodies the diverse manifestations of maayaa: Yogamaayaa, Vishwamaayaa (maayaa of the world), and Mahaamaayaa (the grand delusion).
The Devi Bhagwat Purana reverently designates her as “shakti,” the essential energy permeating each soul. She births, sustains and ultimately dissolves the universe, serving as the creative vigour of Brahma (Saraswati shakti), the nurturing force of Vishnu (Lakshmi shakti) and the absorbing potency of Shiva (Durga shakti). She stands above the highest, the origin of all origins, the support of the universe, spanning the three planes of existence: bhu (earth), bhuvah (intermediate) and svah (heavenly). Her forms embody sattva, rajas and tamas, representing the three gunas or modes of existence: purity, materialism and inertia. Yet, she transcends all gunas, remaining changeless, untouched by prakriti (nature).
Devi is also celebrated by myriad names: Shivaa, Trayambakha, Gauri, Uma, Girija, Sati and numerous others, each representing a specific function or energy. She is the wellspring of the universe, the origin of the five elements, the source of the senses (gyaan indriyaas) and the instruments of action (karma indriyaas). She is the eternal Source, unwavering and immutable. As devotees prostrate and offer devotions in her name, they awaken the essence of Brahmavidyaa, the most profound knowledge in the cosmos, the wisdom that unveils the true nature of the Self.
