Do You Know What Is the Position and Status of Devi?

Can anyone worship Goddess Mahamaya? Can anyone enter and occupy the VIP lounge at an airport? The question is something like this.

She is worshiped by Hari, Hara, and Virincha—Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. Likes of these—Indra, Agni, all of them. That is her status.

There is a palace. There is a temple inside the palace premises. Who gets to worship in that temple? Not the general public. Not everyone. Only the king and his family. That is a privilege of the king and the royal family.

How did they get this privilege? Because of their royalty.

So, if you want to worship the Goddess who is worshiped by Hari, Hara, and Virincha, you also need something in you. If not equal to Hari, Hara, and Virincha, at least some quality. What is it? You should have done a lot of good things in the past, in your past births. Otherwise, how is it possible?

If you don’t have this asset of acquired punya with you, you will be born at a place where people haven’t heard about her. You will be born into a family where there is no one who knows about her greatness, no one who can tell you about her greatness. Even if all these are there, somebody could have filled your mind with stupid ideas like, 'This is all nonsense. Believe in yourself rather than believing in an invisible abstract concept.'

This has not happened accidentally. Someone is worshiping her, and you never had the inclination. This is not just accidental, not by mere chance or choice. This is because you lack the quality which is needed to even go near her.

Why so much of punya is needed? Because she is not just another divinity. Do you know what her position is?

We know Shiva. Why is he called Shiva?

The name Shiva has come from the Sanskrit root 'vasha.' This is typical about Sanskrit. Surya has a name—Kashyapa. This has come from 'Pashyaka,' just by reading it in the opposite direction: Pashyaka – Kashyapa.

In the same way, Shiva has come from the dhatu 'vasha.'

'Pashyaka' means one who sees everything. The Sun sees everything—past, present, and future—with great accuracy. The Veda says:

कश्यपः पश्यको भवति यत्सर्वं परिपश्यतीति सौक्ष्म्यात्

So he is 'Pashyaka.' Put in the reverse order—Kashyapa.

In the same way, from 'vasha' dhatu—Shiva.

'Vasha' has two meanings:

1. Brilliance—the first meaning, brilliance.
2. Second—icchashakti depends on him. You will feel like doing something, achieving something, working towards something only if he wants, he wills.

There are some more meanings. He brings forth the universe as we experience it within himself. He didn’t create the universe like how a sculptor creates a sculpture. This universe is created using a small part of him and exists within himself.

It is like your hair is ruffled. Then you do it in a certain style. Using a comb, you make your hair into a certain style. Then it appears like the universe as we experience it. This is what the Lord does. He doesn’t need anybody’s support for this.

He removes ignorance, he removes swapna—what is unreal. He blesses you with this. But this ignorance of maya is also created by him only.

But, after saying all these—that he is omnipotent, everything is dependent on him—suddenly, as if he forgot something, Adi Shankara Bhagavadpada says:

'Oh, I forgot, all these are possible if she is with him. He can do all these if and when she is with him.'

What will happen if she is not there?

He won’t be able to even move. Only when she is with him can he do all these. Spandana is vibration, subtle vibration. Even that he will not be able to do in her absence.

Shiva is the husband; Shakti is the wife. The universe is their child. Can the husband alone bring a child into existence? No.

The Sri Chakra has got nine yonis or triangles. Four of them are called the ardha chakra of Shiva, and the remaining five as the ardha chakra of Shakti Devi. It is from this Nava Yoni Chakra, half of which is Shiva and half of which is Shakti.

You normally think Sri Chakra represents Devi. But one half of it is Shiva, the other half is Shakti. When they are together, the universe comes out of it.

Two points:

1. In her absence, Shiva is incapable.
2. She gives capability to him.

One is what her absence does. The second is what her presence does. Both are different, you see.

This is her power, her position, her status. To get the chance to do namaskara to her—either with the body, or words, or mind, or all three—or to say something in praise of her, you should have done some real good karma in the past.

What we have seen now is the meaning of the first shloka of Saundarya Lahari.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi