If You Want Something, Ask for It

Mahishasura attacked and conquered Swarga.

All the Devas, such as Indra, led by Brahma Deva, went to Mahavishnu and Mahadeva and complained.

From the anger of the Trimurthys and also the Devas, brilliant fires emerged from their bodies, merged together, and became a huge, formidable mountain of fire. Then, that fire transformed into a woman—Devi Mahamaya. This is one of her manifestations.

In this form, each and every organ of her body could be identified as the brilliant anger of one particular Deva. For example, Shambhu’s anger became her face, and Vishnu’s anger became her hands. Then the Devas started giving her their own weapons. She had to be prepared for battle with Mahishasura.

See, there is a procedure to be followed in everything. It is not that she is so powerful that she can simply burn Mahishasura away. Of course, she can do that also, but she will not. Why should she? She is enjoying what she is doing. She is here to enjoy the battle. People take up martial arts because they enjoy it.

What will happen if you go to a karate or judo tournament and see the referee saying, 'Don’t fight, it is not good to hurt others. So all of you shake hands and go home.' He is telling this to the participants. What will it look like?

So here, she has manifested to fight. Why should she give up the battle? For us humans, fighting is bad. We should not fight. But for her, it is a play. If you go to the director of a war film and tell him, 'Don’t take this movie, don’t show violence, we don’t like violence,' for you, it is violence. For him, it is just a movie.

Understand this clearly—for anything and everything in the world, a procedure has to be followed. Bhagawan says in the Geetha:

ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि

Follow procedure. If you want something from the divinity, ask in so many words—ask, pray. Don’t say, 'She knows everything, she will do everything as is right.' That she is already doing. If you want something to change, then ask, pray. It won’t happen on its own. Or accept things as they are.

The Devas could have accepted defeat and called it fate. They could have sat silently, calling it fate. They didn’t do that. They went to Brahma, then went to Sri Hari and Mahadeva. Devi manifested. Now they are making her battle-ready. They also don’t get anything if they sit silently. So, if you need something, ask, pray.

The Devas continued to equip her for battle:

समस्तरोमकूपेषु निजरश्मीन्दिवाकरः

Surya Deva gave her his own rays, which came out from every single hair follicle of her body.

कालश्च दत्त्वा खड्गं तस्याश्चर्म च निर्मलम्

The Devata who controls time, who creates the notion of time—seconds, minutes, days, years, past, present, and future—gave her a sword and a shield, both brilliant. These adjectives are there so that you do not visualize them as the dull sword and shield you see in museums.

क्षीरोदश्चामलं हारं अजरे च तथाम्बरे चूडामणिं तथा दिव्यं कुण्डले कटकानि च अर्धचन्द्रं तथा शुभ्रं केयूरान् सर्वबाहुषु नूपुरौ विमलौ तद्वद् ग्रैवेयकमनुत्तमम्

She had to be given ornaments. Even though her avataroddesha was battle, she is Devi. She didn’t have to be in battle gear. A Devi should look like a Devi in all her glory. We see heroes in movies removing their wristwatches before getting into a fight. She doesn’t have to do that. She can be well-decorated with ornaments and still fight.

The Ksheera Sagara, the Milky Ocean, gave her many ornaments. We know so many things such as Panchajanya, Kaustubha, and even Lakshmi Devi came out of the Milky Ocean when it was being churned. The Milky Ocean is a treasure house. It gave her a beautiful hara (garland) and a new pair of clothes. It gave her a Chudamani, a gem worn on the head.

Kundalas are ear ornaments, ear drops, and Katakas are bangles and bracelets. The crescent to wear on her forehead—like how Mahadeva and Lord Ganesh wear the crescent. Keyura is an ornament worn on the upper arms near the biceps. She has many arms, not just two, so Keyuras were given for all her arms.

Noopura is the ornament worn around the ankles above the feet. Graiveyaka—Greeva means neck, and Graiveyaka is a necklace.

Vishwakarma also gave her so many things:

अंगुलीयकरत्नानि समस्तासु अंगुलीषु च विश्वकर्मा ददौ तस्यै परशुं च अतिनिर्मलम्

For the fingers of all her hands, Vishwakarma gave rings studded with gems.

अस्त्राण्यनेकरूपाणि तथाभेद्यं च दंशनम्

Arrows of various kinds were given, not just triangular-headed ones. Some had heads like Trishula, some like serpent hoods—so many different kinds of astras were given to Devi by Vishwakarma.

He also gave her a Damshana, a Kavacha—an armor that can never be broken. These were given by Vishwakarma to Devi.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi