Navaratri Greetings - Bhavani Sahasranama

[K.N.RAMESH]

courtesy:Sri.K.Muralidharan Iyengar

Dear all,

Greetings and Namaste. As Sharada Navaratri is starting in a couple of days from now, I am delighted to share a rare Sahasranama on Goddess Shakti titled Bhavani Sahasranama from Rudra Yamalam. The sanctity of this Sahasranama can be understood by the very elaborate Phalashruti running into several pages. Apparently Sri Kanchi Paramacharya used to recommend chanting this Sahasranama for begetting auspiciousness in one's life - especially girls who are seeking suitable grooms.

[As an aside - I also learnt in a discourse that Sri Paramacharya used to recommend chanting of Shiva Sahasranama from Linga Purana when relationships - personal or national - turn sour. Apparently, he advised chanting the Shiva Sahasranama when India and China had a brief and disastrous war in 1962. Actually there are two Shiva Sahasranamas in Linga Purana. I presume he referred to the one by Lord Vishnu on Lord Shiva].

Coming back to Naravratri, though Goddess Shakti is worshipped in innumerable forms, Navaratri worships her in three forms Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati but in 9 different Durga forms (one each day). In Durga Saptashati, Goddess Devi herself corroborates the oneness of all her forms when Shumbhasura accuses Goddess Devi of fighting with Asuras with the help of others and She herself is not capable of defeating them (Devi Mahatmyam, Chapter 10, Shlokas 3-5)

shumbha -

anyAsAM balamAshritya yud.dhyase yAtimAinI || 547 ||

devyuvAca -

ekaivA.haM jagatyatra dvitIyA kA mamAparA | pashyaitA duShTamayye vishantyo madvibhUtayaH || (Meaning : In this universe, I am the only who is present. What is there beyond me? O Fool! All these (forms such as Brahmani, Kaumari, Maheshvari, etc.) are all my manifestations and you wlll now see them merging back in me).

Now let us see how the same concept is expounded in a Narada Pancharatra, which is one of important Vaishnavite Agamas. In Ratri 1, Chatper 12, Goddess Parvati prays Lord Krishna as below (Shlokas 55 - 64) :

pArvatyuvAca -

tava vaxasi rAdha.ahaM rAse vRRindAvane vane | mahalaxmIshca vaikuNThe pAda padmArcane ratA || 55 ||

shvetadvIpe sindhukanyA viShNorasi bhUtale | brahmaloke ca brahmANI vedamAtA ca bharati. || 56 ||

tatpashcA daxa-kanyAhamadhunA pArvatI hare | tavAGYayA harakoreDe tvad Bhakta prati janmani || 58 ||

Narayana-priyA shashvat tena nArAyaNI shrutau | viShNorahaM parAshaktir viShNumAyA ca vaishnavi || 59 ||

Ananta-koTi brahmANDaM mayA sammohitaM sadA | viduShAM rasanAgre ca pratyaxaM hi Sarasvati || 60 ||

(Meaning : In your heart I am Radha and I was with you in Vrindavana. I accompany you as Lakshmi in Vaikuntha and I perform archana to your Lotus feet. In the earth I am Sindhu Kanya | I am Brahmani, Vedamata and Bharati in Brahma loka | Now I am Parvati, daughter of Daksha and consort of Shankara. I worship you in every manifestation of mine. I am Vishnumaya and Vaishnavi ...")

Actually Lord Narayana conveys the same in Gayatri Stotram in Devi Bhagavatam ("Adishakte jaganmAtar bhaktAnugraha kAriNI ...") and explains how the same Shakti is manifested in different forms in different abodes.

So there is no surprise Navaratri prays to Goddess Shakti in 3 different forms. By virtue of this, the right place for all the time-killers such as supposed disparity among Trinity is Rubbish bin. (By the way, in the imaginary fight between Vishnu and Shiva, poor Brahma is always given a raw deal!)

But where is the evidence of Vishnu and Shiva engaging in one-upmanship/fight against each other due to mutual enmity? In Vishnu stutis, he is praised as sha~Nkara-priya-mitrAya namaH (Ranganatha Ashtottaram, Venkatesha Ashtottaram, etc.) and Shiva is praised as Vishnu-kalatrAya namaH/Vishnu-vallabhAya namaH. Or is it that Vishnu and Shiva are like Indian politicians belonging to opponent political parties where they engage their servants to fight each other while they have secret business deals !!! Absolute Nonsense.

I personally think fanaticism has no place in Sanatana Dharma nor is it a measure of intensity of one's Bhakti. If at all, it is perhaps a measure of the intensity one's psychological/mental disorder (eccentricity)!

May We Pray To Goddess Durga who is also Lakshmi and Sarasvati during this Navaratri!

Samskritam

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