Thus Spake the Divine - Kamakshi
Thus Spake the Divine
Kamakshi
In this chapter, Poojyasri Maha Periyava virtually paints the appearance of four-handed Kamakshi before our eyes. He also explains the significane of sugarcane bow, flower arrows, Pasham and Ankusham that Kamakshi holds in Her Hands.
Brahmam, who is absolutely action- less, experiences His own self. He has no work, no shape, no colour, no characteristics and is filled with absolute serenity; this Brahmam is called Shivam. Only from this Brahmam have all activities, shapes, colours and characteristics emerged. With the power of Maya, this One Brahmam has manifested into the animate and inanimate Cosmos, possessing different colours, shapes and characteristics. All these have evolved only with the power of Maya.
The power of Maya transforms One Brahmam, what we also call Ambal, into many. We all have come into this Universe only with this power. Actually, we are not different from Brahmam; but we think we are. The reason for such thinking is owing to Maya played upon us by Ambal, who is the Brahma Shakti. It is Her divine fun game to immerse us into Maya!
Not only does She tie us within the bindings of Maya, She also liberates us from the clutches of Maya, provided we pray to her sincerely. She also grants Brahma Jnyana to us. We have no other option other than approaching Ambal to attain wisdom. She is the one who has hidden the existing Brahmam with the power of Maya. She exhibits to us the innumerable substances of the Universe. If we want to free ourselves from this game of worldly life and its cyclical birth and death, and transform into Brahmam, it can be only through the grace and benevolence of Ambal. It is Ambal who is disguised as Power of Maya. She is also Jnyanambika (Goddess of Wisdom), who will grant us Moksha.
Maya is one that does not exist. This non-existent Maya plays all its games on us! Neither is it one, which is not non-existent at all times, nor is it one that always exists! So long as we do not attain wisdom, Maya exists. Till then, we see different kinds of substances and think every one of them is real on its own as well as separately. We infuse passion and hatred over these substances and act in different ways. Thus, our Karma gets accumulated. To extinguish that Karma, we keep taking births again and again.
Once we attain wisdom with the grace of Ambal, then, we will experientially realise that all these substances are manifestations of one Super Power, which is Ambal. We will know that everything is One and we are part of that One; external appearances may be many, but contained within is only one. Once that wisdom dawns within us, we will no more focus on external substances, which are subject to changes and destruction. Our mind will immerse into that Super Power, which is never-changing and is the source of everything. Till the time wisdom dawns within us, Maya will aggressively reign us.
Ambal, the Brahma Shakti, is the power of Maya, who confers us Brahma Jnyana. Though She wraps us in delusions of Maya, She also possesses absolute compassion to liberate us from the clutches of Maya. We divert our minds through the pleasures of our sensory organs. In the process, we forget our inherent inner happiness. All our five senses thus begin ruling us. To cleanse our mind and liberate us from the control of our senses, and to also free us from our wavering and wandering mind, Ambal appears as Kamakshi.
The four-handed Kamakshi holds a bow in one hand and five arrows in another. The bow is made of sugarcane (Karumbu) and the arrows are made of flowers. Generally, bows are made of strong iron, whereas, here Ambal holds a bow made of sweet sugarcane. Instead of sharp arrows, She is holding arrows made of flowers. Sugarcane bow signifies the philosophy of Mind or Heart (Manasu in Tamil). Ambal possesses a sweet heart, conquers all our hearts with Her sweet sugarcane bow. The five arrows of flowers are meant to conquer our five senses and make them still and action- less. Lalita Sahasranamam expresses the same essence as: “Mano Roopekshu Kothanda, Pancha Thanmathra Sayaka”. She holds the sugarcane bow and flower arrows only to make our hearts dispassionate and senses inactive and still.
In Her other two hands, She is holding Pasham and Ankusham. Pasham is rope, which detaches us from our passions and binds us to Her. Ankusham is the sharp-edged instrument used by Mahouts to control elephants. Ambal, with Her Ankusham, commands us to shed our hatred and animosities. As attraction and repulsion are basic philosophies around which the entire Cosmos revolves, it is the passion and anger around which human life revolves. Ambal is holding Pasham and Ankusham in Her hands to liberate us from the cycle of birth and death, and to unbind us from the clutches of passion and hatred. Lalita Sahasranamam explains this as: “Rag Swaroopa Pashatya, Krodhakarangusojwala”, which signifies Pasham (rope) as passion and Ankusham as anger.
In all, Ambal is holding the sugarcane bow, flower arrows, rope and Ankusham in her four hands. She emerges from the colourless Brahmam as Kamakshi with red complexion, redness as that of rising sun, redness as that of flowers of pomegranate, redness of saffron and redness of hibiscus; only for the specific purpose of granting absolute wisdom to all of us.
The power of Maya transforms One Brahmam, what we also call Ambal, into many. We all have come into this Universe only with this power. Actually, we are not different from Brahmam; but we think we are. The reason for such thinking is owing to Maya played upon us by Ambal, who is the Brahma Shakti. It is Her divine fun game to immerse us into Maya!
Not only does She tie us within the bindings of Maya, She also liberates us from the clutches of Maya, provided we pray to her sincerely. She also grants Brahma Jnyana to us. We have no other option other than approaching Ambal to attain wisdom. She is the one who has hidden the existing Brahmam with the power of Maya. She exhibits to us the innumerable substances of the Universe. If we want to free ourselves from this game of worldly life and its cyclical birth and death, and transform into Brahmam, it can be only through the grace and benevolence of Ambal. It is Ambal who is disguised as Power of Maya. She is also Jnyanambika (Goddess of Wisdom), who will grant us Moksha.
Maya is one that does not exist. This non-existent Maya plays all its games on us! Neither is it one, which is not non-existent at all times, nor is it one that always exists! So long as we do not attain wisdom, Maya exists. Till then, we see different kinds of substances and think every one of them is real on its own as well as separately. We infuse passion and hatred over these substances and act in different ways. Thus, our Karma gets accumulated. To extinguish that Karma, we keep taking births again and again.
Once we attain wisdom with the grace of Ambal, then, we will experientially realise that all these substances are manifestations of one Super Power, which is Ambal. We will know that everything is One and we are part of that One; external appearances may be many, but contained within is only one. Once that wisdom dawns within us, we will no more focus on external substances, which are subject to changes and destruction. Our mind will immerse into that Super Power, which is never-changing and is the source of everything. Till the time wisdom dawns within us, Maya will aggressively reign us.
Ambal, the Brahma Shakti, is the power of Maya, who confers us Brahma Jnyana. Though She wraps us in delusions of Maya, She also possesses absolute compassion to liberate us from the clutches of Maya. We divert our minds through the pleasures of our sensory organs. In the process, we forget our inherent inner happiness. All our five senses thus begin ruling us. To cleanse our mind and liberate us from the control of our senses, and to also free us from our wavering and wandering mind, Ambal appears as Kamakshi.
The four-handed Kamakshi holds a bow in one hand and five arrows in another. The bow is made of sugarcane (Karumbu) and the arrows are made of flowers. Generally, bows are made of strong iron, whereas, here Ambal holds a bow made of sweet sugarcane. Instead of sharp arrows, She is holding arrows made of flowers. Sugarcane bow signifies the philosophy of Mind or Heart (Manasu in Tamil). Ambal possesses a sweet heart, conquers all our hearts with Her sweet sugarcane bow. The five arrows of flowers are meant to conquer our five senses and make them still and action- less. Lalita Sahasranamam expresses the same essence as: “Mano Roopekshu Kothanda, Pancha Thanmathra Sayaka”. She holds the sugarcane bow and flower arrows only to make our hearts dispassionate and senses inactive and still.
In Her other two hands, She is holding Pasham and Ankusham. Pasham is rope, which detaches us from our passions and binds us to Her. Ankusham is the sharp-edged instrument used by Mahouts to control elephants. Ambal, with Her Ankusham, commands us to shed our hatred and animosities. As attraction and repulsion are basic philosophies around which the entire Cosmos revolves, it is the passion and anger around which human life revolves. Ambal is holding Pasham and Ankusham in Her hands to liberate us from the cycle of birth and death, and to unbind us from the clutches of passion and hatred. Lalita Sahasranamam explains this as: “Rag Swaroopa Pashatya, Krodhakarangusojwala”, which signifies Pasham (rope) as passion and Ankusham as anger.
In all, Ambal is holding the sugarcane bow, flower arrows, rope and Ankusham in her four hands. She emerges from the colourless Brahmam as Kamakshi with red complexion, redness as that of rising sun, redness as that of flowers of pomegranate, redness of saffron and redness of hibiscus; only for the specific purpose of granting absolute wisdom to all of us.
This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.
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