Thus Spake the Divine - Kamakshi’s Blackness

Thus Spake the Divine

Kamakshi’s Blackness

Why has Mooka Kavi depicted Ambal as black complexioned? Go carefully through the various points put forth by Maha Periyava to substantiate Mooka Kavi’s stand.

From the colourless sunlight, if you separate one colour through refraction, all remaining six colours also come out and scatter. It is an irony! When all colours are together, the end result is colourless. From that colourless light, if you separate even one colour, all other colours also come out, as though saying: “I will go away if you separate me from the whole spectrum”.

Brahmam is equivalent to that colourless sunlight. Brahmam is action- less; with nothing to do. However, He possesses absolute energy to carry out all activities. This can be compared to sunlight, which is colourless, but still contains all colours within it. The first act of action-less Brahmam is to become aware of self. This is the movement of Brahmam, which can be compared to refraction of light. In this refraction, what comes out as the first colour is red.

During sunrise (Arunodhayam), the eastern sky turns red isn’t it? Aruna means Red in Sanskrit. When the pure, colourless Brahmam transforms into red and enters into action, He becomes Ambal. The action-less Brahmam turns into action-filled Ambal (Kameshvari). Brahmam has the desire to become aware of self, isn’t it? The form of this desire or lust is Kameshvari. She is the source for universal activities viz. Creation, Sustenance and Destruction. All these three functions have, in fact, emerged only from Maya. She hides Brahmam with the power of Maya and displays the imaginary Universe.

This is the fourth function of Brahmam, known as Thiro Bhavam or Thiro Dhanam, which is hiding Brahmam behind and revealing the Universe in front. Over and above the four functions viz. Creation, Sustenance, Destruction and Concealment, there is one other function known as “Anugraha” or “Grace”. Anugraha is an act in which Ambal liberates people from bindings of Maya and absorbs them within Her. Since Ambal is engaged in all these five functions, She is described in Lalita Sahasranamam as Pancha Krithya Parayana (Executor of Five Functions).

Kameshvari, as the transformed Brahmam, is sitting on the Celestial Throne (Manjam, the four legs of which are borne by Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Protector), Rudra (Destructor or Samhara Murti) and Ishvara (Ruler of Maya). She is seated left of Kameshvaran, as the Anugraha Devata. Kameshvara is Brahmam and Kameshvari is His Shakti (Power). They are husband and wife.

When red splits as Kameshvara and Kameshvari, all other colours in the spectrum should also come out, isn’t it? As per this rule, Brahma and Lakshmi come out in golden colour (yellowish red). Maha Vishnu and Parvati emerge in blue. Rudra and Sarasvati came out in white. Each of these three pairs emerging from the Power of Brahmam is brother and sister. That is, Brahma-Lakshmi, Vishnu-Parvati and Rudra-Sarasvati are siblings.

Brahma and Lakshmi are golden complexioned and seated on Lotus. Brahma is engaged in the function of Creation and Lakshmi provides wealth and resources for the wellbeing of creations. Bluish Vishnu and Parvati administer the Universe and handle Maya. In any Shiva temple, in its northern location, we can see the idol of Durga sitting all alone, away from Her Consort Shiva. She will be holding the Conch (Shankam) and Wheel (Chakram), similar to the disposition of Vishnu. This is why Parvati is addressed as Narayani or Krishna Sahodari. Shiva and Sarasvati are siblings.

In Shiva temple, at the back of Durga, you can see Dakshinamurti, who is sitting independent of His Consort Parvati. The very appearance of Dakshinamurti will reveal His relationship with Sarasvati. As Sarasvati, He holds the palm leaf and Japa Mala; both of them are epitome of wisdom and dispassion; both of them are white.

There is logic behind emergence of three pairs from Brahma Shakti. Each male has to marry a female. Were there only two pairs, then each male had to marry the female of the other family which means “giving a girl to a family and taking a boy from the same family”, which is generally not preferred. That is why there emerged three pairs, whereby sensible interchange of attributes and complexions was possible.

Brahma married Sarasvati, sister of Shiva (Golden and White). Shiva married Parvati, sister of Vishnu (White and Bluish Black). Vishnu married Lakshmi, sister of Brahma (Bluish black and Golden). White colour represents Sattva Guna, golden Rajo Guna and blue Tamo Guna. Instead of just segregating Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva based on their respective attributes, their Consorts Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Parvati respectively are matched with them with different complexions.

Para Shakti (Ambal) alone is engaged in all the three major functions manifested in different forms. Still, She is most associated with the fourth function viz. Thiro Dhanam.

Poet Mooka Kavi in Pancha Shati applies the complexion of Parvati (Consort of Rudra), who is bluish black, to Kamakshi, who is crimson red. Para Shakti, being Maya Herself and Liberator of Maya in Her fifth function (Anugraha), is identical to Kamakshi. Therefore, Mooka Kavi describes “Red Kamakshi” as “Black Kamakshi” too in some instances. The crystal white Shiva gets into His function of Destruction or Samharam after absorbing power from Parvati, who is red. When we address Ambal as Samahara Murti, we call her Kali. Kali means dark. However, why has Mooka Kavi describe Kamakshi, who is the Anugraha Devata, as black? Why has he identified Her as one engaged in destruction?

We are engaged in different activities throughout the day. Thus, we all get tired and fall to sleep. Sleep is the attribute of Thamas. There is only darkness or blackness in sleep. However, only during sleep does man feel relaxed and calm. Para Shakti provides sleep to man, who is tired of his daily routines, thereby giving him temporary calmness. Therefore, amidst Thamas Guna, She also has in Her Anugraham of Ambal too.

Samharam (Destruction) is long and deep sleep. We are at peace while sleeping. Similarly, when a jeevan dies, it remains away from turbulence of Karmas till it takes the next janma. The function of destruction is aimed at providing temporary relief to the jeevan from the bindings of Karma. Only those realised souls, who are devoid of any ego or arrogance, can escape permanently from the bindings of Karma. However, unrealised souls are provided temporary relief by way of a time gap between death and the next birth.

Nammalwar, an ardent devotee of Maha Vishnu, addresses Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva as Muni, Naanmugan (Four-Faced) and Mukkannappa (Three-Eyed) respectively. You may note here that when it comes to Rudra (God of Destruction), he adoringly calls Him “Father Mukkannappa!” It is as though a child is addressing its father and the father, in response, is saying, “My dear child! You look very tired! Please take rest for a while”. Likewise, Parameshvara gives us rest while doing Samharam. Such a Destructor’s Consort Parvati is black in complexion!

Only when we renounce ourselves from worldly bindings can we reach the state of Moksha. The conscious awareness that we are at peace is the state of Samadhi. This is the eternal state. This is the one that is granted by Anugraha of Para Shakti. The next state is that in which we are unaware that we are at peace, which occurs in sleep (short duration) and Samharam (longer duration).

Therefore, the next best alternative to Anugraha is Samharam. Generally, we don’t worship Brahma at all. May be because we are upset as to why He has created us all! Though Maha Vishnu is the most sought after God of worship, as He is the Protector of this Universe, He is most connected with the worldly affairs in many of His Avataras, such as Sri Ram, Krishna, Narasimha and so on. Though Sri Vaishnavas address Him as Swami, they also address Him as Perumal (Perumal means great man). Even in Vedas, Mantras pertaining to Vishnu are called Purusha Sukta in which Purusha in Tamil refers to man.

Purusha Sukta enunciates the modus operandi of emergence of this Universe from Para Shakti. It is quite clear that Vishnu has a strong bond with this world and its living beings. Shiva, the Samhara Murti, is known for dispassion and willpower post renouncing the world. Temples of Vishnu are called Perumal Temple and Shiva’s temples are known as Ishvara Temple. I am not biased between the two; as one being superior to another. It is absolutely wrong to be biased as both are from the same one substance. I am saying these from the standpoint of how these two Gods are perceived by the world based on their functions.

All the above thoughts permeated through me when I gave a deep thought as to why Mooka Kavi called Red Kamakshi as black. Samhara, though it is a temporary peace, it is much closer to eternal peace, which is Moksha. That is why Mooka Kavi had attributed the complexion of Samhara Shakti, Parvati, who is black, to Anugraha Shakti Kamakshi, who is red. “It is no great deal to grant eternal peace to the most realised souls; it is only great compassion to grant temporary peace even to sinners by way of Samhara”. It is with this thought that Mooka Kavi has adored Kamakshi as black in Her other complexion.

The Sattva Guna of Para Shakti administers and protects the world as Maha Vishnu. Her Rajo Guna creates the entire Universe. Her Tamo Guna terminates the creations as Rudra. Since Para Shakti grants Anugraha even to undeserving beings so that they can experience temporary peace, Mooka Kavi calls Her black, which is the complexion of Samhara Shakti. Though of the three attributes, Thamo is perceived as inferior to Sattva and Rajas from one angle, if perceived from another angle, Thamo is closer to the 5 th and the supreme function namely Anugraha. That is why, in a spectrum of colours, though black and red are at the end of two corners, which are closer to bluish black and red, Mooka Kavi has attributed these two colours to Kamakshi!

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.