Thus Spake the Divine - Para Shakti is Maha Lakshmi

Thus Spake the Divine

Para Shakti is Maha Lakshmi

While Acharya is worshipping Maha Lakshmi through “Kanakadhara Sthavam”, there comes a divine voice from the sky. “This Brahmin husband and wife have been sinners for several janmas. Poverty is the resultant punishment. Till their sins do not get extinct, they cannot be conferred with any wealth”.

Acharya, in his response to the voice says, “She has given the only object, viz. the gooseberry available in the house to me as Bhiksha out of compassion and love towards me. How virtuous (punya) are these love and compassion! She has nothing left in the house to eat, but she still has given Bhiksha to me. This act of hers would nullify any amount of sins committed by her earlier”. Therefore, He continued, “Mother Maha Lakshmi! You are also endowed with boundless compassion as this woman possesses. Therefore, do not be too strict in terms of justice alone; please be merciful and give her your blessings”.

There is internal evidence within the Kanagadhara Sthavam itself of Acharya pleading on behalf of the poor woman. In one verse, it starts with “Dadyad Dhayanubhavano”, which means “Like how a ‘Chataka Pakshi’ (a bird in the desert) yearns for a droplet of rain, these people are yearning for wealth. It is true that their erstwhile Karmas have deserted their life. However, you have the breeze of mercy and compassion. With that breeze, you can create the clouds and provide rains of wealth for this couple”.

Goddess Maha Lakshmi is highly pleased with this Shloka and prayers. She pours Golden Gooseberries as rain within the fencing of the Brahmin couple’s house. Kanagadhara means “Golden Rain” and Sthavam means Shloka, thus combining into Kanagadhara Sthavam.

The uniqueness of this story is that it is the first Shloka composed by Acharya, which is filled with Acharya’s compassion for the poor Brahmin lady’s despair and Maha Lakshmi’s grace and benevolence. Therefore, if one recites Kanagadhara Shloka, there will be abundant wealth.

Acharya has advocated, “Everything is One; There is no distinction between Ishvara and Jeevan.” This clearly brings out His non-discriminatory outlook towards different Gods. He always emphasises on the truth that all Gods are manifestations of Para Shakti. The same contention is also seen in this Shloka, which starts with “Geerdeva Dethi”. The meaning of this verse goes like this: “You, the Consort of Maha Vishnu, who is sitting on the Eagle (Garuda), are Sarasvati, the Goddess of Knowledge, and Parvati, the Consort of Chandamouleeswarar (Lord Shiva). There is one Paramatma, who acts as Guru for all the three worlds. You are the Power (Energy) of that Paramatma. Both of you are jointly playing the game of Creation, Preservation and Destruction of this Universe!

Kamakshi, who is the Goddess in Kanchipuram, has exhibited the same non-distinctiveness between Her and Maha Lakshmi by pouring Golden Rain. Let us see that story in the next chapter.

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.