|
|||||||
| |||||||
|
Vaarahi, Raja Mathangi and Bhuvaneshwari
VAARAHI AMBIKA
Significance of Mother Vaarahi Vaarahi is one of the Saivite Shakti deities with the group of goddesses known as Saptamatrukas or the "Seven Mothers". The seven mothers are: Brahmi, Maheshvari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Vaarahi, Mahendri and Chamundi. They are the Shakti (female) equivalents of their male counterparts.
Vaarahi is the Shakti of the Vishnu Avatar Varaha.
Story of the Boar Hiranyaksha ( the golden_eyed demon) received a boon from Brahma after he practiced severe austerities in his devotion to Him. He asked to become king of the whole world, and that no human or animal which he mentioned by name should ever have the power to harm him. He enumerated all the animals but forgot to mention the boar. Hiranyaksha wreaked havoc, plundering everything of value from the creatures of the world, including the Hindu scriptures. He even took the earth down into the ocean as a hostage. Vishnu assumed the boar form and plunged into the depths of the primeval ocean to rescue Earth. It took him one thousand years to kill Hiranyaksha and to lift the earth up with his great white tusks. He calmed it, and made it ready for human use by molding its mountains and continents. Symbolism of Vaarahi The myth of of the boar is not just confined to Hindu Mythology. It is in the Celtic, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, American Indian and Egyptian cultures as well. Goddess Ceridwin, a Celtic Mother Goddess was also called the "old White Sow". The Boar too is a sacred animal of Goddess Isis ( the Egyptian equivalent of Durga ) and her brother is a black boar ( called Seth ). Emotional and Physchological Symbolism
In association with the Saptamatrkas, Vaarahi can be said to be the representation of the controlled energy of courage and fearlessness that has gone out of control in us which causes envy and greed and leads to attachment ( material and general )
We need courage in order to fight against the enemy, but sometimes success makes us blind which results in arrogance and greed. Meditating and worshipping Vaarahi is like a reminder to us of the basic nature that is inherent in us that we must constantly be aware of.
Benefits of Vaarahi Pooja and Homa Mother Vaarahi protects all devotees who turn to Her for Her grace and blessings. She is an extremely powerful Goddess and bestows the following on those who worship Her with sincerity and devotion.
Installation - Devi Raja Mathangi installed with Yantra Prateeshta at the Parashakthi Temple on February 18, 2005
Vaarahi and Mathangi Mandala Pooja was held on April 1st and April 6th 2005 The mandala pooja celebrations of Vaarahi Ambika and Raja Mathangi Ambika denote the completion of the circle of poojas and worshipping the Goddesses at this time enables the devotee to get their full grace to enter the path of enlightenment. VAARAHI AND RAJA MATHANGI MANDALA POOJA At the auspicious Mandala Puja of Varahi Ambika and Raja Mathangi Ambika Prathishta Dr. Krishna Kumar shared some of the mystical information with our devotees to enhance their receptiveness of our Divine Mother’s grace and wake up Her aspect which is deeply ingrained in us since creation, although kept dormant so far.
The purpose of sharing this information is to wake up the dormant divine energy in us by knowing and perceiving certain mystical facts about this function.
During deep kundalini meditation the divine Mother communicates and coveys to me certain mystical information. One of the items of information which [she shared with me, is to explain that the various “Shakthis” are Her aspects with different vibratory energy which are more conducive for our receptivity of their grace and energy]. In other words She descends from the highest vibratory level to more human vibration so that Her grace can be received by us. During these meditative (Thuriya) states She explained to me about Varahi Ambika and Raja Mathangi Ambika as Her commanders to distribute “Her grace” and accomplish “Her will”. Ever since this episode I have heard some mystics whom I met in various parts of India who specifically sought me out from the place of my meditation and informed me that they feel Varahi Ambika and Raja Mathangi Ambika are the active forces in our temple from the beginning. The few mystics who have sought me out were not known to me prior to that and they did not have any information about our temple at that time. When I questioned them on how they came to know about this they all said the same thing, namely that during their meditation divine mother Parashakthi communicates with them and informs them about our Temple in the USA where She is actively“manifested”. During these “communications” this information was apparently shared with these mystics. The Divine Mother gave me the mantras to invoke the divine energies within me so that they can manifest, connect and open the super-conscious communication channels so that all of our devotees can benefit. As usual the Divine Mother gave me information about whom to contact to obtain the vigrahas, yantras and other needed material for their installation. This took many months to identify these special souls to make pancha loka vigrahas in the most ritualistic and mystical manner. There were many hardships and then complications in accomplishing this but with the Divine Mother’s kindness and grace we were able to accomplish this and now we have the unique fortune of having them installed in our Temple.
Varahi Ambika and Raja Mathangi Ambika, that Varahi Ambika is the supreme commander of Divine Mother Parashakthi to control all the evil in the universe so that each one of us can evolve and manifest all the angelical elements from within and from the outside through our Divine Mother’s grace. As the supreme commander she controls all asura-demonic forces and helps us in acknowledging the existence of these elements in us, and helps us in conquering them.
Some of the devotees may be fortunate to have Varahi Ambika as their Ishta Devata and they will benefit a great deal since this aspect is more deeply ingrained in them. The Mantras Divine Mother gave me to give “life” to will be printed in this article and the devotees will benefit a great deal from this if they chant it 9 times everyday in the morning and during times of trouble. Ambika will come to you and do what needs to be done for you. Even though our devotees may have various Ishta Devatas, Varahi Ambika will be part of all of us to the extent of controlling evil forces affecting us in inhibiting our evolution and causing phenomenal world misery. Since the “Mantras” are active in our Temple it will be easy for our devotees to activate Varahi Ambika aspect in them and benefit greatly both in the phenomenal and the noumenal worlds. Raja Mathangi Ambika is the most important Goddess of Shakthi universe. The enclosed article explains the fundamental meaning and activity of Raja Mathangi. Our Divine Mother Parashakthi Karumariamman as the supreme divine consciousness is manifest in the physical realm both universally and within us as Raja Mathangi, Who is considered as a supreme advisor to Raja Rajeshwari.
As some of you know the installation of Maha Meru – the 3 dimensional
representation of Sri Chakra/Sri Vidhya in our Temple, transforms
Parashakthi Karumariamman to Raja Rajeshwari-Lalitha Thirupurasundari.
Vaarahi Ambika as supreme commander and Raja Mathangi Ambika as Her supreme advisor completes the trinity in our temple. Raja Manthangi Ambika is a distributor of all the divine grace which any separated soul needs for evolution back to the Divine Mother or back to the “origin”. In other words the travel back of Atman-Soul to Paramatman, supreme soul, is enhanced and completed with the help of Raja Mathangi Ambika. She gives us all the needed blessings and helps us assimilate it and benefit from it. Any divine grace manifesting in us will be mediated and enhanced by Raja Mathangi Ambika both as a supreme advisor of the “creative force” and the distributor of grace of the “creative force” to us. The Vigraha of the deities in our temple are designed by mystical sculptors and the various symbolic and metaphorical meanings are engraved in the various aspects of the Vigrahas.
As you know Hinduism is deeply metaphorical, symbolical and allegorical and our rishis in their deep meditative states have understood and appreciated the various attributes of the supreme-cosmic-consciousness that is manifested in the material world as various deities.
Each aspect of the Divine Mother are described by them as a particular “form” and Mantra to identify that particular aspect of the Divine Mother in us. This is how the microcosmic representation of the divine in us connects with the macrocosmic manifestation of the Divine. Raja Mathangi Ambika connects the phenomenal world that we experience to the noumenal world and shows us the way to break through the cycle of birth and rebirth and gives us the wisdom to connect to the “creative forces” which is our Divine Mother. We have descended from the “spiritual” to the material world. Raja Mathangi Ambika makes us realize our divine aspect and helps us to reach our goal, namely the journey back to the “origin” and the union with the “Divine”. We are so fortunate and blessed to have all this given to us out of extreme kindness by Divine Mother and by showing our appreciation to Her we will receive more and the “realization” will start to set within us.
The more we appreciate the kindness and grace that she showers us with, the more we will benefit from it.
Realization - appreciation and gratitude – thanksgiving to the divine enhances our journey back to the God-head. By volunteering time and or material things dear to us, to the temple where She is manifest will activate the divine presence in us, a microcosmic manifestation by which we can connect with the macrocosmic aspect of the divine leading to the ultimate union with divine. Feeding the physical bodies (starving people)and helping fellow beings in all whom the Divine spirit exists, is a very auspicious act to get divine grace. Feeding the souls is the highest form of benevolence which is dearest to Mother Parashakthi. The devotees who get involved with activities at Parashakthi Temple by their participation and contributions will be the most blessed souls. Significance of Raja Mathangi Lord Shiva is also known as Matang, His Shakti (power) is called Mathangi. Her complexion is dark and She possesses a moon on Her forehead. The three-eyed goddess is seated on the crown decorated with jewels. Her luster is like a blue lotus and is the destroyer of the demons (forest) like a fire. In each of Her four hands, She has a noose, a mace, an axe and a hook. She is a destroyer of the demons by enchanting them first with Her beauty and a fulfiller of every desire of Her devotees. She is worshipped for the attainment of great powers, power of speech, happiness in family life, etc. Mathangi is the intelligible manifest sound. The primordial throb (adya spanda), which originates by the self-volition of the Supreme, starts a series of vibrations that take the form of nada. This is the Eternal Word, the creator of manifestation. The manifestations takes place in four steps: Sthula (gross, material principle), Sukshma (subtle, life principle, Karana (causal, mind principle), and Mahakarana (great causal, orginal rhythm). These steps correspond to the four steps of Jagrat (waking state, Swapna (dream state), Sushupti (deep sleep state), and Turiya (transcendental state). Mathi is the thinking mind and Matha is thought. The unmanifest Word perceives itself for manifestation and then reaches the thinking mind for expression (Matanga). When the word fashioned by the heart and formulated by the mind is expressed it is Mathangi. The Word of pristine purity becomes colored during expression (varana). The speech descends from the Supreme Source; bring into expression only part of its Glory, hence the name Uchhista (Leftover) Chandali. By catching the tail end of the Word (articulated speech) one can get to the source. The worship of Matang leads one to the realization of the residual above (Lalita).
She is the Mantrini of Lalita. She represents the power of attraction of Lalita. Her main purpose is to lead the spiritual aspirant towards union with Shiva Shakthi.
Raja Mathangi was the Goddess presiding over Manifestation. Through her, thought becomes “word”, unmanifest “sound” is struck into music, ideas unfold into expression, potential becomes “being”. Divine Consciousness becomes the created Universe. Raja Mathangi is the highest of the Goddesses in that She allows all their powers and principles to be realized. Benefits of Mathangi Pooja and Homa She blesses all those who worship her with:
Significance of 48-Day Pooja (Mandala Pooja) Mandala Mandala is a Sanskrit word, meaning circle, cosmogram or "world in harmony”. The Mandala is a symbol of enlightened states that align with the physical universe, bringing about healing and peace. At a deeper level, a Mandala is a visual metaphor for the path to enlightenment: it’s viewers "enter" a world designed to evoke attitudes and understandings of their own deepest nature. A Mandala is both a microcosm and macrocosm and includes the individual and the universe in its transformative power. The Circle represents the geometric shape that tells us about Sthithi Samhara or the circle of life: birth and rebirth until one reaches God. The concept of the mandala has in the 20th century, found a wide range of correspondences. Within Jungian psychology, the Mandala represents an inner wholeness that we all seek to restore. Within modern art, the Mandala painting uses geometric shapes to represent a landscape within the human soul. Within political science and peace studies, the Mandala refers to the combination of the personal with the political, of contemplation with action, and the inherent deep connection between mind, body and spirit. At it’s root it is the generic Sanskrit term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern, which represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the standpoint of man. A mandala can be used during meditation as an object for focusing the eyes on, especially the center of the mandala. This accounts for the spiritual geometric shapes which mandalas tend to have, tending to draw the attention of the eyes towards their center. Mandala Pooja Just as the geometric design of the mandala represents the Universal Circle, the Mandala Pooja represents the pooja celebration upon completion of one circle/mandalam (44-48 days) after the installation of a deity in the temple. Thus, when a deity is installed in a temple after Yantra Pratishta, special mantras are chanted and pooja is performed every day for 48 days as per vedic rituals thereby instilling more and more energy into the deity. The 48th day represents the completion of the circle (mandalam) and the deity then glows with full sanctity and power and so the 48th day mandala pooja assumes full significance. The deity becomes fully alive and worshipping the deity at this time and hence forward enables the devotee to receive the full blessings of the deity that is being invoked. Vaarahi and Mathangi Mandala Pooja The mandala pooja celebrations of Vaarahi Ambika and Raja Mathangi Ambika denote the completion of the circle of poojas and worshipping the Goddesses at this time enables the devotee to get their full grace to enter the path of enlightenment. DEVI BHUVANESHWARI
INSTALLATION
MANTRA “Om ung rung Bhuvaneshwari vasika rahi, Saravana bhavan thanakku
MYSTICAL BACKGROUND OF DEVI BHUVANESHWARI INSTALLATION Divine Mother wished to have Her Devi Bhuvaneshwari aspect installed at the Parashakthi Temple. A year and a half ago, during meditation, Dr. Krishna Kumar was directed to meet a mystic who was an upasaka of Devi Bhuvaneshwari. The mystic gave a special mantra to Dr. Krishna Kumar to energize and charge the vigraha of Devi Bhuvaneshwari prior to the installation at the Parashakthi Temple. The vigraha has been made with panchalokha – five auspicious metals. Dr. Krishna Kumar has been invoking Devi Bhuvaneshwari using this mantra for more than a year to energize the vigraha. As directed by our Mother, the yantra pratishta of Devi Bhuvaneshwari took place on November 13th, 2005 and the mandala pooja was completed on December 30th, 2005. The Divine Mother directed Dr. Krishna Kumar to meet the mystic again so as to have him make a yantra for the installation of Devi Bhuvaneshwari. During Dr. Kumar’s visit, the mystic gave his own yantra that he had meditated on for 20 years and through which he had invoked Devi Bhuvaneshwari. The mystic informed Dr. Kumar so that the installation at the Parashakthi Temple will have an intense manifestation of Devi Bhuvaneshwari. This is an event of tremendous significance, as a yogi who has been using a yantra for several years does not readily hand it over to anyone, that too to a stranger. It was Mother’s wish to be with us here at the Parashakthi Temple and Her will has been realized. We are truly fortunate to have Her in our midst and the spiritual and a wordly benefit, which she can bless us with, is immense. BHUVANESHWARI DEVI MANTRAS
Note: ‘Swaaha’ is used by the priest performing the Homams and Ôm Shleem Pashûm Sûbhakaayaicha Vidmahay Ôm Îm Hreem Shreem Kreem SIGNIFICANCE OF BHUVANESHWARI DEVI Bhuvaneshwari is the Queen (Ishwari) of the phenomenal world (Bhuvan) and is one of the 10 Maha Vidhyas. Bhuvaneshwari is mainly associated with the earth and the physical world. She is depicted as the Sovereign, the mistress of the worlds. Like Rajarajeshwari, another form of the goddess, she rules the universe. The Sri Lalitha Sahasranama describes Bhuvaneshwari as the protector of the 14 worlds (bhuvana). Bhuvana also means water. Thus, She is considered as the protector of the land and the oceans. In the Tripurasiddhanta (a scripture) we also find that Devi is called Bhuvaneshwari because She blessed her Guru who was known as Bhuvanandanatha. Bhuvaneshwari is also called Prakriti , the active force in the cosmic creation. She is the underlying energy creating, sustaining and maintaining the physical world which is the supreme power embodied in names and forms. Devotional songs describing Her names say, "She initiated the worlds, all the five elements are born from Her. She entered the worlds, sustained them and nourished them." Most often she is associated with Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, the sustainer and the destroyer of the universes. She is Hara Hari, the Shakti of Vishnu and Shiva and She is adored by them. In other scriptures, Brahma, the creator, is also mentioned. Ultimately, what she represents goes beyond creation itself. She is the source of all that from which creation proceeds. Thus, Bhuvaneshwari also personifies the original cosmic Space, the Ether (Akasha). In several hymns, we find Bhuvaneshwari being identified with the Kundalini , the subtle force lying at the base of the spine in the human body. Bhuvaneshwari is the one who increases the Shakti. She is in everyone in the form of Kundalini Shakti. The hymns also describe Kundalini Shakti saying, "She has the form of a snake, She is yellow in color and She is like lightning. She is in everyone. She is in the flesh and blood, She is even in the skin." In certain temples, such as Bhuvaneshwari temple in Pudukkottai (Tamil Nadu), we find the goddess revealing a representation of Kali, the intense aspect of our Divine Mother. It is because both are intimately connected as representing time and space, which made creation possible. Kali arranges the timing of the cosmic dance while Bhuvaneshwari stands for the original space before creation in which Kali's cosmic dance takes place. Devotional songs say that Bhuvaneshwari is like Saraswathi, the goddess of learning, wisdom and knowledge. She is described as "Jnana Swaroopa," the highest form of wisdom. It is also said that Bhuvaneshwari has so much power that a mere glance from Her gives boons to the goddesses Lakshmi, Parvathi and Saraswathi. She confers confidence, sympathy, beauty and wisdom on them because all these qualities are within Her. STORY OF MOTHER BHUVANESHWARI Mythology tells us that in the beginning, Surya, the sun, appeared in the heavens. In order to create the world, the sages offered soma (a sacred plant) to the sun. The sun was pleased and through the power of Shakti, He created the three worlds (Bhuvanas). Having created the worlds, the goddess assumed the form of Bhuvaneshwari and ruled and protected them. We also find the name of Bhuvaneshwari mentioned in the part of Hindu philosophy called Tantra, the religious literature expounding the worship of the Divine Mother. The tantric works describe ten aspects of Shakti (Mahavidya), the universal energy. BHUVANESHWARI DEVI Bhuvaneshwari is the fourth major power described in the Tantras. The term Mahavidya means "great knowledge" or wisdom. Each of these ten great deities is an outstanding personality of the Divine who bestows or reveals spiritual knowledge. BHUVANESHWARI & SPACE Bhuvaneshwari is the fourth in the list of the ‘Dasa Maha Vidyas’, Bhuvaneshwari stands for the concept of space. Space has many levels of manifestation: The space of the physical Universe and the space of the mind. Just as there are many layers of space in the Universe, there are many layers in the higher levels of the mind. In our body, the heart is where the infinite space of the Universe resides, and this is the seat of the Divine Mother, Bhuvaneshwari, who represents this Space. By creating space, we release ourselves from stress and tension. Those seeking the supreme peace should invoke and worship the Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, who is the power of infinite ‘expansion’,peace and equanimity. Her sound-body is ‘Hrim’, which is as powerful as ‘Aum’. ‘Hrim’ connects the space within the heart with the infinite, vast space of Consciousness. MAYA Like most of the aspects of the Divine Mother, Bhuvaneshwari is associated with Maya. Maya comes from the Sanskrit root, "ma", to measure. Maya is also a synonym for illusion. Thus, Bhuvaneshwari symbolises the dynamic power of God which manifests itself in a multitude of visible and impermanent forms. In Hindu philosophy, the manifestation is ultimately considered as unreal because of its inconstancy and impermanence. But at the same time, the devotional scriptures say that Bhuvaneshwari is also distinct from the illusion She creates because She controls it. But She is not caught in it. This quality of mastery over the worldly illusion gives Her the power to help human beings not to be involved in Maya and not to be bound by it but instead to go beyond it. BENEFITS OF BHUVANESHWARI WORSHIP The name of the Mahavidya itself means the ruler of the world and a Sadhak of Bhuvaneshwari is always victorious on all fronts in life and becomes all-powerful. Even Ram had to propitiate the Goddess before defeating Ravan who had conquered even heaven. A Sadhak of Bhuvaneshwari:
BHUVANESHWARI TEMPLES & SHRINES
Also known as the Pampapathi temple, it is a Shiva temple situated in the Hampi Bazaar. It predates the founding of the Vijayanagar empire. The temple has a 120 foot high tower at its entrance. Apart from Shiva, the temple complex also contains shrines of the Hindu goddesses Bhuvaneshwari Pampa.
Bhuvaneswari Temple in the state of Tripura is situated on the bank of Gomati at Udaipur in Tripura. The Tripura Bhuvaneswari Temple is immortalised in two of Rabindranath Tagore's plays, namely, Rajarshi and Bisharjan. Located just 55 km from the capital city Agartala, the Bhuvaneswari Temple in Tripura is a rare specimen of temple architecture. This temple was built by Maharaja Govinda Manikya and is located near the old Royal palace of Maharaja Govinda Manikya. The temple was built between 1667 - 1676 A.D., during the reign of Maharaja Govinda Manikya. The temple is constructed on a 3 feet high paved terrace. The roof features the typical four-chaala style with stupa like crowns on the entrance and core chambers. The stupa on the core chamber is adorned with floral motifs and are exquisite. The historical significance of this temple is that it is the back-drop of the famous novel "Rajarshi" and the drama "Bisharjan" composed by Rabindranath Tagore. It is situated on the northern bank of the river Gomati at Udaipur. It is located at a distance of 55 km from Agartala, the capital city of India.
Shri Rajarajeshwari temple is located at Polali in Kariyangala Village of Bantwal Taluk in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka State. Shri Kshetra Polali is in the heart of this village surrounded by high hillocks and wide paddy fields. River Phalguni flows from east on the northern side a furlong way from the temple. This place was called Pural and the deity in the temple was known as Purala Devi in several old records and ancient epigraphs available. Puliapura is its Sanskrit version. In Kannada this is called Polali. It is believed that King Suratha got the temple constructed, installed the image and placed his own crown on the head of the image. This is an ancient temple and it has been alluded to in the Ashokan inscriptions and in the reports of the foreign travelers who visited India in that time period. Queen Chennammaji of Keladi visited Polali and got a grand chariot constructed for the temple. This temple’s deity represents an incarnation of Bhuvaneshwari Devi. Bhuvaneshwari is the Queen of the phenomenal world (Bhuvan) and is one of the 10 Maha Vidhyas. She is mainly associated with the earth and the physical world and like Rajarajeshwari, another form of the goddess, She rules the universe. The Sri Lalitha Sahasranama describes Her as the protector of the 14 worlds (bhuvana). Bhuvana also means water and She is considered as the protector of the land and the oceans. Click here to download our information booklet on BHUVANESHWARI BENEFITS OF BHUVANESHWARI PUJA
| |||||||
Home | Directions | Pooja Schedule | Hindu Festivals | Calendar | Links