Inner Journey

               Abhirami Amman
The Hindus learned to worship the Supreme Being or Brahman as Mother Goddess since ancient times.Why? because the Supreme is neither male nor female.... and it is easier for humans to worship 'mother'.There would be few humans who do not love ,adore or at least respect one's mother , living or dead.All of us owe our existence with human body to our mothers.[The question of surrogate mothers/test-tube baby is a diversion!.]
     While Semitic religions developed the concept of God as a fatherly figure--as Father in Heaven, a stern judge and disciplinarian, the Hindus , along with father-figure, also developed worship of the Mother Goddess.Early Vedic people worshipped Mother Earth, [Bhudevi] and also the dawn as Ushas, rivers as goddesses. Fertility symbols and rites were always mother symbols. [In Greek mythology, several goddesses were worshipped]
 This was later developed into Mother Goddesses as consorts of the Male Gods , with hymns devoted to them.Thus Saraswathi , Lakshmi and Parvathi ,the consorts of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva --the trinity--came to be worshipped.This has continued eversince,especially Saraswathi as goddess of learning,Lakshmi as goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Parvathi/Durga as goddess of protection.[demon killer]and spiritual knowledge..
       It is the tradition that Parvathi seeks divine knowledge and wisdom from her ascetic  husband Yogeshwar, Lord Shiva, with pertinent questions.The Lord replies succinctly.Thus many scriptures are written as  answers to Parvathy's questions.
   The worship of Goddesses have gone side by side,with huge temples for them.Note that goddesses were worshipped not only for seeking personal gains, but also for world prosperity and peace....We have a celebration for nine nights for the three godesses in the month of October--Navrathri [nav-9 , rathri-nights] during the Dusserra--ending in Durga Puja.
Did the Hindus worship Goddesses as easy access to their  male Gods,the Father?--Yes...We know that it is easy to approach mother for gifts and support rather than ask father and get his ire.! The mother can intercede with father for our problems and gifts.The mother's heart melts at once.It is common in temple worship to worship and bowdown to images of Goddess Mother before going into the Lord's shrine...Praying to Mother Goddess on Fridays is an established practice for devout ones.Singing praises of Mother Godesss [stotra] with hymns is a daily practice for many.
Virgin goddesses represent purity and innocence, and hence to be worshipped with reverence.

Visit my other website: Saints and Sages of India

For general introduction:read: W.J.Wilkins--Gods and Goddesses of India--Dover Pub [original Pub: 1882]  

Three great temples dedicated to Goddess Devi worship are great pilgrim centres too:
1 Meenakshi temple ---Madurai [Fish-eyed goddess] Madurai is about 350 kms from Chennai; has an airport and regular air lift ---an important tourist centre.[with a large exquisite temple.]
2 Visalakshi temple ----Varanasi [Kashi ,benaras] [ wide-eyed goddess] 300 km from New Delhi
3 Kamakshi temple ---Kancheepuram [Kanchi---40 km from Chennai][Alluring-eyed goddess.
These are images of Parvathy, consort of Lord Shiva.
There are hundreds of minor temples.[One important temple is Kamakya temple near Guwahati in Assam state.Adi Sankara visited Kamakhya temple and sang hymns on the Goddess.]
Goddess worship is pronounced in the states of Kerala and West Bengal.
Sri Ramakrishna worshipped  Durga or Kali in Dakshineswar, near Kolkotha.He was the priest in this goddess temple.Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, though a great Advaitin in concepts, built a temple for his mother over her tomb in his ashram.The image is worshipped there with normal rituals.
Adi Sankara, the great Advaitin [788-820 AD] consecrated many Devi temples in Kerala and Karnakata states in the west coast..The most important is the Sankara Mutt or monastery built by his disciple and dedicated to Mother Sharada in Shringeri,about 200 km from Bangalore and Mookambika temple at Kollur,near Udipi.
Sri Vaishnodevi temple in Kashmir is venerated and draws thousands of pilgrims-opened in some months only.
Kanya kumari temple at the tip of peninsular India is a famous one---for the Virgin [kanya] goddess.Mahalakshmi temple in Mumbai is visited by thousands every day and is credited with showering prosperity to that big city.
The Chamundi Eswari temple in Mysore, on the top of a small hill,is famous and was worshipped by Mysore Maharajas.

[The Bhavani temple in Sajjangad was worshipped by Satrapathi Shivaji.The Goddess blessed him with a sword--according to traditional stories.]The small princely state of Pudukottai in Tamil nadu has an Amman temple,worshipped by the Rajas.
Tantrik worshippers also worship Mother Goddess in  ways different  from these temples.
Worship of a young virgin girl is practised in Nepal.The girl is treated as  a Goddess [till she attains puberty.]
The River Ganges or Ganga is worshipped as Mother Goddess [Ganga Ma] every day in many places,especially at Rishikesh,by waving of lights[Arati] and floating small oil lamps on the water.The other rivers worshipped are Narmadha,Godavari,Jumna,Cauvery and Vaigai.
Annapoorni Devi ---Mother Goddess is worshipped as "Anna Poorni" ---one who gives food for everybody--especially for deserving and poor---.The Godess of Benaras [Kashi/Varanasi] fed the children of Harischandra who became a destitute...thus the tradition says that the Goddess there can feed thousands who seek her grace.There are Annapoorni temples in other places where food is freely given every day even today...for instance at Dharmasthala in Karnataka.

Kanyakumari-- The famous temple of Virgin Goddess [literally 'Kanya kumari'] in the southern tip of peninsular India is worshipped by millions since ages.In the Hindu tradiion, a virgin girl being innocent is capable of spiritual powers,untainted by worldly desires and cares.

In Hindu pantheon of Gods, the Mother Goddess is worshiped in various ways.The Goddess as the Ruler of the World [Bhuvaneswari] or the Ruler of the Universe [Akilandeswari ] or as the Empress [Rajarajeswari]. Adi Sankara, following earlier traditions, introduced Sri Chakra Upasana [worship] with a geometrical figure,called Sri Chakra.---not to be confused with the chakras in the human body. The geometric figure is drawn as overlapping squares and triangles.At the corners , a petal symbol is drawn and a syllable of the mantras is written.This way they preserved the mantra or the chakra served to chant the mantra several times.Sri Chakra  inscribed in stone was embedded in the floor of the temples and the devout sat around it offering the red kumkum [ochre] to the figure.Later the Sri Chakra made in metal plates [like the mandalas] were used for worship, especially in homes.The Sri Chakra centre is called the Meru or mountain,representing prosperity.
    Animal sacrifice was common in Devi [Goddess] temples and still practised in a few places, including the Kamakya temple,Guwahati,Assam  State.The local customs die hard, in spite of legislation measures and social reform and Buddhism.. Devotees of different categories approach Divine Mother in various ways depending on local customs,culture and philosophy.

   MOTHER KALI OF DAKSHINESHWAR ,KOLKOTHA AND SRI CHAKRA [One form]

In the Hindu tradition,three Goddesses are worshipped: Saraswathi,Lakshmi[Sri] and Kali.They are the consorts of Lord Brahma,the creator, Lord Vishnu ,the protector and Lord Shiva ,the destroyer...They are all benign,giving grace and joy to us ,compassionate and protective...Saraswathi is represented by the white color,Lakshmi,red or rose color and Kali ,the black color...

  There are distinct modes of worship for Mother Goddess.Different temples follow specific traditions.In one mode ,the Goddess is a virgin girl,full of innocence,ready to play with and enchant a devotee.The love is the same love that a father bestows on his little daughter.This sublime feeling or bhava is developed into sublime  love for the Universal Goddess...She remains for ever a young virgin in the minds of the devotee.She protects people with love.The deity at Kanayakumari,the southern tip of India, is of this bhava.
Another mode is that of married woman,married to Supreme Lord [Shiva or Vishnu as the case may be]who administers or rules the city around her or the universe.The goddess Meenakshi in the huge temple in Madurai is of this aspect.She is all powerful.She brings prosperity.
Mahalakshmi, the goddess on Lotus image ,is the Goddess of wealth,consort of Lord Vishnu,helping devotees with prosperity.Likewise,Saraswathi,the Goddess of learning,arts and craft is the consort of Brahma,the creater,and is worshipped for scholarship.[Though Brhama is rarely worshiped in India, Saraswathi is regularly worshipped.]
Another mode is that the Goddess is the warrior-princess,a ruler in the forest[Banashankari],ready to take on wild beasts and wicked men.She rides on a lion,keeps weapons in hand and destroys wicked ones with trident.The Hindu mind is attuned to different goddesses for worship with elaborate rituals and hymns[Pujas], mainly to derive strength from the Mother Goddess.It may seem incongruous for modern thinkers.But worship elevates the mind to sublime levels and also affects social life in positive ways.
Devi mahatmiyam is the sacred text for Goddess worshippers or saktas. telling the Glory of Divine Mother.
Worship at home: " Sri Vidya Upasana":Hindu women worship Sakti at home in simple ways:they usually chant 'Lalita Sahasranama' [thousand names of Lalita], or 'Soundarya Lahari' - a poem written, presumably, by Adi Sankara though there are doubts that this was written by a later saint;the puja is done on Fridays, using red ochreor saffron or kumkum as offering.Some worship with Sri Chakra engraved on a metal [brass] plate.Note that such worship may be for getting good health, prosperity for the family and for all mankind, as well, besides liberation.The strength of devotion is important.
Caveat: Several gurus/women use these  pujas to do fortune telling and astrology ---to predict future of their clients---most of them are poorly informed and do pooja  for earning money...they should be shunned.
Note: It should be warned that some forms of Sri Vidya worship, even in India, could lead to or support  licentious behaviour, and should be avoided.
Gayatri mantra is considered a Goddess---'Gayatri Devi'.She is worshipped by chanting alone or in groups.It is a Vedic mantra--derived from the Vedas.For millions of Hindus, this is the most sacred mantra after Ram nama.There was a taboo that only Brahmin boys should chant this mantra, after proper intitation ceremony or thread ceremony.This taboo is gone---any one can chant this mantra.Women were not allowed to chant in many parts of India.This restriction is also gone...Now there are CD's which blare this mantra in supermarkets.!If properly done, this mantra japa can confer many benefits!!.
 Stutis These are hymns in praise of Mother Goddess.Thus there are hymns in praise of Saraswathi,Lakshmi and Parvathi..Some date back to Vedic times...'Sri Suktam'  in praise of Goddess Lakshmi is sung by ladies,also Abhirami Andhati and so on.  The easy way to worship Mother Goddess is to sing these stutis or praises and focus your mind on the image and qualities of the Devi.These are simple alternatives to the more difficult,esoteric 'tantric' worship , advanced  by modern day gurus/charlatans  who want to rake in money.!You can play them in CD's and meditate calmly with closed eyes.

   Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar
      One of the trinities of classical ,karnatic [South Indian] music composers was a Sri Vidya  worshipper who ,perhaps , learnt this tantric methods while in Kasi [Benaras] for six years.He composed the navavaranam [nine enclosures] kritis, in Sanskrit, detailing the Sri Chakra, worshipping the local goddess, Kamalamba in Tiruvarur.

 

In the modern world, women are represented mostly as objects of pleasure and to sell products as in advertisement figures, as seen in fashion industry...the rightful place of women as creative force has been subdued or confined to a few religious groups..In social context, women had come a long way---starting with voting rights to business board rooms and in politics...the real place of women in the cosmic drama of creation is yet to be fully understood.....Proper meditation is the key for this...Women as partners in spiritual practice had been a common scene ,especially in Eastern religions,starting with Vedic seers.Mother worship is still hard to understand or appreciate ,particularly for the reasoning minds and philosophers,in certain Christian traditions,though the concept of 'Sophia' as a goddess of wisdom was developed in Greece.

    If only temples and places of worship are increasingly built in the western countries,the concept of Mother Goddess worship will take firm roots---in addition to what is provided in the Roman Catholic faith.

See my new website titled: Sages and Saints of India

The forms of worship for Mother Goddess have taken many paths.The simplest and most profound is worshipping the Earth , one of the five elements in Hindu doctrines.Mother Earth can be worshipped with focus on the bounties Mother Earth gives, the food we eat and the rivers we need. People have been worshipping "Mounds of earth" in various ways---yes all these may appear as "pagan worship" to philosophers and anthropologists;but with right attunement, it is easy to worship what we see and what we know and where  we live in.

 IN Hindu forms,many worship the Divine Mother with turmeric and kum-kum [red ochre or crimson ochre] made into conical shape on a copper or silver plate.You can decorate this with flowers and keep incense sticks close to those cones.Assume that these cones are embodiment of the Mother, and chant the mantras or hymns.Firstly these materials are sacred and resemble the red earth.Further they purify the atmosphere.They are easily carried and set up outdoors,especially in festivals like Pongal {Harvest festival in the spring].Offerings of food can be made to these figures with reverence and then taken as 'prasad.'

 It is interesting to note that Mother Goddesss or earth goddess is worshipped with the same fervor as the Sun.The ancients knew that you need sunlight and the Earth for crops to grow,They even visualized this as a marriage between the Sun and The Earth.

In many Hindu homes, the worship of light in the form of oil lamps has been practised for centuries.Especially on Fridays, lamps are kept and women go around the lamps,chanting mantras or singing hymns and clapping their hands.This form of worship has deep meaning in that light is not an image as such ,but a form of energy.Mother Goddess is the energy personified.This form of worship has become a common practice in recent decades.The Lamp Pooja is non-sectarian;anyone can practise this.

One may wonder why I have been writing these notes on ritualistic worship in this website.Rituals help to preserve the religious traditions and forms of worship.They help our minds to focus on the Divine at least for some moments.Above all these instill  self-discipline ,much needed in our society these days.

Some may say that rituals take our mind away from deeper thinking .Rituals in moderation is helpful.A time may come when you give up rituals , like a ripe fruit falling from the tree. Till that stage is reached,keep to rituals to some extent.But don't be dogmatic about the rituals--that your rituals are superior to that of others!.Turning yourself to certain direction and offering prayers is a form of rituals.Is not God all pervading! Yet,we need some focus, like someone standing when national anthem is being sung or respecting the national flag which is a piece of cloth.!

 The Goddess Kuan Yin is worshiped by people in China and South Asia in Buddhist tradition...She is a Boddhisatva, the female form of Avalokatiswara in one tradition...Historically the goddess was a princess devoted to worship,like Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai....For devout Hinayan buddhists, Kuna Yin is a Goddess of Mercy,clothed in white robe.Several pictures are available...Was her form a synthesis of male and female?--perhaps so ,in some forms of worship...Several statues of Kuan Yin are available for worship....Hymns are written on  praise of this Goddess...thus Goddess worship is most common in other traditions too---besides Hindus.

An excellent introduction to "Kuan Yin" is the recent book: 'Kuan Yin'  by Daniela Schenker, Pub: Sounds True Pub,Boulder ,Colorado 80306.The book gives mantras,altar creation and other rituals ,plus nice pictures of the Goddess  in different manifestations for worship.

Vaishnavas are worshippers of Vishnu,one of the three gods in the trinity--Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma is the creator,Vishnu the protector and Shiva the destroyer to create a new system.Vishnu cults are extensive and Sri Vaishnavas ,especially in the South India,followers of Sri Ramanuja, developed Goddess Worship..For them, Goddess worship is an integral part of worship since Maha Vishnu has Goddess Lakshmi [also called "Sri" or "Thiru" in Tamil, ] ---- the divine consort seated in the chest of the Lord.She is inseparable from the Lord.

Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped in modern India for wealth and prosperity,but in earlier traditions,worship of Lakshmi is for removal of one's sins and for getting compassion from her.She is pictured as a lovely woman on a lotus,with lotus eyes and so on.The cult of Lakshmi worship had taken deep meaning since the days of Alwars.There are two sectarian views now.According to one view, Lakshmi can remove your sins,intercede with the Lord for your liberation or moksha ,because she is full of compassion or Daya.{This is the later view,a few centuries after Ramanuja.The other view, earlier one , is that Sri  is equal to Lord Vishnu in all respects and can give liberation or moksha on her own...Worshipping her alone is sufficient.There has been endless arguments and polemics over thes e two views.

Lord Vishnu , has two other consorts also---Bhudevi,goddess of this earth: Like earth, she is full of forgiveness [Kshama] and is ready to forgive your sins and bad behaviour and lead you to Vishnu.She can bestow prosperity and growth . Andal,the female saint and one of the 12 alwars, is herself considered an incarnation of Bhu-devi. She was found by her father ,Peria Alwar, in a basil garden.Andal did not want to marry a mortal,dedicated herself to worshipping Vishnu from a tender age.Later Lord Vishnu appeared in a dream of her father and told that she should be brought to Sri Rangam temple for marriage to the deity.Peria Alwar took her to Sri Rangam,a distance of about 300 miles, and there ,on entering the santum sanctorum or inner chamber,merged with the Lord or disappeared.

  The other consort is Nila Devi, The cow-herdess, derived from Krishna cult.Nila is full of beauty and grace , she enjoys the company of the Lord for His glory...and keeps Lord Vishnu in blissful mood.Worshipping her leads to inner peace and joy.The worship of Nila devi is not common in many south India temples while Sri devi and Bhudevi are always included in the altar of temples.

The extensive forms of worship of these Goddesses should be understood in the trend of bhakti cults which became highly stylish and ritualistic over the centuries.For Alwars and philosopher-saints like Ramanuja, these were the forms of rituals to be instituted in hundreds of temples in every village and small town. 

The Native Indian tribes of North America had various forms of worship,normally clubbed as 'animism' by  logic-minded anthropologists.But certain tribes worshiped Earth Spirit and also God in female forms too. The Shamans who conducted rituals and worship could be women too. What is more, the HOPI tribe which lived in Arizona desert area, were divided into maternal clans and property was given to daughters, like the matriarchal society in earlier days of Kerala and Assam in India.[Some tribes worshiped "All Father", an all-embracing deity,which had no form and little contact with humans.] They worshiped not only the Earth, but also rivers and the rain with veneration.Their simple,sublime minds were given to veneration in various forms. They also had spirits devoted to maize and other  corns. They worshiped animals because animals were giving food, ;that is , animals were sacrificed for their sake.The Earth Spirit is the "Mother of all Animals" ---this was their central creed.

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A new temple ,dedicated to Narayani ,the Goddess representing female form of Lord Vishnu,sometimes called "Vishnu-Durga",Durga with conch and mace in two hands like Lord Vishnu, has been built near Vellore,180 Km from Chennai.Narayani is also considered as the manifestation of Goddess Lakshmi, the divine consort of Lord Vishnu.The temple is gold plated on all sides besides the gopuram and is called the "Golden temple". Regular pujas are offered in traditional style and it is attracting thousands of visitors every day.