Amma, born on March 29th 1947 as Lalitha Rao, declared by Purna Avatar of the Kali Yuga, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, to be His Personal Shakti in 1997, has physically incarnated at this moment in divine time as Srimad Sai Rajarajeshwari. Her abode is in Mysore South India. The foundation, nature, and implications of this statement take us on a journey across time and space, throughout the themes and principles of deep philosophy and into the heights of spiritual revelation. Our travels in this journey have been orchestrated by Sai Baba Himself. The Avatar specifically indicated that this testament would reveal TRUTH. He emphasised that it would be Truth – felt and known. So let us explore these understandings with a direct quote from Sai Baba, taken from His discourse dedicated to the Divine Mother on Navaratri Day 2002.
“In this world, every individual has a mother. But Truth is the Mother of the entire humanity. Those who follow this Mother will never face any difficulties in life. The worldly mothers are bound by space and time and will have to leave their bodies at one point of time, but Truth is not limited by space and time and remains the same in all the three periods of time. It is the master of all the three worlds. So, everyone must necessarily follow such a noble Mother (Truth).”
“You should always remember your true Mother and Father. You cannot exist without them. The whole creation has emerged from Truth and merges back into it. There is no place where Truth does not exist. It is the good fortune of human beings to have this eternal Truth as their Mother.
“During these nine days Goddess Shakti is worshipped. Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Forgiveness are all the expressions of the Principle of Shakti. Truth is the primal cause. There is nothing other than this. All faculties of energy are present in this Truth. So consider Truth as your Mother and follow it. The Vedas proclaim, speak Truth and follow Righteousness. Unfortunately, today people do not follow this. This is the cause of all suffering. Ancients gave utmost priority to Truth and Righteousness. They followed the dictates of their conscience. But today such an attitude is lacking.”So even before we really start, we are confronted with the need to contemplate this primary principle: Truth is the Divine Mother.
Contemplation of the Absolute as The Divine Mother is the highest articulation in the pursuit of Truth in which one can engage. Such contemplation demands an understanding of the cosmic drama far beyond normal human comprehension. By necessity or default, the great multitude of humanity has, throughout time, relied upon a mode of faith which provides them with spiritual aspirations they perceive are attainable. Generally simple in their nature, the pathways of this form of faith have made it almost impossible for most to grasp, let alone relate to a Transcendent Being. Equally challenging has been the comprehension of the intricate weavings within sacred stories that portray conflicting journeys of gods, goddesses, angels, devas, saints, and sages. The result of such limited perception has often meant that study of and worship through the great epics of theology, including, but not limited to, the Bible, Ramayana, Koran and Mahabharata, has led not to unification of faith under the One, but rather to diversification of faith into countless cults and creeds as the ages have come and gone. The focus has been more on which god is God, rather than on searching for the deeper Truth that is the substratum of all spiritual teachings. When we adopt the latter focus, it matters not which path one perceives as leading to Truth; Saivism, Vaishnavism, Hassidism, Sunni or Shiite Islam, Catholicism, Buddhism, or any of countless others. What really counts is the realisation that there is only one Truth, albeit one with many diverse expressions. So let us fathom out this Truth and endeavour to present it in an accessible form, that we may embrace the brilliance and majesty of that which is unfolding in our times.
The Word Of The Sages
The sages of ancient India, gifted with a deep and abiding link to the inner depths of divine revelation, articulated, through their thoughts, words and deeds, by way of song, verse, mantra and very specific art forms, their knowledge of the Supreme Being’s creation. These sages speak of the sublime reality behind all appearances which informs and propels the One Supreme Deity -Parabrahman, that which is above and beyond all manifold creation, as He desires to become the many. He does so through infinite appearances in which His Power (Shakti), latent in all things, is activated by His Will to be (Shiva). This purposeful Primal Throb within Parabrahman, this pulse of desire to be, emanates a Divine fabric of light in which the One Supreme Godhead births infinite universes, each replicating the One Supreme essence. As Universe upon Universe is birthed, so too are structures that delineate the infinite light into a finite system of laws and principles that emanate from these laws. Each principle is directed at bringing forth the ultimate realisation of the created universe and all within it, the realisation of the abiding love that is the source and sustenance of all life.
Inherently, this description of God’s creation speaks of both God immanent and God transcendent. God immanent is within all, while God transcendent is above all the laws and principles that act to shadow and reflect the journey of consciousness on its path of growth, evolution, expansion, and ultimate dissolution as it returns to the Supreme Limitless Light. Within each of these infinite universes are very distinct powers and personalities that articulate these potencies. The sages knew these personalities to be gods and goddesses. As Sri Kapali Sastriar states, “Even as every link has its place in a chain and every limb in a body, even so every one of the Cosmic Gods who has his part in the sacrificial session has his sanctified place in the scheme. Every portion of the Godhead, offered as sacrifice for the cosmic creation, is entitled to receive its share in the inner sacrifice offered by man and it is indispensable that the entire body of the creative Purusha (Primordial Man) must be satisfied for the perfect fruition of the Great Work.”(Further Lights: The Veda and The Tantra)
The Great Work is a term used to describe the manner in which gods and goddesses seek to know the Supreme Deity. It posits the understanding that the Supreme Being, present in the limitless finite universes of His creation by way of the powers and personalities of His gods and goddesses, enables them to evolve in such a way that these powers and personalities actually come to know God. They do so by way of service and sacrifice to the Supreme Deity, through which they derive their purpose, meaning, authority, and life force. Accordingly, it can be said that each god and goddess seeks to know God – the Supreme Deity behind all veils and illusions.
Each god and goddess has a very distinct sphere of activity and reigns supreme over a designated realm within the cosmic kingdom. They exist within a rising tier of consciousness, whereby these Devatas (ones who bring the Divine Light to shine within creation through their power and potency) act as agents of higher gods and goddesses in spheres and realms that transcend their own limited fields of consciousness. Each god and goddess can be perceived as having very specific forms and functions and may be recognized by virtue of their entourage, adornments, and armaments. Such is the source from which all spiritual paths have garnered their teachings over countless aeons, though beyond our capacity to comprehend at the mundane level of mind - this being the level at which most sacred texts are read, delivered, and assimilated by aspirants and disciples of all creeds. Without this basic understanding of the most ancient of spiritual precepts, one is left only to judge another path as being bereft of meaning, inadequate, and failing in its primal task: to provide a legitimate path for aspirants to return to the One Supreme Godhead.
Who Then Is The MOTHER
Through the benefit of this understanding offered by the sages, it therefore becomes clear that within (immanent) and behind (transcendent) all created universes there resides an eternal Principle without form and without attributes. This is the ultimate reality - the Supreme Truth. In Vedic philosophy, this is called Brahman and is regarded as the essence of the substratum from which creation pours forth. Even though creation is continuously changing, it has its root or the source of its power in Brahman which is ever existent, constant, and changeless. An analogy may help our understanding. Consider a flower budding from a plant; blooming and fading back to form the seeds of its own future expansion. While the whole cycle of flower blooming happens by itself, the plant remains untouched. Infinite such flowers bloom and fade. The power to bloom and fade is drawn from the substratum itself. If we consider the surface of the earth to represent the veil between the physical and the substratum, then the essence of the substratum pours out from beneath, giving life to the plant. The plant continues to pour life forth through its flowers. The flowers continue to push life even further by initiating movement, activity, or a creative dance, whereby they attract the honeybee, which fertilises the plant and propagates the forward thrust of creation. Then as the seeds are released the flower fades back, having the life force withdrawn by the plant as it moves into a dormant stage of quiet repose. It is as if the plant is quiet, changeless, and an observer of the activity that the flower, which blossoms forth from its very own being, brings to bear. In accord with its Oneness with the substratum, it reposes back into non-action and calls creation (the life force within the flower) back with it.
Put another way, Truth is the substratum that expresses itself through the plant. Infinite varieties of flowers blossom and fade away, all revealing as they do the sole survivor – the plant which has its essence and roots in the substratum. The plant is the Mother of the flower. Inherent in each flower is the seed of the next cycle – the source of the Mother’s expansion into new and greater life expressions. The Mother lies dormant within the seed awaiting the impulse - the desire - to awaken within, thus activating the cycle of life to repeat itself once more. If we were to reverse this forward thrust and follow the essence of the changeless life principle backwards, through infinite cycles of seed, flower, plant, seed, flower, and plant ad infinitum, we would ultimately arrive at the primordial seed, the changeless egg that is the ultimate source and first expression of Truth in the created Universe. Behind this primordial seed is emptiness – changelessness - Brahman. It is ever existent and constant. Yet even Brahman, the holder of the powers of birth, maintenance, and destruction of creation - the playgrounds of Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra - must itself dissolve into that which is even greater – Parabrahman. Parabrahman is the primordial silence, the motionless calm, the total void which is full of limitless potential.
Parabrahman can be distinguished from Brahman of the Vedas through the capacity for expansion and withdrawal – or the issuing forth of all Creation imbued with all of its potential and the re-absorption of all creation with all of its potential - which are the expressions of its active and passive states. While Brahman is endowed with the triple activity of creation, preservation, and destruction within the created universes, Parabrahman exhibits two more functions in addition to these three functions, giving Parabrahman five distinct eternal functions. Two more than Brahman! This distinction, and the two functions that define it, introduce us to a synonymous Principle of the all pervasive Supreme Parabrahman (Paratpara): The Principle of Shiva/Shakti. In this context, Shiva/Shakti is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Though often referred to as two Principles, the two are actually One. Shiva is the Ultimate Primordial Power Holder and the Eternal Witness. Within Shiva, and simultaneously One with Shiva, is the Power – or Shakti. The Power, One with and inseparable from the Power Holder, is that which causes all potential beingness to become.
These two additional eternal functions that distinguish Parabrahman are referred to as Nigraha and Anugraha. Through the function of Nigraha, Shiva emanates out from the substratum of His Supreme nature, all that is, can be or shall be. Through the function of Anugraha, He reabsorbs back into the substratum all that He has emanated into the world of objectivity. Herein lies the key to the Shiva/Shakti Principle and the core of Truth! Shiva’s emanation and re-absorption (as the eternal Power Holder) is only possible because of the Eternal Power – or Shakti – of His supreme energy. Shakti is identifiable only as One with Shiva. The two are inseparable – One – never apart. Shiva is the silent witness of all phenomena, the innermost focal point of the subjective cosmic spirit, whilst Shakti is the phenomena itself coming forth as nature.
Bonded in an inseparable union with Shakti, Parama Shiva, with His Power in potential, can be defined as the purest principle of creation, preceding as it does the very mass of universes that it births. Everything that has, is, and shall ever be known, felt, heard or sensed, in each and every universe, is latent within this primordial fullness from which the body and being of the Supreme Being pours forth, expanding and evolving through a cycle that ultimately returns it to its essential virgin unity.
Truth Is Beyond Duality
Nigraha and Anugraha can be likened to expansion and contraction. They are intimately tied to, and therefore made possible through, maya, or vimarsa, the Power of Reflection within Shiva/Shakti. This power is in the very heart of prakasa, Pure Awareness. Having no objective knowing, Parabrahman has as its only knowledge the Universal “I”, a self propagating eternal light. It is aware of an indwelling essence that manifests infinite power and freedom. Stated differently, Pure Awareness has intrinsic within it the power of Self Reflection. When reflection is dormant, we call this aspect of Parabrahman “Shiva” and symbolise this as Shiva in repose and meditation. He is the all knowing witness of creative potential. When reflection is active, we symbolise this as movement with Shakti in dance. This Pure Awareness (knowledge or consciousness) is known as “chitshakti” to indicate that the Power of Reflection is always inherent in consciousness. Shiva is cosmic consciousness and the static substratum to all phenomena. Complementary yet intrinsically polarised to the inert Shiva is Shakti, whose essential nature is to be active, creative, mobile, pulsating forth the rhythm of life. The cosmos (the objectified body and being of Parabrahman) is an expansion of the mutual dependency of Shiva and Shakti. They remain inseparable since they depend upon each other in order to manifest their total nature.
The intellectual distinction between knowing (prakasa) and reflection (vimarsa) can be inaccurately perceived as duality. Such duality does not exist since there is, in fact, no difference or distinction between Shiva (“I Consciousness”) and Shakti (“This Consciousness”). Shiva/Shakti is beyond the reach of measure and nothing numerical can pertain to it. There is no force by which it can be countered, measured against, or perceived in context of. Parabrahman, Shiva/Shakti (prakasa/vimarsa) is the One without second. All aspects and stages of creation pour forth from this Supreme fount. This is the substratum we speak of, through which the full five functions are known to emanate forth. Hence, the Power of creation, destruction, and preservation inherent within the eternal principles of projection (Nigraha) from the substratum into the external world of objectivity and the re-absorption (Anugraha) of the very same is the eternal Parabrahman – Shiva/Shakti. This Shiva/Shakti is Truth, and as Truth it lies within and at the back of all creation as The Eternal Principle: The Divine Mother.
The Divine Mother may not be individualised. Similarly, in Her expression as Shakti, She may only be distinguished from Shiva in a theoretical sense, for once Self realization is achieved, She reveals that as Shakti She is identical with Shiva. Hence, a discussion as to whether Advaitha (Unity) or Dwaitha (Duality) is correct has no basis in Truth. As a natural consequence of this realisation, the sages speak of dvaithadvaitha vivarjita, meaning “neither the one nor the other.” The Divine Mother is Shiva/Shakti - is Parabrahman - is Truth. One cannot be without the other. One cannot exist without the other. There can be no creation without a creator, no water without its flowing principle. “Just as moonbeams cannot be separated from the moon, nor the rays from the sun, so Shakti cannot be distinguished from Shiva.” (Saiva Purana 4,4). Hence, if Shiva is regarded as “Sat” (Being in itself), Shakti is “Sati” (Being in itself the Power to be such); if Shiva is “Chit” (Pure consciousness), Shakti is “Chiti” (Pure consciousness as Power); if Shiva is “Ananda” (perfect bliss), Shakti is the “very soul of Ananda and its wave of absolute play”; and if Shiva is “Brahman,” Shakti is “Brahmamayi.”
Shakti, when understood as the Power, is the Divine Mother - Adi (first) Shakti, ParaShakti (Supreme), Jagadamba the Universal Mother. Shiva the Power Holder, the Witness, is the Divine Father - Sadashiva, Parama Shiva - and as such can be perceived as Wisdom. The term Shakti derives from the root “Sak” which means “to be able.” This therefore illustrates that Shiva is able to manifest His creation through His Shakti! Wisdom cannot be articulated without Power. The Universal Mother births that which the Father is. The Eternal Father witnesses that which the Mother creates. They are inseparable. The Divine Mother has no polarity, and therefore is neither male, female, or neutral and is above and beyond all divisions. To attempt to describe Shakti as woman, or feminine principle, is an error in the same way as it is equally incorrect to identify Shiva as male or masculine principle. Such distinctions cause confusion and act to send the aspirant off track. The English language is, in itself, responsible for some of this misunderstanding due to its gender based structure. The use of the terms “She” and “He” must be used with caution and clearly understood as making reference to Principle – not form.
Shiva can further be perceived as being both without attributes (Nirguna), thereby Transcendent, and with attributes (Saguna), thereby Immanent, in keeping with the observations of the sages. As the former He is disassociated, but not individualised, from Shakti and the world of the senses - all of creation. As the latter He is associated with Shakti but again, not individualised, and permeates all of creation as the Holder of Power and the Witness of Truth.
The Mother Is Parabrahman