A Comprehensive view of Mother Goddess as known in South, East and Himalayan Asia
Jai Mata Ki (Praise the Mother Goddess)
While it is a purpose of every life form to evolve to yet higher states and eventually attain God and become a part of Him, some godly beings, (known as bodhisattvas in Buddhism, and angels in Christianity) choose to remain as created beings in the universe in service of Universal Consciousness and out of compassion for others, and in order to assist the latter in their evolutionary journeys towards enlightenment.
One significant thing that is paradoxical to outsiders is that while Hindu philosophy upholds monotheism and a single Almighty in the Universe, many Hindus (although not all sects) also follow the worship of numerous gods and goddesses. The reality is that since the Almighty is formless and infinite, any finite divine portion of the Almighty may be personified as a facet or personification of the Infinite Lord and that is the reason for so many gods and goddesses. The Almighty is both the Eternal Father and a Mother of all life; therefore He may be viewed as a Father God or as a Mother Goddess. Even here there are very many representations of the Great Mother Goddess, the female side of the Almighty. My favorite is Naini Mata - her representation in Nainital in the Himalayas. Still Higher up in the mountains she is known as the Goddess Nanda and her abode is the mountain by the same name where she dwells with her sister the goddess Sunanda, Jai Ma Sunanda.
There is a philosophical point illustrated when the Mother Goddess is viewed as more than one as in goddesses Nanda and Sunanda. The point is that while we may view the Almighty as a Mother, we must not forget that She is represented throughout the universe in other diverse forms simultaneously, all being part of one whole Infinite reality, some parts divine and some even human like you and me. The Mother Goddess is the One and many at one and the same time. In Haidkhan she is know as Ma Haidakhandeshwari. She is the goddess with the lions and also the goddess with the lotus about which monks in Tibet chant - Om Mani Padme Hum
Although God is infinite, he has often been visualized as human-like for purpose of worship, as a male or a female. Whereas, it is difficult to conceive of God as either male or female it is easy to do so when considering divine personalities that are finite, and some try to approach the Infinite through them. A reason for this is perhaps because most humans knowing little about the spiritual side of life tend to ignore the Infinite and Universal one and only God that pervades the universe, Who is either formless or with a form beyond comprehension, and Who is difficult to visualize. However, if a human can recognize the truth for what it is, he or she can gain immense spiritual and worldly advantage by cultivating a loving relationship with finite gods or goddesses charged with universal consciousness, consciously. The important thing to realize is that every thing is a part of one whole Infinite and is powered by Her (Shakti or universal energy of which matter from which stars are formed is a part) and connected to Him (Universal Spirit and Universal Consciousness, a perceptible part of which is force of gravity in visible and dark matter that holds our universe together) with both being parts of the same one and only God of the universe.
While God is beyond sexual distinction and contains within Him both the male and female principles, His power appears in divine entities of the universe most often as a single divinity at one time, at times as two close companions, and also rarely as three in a trinity, either male or female. The female face of the Lord is sometimes described merely as a word that appeared at the beginning of creation ( In the beginning was the word and the word was with God). While the original sound or vibration from which the entire universe emanated is incomprehensible to created beings, its verbalised form as a Mantra (Gayatri mantra) or its personified form as goddess Gaytri is. God could now be seen as two, a Male Spirit and as the Female created universe, but both in reality being parts of One.
Gayatri Devi the goddess is personified by many Hindus as the Goddess Gayatri and her different attributes personified as appearing in three goddesses as Saraswati, Durga and Laxmi. While there are many manifestations of the Goddesses Durga and Laxmi with numerous different names mentioned in mythology, there are few of the the goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge who remains apart from the created universe while continuing to emanate knowledge and beauty through it, her other two Goddess sisters repeatedly intervene in the created universe, the former Durga intermittently in fierce roles as a vanquisher of evil when it exceeds limits, and the latter Laxmi, in kinder and compassionate roles as a goddess of prosperity, a freedom from need, as a goddess of mercy, and on rare occasions they appear together as, sisters Tara and Tarini; Nanda and Sunanda or even as close divine companions on a mission in the Universe. Undoubtedly this infinity of the representations of gods and goddesses is mind boggling and intimidating but that is how the universe is, and just as we do not allow the infinity of the universe to boggle us by focusing on its limited aspects while ignoring the rest, so it must be when we look at its divine side, the gods and goddesses. It is perhaps because of this that Buddha and other great spiritual masters advised disciples to keep their focus on the Infinite Formless Lord while regarding other divinities as His transient creations that may be ignored but not disrespected at given times. However ignoring all is impossible as long as humans in finite bodies are confined to a world of names and forms.
Some Christians view Mother Goddess in Mother Mary and others in a female view of the Almighty such as the Mystic Christian Dame of Norwich, the first lady author in English language, and some in the personification of Mother Earth as goddess Gaia.
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| The Lord dwells in forests and mountains on earth and in the stars |
Aside from the Universe as a whole, it is worth worshiping some of its components too, such as love of a mother, even a boss who is kindly, teachers, sun that energizes all life, stars that light up the universe and divine spiritual masters such as Jesus and Buddha/gods/goddesses/angels/bodhisattvas that one has been fortunate to acquire familiarity with. Not all of them at the same time leading to confusion, but perhaps just one or a few that appeal. After all, as a being with a finite body, a human does benefit by his or her relationship with other humans, and this benefit can be much greater when such a relationship is developed with gods. The Divine song Bhagavat Gita has this suggestion for humans,
"Foster the gods through sacrifice (selfless deeds) and let the gods foster you. Thus fostering one another you shall attain the highest good"
We never get to know another human fully and tend to guess or imagine some of the thoughts, desires or qualities of other humans we choose to love. This guessing game is undoubtedly much greater when it comes to a god or goddess because everything about a god or goddess cannot be known to a human with his or her limited perception.
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| Goddesses Nanda and Sunanda depicted together in red ochre |
In the beautiful Kumaon region of India, goddess Sunanda recognized as a goddess sister and close companion of goddess Nanda, has been worshipped since ancient times. She is a local representation of the Great Mother Goddess. Recognised as a sister of Mother Goddess, goddess Sunanda may also be regarded as a mother goddess or she may be regarded as a loving motherly aunt. Like most aunts she is ever kind and loving unlike mother who can punish her children at times. The loving goddess Sunanda is more likely to just inform mother or another god about a mischievous being in the universe rather than act herself. It is because of this reason that although we have stories of Mother Goddess Durga assuming fearful forms to destroy demonic beings, we do not come across such accounts about goddess Sunanda. Those who are uncomfortable with fearful avatars of Shakti may choose to develop a realtionship with her gentle sister Sunanda instead. Perhaps that is one of the purposes of mother Goddess appearing in two forms rather than one. It is also to illustrate the point that if the power of God is perceived in a single entity, it does not diminish its flow from other divine entities or from the rest of the universe.
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| Mother Earth as Red Ochre |
All life is created from a combination of matter and spirit and therefore many also visualize God as the Father Spirit and all of Nature as Mother Goddess. The most majestic visulaization of Mother Goddess on Earth are the twin Himalayan peaks of Nanda Devi and Sunanda Devi appearing as two, yet two sides of the same mountain.
The personification of Earth as goddess is also known as goddess Gaia to some. Much less is known to humans about the lovely goddess Sunanda as compared to mother goddess Nanda. To get more information on her, one may seek to discover about her through other incarnations of goddess Sunanda. There does appear to be one more elsewhere in India, in the province of Orissa where she has possibly appeared as a sister reincarnation of mother goddess with the name of Tarini and where the two goddesses are worshipped together as Tara and Tarini since ancient times. One can be sure that goddesses Tara and Tarini are avatars of goddesses Nanda and Sunanda because they too are avatars of Maha Shakti. The temple of Tara and Tarini besides being a Hindu shrine is also a famous Buddhist shrine. In ancient times the sharp distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism has not always existed. Therefore the fame of mother goddess as Tara has spread far and wide into Asia along with spread of Buddhism whereas that of goddess Tarini has spread across to south east Asia and Japan as a female Bodhisattva (most often spelt as Tarani Bosatsu in modern literature). In Tibet the name Tara is a generic name for all forms of mother goddess. The different forms here are distinguished simply by adding a prefix to the name Tara, most frequently that of color. Some forms of the goddess are fierce like the fierce avatars of Nanda and others gentle like the compassionate avatars of Sunanda.
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| Lotus is a flower much loved by the Goddess |
In South Asia the goddess Sunanda is worshipped in Himalayan Kumaon and Garwhal divisions along with her sister Nanda. Goddess Nanda is far more known in history and mythology where she as Durga, Kali, Parvati and numerous other avatars plays an active and even martial role in destroying evil and protecting good.
Goddess Sunanda or Tarini as a younger sister of mother goddess, although less frequently visible, is no less powerful than her other sister. They are both different representations of the same force. Goddess Sunanda or Tarini, as a companion of gods and goddesses plays the a role of messenger and protector. It is said that her compassion for living beings is stronger than a mother's love for her children. She also brings about longevity, protects earthly travel through oceans, mountains, forests and fields and guards her followers on their spiritual journey to enlightenment.
Goddess Sunanda may be visualized at times as a fair white goddess, holding a lotus in her left hand and in a gesture of blessing with the right hand, seated in a yogic posture perhaps seated on a giant lotus or surrounded by flowers.
There are innumerable other avatars of the heavenly sisters, Nanda and Sunanda, not all known to mankind. In some of their other heavenly Avatars, a many or four armed Goddess Nanda as Durga, the warrior goddess is depicted as holding weapons of destruction in some of her hands and accompanied by one of the fiercest animals known to man, the lion. On the other hand the heavenly form of gentle goddess Sunanda as the four armed Laxmi is a Goddess of prosperity that holds two lotuses in two of her hands while using a right for a gesture of blessing and a left to shower unlimited prosperity on chosen disciples. She is depicted surrounded by flowers and her seat is a giant heavenly lotus. There are also undifferentiated forms of the goddesses where in one of their primordial forms known as the goddess Kushmanda they play a role in creation, helping to create the universe merely with a smile. Some of these undifferentiated avatars are depicted as both holding a lotus and gentle symbols while some other hands hold weapons of destruction to destroy evil from the created universe when it exceeds limits. Some evil must continue to exist in the universe since creation is a play of opposites. The evil and its consequence suffering are required in the worlds as an aid to teach beings the consequence of perpetuating sin and evil and thus helping beings evolve. However, it must be pointed out that not all avatars of goddess Nanda are fierce and as the goddess Nanda or Parvati she is the gentle face of Mother goddess of the mountains and a female half of Shiva, a male side of God or the Universal Spirit.
The Orissa temple of the goddesses in its original form is a very ancient temple mentioned in ancient Sanskrit literature (Puranas), Ramayana as well as ancient Buddhist literature. The fact that these different books give different stories about the origin of these goddesses is because of their ancient origin but all recognize goddess Tara as mother Goddess and Tarini as her companion sister. As Buddhism spread far and wide across Asia, a recognition of Goddess Tara as mother goddess was adopted in Tibet and Mongolia. However the Japanese adopted her sister Tarini as a female Bodhisattva instead and it is in this country that she has achieved great and sincere recognition by the Japanese Royal family as well as many ordinary Japanese since ancient times.
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| Nanda Devi and Sunanda Devi: Main and East Summits (photo: Alex Moran) From http://www.moran-mountain.co.uk/moran-mountaineering/Nanda%20Devi%20East.htm |
In the Himalayas, the eastern summit of Nanda Devi Mountain referred to as Nanda Devi East by European visitors to the Himalayas is the greatest recognition of Sunanda Devi in India as her manifestation in Nature.
Goddess Sunanda is a great embodiment of love for all living things, not just animals and humans but also mountains, rivers, trees and flowers. She is the goddess of mercy and compassion who is ever ready to listen to the cries of the devotees. A simple way to please her on earth is to love all creatures and trees or plant some especially trees with edible fruits and nuts as adornments for mother earth and solace for her children. May she fill the lives of devotees with love and ever protect them in their journey towards happiness and enlightenment.
A Chinese rendition of the Mother Goddess In Sanskrit her name is Avalokiteśvara and in Buddhism she is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Her earliest manifestations are as a male and later ones charged with compassion and mercy are female. Avalokiteśvara is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism, as well as unofficially in Theravada Buddhism. In Sanskrit, Avalokitesvara is also Padmapāni -Holder of the Lotus or Lokeśvara - Lord of the World. She is portrayed on different occasions and in different cultures as either male or female. One of her earliest record in ancient Sanskrit literature depicts both Sunanda and Nanda as males on a Godly mission to earth (another post in this bloghttp://nainitalgoddess.blogspot.in/2012/10/the-goddesses-nanda-and-sunanda-of.html). Avalokitesvara has been variously translated as the Lord who gazes down on the world or as the Lord who has come down to the world. She is also regarded as the goddess who has come down to the world to listen to the cries of the needy from her lofty perch and in that sense her name Sunanda can be broken up as Sun – Nanda also means hear Mother Goddess. In Taiwan a royal reincarnation of the goddess is revered as the goddess Mazu as a protector of sailors and fishermen whereas in the Goa region of India her avatar as Tarini plays the same role. In China her local name is Guanyin and here she is at times depicted as holding a branch of tree in her right hand while it continues to be held up in a gesture of blessing. In Japan her male manifestation is called Kannon and her female manifestation as Tarani.
The Jewel inside the lotus is divine part of the one and only Lord of the universe
Ma Sunanda does not need a temple to dwell in. She dwells in the oceans, forests, lakes, mountains and all else that is beautiful in nature. She is the Jewel in the lotus. She cannot be pleased by calling out her name repeatedly, nor by gifts of cash and gold, but she is pleased easily if you gift fresh nourishing food to malnourished or hungry children, the very old and the handicapped or clothing for them if they are not well clothed, or even by planting and caring for trees, particularly those that bear edible fruits and nuts, while thanking her for making such loving service possible so that she may assist you in your deed of love for all life, in your journey towards enlightenment, and fill your heart with Joy.
Jai Ma Sunanda
Om Mani Padme Hum
Listen to a Beautiful Musical rendition of this mantra from the depths of the Himalayas. You are sure to be enchanted, at
Images of Om Mani Padme Hum, red ochre and of Chinese Goddess,, courtesy of Wikiperdia Commons:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roussillon_sentier_des_ocres2.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Guan_yin_100.jpg
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Goddesses Nanda, Sunanda and goddesses Tara, Tarani
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| Temple of goddesses Tara and tarani in Orissa, India |
Goddesses manifest the female side of divinity inherent in the universe. Although all goddesses represent the same universal force, they have been worshipped in various avatars and forms by humans.
Some of these avatars although bearing different names bear a close relationship to each other whereas there are also some cases where different goddesses bear the same name. One such example is that of the lovely and gentle, yet powerful goddess Sunanda of Kumaon. There is also a goddess by the same name in Bangladesh but that goddess is in fact a modification of the name Sugandha that is an avatar of goddess Parvati, who also takes on the fearful avatars of Kali when the occasion calls for it, rather than goddess Sunanda.
The Goddess Parvati and Goddess Nanda are regarded by many as different appearances of Parvati. Hence, the goddess Sunanda of Bangladesh may be regarded as another form of goddess Nanda rather than goddess Sunanda. All this is no doubt very confusing and such confusions are expected when we seek human representations of something as vast as infinity.
If parallels between the goddesses Nanda and Sunanda are to be sought in other places then one may find a closer similarity with the twin goddesses Tara and Tarani much revered in Orissa (Odisha, India).
Image adapted from from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taratarini_maa.jpg
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Rightful recognition of Nanda Devi East as Sunanda Devi
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| Nanda Devi and Sunanda Devi |
It was described in the last post that the goddesses Nanda and Sunanda occur together in mythology and worship. Nanda goddess means the Bliss giving goddess whereas Sunanda means the good bliss giving goddess. One may wonder why the prefix good is added to Sunanda when in fact Nanda is the more active and senior goddess. The reason is perhaps that Nanda Devi also takes on fearful avatars in mythology when she goes about conquering evil demons and at such times adding good is not necessary.
Goddess Nanda Devi has been regarded variously as a human representation of the Great Mother Goddess and even as that of Mother Earth. Goddess Sunanda has appeared in mythology and history from time to time as the companion goddess or sister of this goddess. In nature the Nanda Devi mountain, one of the highest in the Himalayas is regarded as a sacred and majestic representation of the Great Goddess on Earth. It is a twin peak mountain in which the lower summit was referred to as Nanda Devi East by European explorers because the locals did not spell out the name of the other peak, so habituated they were in calling the entire massif as Nanda Devi. Naming a part of a sacred mountain as something east is not an appropriate nomenclature for those who hold the mountain in spiritual reverence.
In his article on Nanda Devi - Nanda Devi: Vision or Reality? - authored by Bill Aitken (William McKay Atiken)and author of several books on the Himalayas, published in 2006 (Himalayan Journal 62, url: http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/nanda-devi-vision-or-reality/) this is what Bill Atiken had to say about the nomenclature of Nanda Devi east:
“Pilgrims to Garhwal’s Char Dham evince little interest in the Goddess for she is largely indiscernible except from high ground like Rudranath or on the descent to Tapovan. Nor does she have any conspicuous temples since her representation in the Sri Yantra form does not permit of any roof. Kumaun astride the pilgrim route to Kailash was forced to take note of the Goddess’s presence and some read in the first English version of the peak (as Nundi Deva ) a reference to Shiva’s sacred bull. No one has commented on the inappropriateness of the foreign mountaineering nomenclature ‘Nanda Devi East’ which could suggest a dismembered deity. This colonial ascription survives while other Sanctuary features like the cols named after Longstaff, Ruttledge and Shipton have all been replaced (not always successfully) by local names.
To illustrate how local lore can assert claims that fail to stand the test of time, is the naming of Nanda Devi’s east peak as ‘Latu’ by the Schlaginweits on their German map of1857. As the Garhwal herald of the Goddess who leads her twelve yearly Raj Jat via Rupkund to Homkund, Latu Devta might seem a logical candidate for the lesser of the twin summits and this apportioning would neatly symbolize the takeover of a primitive cult by a more sophisticated faith. However the drawback to this theory is that, as noted, the twin peaks are not obvious from Garhwal. Indeed the Raj Jat, so far as I know, enjoys not a single vantage point from which either of the Nanda Devi peaks can be seen.
The fact that no one in Kumaun has ever suggested the name of Sunanda, the younger sister of Nanda Devi, for the lesser peak is a reminder that few of the Devi’s village worshippers are concerned about the particulars of her physical identity. Most are unaware that today Latu Devta has been relegated to become Latu Dhura, occupying a back seat on the east Sanctuary curtain overlooking Kumaun, a completely meaningless ascription from the point of view of Raj Jat lore.”
However, this oversight has now been corrected by this author. What appears to be the first published reference to Nanda Devi East as Sunanda Devi has been recorded in his novel “Nude besides the Lake” This book is available as a searchable google book and therefore the nomenclature has been quickly noted and adapted by others including online encyclopaedias and information sources, religious organizations, mountaineers, several official websites and others. Thus the proper recognition of the good bliss giving goddess, Sunanda Devi, as the younger companion of Nanda Devi and the younger daughter of the Himalayas has now been restored and the unintentional yet inappropriate foreign reference to a sacred mountain as something east of something is no longer necessary. May the Goddesses Nanda and Sunanda continue to bless all who approach them with reverence and respect due to Mother Earth, some of whose majestic facets, these sacred mountains represent.
May the good goddess Sunanda fill hearts and lives with love and goodness even as her older sister Nanda goes about vanquishing evil from their lives. May the great goddesses together fill the lives of all inhabitants of the planet, over which they keep a watch from their adjacent lofty perches, with bliss. Jai Nanda, Jai Sunanda.
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