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From Heaven to Household: The Many
Tales of Shakti

FROM HEAVEN TO HOUSEHOLD: THE MANY
TALES OF SHAKTI

Article of the Month - September 2006


The Great Guru Shankaracharya once went to Kashmir, wanting to engage in debate
the followers of the Goddess (Shakti), known as the 'Shaktas.' No sooner had he
reached the place than he was rendered immobile by a severe bout of dysentery. So
seriously was he affected, that unable to get up from his bed, he for the moment,
lost the power to speak.
Soon after, a twelve-year-old girl came near him and whispered in his ears: "O
Shankara, do you think you can negate the cult of Shakti?"
Feeling helpless, Shankaracharya said, "Devi, I have come here for this very
purpose, but right now I feel devoid of any potency. When I gain enough power to
speak, only then will I be able to do so. Without Shakti, I cannot do anything."
The charming girl replied thus: "O revered preceptor, when you yourself cannot
move an inch without your Shakti, how will you refute its cult? O Wise One, know
me to be Shiva's Shakti - The supreme power activating this world. Charged by my
own energy, you want to negate me?"
His mind now at rest, Shankaracharya bowed to the goddess, and left Kashmir as
soon as he recovered.
Ignoring Shakti (At Our Own Peril)
Indeed, so indistinguishable are we from our Shakti that we often tend to take it
(her) for granted, with sinister consequences. The Devi Bhagavata Purana, a primary
text narrating the goddess, speaks of an episode where the great gods Shiva and
Vishnu were attacked by a powerful army of demons. It was only after grappling
with them for a long duration that they were able to vanquish the villains. Even
though their success was due to their respective powers, they were vain enough to
think it to be their individual victory, even going to the extent of boasting of their
prowess before their respective Shaktis. The two goddesses, Parvati and Lakshmi,
found the whole situation comical and laughed at their naivet. Thereupon the gods
became angry and addressed their spouses rudely. Immediately, the goddesses
vanished from their midst.

No sooner had this happened
than the world was plunged
into turmoil. Relieved of their
power, the two deities became
lusterless and fell into a
lifeless, deranged state. It was
only after a severe penance
was performed that the Great
Goddess (Shakti) was pleased
enough to restore herself to
the two gods, saying: "The
insult shown towards my
manifestations has led to this
calamitous state. Such a crime
should never again be
committed." Shiva and Vishnu,
now devoid of pride, got back
their previous natures and
were thus enabled to perform
their functions as before. (Devi
Bhagavata Purana: 7.29.25-
45)



The Gods Mollify the Goddess


Shakti - The Burning Power of Fire
A similar instance occurred when, after the creation
of worldly and heavenly beings, the perplexing
question remained of the latter's sustenance. While
creatures of the earth could partake of the food
available there, no provision had still been made for
the gods. Brahma, the creator, then decreed that the
offerings poured into the sacrificial fires (on the
earth), would be the food of gods. Towards this end,
they worshipped the Great Goddess, who appeared
before them in the form of goddess 'Svaha.'
The assembled deities then addressed her: "O
Goddess, Let yourself become the burning power of
fire; who is not able to burn anything without thee. At
the conclusion of any mantra, whoever taking thy
name (Svaha), will pour oblations in the fire, he will
cause those offerings to go directly to the gods.
Mother, let yourself, the repository of all prosperity,
reign over as the lady of his (fire's) house."
Later, Agni, the deity of fire, approached her with
some fear, and worshipped her as the Mother of the
World. Then, with the chanting of sacred mantras,
they were tied in the knots of holy matrimony. From
then, it is believed, that whosoever pours libations in
the sacrificial fire accompanied by the sacred name
'Svaha,' has all his dreams immediately fulfilled.
(Devi Bhagavata Purana: 9.43)


Shakti - The Power of the Gods
The Kena Upanishad, a major text of Indian philosophy, narrates a profounder story,
where the gods, having defeated the demons, puffed up with pride. The Highest God
(Sanskrit: Brahman), that formless entity who is beyond any gender, realized their
folly and revealed itself before their eyes, to grace them with repentance. However,
blinded with the veil of egoism, the gods were unable to understand the vision
revealed to them.

Agni - The Sacred Fire


The deity of fire was then
deputed by the gods to
enquire who the divine person
in front of their eyes was.
When Agni reached the Great
Being, the latter asked him as
to what power he (fire)
possessed. Pat came the
reply: "I can burn down the
whole world." The manifested
Brahman then placed a blade
of grass between them and
asked him to burn it. Using all
his might, fire tried his utmost
to set the twig ablaze, but
could not do so.
Unable to know the Brahman,
he then returned dejected to
the waiting gods.







Next came the god of wind. He
too bragged about his ability
to carry along anything with
his mighty power. Faced with
the same miniscule twig, he
had to retreat.





Agni Tries to Burn the Twig

The Wind Attempts to Blow Away the Twig

It then fell to the lot of Indra, the king of gods, to approach the Great Being. No
sooner had he tried to do so, than the latter vanished, and instead appeared in the
sky, the beautiful goddess Uma, also known as Parvati. (Kena Upanishad: 3.1-12)
The Devi Bhagavata Purana
describes the physical form of this
goddess:
A virgin blooming with fresh
youth, the luster of her body was
like the rising sun. Shining on her
crown was the digit of the moon.
She was holding a noose and
goad in her two hands and the
other two arms displayed the
mudras of boon granting (varada)
and fearlessness (abhaya)
respectively.
Her body, decked with various
ornaments, looked auspicious and
exceedingly lovely. She was like
the wish-fulfilling tree (Kalpa
Vriksa). Three-eyed, her face was
endowed with the beauty of ten
million cupids (Kamadeva).
Her clothing was red and her
body was covered with sandal
paste. She was the Cause of all
causes, and the embodiment of
compassion (karuna-murti).


Seeing her, the hairs on Indra's body stood on ends with ecstasy. His eyes were
filled with tears of love and deep devotion and he immediately fell prostrate at the
feet of the goddess, singing hymns in her praise. (Devi Bhagavata Purana: 12.8.52-
60)
The goddess then instructed Indra regarding the essence of the Supreme Reality,
stressing that it was the power of Brahman (manifested as herself), which was
responsible for victory over the demons, and the gods were but instruments in the
grander design.

The Highest Shakti (Shrimad Devi Bhagavatam, Book
Twelve, Chapter 8)

The Strange Couch and the Vision of Shakti as the Power of All




The goddess is however
sometimes more assertive in
driving home the truth. When
the three gods - Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva, on eve of
the creation of the world, sat
perplexed as how to go about
it, she appeared before the
trio, seated them on a golden
chariot and took them on a
round of the numerous
universes created by her.






The Goddess Seats the Trinity in a Golden Chariot


At one instant, they came upon
a strange and beautiful bed, with
Lord Shiva forming its mattress.
Its four legs were Brahma,
Vishnu, Shiva and Dharma
respectively. Seated over it was a
divine lady, wearing red
garments, garlands, and also
smeared with sandal paste of the
same color. Her eyes were dark-
red and the beautiful crimson-
lipped lady was lustrous like the
rising sun; beautiful like ten
million Lakshmis. She had a
sweet smile on her face and held
in her four hands a noose, goad,
and two mudras indicating
readiness to grant boons and
fearlessness respectively. Never
before had the gods seen such a
form. All merciful, and in the full
bloom of youth, the goddess had
blossoming breasts which
surpassed even the buds of a
lotus (in softness).



Suddenly, the four-armed lady transformed herself, and instead revealed to them a
young woman with infinite eyes and limbs. The gods stood transfixed, dazzled by
this spectacular vision celebrating the supremacy of Shakti.

The Great Goddess



Wishing to pay obeisance to
her, the gods then got down
from their chariot and
approached the goddess. No
sooner had they done so than
she transformed them all into
beautiful, young maidens.
When they reached near her
smiling form, the goddess
looked at the female-gods
affectionately, and the latter
too stood around her,
admiring each other
appreciatively. When they
bowed at her feet, they beheld
in her mere toenails, a
reflection of the entire
universe.







The three then sang hymns in
her praise, asking her: "We
have forgotten your sacred
mantra of creation. To be able
to continue the cycle of
creation, preservation and
destruction, kindly initiate us
again into your mystery."





The Three Gods, Transformed into Females, Venerate the
Goddess

The Devi is Venerated by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva





To this, the Great Goddess
replied:
"There is no difference at all
between the Great God
(Purusha) and myself. It is
only for the sake of the world
that we appear as two. In
absence of this manifested
world, there is neither the
male, not female nor
androgyne."






Purusha and Prakriti




"Nothing in this world is
devoid of me. I enter into
every substance, and making
Purusha the instrument. I do
all the actions. I am the
coolness of water, the heat of
fire, the luster in the sun and
also the soothing rays of the
moon, which are but
manifestations of my power."





"If abandoned by me, this universe becomes motionless. If I leave Shiva, he will not
be able to kill demons. A weak man is declared to be without any Shakti, nobody
says that he is without Shiva, or without Vishnu. Those who are timid, afraid, or
under one's enemies - they are all called Shakti-less; no one says that this man is
Shiva-less and so forth."


Surya - The Powerful Sun





"So, the creation that you are about to
perform, know Shakti to be the cause
thereof. When you will be endowed with
that Shakti, you will be able to create the
world. Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Agni, Moon,
Sun, Death, and all the other deities are
able to do their karmas only when they
are united with their respective Shaktis.
This earth, when united with Shakti,
remains fixed and becomes capable to
hold all beings inhabiting it. If it be
devoid of this power, it cannot support
even an atom." (Devi Bhagavata Purana:
3.6)




She then created from her body the three goddesses - Saraswati, Lakshmi and
Parvati, and offered them to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, entrusting the couples with
the functions of creation, preservation and destruction respectively.


Shiva and Shakti

Power in the Household - The Strange Story of Tulsi Devi





An enlightening case is of the
demon named Shankhachuda,
who defeated in battle even
the mighty army of Shiva,
which was led by the latter's
wife, the great Kali herself and
their son Karttikeya.






Puzzled, Shiva reasoned with Vishnu regarding the villain's apparent infallibility. The
two deities then came to the conclusion that his invincible Shakti stemmed from the
unflinching devotion and chastity of his loving wife Tulsi.
Vishnu, then taking on the form of Shankhachuda, approached the innocent Tulsi,
who, mistaking him for her husband, welcomed him into her arms with rapturous
joy. Vishnu, the great lord of the world, then shared her bed and engaged in
physical union with her. But the chaste wife, finding this time her experience quite
different from what she used to enjoy before, argued all the time within herself and
at last questioned him: "O Magician! Who are you? By spreading your magic, you
have enjoyed me. As you have taken my chastity, I will curse you."
The lord, fearing the curse of a pure woman, assumed his original self. Seeing his
divine form, Tulsi fainted. When she regained her consciousness, she cursed Vishnu:
"You merciless lord, your heart is hard as a stone, so may you too turn into a
stone."

Shankhachuda, Before Commencing Battle with Them,
Bows Before Shiva, Kali and Karttikeya





Thus because of this curse
does Vishnu manifest himself
in the stone known as
Shaligrama, found only on the
banks of the river Gandaki in
Nepal, where, with tiny teeth,
millions of insects incise slow
rings of torture into his body
of stone, carving strange and
sacred sculptures. Those of
these pieces, that fall into the
river, are considered the most
auspicious. Hence did the lord
take upon himself the anguish
of Tulsi on separation from her
husband.




Before leaving however, Vishnu did not neglect to bless the virtuous lady, who by
her chastity and unblemished character, had acted as the power behind the scenes,
protecting her spouse. The lord hailed her saying: "Your hair will transform into
sacred trees and as being born of you, they will be known by the name of Tulsi. The
whole world will perform their rituals with the leaves and flowers of this Tulsi plant.
Therefore, O fair-faced one! You will be reckoned as the chief amongst all
vegetation. All the sacred pilgrimages will reside at the bottom of the Tulsi tree,
where I and all the other deities will sit, waiting in anticipation to be blessed by a
falling leaf."

Shaligrama



To this day, this auspicious plant
occupies a place of honor in the homes
of devotees, as the archetypal symbol
of our 'Shakti at home,' venerated by
innumerable modern day women, still
following the glorious standards laid
down by Tulsi.
Truly does say the Devi Bhagavata
Purana elaborating on the concept of
Shakti:
She is the Heavenly Lakshmi
(Swargalakshmi), residing in the
heavens, the Royal Lakshmi
(Rajalakshmi) in the palaces of kings
and in the ordinary families of the
world, she is the Household Lakshmi
(Grihalakshmi). (9.1.26)




References and Further Reading:
Date, V.H. Upanisads Retold (2 Volumes) New Delhi, 1999.
Kenopnishad (With the Commentary of Shri Shankaracharya): Gorakhpur,
2000
Menon, Ramesh. The Devi Bhagavatam Retold New Delhi, 2006.
Goswami, Chimmanlal and Hanumanprasad Poddar (eds.). Shrimad Devi
Bhagavatam (Hindi): Gorakhpur, 2005.
Pandey, Shri Pandit Ram Tej (tr.). Shrimad Devi Bhagavatam (Hindi): Delhi,
2004
Poddar, Hanumanprasad. Shakti Anka (Special Issue of the Spiritual
Magazine Kalyan): Gorakhpur, 2002.
Sarma, Dr. S.A. Kena Upanishad: A Study from Sakta Perspective Mumbai,
2001.
Sivananda, Swami. Lord Siva and His Worship Shivanandanagar, 2004.
Vijnanananda, Swami (tr.). The Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (English) New
Delhi, 1998
This article by Nitin Goel.

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Offering Water to Tulsi