Through constant and consistent sadhana, today we are celebrating the glorious victory of good over evil. We are rejoicing over the dawning of wisdom and the uprooting of ignorance. Everyday is a glorious victory of light over darkness and yet there is no fanfare or revelry. There is only a splash of colour in the sky and the muted chirping of birds. The morning dons the mantle of peaceful silence.
Likewise, as per the Devi Mahatmyam, on Vijayadashami day during Sharana Navaratri, the Gods who are finally free from the ranting and raving of demons, sink into the ocean of blissful silence. Lord Brahma goes into deep meditation, Lord Vishnu returns to his yoganidra, lying on the divine serpent Adishesha and Lord Shiva turns inwards and withdraws himselves from the world. The whole Universe becomes absolutely still.
There are no demons and the Gods are happy. The only gentle refrain that is heard is the sound of the Pranava or OM. When we vanquish the Ego with its retinue of demonic forces in the mind, everything inside also grows absolutely still. This is when the nectar of Grace fills the mind and we hear the inner voice which resolves all our problems. The Grace that fills and surrounds us becomes an insurmountable barrier that repels all negative forces. The spiritual sadhana that we have performed during these nine nights are equivalent to years of austerities and pilgrimages. The karma of several lifetimes has been washed away.
When Devi initially manifested Herself in the form of the Shri Chakra, which symbolises the processes of Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution, the divine Sages Hayagreeva and Markandeya said that the common people would find it difficult to comprehend Her in this form during the Kali yuga (materialistic age). So Devi promised the Sages - “I will lay your prayer that everybody should be able to relate to Me and comprehend Me at the feet of Kameshwara (Shiva). Hitherto, I will appear in the lives of my devotees as Kameshwari”. “Kama is “desire, goal or aspiration” and Eshwari means “the Supreme Goddess.” Normally desires are produced by our own will. When our desires turn divine that is when the desires are attached to divine goals, then the Divine Mother protects us with Her Grace. When we cling to Her feet in complete surrender and pray - “Mother, I want to do only Your Work. Help Me,” Devi Adiparashakti comes to us as Kameshwari. Utterly compassionate, She takes complete charge of all our duties and responsibilities so that we can immerse ourselves in Her seva (service) and spiritual sadhana. This becomes the starting point of our journey to Divinity.
Everything in life begins as a Bindu or the sacred source point which is located at the centre of the Shri Chakra. The blossom was once a bud and the baby was an ovum. Speech emerged from seed syllables (bijamantras) and the entire Universe emerged from “OM”. It is the sacred, power spot from which our lives have emerged and into which they will eventually dissolve. The Bindu is the Source of all Wisdom. That is why we apply it between our eyebrows as a spot of vermillion on the Third Eye which is our doorway to Wisdom. The Bindu symbolises our complete potential. To tap its divine power, to merge into it and enjoy permanent Bliss, Devi says - “Keep your mind and intellect like a still, crystal clear lake whose bottom is distinctly visible. Don’t create ripples on its surface by throwing in the pebbles of desire. Don’t allow the slime of karma to cover the water. The Bindu of Bliss will then emerge from it. This urn of nectar is your own Soul. Allow it to implode within you. It will saturate you with joy and bring lasting peace and bliss to the world.
Extract from ‘The book of direct truths, subtle truths and the mystical truths of Devi Mahatmyam’ by Shri Shri Nimishananda