NAVARATRI COURSE PAGE 1 NAVARATRI AND THE DEVI MAHATMYAM Photo: Google Search ©2010-2018. Kavitha Chinnaiyan. All Rights ReservedNAVARATRI COURSE PAGE 2 The Devi Mahatmyam (translating to the greatness of the Goddess) is part of the Markandeya Purana, and is thought to have composed between 400-600 CE. It is one of the most important texts of Shaktism, and is ranked to be as significant as the Bhagavad Gita. It is also known as the Durga Saptashati (sapthashati = consisting of 700 verses) or Chandi Path. The 700 verses are arranged into 13 chapters. The Devi Mahatmyam consists of three main episodes of a saga spanning several eons. The stories are based on myths that were previously known in various Hindu tribal sects. These stories are then retold to describe the absolute supremacy and majesty of Devi, the goddess. Markandeya is the seer of this saga, and the stage is set by a conversation between Medhas, a sage, Suratha, a disenchanted king, and Samadhi, a merchant dispossessed of his wealth. Sage Medhas is the narrator of the three episodes of the Devi Mahatmyam. The saga begins when creation is taken over by evil forces, the asuras. The disheartened devas (good forces) regroup after an epic defeat and invoke Shakti as the last resort. This supreme goddess has powers that surpass all of theirs combined. She promises to save them not just this time, but through eternity. She keeps her promise and appears through the eons in innumerable forms, the most famous of which are Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.NAVARATRI COURSE PAGES The Devi Mahatmyanm is a lyrical exposition of devotion to Shakti, with several well-known Devi chants embedded throughout its course. The verses take us on a journey of despair (of the Devas), hope (the appearance of Shakti and her promise to fight for them), gore (the bloody battles), peace (that comes about from her kept promises over thousands of years) and devotion (through the evoking verses praising the supreme goddess). Amid the bloodied stories that speak of Devi's absolute power over evil, the Devi Mahatmyam houses four exquisite hymns that invoke her protection and praise her greatness: Brahma-stuti (part 1 start) Sakradi-stuti (part 2 end) Tantroktam Devi Suktam (part 3 start) Narayani-stuti (part 3 end) The real gift of the Devi Mahatmyam, however, lies in its symbolic power. The particular forms that Devi takes in sequence have to do with with the path of inner transformation and the refining of our gunas.NAVARATRI COURSE PAGE 4 Who is Shakti? Let's start at the very beginning. Before there is creation, there is only undifferentiated potential. We can call this Shiva-Shakti or the divine masculine and divine feminine in communion. The first stir of creativity within this potential is self-recognition. It is like looking in a mirror and recognizing our own face - Shakti is Shiva’s self-recognition, his “| Am.” With this separation, time, space and other physical laws come into existence. Shakti is Shiva’s dynamic force of creation. Everything in creation, from the planets, galaxies, black holes, gravity, magnetism, inanimate objects, to all life forms, physiological processes, thoughts, emotions, moods and states is a form of Shakti. She is the good and the bad, the terrible and the beautiful, the scary and the sweet. There is nothing in creation that is not her. Although it seems that Shiva and Shakti are separate, they are not. Shiva is the awareness that supports all of Shakti. Shakti forms the container for Shiva’s absolute bliss consciousness to be expressed in the universe. Even though she becomes all the objects of creation, Shakti remains in communion with Shiva as the underlying bliss of existence.NAVARATRI COURSE PAGE 5 Through her innumerable forms, Shakti conceals our true nature and we forget that who we really are is that absolute bliss consciousness. We become so engrossed in the drama of our lives that we mistakenly take our limited bodies and minds to be our identity. We get carried away in the ups and downs of life, never fully satisfied and always seeking to find completion in relationships, status, power, wealth and recognition. Even on the spiritual path, this endless seeking keeps us occupied in chasing various mind states, emotional highs, special powers or non- materialistic ways of improving self-worth. The Path of Shakti The path of Shakti requires us to become completely and unequivocally engaged with our lives and examine our life experiences with curiosity, joy and interest. If everything is her (including me), why do | experience separateness and isolation? What makes me love one and hate another? Is there a reality that is separate from my experience? If so, where is the proof for this? With questions like this, we dive into the core of our beings, systematically unearthing the truth. The requirements for this path are openness and nondogmatic, critical inquiry.