Nava Shakti Upasana in Vishnu
Mainstream Nava Shakti is popular as Parvati Durga and to a
lesser extent as Lakshmi Nava Durga known to lesser number. Even lesser known and/or perhaps
glossed over is the Nava shakti rupa of Vishnu.
Nine Shakti forms Parvati Durga
1. Shailaputri
2. Brahmacharini
3. Chandraghanta
4. Kushmanda
5. Skandamata
6. Katyayani
7. Kalaratri
8. Mahagauri
9. Siddhidhatri
Nine Shakti forms of Lakshmi Durga
1. Durga
2. Arya
3. Bhagavati
4. Kumari
5. Ambika
6. Mahishamardini
7. Chandika
8. Sarasvathi
9. Vagishwari
Finally, nine shakti forms of Vishnu relevant for this discussion
1. Vimala
2. Utkarshini
3. Jnaanaa
4. Kriyaa
5. Yogaa
6. Prahvi
7. Satyaa
8. Ishaanaa
9. Anugrahaa
Nine shakti forms
of Lakshmi and Parvati are worshipped with fervor during the nine days in
Navaratri. Nine
shakti forms of Vishnu have to be worshipped every day.
Salient Points
• These 9 shakti forms of Vishnu are female forms.
• Clearly these are not the only shakti forms of Vishnu.
• He has many more documented male and female shakti forms
in scriptures. He is extolled as Mahaashakti in Vishnu Sahasra Nama.
• Srimad Bhagavatam tells his shakti are group of four, five
and sixteen (2-9-16). Sriman
Madhvacharya quotes Bhagavata Tantra in his Bhagavata
Tatparya Nirnaya to illustrate
those group of shaktis.
• All these shaktis are intrinsic and inseparable from him
• The shakti in all of us is held (and placed) by him –
sanjivayati akhila shaktidhara svadhaamnaa
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4-9-6)
• Neither Brhama, nor Shiva or anybody else has a small
fraction of the shakti of God
(Brahma Vaivarta)
Group
|
Members
|
Group of 4
|
Icchaa, Jnaana, Kriyaa, Bala
|
Atmaa, Antaraatma, Jnaanaatma, Paramaatma
|
|
Prahvi, Satyaa, Ishaanaa, Anugrahaa
|
|
Group of 5
|
Vimalaa, Utkarshini, Jnaanaa, Kriyaa, Yogaa
|
Kruddholka, Maholka, Virolka, Dyulka, Sahasrolka
|
|
Group of 8
|
Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyuna, Aniruddha (4) + Keshavaadi until
Damodara (12)
|
Mochikaa, Sukshmaa, Sukshmaamrutaa, Jnaanaamrutaa, Apyaayini,
Vyaapini,
Vyomarupini (8) +
Animaa, Mahimaa, Laghimaa, Garimaa, vyaapti, praakaashya, Ishitva,
Vashitva,
Praakaamya (8)
|
A group of 5 and a group of 4 are conjoined to form a group
of 9. These are the navashakti of Vishnu and very relevant in daily upasana (internal and
external).
Benefits of Navashakti Upasana
An interesting correlation can be found in Vishnu’s Nava
Shakti citation in Srimad Bhagavatam.
1. It is first referenced in 2-9-16, when Chaturmukha Brahma
gets ready to indulge in the
process of creation.
2. The next reference to these same Navashakti is in 6-4-27,
when Daksha Prajapati is getting ready to indulge in the process of creation.
There seems to be a link between the strength needed for any
kind creation and these navashakti. Perhaps that’s why it is included in Peeta Puja in daily
deva puja. Like Brahma and Daksha, we too indulge in creation, albeit
in a much smaller scale – be it creation of software, creative work, or create something of value to
ourselves and others. Brahma and Daksha, being realized ones know it directly that
it is the shakti form of Lord that resides in them, gets the creation done and finally offer it
to Lord himself (Nishusida ganapate .. na Rute Tvat kriyate kinchanaare...). We, on the other hand
know these through scriptural pramana and we too attempt to hammer that concept into ourselves through
our upasana. This is alluded in the commentaries that by the worship of
these shakti forms of Lord, such shakti are placed in us by his grace (anugraha) enabling us to
accomplish feats – big and small alike. Hence one has to do upasana of these shakti in peeta puja.
Nava Shakti Upasana – How to
Nava shakti upsana is part of the bigger aspect of Bhagavat
dhyana (internal) and Bhagavat Puja (external). The former strengthens the latter. And the
latter catalyses the former. They are intertwined. Intenal Bhagavat Dhyana is a replica of the
external puja but on a grander scale – because the upasana vaibhava by the mind knows no limits.
The following technique is arrived at by combining the relevant portions of TantraSara Sangraha
(Madhvacharya), Yogadeepika (Narayana Panditacharya) and Bhagavad-dhyana-Prakaranam
(Raghavendra Teertha – Mantralaya)
• One does the pranayama first.
• One does the ausandhana of the downward facing hrut-kamala
rising up and blooming by
using Pranava and Vayu beeja.
• This hrutkamala is though to be the peeta on which
bimarupi is worshipped.
• The peeta in the hrudayakaasha is tiny but is same as the
peeta encompassing all of brahmanda. Both held by Vishnu and also occupied by Vishnu
similar to the palm length
Vishnu occupying the external deva puja peeta.
• All peeta devatas are thought of in all these places.
• A six petalled lotus (with its devatas) and then a eight
petalled lotus is thought of. This eight petalled lotus is the focus for navashakti upasana.
• The eight of the nine forms starting from Vimalaa upto
Ishaanaa are thought of to be occupying the eight petals from east clockwise for eight
directions. (During puja the east is relative as the intersection between the devotee and the God
facing devotee is assigned to east)
• Vaasista Smruti provides further interesting details –
Vimala upto Utkarshini hold (or do) these Chatra, Chaamara, Vyajana, Darpana, Geeta, Nrutya,
Vaadya Stotra. One finds uncanny similarity with the Rajopachara offerred to Lord in
Puja. But in reality, whether we remember to chant it or not, he has his own female forms
offerring all those seva in aprakruta form to himself.
• In addition all the eight also hold an additional chaamara
– even the ones that perform dance or play vaadya !
• Things get further interesting – The eight are performing
various upachara to Lord. But the samarpana of those to Load is done by the ninth form viz.
Anugrahaa ! This is a pure leela of Lord that he himself performs his own upachara and uses yet
another form of his own (anugrahaa) to offer it to himself. (We can include this
include this anusandhana in deva puja – just like lakshmi hastena arghyam samarpayami, rati
hastena padyam samarpayami etc.)
• Srimad Bhagavatam 6-4-27 offers further twist to the Nava
shaktis. These are not just 9 but are threefold nine i.e. 9 x 3 = 27. The threefold aspect
comes with Icchaa, Jnaana and Kriya. So we have Iccha Vimala, Jnana Vimala and Kriya Vimala on
the east petal of the lotus upto 3 Ishana and also 3 Anugraha.
Nava Shakti – Simple Meanings
These names themselves may open up in many more ways – but
simple word meanings are
provided for these shakti.
• Vimala – The strength of purity (or purity of strength)
• Utkarshini – The abundance (of strength)
• Jnaanaa – The (strength of) knowledge
• Kriyaa – The strength to act and produce results
• Yogaa – The strength to connect with the Lord
• Prahvi – The strength of humility (to negate any downfall
caused by ego)
• Satyaa – The strength offered by the very existence of
Lord to provide stength
• Ishaana – The strength of mastery
• Anugrahaa – The strength of Lord’s grace
When each of these shakti open up in jnaana-iccha-kriya
form, then all feats – big and small are accomplished by Lord himself through us and then get offered
to Lord himself. The quintessential
Naaham Kartaa Hari kartaa !
(This is the reproduction of an article written by Shri Srikanth Shenoy from Udupi on the same topic. All credits goes to the author)
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