Nothing could
possibly be more familiar to us than the word `Shri’, which gets prefixed
to our names as a matter of course. Yet
this familiarity does not carry with it the corresponding volume of knowledge,
meaning and content of this small, but weighty word. `Shri’ is that inseparable
denomination borne by the divine Mother, Goddess Lakshmi, the presiding deity over
wealth, affluence and plenty. The Sanskrit word Sri lends itself to different
meanings. Firstly, if we take the derivative, `sriyate iti srih, it would connote one who is sought after by all
finite beings – isvraim sarva bhutanam.
Another derivative, srayate iti srih,
would refer to the Mother as one who leans solely on Lord Narayana and does not
get parted from Him under any circumstance. The third variation, srunoti iti srih, highlights one who
grants patient audience to the moans and groans of all suffering creatures. The
fourth variant, sraava iti srih,
represents the Mother at her best, as one who puts in a word to the Lord at the
most opportune moment, so as to secure for her devotees the desired results, advocating the cause before the Lord in the
most effective manner with admirable success.
The idea of
interceding partner in Godhead is not confined to our theology alone. Even
Jesus Christ is represented as interceding
on behalf of suffering humanity with the Heavenly Father for their
redemption. It would, of course, be compromising the mercifulness of The Lord,
if those who seek protection suffered under His very eyes, If Gajendra, the
elephant, cried for help during the titanic struggle with the crocodile, it
presupposes the existence of a savior.
It is difficult to believe in a `higher power `that remain indifferent to our
woes. That is why Lakshmi, the eternal spouse of Lord Vishnu, functions as the
intercessor on behalf of those who are suffering. Intercession would naturally imply
a dual role for her – dealing with mankind on the one hand, and with the
supreme Lord on the other.
Goddess Lakshmi
exhorts us to shed all fear of a strict and unrelenting judge who keeps count
of every little action and to seek refuge in His Lotus Feet, since our
salvation lies there and there alone. Thus did Mother Sita advise Ravana in the
Ashoka Vana, to seek Rama’s friendship for sheer survival and avoidance of a
gruesome end.
Lakshmi’s sweet disposition and
solicitude weans us away from our age-old apathy and mental stupor and turns us
towards the Supreme Lord. Having made us God-conscious and ready to receive His
bounty, the compassionate Mother has no doubt won the first round of the
battle.
Next comes the
veritable battle of wits between the omniscient, all powerful Lord, ahs his
most beloved consort, the divine Mother. The petitioner is at the door-step of
the supreme Lord, but the unrelenting judge from whose scrutiny none of our
vices and foibles can ever escape, keeps the door shut against the offender.
The mother pleased with him and points out that if he started separating the
sand from the food that had slipped and got mixed up with sand, he would be
attempting the impossible. To thinks of the jivaatman
seeking His protection at the moment,
apart from his sins would be just as futile. If the supplicant were to be
disowned and thrown out, all he efforts put forth by the Lord during his avataras
to recline the sinners would be a colossal waste.
At this juncture, the Lord in his
role as the supreme judge, protests that the universal laws of course and
effect cannot be thrown to the winds by conditioning the countless
transgression of the petitioner. The Lord is , however, effectively silenced by
the Mother who beseeches thus, “ My Lord! If you really mean to exercise your qualities
of mercy, love and kindness, you have now an opportunity , which you cannot allow to slip away. As regards justice
and retribution, you can very well invoke those norms in dealing with those who
are straying away from you. In this case of those who seek your protection by falling
at your feet. Like the petitioner now at your door-step, you should acknowledge
them with open hands in vindication of your qualities of love, mercy and grace,
which would otherwise get rusted through disuse!” The softer touch of the Mother
who is grace first, grace last and grace thoroughly, that is grade personified,
thus secures our salvation. This sociological preference for approaching the
female for the forgiveness of our wrongs is seen in the world-a-day world also.
Lakshmi is the
Mother of the swords, even as Hari (Vishnu) is the Father – tvam mata sarva lokanam devadevo harih pita.
In the Saiva tradition, Parvati is
the feminine counterpart of Lakshmi; she comprises half of the body of Siva,
who is accordingly called Ardhanarishwara.
If Vishnu holds her in his own heart, Siva gives her pride of place by assigning
half his being to her.
The fact that
Lakshmi and Vishnu are complementary to each other can also be seen from the
fact that Vishnu’s permanent abode is the milky ocean, which happens to be the
birth place of Lakshmi. She emerged when the milky ocean was churned and to
find her again in the form of Mother Sita, the sea had to be restrained and
bridge over.
Only when our
senses are restrained, we can find the Mother and only when the intellect is churned in
contemplation, can we discover her grace that leads us to the Lord in
meditation.
*Taken from Tapovan Prasad, the magazine of Chinmaya Mission, India