Who is lalitAmbikA? Why parAshaktI?
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Original post is in tamil language written by bratha ShrI Manoj Mahadev.
Sharing it here so that might be useful for some.
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ShrI mAtRe namaH
'paradevatA' the Almighty God lalitA who is hailed as 'avyAja karuNA mUrtih' meaning the One who is the very embodiment of genuine love (the form of unlimited compassion - caring with no purpose or expectation), manifests in many many forms as what we can see in each and every shrine, solely to shower Her blessings universally.
To protect this earth from the clutches of evil and to take care the welfare of every being, She Herself shines in many forms and names such as umai (umA), unnAmulai (apItakucAmbA), akhilANDeshvarI, kAmAkshI, mInAkshI, kamalAmbikA, sharAdA, mahalakshmI etc.
Yet one should never forget that all these divine forms and names belong to that one and only absolute consciousness, lalitAmbikA.
However many are there unable and some also refuses to accept the independence of such Lord lalitAmbikA. It is this brahman that vedic verses from kenopanishad introduces as 'umAgm haimavatIm'.
Yes nobody is denying the truth that such lalitAmbikA is the one functioning as umA (referring pArvatI with her name used in chidambaram) who occupies/ shares half of the cosmic body with mUlanAthar (refering to shiva as per his name in chidambaram), but not many wishes to accept that it is also that same lalitAmbikA who consumes/holds the tattva called shiva (and shakti) within Her ownself, returning back to her actual state which shAktAs call as parAshaktI and shrividyopAsaka identifies as parAshoDashi. And it is this highest state that we can see standing alone as 'shivakAmasundarI' in that very same chidambaram.
The conflict here is the moment devI is approached or quoted as umA (pArvatI), ignorantly many people concludes and starts preaching that shakti is subjected to shiva and worse shakti is not / cannot be independent. This is indeed very saddening.
S(He), mother lalitA being the inseparable - non dual state of shiva and shakti means S(He) can be shiva, and also shakti too. This is why she is higher than the highest!
LalitAmbikA being that parashiva, also manifest as that shiva tattva out from her, and she remains as in shakti tattva and supports him (herself) as life force (prANa). It is like obtaining both butter and buttermilk from the same curd. Focusing on the curd, that absolute One without any second is the view of shAktam and goal of shrividya. The state of milk is purely Atman where there's no mahAtripurasundarI/ shiva and shakti, or jivas.
It is admirable that no shaivaite saints have praised shiva without the association of shakti. This can be seen from many phrases sung by the tamil saints called 'nAyanmArs'. Even such elevated souls agreed and accepted the truth that without the support of shaktI, not just shiva but all the 14 worlds will not function/exist.
Hence why are (whats the need for) people to make claims about shakti being secondary or dependant?
devi let it be in her complete appearance as mahAtripurasundarI or partial manifestation like pArvati od lakshmi, she is always svatantra, meaning self-willed and ever standing alone, in other words She is never bounded by anyone oe anything is what Her doctrine (lalitA sahasranAma) declares. It is pitiful to see people with secondary thoughts only choose to quote names such as shiva kAmeshvarAnkasthA, sadAshiva pativratA etc just to proof that devi is nothing more than shiva's consort.
But it is the very same sahasranAma that also celebrates devi with names like shivaparA, shivA, sadAshivA, shivamUrtih, shivArAdhyA meaning She who transcends even the notion shiva, she who manifests as shiva, she who is the karana sadashiva that does anugraha kRtya, and she who is worshipped by shiva.
Why go so deep into sahasranAma when the first and last names call ShrI lalitA as mother, but here also many misunderstands mAtA to be just denoting shakti (goddess), but in a broader view even shiva, vishnu or gods/goddesses can be seen as an ambikA. The sacred name 'shrImAtA' does not just mean 'the auspicious mother' but it also means 'the mother of all auspiciousness'. shrI (whatever that's seen as great, divine, worthy to worship) that includes shiva himself, she manifests as that/them, she is their mother as she 'created' all that exist.
To limit such divine mother in a specific role or for personal faith, thats totally upto the individual/sect. But never infuse such narrow mindset onto others or preach such biased propagandas in public which can mislead many aspirants.
In a sacred text called 'ShrI garbha kulArnava tantram' contains numerous treasures of devi's greatness, in that a set of 108 divine names titled as Ascharya is given by Lord shiva (who is the sum of trimUrti) in the form ananda bairava, addressing/ invoking in his own consort, ananda bairavi as mahAtripurasundarI and worshipping her with these names.
In this set of praises which are obviously shakti pradhAna, we can find names addressing her as the divinity residing in great shaivaite temples. So questions may arise, these temples like jambuvana, valmIkapura, ArunAchala, kAlahasti etc are they really shiva temples or also as equally shakta sthalas being denied? Or is this set of names trying to convey that the shiva(s) in these temples are none but mahAtripurasundarI? The answer is for us to suit ourselves according to the faith we follow without prejudicing others.
So the purpose of this writeup is to make it clear that no matter what or how much people can deny, kAmAkshI who is the gross-subtle-causal form of lalitAmbikA is indeed the one and only brahma vastu, nope she's not the drags or brags of any darshana but it is she alone appearing as all-for all-in all darshanas. None of us can exactly say who or what ambAl really is. Nobody!
The one who built a sand shiva linga and stood doing stern penance (reference to pArvatI) is also Her, the one who is worshipped as shiva in the linga is also Her, that which gulps the shivatva within herself and manifests as many shivas as needed is also Her, she is that in the form of parAbilAkAsham (the supreme cave/entry of void/space) within the secret walls of kAmakoTI.
It is that one without any name-form shri lalitA has risen as kAmAkshI to recreate all 14 realms, and after that decided to establish Her permanent residency in the heart of kAncIpura not only in the form of this supreme void/sacred hole, also embedding the shricakra on earth and taking her seat on its bindu and in her nija rupa mula kamakshi as per the descriptions found in lalitA sahasranAma. She is that great, words fail to address her, the goddesses of words themselves surrender to her feet as her children. What else for anyone to make concepts for her? Her temple in kanci didnt sprout during yesteryears or by any recent propagandas.
Shri naTarAja kuncitAngri stava is a sacred text consisting purely the deep essence and secrets of shaktism, as it is. The author of this marvellous work, shri umApati shivAchArya took up shrividyopAsana after properly initiated into the sampradaya by his guru, shrimantra mUrti dIkshitar. He has established a shricakra drawn by himself in the northern side of the chidambaram temple region near to kAmakoshTa (shrikamasundari's sanctum), worshipped and observed austerity there for many years before authoring the text mentioned above. Not only shri umApati but many great Acharya-s starting from AdinAth shiva upto Adi shankara, every wise and spiritually elevated ones have celebrated and accepted ambAl as the highest truth and propagated her to be the highest attainment.
Such attainment called shrividyA is what all paths mainly shAktam and shaivam lead to, it is what advaita vedanta preaches, it is an ocean consisting everything including shiva and shakti.
The tamil vedic poet known as abhirAmi bhattar in his works mentions devi who comes as shiva's consort is due to the fruit of his penance and is actually his mother. LalitAmbikA is not only the three goddesses vani rama and uma but also the trimurtis and who transcends these triads, ascending as the fourth, fifth, why even the sixth or seventh, because there's no stop sign when it comes to understanding her, she is purely experience and her wisdom is indeed very expensive.
Let's not register for devi any identification card that she is only this or just that, she is beyond the existence of both shiva and shakti, this is the words of the 8 speech goddesses.
What is neither shiva nor shakti, is being as both simultaneously yet always beyond such duality, that is lalitAmbikA the Absolute, Atman. This is how lalitA sahasranAma ends by opening the gates of Self wisdom to all of us. Lets learn how to treasure it well and not to abuse it just to feed our arrogance.
May devi forgive all our flaws, may all our prayers and praises reach her kadamba manjari like ears.
Jaya jaya kamakoTi shivE
An Article by KArtik SaccidAnandam
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