HOW MOTHER GOD DESTROYS DEMONS
HINDU VERSION
The Gods and Goddesses, this tale explains, are the positive entities within our being, with the ultimate being Mother God or Almighty God, (within our Sahasrara) – the highest energy center in the middle of the brain (known as “the blue pearl” in Siddha yoga). Here She is pictured as Durga, but She also changes herself into Kali. Never mind – as long as it is Mother God, it is Almighty God.
The lower “forces” or personalities within us – those which are not illuminated with grace, are seen as DEMONS. (Good analogy!) In Christianity these are often called VICES, or sinful, negative habits which destroy or harm others and most of all, ourselves. So we have the “boss” of demons centered as our EGO, then there are greed, anger, and lust…..
the greatest demon against Mother God is often seen as a Man-Bull, which seems to me like a fitting symbol for Patriarchy. It is the Patriarchs which veered away from worship of Mother, and put themselves in her place, creating a Man God in their own image and likeness. Consider how “bull headed” men are, when they are evil.
HINDU PARABLE
The following is a brief adaptation of the story as appears in the Devi-Mahatyma.
The Devas, such as Self-discipline, Universal Love, Selfless Service and Courage were being routed by the most fearsome demon they had ever beheld, Mahishasura (Egotism). Ego disregards the promptings of the Devas and claims all he sees for his own, living only for sensual pleasure and self-glorification, aided by lesser demons like Greed, Lust, and Anger.
The divine beings ran to the greatest of all the gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, to plead for help. But when the Big Three realize whom they are up against, they exchanged worried glances. “This job is too much for the Three of us,” they agree. “In a case like this, there is only one recourse.” And sitting down for meditation, the gods concentrate their mental energy on her, the Supreme Goddess. Her response is instantaneous.
At that very moment as Greed and Lust are trampling the world, an extraordinarily beautiful woman rivets their attention seated quietly near a mountaintop.
“She’s incredible!” they pant. “Ego must possess her!”
Males, however, cannot defeat Mother God – No lie can live forever – And if this demon is ego that also must eventually die
(This also sounds like the typical male, who wants to possess women and gets pissed off when a ravishing woman rejects him. Men frequently take revenge against such situations.)
And indeed, when Ego hears about her ravishing beauty, he sends his henchmen to her with a proposal.
“Submit to Ego and all the wealth of the world will be yours!” the demons announce to the mysterious woman. “Become his slave and we will serve you forever!”
(This sounds like Satan appearing to Jesus in the forty-day fast FINAL TEMPTATION,
“I will give you all the Kingdoms of the World and their glory, if you will BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP ME!”)
(And Our Lord gets rid of him totally by saying,
“Begone Satan, it is written that you shall love only the Lord thy God and him alone shalt thou serve.”)
Smiling ..shyly, she responds,
“Oh my, that’s a very attractive offer. But – silly me – I took a foolish vow when I was a little girl that I would only marry the man who defeats me in battle. I’m afraid I cannot accept your master unless he conquers me.”
It is MOSTLY a spiritual battle, a battle against our minds and souls, and evil cannot defeat Truth, while we keep our Faith
(Aha, a woman has rejected his ego! She says she will not submit unless they battle. She is not afraid of him – this incurs his wrath!)
Mahishasura is enraged at this reply and sends his generals with their heavily armed divisions to take the mysterious beauty by force. As the demons reach out to grasp her, however, the delicate maiden begins to grow.
(What a great analogy! We are living in the very day when woman HAS GROWN. He had her reduced for a while on the physical, but She has risen, She is displaying her awesome power, and he already knows, She has defeated him!)
An extra eye swells from her forehead, numerous arms sprout from her trunk, and fangs erupt from her howling mouth. Swords, spears, cudgels, and whirling discuses with very sharp edges-every conceivable weapon appears in each of her numberless fists. The tawny rock on which she has been sitting unfurls into an enormous, razor-clawed, ravenous lion.
Her God IS God!
“I think we bit off more than we can chew,” Fear mutters under his breath as he leads the suicide charge against Durga, the Mother of the Universe.
The enemy the Ego has unwittingly engaged is the Chit Shakti herself-the purifying power of Supreme Consciousness. The Ego has finally confronted the Higher Self-and it is mighty!
(What human and their demons, can stand against the Mighty, Invincible and Infinite Power of God? God annihilates the ego, the wicked. All that is not on the same level as God EVAPORATES in her Mighty Presence, it ceases to exist, it is no more, because it was all DELUSION and SHAM. God is Truth. Lies disappear before her.)
The Divine Warrioress thwarts her foes with powerful mantras, the sword of discrimination, the bow of determination, and the bludgeon of persistent yogic practice.
(Like St. Paul’s:
The full quote as outlined in the King James Bible, is from Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6:10-18: (10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
……………………………
A fierce and grisly battle ensues in which Egotism expends every means at its disposal to overcome the spiritual force within as it reasserts its innate sovereignty.
The fighting is portrayed in detail, including Mother Durga’s famous battle with Rakta Bija (“Red Drop”): each time a drop of his blood, spilled in battle, touches the earth, it leaps up as a new warrior. The Divine Mother transforms herself into the gruesome Goddess Kali, who swallows every drop of blood before it reaches the ground. To the casual reader this is a grotesque episode, but meditators will instantly recognize the analogy: in the struggle to control one’s thoughts and desires, they seem to replicate magically and maniacally. Only by catching them before they have the opportunity to take root can this endless cycle be stopped.
Woman, Thou Art God!
Eventually, the all-powerful demon Mahishasura(Self-Delusion) lurches into battle, transforming himself from one shape into another as he attempts to elude the Universal Mother.
Indeed many of us have experienced this shape shifting .as, for example, brash egotism sublimates itself into spiritual pride. He is in the form of a half-man/half water buffalo when the Divine Force finally overcomes him. Indian religious art is replete with paintings and sculptures of the calm, benign Mother Durga slaying the buffalo demon Mahishasura.
At one point the Universal Mother projects millions of goddesses from herself, including Brahmani, the Goddess of Prudently Applied Intelligence, Vaishnavi, Goddess of Wisely Used Material Resources, and Varahi, the Goddess of Desire for Spiritual Perfection. Ego cries out,
“This is not fair!” and the Goddess reabsorbs her emanations, leading to the climatic scene in which Ego and Pure Spiritual Awareness stride forth to battle each other-alone.
Shakti is MOTHER GOD – She is the Divine Principle Dominant over all things – In this religion the male worships the Female as the way to attain God within himself – Enlightenment, Self Realization
In this final confrontation the great demon Mahishasura is slain.
When the Ego perishes, order is restored to the universe and harmony returns to nature. Indra and the other Gods regain their place in heaven (i.e., the mind and senses, in service of the Divine, resume their functions).
Thanks, Hindu saint who wrote most of this, with my comments.
Guru Rasa 2 27 14
