Monday, September 19, 2011

The Significance of Worshipping a Devi


The Significance of worshipping Devi, this article is about a seeker Buddhi Vallabh (Father of Swami Rama) doing intense Sadhana on Manasa Devi, seeking a Spiritual Guru. The following words are from the book "At the Eleventh Hour" by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait :-

Buddhi Vallabh was convinced that to transform himself from a professional pandit to a genuine sadhaka (seeker) he must move to a place where no one knew him. So one night he gathered his courage, withdrew his attachment to his family, and walked away.
He was already a great devotee of the Divine Mother Durga, so living near a shrine dedicated to that goddess was a natural choice. There were several such places in Garhwal, but all were too close to his village to give him the anonymity he sought. So he went to a shrine dedicated to Manasa Devi in the forest near Haridwar and built his dwellings in the hills nearby. He began his meditation with the intention of finding a master who could initiate him and put him on the path.
Manasa Devi is a compassionate goddess. According to popular belief, she fulfills the desire of those who pray to her for help and brings peace and happiness to the human mind (manas). Her shrine is a central pilgrimage site in Haridwar and can be reached by cable car, but seventy five years ago it was only a small temple on top of a steep hill surrounded by a thick forest. It could be reached only by foot. Elephants and Tigers roamed the area, and scarcity of even the barest necessities prevented all but the most courageous and austere sadhakas from doing their practices there.
Six months passed. Buddhi Vallabh continued to meditate on the Divine Mother at the shrine of Manasa Devi. He had undertaken a very special practice known as Shata Chandi, which required that he observe many austerities, such as eating only once a day, bathing in the Ganga, worshipping the Divine Mother at the temple and reciting the entire scripture, Durga Saptashati, every day. He spent his remaining time doing japa of the navarna mantra, and on the the day he finished the practice, the great Himalayan adept Bengali Baba visited Manasa Devi. Buddhi Vallabh was thrilled to see the sage and was certain that Bengali Baba was the master who would guide him on the path. Still holding his mala, he placed his head at the master’s feet, and Bengali Baba blessed him, saying, “Your practice at Manasa Devi’s shrine is complete.

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