Shiva Shakti - Part 2

 Who is Maa Uma ?

Maa Jagadambika Uma is Adi Para Shakti !!!!!! She is Brahman herself !!!!!! She is not born, She is always present with Lord Shiva. She is the Naari bhaag (female part) of the Ardhanarishwara which is called as Saguna Saakar Brahman swaroop and is actual form of ShivaShakti. Here is my all round answer on Maa Jagadambika Bhavani Uma who is simply called as Maa Chandike Durga Devi.

Maa Uma is basically called as Shakti, Parvati, Sati, Bhavani, Durga, Ambika Devi, Shivakaam sundari, Bhairavi, Ashtabhuja Dhaarinyai, Chandika, Mahakaali, Tripur Sundari, Kaamakshi, Meenakshi, Vishalakshi (Annapurna), Mahalakshmi, etc. She is known as Umiya in Gujarat and almost every Gujarati believes Umiya (Uma) to be the supreme goddess and creator, preserver and destroyer of the Universe with Lord Shiva. She have generally 2 mounts (vaahana). One is Lion/Tiger and another is Nandi Bull.

She is the one who is actually eight handed Devi represents the female aspect of the supreme and its qualities. She is considered as supreme Devi in Shaivism. However its Maa Shakti’s wish that she would like to be in eight handed Durga swaroop or in four handed swaroop or in two handed Parvati sawroop. Her color also varies from green, black and golden color. Maa Uma is Shakti tattwa and its that particular tattwa which even activates Shiva tattwa. Without her even Shiva tattwa remains inactive.

Maa Uma is never born. Shakti (energy) neither be created nor be destroyed, remember !!!!!!!! Let us see something given about Maa Uma in Saam Veda’s Kena Upanishad :-

In the Saam Veda’s Keno Upanishad and in Shiva Purana, it is said that the gods became puffed up with a victory over the Asuras. They wrongly took the success to be the result of their own valour and prowess. The Lord wanted to teach them a lesson. He appeared before them in the form of a Yaksha, a huge form, the beginning and end of which were not visible. The Devas wanted to find out the identity of this form and sent Agni for this purpose.

The Yaksha asked Agni: “What is your name and power?” Agni replied: “I am Agni (Jatavedas). I can burn up the whole universe in a minute.” The Yaksha placed before Agni a dry blade of grass and asked him to burn it. Agni was nor able to burn it. He ran away from the Yaksha in shame.

The gods then sent Vayu to enquire who the Yaksha was. Vayu approached the Yaksha. The Yaksha said to Vayu: “Who are you? What is your power?” Vayu said: “I am wind-god. I can blow up the whole world in a minute.” The Yaksha then placed a blade of grass before Vayu and told him to blow that away. Vayu could not make it move an inch from its place. He left the place in shame. Last of all came Indra himself.

When Indra reached the place, he found that the Yaksha had vanished.

Then Maa Uma appeared before Indra and revealed to him the real identity of the Yaksha. She said to Indra: “It is the power of the Divine Mother and not that of the gods that crowned the gods with victory. It is the Sakti or Uma or Haimavati, sister of Krishna (Narayana), and wife of Maheshwara (Shiva) that is the source of the strength of all the gods.”

The countless universes are only dust of Divine Mother’s holy feet. Her glory is ineffable. Worship of the Divine Mother with intense faith and perfect devotion and self-surrender will help you to attain Her grace. Through Her grace alone, you can attain knowledge of the Imperishable.

Once Lord Shiva told to Maa Uma that “Saktijnanam vina devi nirvanam naiva jayate—O Devi without the knowledge of Sakti, Mukti cannot be attained”.

In Linga Purana, Maa Parvati i.e Maa Uma changes into Kaali (Bhadrakaali), on the request of Lord Shiva, to destroy an Asura (demon) Daruk She went inside the 3rd eye of Mahadeva and then changed into Bhadrakaali. Even after destroying the demon, Maa Kaali's wrath could not be controlled. To lower Maa Kaali's rage, Lord Shiva appeared as a crying baby. The cries of the baby raised the maternal instinct of Maa Kaali who resorts back to her benign form as Parvati. This form of Lord Shiva was called as Batuka.

In Skanda Purana, Maa Parvati assumes the form of Durga and defeats a demon called Durg who assumes the form of a buffalo. In this aspect, she is known by the name Durga. Devi Uma in Shiva Purana is also said as Mahamaya Jagadambike Bhavani Durga or simply as Chandika Devi who is the destroyer oif all the sins and distress. Shiva Purana describes her in this way when Devas reached Vindhyachal Parvat to meet Maa Uma as Vindhyavaasini and here lord Bramha is praising her :- She the supreme Goddess, mother of whole Universe and wife of Lord SadaShiva, Goddess Durga is the destroyer of all distress. She is shining like brilliance an her limbs are shining like Billions of Suns. She have glorious look and perfectly golden complexion. She have all the kalaas in her and is also called as Sivaa. Ohh Chandika Devi even Vedas cant explain you, you are beyond everything and even Kaal bows to you for its life. Ohh devi Himavati (daughter of Himalaya),beautiful wife of Lord Shiva and our supreme mother, we bow to you.

So you may have noticed here :- She is one, upon whom Kaal also bows. Understood !!!!!!! She is not born, she is always there. She is not first wife or anything. She is the only wife Shiva have. Shakti is only one and Para Brahman Parmeshwara Shiva’s Shakti is Para Brahman Parmeshwari Uma.

Some more information about her we get from Puranas. Like when sages asked Maharishi Veda Vyasa that the story of Maa herself coming on this earth as Sati and Parvati you have told, now please tell her more manifestations. Then Veda Vyasa told them about a story where Maa Uma is actually called as Mahakaali who helped Shri Hari Narayana to play the trick to slay Madhu and Kaitabha. Then comes the story of Maa Uma where she is called as Mahalakshmi. Actually its another name of Maa Durga. The story is about when Maa Uma was called as Mahisasura Mardini.

There are various stories describe about Maa as supreme goddess and is always united with Lord Shiva. They are always together as Ardhanarishwara. Maharishi Bhringi doubted on it. He thought that Shiva is the only supreme God and even Parvati (Shakti) is dependent on Lord Shiva for her power and energy. So finally he destined to go for Shiva’s darshan at the param dhaam Kailasha. As he reached Kailasha Dhaam, he expressed his desire to go around Shiva . As he was going around, Lord Shiva said, “You cannot just go around me, I am not full without my Shakti, so you have to take round of her also. We are two halves of the same truth.”

Bhringi, however, was so focused on Shiva that he had no desire to go around Shakti. Seeing this, Shiva made Shakti sat on his lap making it difficult for Bhringi to go around Shiva alone. Bhringi, determined to go around Shivaso he took the form of a Bhring (Black Bee) and tried to slip in between the two.

Amused by this, Shiva made Shakti one half of his body – the famous Ardhanarishwara form. This swaroop is also called as Saguna Saakaar swaroop of the supreme reality. But Bhringi was adamant. He would go around Shiva alone. So he took the form of a rat, some say a bee, and tried to gnaw his way between the two.

This annoyed the Goddess so much that she said, “May Bhringi lose all parts of the body that come from the mother.” In Tantric/Agamic tradition of Shaivism, it is believed that the tough and rigid parts of the body such as nerves and bones come from the father while the soft and fluid parts of the body such as flesh and blood come from the mother. Instantly, Bhringi lost all flesh and blood and he became a bag of bones. He collapsed on the floor, unable to get up. Even the Shakti (energy) of any being is actually female part of the body which makes the body work. Bhringi realized his mistake. Shiva and Shakti make up the whole. They are not independent entities. One cannot exist without the other. Without either there is neither. He apologized. So the world never forgets this lesson. Bhringi was denied flesh and blood forever. To enable him to stand upright he was given a third leg, so that his legs served as a tripod. Now also Maharishi Bhringi serves Shiva Shakti at param dhaam Kailasha.

So I think so this much is enough. Hope you might have understand who is Maa Uma. She is our divine mother and is supreme Goddess. We all are her children.

Jay Uma Maheshwara !!!!!!!!!!