Who is Goddess Kamakshi of Kanchipuram and what are some stories related to her ?
Shri Matreya Kamakshi sametha Shri Kaameshwara SadaShiva Mahadeva sharanam parpaddye !!!!!!
Maa Kaamakshi is a form of Maa Shakti which actually shows her real form of Adi Para Shakti Lalitha or Tripur Sundari. This is her predominal form where she is supreme mother and wife of Lord SadaShiva as Kaameshwara. She is also called as Durga or Uma Bhavani. There is a confusion among people that is Maa Kaamakshi a form of Maa Parvati or Maa Parvati is a form of Maa Kaamakshi ? So the answer is both of the statements are true. In the beginning of the creation, Maa Shakti divides herself into Maa Lakshmi and Maa Saraswati and she herself then goes with Lord Shiva. So basically the leelas of Maa Kaamakshi or Maa Kaali you can see here is done by Maa Parvati only but as predominally Maa Parvati is Maa Lalitha Maha-Tripur Sundari or Maa MahaKaali only. They are fully indifferent from each other and the one who goes on finding difference between them is regarded as fool only because Maa Kaali or Maa Lalitha or Maa Parvati are just names of supreme Maa Shakti only who does all these leelas like creation, preservation and destruction, All !!!!!!
She is called as Para-Brahman Swaroopini and Shiva Kaameshwari or Shiva Kaamsundari devi too. Her diksha i.e. of Srividya diksha is necessary for Shaivas especially. She has ‘ka’ and ‘ma’ as her eyes. ‘Kaa’ refers to Lakshmi and ‘Maa’ refers to Saraswati; so she has Lakshmi and Saraswati as her eyes. ‘Ka’ may also represent Kanchipuram. In the Kanchi temple, Goddess Kamakshi is in sitting in ameditative yogic posture, the Padmasana. She has a Chandraperai – the shape of a moon like structure. Her Mantra is Sodakshari mantram because it contains sodaksharas or 16 akshars.
The main abode of Maa Kamakshi is the Kamakshi Amman temple at Kanchipuram which is actually a very powerful Shaktipeetham. Other important forms of Tripurasundari are Meenakshi of Madurai, and Vishalakshi of Varanasi which are popularly called or sung as Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi, Kashi (Varanasi) Vishalakshi. In these three main forms Maa Parvati lives with her devotees and do bless them.
Yoni puja means womb worshiping and this is the cornerstone of Kamakshi worship as It is said in our shaastras that this is the navel of the world from which the Nadis emerge and spread to the rest of the body. Agamas say “Nadis are invisible non-atomic channels through which Prana moves along with Kundalini, who upon awakening the fire in Muladhara Chakra, sun in Anahata and moon in Sahasrara”. Her yoni part is actually the lower part of Shiva Lingam as the Lingam is called as the Para-Shiva part of part of supreme consciousness and the lower part is of the Para-Shakti i.e. supreme energy’s part. Both Shiva and Shakti combinely complete each other as they are always one as Ardhanarishwara.
The womb of Maa Kamakshi Devi represents Prakriti or nature, the material world and the fluid of life. As in Vedas also its said that supreme Brahman is of two forms i.e. Purusha and Prakriti. As per Shaiva belief systems, Lord Shiva MahaRudra is the divine supreme Purusha and Maa Kamakshi is Prakrati and as Vedas and Upanishads both say Rudra i.e. Lord Shiva as Purusha cannot be separated from his Shakti or Prakriti who is none another than Maa herself.
Mother also ordered that Sri Chakra should be the object of worship. By propitiation of Sri Chakra, Brahma became the progenitor of the cosmic egg and the universe; Vishnu and Siva received their respective portfolios. The Shivite poet-saints Thirunavukkarasar, Thirujnana Sambanthar and Sundarar sang beautiful songs on Kamakshi. Her Shakti radiates throughout the world from her sanctorum at Kanchi.
There are different stories related to her. One is of Jagadguru Shri Shri Adi Shankaracharya ji :-
Adi Shankaracharya was unhappy that devotees were calling Maa Kamakshi as the angry Goddess. ‘Ugra’ is not a pleasant description of Maa Kamakshi. Thus he ran past the Victory Column to the Inner Sanctum or Garbhagraham. He shed rivers of tears at her feet. His eyes turned to Sri Chakra at Kamakoti Pedam and the Ashta Devis surrounding it. Legend would have it that Shankara drew out the anger from of Maa Kamakshi and reposed it in Sri Chakra. He eulogized: ‘You are Padmasini residing in the lotus flower. You are Chaturbhuja, Rajesvari, Sri Vidya, Paramesvari, Sakalakalavalli, Kalachakra Sorupini, Mulasakti, Adisakti, Armasakti’ and pleaded her to shed her anger.
Mother soon gave up her anger and became the epitomic goddess of peace and tranquility. She transforms as Sorupini, Beautiful Devi Maa Kamakshi. Adi Shankaracharya also received reassurance that She would not leave the temple and wander into the city without his permission. This was sort of a curfew imposed by man on the supreme Goddess ! This tradition continues to this day in that Maa Kamakshi receives permission from Shankara before She ventures out of the sanctum. This event also has much to reveal about the great acharya as being a manifestation too.
Another story of her comes from Shri Periya Puranam about Shri Shri Sundar Murthi (Sundarar) Nayanar :-
As per the condition of Sangiliyar, When Sundarar crossed the border of Thiruvotriyur, he suddenly lost his eye-sight and fell down on the ground. When he regained his consciousness, he prayed to the Lord for forgiveness and the grant of the eye sight.
In spite of the blindness, however, Sundarar's thirst for the darshan of the Lord at Thiruvaaroor did not abate. With the help of some people on the way, Sundarar came to Thiru Mullaivayil. Here, again, he prayed to the Lord to give him eye-sight. At Thiruvembakkam, Sundarar again prayed to the Lord and the Lord gave Sundarar a blind-man's stick and Sundarar prayed, "Oh Lord, you deceived me. I asked you to remain for a while near the tree, but you cleverly informed Sangiliyar and asked her to get the promise from me near the tree. Oh Lord, you gave me Sangiliyar and all the pleasures. But, now you give me the blind-man's staff and say, 'You can go.' Oh Lord, pardon me and relieve me of my sufferings."
Then, completely resigning himself to God, Sundarar came to Kanchipuram, after visiting many holy places on the way. He their especially worshiped Maa Kamakshi and then he worshiped their Lord Ekambareswarar Mahadeva (Lord Shiva) who is Maa’s half part. Maa Kamakshi’s heart had already been moved by Sundarar's prayers and wanted to shower Her grace on him so as Shiva-ardhaangini (wife of Lord Shiva) she requested him to return his eyesight. Lord Shiva at once restored vision to Sundarar's left eye. In ecstasy, Sundarar rolled on the ground, shedding profuse tears of love.
She being divine goddess must be worshiped by everyone. She is supreme Brahman. Their are different shaastras for different sects so all worship her in different way but all worship her in the form of divine mother of whole Universe.
Hope it helps !!!!!!!!
Dhanyawaadam !!!!!!!
Jay Bhavani Shankar !!!!!!!!
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