In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important discussion as to why Goddess Mahalakshmi plays a very important role in our process of attaining Bhagawan’s lotus feet. We’ve seen how She acts like a bridge between the “Jeevatma” and the “Paramatma” and how She ensures that we are taken safely to Bhagawan, without getting punished by Him. Goddess Mahalakshmi’s blessings and divine grace are thus pre-requisite for all of us to attain Moksha. Whenever Bhagawan is with Goddess Mahalakshmi, He never kills or punishes anyone. We can witness this in any incarnation, be it Bhagawan Rama, Bhagawan Krishna, etc. Bhagawan Narasimha killed Hirnaya Kashibu with His ferocious form, primarily because Goddess Mahalakshmi wasn’t near Him at that time, to calm Him down. Whereas, if we take Kaakaasura during the Ramayana time, Bhagawan Rama allowed him to get away unscathed, because Mother Sita was near Him. However, in the same Ramayana, Vaali, Ravana, Kabandha, etc. were killed only when Mother Sita wasn’t near Him. Similarly, the 16,000 Raakshasas were killed by Rama, when He had gone away a little from Mother Sita.
Thus, in any and every case wherein Bhagawan is killing or punishing someone for their misdeeds, Mother Sita (Goddess Mahalakshmi) wouldn’t be by His side. Whereas, if She is by Bhagawan’s side, She never allows anybody to be killed – be it Raakshasas too. In fact, during the Ramayana itself, when Mother Sita was at Ashoka Vana, held captive by Ravana, there were many Raakshasis (Demonesses) who were threatening Mother Sita and making Her pay heed to Ravana’s wicked intentions. If She could have made a “Sankalpa” (Will), Mother Sita could have easily killed all of them within just minutes. But she did not do that. Instead, when the Raakshasis realized their mistake later on and apologized to Mother Sita, She was prepared to go to any extent to protect them from Bhagawan Rama’s sharp arrows. Even though Hanuman wanted all of them to be killed, for the mistake of torturing Her every single day, Mother Sita did not allow Hanuman to kill any of them. This is how Goddess Lakshmi protects all of us – No matter whatever mistakes we do, if one person has to be there for all of us as a divine savior, it is only Goddess Lakshmi and nobody else.
So, why is Goddess Mahalakshmi so compassionate towards Her children? We can see this in the Shri Vishnu Sahasranaama, wherein we have the phrase to describe Bhagawan Vishnu as “Chandra-sooryouscha nethre!” This means that of Bhagawan’s two eyes, one eye is Chandra Bhagawan (Moon) and the other is Soorya Bhagawan (Sun). With the eye of Chandra Bhagawan, He blesses all His children and makes sure that they’re protected. Whereas, with the eye of Soorya Bhagawan, He burns out all those people who commit sins after sins. So, we can see both these characteristics in Bhagawan Vishnu. When we go in front of Him as and when we get the opportunity, we never know which eye of His, would fall upon us, isn’t it? If we’re lucky enough, the eye of Chandra Bhagawan might fall upon us, and in turn, we might get protected. However, if luck doesn’t favor us, what if the eye of Soorya Bhagawan falls upon us? We’re going to get burnt into ashes that very moment, isn’t it? As I was talking about this to someone, that person replied me thus, “Oh wow! With the amount of sins we’re accumulating over time, should we even have the slightest of the wish that Bhagawan’s eye of Chandra Bhagawan is going to usher upon us? For all what we’re doing here, Bhagwan Soorya’s eye is sure to burn all of us! Hence, why should we even think of such a “weird” desire?” 🙂
Given the situation thus, how do we escape from Bhagawan’s “Soorya Bhagawan” eye? We should then think of an alternative person, whose both eyes resemble Chandra Bhagawan’s compassion and kindness, isn’t it? This alternative person is none other than Goddess Mahalakshmi, whose both eyes are so compassionate and filled with the Motherly Love towards all Her children! This is another reason why we should surrender to Goddess Mahalakshmi by seeking forgiveness for all the sins that we’re committing. It is only Goddess Mahalakshmi who can forgive us unconditionally and accept us as Her divine children.
So for today, let us understand the significance of Goddess Mahalakshmi through the “Lakshmi Vaibhavam”, and we shall wait till the next episode to continue with what happened to Indra and how is Goddess Mahalakshmi going to bless him with the divine “Amrita”. An interesting and an absorbing accord awaits us on the other side! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 