In Namams 249 to 274, the Divine Mother’s Five functions and Her Five Isvara forms are described.
The Divine Mother assumes the form of Rudra (Lord Shiva) for the dissolution of the universe during pralaya.
The Lord of destruction,in male form, is known as Rudra. If the same actions done by a female Goddess, then She will be known as Samharini. Rudra makes one to weep. Rudra is the one who eliminates (dra) pain and (ru) sorrow in humans. Periodic pain and sorrow are part of the human life. Destruction is as important as the creation of the universe. To take away the old and to have the new is the nature’s (the Divine Mother’s) plan. However much one cries for a keeping certain thing that is destroyable, it should be destroyed.
When the tree grows, the root seed dies; the soul leaves one dead body and moves into a new body elsewhere. So destruction and creation are inseparable pairs. Each body is just alive or going through conversion process. The whole universal creatures when destroyed during pralaya, turns up as new creation later elsewhere. The Divine Mother assumes the thrimurti forms and continuously doing all three actions of creation, preservation and dissolution. To praise the Divine Mother’s action is a form of worship seeking Her grace.
Tamasic guna Rudra does the dissolution of the universe during pralaya. Rudra is said to hide things. The souls go through the Samsara struggle; to forget this pain, there is a resultant weeping and or crying happens to them, all due to Rudra. Separation causes weeping in humans. Rudra also helps one to eliminate his (dra) pain and (ru) sorrow. When Para Brahman created Rudra; Rudra wept; so, his name Rudra comes about. He is one of the Suns. He appears during the pralaya. With his hot rays, he destroys the universe, there by generating steam, which further changes to cloud form. These pralaya clouds cause torrential rain to sink the whole universe in water to destroy it further. These clouds are called Rudra’s weeping. The Divine Mother assumes Rudra’s form in dissolution of the universe.
Further, Rudra is Isvara where tamasic attributes are predominant. Weeping and resultant tears run down from his solar eye during pralaya as torrential rain to complete the dissolution of the universe. According to Taittiriya Samhita, Rudra is known as weeper. Rudra’s three eyes are the Sun, Moon and fire.
When the sun rises, the flower blooms; the ocean becomes agitated when the full moon rises; leaves fall, flowers blossom, and fruits ripen with the seasonal changes; planetary revolutions create seasonal changes to human lives. The Divine Mother has the power to deflect these seasonal effects for Her devotees and protect them. So, She is Rudra rupini.
The Namams from 264 Shrsti karti to 269 Rudra rupa as discussed
in Devi Bhagavata are as follows: “She creates the universe according to Her
will. She protects it. During dissolution at the end of the cycle, She destroys
it. The Divine Mother thus causing illusion in the universe in three ways;
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva do their jobs of creation, protection, and dissolution
with Her blessings. She has bound the entire universe with “I and mine” bonds.
The yogins free of attachments, desiring liberation worship Her alone; She is
Lord Shiva; also, the lady empress of the universe.
The Divine Mother as Lord Rudra associated with wind
and strom during pralaya is ready to dissolve the universe.
C N Nachiappun
Singapore, 20 October
2020.
References:
1. The Thousand Names
of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San
Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon
2. Shri Lalitha
Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’
societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.
3.
The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna
Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India
with commentary by Shrimath Swami Sithbavandar.
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