In Namams 275 to365, the Divine Mother’s many forms providing benefits to Her devotees in great details are discussed.
The Divine Mother gives out the effects of both good and evil actions.
The Divine Mother grants the benefits of Punya and Papa (Sin) to the devotees. She gives out the happiness or sorrow depending on one’s karma. From the grace given, one can understand as which of one’s actions are punya or papa. Ravana and his people were destroyed due their sinful actions. Bhisma and Karna had been with the evil people out of necessity but it was not their aim to increase the evil on their part; they were spared of their sinful punishments as a result. The Divine Mother gives the benefits based on one’s karma but the one’s who do not seek the fruits of their actions are liberated to be merged with the Brahman.
If someone does what is needed to do, he gains punya; if he does things not fair, he gains papa. One’s karma is the basis of the Divine Mother’s help to him.
Apunya means, an action looking similar to punya but not really a punya action. Certain times, due to ignorance or ahankara, someone does evil things. He would not know the resultant karma effect due to such actions. Just to avoid this, Vedas specifically state to do certain type of things and not to do some others. When someone does purposely evil things even after understanding the veda stipulations, the Divine Mother grants the punishment accordingly. She is kind as the mother, but She still has to punish the misdeeds of the devotees.
The fruit of punya (good deed) is happiness; the effect of apunya (evil action) is sorrow.
Karma is the key concept in Indian philosophy. No one can escape the karma effect. The ideal way of completely leaving the desire for fruits of action will help one to free from karma effects. Lord Krishna says this in Gita. In explaining Brahmasutra, sage Adi Shankara repeatedly explains that the rituals like yoga are not the path to liberation. There is desire for reaching the Brahman or seek rewards behind such yogic actions.
The wanting to get Liberation or Moksa is a rare commodity among people. Many want material things in life. People who cry the Divine Mother’s names seeking Her grace, still have the bear their karma.
The person immersed in worldly karma will bear the fruits strictly based on the rules of the Divine Mother. The real devotee gets light treatment of karmic effects on him. For example, when a mother takes her young child to the temple, she would probably carry the child. If she were to take others’ child with her to the temple, she may walk the child all the way to the temple. Here the karma through attachment, immersed in worldly actions is the slave to these actions. A devotee is a slave of karma only in the eyes of the world; in reality, he is the Divine Mother’s darling child (Ottur Nambudiripad).
A mother punishes her problem child not out of the spite but for its own good. If someone slips on the ground and falls, he has to fall on that same ground only. Likewise “O Devi even for someone who errs against You, the real refuge is only You!” This is the basis for calling the Divine Mother as the dispenser of the fruits of good and evil deeds. We will understand that even our negative experiences flow from the Divine Mother’s compassion.
The Divine Mother says, “When someone steps on a thorn, he becomes upset. But there is a ditch, just behind and the thorn saved him from breaking his leg by falling into the ditch. Because of the thorn in his feet, he took steps carefully, so he did not fall into the ditch. A devotee has to realize and see his unhappy experience in this way.
C N Nachiappun
Singapore, 08 November 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 Sithbavanda.
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