In Namams 275
to365, the Divine Mother’s many forms
providing benefits to Her devotees in great details are discussed.
The Divine Mother is the power of Maya; She is the illusory power of Vishnu.
The Brahman has the special skills and powers. Fire Brahman with its intense heat, can be considered the Maya. The sky may look like as complete to the immature being; but for the matured yogin, the sky will look as part of the universe representing the Divine Mother. The Divine Mother’s Shakti lives in all universal beings and all the worlds in this universe. With the understanding on working of Maya, one gets to know the glory and the strength of Brahman. This Maya helps the human beings to mature. One who understands and worships Maya, gets to know Vishnu who supports this Maya. Only with the Divine Mother’s grace, he can understand the Brahman.
Vishnu is part of the eternally fulfilling Brahman, with the Divine Mother in Maya form. Due to Her kindness, the Maya exists. No one fully understands the true form and the state of Brahman. The Divine Mother reveals Brahman as Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra forms from all the shaktis present in Brahman. Sometimes She displays other shaktis in Maya form. With grace and kindness, She takes the Vishnu Maya form to help Her devotees to understand the Brahman.
Maya has two parts: One will cover something such as true form of Brahman. Second one can create an impression by showing something nonexistent as existent and vice versa. With these effects, the Maya, prevents one from visualizing the universe and the Divine Mother fully.
Maya creates the apparent truth to cover the real truth. For example, the earth rotates itself and goes around the Sun. However, in the morning we notice the Sun rises in the east and in the evening the Sun sets in the west; these actions the works of Maya or the apparent imaginary conditions when the reality is that the earth is going around the Sun and not other way.
What we can understand using our own sensory elements needs to be made clear. It is like a whitish figure rounded by a black line is clear to our senses. So what is covered by Maya is to make it clearer later to us. So if one sees something is covered by the Maya, and we cannot see the actual thing, it is not the fault of the Maya. Ignorance is part of the Maya. For example, when we are walking and if a stone in the ground hurts our feet, it is not the stone which is hurting us but we stepped on it by our own action or ignorance. Similarly, the Maya covers from us the Brahman to explain and to make us understand the Brahman. When one who understands this effect of the Maya can visualize the Brahman. One who knows Maya, can cross over to reach the Divine Mother is Final.
Vishnu means “one who covers up the universe”. Lord Krishna says, “Verily, this Divine illusion of Mine, made of gunas, is hard to surmount; those who take refuge in none other than Me, cross over the illusion.” Gita (V11.14).
The Kalika Purana says, “VishnuMaya is that which makes everything manifested and un-manifested according to the gunas of sattva, rajas and tamas.”
Maya is that which is not what it appears to be. It should not be thought of as that does not exist.
Vishnumaya can be interpreted as one who subjects even Vishnu to the Divine Mother’s Maya. Vishnu Maya temple in Kerala, India is hundreds of years old, please see the website as per reference No: 4.
Vishnu Maya Temple in Kerala, India
C N Nachiappun
Singapore, 29 December 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
4. https://karanayildevasthanam.com/about.html
5 List of Sree Vishnumaya Temples in Kerala:
Avanangattu Kalari, Thrissur
Kanadi Kuttichathan Kavu, Thrissur
Peringottukara Devasthanam Sree Vishnumaya Bhuvaneswary Devi Temple
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