Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 418: Shri Jada shakti (ōṃ jaḍaśaktyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother is the Jada shakti is opposite to the chit shakti, the power of consciousness. If the Divine Mother’s true form is chitshakti, then who created the jada shakti? For universe to function well, dual shaktis are needed. (Likewise, dualities, good and evil, happiness and sorrow, birth and death are also needed). 

For example, the Sun’s ray when it falls on any object in earth, we call it as object; we call the Sun’s ray as light or brightness. If those rays do not fall on anything, it is in un-manifested state. If we keep a prism in Sun’s ray’s path, the refracted light gives out seven colours (green and red, yellow and blue, white and black are differing to each other). Only when there are such differences, we can explain and understand the Sun’s rays. The soul helps to explain the non-understandable thing. We need differences to clarify and understand the universal creature creation. So the Divine Mother has made Her chit shakti into Jada shakti also in order to do the creation process. 

Like white is opposite to black, chit shakti is opposite to the jada shakti. Feeling and knowledge are within the chit shakti. Jada shakti does not have the feeling or knowledge. Even then, Jada Shakti helps in creation processes. Between fire and heat, there is no life in them; so they cannot be called chit shakti. But the fire helps the chit shakti to grow. If Sun’s ray does not reach the earth, the universal beings will perish. If the five universal elements do not act, then the universal creation cannot proceed. For the life to go on, the Jada Shakti is needed and the Divine Mother takes that form. In humans, the bones (non moveable) work with moveable skin to express to outside world. So the Divine Mother being the chit shakti, to ensure the lives of universal creatures, takes the Jada shakti form as well. 

Jada shakti is the cause of the universal creation. Maya creates the two shaktis, Jada shakti and cetana shakti. Jada shakti does not have knowledge. Cetana shakti has knowledge and feelings; it can see. Jada shakti is at lower level while cetana shakti is in higher level as stated in Gita. The Brahman has both Jada and chit shaktis The Divine Mother is in Jada shkati form also. 

The sruti says,” All is Brahman”. Modern science is in accordance with ancient ideas of the rsis. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another.

 

The Divine Mother as Jada Shakti

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 18 March 2021.

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 Chithbavandar.