Indian Spiritual Science

An interesting anecdote in the Manas is related to the marriage of Bhagawan Shankar. The sages requested Lord Shankar to take the blessings of Lord Ganesha at the time of His marriage to mother Parvati! This appears astonishing. How could the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati exist before the meeting of His own parents and be present in the form of an idol to bless His own parents? It is said in the Manas that Lord Shiva and mother Parvati very happily performed Ganesha Puja (worship) before tying the nuptial knots! Goswami Tulsidas says: "Muni anusäsaì ganapatihi püjeu saàbhu bhaväni | kou suni sansay karainjani anädi jiyeì jäni (Manas: Bälkäìòa: Verse 1: Stanza: 100) One can ask how this is possible. Lord Ganesha can only be born after the marriage of Lord Shiva and mother Parvati; to which Goswamiji replies that no one should doubt this statement since all the Devatas of the Vedic pantheon are "Anädi" or eternal in nature. There can be no chronology what...

Normally in the world, a female if first qualified as someone's daughter, then progressively identified as someone's wife and then gets promoted as someone's mother. In an earlier stanza in the Manas (Ramcharitamanas), Goswami Tulsidas follows this pattern while qualifying Mother Parvati. Jæ Jæ girbaå räj kisoré Jæ maheñ mukù chand chakori Jæ gajbadaì çaòäëaë mätä (Mänas: Bälakänòa Verse:234-235) "You are the Mountain Himalayas' daughter. You are the moon-brilliance (wife) of Lord Shankar's resplendent face and You are the mother of the divine siblings Lord Kartikeya and Lord Ganapathy. However, when Goswamiji went on to describe Srimati Sitadevi, he did not observe this decorum of description. We come to gather that Goswamiji deliberately broke the decorum to drive home a highly insightful thought. While surrendering to the feet of Kishoriji (Seeta Devi) (Srimati Sitadevi), Goswami Tulsidas says "Jäsu krupäì nirmal mati pävauì|...

Janaka sutä jag janani jänaké | atisay priya karunänidhän ké | Täkay jug pad kamal manävaüì| jäsu kåupä nirmal maté pävaüì | Puni man bachaì kaåm raghunäyak | bhagat bipati bhaìjaì sukhadäyak | Girä aratha jal béchi sama kahiata bhiììa na bhiììa| Baìdauì sétäräm pad jiìhhéì parama priya khiììa | (Manas: Balkanda Verse: 17) The following descriptions are dedicated to the mother of the universe Srimati Sitadevi who is the Supreme Lord Ramchandra's creative force. Without the mercy of the mother of the universe, the platform for expression of life can never exist. Sitadevi is often addressed as "Jagat Janani" or one who is the mother of the universe, the female creative force of existence. In the above verses from the Balkanda of the Manas (Ramcharitamanas), Srimati Sitadevi is first addressed as the daughter of King Janaka (An epithet for King Videha that means the benefactor of the common man). Goswami Tulsidas in the above verse bows to the da...