The word Sharad means winter and Purnima is a full moon. So, this is about the first full moon of the winter season which is to arrive soon. The moon on this day is said to be relatively closest to earth and it thus drips Amrit or the nectar of immortality on those whom it touches with its light. This nectar is often described as 16kala or all the 16 attributes of the moon light, but more about that a little later.
The day also marks the end of Monsoon season. It is also celebrated as the birth of goddess Lakshmi.
It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi or Sri-Devi or Param Shakti (translated as The Supreme Power) was born or manifested on this day. She is probably the most sought after goddess who everyone worships most religiously yet few realize. While most associate Lakshmi with only wealth, or more precisely material wealth, she stands for much more.
Belief has it that on the night of Sharad Purnima, the mythical goddess mounted atop an owl, Lakshmi, visits every home to see who stays awake (or is spiritually awakened). The universe is perhaps the greatest teacher and if only you can keep yourself open to learning, it has a wealth of lessons to teach you. That is what Lakshmi does too. She teaches you how to lead a full life and achieve all that you are meant to achieve within this lifetime.
Every year thus brings this opportunity to help one revisit and understand the reason for one's existence (with the help of the moon's divine light). Remember how light is also equated to knowledge of the divine. Interestingly, the festivities of lakshmi follow the ten day festivals of durgaastami / Navaratri when Triyambake or the three eyed goddess Durga is worshipped. So, inorder to realize Lakshmi or see her in her true form, you need Durga to first come and destroy the deamon Mahishasur, thus opening your third eye. For it is only with the third eye that you can see the cause of your existence .. The same message that the Bhagawat Geeta imparts?
In other words, the goals of life. Goal in sanskrit is 'Lakshya' and the sound 'mi' means 'to build or erect'. So, Lakshmi helps us build or erect goals. It's little wonder that this task is entrusted to a female deity. Female deities are representative of the feminine energy, the material energy that help one create, build, erect. Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, comes to all on the day of Purnima and stays around till Amavasya and that is when people start Laxmi Pooja, perhaps coaxing her to stay back for ever. It is the day when Diwali is celebrated and people light 'diyas' with oil as the fuel. The idea is to retain the divine light.
I have a vague memory of the little things our parents did during Laxmi Pooja. I was advised during one such pooja to dip my fingers in red kumkum and make a symbol on the wall. A red colored swastika. Little did I understand then what I was doing but I loved that symbol. I even found it used often in Greek arts, I also noticed it was the symbol of Hitler's Army. No one then told me that the 'Swa-Asti-Ika' actually represents the divine (masculine) energy or the one who exists as self manifested or manifests itself. The belief is such that while laxmi is represented by the symbol Shree, Vishnu is represented by Swastika. And lakshmi, clad in a red sari is always attracted to Swastika.
She is often depicted with four arms, which denote the four goals of human life as defined in Hinduism as 'Dharma', 'Artha', 'Kama, 'Moksha'. She too is self manifested and that is when you refer to her as Mahalakshmi, then she is the bestower of the 16 kalas or attributes we talked of earlier. One needs 16 attributes or means to set the right goals which are insync with those of the divine selfmanifested. This is what one version of the 16 kala or samprada (sam is alltogeather and prada means gifts) are:
1. Shree samprada - Shree is wealth and the true wealth of a person are his/her thoughts, words and deeds. All other forms of wealth just follow.
2. Bhu samprada - Bhu is Space, or more precisely a space within which to exist. Bhu is often referred to as the earth for it is the space that allows our existence to be or continue. To master this kala is to master all of the known space. To make proper use of wealth, one needs a space, hence Bhu follows Shree.
3. Kirti samprada - Kirti is Glory, kirti is also fame but it need not refer to fame amongst mortals who exist in a specific unit of time. This kala is mastered by those who possess the power to hold the minds of all. That is only possible when you can affect and probably rule all of the known space. With space comes recognition. Kirti follows Bhu.
4. Vaani Sammohan samprada - Vaani is voice and Mohan is charming. So this kala is about having a voice that appeals to all one exchanges thoughts and dialogue with. Friends and Foes. It's not just about saying beautiful things always. It's about speaking the righteous thing always. Its how God's world and God's voice works too. You hear from your heart exactly what you desire, or consider best for yourself, sometimes it leads you into trouble but the purpose is to make you see the simplicity of God's principles, if you are lucky, it destroys the false ego and restores faith. If not, you fall further till you see the truth the way it's meant to be seen. Vaani follows Bhu.
5. Leela samprada - Leela is miracle. Or divine play as it is often called. This kala refers to an ability to make what seems immpossible appear possible and vice versa. It's not about being a magician; rather it is about living your life in such a way that all your thoughts, words and deeds are dedicated to the Supreme Energies that service the entire creation rather than serving individual egos. That is the only thing that can help one see possibilities where others see immpossibilities. And also see obstacles that can not be seen with the two eyes. What follows Sanmohan Vaani is Leela.
6. Kanti samprada - kanti is beauty that is simply captivating but the meaning of kanti is not restricted to such beauty alone. It is the name of Lakshmi too. So, it is not beauty that captivates the senses, rather it is beauty that has the power to touch your soul and change you from within. It is a rare quality to be found in people. This particular kala makes all those feminine posters of the personified goddess seem like rubbish for they don't help you understand Lakshmi as a captivating beautiful person. When you look for beauty, there is a fair chance you end up with a Rambha or a Maneka who are both nymphs or apsaras. They dance in Indra's court. They work for Indra a king who seeks to protect his kingdom and his Kinship while Lakshmi works independently. To understand Lakshmi through the symbolism is to realize Kanti or her beautiful form. Following Leela, is Kanti.
7. Vidhya samprada - Vidhya is knowledge. In Sanskrit, Vi means vishesh or special and dhi means reflection, mind, intellect. So, Vidhya is a special intellectual ability. To realize this kala is to have the ability to learn and master any skill that one sees as a requirement to fullfil his goals. This ability is a supreme gift which only comes to those whose goals are united with that of the Supreme. Following and sustaining Kanti, is Vidhya.
8. Vimala samprada - Mala in Sanskrit refers to the act of possessing or holding. Vimala then refers to the special ability to hold on to knowledge and skill or the wisdom to know what needs to be held and possessed and what one needs to let go of. Sustaining Vidhya is Vimala.
9. Utkarshini samprada - Utkarsht in Sanskrit may mean excellence or overall superiority over others.
And the list goes on till 16. Why 16? Because lord krishna is said to have had 16 kalas. They say normal human beings have upto 5 kalas (which are explained as the panchkoshas according to some other lists) and it is only possible for humans to reach 8 kalas. Beyond that man attains the status of a god. So, the better you understand Lakshmi, this poornima, the closer you get to realizing god. For it is said in verse 8, Chapter 7 of the Bhagawat Geeta:
raso 'ham apsu kaunteya
prabhasmi şaşi-suryayoh
pranavah sarva-vedesu
şabdah khe paurusam nrsu
O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
The day also marks the end of Monsoon season. It is also celebrated as the birth of goddess Lakshmi.
It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi or Sri-Devi or Param Shakti (translated as The Supreme Power) was born or manifested on this day. She is probably the most sought after goddess who everyone worships most religiously yet few realize. While most associate Lakshmi with only wealth, or more precisely material wealth, she stands for much more.
Belief has it that on the night of Sharad Purnima, the mythical goddess mounted atop an owl, Lakshmi, visits every home to see who stays awake (or is spiritually awakened). The universe is perhaps the greatest teacher and if only you can keep yourself open to learning, it has a wealth of lessons to teach you. That is what Lakshmi does too. She teaches you how to lead a full life and achieve all that you are meant to achieve within this lifetime.
Every year thus brings this opportunity to help one revisit and understand the reason for one's existence (with the help of the moon's divine light). Remember how light is also equated to knowledge of the divine. Interestingly, the festivities of lakshmi follow the ten day festivals of durgaastami / Navaratri when Triyambake or the three eyed goddess Durga is worshipped. So, inorder to realize Lakshmi or see her in her true form, you need Durga to first come and destroy the deamon Mahishasur, thus opening your third eye. For it is only with the third eye that you can see the cause of your existence .. The same message that the Bhagawat Geeta imparts?
In other words, the goals of life. Goal in sanskrit is 'Lakshya' and the sound 'mi' means 'to build or erect'. So, Lakshmi helps us build or erect goals. It's little wonder that this task is entrusted to a female deity. Female deities are representative of the feminine energy, the material energy that help one create, build, erect. Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, comes to all on the day of Purnima and stays around till Amavasya and that is when people start Laxmi Pooja, perhaps coaxing her to stay back for ever. It is the day when Diwali is celebrated and people light 'diyas' with oil as the fuel. The idea is to retain the divine light.
I have a vague memory of the little things our parents did during Laxmi Pooja. I was advised during one such pooja to dip my fingers in red kumkum and make a symbol on the wall. A red colored swastika. Little did I understand then what I was doing but I loved that symbol. I even found it used often in Greek arts, I also noticed it was the symbol of Hitler's Army. No one then told me that the 'Swa-Asti-Ika' actually represents the divine (masculine) energy or the one who exists as self manifested or manifests itself. The belief is such that while laxmi is represented by the symbol Shree, Vishnu is represented by Swastika. And lakshmi, clad in a red sari is always attracted to Swastika.
She is often depicted with four arms, which denote the four goals of human life as defined in Hinduism as 'Dharma', 'Artha', 'Kama, 'Moksha'. She too is self manifested and that is when you refer to her as Mahalakshmi, then she is the bestower of the 16 kalas or attributes we talked of earlier. One needs 16 attributes or means to set the right goals which are insync with those of the divine selfmanifested. This is what one version of the 16 kala or samprada (sam is alltogeather and prada means gifts) are:
1. Shree samprada - Shree is wealth and the true wealth of a person are his/her thoughts, words and deeds. All other forms of wealth just follow.
2. Bhu samprada - Bhu is Space, or more precisely a space within which to exist. Bhu is often referred to as the earth for it is the space that allows our existence to be or continue. To master this kala is to master all of the known space. To make proper use of wealth, one needs a space, hence Bhu follows Shree.
3. Kirti samprada - Kirti is Glory, kirti is also fame but it need not refer to fame amongst mortals who exist in a specific unit of time. This kala is mastered by those who possess the power to hold the minds of all. That is only possible when you can affect and probably rule all of the known space. With space comes recognition. Kirti follows Bhu.
4. Vaani Sammohan samprada - Vaani is voice and Mohan is charming. So this kala is about having a voice that appeals to all one exchanges thoughts and dialogue with. Friends and Foes. It's not just about saying beautiful things always. It's about speaking the righteous thing always. Its how God's world and God's voice works too. You hear from your heart exactly what you desire, or consider best for yourself, sometimes it leads you into trouble but the purpose is to make you see the simplicity of God's principles, if you are lucky, it destroys the false ego and restores faith. If not, you fall further till you see the truth the way it's meant to be seen. Vaani follows Bhu.
5. Leela samprada - Leela is miracle. Or divine play as it is often called. This kala refers to an ability to make what seems immpossible appear possible and vice versa. It's not about being a magician; rather it is about living your life in such a way that all your thoughts, words and deeds are dedicated to the Supreme Energies that service the entire creation rather than serving individual egos. That is the only thing that can help one see possibilities where others see immpossibilities. And also see obstacles that can not be seen with the two eyes. What follows Sanmohan Vaani is Leela.
6. Kanti samprada - kanti is beauty that is simply captivating but the meaning of kanti is not restricted to such beauty alone. It is the name of Lakshmi too. So, it is not beauty that captivates the senses, rather it is beauty that has the power to touch your soul and change you from within. It is a rare quality to be found in people. This particular kala makes all those feminine posters of the personified goddess seem like rubbish for they don't help you understand Lakshmi as a captivating beautiful person. When you look for beauty, there is a fair chance you end up with a Rambha or a Maneka who are both nymphs or apsaras. They dance in Indra's court. They work for Indra a king who seeks to protect his kingdom and his Kinship while Lakshmi works independently. To understand Lakshmi through the symbolism is to realize Kanti or her beautiful form. Following Leela, is Kanti.
7. Vidhya samprada - Vidhya is knowledge. In Sanskrit, Vi means vishesh or special and dhi means reflection, mind, intellect. So, Vidhya is a special intellectual ability. To realize this kala is to have the ability to learn and master any skill that one sees as a requirement to fullfil his goals. This ability is a supreme gift which only comes to those whose goals are united with that of the Supreme. Following and sustaining Kanti, is Vidhya.
8. Vimala samprada - Mala in Sanskrit refers to the act of possessing or holding. Vimala then refers to the special ability to hold on to knowledge and skill or the wisdom to know what needs to be held and possessed and what one needs to let go of. Sustaining Vidhya is Vimala.
9. Utkarshini samprada - Utkarsht in Sanskrit may mean excellence or overall superiority over others.
And the list goes on till 16. Why 16? Because lord krishna is said to have had 16 kalas. They say normal human beings have upto 5 kalas (which are explained as the panchkoshas according to some other lists) and it is only possible for humans to reach 8 kalas. Beyond that man attains the status of a god. So, the better you understand Lakshmi, this poornima, the closer you get to realizing god. For it is said in verse 8, Chapter 7 of the Bhagawat Geeta:
raso 'ham apsu kaunteya
prabhasmi şaşi-suryayoh
pranavah sarva-vedesu
şabdah khe paurusam nrsu
O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
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