Is God a Mother or a Father?

God is definitely a mother.  She is who flows through us when we surrender our “I-ness” complete. She is so wholesome, so complete, so divine, so magnanimous in everything She is. She is the epitome of grace, power, wisdom, intelligence, love, creativity, abundance to name just a few of her qualities which are infinite. I had the grace to just touch the dust of Her lotus feet to experience Her kingdom.  She gives us a chance to experience her through who we are. This is her compassion.  When an Ocean is captured in a handful of palm or a glass, it still is the Ocean expressing itself. So when we surrender to Her, we become Her and become nurturing, loving, compassionate, unconditional love and infinite wisdom. Who else than a woman in form of mother can have these attributes for Her children? She is the AdiShakti.  I will say more about Her below which is taken from the written texts.

Adishakti – Origin of Everything

The Shaktism sect of Hinduism vividly describes Adi Parashakti or Adishakti as the Supreme Goddess  (Devi), the Absolute Truth, origin of everything that exists in its manifested and un-manifested (subtle) forms. She is known as Param Prakriti because She manifested Herself as shoonya Bindu, the divine zero feminine Energy. She is also known as Param Atman, the One beyond all the forms of existence, the One without any form. She is the origin of other goddesses such as Lalita, Tripura Sundari, Parvati etc. These goddesses are the saguna energy (divine forms) of Hers.

Infinite Powers

Before the manifestation of the Cosmos, a divine light appeared. It was nothing but AdiShakti Herself who possessed three eyes, the Trident, the Shield, the Mace, the Bow, the Arrow, the Chakra and the Sword. Another light emerged from Her turning into a lion that She mounted. With nothing around Her, She took the divine form of Goddess Kushmanda. Then Her left eye opened and Mahakali emerged from the same. When She opened Her third eye, Goddess Mahalakshmi emerged. And from her third eye, Maha Saraswati. When these goddesses smiled with Her, the entire cosmos began to take the shape and the universes started stemming from the pores of the Cosmos. My recent visit to Vaishno Devi showed me these 3 forms of Hers which were in the form of Pindis that we worship in her Darbar.

Her Divine Aspects

As mentioned in the Devi Gita (the Song of Divine Mother), She shared the mystic knowledge of Her matchless potencies to King Himalaya citing that She is the Veda Herself, the Truth, the Triumph over dark, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Her divine body had Satyaloka in Her forehead. Her hair were the created cosmos or universes. Her eyes were suns and moons. Her ears represented four directions. Her speech was the Veda. Her teeth represented Her affection, emotion and death. Her smile formed Maya., the Illusion.

Kali represents Her Dark energy that dissolutes everything. Lalita begets the Cosmos or Universe in the form of an egg. She is the Ultimate divine zero energy that remains after the appearance and disappearance of the manifested and the un-manifested.

Praised by the gods

Devi Mahatmyam (The Glory of Goddess) mentions that the gods and goddess constantly praise He as:

सृष्टि स्थिति विनाशं शक्ति बहुते सनातने

गुणा शये गणा मये नारायणी नमोस्तुते

Shrishti Sthiti Vinasham Shakti Bhute Sanatane

Guna Shaye Gana maye Narayani Namaustute

“We honor bow to You (Narayani), The eternal Energy who creates, sustains and destroys all the elements the One who is truly supreme spirit (Nirgun) at the time who has all the attributes for Generation, Observation and Destruction.”

Her Divine Orders

In the Devi Bhagavad Purana, She declares Herself as the seed of everything and every living being. She asks Brahma to generate the universes, Lord Vishnu to incarnate in His different forms to maintain the same and Lord Rudra (Shiva) to display the Tandava in order to dissolve everything created. All these tasks are performed through Her energy only.

Brahma with Her blessings created other gods and goddesses. As Saraswati, She became consort to Brahma. Her Great Power Mahakali was born from Vishnu’s mystic sleep. His consort became Goddess Lakshmi, Her form.  She ordained to Lord Vishnu: Lakshmi will be with You throughout the maintenance of the universes.

Verdict of Sages on Adishakti

In the Bhagavad Purana, sages ask Suta as to how come Shakti is superior when Puranas claim Vishnu is superior; Shiva is superior and the like. Suta patiently explains that there is no answer to their queries. Some worship Brahma. Some pray to Shiva. Some consider Vishnu as the seed-giving father of all while others consider Sun-god as highest because the life comes from him. However, the Shakti cannot be understood through one’s mundane senses nor can She be studied these discussions. Actually all are directly or indirectly talking about Her for She is the base of everyone. It is She who sustains energies. It is She who make all the activities transpire. It is She who supplies energies to all the gods and goddesses.

Shakti and Navgraha (Nine Planets):

All the nine planets are directed by Adishakti to function. She takes the form of Durga who maintains the material cosmic order through the control of nine planets. She then takes the form of Kali who as incarnations of Vishnu and Maya place all the beings under illusion and at the same time leads them to the Light (self-realization).