Salutations to you, O Devi Maya, Goddess Narayani, who abides as intelligence within the heart of all beings, giving each living being their own views, their rewards, and final liberation. (Markandeya Purana, 91.8)
Srila Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj one day recited many parts of the Markandeya Purana, Chapter 85, to me. I was most fortunate to hear about the glories of Maa in the Devi Mahatmya directly from the lips of Divine Srila Guru Maharaj. The Purana says “om klim rishir uvacha” then continues….
devaa ucuh, namo devyai mahaadevyai sivaayai satatam namah
namah prakrityai bhadraayai niyataah pranataah sma taam
raudraayai namo nityaayai gauryai dhaatryai namo namah
jyotsnaayai cendurupinyai sukhaayai satatam namah
kalyaanyai pranataa vriddhyai siddhyai kurmo namo namah
nairrityai bhubhritaam lakshmyai sarvaanyai te namo namah
durgaayai durgapaaraayai saaraayai sarvakaarinyai
khyaatyai tathaiva krishnaayai dhumraayai satatam namah
atisaumyaatiraudraayai nataas tashyai namo namah
namo jagatpratishthaayai devyai krityai namo namah
yaa devi sarvabhuteshu vishnumaayeti sabditaa
….
85.9 Salutation to Devi, to Great Devi. Salutation always to she who is auspicious. Salutation to she who is the Primordial Cause, to she who is gracious. With minds intent, we bow down to her.
85.10 Salutation to she who is terrible. To Gauri, the eternal, shining One. To she who sustains the universe, salutations again and again. Salutation always to she who is moonlinght, who has the form of the moon, and who is blissful.
85.11 We bow to she who is auspicious beauty. We make salutations again and again to she who is prosperity and attainment. Salutations again and again to she who is the fortune and misfortune of kings, to Sharvani, the consort of Shiva.
85.17-19 Salutations to Devi, Who in all beings is seen as Consciousness, salutation to Her, salutation to Her, salutation to Her again and again.
85.20-22 To Devi, Who Abides in all beings in the form of Intelligence, salutation to Her, salutation to Her, salutation to Her again and again.
85.23-25 To Devi, Who Abides in all beings in the form of sleep, salutation to Her, salutation to Her, salutation to Her again and again.
85.26-28 To Devi, Who Abides in all beings in the form of Hunger, salutation to Her, salutation to Her, salutation to Her again and again.
85.29-31 To Devi, Who Abides in all beings in the form of Shadow, salutation to Her, salutation to Her, salutation to Her again and again.
85.32-34 To Devi, Who Abides in all beings in the form of Power, salutation to Her, salutation to Her, salutation to Her again and again.
Nature, Mother Durga, is the sister of Krishna.
Maha-Maya is one name of the Shakti of the Lord. In the Markandeya Purana (93.1) the sage Markandeya says: etat te kathitam bhupa devimahatmyam uttamam evamprabhava sah devi yayedam dharyate jagat vidya tathaiva kriyate bhagavad-vishnu-mayaya taya tvam esha vaisyas ca tathaivaanye vivekinah
“O king, now I shall describe the glories of the Goddess Durga to you. By her power Durga sustains the entire world. You and other thoughtful people are deluded by her, just as others who lived before now were deluded, and yet more will be in the future. O king, seek refuge in Her, the Supreme Sovereign. When She is worshiped She confers enjoyment, a life in heaven, and even final liberation to a thoughtful soul.”
Vyasa is the author of Markandeya Purana and Vyasa says the world was made by a Creatrix, Mother Nature. The feminine Creator named Goddess Chandika.
Properly speaking, the greatness of Nature is that Nature creates astonishing variety. The Lord’s Shakti produces amazing objects, producing things through Nature’s various transformations. Nature creates all the marvels of the universe!
Srimad Bhagavat Purana (10.3.47): tatash ca shaurir bhagavat-pracoditah sutam samadaya sa sutika-grihat yada bahir gantum iyesa tarhy ajavya yoga-mayajani nanda-jayaya
“Yoga-maya, the Lord’s spiritual energy, took birth as the daughter of Yashoda Mata, taking birth as Lord Krishna’s sister.”
Some Vaishnavas, some devotees of Vishnu, maintain that Goddess Chandika is the mundane potency of the Lord whereas Yoga-maya is the transcendental potency. But the viewpoint that the potency of the Lord is a singular power, a unity, is not just seen in the Markandeya Purana but also in the Narada Pancharatra (2.36). Narada Pancharatra is accepted by all Vaishnavas as a pure (sattvik) scripture, and there we see this statement of Shiva who told the sage Narada: iyam durga tava puro visnu-maya sanatani anaya mohitah sarve krsna-bhaktam vina mune
“O sage this Goddess Durga standing in front of you is Vishnu-maya, the eternal energy of Lord Vishnu. Apart from devotees of Lord Vishnu, all others are bewildered by her power of illusion.”
Sectarian views should be discarded. Purusha and his Power are a singular being, Purusha-Prakriti. Sages in the past said they could directly see that ‘The Powerful’ and ‘The Power’ are One Being, a single Whole. This One Being is not merely energy but consciousness too.
