by Gurani Anjali
Oh great mother, I am one with you.
Before you begin the Devi Mantra, focus within yourself. Think of the Divine mother, of the mountains, the oceans, the green grass, the fragrance of the flowers, the innocence of life, the little children, the babies. Let your mind rest on that awhile. All creation is nothing but sound. Sound taking form in so many ways. Without sound, nothing is. Sound is born in akasha (space). Honor sound.
Om
ya devi sarvabhuteshu
shakti-rupena samsthitah
namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai
namo namah
Om shanti, shanti, shanti.
Mother, your power resides in all beings and all forms.
I am one with that.
I bow to you, I bow to you, I bow to you.
Om peace, peace, peace.
There are certain vibrations, mental vibrations—certain spiritual vibrations. The whole universe is in rhythm. The beat is perfect. And the harmony in life is just perfect… according to life. All living beings in this universe have their groupings: the insect world, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom, the stars, the trees, the grass, the sand, mountains, lakes, rivers, waters. Every, everything that you can think of, has its place. And according to the circumstances, they are moved. What are the circumstances? There are circumstances that are flowing according to the rhythm of life. Working in accordance with the rta (flow); flowing inwardly and outwardly, constantly being and becoming. So we see this great life, the totality of existence.
The wise man or woman sits back in awe and says, “There is so much. Who am I? Where am I?” Think of the mountains, the lakes, great waters, birds that fly, the atmospheric changes—the sun. Look at a grain of sand on a sandy beach and you wonder, where did the sand come from? How did all that sand come to be? Everything is moved. One thing is helping the other. And there is that coming and that going—that pushing and that pulling.
So we ought to behold that which in front of us, which we can see—the thing that is moving and changing. We are to look and we are to pay obeisance to that form, to that color, to the fragrance, and we are to say the Devi Mantra quietly, within ourselves:
Om
ya devi sarvabhutesu sakti-rupena samsthitah
namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah
Om
Silently, pray for the affection. We are to whisper this mantra to the form, to the presence, to the fragrance, to that activity that leads us on—beyond. We can, through the mind, penetrate this universe and behold the wonder of life, the wonder of the mahapurusa (higher self), working through prakrti. The shakti (power) of the mahapurusa—the strength, the great divine dance, the great illusion. We can move through all this and know the ultimate reality of life—the ultimate. Om shanti.
The Devi Mantra is a beautiful mantra. And we can sing it in many ways, according to our bhava (mood) it can be changed too. It can be sung in many ways. There are many moods that one goes through and many feelings that are felt throughout the day. And for each feeling a special tune will enter, using the same words, according to the different moods of the day. Like early morning—that is a special mood; and late at night is another mood. Midday is a mood. And all through your daily circumstances, you have different moods—the gunas (attributes)—they move. And with those movements, with those motions—you sing out. This is a beautiful mantra. You can, with your own mood, your own bhava, your own special feeling, sing it another way—your own special way. Try it sometimes when you sit in front of your havan (altar).
This mantra is a love song to the primordial mother. When you chant this you are loving the mother. And you say, “Oh mother goddess you are within everything, everywhere, without you everything would be lifeless.” I bow to you, I bow to you. Om shanti.