Our Devi of Kamakhya
Does a daughter need an invitation to go to her father’s house?” countered the innocent Sati when Shiva, her husband, stopped her from going there uninvited. But when Sati’s arrogant father, Daksha, abused his “uncouth, ill-kempt” son-in-law in the presence of a legion of assembled divinities and venerable sages, it set off a chain of events that culminated in a fiery suicide by Sati, the desecration of the ceremonial hall by Shiva’s hordes, a terrifying dance of destruction and virtually the near-end of the world.
Bearing Sati’s corpse on his shoulders, Shiva roamed the three worlds in distracted rage, upsetting the equilibrium of Creation. Vishnu came to the rescue and his flaming discus cut Sati’s body into pieces which fell at different spots on earth, all of which are venerated as Shakti-peeths or seats of divine
energy.
At the spot where the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati now stands fell the yoni, or the reproductive organ, of Devi Sati. An annual monsoon festival named the Ambubachi Mela is underway currently (June 22-26) at the temple. Steeped in Tantric mysticism and lore, the festival is observed to mark the annual menstruation cycle of the Goddess.
The temple is closed for three days and opens thereafter to much religious fervour and a huge rush of pilgrims from all over. Ascetics, householders, tantric exponents and foreign tourists see this festival as an opportunity to experience the amazing energy of the shrine.
Kamakhya, the wish-fulfilling Goddess, is the epitome of Shakti (power). The fertile, regenerative power of the earth is also represented in the veneration of Mother Kamakhya, coinciding with the monsoon season when life-giving rains lash the ground and recharge the water-bodies for the nourishment of mankind. Farmers also identify with this festival, for the fertility of soil is vital, ready to reap an abundant harvest in the months to come.
The Mother Goddess is revered as Shakti but is also seen as the power within ourselves:
Yaa devii sarva bhooteshu shakti roopena samsthitaa
Namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah
“Repeated salutations to the Devi who is present in all beings as Shakti”. This sacred verse (Chapter 5, Durga Saptashati, an epic by Rishi Markandeya) is chanted everywhere where Devi is worshiped, reminding us that the energy within us is a divine gift, a manifestation of the Mother.
She is referred to as sadaa-abhyudayadaa (4:15), one who always grants the physical and mental well-being of her children. She is the eternal Shakti who creates, nurtures and destroys, (srishtih sthiti vinaashaanaam shaktibhoote sanaatanii — Durga Saptashati, 11:11 ), hence devotees approach the magnanimous Mother with humility and awe.
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