Goddess Lakshmi – Ravi Varma,
Sacha Baba wants to transform the lower material interest of human beings into one of divine nature. His saying is that Mother Nature (Mahamaya) has concealed the Truth in her womb, and She suffers from the pain of bringing it to light, of delivering it. Sacha Baba wants to give birth to that Truth and bring about the transformation of the world, based on individual experiences. – Maharajji Sacha Baba
In previous articles we saw that Sacha Baba worked through the last three Avatars to help raise the consciousness of man and at the same time improve his material conditions. As Kacha Baba before them had noted, both aspects were important, and the Divine Mother’s assistance was needed for them. Sacha Baba helped disciples both individually, and collectively as one body – a collective disciple.
Sacha Baba always works with the Divine Mother in the transformation of humanity’s consciousness – as we continue on our way back to God – since Her help is indispensable. We have given an indication of how She is perceived by some in the West and in Hinduism – the Cosmic Virgin through which the Universe was created, Mother of the Buddha and of the Christ, indeed a true Mother of all (Aspects of The Divine Mother); and an example of some Western cultures who tried to find their way back to God with Her help. We will now see how Sacha Baba works with Her.
Devi Prayer by Ananda Devi with full Text and Translation
Devi Prayer chants names of the Divine Mother
Who is the Divine Mother?
According to Hindu philosophy, God manifests Himself in both a masculine and a feminine form. One could say more precisely, that the masculine and feminine aspects of God represent the active and passive poles (to avoid using anthropomorphic examples) of the same Unity. Indeed, that is the only way to explain how the Creation came about, just like the positive and negative poles of a battery which, brought together in a bulb, produce light. This feminine form is seen either as the feminine aspect of God and is called the “Divine Mother”, “Goddess Mother”, or as energy, i.e. the power of God called Shakti through Whom He acts in the manifested world.
When this feminine aspect of God is considered in particular forms in which She accomplishes specific functions, She is given a particular name. Thus She manifests herself as:
● Parvati, embodying Shakti, the ultimate feminine power; She is Shiva’s Shakti. Known as the goddess of love, devotion, fertility, and strength, She represents the dynamic force of creation and destruction. She is also worshiped as the destroyer of evil forces. Together with the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati, She forms the trinity of chief goddesses, known as the Tridevi.
● Lakshmi: As the goddess of both physical and spiritual prosperity, wealth, and abundance, Lakshmi is Vishnu’s Shakti.
● Saraswati is revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, creativity, purification, language and culture.She is Brahma’s Shakti.
There are many manifestations of Parvati, in particular:
●Mahamaya: Literally “The Great Illusion.” One of the manifestations of the Divine Mother as the separating veil between man and God. According to another meaning, it is the fact that man is subjected to a great illusion in this world as long as he has not attained enlightenment, from the spiritual point of view. He only sees the outer appearance of things and is not able to reach the Truth.
● Annapurna who dispenses material and spiritual wealth;
● Durga: a powerful warrior form of Parvati.
● Kali, another fierce manifestation of Parvati, is worshipped as the destroyer of evil forces. Kali is stated to protect and bestow liberation (moksha) to devotees who approach her with an attitude of a child towards his mother. Devotional songs and poems that extol the motherly nature of Kali are popular in Bengal, where She is most widely worshipped as the Divine Mother. She is the goddess of time and death.
Moreover, the Divine Mother also manifests Herself in diverse forms such as the Ganges, the sacred cow etc., which, in each case, has a profound mystical meaning. Certain Hindus prefer to worship God in a feminine form. In popular belief, this feminine aspect of a God is called his wife, which is more easily understood than metaphysical concepts.
Here follows some elements of how Sacha Baba works with Her to help humanity.
■ Sacha Baba is the Great Being who works through Avatars of the Sacha lineage – the last three are Saints Sacha Baba Girnari, Sacha Baba Kulanandji, and Hans Raj Maharajji Sacha Baba. According to Maharajji, he is a Kumara – a Mind-born Son of Brahma, an Arch-angel. As such, he ministers to the whole world, and is beyond religion or race.
■ Since the Divine Mother is God’s creative power, His Shakti – feminine or negative pole – She is found, with different names, on all levels of the Creation and in all its aspects. She, along with the positive pole is the source of all creation. She is also the Great Initiator whose help is essential on the path of spiritual evolution:
Mahamaya is the Goddess of creation, bondage and liberation. We have to ask the Mother [The Divine Mother, Mahamaya, the Shakti of God, the Power] for grace. (Sacha Baba Kulanandji)
■ In Hinduism, as well as in some ancient cultures, the Divine Mother, as Mahamaya, in creating the physical world, created at the same time a veil between man and God, which is now no longer necessary. It has to be removed through specific spiritual practice so that the lower self can build the necessary bridge to the Higher consciousness and achieve yoga – union with God. So all changes in humanity’s condition needs Her help – She is both the physical and the spiritual world, and her transformative energy is also found in man. That is the main work of the Sacha Mission. We know about Sacha Baba’s mission from Maharajji’s booklet Sachcha Sadhana Paddhati, better known as The Teachings of Sachcha Baba, as well as some of the messages he gave every year to his disciples.
Sacha Baba’s Mission
■ Whatever work Sacha Baba does, it always requires the help of the Divine Mother. It is She who brings about the changes in both the spiritual and the physical worlds. Below, we have a few elements which give an idea of Sacha Baba’s work. We do not know about most of what he did, especially since he worked on the high spiritual planes.
■ Sacha Baba’s mission in this cycle of activities is to give humanity assistance in the on-going change of cycles, from the downward movement of the great Yuga cycle, ending with the descending Kali Yuga, to the start of the upward thrust – starting with the ascending Kali Yuga or Aquarius cycle, which has already begun. We use the present tense because he is still working for this goal. His work is mainly to turn the hearts of men towards God – more quickly than before.
■ One very important thing he had to do, was to slow down the Parivartan energies as much as possible, which all three Avatars did, so that people would have more time to adapt to them – the new Aquarian energies. They did so with the help of the Divine Mother. But in 2005 he said that it had become impossible to hold them back any longer.
■ At the same time he also had to find ways of helping humanity turn to God more quickly, much more quickly, in larger numbers, so that they would be in harmony with these energies. Very early in his mission, he created the Prabhu Aapa Jago mantra to awaken God in Man. This enlightening mantra is an important tool to help the world become more spiritual.
For many long years Sacha Baba worked in the Universal Soul, on the inner planes for this spiritual change. Through all three Avatars He obtained the Divine Mother’s promise to help to turn hearts to God.
■ It was necessary to make food more abundant for humanity so that they could more comfortably continue their mission of Self-realization. This was done with the help of goddess Annapurna Lakshmi. For example, through Sacha Baba Kulanandji and Sacha Baba Maharajji he put an end to recurrent famine in India. — Maharajji’s Basant Panchami Message 11th Feb 2008)
■ In 1983 Maharajji stopped teaching disciples individually and started working in the Universal Soul where he could reach the whole world. He devoted his life to this. In 1991, speaking about his work, he said that the main aspect of his meditation for humanity was about the mutual comprehension between the East and the West. Since humanity is one body on the inner planes, sharing the same Universal Soul, (as well as each person having an individual soul), it is not possible to enter the coming era with the same low vibrations, and with countries warring against each other – practically non-stop. The Aquarian energies do not allow such situations. In 2005 he told his disciples that he had asked Mahamaya to spare humanity destruction from the atom bomb.
■ In addition, new structures had to be put into place for a different type of disciple in a fast-changing era. That was why Saints Kulanandji and Maharajji created Sacha Dham ashram (India) in the 1970s — “ […] a centre in Uttarakhand, which will be a pillar of light for the whole world.” It is an example of a new type of ashram which is more adapted to our modern day way of living. Today there are thousands of Sacha disciples all over the world. Indeed, everything needs to adapt – or perish. These Avatars continue working on the inner planes and inspire the necessary changes that humanity needs to make.
Maharajji Sacha Baba speaks about his mission:
“These last thirty years, I have constantly been advising you to pray to God for at least an hour a day. My mission has nothing to do with any religion at all. It mainly consists in turning humanity to God, for that is the ultimate aim in life.
Mahamaya can no longer wait to start the transformation of the world. In this process, only fifty-two per cent of the population will survive. This process has already started and we are now witnessing disasters all over the world, whether in the form of devastating floods like in Gujarat or elsewhere, tsunamis, or senseless violence, everywhere in the world.
Mahamaya will force people to turn to God by creating various problems through illnesses, personal tragedies, aeroplane crashes, natural disasters and similar things. We have asked Mahamaya to spare humanity destruction from the atom bomb. August and September will be hard times.
I therefore insist once more on the fact that you must pray for at least an hour a day. That is the only way to avoid these disasters. But what is dramatic is that nobody comes to me to find divine peace in his heart. You all come for me to solve your personal material problems. Turn to God and pray!!!”
[Maharajji at the Guru Purnima Festival 2005]
Maharajji Sacha Baba tells us this about Sacha Baba’s goal:
His noble instruction is not to work for individual liberation alone, but for the liberation of the whole universe. The reason for his work is to lead everyone towards God, and to establish peace and bliss in the world. He wants to transform the lower material interest of human beings into a divine nature. His saying is that Mother Nature (Mahamaya) has concealed the Truth in her womb, and She suffers from the pain of bringing it to light, of delivering it. Sacha Baba wants to give birth to that Truth and bring about the transformation of the world, based on individual experiences.
From the origin of time the Highest being, all-pervading, brings up the Truth, nourishing it. This continues even today. Now this same Mahamaya is weeping because of the pain of delivery, and She looks for your cooperation to relieve her pain. As long as humanity on this Earth does not make this happen, and neglects to wave the flag of victory to this Truth, then what Maharaji [Sacha Baba] wants to deliver — peace and bliss on Earth — cannot be attained. Today Mahamaya who was hiding the Truth till this time, is very anxious to give it to you now. Sacha Baba says: “My aim after realizing the Truth is to bathe the whole universe in it!”
— Extract from “Sacha Baba and His Work”
Goddess Annapurna serving Shiva a meal, symbolizing the importance of the Divine Mother in the world.
Sacha Baba ensures help from Goddess Annapurna Lakshmi
Through Saint Kulanandji, Sacha Baba brought structure to the Sacha Mission and put into place a sadhana for disciples. This was continued by his disciple Maharajji when he became Sacha Baba. Sacha Baba created a sankalpa: (vow, decree) whereby, in the first part, we pray to God to work in the form of Goddess Annapurna Lakshmi to enlighten and nourish us. The following extract from Maharajji’s booklet The Teachings of Sacha Baba explains this prayer.
“He Parmaatman !
Apni jaankaari Tathaa Bhakti Kaa Prakaash Karo,
Aavran Dosh Vikaar Kaa Anta Karo,
Annapurna Lakshmi Rup Hokar
Sahaj Svaabhaavik Prakaash Karo,(He Paramatma,
show Yourself, and grant us the light of devotion.
Remove the veils of evil tendencies. Through the form of Annapurna Lakshmi show us the natural Light of the Self.)
“ ‘Oh Lord, come in the form of Annapurna Lakshmi, provide the world with food and wealth, and give us the natural Light Of the Self! ‘
“If you understand these words rightly, then you will understand what God is, what life is and what is the material form of life. These lines give a true description of the material elements,which are situated on the surface of life.
■ In the development of human life the total balance of outer and inner, material and spiritual is only possible through Self-Realization. This line shows us the connection between illusion and the true and real form of God.
■ In this first half of the Sankalpa the request is made for inner discipline and control. A request is made for knowledge and devotion, because through knowledge and devotion we shall be able to know and understand our spiritual and essential nature.
■ In this line, the Rishi (Sacha Baba Kulanandji) indicates to us the nature of Annapurna Lakshmi, that is the supreme essence of God’s creation, the manifested form of the true Light, and a limb of the Supreme Self. The Rishi experiences his own Light in her form, and he wants, through the power of his Sankalpa, through his calling and prayer, to bring Her assistance, for the prosperity of all mankind.
■ These lines of the Sankalpa are very precious for human life. This is a prayer for the connection of the material world to the divine, and for transforming it into divinity. In the first half of the Sankalpa the prayer is for Paramatman to descend to human level and lift us up. In the same way in these lines the request is made to God, to come in the form of Annapurna Lakshmi, and let his natural Light flow through her.
■ Annapurna Laxmi is the energy of the material part of life. She nourishes things which are necessary for the body and are manifested through this form. The rishi cannot neglect the vital necessities of the material part of life, but he also clearly perceives the divine side of it. For the maintenance of the body, as well as its corresponding duties, Paramatman manifests in the form of Annapurna Laxmi, and the seer prays to Him, to let the natural divine Light descend in that very form.
If we think of the form of Annapurna Lakshmi only to selfishly earn and collect material objects, rather than for Wisdom and spiritual Truth, then it becomes very harmful. If this occurs, then life becomes full of many evils like lust, anger, greed, jealousy, untruth, stealing, etc. Material happiness as well as spiritual progress become impossible. The bad karmas of many lives are extended, and one’s bondage is strengthened.
■ Therefore, the enlightened form of nature, i.e. Annapurna Laxmi, should be integrated into human life, that divine form which is Truth and Knowledge and the natural Light of Paramatman. In this form lies the welfare of all humankind.
The almighty Paramatma, shining in the form of Annapurna Lakshmi, brings abundance, so that there is no lack of things in the created world. Apart from Paramatman there can be no existence, while with Paramatman there can be no absence of existence.
“Na Sato Vidyate Bhavo, Na Bhavo Vidyate Satah”
(Bhagavad Gita)
Which means, what is true cannot be inexistent, while what is untrue can never exist. Therefore by connecting with the Light of Paramatman, the absence of Annapurna Laxmi is completely impossible.
In the atmosphere of today it has become very necessary for the materially prosperous to understand this meaning. It has become the aim of people in this modern era of society to gain money somehow, by deceitful means and use it for various enjoyments of moral or immoral character. In this time of crises, there is no other way than to live with God-Consciousness and give form to the Sankalpa.
Peace and liberation, as well as prosperity, is within the all pervading vision of this great saint Sacha Baba and to strengthen the Sankalpa he revealed a Mahasutra (great mantra), which transforms and brings consolation to the world:
“Ab Mahaamaaya Bhi Parmaatma Kaa Prakaash Karegi”
(Now Mahamaya, Great Mother of creation, liberation and illusion, shall also show us the Light of God.)
Until today, according to ancient history, Mother Nature (Prakriti) who is a part of the manifestation of Paramatma, has been placing a veil on our lives. It is certain, according to this Sankalpa, that Mahamaya will now contribute in a positive manner, giving up the placing of veils and opening up the way to the Light of Paramatman.
In his meditation Sacha Baba speaks through his inner voice to Mahamaya:
Oh Mother, may You Yourself now uphold the Truth, show us the Light of Truth, and make creation free from selfishness. If the Truth doesn’t come through you, it will not manage to come at all.
The transformation of Nature on a gross, cosmic level becomes possible through an initial transformation on a subtle, inner level. In this manner, the transformation of Nature has been already assured by the above mentioned “inner voice”. The only necessity is to call upon Compassion and to pray, and that responsibility is yours and mine. It is everyone’s responsibility!
Sacha Baba shows us the way, and he assures us that Mother Nature herself will cooperate, as well as bring deliverance to us. Now it’s our duty to call and pray so as to to bring this necessary change, as early as possible. We have also to make it manifest, by breaking our bondage of attachments, getting hold of the Truth and awakening.
— Maharajji, The Teachings of Sacha Baba, Extract from “Sankalpa”.
ॐ ॐ ॐ
We now see that all work done by Sacha Baba is through the Divine Mother. The transformation of hearts and consciousness has been made easier by his work carried out on the spiritual planes where all humanity is reached, i.e. the Divine Mother has accepted and is ready to do Her part – what is left for us to do is to pray for our transformation. In the last two paragraphs, we are told that this work can succeed on a cosmic level only when individually we call upon God to bring about this change in ourselves.
