This is an in depth study of the contemplation of the Supreme as the Divine Mother, as Energy and Power, and as the manifestation of the one limitless Reality known as Devi Tattva. The study is drawn from the teachings on God as Mother and The Inner Meaning of the Devi Mahatmya by Swami Krishnananda.

The following are points of teaching and the benefits of this great contemplative science, by which we learn to see everything as the One:

• It is God resplendent, splashing Himself forth as this Viratsvarupa (Cosmic form of the universe), and the radiance of the Almighty is seen with our own physical eyes in the form of these substances that stand before us as mountains and trees, and the sun, the moon and the stars.Therefore, the sadhana of the soul, is that there is nothing to reject in this world, inasmuch as God could not have created anything which is undivine. If He created anything undivine, there must be something other than God, which cannot be. Therefore, the world is divine. It is the power of God; it is Shakti.




• Therefore, Shakta, the owner of Shakti, is reached only through Shakti. The Almighty, the Creator, is reached through the creation. Narayana is reached only through Lakshmi, Siva can be seen only through Parvati, and the great God of the universe, the Protector, the Creator, the Sustainer, is capable of communion and encounter only through His creation.




• As in the Bhagavad Gita sometimes we are told that the eighteen chapters can be grouped into three sections of teaching, consisting of six chapters in each, the Devi-Mahatmya also, is capable of a division into three sections. The march of the soul is graduated into three major steps, though there are many minor steps involved in these three major ones. These threefold transformations of the spiritual being of the aspiring soul are dominated or presided over by three deities known as Maha-Kali, Maha-Lakshmi and Maha­-Sarasvati. These three presiding forces are representative of the powers of the spirit within manifesting themselves in an upward ascent towards freedom ultimate, so that in this march of the soul to its freedom, it carries with it everything that is connected with it.




• There are three stages of transformation described in the three sections of the Devi-Mahatmya. The first one is where Adi-Sakti awakens Maha-Vishnu who was asleep, so that He may destroy or overcome the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, which are mala in the form of kama, krodha and lobha (desire, anger and greed). The second stage is where the same Sakti manifests Herself as Maha-Lakshmi and overcomes Mahishasura and Raktabija who represent the vikshepa sakti, the tossing of the mind. Every minute the mind changes its forms which multiply in millions.The third one is where Sumbha and Nisumbha are destroyed by Maha-Sarasvati. And the nine days of worship, which are referred to as Navaratri, comprehend these three stages adored in three days of worship, each. The final victory is called Vijaya-Dasami, the tenth day. That is the day of Victory, where you master the forces of Nature completely and your goal is reached.




• Ancient masters have told us that while mala or dirt of the psychological structure can be removed by Karma Yoga, by unselfish and dedicated service, vikshepa or distraction of the mind can be removed only by worship of God, by upasana. But even now, we are not fully safe. While mala might have gone and vikshepa is not there, we may have a third trouble, namely, a complete oblivion of consciousness. Ajnana or ignorance is an opposing power subtler than its effects in the form of mala and vikshepa. Distraction and direct sensual desires are the outer expressions of a subtle ignorance of Truth—avidya or ajnana. Why do we desire things? Because, we do not know the nature of Truth.