Holy Mother By Swami Nikhilananda: 137 3-June-2016
03-06-2016 Friday
Holy Mother By Swami Nikhilananda: 137
Spiritual Practices – 16
Shakti is the totality of creation, with all its pairs of opposites: good and evil, pain and pleasure, life and death. She functions through both knowledge and ignorance. Both are necessary to perpetuate the creation. Through Her aspect of ignorance, avidya maya, She deludes creatures, binding them to the world and lengthening their phenomenal existence. Through Her aspect of knowledge, vidya-maya, She gives insight to spiritual aspirants, removing their chains and finally liberating them. This Shakti controls both bondage and liberation. Sri Ramakrishna worshipped Her as Kali, the Mother, and often affectionately called Her ‘my Mother.’ Brahman and Kali, the Godhead and Its potency, are inseparable, like fire and its power to burn, like a gem and its lustre, like a word and its meaning. All creatures – gods and angels, prophets and saints, the worldly and the wicked – are manifestations or offspring of Her. She resembles an earthly mother in that created beings come out of Her, and after they are born are preserved by her. At the time of final liberation they enter Brahman through the portal of Her grace.
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Holy Mother - Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi Wife of Sri Ramakrishna And Helpmate in his Mission By Swami Nikhilananda p: 87 – 88