kAtyAyanI

[Ravi Mayavaram]

The interepretation by Jaldhar and following expansion by Shrinivas are
wrong, at least IMHO.  To me, it is more than ignorance, downright
offensive and obnoxious. I dont know what level of arrogance or ignorance
it takes to call jagadamba who is embodiment of all auspiciousness as
widow. SHE is a mahapativrata, whose Lord survives even after taking
poison, when all devas who have take amrita perish like flies falling in
fire. SHE is the one who witness the great dance of HER Lord at the end of
Universe (maheshvara mahakalpa mahaataNDava saaxiNii). Texts that describe
HER auspiciousness are countless.  Even in this world there is nothing
more offensive than calling one's mother a widow. To say so about
jaganmAta, is a even worser crime. Only someone devoid of any bhakti would
even utter it.

This name kAtyAyani fortunately occurs in shrii lalitaa sahasranAma, I
could answer it (i am waiting to get good answer for another fool who made
a similar statement about dhumavatI in ambaa-L.)  The name kAtyAyani  is
#556 name is sahasranAma. If you have a good translation or commentary
kindly refer to it.

--------------from a translation of bhAskararAya bhaashhya --------------
This name means SHE is the daughter of R^ishi Kata. This is the name of
deity in the collective form of brightness (tejas) of all deva-s. The
vAmaNa puraNa says "That brightness which is the best, and the greatest,
is known in the world  by the name kAtyAyani. Under that name SHE shines
and is celebrated in the world.

According to kALikaa puraaNa this is a deity of ODhyAna. The devi purana
says ka means brahma, head and philospher's stone; as SHE support or rests
on them SHE is called kAtyAyanI.

-------------------------------------------------------------

People do worship ambaa as bAla, yuvati and vriddha. This is in terms of
age and never SHE is a widow. She is baala in kanyaakumari and yuvati in
madhurai as mInAxi and SHE is vriddha in kAnchi as kAmaxi. Hence, the form
in kAnchi is more compassionate and one should be extremely pure to
worship HER as kanya. In that form SHE will tolerate no mistakes. Even in
sandhya, She is baala (gAyatri) in morning, yuvati sAvithri at noon and
vridhdha or old woman as sarasvati in evening.

This sentiment is not implied (AFAIK) in the gAyatri of durga.


My 2c. If sounded offensive, yes that was my intention. It may be out
ignorance, but I dont care.

Ravi
>From ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG Wed Jan 15 00:38:53 2003
Message-Id: <WED.15.JAN.2003.003853.0500.ADVAITAL at LISTS.ADVAITAVEDANTA.ORG>
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 00:38:53 -0500
Reply-To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
From: Anand Hudli <anandhudli at HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: kAtyAyanI

On Tue, 14 Jan 2003 21:35:57 -0500, Ravi Mayavaram <ravi at AMBAA.ORG> wrote:

>People do worship ambaa as bAla, yuvati and vriddha. This is in terms of
>age and never SHE is a widow. She is baala in kanyaakumari and yuvati in
>

 I agree. A widow is one whose husband is dead. But Shiva is called
 "antakAntaka" the destroyer of Death, or the God of Death himself, as
 rAvaNa exclaims in his Shiva-tANDava stotra. He is also called
 mR^ityunjaya, conqueror of Death.

Anand