[Advaita-l] Prakriti - Vishnu's mother as also His consort

[V Subrahmanian]

Here is yet another instance of a text speaking of Lakshmi being the
creatrix of Vishnu (Trimurti-s):

In the Lakshminarayana samhita, a text brought to my notice by a Madhva
scholar friend, is a stuti addressed to Lakshmi-Lalita:

https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_devii/mahAlakshmIlalitAstotra.html?lang=sa

A sample from the above stotram:

सर्वशक्त्यै सर्वधात्र्यै महालक्ष्म्यै नमो नमः ।

या ससर्ज विराजं च ततोऽजं विष्णुमीश्वरम् ॥ १४ ॥   She is the one who created
the Virat and then Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

इदानीं दृश्यसे ब्राह्मी नारायणी प्रियशङ्करी ।
नमस्तस्यै महालक्ष्म्यै गजमुख्यै नमो नमः ॥ १३ ॥

She is the one who is Braahmi (Saraswati), Narayani (Lakshmi) and
Priyashankari (Parvati).

In this shloka व्यूहतेजोमयी ब्रह्मानन्दिनी हरिसुन्दरी । Lakshmi is stated
to be Harisundari, the consort of Hari. In the verse cited earlier, Lakshmi
is depicted as the creator of the Trimurtis.

Thus, this one Shakti alone assumes all names and forms in creation. The
role of a mother and the role of a consort and many more are all played by
one shakti.

In the Mahabharata we have Shiva depicted as the source, creator, of the
Trimurti-s. In the Vishnupurana we see Janardana assuming all the roles by
taking up the sattva, etc. gunas, of prakruti to be the jagatkaaranam.
Scriptures portray the Shakti too to be the progenitor of everything in
creation, including the Trimurtis. For, the Trimurti-s manifest and go out
of manifestation in each creation cycle.

From the stotra we see that she is non-different from the Lalitha
parameshwari of the LS Naama. Many names are common.

regards
subbu


On Mon, Nov 5, 2018 at 4:37 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Prakriti - Vishnu's mother as also His consort
>
> In the Vishnu Puranam there is a stuti of Devaki by the Deva-s:
>
> देवता ऊचुः
>
> *प्रकृतिस्त्वं* परा सूक्ष्मा ब्रह्मगर्भाभवत्पुरा  ।
>
> ततो वाणी जगद्धातुर्वेदगर्भासि शोभने  ॥ ५,२.७ ॥
>
> सृज्यस्वरूपगर्भासि सृष्टिभूता सनातने  ।
>
> बीजभूता तु सर्वस्य यज्ञभूता भवस्त्रयी  ॥ ५,२.८ ॥
>
> ....Thou art light, whence day is begotten: thou art humility, the mother
> of true wisdom: thou art kingly policy, the parent of order: thou art
> modesty, the progenitrix of affection: thou art desire, of whom love is
> born: thou art contentment, whence resignation is derived: thou art
> intelligence, the mother of knowledge: thou art patience, the parent of
> fortitude: thou art the heavens, and thy children are the stars: and from
> thee does all that exists proceed. Such, goddess, and thousands more, are
> thy mighty faculties; and now innumerable are the contents of thy womb, O
> mother of the universe. The whole earth, decorated with oceans, rivers,
> continents, cities, villages, hamlets, and towns; all the fires, waters,
> and winds; the stars, asterisms, and planets; the sky, crowded with the
> variegated chariots of the gods, and ether, that provides space for all
> substance; the several spheres of earth, sky, and heaven; of saints, sages,
> ascetics, and of Brahmá; the whole egg of Brahmá, with all its population
> of gods, demons, spirits, snake-gods, fiends, demons, ghosts, and imps, men
> and animals, and whatever creatures have life, comprised in him who is
> their eternal lord, and the object of all apprehension; whose real form,
> nature, name, and dimensions are not within human apprehension--*are now
> with that Vishńu in thee.* Thou art Swáhá; thou art Swadhá; thou art
> wisdom, ambrosia, light, and heaven. Thou hast descended upon earth for the
> preservation of the world. Have compassion upon us, O goddess, and do good
> unto the world. Be proud to bear that deity by whom the universe is upheld."
>
> The above verses make it clear, in great detail, that Prakriti is the
> Mother of the entire world.
>
> That She is the Jaganmaataa and the consort of Vishnu is also stated by
> the Vishnu Purana itself in this verse:
>
>
> श्रीपराशर उवाच
>
> नित्यैवैषा जगन्माता विष्णोः श्रीरनपायिनि  ।
>
> यथा सर्वगतो विष्णुस्तथैवेयं द्विजोत्तम  ॥ १,८.१७ ॥
>
>
> The Vishnu Purana also says that everywhere in creation, the male-female
> aspects are Vishnu and Prakriti (Lakshmi).
>
>
>
>