The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Seat of Sakti worship

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 29, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Seat of Sakti worship

CHENNAI, JUNE 29 . The worship of the different Vedic deities has a long tradition. Many of the sacred places are related to the characters and events portrayed in scriptural texts like the Puranas and the epics. Hence, even if the temples and pilgrim centres may be historically not very ancient the sites wherein they are located are significant spiritually because of such associations. The seats of worship of the Divine Mother (Sakti Peeta) according to tradition are traced to Sati's immolation of Herself when Her father Daksha insulted Lord Siva by not honouring Him in a sacrifice he performed. The places where the parts of Her body fell became hallowed spots by acquiring Her divine vibrations and thus became seats of Divine Mother worship.

In his discourse, Swami Ganapathi Satchidananda said the Kamakhya temple situated in Assam was one of the Sakti Peetams, which had its origin in this Purana episode. After Sati's sacrifice, Lord Siva engaged in intense meditation and the celestials requested Kamadeva to intercede on behalf of all the creatures of the three worlds. When he tried to disrupt Siva's meditation Kama was burnt to ashes. The Divine Mother had in the meantime taken birth as Parvati (Uma, Girija) and She also engaged in penance to attain union with Her Lord. After their marriage She beseeched Siva to bring Kama back to life, as his consort Rati was grief-stricken. Siva then revived him but in an ethereal form, which would be visible only to Rati. The Divine Mother came to be known as Kamakhya after this incident. This deity is believed to bless Her devotees with a peaceful mind without being subject to the pull of sensory desires, which distract man from the spiritual path.

Parasurama is also associated with this seat of Sakti worship. He was absolved of the sin of killing only after he propitiated Kamakhya and performed austerities there. The pond near this temple is named after Parasurama. When he became a ruler he built a temple for this deity and established ritualistic worship there. During the Dwapara Yuga this region was ruled by the demons. When Narakasura who lived during Lord Krishna's time, at the instance of Banasura, tried to propose to the deity, She disappeared from the place when he failed to fulfil the conditions She laid down and remained as a Jwala (light) till the brothers, Viswasimha and Sivasimha who won back their territories with Her grace rebuilt the temple in the Kali age.

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