Sakti as the Universal Mother blessing farm animals and children
S. Rajam
Sakti as the Universal Mother blessing farm animals and children
S.Rajam writes: Parasakthi is the complete form of the universe. If there was any equivalent of her in the Rig Veda, it could only be Goddess Athithi. We worship the light of the Sun as Savitha in the Gayathri mantra. If the vedas pray for Athithi to get Savitha to make us good people and help us attain happiness, then it surely must mean that she is a force of universal enlightenment, more powerful than even the rays of the sun. She blesses us most importantly with mental health. It is only after we get a healthy mind that she gives us a healthy body and a wealthy life. Yajur Veda calls her, Hey Athithi! She who protects us with love! She who guides us with kindness! She who is omnipresent! She is highly skilled and wise! She who blesses her fasting person as a mother! She who is the life of the laws of the universe and the wife of Dharma (righteousness)! We call you for support.
She has no known forms. To imagine her, we must simply think of a person who is kind enough to forgive the sins of life. Yes, she is someone who will pray for forgiveness even for the most atrocious of criminals. When a child who has been chosen as a human sacrifice pleads to the Goddess that she is the only one who can make me see the faces of my parents again, it tugs our heart strings. The vedas repeatedly say 'Let Athithi make us sinless beings'.
But though we can go to her for forgiveness, a sinful heart hesitates to approach her. That sinful heart looks at the fire and says 'Oh Agni, the Lord of flames, in your name forgive the sins we have committed. Please purify us in such a way that all of our sins have been cleansed in front of Athithi' so says the Marai manthiram.
She blesses the children especially. She gives her blessings to the farm animals. Even though we specifically call her the mother of the God of Rain, she is more well known as she who gave birth to 12 suns (Dwadhasa Aditya). It is because the sun is the child of Athithi, he came to be known as Aditya. We can also call her as the Mother of Nature. In ancient times, she was known as the daughter of Dakshaprajapathy. She gave birth to 12 suns. She gives birth to Lord Indra. On top of all of these, she was the mother of Lord Narayana when he took birth as Vamana avathar.
-Veda Deva 6