Talk:Devīsukta

By Swami Harshananda

Devisukta literally means ‘hymn of the Devī or the goddess’.

It is an ancient tradition to worship Mother as God. In spite of all the efforts of the various commentators, the purport of this hymn seems to remain rather elusive.

Characteristics of Goddess

• Goddess rewards a sacrificer when he performs observances.
• She is the primary deity propitiated in the vedic sacrifices.
• She is omnipresent.
• She is responsible for all the psycho-physical activities in the living beings.
• She elevates the people, who perform acts of propitiation properly and please her, to the level of a rsi (sage, a seer of mantras) or even Brahma(the creator).
• She strings the bow of Śiva when he decides to destroy the demons of the three cities(Tripurasuras).
• She has created the svargaloka or heaven.
• She is in all the words and beings.
• She moves freely in the universe like the wind.
• Goddess moves in the form of the various Vedic deities like:

1. The eleven Rudras
2. The eight Vasus
3. The twelve Ādityas
4. The Viśvedevas

• Goddess supports and sustains :

1. God Mitra
2. God Varuṇa
3. God Indra
4. God Agni
5. Aśvinīdevatās
6. The soma juice
7. God Tvaṣṭā
8. God Bhaga
9. God Puṣan

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore