The Goddess leads us to Him

The Hindu

2 days ago

There are several instances in the Ramayana, where the mere presence of Sita beside Lord Rama, ensured that the latter did not punish those who deserved to be punished. One instance is that of Parashurama, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. Rama and Sita were returning to Ayodhya after their wedding. Parashurama appeared before them suddenly and confronted Rama. He said he was an ascetic, engaged in penance. He was the inheritor of the Vishnu bow from his father sage Jamadagni. He had heard that Rama had broken the Siva dhanus. Equally significant was the Vishnu bow, said Parashurama. He then challenged Rama and said the latter should shoot an arrow from the Vishnu bow. Rama picked up the bow and asked Parashurama what the target should be. Parashurama chose to have the merits of his tapas eliminated, and Rama released the arrow, and Parashurama was deprived of the benefits of his penance. Rama could easily have killed Parashurama, whose life was spared because of the presence of Sita with the Lord. Tataka was killed by Rama before He wed Sita. Tataka had not personally harmed Rama. He killed her only because sage Viswamitra asked Him to. But Soorpanakha had threatened Sita. Yet He spared her life. Again, this was because Sita was beside Him. Sastras tell us to seek God, and that is what Soorpanakha had tried to do. So why was she punished? One must reach Lord Narayana through His consort. But Soorpanakha was interested only in Rama. She saw Sita as an adversary. Ravana wanted Sita to be his and saw Rama as an enemy, and so he was eliminated.
We must not worship the Goddess without worshipping the Lord. Nor should we worship Him without worshipping Her. She is the one who helps us reach Him. Without Her help, reaching His feet is impossible.