Author: Ram Abloh, (Hindu, studied Veda (incl. Upanishads), Vedanta, Gita)
Feb 21, 2020
The relationship between Devi and Deva
The Vishnu Purana gives a beautiful description of the relationship between Narayana and Shri-Lakshmi. I think this description is fully applicable to any god and his wife goddess.
Of course, metaphysically the concepts of divine male and divine female are fundamental categories of duality in the universe. This is an unexplainable “axiom” — it is what it is.
Vishnu Purana Part 1 Chapter 8:
नित्यैवैषा जगन्माता विष्णोः श्रीरनपायिनी। यथा सर्वगतो विष्णुस्तथैवेयं द्विजोत्तम ॥17
She, the Mother of the Universe, is the eternal companion of Vishnu. Just as He is omnipresent, so is She.
अर्थो विष्णुरियं वाणी नीतिरेषा नयो हरिः। बोधो विष्णुरियं बुद्धिर्धर्मोऽसौ सत्क्रिया त्वियम् ॥18
He is meaning, She is speech; He is behavior, She is morality; He is understanding, She is intellect; He is dharma, She is good deeds.
स्रष्टा विष्णुरियं सृष्टिः श्रीर्भूमिर्भूधरो हरिः। सन्तोषो भगवाँल्लक्ष्मीस्तुष्टिर्मैत्रेय शाश्वती ॥19
He is creator, She is creation; He is the supporter, She is the Earth; He is happiness, She is satisfaction.
इच्छा श्रीर्भगवान्कामो यज्ञोऽसौ दक्षिणा त्वियं। आज्याहुतिरसौ देवी पुरोडाशो जनार्दनः ॥20
She is ‘wish’, He is ‘desire’; He is the yajna, She is the sacred donation; He is the puroDAsha cake used in the yajna, She is the main oblation of clarified butter.
पत्नीशाला मुने लक्ष्मीः प्राग्वंशो मधुसूदनः। चितिर्लक्ष्मीर्हरिर्यूप इध्मा श्रीर्भगवान्कुशः ॥21
She is the wife-house, He is the hall; She is the altar, He is the post; She is the sacred wood, He is the sacred grass.
सामस्वरूपी भगवानुद्गीतिः कमलालया । स्वाहा लक्ष्मीर्जगन्नाथो वासुदेवो हुताशनः ॥22
He is the Sama Veda chant, She is the crescendo of the Sama song; She is the svAhA offering, He is Agni.
शंकरो भगवान् शौरिर्गौरी लक्ष्मीर्द्विजोत्तम। मैत्रेय कैशवः सूर्यस्तत्प्रभा कमलालया ॥23
He is Shiva, She is Parvati; He is the sun, She is the sunlight.
विष्णुः पितृगणः पद्मा स्वधा शाश्वतपुष्टिदा। द्यौः श्रीः सर्वात्मको विष्णुरवकाशोऽतिविस्तरः ॥24
He is the world of the forefathers, She is the offering svadhA to the forefathers; She is heaven, He is space.
शशांकः श्रीधरः कान्तिः श्रीस्तथैवानपायिनी। धृतिर्लक्ष्मीर्जगच्चेष्टा वायुः सर्वत्रगो हरिः ॥25
He is the moon, She is moonlight; She is steadfastness, He is the wind.
जलधिर्द्विज गोविन्दस्तद्वेला श्रीर्महामुने। लक्ष्मीस्वरूपमिन्द्राणी देवेन्द्रो मधुसूदनः ॥26
He is the sea, She is the seashore; She is Indrani, He is Indra.
यमश्चक्रधरः साक्षाद्धूमोर्णा कमलालया। ऋद्धिः श्रीः श्रीधरो देवः स्वयमेव धनेश्वरः ॥27
He is Yama, She is Dhumorna; He is Kubera, She is Riddhi.
गौरी लक्ष्मीर्महाभागा केशवो वरुणः स्वयं। श्रीर्देवसेना विप्रेन्द्र देवसेनापतिर्हरिः ॥28
He is Varuna, She is Varunani; He is Kartikeya, She is Devasenā.
अवष्टंभो गदापाणिः शक्तिर्लक्ष्मीर्द्विजोत्तम। काष्ठा लक्ष्मीर्निमेषोऽसौ मुहूर्तोऽसौ कला त्वियम् ॥29
He is the resistance, She is the energy; He is the minute, She is the second; He is the hour, She is the quarter-hour.
ज्योत्स्ना लक्ष्मीः प्रदीपोऽसौ सर्वः सर्वेश्वरो हरिः। लताभूता जगन्माता श्रीर्विष्णुर्द्रुमसंज्ञितः ॥30
He is the lamp, She is the lamp light; He is the tree, She is the creeper around the tree.
विभावरी श्रीर्दिवसो देवश्चक्रगदाधरः। वरप्रदो वरो विष्णुर्वधूः पद्मवनालया ॥31
She is the night, He is the day; He is the bridegroom, She is the bride.
नदस्वरूपी भगवान् श्रीर्नदीरूपसंस्थिता। ध्वजश्च पुण्डरीकाक्षः पताका कमलालया ॥32
He is a (male) river, and She is a (female) river; He is the flagstaff, She is the flag.
तृष्णा लक्ष्मीर्जगन्नाथो लोभो नारायणः परः। रती रागश्च मैत्रेय लक्ष्मीर्गोविन्द एव च ॥33
She is ‘craving’, He is ‘greed’; She is love, He is attachment.
किं चातिबहुनोक्तेन संक्षेपेणेदमुच्यते। देवतिर्यङ्मनुष्यादौ पुन्नामा भगवान्हरिः ।
स्त्रीनाम्नी श्रीश्च विज्ञेया नानयोर्विद्यते परम् ॥34
Or else, why elaborate more? In all things in the universe, whatever is “feminine” is She, and whatever is “masculine” is He.
Sanatana Dhara 