Neela Suktam
Neela Suktam is recited as a prayer to Neela Devi (Nila Devi),
the third consort of Lord Vishnu, after Sri Devi (goddess
Lakshmi) and Bhu Devi (mother earth). The three deities are
considered as representing different aspects of wealth; and also
the three gunas (qualities of nature) – sattva (pious harmony),
rajas (passion) and thamas (inertia) respectively.
It may be noted that there are three suktas – Sri Suktam, Bhu
Suktam and Neela Suktam – addressed to each of the three
consorts of Vishnu. In images, Sri Devi (Lakshmi) is shown
seated to the right of Vishnu, while Bhu Devi and Neela Devi are
both shown seated to the left.
The earliest mentions of Lakshmi, Bhu and Neela as the three
consorts of Lord Vishnu are found in the texts related to
Pancharatra, an early form of Vaishnavism, from the centuries
just before the common era. Some traditions consider Radha as
an incarnation of Neela. The south Indian Vaishnavite literature
tells the story of Nappinnai, daughter of Yashoda’s brother, who
is said to have married Krishna. Nappinnai too is considered an
incarnation of Neela.
The text that is regarded and chanted as Neela Suktam is
actually a small portion of the 12th yajus (prose mantra) in the
4th prapaathaka (section) in the 4th kaanda (chapter) of the
Taittiriya recension of Krishna Yajurveda (KYV IV-4-12). This is
evidently from a period earlier to when the concept of Neela as a
goddess came into vogue. There is no mention of Neela here,
but the term Vishnupatni (consort of Vishnu) appears twice. An
invocation to Neela Devi in the beginning, and a Neela Gayatri
mantra at the end, are additions to the text drawn from
Yajurveda, putting it into the framework of a hymn for Neela
Devi.
The main text of the hymn extols the goddess as all-powerful,
refers to her as the consort of Vishnu, and seeks her compassion
and benevolence.
Transliteration and a simplified translation of Neela Suktam is
given below.
niilaadeviim sharanaham prapadye, grunaahi
I take refuge at the feet of Neela Devi. Be gracious to
me.
Portion from KYV – IV-4-12 begins here:
sthomathrayasthrimshe bhuvanasya pathni, vivasvadvaathe
abhi no grnaahi,
O thou (goddess) of the thirty three-fold stoma (a
hymn/praise with oblation), ruler of the world, breathed
by vivasvat (sun), be compassionate to us.
ghrthavathii savithar-aadhipathyaihi payasvathii ranthiraashaa
no asthu
Full of ghee, through Savitr’s (sun’s) overlord-ship, may
the region be rich in milk for us.
dhrvaa dishaam vishnu pathnyaghoraasyeshaanaa sahaso yaa
manothaa
Upholder of the directions, consort of Vishnu, who is
pleasant (aghora, i.e., not frightful), who rules over the
world with strength, and who is adorable.
brhaspathirmaatharishvotha vaayuh sandhuvaanaa vaathaa
abhi no grnanthu
May brhaspathi, maatharishva, vayu, vaana and vaatha
be gracious to us.
Brhaspathi is preceptor of the gods. Maatharishvan is an
attendant or messenger of Agni (god of fire), sometimes also
considered as wind. Vayu is the god of wind. Vaana and vaatha
refer to blowing wind.
vishtambho divo dharunah prthivyaa asyeshyaanaa jagatho
vishnupathnii
She firmly fixes (holds up) the heaven, supports the
earth; the consort of Vishnu rules this world.
Portion from KYV – IV-4-12 ends, followed below by the Neela
Gayatri mantra.
mahaadevyai cha vidmahe vishnupatnii cha dhiimahi, thanno
niiḻaa prachodayaath
We perceive mahadevi (great goddess). And we meditate
upon Vishnupatni (consort of Vishnu). May that Neela
inspire us.
Devi Suktam — Powerful
outpouring of a Rishika’s divine
realization
The Vedic period saw highly intelligent and learned women who
actively contributed to the shaping of human civilization. The
Vedas comprise the largest and longest-living literature of the
world. The Rig Veda mentions around 27 to 30 Rishikas or
women seers and several of the Rig Vedic Hymns are attributed
to them. They were known as Brahmavadinis - women of high
scholarship. Brahmavadinis dedicated their entire lives to
learning, teaching and spreading knowledge through their
Tapasya and remained unmarried. This was their sole aim.
Sadyodvāhās were also a group of women scholars who
continued their education until their marriage.
Their compositions show the high position women seers enjoyed
in the Rig Vedic times. The 125th Hymn from Book 7 of the Rig
Veda, with the Devi Suktam, sees the beginning of the
contributions of women seers. Rishika Vak Ambhrini, the
daughter of the great seer Ambhrina is credited with the Devi
Suktam, also known as Vak Suktam. She is among the most
ancient women poets of the world.
The Vak Suktam is pure power. It is not composed by her as one
would compose poetry. It is a spontaneous outpouring of her
realizations and divine experience. She identifies herself as the
Supreme Goddess herself, Adi Parashakti. Embodying the
consciousness of the Devi she has composed the Hymn on, the
composition pours power, vigour and strength.
Unlike many other Suktams in which the Vedic Seer addresses a
Devata, this is composed from a state of divine ecstasy born out
of being merged in Devi consciousness. Hence, this is an
Atmastuti. The Devi Suktam is an expression of the unity of the
universe and is one of the earliest Advaitic works. Comprising of
8 stanzas, the descriptions match with all aspects of the
universal goddess, Adi Parashakti — Durga, Lakshmi and
Sarasvati. The Devi Suktam is a celebration of our inherent
divinity and splendour!
I move with the Rudras and also with the Vasus, I wander with
the Adityas and the Vishwadevas. I hold aloft both Mitra and
Varuna, and also Indra and Agni and the twin Ashvins.
In the above verse, the Goddess declares herself as the
controlling power behind the many Devas who are associated
with various facets and functions of this universe. She claims to
move as one with the mighty Devas, including the eleven
Rudras, Vasus, Adityas and Vishwadevas, assuming their form.
She is their core and inner self of all the Devas. She is more than
their equal, as she sustains and holds them aloft. She is thus
Supreme. The 11 Rudras are manifestations of Shiva. The
Adityas are the sons of Aditi and sage Kashyapa. The 8 Vasus
are a class of wealth giving deities who represent aspects of the
cosmic natural phenomena. Vishwadevas are a group of 10
Vedic Gods, who are sons of Vishwaa. She is their supporter
without whom they cease to exist.
I uphold and cherish the Soma, the exuberant plant, that is
pressed out for the delight of the Gods. I am the supporter of
the divine sculptor and craftsman, Tvaṣṭar and of Bhaga and
Pushan too. I am the giver of the fruits of the sacrifices and
grant the wealth of oblation, to the mindful institutor of sacrifice
and to the performer of Soma sacrifice.
The Goddess now says that she is the controller of the high-
swelling Soma juice, the sacred drink that brings delight to the
Devas. She bears the three divinities - Tvaṣṭar, Pūṣan, and
Bhaga. Tvaṣṭar is the divine architect and through his excellent
craftsmanship has created implements for many of the Devas.
He is also the protector of Soma. Pūṣan performs the crucial role
of guiding souls, connecting them to the other planes of
existence, facilitating their journeys and protecting them
through their journey to other worlds. Bhaga is a Rig Vedic deity
responsible for the bestowing of wealth, fortune and prosperity.
Thus, it is with the power of Devi that these divinities carry on
their important cosmic functions that keep the created realities
thriving. To the one who zealously pours the Soma juice and
offers his oblations to the Yajna, she bestows the fruits of the fire
ritual. She bestows wealth on the mindful Yajamana (patron of
the sacrifice). It is through her that the offerings of Soma and
Havis reach the Gods.
I am the ruling Queen, the authority and amasser of treasures,
full of wisdom, first of thosewho are worthy of worship through
Yajna (fire and sacrifice). It is me, the Devas have installed in
many places, in many directions, with many homes for me to
enter and abide in.
She is the supreme Queen of the Universe, the ruler in control of
all material wealth (vasus) and dispenser of the riches. She is
the embodiment of knowledge, the cognizer of the Brahman and
the all-knowing one. The first among gods, she is the prime
among the deities worshipped through the fire ritual (Yajna). She
gives wealth to those who worship her. She enters many bodies
as the prime consciousness, Atma, taking various forms and with
different manifestations, in various ways. Hence, the Devas have
incorporated her in various places, having many abodes,
causing her to pervade (or overpower) many.
From this verse, it is evident that the Devi addressed is Lalitha,
encompassing aspects of Lakshmi and Sarasvati.. The Devi
states that she is the supreme ruler in control of all material
wealth (Lakshmi), knowledge and wisdom (Saraswati). According
to the Puranas and Agamas, Goddess Lalitha holds the
undisputed supremacy among all Deities and creates the
Trinities out of Herself. She is the first among gods and is present
in all things and in every part of the universe.
It is by my power and through me alone that one eats, sees,
breathes and hears the spoken word. He is not aware of me, yet
he dwells in me alone. Listen with concentration, O those who
can hear! For, I tell you what is trustworthy! Hear, one and all,
the truth as I declare it.
In this mantra, the Goddess announces herself as the primordial
power driving all life processes that make the human body
function, whether one is aware or not. It is through her power
that one eats his food, one sees, breathes and hears what is
said. Even those who do not recognize her, are protected by her.
Those who ignore her with their thoughts not turned to her, run
to ruin. She asks for her statement to be heard with
concentration and exhorts its credibility. She urges that what she
says is trustworthy and that she be listened to.
It is I who announces the tidings that are pleasing to gods and
men. The man I love, I make mighty in strength, a knower of the
Brahman — a sage, a learned scholar, or a wise one as I please.
This time, the Devi addressed both the Devas and the earthly
beings. She states that her announcements cause the Devas
and the human beings to rejoice. She would bestow her grace on
whomsoever she wishes, by granting them material or other
benefits as they deserve. If she is pleased by someone, (for his
meditation towards her), she makes him (i) Ugra: One greatest
in strength (ii) Brahman: A knower of the Brahman, as a Self-
realized soul (iii) Rishi: One well versed in knowledge as a
learned scholar (iv) Sumedha: A very wise person. Her decision
is welcomed by one and all. Declaring her supremacy as the
Sarva Jagat Iswari or the sole controller of all Gods and men, she
makes it clear that only she holds the power to grant BrahmAtva
Or Vishnutva or Rishi-hood. It is her grace that all Gods and men
strive to achieve.
I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may slay the hater of
the words of sacred wisdom. I rouse the people and make them
strive. I have entered the Earth and Heaven, filling everything.
In this verse, she assumes the Durga aspect of Adi Parashakti,
who fights for the Dharmic forces. She bends the bow for Rudra
to kill all those enemies who detest Dharma, and so that his
arrow may strike and slay the hater of devotion. Here, Devi
could also mean that she is the elastic potential energy that
turns into kinetic energy when the bow is released and thus
establishes herself as both the unmanifest potential energy and
manifest kinetic energy, that the universe is a combination of. At
the level of the Devas, she has fought several battles and slain
many savage Asuras including Mahishasura, Shumba and
Nishumba, to name a few. The Devi Purana is replete with
stories of her bloody battles and she always emerging victories
after fighting impossible Asuras. Even at the level of humans,
she goes all out to protect a sincere devotee or a humble
Dharmi. She wages war against hostile men to protect the
praying ones. Here, however, she rouses the inner strength in
people and makes them determined to fight for their welfare.
Durga Devi helps both the Devas and humans in establishing
Dharma, by providing them the power to fight against Adharma.
I generate the father on the summit of this (sky). My source is in
the waters, deep in the inner cosmic oceans. From there, I
spread among all living creatures, alongside the all-pervading,
and with the vertex, I touch that sky.
In the Rig Veda, Dyaus Pitr is the God of the sky and heavens
and is considered the father. His consort is Prithvi Devi — Mother
Earth, and together, they are the source of all creation. Here, the
Devi exhorts that she is the progenitor of Dyaus Pitr or Akasha
(sky), it is her from her that he has emerged and it is she who
gave birth to him. The source of her own creative powers lie
deep in the cosmic ocean and waters, and by that, she is
present in all three worlds. Here, “waters” refers to the cosmic
waters which is an all-pervading entity, the genesis of all
creative energy. Emerging from the cosmic ocean, through a
vortex, she pervades all creation and touches the sky and the
apex of the heavens with her forehead. She establishes herself
as the absolute origin of all creation and pervades all creation.
I breathe a strong breath like the wind and tempest, from which
commence forth all living beings and universes. I hold together
all of existence — beyond this wide earth and beyond the
heavens. I have become so mighty in my grandeur!
It is her breath that blows forth as the mighty winds. The last
verse is a declaration of her vastness and largeness. She is
beyond what the mind can comprehend, beyond the created
space and time. She verily brings into existence, both space and
time and all the worlds issue forth through the winds that she
vehemently blows. She breathes life into all of creation. So vast
is her greatness and glorious is her power.
ॐ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॑ ॥
Thus concludes the powerful Devi Suktam. Filled with bold
proclamations, the Suktam oozes brilliance and might.
Vagambhrini became a medium for Adi Parashakti and the
ultimate truth to pour forth. It is through such highly
accomplished seers that the truth is shared and recorded as
Shrutis. These are divine revelations seen by Rishis and Rishikas,
our ancient Sages, while absorbed in intense Tapasya and
meditation.
