Sri Suktam Explained - Part 2

I don’t know why we are still so confused. Is Sri Hari bigger? Is Shiva greater? Is Durga superior? Aren’t they all conveying the same principle?

Think of a movie. There is a script, a screenplay. You shoot the movie with Akshay Kumar in the lead role as the hero. Then you make the same movie with the same plot, story, screenplay, and scenes, but this time, Ajay Devgan is in the lead role as the hero. Does it really matter? Does it make any difference?

Look at the purpose. We are here to learn something from these stories, from these books. Does the name of the actor really matter? We are not here to start fan associations, yet that is what we are doing now. How foolish this is!

Rishis are sharing deep, profound concepts through simple stories, and instead of understanding the concepts, we are forming fan clubs, saying, 'No, he is bigger,' or 'He came first.'

When you say, 'Lakshmi will stay only where Sri Hari is worshiped,' what does it mean? It means they are always together. Simple, nothing more.

Goddess as the Foundation of the Universe

प्रतिष्ठा लोकस्य
When you say, श्रद्धया देवो देवत्वमश्नुते, what does it mean? Sri Hari is all-pervading because of the universality of this Shakti—this action, this constant movement, this dynamism present in every atom across the universe.

Don’t settle for simple, apparent meanings. Sri Hari’s divinity is due to this Kriya Shakti, this action, which is his own Shakti, called by another name—Lakshmi.

अस्येशाना जगतो विष्णुपत्नी
अस्य जगतः ईशाना विष्णुपत्नी
That is why she is the empress of the universe. As she pervades every atom, she is the action within every item. She is nothing but the active, dynamic side of Sri Hari.

This is expressed when it is said:
काव्यं रामायणं कृत्स्नं सीतायाश्चरितं महत्
In the Ramayana, it is said in Balakanda:
'The Ramayana is not Rama’s story; it is Sita’s story.'

Not because it is centered around the abduction of Sita Mata and the subsequent killing of Ravana, but because Sita is nothing but the action in Rama—the dynamism in Rama. Lord Rama cannot move a finger but for the Shakti of Sita Mata.

Don’t be confused. The meaning is that they are inseparable. They cannot exist or work independently of each other.

Unity in Action and Essence

Look at a car. It has an engine, wheels, a passenger cabin, and a boot. Maybe the engine comes from one factory, the wheels from another, and the seats from yet another. But they can only function when assembled together.

We are only concerned about the car as our means of transport. An engine by itself cannot take you anywhere. The wheels by themselves cannot take you anywhere. They have to work together.

Similarly, Lakshmi is the action in Sri Hari. Sita is the action in Rama. So, if you are talking about Rama’s actions—what he did—it might as well be the story of Sita, not Rama.

We are not discussing the Tatva of Rama in the Ramayana. These Tatvas are inferences we derive from the story. The Tatva of Rama is explained in the Yoga Vasishta, not in the Ramayana.

The Ramayana is about Rama’s actions. Rama’s actions are nothing but Sita Devi. Hence, the Ramayana is सीतायाश्चरितं महत्—the story of Sita Devi, the Shakti of Rama.

Knowledge Bank

Which Goddess is known as Srividya?

Lalita Maha Tripurasundari is also known as Srividya.

Drona meaning

Droni means cave in Sanskrit. The sperm of Sage Bharadwaja grew up into a human being in a cave. That's how Drona got his name. Drona- someone who was born and grew up in a droni, cave. This is as per Bhava Deepa commetary of Mahabharata - Adi Parva - 63.106.