Devi Versus Bhandasura

Currently I am learning about 1000 names of the divine mother and thought of sharing names that describe Devi’s battle with Bhandasura. 

aśvārūdhādhiṣthitāśva kōtikōtibhirāvr̥tā

crores(millions) of horses commanded by Aśvārūdhā

Asva is a horse which signifies our senses.  Arudha is it’s rider, which is the mind. Until our senses drive our life, there is suffering. Only when our mind is able to be in control, do we get clarity of thought.

Few years ago, I was leading what society terms as “successful” life but I lacked fulfillment, something just felt that there was more to life that prompted me to seek. I came across a youtube video of Swami Ji via a friend and thus began my journey of decluttering life, figuring out what really matters – finally feeling that I have some  level of clarity in my life. Grace of mother, her different forms working in her own ways leading me to our master, our Guru and lighting up my path. 

It finally dawns that so many things are projections of our mind. We stop living in fear, we try to understand what fear is first of all. Fear is never about the present moment, it’s about the past and future. Something may or may not happen, fear of losing something etc. But more than 95% of things we fear never come true! We realize all along we were worrying about what other people will think but they were also worrying about what we would think about them or they were just too busy worrying about the never ending problems of life. We realize the transient nature of everything, that happiness is a matter of perspective, that if we can’t be content with what we have, we won’t be content with what we are running after, that we can help others but we can’t really make them happy, that pain is mandatory but suffering isn’t, that there are so many things that we just don’t understand, that there is no end to problems and questions of life. And as Swami Ji said in one of his discourses, the world will go on just fine with or without us. 

The illusions get destroyed – Mohanashini. Something inside changes, perspective changes. Such is the result of clarity of thought, the power in Mother’s names. 

Source – Glorious Alchemy by Kavitha Chinnaiyan