The 3 Powers

On Thursday, 24th June, near about 8:30, I sat for my meditation before sleep but got lost in some thought process, and somehow I got a new understanding of a verse from Lalita Sahasranama. So, I thought to share it with you all. The verse is :

इच्छाशक्ति-ज्ञानशक्ति-क्रियाशक्ति-स्वरूपिणी ।
सर्वाधारा सुप्रतिष्ठा सदसद्रूप-धारिणी ॥ १३०॥

Literal Meaning: Divine Mother is of the form of the triad of Iccha Shakti, Gyan Shakti, and Kriya Shakti, i.e, Power of Will, Knowledge, and Action, which manifests during creation. She is the supporter of all, she is the foundation of everything, she herself is what is permanent (sat) as well as what is impermanent (asat).

My Understanding: This triad of 3 powers, i.e, Power of Will, Power of Knowledge, and Power of Action exists within all of us. These three powers make us the creator of our own destiny. Everything in our life is supported (सर्वाधारा) by these and these three powers are the foundation (सुप्रतिष्ठा) of our life. These 3 powers can help us to achieve Spiritual growth (where the goal is permanent bliss) as well as Material desires (which are always impermanent).

Even the order in which they are listed is very apt. First, we have to Will (इच्छा), we have to desire to do something. Then, we need to have some Knowledge (ज्ञान) even though second hand, about how to achieve it, so that we can start somewhere. Then, we need to implement and Act (क्रिया) towards that goal. If we apply these 3 in combination, if these 3 are synchronized, we can certainly create whatever we want in our life.

All 3 are equally important. Only desiring and not acting won’t lead anywhere. Only accumulation of knowledge and not implementing it will also not work. And if we are ready to act but we don’t know what we have to do or how we have to do it, then also our efforts will be futile. It’s eventually our desires and our actions that shape our future. 

One of the remarking features of such texts written in Sanskrit is that simple-looking words can have multiple levels of meaning. 

If there’s any fault in my interpretation, any corrections and suggestions will be happily accepted.

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