Sreepada Sreevallabha Charitaamrutam - 35

Chapter– 35  

Explanation about Ugra Taaradevi

We took leave of Sarabheswara Sastry and continued our journey. We thought that remembering the name of Sreepada Sreevallabha is the only means of achieving in this world and the other world. After we travelled for some distance, a hermitage was in sight. In that hermitage a sage by name Siddha lived. He was completely detached. He was wearing only a modesty peace. Two of his disciples who stood at the entrance of the ashram questioned whether we were Shankar Bhatt and Dharma Gupta. We replied in the affirmative. We were taken inside. The image of Taaradevi was inside. It was understood that the siddha was a worshipper of Taaradevi.That siddha said, “My children! Sri Sreepada informed us about your arrival.Hospitality is offered according to the instructions of the great guru. I am a devotee of Taaradevi. As she always grants moksha that Great Mother is called Taara. She grants effortlessly power of speech, and saves Her devotees from horrible accidents. Therefore, She is named Neela Saraswati. There are three Hayagreevas. One is an incarnation of Vishnu Moorthi. Another is a sage and the third one a demon. To kill that demon Hayagreeva she took a blue form. By worshipping Her even a common man will become a scholar and equals Bruhaspati. Sage Vasistha was the one who worshipped Taara for the first time in ‘Bharat Varsha’. She is called ‘Vasistha Aaraadhita Taaradevi’ (Taaradevi worshipped by Vasistha). Even though I worship Taaradevi I did not have her darshan on any day. I visited ‘Ugra Taara Siddha Peetha’ in a Mahishi village in Mithila desa. There the Trinity Taara, Ekajata and Neela Saraswati are on the same pedestal. A big image was in the middle flanked on both sides with two small idols. Elders say that Sage Vasistha worshipped there and achieved success in the adoration of Taaradevi. When I came out after seeing Mother Ugra Taara I found the form of a girl who was a lump of charms. The sound of her foot trinkets was very much pleasing to hear. When that girl was walking the sound of her anklets was reverberating in my heart. That girl questioned, “My child! You are wandering hither and thither. Probably you are searching the whole world for Me. Is it a fact?” I was astonished. Was She Ugra Taaradevi or some mad girl who was speaking like this? Goddess Taara sits on the corpse form of Shiva in a straddling posture. In blue colour with three eyes She holds in Her hands scissors, skull, lotus and sword. She wears a tiger’s skin. She is adorned with a garland of human skulls. This is the real form of that Goddess who is a dispenser of enjoyment and salvation. However, I was seeing a charming girl whose age did not exceed 12 or 13 years. I was shocked. I could not reply. Suddenly that girl enhanced Her effulgence. All the cells in Her body were becoming brilliant. The colour of Her body changed as that of a boy. The colour of that body was golden hue. The eyes of the boy were like eyes of a yogi having divine qualities like tranquility, compassion and mercy.The boy was having anklets on His two legs. He asked me, “Sir! The anklets on My legs are very tight. Can you remove them?” I agreed to it. He said, “Keep these two anklets with you. These anklets have life force. They will decide everything for you–where to go, what to eat and with whom to speak.”Having said like that, the boy disappeared. I went to Kaalighat. After visiting Mother Kaali I went towards south. I visited Puri, the great pilgrimage centre. I went further south and reached Simhachala kshetra. Fortunately, I came to Sree Pithikapura which is Paadagaya kshetra. I saw Sri Kukkuteswara. I visited Self-manifested Datta. There was a snake pit near the place where the idol of Swayam-bhoo Datta was located. A divine serpent was living in that snake pit. After I saw Datta that divine serpent appeared. At the mere sight of that snake the kundalini in me was flourishing rapidly. My body was not in my control. I was roaming here and there like a lunatic. I was reciting the name of Mother Taara and yelling out. Providentially I came near the house of a kshatriya zamindar named Narasimha Varma. The form of that girl who gave me darshan

 in Mahishi village appeared in my mental horizon. The form of girl suddenly changed into that of a boy. That divine lad who gave me darshan on that day was actually before my eyes. There was a cart resembling a horse cart in the house of Sri Varma. Only one man can pull that cart. That divine boy wanted to go to His maternal grandfather’s house in that cart. Sri Varma called the servant who was pulling the cart. That servant came and stood. That divine boy asked the servant also to get into the cart. That boy said to me, “if you don’t pull this cart I will skin you alive and get sandals stitched with your skin. I am actually a cobbler. To remove the skin and stitch shoes is my family profession. Hides of animals like you are superior than skins of buffaloes and cows.”I agreed to pull the cart under compelling circumstances. That boy was holding a stick which looked like a stick used for driving cattle. I was undergoing all sorts of troubles to pull that cart. That divine lad was beating me severely with the stick in His hand. The weight of those two people was equal to the weight of twenty people. While I was experiencing various kinds of troubles to pull the cart, that boy was increasing my pain by beating me with that heavy stick. With heavy sorrow and with blood streaming out, I somehow took the cart to the house of that boy’s maternal grandfather. The servant who came with the boy was very much moved on seeing my condition. That boy, however, remained as a cruel one deriving sadistic pleasure. He warned the servant that he would also be punished if he shows any love for the evil doer. I was half naked. That boy went inside the house and brought two handfuls of chilly powder. He rubbed that chilly powder on the parts of my body from which blood was flowing. Only two anklets that were given in the Mahishi village were on my waist. In the meanwhile the maternal grandmother of that divine boy, Rajamaamba –a pious woman came out. She had another name, Punya Roopini. On seeing her the burning sensation in my body cooled down. Her husband was famous Baapanaarya a Satya Rusheeswara (true sage).

He spoke to me in Hindi, “Child! What is your village! Where from you have come? You can take some rest and leave after taking meals.” The servant submitted the cruel acts of Sri Sreepada to His maternal grandmother and grandfather.Then Sri Sreepada said, “Grandmother! This servant is uttering lies. No blood came out of that person. It was only sweat. I did not rub chilly powder at all. It was sandalwood powder.” He asked the servant to examine the person. On examination, the version of Sri Sreepada proved to be true. Then Sri Baapanaarya said, “Sreepadaa! You are devoted to

truth. If you say that there are blood flow marks, there will be blood flow stains. If you say that there is sandalwood powder, there will be sandalwood powder. Whatever you say, it will be there according to your word. It appears that you are really a personification of Ugra Taara. I heard that Ugra Taaradevi grants efficacy of speech. Verily, you are a personification of Ugra Taara and you can change the nature and qualities of any of the articles there by a mere will. Please stop your playful pastime and show mercy on this unfortunate one.” 

Then Sri Sreepada observed, “Grandfather! You are correctly speaking.You said that emergence of will in Me and its fruition takes place almost simultaneously. To decide whether it is a fact or not, the help of scriptures is required. This stranger is a good brahmin. He worships Ugra Taara. Good! However, he took to the discipline of asceticism in his own way without obtaining the permission of any guru. His father brought him up by undergoing all kinds of difficulties. His mother suffered great pain when he was in her womb. At the time of his birth that mother lost much of her blood. She experienced excruciating anguish comparable to the burning sensation arising from rubbing chilly powder to wounds oozing with blood. That servant in the house of Narasimha Varma was the father of this stranger in his previous birth! The wife of that servant was the mother of this stranger! Not performing proper obsequies in the name of dead elders causes ill effects. This stranger did not perform obsequies to his parents because he became a sannyasi. His sinful karma, and his punya karma dragged him to the Paadagaya kshetra, Sri Pithikapura. I cancelled those ill effects by making him experience that sinful karma with small trouble.A child lies in the womb of his mother for 9 months. If one stays in Kaashi kshetra for 9 months, or 9 days or 9 ghadiyas, the curses from ancestors are annulled. Sri Pithikapur kshetra stands on an equal footing with Kaashi.If this visitor serves for 9 days his parents of the former birth, the curse of the manes would be removed.” I did as directed above. I received His grace and blessings. I preserved the anklets given by Him on that day in my Pooja-room. I attained perfection in ugra taara mantra. I am remedying chronic diseases with my tantra power . Sri Sreepada appeared before my mental eye and instructed me before your arrival that Shankar Bhatt and Dharma Gupta would be coming this way and that I should give them good food and provide lodging accommodation and that I should present them my anklets.” Siddha narrated in the foregoing manner.

 

Victory Victory unto Sri Sreepada Sreevallabha!