The Cosmic Mother in Art
Thousands of Suns, painting by Mantradevi based on Yogananda’s chant.
Kali dancing the Cosmic dance, with awestruck girl at her feet. Stone sculpture, Gujarat, 16th century.
Icon of Madonna and child
“Sati” (an incarnation of Devi) (1943) by Nandalal Bose
Madonna and child on wood
Bernardino Luini, Madonna and Child with Angels
Saraswati
Madonna and child, Fra Angelico
Saraswati by Ravi Varma
Raphael’s Madonna and child from his painting “Madonna di San Sisto”
Modern Saraswati silk painting
The Madonna of Humility, Fra Angelico
Marble painting of Lakshmi
Madonna, Botticelli
Madonna and Child, Fra Filippo Lippi, c. 1440
Kali
Madonna by Lorenzo Veneziano, 1357
Lakshmi
Madonna, Fra Angelico
Lakshmi, 1894 lithograph
Madonna and child, Gherardo Starnina, 1410
Gajalakshmi and Saraswati, Ravi Varma
Madonna and child, Fra Angelico
Kali
The Virgin Annunciate, Fra Angelico
Lakshmi by Raja Ravi Varma
Madonna, Bernardino Luini
Saraswati, Goddess of music, wisdom, learning, painting by Giri Raj Sharma
Madonna by Sassoferrato
Balinese painting of Saraswati
Madonna and Child, William Bouguereau (1825-1905)
Kali
Botticelli Madonna and Child
Saraswati, Goddess of music, wisdom, learning
White Tara, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion
GajaLakshmi, fine art print
Green Tara, Buddhist Goddess of compassion and enlightened activity
Mary
Lithograph of Kali from Kolkata, c. 1895
Dakshineshwar Kali
Author Archives: The Cosmic Mother
Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother
There is a beautifully written book on the various energies and forms of the Divine Mother — authored by Vanamali, a long time friend of Swami Kriyananda and Ananda. In Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother, she covers the philosophical and … Continue reading
Posted in cosmic mother, Devi Vanamali, divine mother, hindu, Hinduism, kriyananda, ramprasad, yogananda
Tagged Devi Vanamali, divine mother, hindu, Hinduism, kali, kriyananda, ramprasad sen, Shakti
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Two Visions of Kali
The following two visions of Kali—one by Paramhansa Yogananda when he was the young Mukunda and the other by the Bengali poet Ramprasad Sen—are described by Swami Kriyananda in his book Paramhansa Yogananda: A Biography. These two stories highlight an … Continue reading
Posted in cosmic mother, divine mother, kali, kriyananda, prayer, ramprasad
Tagged divine mother, kali, kriyananda, ram proshad, ramprasad, yogananda
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The Cosmic Mother as AUM
Paramhansa Yogananda described the AUM vibration as the Divine Mother. He said that one must go through AUM/Mother in order to reach cosmic consciousness. In our article about Kali, he states that, “Kali represents Mother Nature. She is Aum, the … Continue reading
A Serious Grievance
Paramhansa Yogananda taught a way of praying that many people found unusual. In his Whispers from Eternity he called his prayers “prayer-demands,” describing the proper attitude towards prayer. He said that we are children of the Infinite and that divine … Continue reading
Posted in divine mother, prayer, ramprasad, yogananda
Tagged divine mother, prayer, ramprasad sen, yogananda
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Ramakrishna on Divine Mother
“The Divine Mother revealed to me in the Kali temple that it was She who had become everything. She showed me that everything was full of Consciousness. The image was Consciousness, the altar was Consciousness, the water-vessels were Consciousness, the … Continue reading
“Ask of Me Salvation, but not My love and devotion”
Paramhansa Yogananda sang a Bengali chant that was translated into English as: Oh devotee, I can give thee salvation, but not My love and devotion; for when I give those away, I give Myself away. Ask of Me salvation, but … Continue reading
Posted in cosmic mother, divine mother, kriyananda, yogananda
Tagged divine mother, kriyananda, yogananda
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“Who tells me Thou art dark…?”
Out of emotion or sentiment, people are prone to make Divine Mother so humanly personal as to become small. The Divine Mother is beyond form and beyond human sentiment. Yogananda used to sing a chant: Who tells me Thou art … Continue reading
Father-Mother-God
by Paramhansa Yogananda Question: Is God a Father or a Mother? Answer: God is both the Father and the Mother Principle. If we consider God as transcendental, He is neither Father nor Mother, but as soon as think of God … Continue reading
Prayer, or Loving Demand
by Paramhansa Yogananda Effective prayer must be scientific and definite in performance and must give intelligent understanding of all its factors. All those who want to demonstrate the scientific nature of prayer must first be sure that there is a … Continue reading
The Cosmic Mother 