Hi,
I just read in Clarity Magazine that Satan is "the outward flowing creative force which brings creation into manifestation." What I am confused about is this seems very similar to the way Divine Mother is described, i.e. as AUM, the creative force, nature, the physical cosmos, etc. How could these two be so similar? Is Satan within the Divine Mother? Can evil really come from good? Also, is Satan an independent being with a personality, or an impersonal force?
—J, USA
I’m sure many people have these questions. Rest assured that the Divine Mother Whom you love is alive and well-but in two conflicting ways.
The Bhagavad Gita characterizes Divine Mother (Prakriti) as having two aspects: one is the outward-flowing force that initiates, sustains, and dissolves creation; the other is the inward-pulling force that draws us back to God. The former is termed satanic in the West, while the latter is what many of us would prefer to think of as Divine Mother. But in fact both are Divine Mother, both are AUM-just different aspects of that.
Spiritual growth is about becoming ever less attuned to (and thus less influenced by the former, and ever more attuned to (and thus more influenced by) the latter.
The satanic force is a necessary (and conscious) force; without it, creation would not exist. That force is very serious about its job, and it strives to keep all aspects of creation-including us-in its thrall. But it’s evil only in the sense that it, if we get caught up in it, it takes us away from our home in God. Here is our choice: We don’t have to get caught up in it; we can choose the other aspect of Divine Mother.
Of course, most spiritual seekers would prefer that the satanic force didn’t exist at all. Why did God make life so difficult for us? Unfortunately, God didn’t consult us when setting up this universe. Paramhansa Yogananda said that he would sometimes rail at Divine Mother: “I didn’t ask to be created!!!” It seems that didn’t change Her mind about giving us our seemingly separate existence.
So here we are, with both these forces tugging on us, and the question is ever before us: Which aspect of Divine Mother will we align ourselves with?
For more on these two aspects of Divine Mother, I recommend The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita and Revelations of Christ.
Blessings,
Gyandev
