Māheśvarī माहेश्वरी (208)
Wife of Māhesvarā, a form of Śiva. Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad (XII.17) says, “He is the Supreme Lord who transcends ॐ which is uttered at the commencement of the recital of the Veda-s and which is dissolved in the primal cause during contemplation.” His wife is Māheśvarī. Māheśvara form of Śiva is the Supreme form. He is beyond the three guṇas- sattva, rajas and tamas. Liṅga form of Śiva is Māhesvara form. Liṅga Purāṇa says that all the deities are present in Liṅga form of Śiva, a resemblance to Śrī Cakra.
Mahādevī महादेवी (209)
Śiva is also known as Mahādeva, His moon form (this is said to be the eighth form of Śiva. His wife is Rohinī and their son is Budha, the planet Mercury) and his wife is Mahādevi. Maha also means the Supreme. She is the Supreme and hence called Mahādevi.
Śiva has eight forms and they are – 1. Sarva – earth form, 2. Bhava-water form, 3. Rudra – fire form, 4. Ugra – wind form, 5. Bhīma- ākāśa form, 6. Paśupati – soul form, 7. Īśāna – sun form and 8. Mahādeva –moon form. These eight forms of Śiva are His cosmic forms (Liṅga Purāṇa).
It is pertinent to note that both Śiva and Śaktī have moon in their crowns. Moon indicates two qualities, one is its coolness and another is intelligence.
Mahālakṣmī महालक्ष्मी (210)
The great (mahā) wife of Viṣṇu. Śiva manifests in the form of Viṣṇu for sustenance and His wife is Mahālakṣmī. Liṅga Purāṇa says that Mahālakṣmī is the mother of the universe. “May Lakśmī who is endowed with all attributes, who has all three characteristics, who is the goodness that bestows all and who is omnipresent, dispel my sin” is a hymn in Liṅga Purāṇa. Mahālakṣmī also means a girl of thirteen years. If Mahālakṣmī is worshipped on every 13th lunar day (trayodaśa) with Her bīja (śrīṃ- श्रीं), there will no dearth of prosperity and auspiciousness.
Mṛḍapriyā मृडप्रिया (211)
Śiva is also known as Mṛḍan, His sattvic form. Since She likes Śiva, She is called Mṛḍapriyā. Mṛḍa means happiness, a quality of sattva guṇa, showing compassion or mercy, gracious and priyā means dear. This nāma means that Śiva caresses this universe and as His wife, She loves this act of Śiva. After all, She is the Supreme Mother.
Mahā-rūpā महारूपा (212)
She has a great form. It is to be observed that all these nāma-s begin with Mahā indicating Her Supreme stature. Kṛṣṇa explains this Supreme form as “The total material substance called Brahman is the source of birth and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings’ (Bhagavad Gīta. XIV.3).
Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (I.i.9) says, “tasmadetadbrahma nāma rūpamannaṃ ca jāyate”, which means from that Brahman (parā Brahman) this Brahman (aparā) with name, form, food emerge.’ ‘She has this kind of mahat’form. This supreme mahat form is the cause for creation.
Mahat means abundance. It also refers to the buddhi, or Intellect, or the intellectual principle. (according to the Sāṃkhya philosophy the second of the twenty three principles produced from Prakṛti and so called, as the great source of ahaṃkāra, 'self-consciousness' (ego), and manas, 'the mind'.)
Mahāpūjyā महापूज्या (213)
She is worshipped by great souls like saints and sages. Saints and sages have more knowledge than most of the demigods and goddesses. They will not worship anybody unless they are worthy of worship. There are interpretations saying that Brahma, Viṣṇu, Śiva worship Her. This means that Gods who have been assigned various duties, worship Her. This is yet another affirmation regarding Her supremacy.
There are references to gods, goddesses and others who worship Her using mantra-s, metals and gems.
1.Śiva - mantra, 2. Brahmā – stone, 3. Viṣṇu - blue stone, 4. Kubera – gold, 5. Viśvedevās - silver,
6. Vāyu – copper, 7. Vasu - brass, 8. Varuna – crystal, 9. Agni – gems, 10. Śakra – pearls,
11. Sūrya – coral, 12. Soma – lapis, 13. Planets – lazuli, 14. Demons – tin, 15. Piśācas - adamantine, 16. Mātṛgaṇa-s – iron.
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