The Divine Mother of Haidakhand (Haidakhandeswari)
Above all the Gods who come and go in the consciousness of man through the rise and fall of civilizations, in the abode of infinite space, in absolute peace where time is no more, there resides the Great Mother of all creation, one with Her Lord, the Supreme Spirit.
The Great Goddess, matrix and creatrix of all that is, takes as many forms or aspects of manifestation as the human mind can conceive. Within and without, it is always She who weaves the patterns of all life as the Divine Force behind everything perceived by the senses. She is Universal and has many names: we call Her Haidakhandeshwari, Vishveshwari, and Maha Lakshmi.
Shri Babaji said, "The Great Power that is the cosmic Maya, the Supreme Divine Energy, the Mother Goddess of Haidakhan embodies the totality of all that is to be known. She is the combined divine Grace-Energy of the Goddess Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati. To worship the Universal Goddess while we are in this mortal frame gives human life its highest realization."
The design and inspiration of the Temple (also known as the Lakshmi Temple) at the Ashram comes from India, but the concept of the Divine Mother is universal. Goddesses are respected and worshipped in many traditions, such as that of the Native American Indians, who see Mother as the Earth and treat Her with great respect.
Haidakhandeshwari, the murti or statue in the temple, is the Shakti, or female aspect, of Haidakhan Babaji. He said that She is the love that I carry for you in My heart. Before He left His body, He said, I leave you the Divine Mother. She is the energy that resides in His heart. Her physical form is based on a vision She gave to a devotee in India.
She is shown with four arms. In Her upper left hand, She holds a conch. This a symbol of the sound of creation, and therefore, of Her creative powers. In Her upper right hand is a chakra, a weapon with jagged edges that cuts like a sword. It is She, the loving Mother, who protects Her children from enemies, both outer and inner. She holds a mace in her lower left hand, a symbol of authority. Her lower right hand is always extended in a gesture of blessing to all those who come to Her.
To worship the Divine Mother is a very high practice. She bestows all blessings and prosperity on Her devotees.