= Ratri Suktam ( Rig Ved 10.127)

============== Ratri Suktam ( Rig Ved 10.127) ==============

" The Saktas worship the Universal Energy as Mother; it is the sweetest name they know. The mother is the highest ideal of womanhood in India. "

" Mother is the first manifestation of power and is considered a higher idea than father. The name of mother brings the idea of shakti, Divine energy and omnipotence. The baby believes its mother to be all-powerful, able to do anything. The Divine Mother is the Kundalini sleeping in us; without worshipping Her, we can never know ourselves. All merciful, all-powerful, omnipresent – these are attributes of the Divine Mother. She is the sum total of the energy in the Universe. Every manifestation of power in the universe is Mother. She is Life, She is Intelligence, She is Love. She is in the universe, yet separate from it. She is a person, and can be seen and known – as Sri Ramakrishna saw and knew Her. Established in the idea of Mother, we can do anything. She quickly answers prayers. "

" She can show Herself to us in any form at any moment. The Divine Mother can have form (rupa) and name (nama), or name without form; and as we worship Her in these various aspects, we can rise to Pure Being, having neither form nor name. "

" The sum-total of all the cells in an organism is one person. Each soul is like one cell, and the sum of them is God. And beyond that is the Absolute. The sea calm is the Absolute; the same sea in waves is the Divine Mother. She is Time, Space and Causation ( देश, काल, निमित्त ). Mother is the same as Brahman and has two natures; the conditioned and the unconditioned. As the former, She is God, nature and soul. As the latter, she is unknown and unknowable. Out of the Unconditioned came the trinity, God, nature and soul – the triangle of existence. "

" The worship of even one spark of Mother in our earthly mother leads to greatness. Worship Her if you want love and wisdom. "

~ Swami Vivekananda
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Hymn to Ratri (Night) :
Rishi : Kushika

रात्री वयख्यदायती पुरुत्रा देव्यक्षभिः |
विश्वाधि शरियो.अधित ||

"The approaching night, the goddess, has surveyed many places with all her eyes (i.e., with the stars and the moon), and she has adorned herself with all beauties."

ओर्वप्रा अमर्त्या निवतो देव्युद्वतः |
जयोतिषा बाधतेतमः ||

"The immortal goddess has pervaded all places high and low, and she dispels darkness with her light."

निरु सवसारमस्क्र्तोषसं देव्यायती |
अपेदु हासतेतमः ||

"The advancing goddess has prepared the way for her sister Dawn, and then darkness disappears."

सा नो अद्य यस्या वयं नि ते यामन्न्नविक्ष्महि |
वर्क्षेन वसतिं वयः ||

"For us you are so benevolent today. On your arrival we have entered our houses, just as birds resort to their nests on a tree."

नि गरामासो अविक्षत नि पद्वन्तो नि पक्षिणः |
निश्येनासश्चिदर्थिनः ||

"The villagers have gone to rest in their dwellings, and so have repaired the beasts and birds. Even the ambitious hawks have retired to rest."

यावया वर्क्यं वर्कं यवय सतेनमूर्म्ये |
अथा नःसुतरा भव ||

"Keep off the male wolf and the female wolf, O Urmya, keep the thief away; May you (the night) pass for us safely."

उप मा पेपिशत तमः कर्ष्णं वयक्तमस्थित |
उष रणेवयातय ||

"Do not subject us anymore to this dark ignorance that has enveloped us. Please forgive our many debts, and come to us now instead as the dawning light."

उप ते गा इवाकरं वर्णीष्व दुहितर्दिवः |
रात्रि सतोमंन जिग्युषे ||

"O Nght , daughter of the day (/heaven) — I have to you these like the milk‐giving cow. Please accept this, our prayer to You — and grant us Victory!"

Later identification with Goddess Kali :

Goddess Ratri is has been later identified with Goddess Kali by the Shkatas and Tantra followers .Thus this Vedokta Ratri Suktam finds much significance in Tantra. Another one is Tantrokta Ratri Suktam.

We know another hymn on Ratri from the Samavidhana Brahman.

om ratrim prapadye punarbhum mayobhum kanyam
sikhandinim pasahastam yuvatim kumarinimadityah
shricaksuse vantah pranaya somo gandhaya apah
snehaya manah anujnaya prthivyai sariram||

......Samavidhana Brahman 3.8.2

Jai Maa Kali !

" Om Shanti Shanti Shanti "