Man, transpersonal psychology and the Devi Mahatmya

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the Devi Mahatmya’s insights about man and compare it with the conceptions of transpersonal psychology. The paper aims to develop a framework of holistic and integral human concept (Spiritual- Religious) as depicted in Devi Mahatmya and transpersonal psychology. This article is a qualitative study and utilizes a hermeneutic approach to develop the concepts by gathering facts from the Devi Mahatmya and transpersonal psychology using deductive, inductive, reflective, descriptive, and comparative analysis. The paper concludes that transpersonal psychology and the Devi Mahatmya see the highest potential in human beings. The Devi Mahatmya emphasizes that the Divine Spirit resides in every creature so human being possess a variety of sublime potentials. Since the human being takes birth by the grace of God, he is blessed with a variety of spiritual potentials, and powers bestowed by the Almighty. In transpersonal psychology literature it is called the highest potential. Soul or the spirit unites the physical and consciousness state in man. Man as a psycho-physical-spiritual animal is unique, multi-dimensional, has both negative and positive predispositions, is a perfect being equipped with highest potential that are divine and has inborn divine nature. The Devi Mahatmya’s insight into human nature is a holistic and integrative view. This view is different from modern psychology in conceptualizing human being only through the lens of experimentation, observation and back-resting only on reasoning. The paper advocates the theory that human beings have free will. They can be a sage or a demon. They can achieve the grace of the Divine Spirit. The Mother (Divine Spirit) is the cause of attaining spirituality (anthropho- theocentric) and argues against the view of transpersonal psychology that human beings are the “primacausa” i.e the main cause without any reason or other factors to attain transcendence and spirituality (anthropocentric).It is also in opposition to the believe of transpersonal psychology that denies the role of religion and the existence of God.