The Shreee Chandika Prapatti

“The Shreee Chandika Prapatti”. Although fully spiritual in itself, this will make of every man and every woman, a valiant soldier, a valiant human being, a valiant spiritual person. For the women it is going to be ‘The Shreemangalchandika Prapatti’ and for the men it is going to be ‘The Shree Rannachandika Prapatti’. The ‘Rana’ is the battlefield and both kinds of prapatti make out of men and women alike, successful and capable soldiers, soldiers at the worldly plane for one, soldiers at the spiritual plane and there is this third thing that you will know in due course.
The word ‘Prapatti’ simply means ‘surrender that relieves of disaster or calamity.’ The Prapatti, be it the Shreemanagalchandika Prapatti or the Shreerannachandika Prapatti, there are five aspects to it.
The first aspect is the Chandika Mahishasurmardini. She is the Mother of the Paramatma and therefore the Paramatma is forever in a state of surrender unto Her and so it follows that I too must be in surrender unto Her.
The second aspect and principle is to harbour and also repeatedly express the unshakable belief anchored firm in the heart that the Chandika Herself and through Her dear Son as well, will definitely protect me. Not only should you hold on to the belief but root it firmly in your heart and express overtly that the Chandika and Her Son, Trivikram will protect us and take care of us -the shraddhaavaan-. Hold this belief in your heart and speak it out in so many words.
The third one is accepting with love and faith as our refuge, the Son of the Chandika - the Paramatma, whom we call Mahavishnu, Sai, Ram, Krishna or the Paramshiva; willingly choosing to live in this refuge and shelter, recalling Him to the mind with love, observing His instruction at all times and at all costs, having unconditional, singular and whole-hearted faith that He and He alone is my support my one and only support in life. This is one of the important aspects of the prapatti.
The fourth principle is praying that the Chandika hold us close in Her arms and hand us over in the charge of the Paramatma. Praying to Her with love to say, ‘O Mother Chandika, hold me in Your arms, hold me close and hand me over to the Paramatma’
The fifth aspect is to offer yourself in loving surrender to the Chandika so that you keep enhancing and intensifying your Bhakti and so that with Her grace you attain success and fulfillment both at the worldly and at the spiritual levels. Living the sentiment expressed in the words ‘You and You alone are my support, my one and only support’, ‘I offer myself in unconditional, whole-hearted and singularly focused faith,
I turn to you with love, please accept me’. ‘Complete, total honesty’, is actually surrendering unto Her.