Sri Bala

Divine child with wisdom beyond her years, the old soul with deep knowing, dwells within our hearts. She urges you to commit to your most passionate inspirations, completely and without hesitation. There are genius and wisdom in what you yearn to do. You have a greater capacity to attain fruition than those around you recognize. Believe in yourself, even if no-one else does! It is not imagination that drives you toward your destiny, but an instinctive recognition of your true purpose. Validation from others will come later. Your path is authentic, and you are destined to succeed.

This aspect of Lalita Tripura Sundari, Sri Bala, translates as, ‘divine child’, or more specifically as, ‘God the daughter’. It is far more commonplace for the divine child to be represented as male, and in numerous cultures, having a boy is considered particularly auspicious. So, Sri Bala is not only a celebration of the divine feminine child but an inversion of dominant cultural values. Her presence shakes up traditional power structures with her combination of innocence and fearlessness. It is my sense that there are emanations of Sri Bala in the form of particularly pure-hearted, fearless and empowered young women, speaking and acting for the protection of the feminine in our world today, such as through environmental activism.

It is taught that Bala asks her goddess mother, Lalita, to allow her to join the battle against evil. She is so passionate to fulfil her inner yearning that her body cannot keep still! Lalita expresses her concern that Bala is still a child, inexperienced therefore potentially vulnerable. She frets at the thought of losing her daughter, especially when others could take her place on the battlefield. However, Bala petitions her mother again, asking to be allowed to express who she is. Lalita recognizes her daughter’s determination and provides her with armor and her blessing, at which point, Bala kicks demon butt and saves the day. She conquers thirty demons in an extremely difficult yet perfectly executed martial arts demonstration! Now that’s some serious girl power!

Sri Bala arises when we need to trust in what feels right on an inner level, not allowing a lack of external validation to deter us from our innate and authentic purpose. Muscle does not have to meet muscle. The strength of intention combined with pure and fearless commitment to our true nature is enough to change the course of what is happening. The mountain can be moved by faith the size of a mustard seed. The story of feisty Bala can inspire us. At first, we may gain no support for our efforts. We must continue to apply ourselves and not give up on who we are and what we came to this planet to accomplish. In doing so, the power needed shall be divinely given. Public validation can come later, but we do not need it to accomplish what is required. The tantras teach that Bala saw the battle unfolding, and what was necessary to attain success, with complete clarity. Adults tend to underestimate a child’s capacity to see what is going on. Yet, the child is the unconditioned part of us, the part that sees things as they are. In a reading, the presence of Sri Bala in implies that our instinctive desires to pursue a particular path of fulfilment and expression are authentic. The authentic path is the safest and most protected path we can take. It is the one on which we are closest to the Divine, to our true nature with all its wisdom, intuition and creative resourcefulness. We can more readily attract what we need, and things fall into place more effortlessly. It seems to be the opposite of playing it safe. Yet, the more we diverge from our authentic being, the more disconnected we are from our divine connection and the more danger we will encounter.

Bala is said to be Lalita’s breath. What does that mean? Breath keeps energy flowing through the body. When Bala declares that she wants to fight, it is the stirring of an honest and natural impulse within. To breathe is instinctive. The childlike wildness-unaffected, untamed-of Bala is the unconditioned self that knows how to move toward its natural fulfilment. Our minds may step in to say no, or to give reasons why it is not appropriate (like the unconventional notion of a little girl as a powerful, conquering war hero). Yet, the innate wisdom of the soul needs to be allowed to manifest. She is not fighting for the sake of it, she is fighting against the evil she sees. To allow for Sri Bala to arise within is to allow for the protective spirit that sees truthfully and acts with purity and fearless commitment to the path (even if our mother worries about our life choices at first!). The Divine Mother empowers her and, so too, empowers us to manifest our destinies with her help. Trust in your destiny. You are more than capable of the task for which your heart yearns.

Invocation Ritual

Place your hand at your heart and feel, imagine or intend to make a connection with the original wisdom and inner knowing within. This wisdom and clarity is your primordial divine nature. It would have been strongest in you as a child, before societal conditioning and life experiences taught you to adapt and defend yourself. Your intention to connect may need to travel beneath layers of belief, reactions to suffering, family or cultural projections, and so on. Beneath such things, the original wisdom still breathes life into you. Believe it is possible and effortless to drop beneath all layers and simply feel the vital breath of your true nature deep within. It is pure spiritual instinct and inner soul intelligence. Connect beneath the mind and the stories, as you breathe.

Say the following prayer:

Sri Bala, Divine Daughter, original divine instinct, my true nature, I bow to you. You hold the wisdom and desire for me to be and fulfil my authentic being. You are the fearless spiritual instinct within that must manifest for the spiritual benefit of all beings. Nothing shall obstruct my path as I move from the inner ground of my being with unwavering focus and self-trust. I am held in my Divine Mother’s protection, blessed by her grace and her belief in me. May your unrivalled wisdom and unerring knowing guide me always. May you prevail! Jai Ma Bala! Jai Ma! Jai Ma! Jai Ma!

Finish with your hands in prayer at your heart.

You have completed your sacred ritual.