NAV YATRAS
Namaste! Yes, i know, the word for these pious days is Navratras,
i know that a huge lot of people worship Durga, the divine mother, with a tremendous amount of faith for eight days, One vidya (a form with name and attribute) for each day has goddess Durga! And its culminating festival is Mahanavmi.But I prefer to call them Nav Yatras. Why? Because,dear friend, this is a great time for you to embark on a personal inner pilgrimage.
Adepts and devotees alike throng their favourite sanctorums,chanting mantras , waving artis in platters,distributing alms, in a bid to be noticed by the almighty Goddess. And these celebrations are our heritage, we must carry them out to the best of our individual capacities. But it is equally important to live the spirit of the holy ,sacred nights into our lives. Since Ma Durga whom we worship, is the most intelligent being of all, she would easily see through a superficial act, a formality as we say, when someone does something just because it is expected, and not because he or she is actually involved in the spirit of doing so. If we give alms to kanchuks (young girls), but do not honour the feminity in them, we treat girls as lesser beings, perpetrate dowry,encourage female infanticide, and so on. And i can assure you, no one is going to be more angry at all this, than Durga riding her fierce lion.
When it comes to Ramnavmi, we all talk about Ram rajya, we all want Ram rajya, but without understanding what it really stands for .It is a universal term that means happiness for all, including Lord Ram Himself. So, when we do not all attempt to direct our lives towards harmony, leaving only God Ram to go about his dispositions of doing everything for us, we sometimes land up being very harsh,sitting on judgement, to the extent of even putting Lord Ram's beloved one on trial! And history bears evidence,we come out with a strange and sadistic side, especially when it comes to the treatment of the very ones who come for upliftment. Has anybody forgotten what treatment we, as mankind, have given to Sita? ,Jesus, Mahavir , and Joan of Arc? Jesus was crucified , Mahavir was tested by putting nails in his ears, joan of arc was burnt alive. Isn't it ironic that not Ravana, but the own people of Lord Ram eventually managed to separate Sri Ram from his most beloved Sita? and then, years and years after our own misdeed, we try to put things right by raising these very people to the level of saints and Gods.What is the use of acknowledging joan as saint of arc, after having put her to the stakes and burning her alive? This is not like a newspaper item where we can issue a corrigendum of error regretted- we will have to change our own approach into the necessary correction.
On these Navratras think about the treatment we give to our women. Yes, we love our own daughters, but the other's daughters who must one day enter our homes as brides ,are worth only the gold they bring. Can you see where we go wrong?
We dont grow spiritually at all when we dont keep the spirit of worship in our lives as a permanent feature. When, immediately after the festival, we resume our sadistic nature alongside our daily routine. When we leave Durga in her temple after the Navami, and don't acknowledge her presence in these little durgas, our own daughters in our midst- we miss the spirit completely. When, we as a society are still getting horrendous instances of rape and brutality. How can we claim to be worshippers of Devi? Bharat is a Motherland , so ask yourself honestly, can we be a proud Nation of Mother worship, and actually live in a society where girls are unsafe? This is a deep question facing us all. Each one of us. We must learn to live sagaciously, not just put up an act. We must embark on new paths. when will we begin to love all the daughters as Devis?
I suggest, now! Don't let go of these Navratras without paying real homage to Devi Ma, Don't let these Navratras go with ordinary worship, do something unique, become divya (divine) yourself, so that Devi is pleased.
Love all your daughters as young Durgas.
Please read,and share . Jai Mata Di!
#shailgulhatishivaandmysticism (Shail Gulhati is the author of the books The Yogi and the snake and SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.)
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