Greet valued readers on the solemn occasion of Chaitra Navaratra beginning on Hindu New Year, and hence its importance. Hindu annular calendar provides for 4 Navaratras of which the one held during the Hindu month of Ashvin is most sought after. A good number of devout also observe Chaitra navaratra. Very few pursue the other two. All festivities have their story lines and religious spirit. Be that as they may. But they are so designed and timed as to help one periodically reinvent oneself.
It will be interesting to note that the navaratras coincide with solar ingress into 4 different cardinal signs of the natural zodiac. They are marked with major transition in the cosmic energy pattern, which in turn, set off four major seasons in India. Evidently, the seasonal changes shall have related bearing on life cycle on earth.
Every seasonal transition brings in new opportunities in so far as our productive aspirations are concerned, but not without posing fresh challenges. And we have no choice than to keep pace with the callings of emerging times. Accordingly, we need to be well geared up to take on the callings of emerging times in all strength with ease and comfort. It is in this spirit that the devout subject themselves to a 9 day prayer regime, with focus on Mother Goddess Durga, the epitome of Shakti. The irony, however, is that Shakti is like a double edged weapon. If rightfully applied, it will prove rewarding and fulfilling. If misused, it could lead to disastrous consequences. Here comes the role of the state of mind. The way mind is inherently ordained is how it uses Shakti. If positively oriented, it is directed towards productive aspirations. If, otherwise, negatively driven, it may prove disastrous. That makes it incumbent upon us to keep our mind in shape. Navaratras are such occasions when we periodically work upon our mind self.
Navaratra prayer regime first helps purify the mind of all its limitations, following which its wholesome powers could be positively used to our advantage. In the process one’s faith gets rekindled. Our individual energy structure gets recharged, worth doing justice to the callings of priority preferences. Keeping away from indulgences, the devout follow an austere life. Strict dietary restrictions are observed. Ordinarily we follow a particular dietary habit. The digestive system gets used to secrete a particular set of enzymes to digest them. During the festive season, when the dietary regime undergoes change, the digestive system has to accordingly readjust itself to suit the occasion. In the process, the bowel regime undergoes cleansing so that it could secrete the desired enzymes. We, thus strengthen our dietary system, vital to a healthy life ahead.
The occasion also has valued educative import for us. If you look at the imagery of Mother Goddess Durga, in an exploratory mode, it will offer an interesting reading. First, the allegory running around Goddess Durga. It is believed that Demons drove away the Devatas from Devaloka, their place of abode. In a state of desperation the devatas approached Lord Brahma, the God-personified for creation for help. Brahma led them all to Lord Vishnu, the God-personified assigned with the task to administer. Realising that enormous power was needed to counter the might of Demons, Lord Vishnu in turn, led them all to Lord Shiva, the epitome of Shakti.
Lord Shiva asked all the Devatas to share their individual Tejasa (shakti- radiance). Their tejasa pooled in together turned into a huge fire, out of which emerged the all-powerful Mother Goddess Durga. The Devatas also offered their respective weapons for Mother’s use. She then took on and humbled all the demons. She, however, did not do it single-handed. She was assisted by many other Goddesses in Her mission, all of them originating from the mainframe of Durga herself. After completing their respective tasks, they reverted back to their source-frame.
The question now is: how comes the Devatas, the individually evolved beings, known for their righteous conduct had to face the humiliation of being driven away by evil-forces from their homeland? Evidently, either the Devatas were not strong enough to match the might of demons, or else, there had to be something wrong in them, which brought them to such a pass. One possibility is that being overtaken by egotistic sense of being superior ones; they mistook themselves to be unassailable. Also, engrossed in their individualistic pursuits, righteous though, they lost their sense of alert about the impending danger and their collective obligations. The inevitable had to happen.
The issue continues …….
The writer is an astrologer, vastu consultant and spiritual counsellor. Connect with him at
Tel: 91-11-9818037273/9871037272
