Seeking the blessings of Devi to write this piece and spread the message of
Navarathri to as many as possible.
Sanathana Dharma has its own unique way of
reminding us about the Supreme Being, throughout the year, by way of
festivities. If only we were asked to remain in prayer and penance constantly,
we’d certainly frown or disengage ourselves easily. Hence it’s a gentle
reminder of The Supreme Being by way of beautiful festivals year-round.
The Navarathri transformation:
1.
Sundal: While the humble Sundal is still part
of the give-aways for Navarathri, a full-course meal - either lunch or dinner
is doing the rounds amongst the affluent. Isn’t this already a trend for
birthdays, anniversaries or some generic celebrations? Couldn’t we stick to the
basics?
2.
Small-talk vs.
Golu-talk and Song-talk: Back in the days when people visited for Golu,
they’d see the arrangement of the dolls, talk about the stories of where they
got some of the dolls from. They’d talk about how some dolls made it to the
stand… how it got passed down through generations… from mother-in-law to
daughter-in-law or mother to daughter… there is no digression in the topic from
Golu to people or family matters. If there’s anything new amongst the dolls
that was bought newly, the Golu keepers would showcase it as a prized
possession. Each doll is after all meant to be an ambassador of tradition, puranas, culture and are meant to be deep-rooted value drivers. They’re not mere pieces of
decor that adorn showcases or shelves. So for a moment, think of how much
cultural education could be imparted in one-go, through the Navarathri Golu
process. Leaving all this behind, sadly people engage themselves in the same
vicious rut of talking about petty things. It’s to avoid this that, perhaps,
the elders of the past get the children or women who visit the Golu to sing a
Bhajan/Krithi (devotional song - mostly based on Devi) or two, so that the
attention isn’t disarrayed and gets routed to small-talk and generic talk about
household stuff. Some households tactfully engage themselves in chanting
Lalitha Sahasranamam and Mahishasura Mardhini stothram – the very powerful Aigiri
Nandhini – a much easier way to avoid delusions and chit-chat. General
afterthought: there’s no need for peer pressure to compete with Golu in one
household vs. another. It’s completely left up to your economic discretion. The
base is to convey and educate about our scriptures and culture. I don’t want to
transform this post about what could be part of the Golu, that calls for a
separate piece altogether.
3. Shakthi to Saree: Everything has been
commercialised, so is Navarathri. While saree is an integral part of our
culture, it seems to have hogged most of the limelight vs. understanding the
true essence of Navarathri. A color is associated with each day of Navarathri…
(haven’t heard of this until the last couple of years to be honest). It’s
certainly beautiful to look good and feel good, that’s not the only motive
behind the Navarathri season. While there are many demons that form part of the
stories of Goddess Durga, it’s Mahishasura who stands out. Killing of
Mahishasura and victory of good over evil, celebrated as Vijayadasami on Day 10
is perhaps the simplest one-liner about Navarathri. However, if you look at it
in a day-to-day point of view, there are inner mental demons which stand in our
way from doing things or thinking positively. So as we dress up beautifully in
that saree of ours, let’s also take a few minutes to invoke the Supreme
Feminine Power to help us fight our own inner demons. Imagine giving a name of
an Asura for each negative thought. Try listing down 9 negative thoughts in you
and see how you could convert them to your advantage rather than giving that
Asura more power by fuelling it. The 10th day then would naturally become
victory of good over evil, with a renewed wisdom and energy. At the end of the Navarathri, we'd have 10 virtues that would be part of our mental framework - rendering positivity and spiritual reinforcement.
4. The humble Vethalai Paaku vs. peer-pressured, Back-presents: gifting is nice for sure, not to the extent that it’s transformed to almost an event management of sorts. This is still Navarathri, and the concept is as basic as giving some flowers, kumkumam and manjal, vethalai paaku and coconut, which is already of Supreme spiritual significance. It is so that the woman is blessed with long years of marital life - with pottu and kumkumam and if you’re un-married and are interested in getting a groom, may you find a suitable one 😊
5.
Pictures vs.
actual experience: social media appeasement and messaging appeasement is
great, as long as we’re not too held up in just the pictures vs. the first four
points in this write-up.
6. Lastly, let's close this piece with a myth I thought - That Navarathri is meant only for women. Well, the demon Mahishasura wanted to be so indomitable that when he asked for a boon, he said he could be destroyed only by a woman. The rest is history, Ma Durga ensured to take a form so ferocious that Mahishasura couldn't even dream of. So how are men related to this festival? There is another side to everything. You can't be all masculine, there's a need to invoke the Feminine Supreme Being as well for all the wellness - Shakthi, Dhana and Vidya (Power, Wealth and Knowledge) - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, sans which, we'd be reduced to zero. So the next time you sideline this festival and call it a mere ladies night-out, re-think of the magnificent Trio - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. I hope you're looking to at least listen to Lalitha Sahasranamam to begin with after reading this. Well, you can't really blame the men though, simply because of the commercial importance given to this festivity. So ladies, the onus is on each one of us as well, in spreading the correct message behind Navarathri.
So how are you fighting your demons? Leave some
comments here. Happy Navarathri.
