Durga Puja
The popular mythology is that Mother Durga came to Earth, listening to the prayers of people who were brutalized by the demon, Mahishasur. Even the Gods and Goddesses in the heaven were threatened by the demon. So, the Gods and Goddesses combined to create a powerful Mother figure, to embody the united power of the heaven. The Mother comes with her two daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati, and two sons, Kartik and Ganesh. Mother Durga has ten hands full of weapons, symbolizing supernatural power. She rides on a lion, the king of all animals. On her right side are Mother Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh. On her left side are Mother Saraswati and Lord Kartik. Symbolically, Mother Lakshmi represents wealth, Mother Saraswati represents knowledge, Lord Kartik represents courage, and Lord Ganesh represents success. Thus together with her entourage Mother Durga symbolizes all the positive qualities of life, and is therefore, adored and respected by all of us, her children. We affectionately look forward to Durga Puja every year. We believe that our malicious thoughts are replaced by generous and pure feelings towards our families, friends and neighbors. The Puja celebrations start on the first day of “Shuklapaksha” in the month of Ashwin., and go on for ten days. Bengalees generally celebrate it for four days, starting on the seventh day (Saptami), and ending on the tenth day (Dashami). However, the rest of India generally celebrates it for nine days, and calls it “Navaratri”. Mother Durga is known by various names in different parts of India. In the South, She is called “Amba” or “Ambika”. She is also known as “Vaishnodevi” in Jammu, Vindhyavasini” in Vindhyachal area, “Katyayani” in Vrindaban, “Kamakhya” in Assam, “Nanda” in Himachal area, and by many other names. The Puja rituals have been written by highly educated Sanskrit scholars, who transcribed them from Vedic literatures. The Mantras are written in Sanskrit, and that tradition is maintained to date. The main idea of the Puja is to show love and devotion to the Mother. Traditionally, on each Puja day from Saptami to Navami, devotees pay particular attention to personal cleansing, wear clean clothes, and observe fasts until the prayers for that particular day are completed. These are important steps of self-control that have been taught to us by our ancestors, and should be passed on to our young generation. On Dashami, the tenth day, Durga Puja ends. The final ritual is called “Bisarjan” meaning letting the Mother go from our home. The adoring devotees believe that Ma Durga came to visit us in the Earth, her parent’s home, for the ten days. Now she will have to return to her abode in the Himalayas where Lord Shiva, her husband, lives. As we bid farewell to Mother Durga with heavy hearts, we are rejuvenated in our spiritual lives by her message of good triumphing over evil, and so we try to be better human beings by becoming better children of our eternal Mother. Guru Chakravarty |