ଚେତନା ପ୍ରବାହ

 

NAVARANTRI : DAY 1 :  BEING SHAKTI

(Translation of Bk Shivani’s Hindi speech)

   We see people all around us invoking deities, staying of all night, observing fasts embracing purity. The entire atmosphere is satvik.Because the holly festival of Navaratri has begun.All of us get together to lovingly, devotedly and fervently invoke shaktis.The are being invoked. Let us take a few moments today to introspect.Who are we invoking?We refer to them as Shakti(power). We also call them as Maa. We depict them as holding 8 weapons. We also shodemons lying slain below their fett. What is the wisdom that all these are teach us ? Did those deities  practice violence? Did they actually torture the demon ? Or is there a  symbolic meaning behind it ? And the Shakti being invoked wht are they from where are they invoked? Let us introspect .

Divinity and purity are the original quality of the soul . Today we have forgotten them .And because we forget out divinity, the vice within us, lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, these vices get emerged. If some one has to present it symbolically that divinity has overpowered vices , that purity has overpowerd  ego, if this has to be pictorially represented, if this has to be symbolically represented how will we depict vices? For example, if we need to depict that smoking is not allowed or if we need to denote danger we draw a skull and a cross over it. It is not an actual skull, but just symbolic of being dangerous. Similarly the vices or the demons showen below the feet of deities, they are not demons who physically existed. Tey represent the vices within us-jealousy, hatred, hurt, rejection,manipulation.domination-the list is long. Because we did not pay attention, we hae awakened the demons( vices) withen us.Today is the time for us to provoke the divinity within us. When our divinty get emerged our vices automatically get merged.When our vices get  emerged our divinity automatically get merged. At any point of time only one quality of sanskar can remain awakened. So a devi is not to be invoked from somewhere above us, we need to invoke divinity within us.Because divinity is present in every soul.Weakness is also present in every soul.The divinity whuch we are lovingly remembering and proviking today it lies within us.The demon that is shown lying under the feet of devi, it also lies within us.Otherwise a Deity or Devi whom we refer as 16 celestial degrees complete, an epitome of dignity, when non-violence is their highest moral virtues, how can we depict those deities as indulging in acts of violence?

Where the deities born having 8 arms? Today if in your house, a child is born with 8 arms, perhaps the doctor will immediately perform surgery on the child. The 8 arms depicted on deities are not present literally or physically. They are symbolic of 8 powers of the soul through which divinity is emerged. Arms are representative of power. Physical power is represented in the hands or shoulders, hence symbolised by arms. Each hand is shown holding a weapon. Each is a weapon of knowledge. So what is the deeper significance? Using weapons of knowledge the soul uses its powers within. When through its weapons of knowledge a soul uses its powers in life divinity gets emerged. And once divinity is emerged, vices get automatically merged. So asta-Bhuja Dhari(the one with 8 arms) means a divine soul having 8 powers. Today let’s make effort that the 8 powers within I, within the Soul, power to tolerate, power to face, power to discern, power to decide, power to co-operate, we have so many powers within us. Yet we easily say,” I have no power in me”, “ I just cannot be patient”, or “ I cannot adjust with everyone”, “ How much should I adjust. And why should I be the one adjusting every time”? By repeatedly speaking this way we have depleted the powers within us. So, for the next 9 days we need to invoke our powers. What do we do to invoke the powers? First of all we practice Jagaran(Remain awake through the 9 nights). It needs us to think-we need to remember deities and their powers. Why cannot we do it during the day? Why should we do it all the night by staying awake? Cannot we invoke the deity during the day? Jagaran refers to an awakening from the night of our ignorance.

When the world is gripped by the darkness of Kaliyug, when the darkness of ignorance is widespread, thereis a need for awakening.  Awakening means waking up from the night of ignorance. We have been sleeping in the night of ignorance, so we need to wake up. This is Jagaran .So, staying awake at night (Jagaran) means waking up from the sleep of ignorance. We need to be awake at night  to invoke divinity. Next we keep fast on all 9 days.Does fasting apply only to what we eat and drink?”Vrat” means pledge. Taking a vow that I, the soul will follow these disciplines. For the next 9 days let take this vow to a deeper level. We will not limit it only to our diet,we will take a vow that- we will not get angry during these 9 days, we will remain peaceful, we will not keep thinking about other people or discuss one person’s weakness with another. We will take a vow to wake up early for the next 9 days and meditate. We will not eat or drink anything that is harmful for next 9 days. We have so many aspects to take a vow. It is very important that we take vows. By taking a vow and upholding it, soul power increases. Because,we start living a life of discipline. And discipline increases will power. So, first we stay awake, second, we take a vow, and third, practice. We follow to prepare Satvik meals without using onoon and garlic for 9 days. Divinity and Satvik practices go together. This means if we consume tamasik food we cannot emerge divinity. Satvik means not just vegetarian food prepared without onion and garlic, but also prepared in remembrance of God. Food is to be prepared with a satvik state of mind. We need to ensure that the money that comes home is earned through satvik means. Such food becomes Prasad (Consecrated food). When we are ready to eat Satvik food, check, if you want to restrict it only to only 9 days? The intension behind festivals is to teach us the right ways of living. Whatever we do over these 9 days, we can follow them for a lifetime. Remember that the vows takes in these 9 days are not to remain in our  words. Sometimes the mid tends to count “Today is the 5^th days or Today is the 6^th days”. When will the 9days get over?” Or we say “Everyone else is doing, I have to follow these practices.”Lets never do it with a sense of helplessness; otherwise soul power will never increase. We need to willingly take the vow of bringing in satvik qualities into our life.

 Diyas (Lamps) are lit throughout the 9 days.