Yaa Devi .......

Yaa Devi sarva bhutheshu shakti rupena samsthithaa|
Namastasyie namastasyie namastasyie namoo namah.....

 Translated, I guess this means :

 Salutations again and again to the Devi (Goddess) who resides
in all beings in the form of Shakti (creative power)

 Early this morning, on Mahalaya - at the onset of Debi-pokkho - these words drifted through most Bong households .....through the voice of Birendra Kishore Bhadra .... We are almost ready for "Okaal Bodhon" - an untimely but popular festival for Bengalis across the globe - Durgotsav - the worship of Goddess Durga, as she comes for her short "Annual Leave" from her heavenly abode to her maternal home, with her 4 kids. 

 Today we begin the worship of Shakti in the form of Devi Durga ( Mahishashur Mardini - the vanquisher of buffalo headed Demon ) 

 The Devi is ....
a furious warrior for the cause of Truth and Righteousness
a loving, devoted and beautiful wife
a doting mother to her 4 kids - a safe haven for them to return to, whenever, wherever 
a proud woman who holds her ground against forces that threaten her and fights fiercely for all that is important to her







As I countdown to her "arrival" in the next 7 days and look forward to the joy and happiness that she always brings when she is around - I also raise my hands in thankfulness to the Lord Above that I am a woman.....that I too, belong to the same tribe as Devi Durga......

Life has shown me so many examples of "Durga" within my circle, my world - women that have demonstrated that yes, we do indeed belong to the same tribe as the Goddess....have highlighted the same spirit that we worship the Devi for....... 

women who have shed their inhibitions and supposed "weaknesses" to fight for what they believed in
women who have battled the odds undaunted, when people expected them to buckle and give way
women who have or are still weathering storms but refuse to give in. 

What strikes me as most amazing is the fact that these very women who battle and fight  their own battles never seem to become hardened as one may expect them to be ......while they are "warriors" at one end, at the same time, they are "nurturers" at the other - loving, giving, protecting, growing......The ease with which they move from one role to another is testimony to the fact that we women, are made of something else....an unique combination that most men admire, support even, but cannot take on with such ease.


I am honored to know women who battle diseases as deadly as cancer with a spirit that causes the disease itself to bow down and give in ...... I salute you again!

I am honored to know women who battle the huge loss of their life partners, through death or deceit and raise themselves high enough to protect their kids from the obvious after-effects of such a loss .....I salute you again! 

I am honored to know women who make life - choices to do what is "right" even if the opposite comes easier and with less pain involved......I salute you again!

I am honored to know women who stand up undaunted and fear-lessly for the Truth, the Right when required ...and at the same time, shift gears as and when required to cuddle, hug and kiss - to love like there is no other feeling they can ever have....I salute you again!

I see the Goddess in each and every one of them - and I think when She comes to Earth each year, She is happy to see this tribe increase. 

So for those of us that have brought  little princesses into this Earth, little angels that will tomorrow carry forth our torch - let us pledge to teach them the spirit of the Goddess -

to respect themselves and be proud of what a woman can do
to stand up fearlessly and sometimes go against the tide, to protect what is important to them
to take life's challenges head on and with an indomitable spirit that is difficult to beat
to love and not let any of life's hardships impair their softer sides 

Let the spirit of Durga, of Shakti live on within each of us .......and continue forever!


Shubho Mahalaya.


Comments

  1. Chatterjee R.4 October 2013 at 23:20

    I salute you for this awesome post!! keep writing, keep inspiring :)

    ReplyDelete

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