This season of Navratri causes several ethnic and traditional changes in society. Why is it called Navratri?
Nav- means nine and -Ratri means night. Does this mean that Mother arrives on the first night of the special nine nights and departs on the ninth night?
We remain suspended in the darkness of fluid in the mother’s womb for nine months. Even there are nine openings which are the doors in our fort, viz, our body. But, we have something which keeps us alive in the fluid. This is the soul. These windows comprise two eyes, ears, nostrils, a mouth, and two excretory openings. These are endowed to us for we march closer to God, understanding ourselves inside out. The name Durga is proved by this notion (Durg- fort).
This is possible if we feel Her presence 24*7 and try to realize Her proximity to our existence, closer to our death center. She loves us seventy times a mother’s love. She never resides on the seventh strata of heaven. She is omnipresent.
We celebrate these nine days to revere the chronicles when She showed Her opulent form to Her devotees. After all kinds of traditional reverence, we should try to feel Her blessings these days, keenly. She is Eternal.
Her first form, Mother Shailputri, daughter of Himalaya, and Mother Maina. The one who is devoid of ‘I’ is Maina, the Lord. When we renounce our ‘I’, Shailputri is born within ourselves. Such massive renunciation is not possible by will. We need to surrender. Shail has a magnificent meaning. Shail means a mountain. Mountain is unstirred in all situations. Similarly, the Eternal Mother remains unstirred.
The second form is Mother Brahmacharini. This has a beautiful meaning.
- Brahma- The Eternal Soul, Allah, God
- -charini- similar to, homologous
If our character and thoughts are like that of Brahma, then we will be called Brahmachari. Its feminine form shall be Brahmacharini. Once we start nurturing such character, we will begin seeing equality and oneness in all creatures. A mother never discriminates amongst her children. All the passions shall perish (kaam, krodh, lobh, moh, jugupsa, and the rest). If we feel Her presence, nothing negative sustains. We must feel the Brahma within, the character must descend. We should begin by taking baby steps, surrendering to Her. She is not the Mother, who made us, for she keeps on quenching our futile desires. We are inviting a grand doom.
Let us see a parable that shall prove that surrendering is the way out. One day, a man saw the form of Mother Brahmcharini in a dream. He saw that he had been entangled in a grand web, due to his attachments to his children, money, children, and the rest. Mother stood a yard away and smiled. She told him that She had entangled him in Her clutches. The man replied that he had entangled himself, by his passions, and could free himself. Mother allowed him to free himself. He felt that he was choked. Suddenly, he underwent an attack of claustrophobia, and he woke up from sleep. He showed severe tachycardia, the pulse was fast. Though that was a dream, he felt that in reality. That meant that was the reality as well. The dream and the breathing life were a reality.
He closed his eyes and prayed to Her that he could not free himself. He surrendered, Mother smiled and freed Him.
Islam means submission to the Divine will. Sanatan is the element that is ever new. The Eternity never gains an age. The Truth remains fixed for every creature. Thus, surrendering is mandatory.
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