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We at MASTRADIO wish you all a very Subh Durga Pooja. Please join us today at 8:00AM as we join in millions who shall be jumpstarting the celebration of 9 days. Durga - in Sanskrit, means who is non comprehensible or difficult to reach. In Sanatana Dharma, Durga signifies Shakti which means Power or Energy. It is derived from Sanskrit verb root “shak,” which means “to be able” or “to act”. “This energetic power is witnessed in all the various phenomena of life. It is the nourishing force responsible for the growth of vegetation, animals, human beings, and of the very Earth Herself. It is what is responsible for the kinetic movement of all things. The planets revolve around the sun as a result of the hidden power of Shakti. It is Shakti that makes the winds blow and the oceans churn. Shakti is manifest as the very affective ability of all the forces of nature. She is the heat of fire, the brilliance of the sun, the very life force of all living beings.”1
As per Sanatana Dharma, this power or energy can not exist in a vacuum without any purpose or meaning. Hence, for any discernable energy to exist in any form, it must be mediated and guided by a conduit. Thus, this brings the monistic duality principle of Sanatana Dharma, which states that God is one (sat-ekam), indivisible and inviolable in essence, yet is also simultaneously conceived as a dual co-Absolute moiety as Energy(Conduit), Feminine(Masculine), Prakriti(Purusha) and so forth. Hence, you shall see an inseparable personal form of God in Krishna(Radha), Ram(Sita), Shiva(Parvati) and so forth in Sanatana Dharma. Durga Pooja signifies celebration of Shakti, which is an exclusively feminine principle and is synonymous with the great Devi. As the great Devi, she is omnipresent in Hindu society via her many forms, such as (1st 9 forms are in order of celebration of the form during Durga Pooja): - Saraswati - "Knowledge"
- Parvati - "The mountaineer"
- Gauri - "Yellow or brilliant"
- Rudrani - "Home care"
- Radha - "Pleasure"
- Shakti - "Power"
- Ganga - "Emotion"
- Laxmi - "Wealth"
- Mahakali - "Destruction of all evil"
- Uma - "Light"
- Jagatmata - "The-mother-of-the-world"
- Durga - "the inaccessible"
- Kali - "the black"
- Chandi - "the fierce"
- Bhairavi - "the terrible."
- and there are many more forms..
In the form of Parvati, She is known as the divine spouse of Lord Shiva and is the mother of Her two sons, Ganesha and Karttikeya, and daughter Jyoti. It is the power of Shakti that “...keeps the gods in their position, makes a man virile or makes a sage of a man”. "Without the enabling presence of the metaphysical principle of Shakti, all physical creation would be rendered impotent", interprets Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales1, Ph.D., who's paper on "The Concept of Shakti:Hinduism as a Liberating Force for Women is a must read for all interested in knowing Shakti and it’s origin or nature. The festival to celebrate this energy, albeit comes with variation in local and regional beliefs of the concept while maintaining the core essence; Durga Pooja is indeed one of the major festivals of India. Eastern India in particular holds a special vigor and enthusiasm in celebrating the festival, especially Bengal. In the Bengali belief, Sati, the consort of Shiva was the daughter of Daksha Prajaapati, a descendant of Bhrama. "Sati had married Shiva against the wishes of her father. Daksha was sponsoring a sacrifice and attendees came from various parts of the universe. He invited all of the gods and goddesses except his son in law, Shiva. Against Shiva's wishes, Sati attended this sacrifice and was insulted by her father. Unable to bear this insult, Sati immolated herself. (Hence the word Sati Pratha(ritual) observed in Indian history. This ritual is now illegal in modern India). Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva destroyed Daksha's sacrifice, cut off Daksha's head and when pleaded by other gods, replaced it with that of a goat and restored him to life. Still berserk with grief, he picked up the remains of Sati's body, and danced the dance of destruction (tandav) throughout the Universe. The other gods intervened to stop this dance, and the disk of Vishnu cut through the corpse of Sati, whose various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed the sites of what are known as Shakti Peethas today. Shiva was finally pacified when the last piece fell off from his shoulder. Narayana revived sati as Uma for a new life. Ever since peace was restored, Uma, with her children, Ganesh and Kartick, and with her two 'sakhis' - Jaya and Bijaya, comes to visit her parent's home each year during the season of 'Sharat' or autumn when Durga Puja is celebrated."2 In Southern India, the festival is known as Kolu. In celebration, a series of steps is set up displaying kolu bommai or dolls. These dolls typically depict gods or village scenes or local events such as weddings. A kolu can be as simple or as elaborate as per ones taste and faith. The woman of the house invites other women to come inspect the kolu, eat a few snacks, exchange a little gossip and go home with a couple of small gifts which are traditionally coconuts, clothes and sweets. Similarly, in other parts of India, Durga Pooja exhibits similar enthusiasm and celebrations. References: 1 Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales, Ph.D., "The Concept of Shakti:Hinduism as a Liberating Force for Women 2For more details, please visit Durga-Puja.org, a site dedicated to the festival.
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