Jai Mata di!!! maa tujhe salam..

Navratri: there are many tales that showcase power of Maa Vaishno or Maa Durga or Vaishnavi, Trikuta or Tribhuvani Shakti. Goddess - The Shakti or en eternal power has many names. Nav Durga resides at various places in India which are known for her own powers – individually!

Why? Possibly she had belief in her own existence, her own path, standing against Mahishasur  or Bhaironath trusting solely her source, today she is worshipped across as ONE.

Let us look at other strong women in our religious texts – Sita and Droupadi , through my lens…

Sita married the strongest, mighty King Ram. He did protect her, he fought a battle against Ravana killing him and coming back Victorious…. Why? Cause Sita remained strong and had disagreed to become Ravana’s wife. 

Sita comes back from exile, but the queen again has to walk away and go for another exile as the Mighty King could not stand by her side in front of the society. The same King for whom she stood by, in all circumstances, she did not marry Ravana as well… but in her own life challenge she was left in a pregnant state. She relied too much on men so suffered…however being a form of Shakti she is still worshiped today. Cause later she realised and trusted her own source of existence.

Droupadi: She had five husbands, Pandavas. Husbands ‘the protectors’ only auctioned her in a game with Kauravas, no one from them or their families could do any thing.. all power men were seen helpless. Krishna or Govinda, the Lord himself came for her protection and after that chose to become a charioteer of Arjuna, cause he was the only able warrior.

What did Sita or Droupadi get out of their kings… only bloodshed and powerplay, then exile.

At the same time Maa, she believed in her own existence, fought her own battle and is worshipped till date with no husband ‘tag’ or a ‘label’ or a surname attached with her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another two examples to state: vidhwa or Widow and Sati

In context with above two examples, recently I came across an article in BBC which mentioned about widows living in ‘Vidhwa Ashrams’ in Vrindavan, as they have been abandoned by their families, cause the man who stamped her, her husband or her protector is no more alive, no more in this world. ( pls note these ashrams are in Vrindavan – land of Krishna. Seems Krishna too has given up…)

Sati: an old practice no more relevant, a woman used to burn herself in the funeral pyre of her husband.. her stamp of existence.

Recently, in my Jaisalmer trip I spotted a place in the fort where the Emperor throne faces a Devi temple, Rajputs we know worship Devi and beside that throne I could see Sati handprints.

However, a paradox to this, the Hindu shastra’s say that a soul is eternal, the soul is infinite. Never dies, soul only leaves its physical form… etc etc

Please note here: The parents who brought her into this world lose their stamp and power over her existence (ridiculous!!!) and at the same time in shastra’s or many other scriptures it is documented that a soul to arrive in this world in physical form chooses its parents or the womb, THE MOTHER.So how can the existence of a husband overpower THE EXISTENCE OF A SOUL IN PHYSICAL FORM OF A WOMAN… has the soul got a sexual categorisation??

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः

nainam chindanti shastrani nainam dahati pavakah na chainam kledayanty apo na sosayati marutah : as written in Geeta

Meaning:- The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind."

Marriage is a communion of two families, individuals and souls. It is no stamping or stealing away anyone’s dignity, existence or originality. If in any way we are doing so in any form, we must be stamped as inhuman or butcher who tries to suffocate the existence of the other soul in form of woman and by force deviates her soul journey by their own so called ‘religious practices’ ‘permissions’ or stamps. They are doing the biggest crime… they are the ones whose soul journey is a big question.

On this day of Navratri,  I write this article in honour of my mother, whom I have chosen in this life journey. She is almost 70 years, my father is not in this world now in his physical form, but very much lives with us, protects us. Two days back I prayed for him as it was ‘shraad’. Today with this article I post a recent picture of my mother. I don’t choose to term her as a WIDOW. She has her own existence, can wear anything she chooses to, any colour etc etc…

With this I reiterate, any DEVI in a temple has no GOD in male form residing beside her, still she is decorated with full ‘shringaar’….

A rhetoric statement!!! In this biased, dual, bipolar disordered patriarchal society.

देहि सौभाग्यमारोग्यं देहि मे परमं सुखम् |

रूपं देहि जयं देहि यशो देहि द्विषो जहि ||

Dehi Saubhagyamaarogyam Dehi Me Paramam Sukham |

Roopam Dehi Jayam Dehi Yasho Dehi Dvisho Jahi ||

Meaning: O Devi, Please Bestow on me Welfare and Prosperity, along with Health and freedom from Diseases; O Devi, Please Give me the Highest Joy,

O Devi, Please Grant me (Spiritual) Beauty, Please Grant me (Spiritual) Victory, Please Grant me (Spiritual) Glory and Please Destroy my (Inner) Enemies.

JAI MATA DI…

……Powered by Gobinda