One of the features that makes Bharat unique is the number and variety of festivals we celebrate. We celebrate the rising of the Sun, the moon. We celebrate the dawn, the noon and the night.I am reminded of a chocolate commercial which says “Iss baat pe kuch meetha ho jaye!” meaning ‘let’s have something sweet’ and for any and every occaasion we are ready to have a sweet. In fact we don’t need any excuse to have a sweet. Similarly, we Indians need no reason to celebrate. Our rich culture teaches us to celebrate every day, every moment.
Most of our festivals are celebrated in groups, with family and friends, sharing of food and other gifts. But there are some celebrated in observing silence, in bhajan (not bhojan), in fasting. I get fascinated by the number and varieties of festivals that we have.
Today we are going to reflect on one such festival which is celebrated at night , not just one night but nine nights. Yes, you guessed it right. It is Navaratri. A lot has been written and discussed about the feminine power that is worshiped during this festival. I am not going to discuss about it.
My focus is going to be the feminine qualities that are worshipped and respected not only here but all over the world. They are respected not only today, but are worshipped over centuries. They will be worshipped over the millennium.
In the Bhagavad Gita, in the 10th chapter, Arjuna requests Bhagavan to enumerate His divine glories. He requests Bhagvan to tell in detail about those objects, beings or qualities, seeing which in particular, he should remember the Lord. In response to this question we have Bhagavan narrating all His vibhootis.
In the 34th verse He says “कीर्ति: श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृति: क्षमा “. Bhagavan says ‘Among the feminine qualities, I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience.‘ Swami Chinmayananda, in ‘The Holy Geeta’, his commentary on Bhagavad Gita says ‘It is not that the person having these qualities is divine. Whoever be the person, and whatever be his past, when on occasions he expresses these qualities we can perceive Life’s glory through him.’
Today let’s think of some personalities who displayed these qualities or as Swami Chinmayananda says occasions when some individuals displayed one or some of these qualities. We must keep in mind that these qualities are present in both the genders. In fact the division between a man and a woman is only at the physical layer. The physical layer just works out to be a small portion say 20% of the human personality. So our examples can be from either of the genders.
Of these seven qualities, the two appeal to me the most. They are Dhruti and Kshama and they go together hand in hand. Dhruti means ‘steadfastness’ or a firmness of resolve. To sustain Dhruti, Kshama meaning ‘patience’ is required. Once a woman is convinced about a particular thing, she will stand firm on that subject irrespective of whatever be the challenges. She may have to wait for how much ever time and take how much ever efforts to achieve it.
We can list down many examples for these two qualities. But the person whom I remember and admire the most is the tribal devotee of Lord Rama. Yes! Shabari, the one who waited for the arrival of the Lord for number of decades! As the legend goes, she was a disciple of Matanga Rhishi and served him by cleaning the ashram and doing other chores. Her Guru, while leaving his mortal coil, instructed her to wait for the arrival of Lord Rama and serve Him. It is said that every day she would clean the ashram, decorate it with flowers and collect sweet fruits from the jungle for the Lord.
In today’s world we keep checking about the movement of our loved ones every few hours. Just imagine someone waiting for the Lord, whom she had never seen. Trusting the words of her Guru, never ever doubting it, she continued her good work. On the wealth of Dhruti and Kshama, finally she met Him and her life was fulfilled.
Another person whom I associate with Dhruti and Kshama is the late Shri Dashrath Manzi – The ‘Mountain Man of India’. A person becomes bitter on the loss of a dear one. Dashrath Manzi lost his wife when he was trying to take her to a doctor. They had to go around a mountain to get the medical treatment. She did not survive the travel.
Instead of cursing the government, the man takes a hammer and a chisel. He works for not one or two or ten years. He works every single day for 22 years and cuts the mountain and makes a road. He makes the life easy for generations to come. What better example one can think for steadfastness and patience! Salutations! to you, Shri Dashrath Manzhi.
When it comes to Smriti (memory) and Medha (intelligence), the discussion cannot be completed without the mention of the great mathematician Smt. Shakuntaladevi. She was known as ‘Human computer’. Daughter of a circus performer, she travelled with her parents since she was three years old. She is said to have cultivated her calculating abilities while performing card tricks. Once she began to extract cube roots rapidly in her head, she became a performer exhibiting her skills.
Shakuntala Devi authored several books on calculations, mathematical puzzles. She was an astrologer, the writer of guides to arithmetic, a cookbook for men and a crime novel.
In fact there is one personality which displays all these seven traits, from recent times is Smt. Sudha Murti. Generally when we think of Kirti -fame and Shri – prosperity with respect to a woman, one imagines a glamorous girl from the Bollywood. Smt. Sudha Murti is a pleasant exception to this.
Born in a middle class kannadiga family, she was raised in an educated atmosphere. She completed her BE in Electrical Engineering and won a gold medal for her exceptional academic performance. She joined the engineering college when not many girls opted for the engineering degree.
She became the first female engineer hired at India’s largest auto manufacturer TELCO. She fulfilled all the responsibilities working at the shop floor and paved the path way for the women in the new era. She is an author of books in Kannada and English, a philanthropist, an eloquent motivational speaker and an entrepreneur. She is the chairperson of Infosys foundation and was awarded Padmashri in 2006.
Endowed with wealth, fame, intelligence, memory and also eloquence, she is an epitome of all the divine feminine qualities mentioned above. A real vibhooti of the Lord.
So this Navaratri, let us inculcate and imbibe these qualities in us and discover the Shakti within.
Let us be Durga and negate the tamas and lethargy.
Let us be Laksmi and inculcate the values and inherit the valuables.
Let us be Saraswati and celebrate the path of Self Discovery.
Shubha Navaratri!
Written by Smt. Manisha Deole