In every community, the world over, there is a practice of starting any new venture by invoking the blessings of the Divine, whoever or whatever name given to them. According to the Lunar Calendar, followed by Hindus the world over, the New Year (Samvatsara) begins from the first day, after the New Moon in the zodiac sign Aries, usually in end-March early April. This is also the Shukla Paksha (bright moon period) in the month of Chaitra. This year will be Vikram Samvatsara 2071. In certain areas, where they follow the Solar Calendar, the New Year falls on a fixed date, and as per their customs and rituals they celebrate it on those dates. It is also believed that Lord Brahma started he creation of the Universe on this day. In Maharashtra and Goa, this day is celebrated as Gudi Padwa; in the Deccan region of South India (Karnataka/Andhra region), it is known as Yugadi/Ugadi; Kashmiri Pandits/Brahmins who have Vedic and Proto-Indo-Iranian roots, celebrate it as Navroz or Navreh and Devi Ke Din; Cheti Chand in Sindh; Tirhuta in Bihar; Cheiraoba in Manipur; Chaitti in Himachal Pradesh; while in the rest of the Hindi speaking belt as Basantiya (Spring) Navratri, with the invocation of the Divine energies of Maa Durga and her nine forms. Why invoke the blessings of Durga? Durga, as we all know was born out of the combined energies of all the gods during the battle with Mahisasura. Yet, Durga is the manifested form of Maha Maya, the illusion which is above all other illusions, the One from whom this Universe is born and controlled. In the Devipurana (Mahabhagwad), it is mentioned (Ch 41, shloka 13 to 18)that when humankind was tortured by the devilish negative energies led by Ravana, the Gods, went to Lord Brahma and asked Him for guidance on how to combat this. It is then that Brahma tells Lord Rama that he needs to invoke the blessings of Devi Jagadamba to be victorious in this battle. Why Jagadamba? He explains further…… “Jagadamba is the only entity which can remove fear in a person in the three lokas (aakash, prithvi and paatal), who being invincible helps a person be victorious; She is the source which can remove all hurdles and obstacles; so it is She, in her form of Durga to whom you should pray and seek blessings. During the churning of the ocean, when the poison came out, Lord Shiva invoked the blessings of Durga and drank that poison, because of which He was saved from death and came to be known as Mrityunjaya; She is the one who vanquishes all rogue elements in the Universe and takes care of the well-being of its inhabitants. Thus, you should pray to Her and seek Her blessings.” Since the New Year means a new beginning, this day is chosen to invoke the blessings of Devi Durga, by praying to Her, in Her nine forms (each form has different energies and have an effect on the different Chakras and different aspects of life), over the next nine days, which culminates with Ram Navami, the birth day of Lord Rama, and subsequently on the Full Moon day, which is considered the birthday of Lord Hamunan, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. This year, the New Samvatsara starts on 31st March, 2014, when the Navratri also starts. I will be sharing a write-up on the nine forms of Durga, Shailaputri Brahmacharini Chandra Ghanta Kushmanda Skandamata Katyayini Kaal Ratri Maha Gauri Siddhidatri one each day, over the next nine days. It is also a practice to take Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves and jaggery/misri (sugar candy) on this day as a reminder that life is a mix of the sweet and sour. May Devi Durga bless us all with health, wealth and prosperity this year.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 01:26:18 +0000