HONOUR THY WOMAN.
“Salutations to the mother,
Who rides the golden tiger,
Salutations to thee,
Who rules the ruler of the world”
Who rides the golden tiger,
Salutations to thee,
Who rules the ruler of the world”
October: it is a time for many of us to remember Durga- our Mother. And we do so, in our own ways, traditions, and personal faith. But, while we hold festivities ,chant prayers, undertake fasts, even climb mountains to catch a glimpse - ‘darsana’ of ‘Her’ in sacred sanctorums; the one presence we do not seem to register is that of our girls-the little Durgas in the midst of us all. Do we truly recognize what Durga stands for? Do we acknowledge the equality of women?
This equality was designed for all times. And, there are times when it shows up a little. Like the respect we exhibit for women during the ‘Durga days’.
When i saw this mesmerising message pic of Durga in immersion, it symbolised a thousand unspoken words of woman: With the immersion of Durga’s idols in the sea,at the end of the festival ,the esteem, and hopes of women in our societies also sink back into the harsh norms of a man’s world ,once again.
Why?
Why do we give such a short ovation to these living deities,who are actually our equals? Clay idols can rest respectfully in the sea,but these,the mothers of our children, And these,our daughters,the mothers to be,of our races,THEY ARE NOT CLAY.
If we shift our focus from the mere idols of Durga to the ‘ideal-that is Durga, we realise that the understanding of God as mother,is most precious.That's how all the caring and tenderness comes into being.But, instead of acknowledging the inherent propensity of women towards divinity, male chauvinist groups,in their insecurity, devise witch hunts.Now, it is important to remember that instead of being in passive immersion, Durga can stand for assertion of feminine force.
The creatrix mother who normally holds a lotus flower in her hands,can wield a sword too.
The beautiful eyes that liken her to a gazelle, can freeze to death with one icy stare, or, worse, fierily burn to ashes.And knowing this,all followers of the Devi take heed to keep her pleased in her tender and beauteous attribute.There is not a keen point in invoking her wrath to restore a disturbed equilibrium,triggered by male chauvinism.And this fact, the misguided male ego has discovered at a terminal cost; When a mahisasur becomes mindless, he ends up losing the whole head itself. But then there is always a new mahisasur, masquerading by the name of bhairon, or shumbh or nishumbh or whatever- And off we go again,setting a new board to play out yet another game of ego and domination, ranging from subtle snides to outright, cruel subjugation. So, what are the chances that that one week of obeisance to Durga will exorcise the demon lurking as ego in our manly mind? Nil.
This equality was designed for all times. And, there are times when it shows up a little. Like the respect we exhibit for women during the ‘Durga days’.
When i saw this mesmerising message pic of Durga in immersion, it symbolised a thousand unspoken words of woman: With the immersion of Durga’s idols in the sea,at the end of the festival ,the esteem, and hopes of women in our societies also sink back into the harsh norms of a man’s world ,once again.
Why?
Why do we give such a short ovation to these living deities,who are actually our equals? Clay idols can rest respectfully in the sea,but these,the mothers of our children, And these,our daughters,the mothers to be,of our races,THEY ARE NOT CLAY.
If we shift our focus from the mere idols of Durga to the ‘ideal-that is Durga, we realise that the understanding of God as mother,is most precious.That's how all the caring and tenderness comes into being.But, instead of acknowledging the inherent propensity of women towards divinity, male chauvinist groups,in their insecurity, devise witch hunts.Now, it is important to remember that instead of being in passive immersion, Durga can stand for assertion of feminine force.
The creatrix mother who normally holds a lotus flower in her hands,can wield a sword too.
The beautiful eyes that liken her to a gazelle, can freeze to death with one icy stare, or, worse, fierily burn to ashes.And knowing this,all followers of the Devi take heed to keep her pleased in her tender and beauteous attribute.There is not a keen point in invoking her wrath to restore a disturbed equilibrium,triggered by male chauvinism.And this fact, the misguided male ego has discovered at a terminal cost; When a mahisasur becomes mindless, he ends up losing the whole head itself. But then there is always a new mahisasur, masquerading by the name of bhairon, or shumbh or nishumbh or whatever- And off we go again,setting a new board to play out yet another game of ego and domination, ranging from subtle snides to outright, cruel subjugation. So, what are the chances that that one week of obeisance to Durga will exorcise the demon lurking as ego in our manly mind? Nil.
But there was once a man, who was so completely in love with his woman, that he learnt to uphold ALL women of the world. I do suspect the english coined a word after him-chivalry!
Shiva.The most powerful, Lord of lords taught us the way:
To honour our women, is the only worship of Durga.
Shiva.The most powerful, Lord of lords taught us the way:
To honour our women, is the only worship of Durga.
Jai Mata di! Namah Shivaye!
Shail Gulhati is the author of the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.
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