The festival of light... Diwali!!!!

The Bengali says Goodbye to Goddess Durga with tearful eyes and after that waits eagerly for the Goddess of wealth and prosperity....Laxmi. At the full moon after Durgapuja  Laxmipuja starts in the every house of Bengal. And while it get over, once again the people waits for the next lovely and big an event......Diwali, the Festival of Lights. For Bengali Diwali comes with the worshiping of Goddess Kalika. There are so many events around this Diwali or Deepabali. "Diwali or Deepabali" that means the row of lamps... The lamps bit darkness as well as the unholy everything. This festival is the tale of victory of goodness over the bad. The darkness is the unholy power and the light is the symbol of good power, the holiness.

There are so many mythical stories embracing the festival. The Bengali celebrates Kaali Puja, the peoples out of Bengal celebrates Dhanteras which is now celebrated also by Bengali, some Bengali families worship the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, Devi Laxmi. Some non Bengali families worship the God of Wealth Kuber. Behind each of the celebration there are some mythical stories there.
The First story is of Goddess Kali. The name Kaali has many different meanings.
1. "Kaal" is the another name of Lord Shiva and being his better half she is "Kaali".
2. "Kaal" means the time, And Kaali is the power that comes every time to get victory over the time and the unholy evil power.

3. Kaali means  the lady who's complexion is Dark. Kaali is black or blue in her complexion. Not fair. But this dark  Goddess who is the another attire Lovely, Fair and full of Heavenly beauty...... Goddess Durga. And her physical darkness gets victory over the Power of literal darkness and brings light. That's why a famous Bengali Folk lore poet wrote a lovely lyric, considering the Goddess as his own little daughter....

"Kaalo meyer payer tolay,

  Dekhe ja aalor nachon" 

          The darkness is our innocence, the evil within us. And the the little flames of oil lamps are symbolically the flag of victory over these all.

           There is a story behind this worshiping of Goddess Kaali, who is also known as Tara, Bhavatarini, Adya Shakti, Chinna Masta, Shyama and many other names. While there was a fierce battle within the Gods and Devils according to Hindu Mythology.... a devil born with a special power to defeat Gods. The devil was known as "RAKTABEEJ" that means the devil who has the power to give birth thousands more devils from his blood like him having the same power. If one single drop of his blood touches the soil, thousand more devils got birth from that and starts fighting. This created a big problem for the Gods and they got confused about the victory over them. Then they started to worship the Eternal ancient power the "Adi Shakti" who is the wife of lord Shiva. Devi Parvati.....Daughter of the King of Mountains Himlaya. She is Goddess Durga in her one attire and killed the Buffalo Demon "Mahishashur" and rescued the world from the massacre. She then took the fierce attire of Kaali and started killing the demons. Fighting for a long time, she had no attention towards her dress and when she saw that she is naked, she pick some cut hands of that demons up and made a garland to cover the lower portion and made garland of the cut heads and wear it around her neck. She then became more fierce and ordered her lady soldiers to lick and drink the blood of the each demons. She herself also did the same and her face full of blood became more fierce.At that very time the goddess became insane and started killing the innocent people also. Seeing that the Goddess is going to destroy the universe her husband Lord Shiva came to the battlefield to rescue the universe and to stop her.  He then laid down on the ground and unknowingly the insane Goddess put her foot on his chest.
    Seeing that she got ashamed and as it is mostly practiced by Hindus to show tongue out if there is a reason to be ashamed, she also stopped there by showing her tongue. From then she got worshiped in this pose.
    There are so many real stories there around her works till now. In the picture this is the Kaali idol of Dakshineswar where it is told that the Goddess herself told to Rani Rashmani, the founder of the temple to make the temple in that place.
   At the night of Kali Puja the Bengali people decorate their homes with lights and lamps, to welcome the dark Goddess to get victory over the Dark power.

 

Other than this tale of Goddess Kali there are some another tales. One of them is the Tale of Rama, the king of Ayodhya killed the evil-hearted  Ravana the King of Devils in Lanka. After his victory when he returned back to Ayodhya after 14 years, the citizen of Ayodhya welcomed King Rama, his wife Queen Janaki and his brother Prince Laxman by enlighten their homes with the lamps and it was the same day of Bengali's Kali Puja. 

        There is an another story embracing this day. This is also a myth. It is also a myth of "DHANTERAS".             Once upon a time there was a king who had a beautiful daughter who was very wise and intelligent. But once she came to know a prediction about her marriage night. That her husband will die on her marriage cot at the marriage night, Knowing that the brave and intelligent Princess, at her marriage night put all of her ornaments, all the metals of household around the room where the new Bride and Groom were going to spent the first night. And she lit thousands of lamps within the room. The lights of that lamps fall on the metals and had the huge glowing reflection and for that vast reflection the God of death became unable to enter the room and took her husband's life. Like this she saved her husband in that very night.
      In the memory of this particular story the Indian families use to buy ornaments, or any kind of metal in any attire as they consider it holy to bring metal on the day of Dhanteras. They use to made colour art with dust colours, flowers and lamps which are known as "RANGOLI". The people use to burn crackers and the dark night sky becomes colourful and enlighten by the fireworks....This is the holy hour for some families to worship Goddess Laxmi in this night.. This is the celebration of light, it is the victory over the darkness. The victory over the evils, darkness, black, pains, and innocence within us.... This is the day to wash our selves and taking an oath in front of the fire to be holy, to make everything holy, to make everything happy. And to say Happy Diwali once again wiping the tears.....

Sarodotsav... the key to happiness!!!!

have you ever heard about Utopian happiness? That leaving all the pains, problems, tensions people are just enjoying uninterrupted happiness.... yes I feel. Every year. The four days of Sarodotsav, that means in the time of Durga Puja.  The happiness comes like a wave and just disappear within a short time. You must say that there are 4 days you have to feel it, but I feel that these 4 days usually pass out like a dream come in night incredible. The whole nature takes the preparation of happiness, to serve happiness to the children of nature. The nature's Queen Autumn this time dresses like the new bride

 with the ornaments of Golden Sunlight. She wears the crown of blue sky with white clouds in them. She makes her hair with the ornaments of Kaash, the milky white flower. perfumes herself with the fragrance of Shefali and the Lotus in her hand makes her Glorious in attire and Grand in look.
       With this charming makeover nature and her children waits and welcomes the superior heavenly Mother... Goddess Durga in the earth, every year. Durga puja or the worship of Goddess Durga is very important and essential for the emotions of Bengali people as well as their economy. This is the only festival when the Bengali traders makes their 90% profit. This is the economical aspect of the festival. But the emotional aspect is more essential for them.

       Bengali people thinks that Goddess Durga who is also known as Uma is their own daughter. She comes to her father's home after one year with her four children Ganapati, Kartikeya, Laxmi and Saraswati from Kailash. She stays from Maha Panchami to Mahanavami. that means 4 days and then at Bijaya Dashami she returns back to her Husband's home. Once upon a time the Bengali girls got married in very early age and they had to stay long at their Husbands' house and they got the permission to go to their Fathers' home just for these four days of Durga Puja. That time the girls got the best welcome and treatment at their father's home as they came after a year. Like that in Hindu mythology Goddess Durga who's another name is Uma was the Younger daughter of Giriraj (King of Mountains) Himalaya's two beloved Daughters.... Ganga (The river Ganga) and Uma. She got married with the God of the Gods Shiva. But Shiva is a saint and he will never be able to give her the luxurious life and comfort in which the Princess Uma born and brought up. So her mother Queen Menaka became upset and every year when she comes in her Father's Home with her children, mother Menaka gives her the best thing that she loved at her maidenhood.

          The both events real and mythological are very similar no? The Bengali girls of ancient days and Princess Uma.... Both of their position is same. That's why some where the Heavenly Goddess of myth and the simple Bengali girl's position merges, mingles and converge  in a same way. A Girl is somebody's darling Daughter, somebody's beloved wife and somebody's loving mother. The Goddess and a simple girl of this earthen world stays in the same platform this time. So the emotional value of this festival is too much for Bengalies as their Daughter is coming.
    This four days Bengalies worship Goddess Durga with
many rituals, sacrifices and with the pure love for her. The priests spells Sanskrit hymns to welcome her, to worship her and enlighten  the sacred fire which is known as "Yangnya". The priests offers her the foods, drinks, ornaments, clothes, flowers and other things essential for her through the hymns. And then the "Aarati" they do to please her with the Ballad made with Sanskrit hymns which is the description of her magnificent heavenly beauty, glory and power;  and asks her blessings for everyone's health, victory, prosperity and happiness saying " Roopang dehi, Jayang dehi, Yasho dehi, Dwisho jahi ".
        These four days the people use to float in the weave of happiness and joy. And then the last day that means Bijaya Dashami comes. The priests spell the hymns with heavy heart. Every body says that this day Goddess Durga also shed tears, as she is returning to her Husband's house.  The Bengali women prepare her with a lovely and heart touching ritual named "Baran".
      When a mother sends her daughter in her husband's home, she use to wipe her tears, prepare her with many ornaments, essence and many other things that flourish her beauty. The Bengali Women also shows their love wiping her face with "Paan", then wipe her tearful eyes with their own cloth's "Aanchal" put turmeric and mustard oil on her cheeks, Sindur in the parting of her hair, gives sweetmeats in her mouth, gives "Paan" as the mouth freshner in her hand and in tearful eyes says  "I will wait for you daughter. Please come after a year with my grand children." The eternal Mother Daughter relation gets it's zenith this time when the heavenly goddess becomes an unwilling daughter who is weeping and the very simple lady of earth becomes her loving Mother. This ritual comes from ancient days. And after that the Bengali people pleases her with the dance taking the smoke vessel "Dhunuchi" in hand after that they took the idol towards a river or pond with a beautiful procession and float the idol as they are sending her towards her home.
            The four days are so much important for the community. As this is the time to live their lives once again. Forgetting all the pains of the years, leaving the tension behind. The community lives a life of Utopian happiness among the earth itself.
         So at last biding everyone Goodbye for today and wishing Subho Bijoya I finish this post for today. May Goddess Durga shower happiness, blessings and prosperity over you and your family.