What does the Navratra festival narrate to us? Oh, yes, surely the multiple stories traditionally associated with the Devi, and her avatars. Certainly the very many rituals that are associated with the festival. Oh, yes, the conches blowing, and the drums thundering. Undoubtedly, like every other festival in India, this festival, too, is a surfeit of tastes, sounds, sights, fragrances, not to forget the rustle of the evening breeze as it gently caresses the October-heat-blasted day!
Yet the Navratri does not merely signify an abundance of perceptions. It is the beginning of a new seasonal cycle as well. More than that, however, in my opinion, it is the time to awaken the real Devi within you.
Who and how is this Devi within? Undoubtedly, she is gentle. She is very kind, too. She sure would go out of her way to help. Such would be the humane generosity that ugly, harsh treatment by others, given currently their tough times, would be overlooked. That should the Gauri within.
Gauri, however, can be and must be the Durga if her innocent guilelessness and clean straightforwardness are considered gullible foolishness. When too many coincidences happen without even any distant logic to explain these, it is the time to be wary.
One should be goodness itself. At the same time, one must know, one must realise that one's straightforwardness would get interpreted as silly stupidity by the wily who would like to snigger at one's credulity. The Durga within watches carefully the invisibly obvious trap getting to tighten as a noose. Time to expose it, and tell about it to a few in the know, almost as an alibi!
The Devi within is intelligence tempered with emotions, and feelings fostered by brilliance. If either is in excess, the balance between the Gauri and the Durga would be askew, and literally. In other words, the Navratri, as one understands the significance of each reincarnation every day, consists of the realisation that as a woman one needs to be kind and just to oneself as well.
Dash-hara is thus the day of celebration, of a win-win over demons such as fear, harassment, doubts, worries, difficulties, gullibility, hateful frenemies who would like to use-n-throw, knowing sneers, maligning smears to emerge triumphant of the whole(-n-)sum of all that is the best within, ready yet again to face the wor(l)ds wisely.
Pratima@"sa: aham/soham", Aai used to say, is the true realisation of the unique oneness between the devotee and the divinity. Indeed, every festival is the ideal "muhurt" to realise the divinity within.
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