Shrawan is, in my opinion, the month that tells us how to be. That is my take on the rituals in Shrawan. Let me put forth a few examples to fortify my argument. "Nag Panchami", for example, teaches us how not to treat a snake merely as a menace. Extremely benevolent for farmers, snakes, too, have a place in the scheme of things, is the lesson indirectly imbibed in us.
Look at the story of Nagpanchami. A farmer's plough cuts the tails of the hatchlings of a serpent. Furious, the snake wants revenge. It forgets to bite when it sees the daughter of the family praying to God to keep her 'brothers' safe. The tale tells us not to harm even a snakelet as the earth belongs to all, and to seek a bond across species.
It is this spirit that prevails on the Narali Purnima Day, too, i think. A sea in fury due to the monsoon can be hundred times more dangerous than a cobra. However, just as a farmer needs a snake, so does the fisherman the sea. The month of Shravan, in my opinion, teaches us to consider such a bond, holy, beyond mere utility. Hence the typical rituals, I suppose, associated with the Shravan festivals!
It is but natural hence that the month ends with a celebration of the most misunderstood animal considered brainless, actually toiling the hardest, the bullock. True, in the era of hydroponics, who cares for a bull? Yet the traditional rituals associated with the day reveal the deepest concern for this beast who labours in the field, without any complaint or without (m)any thanks!
The month of Shravan, the month of regeneration across Nature, what with even the barest hills lush with greenery due to the monsoon, is actually a month that venerates the maternal bond. The very first day of this festive season begins with the "Jivti Pooja", a mother's ardent prayers for the well being of her children.
The very picture of the "Jivti" that adorns the "devhara" of most all Maharashtrian households is a tribute to this life sustaining relationship. Is it any wonder hence that the holy month ends with the Matru Din, a day devoted to commemorating the mother?
The last day of the lunar month, the no-moon day, the amavasya according to the Hindu calender, is otherwise never considered auspicious. Yet the last day of the Shravan, dedicated to the mother-child bond, becomes holy. Such is the power of the mother love!
Pratima@i would like to conclude by saying that the way Shravan is celebrated and the manner in which it ends, it is a great tribute to the mother principle that sustains, and beyond mere biology. In other words, the Mothers' Day in our culture is larger in signification, is more empathetic, and hence truly special! Long live the Matru Din, the Indian Mothers' Day!
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