Shakti And Symbolism

      NAVRATRI, the festival of nine nights, is celebrated throughout India in the fall or the harvest season. The subcontinent’s diversity makes pluralism and difference a norm, and the story of Navratri is a reflection of these very Indian cultural differences that often confuse those who expect monolithic single expression traditions. Calendar dates, the names of the principal protagonists including the name of the festival itself vary from locale to locale as in common for most Hindu festivals. The prevailing story may be summarized as follows: Brahma of the triune Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva, granted Mahishasura the “buffalo demon or simply Mahisa (buffalo) a boon that protected him from any man in the world (Flood, 176). Empowered by this gift, Mahishasura set out to conquer the world, heaven and the world, and brought about the defeat of Indra king of deities. At the pleading of Indra, the trinity created Durga, the female through and amalgamation of their own shakti or divine power. Endowed with the trinity’s shakti, Durga proved to be a formidable opponent who fought Mahisa for nine days, beheading him on the tenth. The nine nights simply translated Navratri, symbolize the nine days of battle, while the tenth day, vijayadashami-literally means the victorious tenth day of conquest. This great epic is recounted and celebrated slightly differently in various regions taking on different forms and names. In West Bengal Navratri, and vijayadashami are respectively celebrated as Durga Puja and Dasara. In South India the festival includes other female deities and dedicates three days of the festival to Lakshmi, the female archetype of wealth and fortune, and another three to Saraswathi, the female archetype of learning, music and knowledge. In northern India it takes the form of the great epic Ramayana where Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu is victorious over the evil king Ravana. Regional variations of the epic saga also bring with them changes in the names and physical forms of the triumphant female deity. In Gujarat, the western most province of India just north of Bombay and home to most of the people who celebrate Edison’s Navratri she is Amba. Amba also known as Mata is revered for her victory over Mahisa the evil and the celebration centers around her. An arti to Amba with a lighted lamp on a decorated dish signals the start of the festival and is followed by devotional songs and colorful dances of the Garba and Raas Dandia. Garba, traditionally women’s dance, centers around earthen lamps, devotional songs and syncopated clapping of hands. Dandia, the dance that follows the Garba, is a group dance performed with hand held short sticks by both men and women. Traditionally devotees fast during the nine days of the festival taking only sweets and non-alcoholic drinks for nourishment. Navratri’s affirmation of community and the power of women are central to the adoration of Amba. In contrast to cultural norms of patriarchy, Navratri portrays women as fierce, independent and not vanquished. In this epic, female shakti saves a world lost in battle by mighty male deities. Navratri reminds its celebrants of the duality of woman-gentle, bending and compassionate on one hand and fierce, unrelenting driven on the other. Community, collective effort, extended family, village and neighborhood and celebrated in night long music and traditional dance evoked so beautifully by Divakaruni sensuous, poem. The triune deity’s power integrated in a single shakti that defeats evil marks the unity of family and community strength through power found in the female.

from THE HINDU