The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
The fifth day of navaratri dawned, along with the sudden realization that we were already halfway through the celebrations, and in five more days we would be back to the normal grind of day to day life. The realization spurred me along to call all those I had planned to invite home, and ask them to come home on Friday, make a few visits, and, in the evening, it led me to the Sringeri Mutt and the Ahobila Mutt in Chembur, where the celebrations are on in grand scale. At the former, I was unable to take photographs, but at Ahobila Mutt, they were only too happy to allow me to take pictures of the Utsava Moorthy - Lord Venkateswara and Padmavati on the Shesha Vahanam, and Mahalakshmi ready for her tour of the area. Here is a glimpse……
At the temple was an interesting decoration – Sri Seethala Devi on her vehicle, the donkey! Seethala Devi is considered a form of the goddess Mariamman, who is said to have a cooling effect and hence is the patron deity for fevers and the pox. I remember accompanying my mom to the local temple where there was an image of Seethala Devi, where we used to offer prayers and naivedhayam of Curd rice to the goddess, asking for protection from fevers, chicken pox, measles and such other diseases, but I don’t remember noticing the Devi’s vehicle. It is fascinating to think that an animal which is considered stupid and the butt of jokes should be revered in this way!
Another interesting thing to note is that the Devi holds in her hands, a broom and a dustpan – a clear indication, isn’t it, that all that’s needed for good health is hygiene???
At the temple was an interesting decoration – Sri Seethala Devi on her vehicle, the donkey! Seethala Devi is considered a form of the goddess Mariamman, who is said to have a cooling effect and hence is the patron deity for fevers and the pox. I remember accompanying my mom to the local temple where there was an image of Seethala Devi, where we used to offer prayers and naivedhayam of Curd rice to the goddess, asking for protection from fevers, chicken pox, measles and such other diseases, but I don’t remember noticing the Devi’s vehicle. It is fascinating to think that an animal which is considered stupid and the butt of jokes should be revered in this way!
Another interesting thing to note is that the Devi holds in her hands, a broom and a dustpan – a clear indication, isn’t it, that all that’s needed for good health is hygiene???
Am loving your Navratri posts...there are so many things about our rich culture that I had forgotten till I read your posts...waiting for the remaining 5 days...
ReplyDeleteSankara
http://sankaracs.blogspot.com
Sankara : Thanks so much! i am on my own journey of rediscovering, and its a pleasure to share my journey....
ReplyDeleteHi Deepa,
ReplyDeleteI am really looking forward to your posts these days. It truly gives me great vigour and enthusiasm. To share something with you - I remember that when we were young, my Mom used to tell us the significance of GOLU. She used to say that all the dolls and the items we put out on display are people and circumstances which we come across in our day to day lives. This is a time to remember all of them and thank the Almighty for the lovely life HE has given us. Now ain't that a beautiful explanation ?? :)