Cometh the festival of Navratri and heart fills with gladness.Though at our home it is celebrated with utmost simplicity but it brings a welcome message marking the beginning of festivities.The goddess Durga in all her nine menifestations looks like power,peace,nurturer and courage all wrapped for faith and worship.
At our home its time of prayers and li'l rituals.Beginning with the sthapna of devi(inviting goddess for stay) and sowing of barley in earthern pot, it goes on with daily reading of Durga saptshati and Ramayana(not always)for nine days when on ninth day nine young girls and one boy are worshipped.The tenth day(known as the day when Ravan was liberated)is the concluding day when barley is harvested and goddess is given farewell,thanked and requested to come again.
Since my mom does sthapna,she keeps fast for all nine days and reads the prayers for goddess.I help with Ramayana if i am around.I love the morning and evening prayers in home with whole house filled with fragrace of camphor and incense.
When i left home for studies and thought of mom,i always remembered her in red cotton saree,red dot on forehead with plate full of red hibiscus flowers and washed hair,just ready to sit for prayers.Somehow once i left home,i missed the celebration except for once in past ten years.But this season, i didn't miss it rather rejoiced even more as we celebrated it in my current place here at lucknow.
With dad also giving surprise visit on early morning of ninth day when a day before, me and mom were thinking how to break the cocunut for prasad.Its men of household who are supposed to break the coconut put in prayers from first day.Voila! here he was and he kept up with the small norm.An omen of getting coconut full of water and sweet in taste has been observed.
Blessed!
2 comments:
very nice post!
Good narrative.
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