Hari
OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and
parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
Starting
this Tuesday is Navraatri; the nine nights in celebration of the
Goddess/feminine aspect and on the tenth day is Vijaydashami - the day of
victory. Last year the basics of Navraatri were given here. What was not
mentioned was the colour-coordination. This is, after all, the female we are
discussing!!! Each day of the festival, ladies will wear new saris according to
the ordained colour for that day's puja. They are -
Shailaputri
- red
Brahmacharini
- royal blue
Chandraghanta
- yellow
Kushmanda
- green
Skandamaata
- grey
Kaatyayani
- orange
Kaalratri
- white
Mahagauri
- pink
Siddhadatri
- sky blue
There
are some variations in the order of the colours which may pertain to region or
annual cycle… and occasionally, groups of ladies will make their own
arrangements on colour, not necessarily tied to the traditional. On Vijayadashami, the tenth day, any (and all!) colours are worn.
The
key thing is to show solidarity and sisterhood and acknowledging that all women
go through the nine stages as represented by the faces of the Goddess. The
first three manifestations are faces of Sri Lakshmi, mother of wealth and
growth; the next three are of Sri Durga, the active, reproducing female who
must also be prepared to defend as well as care for her family; the final three are Sri Saraswati, the patron
of peace, skills and wisdom.
Mother
Durga is also celebrated on Vijayadashami for her victory over a demon who had
been distracting her devotees (ego); implied in that celebration is also the
power of service provided by Sri Lakshmi and the input of knowledge provided by
Saraswati-ji. Many educational
institutions around India hold a special puja on this day to have the text
books of the students blessed.