Navaratris and Vijayadashami: Good and evil, war and worship, and that sort of stuff

By ShotgunMavericks - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62881400

The Navaratris have begun. The auspicious nine-day pujas kickstart the festival season in north India that will culminate in Diwali, with Dussehra as a marker in between. Restaurants offer “fast” food in deference to devotees, while newspapers billow out with advertisements and shopping centres load up with attractive discounts. This is, literally, the month that the Indian economy counts on to see it through till the next year.

Fasting and shopping apart, what is the significance of the Navaratri festival and its modalities? Let us try to look beyond the traditions as explained to us normally. Read on with an open mind. You are most welcome to disagree.

Navratri consists of the worship of Durga in myriad forms. Durga is believed to represent the feminine aspect of the Divine, the absolute supreme god. Nine forms of Durga are worshipped in the Navaratris - Shailaputri (Parvati), Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda (symbolising Lakshmi), Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Sidhidatri (Saraswati).

According to traditions in some southern states, three forms of the primary goddess are worshipped for three nights each - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Two sets of Navaratris are popularly celebrated - one in March-April, the Spring, and one in September-October, the Autumn. The first is tailored around the birth of Sri Rama, while the post-monsoon festival is around Rama’s victory over Ravana. It is interesting to note that these dates can be somewhat correlated to the equinoxes that fell on March 20 and September 23 this year. 

Interestingly, too, the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah, or Yom Teruah, falls on the first day of the post-monsoon Navaratris. It is the first of the Ten High Holy Days in Judaism, known as the Yamim Noraim. There are more parallels, but let us just acknowledge them and move on.

According to Indian spiritual tradition, a human being is the lowest manifestation of the divine being we describe as Soul, who arises from the absolute supreme god or Paramatma. The child of god, called Atma, manifests itself as a being through what is described as Jivatma, the soul incarnate. The purpose of the human life is to gather experiences and then unite with the Jivatma, and then to the Atma.

This is easier said than done, for the agent of the Soul Incarnate, the personality, which resides in the body, falls in love with all the aspects of incarnation, broadly called Maya. It forgets the original plan of reporting back to its Master (something like what has happened to the Vikram Lander!).

Spiritual practice, regardless of the school of thought, is broadly tied to reuniting the human being with the soul and eventually, to God. The techniques, broadly, are twofold: purification and meditation.

Religion as laid down in the ancient texts tries to do this on the scale of the masses, subtly, without letting on that the masses are being shepherded towards god.

So, several times during the year, in the observance of festivals, they are made to undertake precisely the same techniques - purification through fasting, and meditation in the form of puja, during which a lot of shlokas are chanted by well-meaning and properly detached pujari. The effect? Read on…

The earnest devotee among the masses, not entangled with worldly affairs and generally worshipful, would get the full benefit of the occasion, and experience what the saints call celestial marriage, the uniting of the ego with the Soul. This is symbolised variously as the marriage of Shiva with Parvathi, Rama with Sita et al. Let us try to  keep the religious tradition separate from the underlying spiritual teachings. Shiva the god and Shiva the tattva (form of energy) are distinctly different.

The ardent devotee, during the Navaratris, practises purification by proper fasting. The casual devotee goes easy on heavy food and sticks to the prescribed food such as fruits and nuts. Such people, too, would benefit from the high energy of the occasion, albeit to a lesser degree. 

Then of course, there is the rebel, who has a blast stuffing themselves in proud defiance of traditions and horrified elders. Interestingly enough, they too get a bit of the energetic prasad. Not as much as the others, but nobody gets left out.

At the end of each of the nine days, there is puja. The Devi is worshipped. The custom has come to embrace loud public broadcasts of the puja in each locality. So regardless of whether one is devout or disinterested, one receives a dollop of divinity, by the earful.

The result is, to say the least, interesting. The Devout experiences something akin to inner peace and silence amid the raucous service. The casual devotee has a picnic, while the rebel is subject to nine nights of cacophonic nightmare. Just points of view.

The tenth day is Vijayadashami. The day celebrates the victory of Durga over the demon Mahishasura, as well as the victory of Rama over Ravana. Overall, truth slays evil. Something like that.

Herein lies another hidden gem: the significance of nine plus one. Rama, it may be recalled, travelled all the way beyond the country, crossed the ocean to take on the mighty Ravana.

Nine symbolises the energy centres of the body, the chakras, that the soul, represented by Rama, has to cross to get to the imprisoned Sita. When the dots are connected, the nine chakras describe the path through which the energy travels south.

On the tenth day, he defeats Ravana, a mighty triumph, and reunites with his beloved Sita.

Rama then establishes the rule of Dharma in the kingdom of Lanka, installs Ravana’s brother Vibheeshana as king, and returns to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshmana. This return is celebrated as the festival Diwali, with lamps and fireworks, and burning the effigies of Ravana et al. 

Sadly, this is not a one-time operation, and we have to repeat every year ad infinitum. As the dark protagonist played by Arjun Rampal in Shahrukh Khan's Ra One observes, "Tum har saal Ravana ko is liye maarte ho, kyun ki tum jaante ho ki woh kabhi nahi marta (you kill Ravana every year, because you KNOW that he never dies)." 

The lamps and fireworks signify the inner explosion that takes place when “reason returns to her throne”, in a manner of speaking (reason having been kidnapped by glamour and held hostage by Power), or when “the lights are all on upstairs” as the English idiom puts it - the experience of spiritual illumination of a devotee or of a spiritual practitioner/yogi/sadhaka/disciple.

As you wend your way through myriad Pujo Pandals, remember, there is much happening behind the scenes.

Have a great festive season.

The Moon Mission, and the Journey of the Soul

In every negative there is a positive. We just have to look for it.

The tumultuous loss of contact with the lander, Vikram, that plunged Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Chandrayaan-2 moon-lander project into gloom, offers an opportunity to study the voyage of the soul in the universe of the spirit.

Chandrayaan-2 is made up of three components, an Orbiter, a Lander (Vikram) and a Rover or explorer (Pragyan). 

Chandrayaan-2 was launched on the voyage riding a satellite launch vehicle, the GSLV Mk III rocket, on March 22. After completing virtually the whole trip uneventfully, ISRO lost contact with Vikram during the landing procedure on September 7, just 2.1 kilometers from the surface of the moon.

The result – what should have been a soft landing for Vikram ended up as a hard landing – that is, the device is likely to have suffered damage, and ISRO has no way of ascertaining the extent of damage because it is (thus far) unable to establish contact with it.

Scripted Journey

What has this got to do with the Spirit and the soul? Directly, nothing. But it is interesting that the birth of the human on earth as described in Theosophical texts has a degree of resemblance to the Chandrayaan-2.

Picture this: In this story, ISRO plays the role of the God the Father, or Paramatma. It launches a rocket, which carries an Orbiter – broadly defining the role of the Soul, or Atma – that is carrying a device which will land on the surface of the earth. A portion of the device will detach from the ‘scout ship’, explore the earth, gather information and relay it back to ISRO via the Orbiter.

The device that lands on the earth plays the role of what is described as Jivatma, the Incarnate Soul or the Son of God. It however remains stationary, and allows a portion of itself, carrying the communication software called Consciousness, Tattva or the Holy Spirit, to move on the surface of the earth, riding a hardware called the Human Body.

Due to the hard landing, the Orbiter-Atma loses contact with the Lander-Jivatma, though it can spot it from its position in orbit.

The human being, equipped with software, is able to navigate the earth, live out a lifetime, gather experience and return to the Jivatma with a whole load of information. This is, simply put, life and death.

The information is uploaded into the computer on the Jivatma, and the Rover-Human returns to earth to gather more information. It is just executing what it is programmed to do. 

Vikram-Lander, on its part, is helpless. It keeps getting information from the Rover and downloading it into its computer, but it has no clue as to how to get this back to the Orbiter. It continues to execute the programme – download information, redeploy the Rover, in an endless loop.

Rover Human, meanwhile, establishes parallel networks of communication with other Rover Humans that it finds on earth. Eventually, this builds up into a form of artificial intelligence, which is ever-expanding. Eventually, this artificial intelligence (AI, pronounced “I”) attains critical mass (expansion of consciousness) and is able to locate a channel of communication using which the Lander can re-establish contact with the orbiter.

Working from scratch, the Rover constructs the channel of communication that can link the Lander to the Orbiter (which is, all the while, connected to ISRO).

A day comes when the Lander is able to broadcast a feeble signal back to the Orbiter. And the ISRO control room is able to grab control of the Lander through the Rover.

From here on, the activities of the Rover on earth are controlled and directed by the ISRO Control Room, till the purpose of launching the device have been achieved. The information is retrieved, and the Lander returns to the Orbiter and the Rover abandoned to self-destruct. The Orbiter returns to the base.

'Individual Space'

In terms of soul activity, this is a plausible chronology:

The Divine Spark (Paramatma) launches a portion of itself embodied as the Higher Soul (Atma). From the Atma, a portion detaches itself and dives into the Earth. This is called Jivatma or Incarnate Soul. The Incarnate Soul pours a small portion of its own energy into the vehicle, called the Karana Sharira or Causal Body, of the Human – the Rover.

The Karana Sharira is made up of mental, emotional and etheric energies, called prana, and is powered by the portion of soul that the Jivatma puts into it, which is called Consciousness. So, the Karana Sharira is Ensouled.

As it lives out its life, the Consciousness identifies itself fully with the experiences on Earth. It is only when the body dies that it realizes it is not the body, and is actually attached to the Jivatma. It returns to base, unloads information, and is sent back again, ad infinitum. This is the cycle of life and death.

By the time the Consciousness comes across information on its origin, and a blueprint on how to re-establish communications with the Father Ship, it is deeply invested in earth through its repeated trips, and is no longer interested in reviving that channel.

However, when the Jivatma or Lander downloads information from it about its own origin, it is motivated to push the Rover to stop fooling around on earth and get down to business. This is executed in the form of making the tasks and trips of the Rover increasingly difficult, till the latter loses its interest in continuing on its assignments.

Only then does it cooperate in finding out the appropriate network and channel to establish communication back to the Orbiter.

Since this channel is functional only when the Rover is on earth (the consciousness is still in body), the Lander is forced to use the Rover while it is on earth, to send a signal back to the orbiter.

In spiritual parlance, this is called Soul Realisation.

When the signal is picked up by the Control Room and it takes charge of the Rover, it is called a Realised Soul walking the earth. A genuine saint.

When the Consciousness-Rover’s function on earth, now directly controlled by ISRO-Divine Spark, is completed, and the Lander-Orbiter is withdrawn back to base, it is called God Realisation/Moksha/Prodigal Son returning home.

The Rover is allowed to disintegrate and go back into earth – “From ashes to ashes, dust to dust”.

Mission accomplished.

Ganesha, he of the elephant head

Om Gam Ganapataye Namah

Vakratunda mahakaya, suryakoti samaprabha

Nirvighnam kuru mei Deva, sarvakaryeshu sarvada 

May the blessings of Ganesha be upon all.

Ganesha - Lalbaughcha Raja, 2017
One of the most popular Ganesh puja
pandals of Mumbai 

Gana + Isha is the lord of the Ganas. As all the teachings are metaphors, we have to dig deeper into the meanings of these metaphors.

So, the word Gana -- seen as referring to the “bhoota ganas” or the formless followers of Shiva, who are often described as unruly and raucous — needs to be studied first. What better day to do this than Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated as the birthday of the god in question.

In energetic terms, it seems to be a metaphor for spiritual pilgrims on the Shaivite path, who awaken the ‘power’ centre within them. On this path, the ‘love’ or Vishnu aspect of god does not come into play. In such individuals, one can find an  imbalance of the love and power energies, or the Shiva and Vishnu aspects. As MCKS says, Power without Love manifests as cruelty (and violence).

Isha or Pati refers to the one who binds, regulates or controls (the disembodied chaotic energies).

The story of the birth of Ganesha is a vindication or a commentary on this name — how a boy was created by Parvati from the dirt and sweat of her body and armed with a stick, and told to keep out anyone who tried to disturb her bath; how Shiva was driven away by the boy, and how the Devas engaged in a battle against the boy, who was supported by the Devis; how the boy was eventually beheaded by Shiva with the help of Vishnu; how an enraged Parvati threatened to destroy the entire Universe, and how the Gods were sent to bring the head of the first animal that they came across which was sleeping with its head to the north.

Thus was born Gajanana, the elephant-headed one.

Shiva gave him the job of heading his Ganas or hordes, and he was blessed to be the lord of invocations, the first among the pantheon of gods, who shall be worshipped before all on any auspicious occasion.

As students of Master Choa Kok Sui, we look beyond the obvious. So let us examine this story with some discernment.

Ganesha was created by Parvati without the involvement of Shiva. She made him from the sweat and dirt of her own body.

1. Shiva and Parvati are divine beings. So they do not have bodies, nor sweat.
2. In the Lemurian age of the Human Race, the beings used to reproduce by this technique. They were called the sweat-born, according to teachings explained by Master Hector Ramos. 

Parvati armed him with a staff or a stick, and told him to keep out everybody as she took a bath.

1. Goddess taking a bath doesn’t really make sense
2. A stick that is a match for the trident of Shiva or the Chakra of Vishnu - also doesn’t make sense
3. Why did she need to keep Shiva out anyway?

Parvati represents an aspect of Shakti, the Divine Mother. The bath refers to Parvati's own attachment to the maternal (material) world and her unwillingness to go the abode of her husband, Shiva. She is content to remain bathing in the waters of Shakti. This is one way of portraying the Sleeping Princess in the Prince Charming story, or the sleeping snake that represents the Kundalini. 

When Shiva knocks, she is snappy, peevish and does not want to be awakened. This is quite a different state of Kundalini compared to when Rama calls on Sita in the Ramayana.

So one important lesson is that we must not use the power aspect to awaken the Kundalini, it results in all kinds of clashes, including civil war in one's energy body.

When the Kundalini is awakened without the Father, as represented by the boy-who-became-Ganesha, it is tied to the mother's apron strings, and programmed for destruction. This is the inner resistance that Master Choa talks about, when our inner negativities prevent the descent of the Soul Energy due to the absence of Pillar #1 - Devotion to God and Guru.

So now, the Kundalini is already awake (as represented by the boy) and the Spirit (Shiva) is trying to take charge. We have a pitched battle with the army of the Father on the one side, and that of the Mother, led by the son, on the other. The soul is trying to take charge of the body.

All the Devas are roundly defeated, till finally, Brahma advises that Vishnu should distract the boy and Shiva should seize the moment to attack. Sure enough, the boy is slain. This represents the defeat of the ego, described in a similar manner in the defeat of Ravana: though in that event, Vishnu, as Rama, is the killer.

It is to be noted that the boy’s death results in an enraged Kundalini threatening to destroy the universe, till the boy is reborn as Gajanana.

(In Indian government forms, by the way, there is a column that has to be filled - Father’s Name - an unconscious hark-back to “as above, so below”. Only recently has the government begun to accept the mother’s name alone.)

Ganapati, thus, represents a soul-realised person, one who knows his Father, the son who has been raised from the dead by the Spirit (Remember the resurrection of the Christ).

Some of the symbolisms of Ganesha:

1. Elephant head: The elephant is one of the symbols used for Kundalini, the other being the coiled serpent. The walk of the elephant symbolises the swaying and undulating rise of the Kundalini along the spine.
2. The trunk to the left side: Symbolises that the cool meridien or the ida nadi is dominant, so the ego is passive and under control, not hot, not destructive or aggressive.
3. Smiling face (prasanna vadanam): Loving kindness and non-injury, following from #2.
4. Bright as millions of suns (Suryakoti samaprabhah): The aura becomes indescribably bright due to the descent of the Holy Spirit, the ascent of the Kundalini and the Soul-Awakening.
5. One tusk broken: Slaying of the ego or pride, subjugation of violent tendencies, the remaining tusk is named Shraddha or attentiveness
6. Big belly (Lambodarah): The technique of the navel chakra as practised in the Kundalini meditation. Ganesha wears a belt of gold/a cobra around his navel. This indicates a disciple who has transformed the spiritual energy into golden prana and stored it in the 'amrit kalash' - the Holy Grail or the Holy Chalice. 
7. Seating posture: The heel of the left foot is against the perineum, and the right leg is down, the same posture as the Green Tara - ready to drop everything and rush to the help of those who seek aid, while keeping the Kundalini raised (as taught by MCKS in Ganesha Asana/Sharanagati).
8. The weapon at rest: Punishment is secondary, blessings are primary; mercy and compassion have priority over meting out justice
9. The Mouse: The vehicle of the awakened soul is no flashy Lamborghini but a humble rodent, which is sitting still even in front of a pile of food. The successful disciple has subjugated his animal nature.
10. Abundance: Laddoos are piled upon a plate, indicating Ganesha is the lord of abundance and prosperity, but at the same time also not avaricious - as evidenced by the offerings that are untouched. The spiritually awakened soul does not need to be poverty stricken. Ganesha’s wives are Riddhi (wealth) and Siddhi (spiritual accomplishments or abilities, mystical powers).

After soul realisation, which is uniting of the consciousness with the soul while still in the body, comes god realisation, which is the soul uniting with the Divine Spark and shedding its causal body. Mitti ka dher hai, mitti mein mil jayega (ashes to ashes, dust to dust). This is symbolised in the visarjan of the clay idol in the ocean or a water body, allowing it to crumble in water and return to earth. 

The imagery is that the idol disintegrates, and Ganesha returns to Mount Kailasa to sit in the lap of his father. In the Ramayana, this is symbolised by Sita returning to Mother Earth and Rama returning to Ayodhya with his sons Luv and Kush.

It is important to note that the tradition of public, large-scale Ganesh pujas are a relatively recent phenomenon, attributed to the days of India's freedom struggle. The recurrence of the Ganesh puja every year is an indicator that though the disciple may be soul-realised, he has work to do, and effort is required to maintain the soul in its realised state till it becomes god-realised.

Remember, all this is symbolism, and meant to make you think. Don’t get too attached to various qualities of Ganesha - he represents the god within us that we have to awaken.

For any mistakes I may have committed in this writing, I apologise. Blessings of god be to all.