Women as Agents of Change: The Significance of Navratri

Once an abode of tolerance, now a message of strength… yes, she is a woman!!! The relevance of Navratri is self-evident. It is the flow of devotion in the flow of Maa Durga, an epitome of Shakti. The end of disbelief and spring of faith is Navratra. The synonym of purity and the essence of spiritualism is Navratra. Durga in her gentle form is the law maker who protects her devotees and the executive in the form of a peaceful institution, but to punish the wicked ones, she is also the supreme judiciary. Navdurga is the sign of women's empowerment. From this point of view, Navratri is a spiritual campaign to mark the powers inherent in a woman, to underline the consciousness and to establish the wisdom.

Just like a cow confronts a lion to protect its child, in a similar way Maa Durga who is so gentle and soft becomes harsh and cruel to protect her devotees from demons and asura. We must learn the message of Navdurga which stands as- If a woman understands her powers, then she can bring an end to any sort of injustice and cruelty on being organized, just like Maa Durga organized the bumble-bee in her incarnation of  Bhramari, to slay down the demon who had received the boon of not being killed by any weapon. This story gives the message that a woman  can create history through her powers. The story of Goddess Durga in her Shakambhari incarnation when she  grew grass on her body to make food water available to the people during the time of a famine which continued for many years is also an example to reflect the same..

If we see from the practical point of view, the mother-power is the strength of a woman. It includes all her forms- may it be a sister or a wife or a daughter. The power of a mother is defined in almost all religions. In Islam, there is a hadith related to Hazrat Mohammad Saheb that heaven is in the feet of the mother. In another hadith, it is mentioned that if both father and mother calls simultaneously, one should answer his mother first. In Christianity, Mother Marium has a special place. In Sikh religion also, emphasis has been given to mother (woman) because it is a mother who has given birth from Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh and to other Gurus as well. In Jain Religion, the glory of the mother who gave birth to tirthankaras has been described. Even Buddhism has underlined the greatness of mother. An retrospection from the past truly reveals that the woman who was the abode of tolerance has now evolved as the incessant river of power and ability.

Ya devi sarvbhuteshu shaktiroopen sansthita has been laid down but this power was turned into the strength of tolerance in the past. Is the woman only meant to suffer from injustice and get suppressed by men ? Why should she suffer from the curse of dowry system, female infanticide or sati system? The woman of today has realized her potentialities. They are breaking down the shackles of injustice being done to them, and are prepared to face the challenges coming forth with confidence in themselves. A woman is fighting each day, each moment and will never tremble anymore.