Sharad Purnima | Significance | Full moon

  A very happy Sharad Purnima to you and your family!!

Sharad Poornima is also known as  Kojaagari Poornima or Kumar Poornima. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin. The brightness of the full moon brings special joy. It is believed that on this day, the Moon through its rays showers amrit or elixir of life on earth. It is also referred to as Rasa Poornima, or Sharath Poornima.

The “Sharad” in Sharad Poornima signifies the “Sharad ritu” (season) of the year. Basically a harvest festival, it also has religious significance. It is believed that on this night Goddess Lakshmi visits from place to place asking Kojagari (meaning “Who is awake”) and bless those who are found awake. Therefore, people don’t sleep this night and spend whole night singing, dancing and remembering god. Another belief is that Goddess Lakshmi was born on Sharad Poornima.

[ P.S - These were the first shots taken from manual mood of my camera and it was really a divine and a dream come true experience for me :) ]

As per Hindu mythology, it is believed that the Maha-Raas (form of dance) of Radha Krishna along with their gopis takes place on the night of Sharad Purnima, which is why Sharad Purnima Puja is also known as Raas Purnima. 

It has got some medical significance too. It is considered that the Moon and the Earth are at a closer distance on Sharad Poornima night. Due to this, the rays of the moon have several curative properties. Keeping food under the moonlight nourishes both the body and the soul.  That is why, Kheer is prepared at kept under moonlight for the whole night and eaten in morning, on the next day.

Along with this, it has got some spiritual significance too, not only the Sharad purnimaor this full moon but all the full moons.

The full moon’s spiritual meaning illuminates a time of heightened emotions and potent creativity.

When the moon is fully illuminated by the sun’s rays, the view from Earth is that of a complete orb, seemingly emitting its own light. Time spent under this reflected light of the full moon has the power to be transformational, intense, and inspiring. It can also add intensity to whatever emotions are living in you, so it’s helpful to be intentional about what you are focusing on. 

The full moon offers an opportunity to sit in the fullness of your life. It is a time to feel deep gratitude for the many blessings you have and experience. It is also a powerful time to recommit yourself to the projects and relationships that mean the most to you. Let the light of the full moon illuminate what is working for you and amplify those areas by being intentional about the ways you will move forward in your life. The practice of gratitude is both simple and profound, and the energy of a full moon can create a heightened experience of bliss as you bask in all of the goodness that surrounds you.

There is a profound and spiritual connection between the full moon, the tides, and our emotions. The full moon is often experienced as a time of deep emotional intensity. Just as the full moon pulls on the tides and creates more dramatic tidal changes between highs and lows, some people ( including me :( ) experience the same in their emotional lives. Bringing awareness to the lunar cycle and preparing yourself through meditation and scheduling  can go a long way in avoiding the emotional roller coaster that some people experience with this phase. Offer yourself a healthy dose of compassion and some extra self-care during this time of the lunar cycle. 

Shot by : Kamya 

Shot with : Canon 1500 D 

Edited with : Lightroom ( Lr )

[ Sharad Purnima Special Darshan of Sri Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra, ISKCON Pune 🙏💮]

I hope you liked and enjoyed this blog post. Do tell me what are your experiences with the full moon and if you like eating kheer on this day in the comments section below and do share this blog with the world. And for more content like this, Stay tuned to your favourite blog....

Happy Sharad Purnima! We wish this auspicious festival brings happiness and merriment to all of you, may Goddess Lakshmi bless you with good fortune, health, wealth and happiness! 🌕

Durga maa in every Woman | Photography | Navratri 2021

 

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्ति रूपेण संस्थिता। नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नम: |

Happy Vijayadashami to you and your family!! It's the end of Navratri and we have bid goodbye to durga maa for this year and yeah I also know it's not easy :( 

So, here are some shots which I got from various parts of India, from raipur to bihar and from bhilai to Navagarh, as summary of Navratri 2021 with a strong  message to convey. I hope you like it. Enjoy!! ✨

Goddess Durga symbolises the divine forces (positive energy) known as divine shakti (feminine energy/ power) that is used against the negative forces of evil and wickedness. She protects her devotees from evil powers and safeguards them. It is believed that Goddess Durga is the combined form of powers of Goddesses Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati.

It is also believed that Goddess Durga was created by Lord Vishnu as a warrior goddess to protect good people (devas) for fighting the demon, Mahishasur. Her divine shakti contains the combined energies of all the gods in the form of weapons and emblems (mudras).

Goddess Durga represents the power of the Supreme Being that preserves moral order and righteousness in the creation. The Sanskrit word durga means fort or a place that is protected and thus difficult to reach. Durga, also called Divine Shakti, protects mankind from evil and misery by destroying evil forces (negative energy and vices—arrogance, jealousy, prejudice, hatred, anger, greed and selfishness).

Durga Puja marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. It epitomizes the victory of good over evil. Maa Durga is depicted as a warrior goddess, an epitome of pure love, courage, beauty, strength and knowledge. Maa Durga is often described as the influential diety, who won her fight of good over evil, and ensured that the spirit of ‘righteousness’ prevails.

Just like Durga Maa, women in India are powerful, courageous and incredible. Every woman is Shakti (energy), Bhakti (devotion) and Mukti (Liberation), and should be treated as such. 

Maa is a matriarchal (I hope you know the meaning.) goddess figure. And in today’s testing times, women must embody the shakti to live a dignified life. French author Simone de Beauvoir was right in saying that 'one is not born but rather becomes a woman'. The honour and pride of being a woman are challenged each day —be it on roads, at the workplace or at home.

Compare the eight arms of Goddess and the graceful weapons in them with the woman of today or earlier. We will see that in our society women have been burdened with multi-faceted duty and responsibility and they have also discharged them with complete success, strength and loyalty. It is clear that worshiping Goddess as the best symbol of female identity will be rational not only from the religious point of view but also from the social point of view.

There is a strange dichotomy that seems to exist across India. While on the one hand we celebrate and venerate women role models, on the other, in large parts of the country, patriarchy reigns. There is even an undeniable preference and bias for the male child, with thousands of unfortunate cases of female infanticide. Around a time when the country is celebrating Goddess Durga through Durga Puja and celebrations across India, perhaps it is time we reminded ourselves of the true worth and potential of the girl child or the female. 

It's no less than an irony of sort that the Indian culture which gives utmost importance to the Goddess, fails to show tolerance and respect towards women in the society. Every year we celebrate the festival of Navratri singing praises to the mighty Goddess Durga. We offer prayers before the Goddess of wealth Lakshmi, praying for prosperity; we seek knowledge from Goddess Saraswati but when it comes to the women in our lives, we seldom show the needed gratitude. A country like India where Goddesses are worshiped, women has no stand. 

 

Since ages we have been talking about empowerment and safety of women. However, these are just talks. As the ongoing crimes against women are proof that our mindset is still the same and this hypocrisy is here to stay. No matter in which part of the country we go, crime against women echoes from every corner. Despite the various laws made to protect the dignity of women, they are still playing weak victims in the hands of some immoral bunch of people.  

 

Today, in a country like India where MaaDurga is worshipped and women form the backbone of the society, India is still fighting the societal demons the crimes against women like rape, sex-selective abortion, infanticide, dowry, domestic violence and child marriage. We worship our goddesses but tend to forget to respect the spirit of those deities in our girls and our women. A popular social media quote rightly goes, "A country with the highest crime rates against women will now worship a woman for the next nine days".

And I think that it is really well said because, on the days of Ashtami and Navami, everyone is searching for girls to worship them and seek the blessings of the goddess but if that same girl child will be born in their own family, they won't be as happy as in during worshipping them. And if a male child is born, then the whole family would be proud and happy as if something 'extraordinary' has happened. (Here, I am talking about some of the families, not all, so don't be offended 🙏 )

Things are truly miserable for women, but as we say; every cloud has a silver lining. We just have to find it. Bringing a change is possible provided we all make a cumulative effort for the same. This Navratri, while we gather to indulge in Garba Ras and Dandiya celebrating the magnificence of Goddess Durga and her different forms; let us enlighten our minds and heart with purity of thoughts. We must make an effort to spread awareness about women rights and equality. Every change begins with us, and if we aim at protecting the women around us then no one can dare to harm their sanctity. We don't need arms or ammunition to fight out these perverts. Raising your voice is enough to scare them away. Now is the time to change our mindset towards the females around us and treat them equally.

 

Don't just be a mute spectator to the injustice happening to a woman around. One voice can bring in many voices together. And once we use the power of standing united against the evil, it will have to perish. 

May every woman invokes her inner Durga and Kali, to fight and win against these modern day's Mahishasuras.....

Really very thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who submitted the photos for the blog. ❤️

Curated and edited by : Kamya 🌺

Edited with : Lightroom ( Lr )

 I hope this Navratri Special blog post not only gave you the darshans of Maa, from different parts of country but also helped to create some awareness and change in the mentality of some people.

May Goddess Durga show you the path to eternal peace and prosperity. May she bless you with the strength to defeat the evils in your life!

Jai Mata Di ✨🙏🌺