in the dancing rivers, in the sea shore. She is everywhere- She is everything-she is
you –she is me. So, the whole world praises her as:
Namah Jagatpratisthaiyee Devyayiee Kritye Namo Namah
(Shree Shree Chandi: shloka 13)
She gives us food, therefore she is called Annapurna. She protects the vegetation,
so, she is called as Shakamvari. Shakambari-the goddess who bears the shaka i.e.
vegetables, fruits and leaves. It is believed that the goddess Shakambari
nourishes her children along with plants and trees. She is also called Bana-Durga-
the goddess who protects the forest and the wild lives.
We are going to celebrate Durga Puja in few days. The nature is decorating
herself beautifully and telling us that the Mother is coming. The blooming
shiuliphool, the white Kashphool, the extremely blue sky-all are singing the
Agamani. In Bengal, Maa Durga is worshipped with her whole family
(Saparibaraiyee, Savahanaiyee). If we closely observe the deities and their
vahanas, we can understand that mother Durga and her entire family reflect the
ecosystem. The ecosystem, in which, carnivorous and herbivorous animals are
living together harmoniously. It also exhibits the nutrient cycle. As the peacock
eats the snake, the snake and owl eat the mouse, duck and mouse eat grains
(provided by the Maa Lakshmi) and the lion eat the buffalo. But they all live in the
same ecosystem and the Mother Nature nurtures and protects them all. So, we
worship Mother Nature through Maa Durga-the Parama Prakriti. The energy
which our scientists often talk about, the energy which supports the life cycle, the
energy which controls the whole universe, is Maa Durga. Through her, we,
worship all this energies. Durga Puja is the occasion in which we salute and thank
Maa Durga for all her kindness and blessings. But this is not enough. We should
protect our Nature properly. We should work towards the eco friendly life style.
Deforestation, destroying wild lives, pollutions-all are against the principles of
Mother Nature. We have to
understand that this world is for all and being the most intelligent children of
Mother Nature, we, the human beings, should help the Mother Nature to protect
her children. This will be the highest tribute our Maa Durga-the Parama Prakriti.
Let’s adore Maa Durga for her enumerable blessings and never ending love
towards us:
Sarvarupamayee devi sarvang devimayang jagat
Atohahang Vishwarupang tang namami parameswareem
(Shree Shree Chandi: Shloka 24)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special Volume 1, October 2015
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