Mahalaya

Come September, and Hindus all over the world get enthused in festive fervor. Come “Mahalaya” and Bengalis get busy to complete the final preparations for their greatest festival - Durga Puja (1).

Mahalaya is an auspicious occasion observed seven days before the Durga Puja, and heralds the advent of Durga, the goddess of supreme power. It's a kind of invocation or invitation to the mother goddess to descend on earth - "Jago Tumi Jago". This is done through the chanting of mantras and singing devotional songs (1).

Mahalaya marks the start of the 'Devipaksha' and the end of the 'Pitri-paksha'. The traditional six day countdown to Mahasaptami starts from Mahalaya. 

Pitri paksha, (literally "fortnight of the ancestors") is a 16–lunar day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. The period is also known as Pitru Pakshya, Pitri Pokkho, Sola Shraddha ("sixteen shraddhas"), Kanagat, Jitiya, Mahalaya Paksha and Apara paksha (2).

As per legend, when Karna died in the epic Mahabharata, his soul transcended to heaven. There he was offered jewelry as food. Bemused, Karna asked Indra for the reason of this bizarre happening. Indra told him that because of the fact that he has never donated food to his ancestors in Shraddhas, during his lifetime, he was getting such treatment. Karna said that he was unaware of his ancestors and hence he had no chance of donating food to them. He was given a chance then to make amends. He returned to earth for a 16 day period and performed Shraddha and donated food in memory of his ancestors. This period is henceforth known as Pitri-Paksha (3). 

Mahalaya marks the start of the 'Devipaksha' and the end of the 'Pitri-paksha'. Goddess Durga starts her journey towards earth on the day of Mahalaya, i.e. on the first day of the Devi-Paksha (3).

This day bears immense significance for the Bengalis. According to Puranas, King Suratha used to worship goddess Durga in spring. Thus Durga Puja was also known as Basanti Puja (3).

Basanti Puja is performed in the month of Chaitra in Bengali calendar which corresponds to March-April of English calendar. Basanti Puja is an age old Bengali festival when Goddess Durga is worshiped by the Bengali community in Kolkata as well as other parts of India where Bengali families live in large numbers. However, Basanti Durga Puja has lost its utmost importance since the time when Lord Rama is believed to have done untimely Durga Puja in Autumn (4).

Early autumn (5) or Sarat in its bloom, mingled with the festive spirit of Durga Puja reaches its pitch on the day of Mahalaya. It is the day when many throng to the banks of river Ganga, clad in dhotis to offer prayers to their dead relatives and forefathers. People in the pre-dawn hours pray for their demised relatives and take holy dips in the Ganges. This ritual is known as 'Torpon'. (3)

The eldest son is the one who generally performs the Shraddha. Any male relative of the paternal branch of relatives can also perform the rites. Some castes perform for only one generation, while others offer to more, commonly three generations (3).

The one who performs the Shraddha is expected to take a holy bath and then should wear a dhoti. The Pinda –daan (offerings during the Shraddha) are made bare-chested. Then a cow and dog are also fed. The Brahmins are offered then with the food. Once all these are done with, the family members can begin their lunch (3). 

Since the early 1930s, Mahalaya has come to associate itself with an early morning radio program called “Mahisasura Mardini” or “The Annihilation of the Demon.” This All India Radio (AIR) program is a beautiful audio montage of recitation from the scriptural verses of “Chandi Kavya”, Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The program has also been translated into Hindi set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience (1).

This program has almost become synonymous with Mahalaya. For decades now, the whole of Bengal rises up in the chilly pre dawn hours, 4 am to be precise, of the Mahalaya day to tune in to the “Mahisasura Mardini” broadcast.

One man who'll always be remembered for making Mahalaya memorable to one and all is Birendra Krishna Bhadra, the magical voice behind the “Mahisasura Mardini” (6). The legendary narrator recites the holy verses and tells the story of the descent of Durga to earth, in his inimitable style.

Bhadra has long passed away, but his recorded voice still forms the core of the Mahalaya program. In a sonorous, reverberating voice Birendra Bhadra renders the Mahalaya recital for two thrilling hours, mesmerizing every household with the divine aura of his narration, as the Bengalis submerge their souls in quiet moments of prayer.

“Mahisasura Mardini” is a remarkable piece of audio drama matchless in Indian culture. Though the theme is mythical and the mantras Vedic, this program is a landmark composition. It's scripted by Bani Kumar, and narrated by Bhadra. The enchanting music is composed by none other than the immortal Pankaj Mullick, and the songs are rendered by famous singers of yesteryears, including Hemant Kumar and Arati Mukherjee (7).

As the recital begins, the serene morning air resonates with the long drawn sound of the sacred conch shell, immediately followed by a chorus of invocation, melodiously setting the stage for the recitation of the Chandi Mantra. The story element is captivating. It speaks of the increasing cruelty of the demon king Mahisasura against the gods. Unable to tolerate his tyranny the gods plead with Vishnu to annihilate the demon. The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara (Shiva) come together to create a powerful female form with ten arms - Goddess Durga or 'Mahamaya', the Mother of the Universe who embodies the primeval source of all power.

The gods then bestow upon this Supreme creation their individual blessings and weapons. Armed like a warrior, the goddess rides a lion to battle with the Mahisasura. After a fierce combat the 'Durgatinashini' is able to slay the 'Asura' king with her trident. Heaven and earth rejoice at her victory. Finally, the mantra narration ends with the refrain of mankind's supplication before this Supreme Power : "Ya devi sarbabhuteshshu, sakti rupena sanksthita Namasteshwai Namasteshwai Namasteshwai namo namaha." (1)

References:

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1.	Das S. [Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://hinduism.about.com/cs/audiomusic/a/aa092003a.htm.
2.	[Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitru_Paksha.
3.	[Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://www.bangalinet.com/mahalaya.htm.
4.	[Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://aboutfestivalsofindia.com/east-india-festivals/basanti-durga-puja-bengal/.
5.	[Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharad.
6.	[Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birendra_Krishna_Bhadra.
7.	[Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahishashura_Mardini.

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Dates for Durga Puja Celebrations, 2012

Mahalaya	15th October 2012	Monday
Panchmi	19th October 2012	Friday
Shashthi	20th October 2012	Saturday
Saptami	21st October 2012	Sunday
Mahaa-Ashtami	22nd October 2012	Monday
Mahaa-Nabami	23rd October 2012	Tuesday
Dashami - Vijya	24th October 2012	Wednesday
Lakshmi Puja	29th October 2012	Monday
Kali Puja	13th ber 2012	Tuesday

The meaning of Durga

Many people have defined Durga in many ways.

Wikipedia defines Durga as "the inaccessible"or "the invincible"; a popular fierce form of the Hindu Goddess or Devi depicted with multiple (variously, up to eighteen) arms, carrying various weapons and riding a ferocious lion or tiger. She is often pictured as battling or slaying demons, particularly Mahishasura, the buffalo demon (1).

The word "Durga" in Sanskrit means a fort, or a place which is difficult to overrun. Another meaning of "Durga" is "Durgatinashini," which literally translates into "the one who eliminates sufferings." Goddess Durga is the mother of the universe and believed to be the power behind the work of creation, preservation, and destruction of the world. Since time immemorial she has been worshipped as the supreme power of the Supreme Being and has been mentioned in many scriptures - Yajur Veda, Vajasaneyi Samhita and Taittareya Brahman (2).

Durga was created as a warrior goddess to fight an asura (an inhuman force/demon) named Mahishasura (3). After ghor tapasya (very severe penance or self-mortification), Brahma (the god of creation) had given Mahishasura the power of not to be defeated by any male ever (4) (5). Mahishasura thereafter unleashed a reign of terror on earth as well as heaven and he could not be defeated by any man or god, anywhere. 

The gods were helpless. Shiva (6), realizing that no man or god (male) can defeat Mahishasura, made a request to his wife Parvati (7) to take the role of a female goddess warrior in order to slay the demon. Parvati took his request and went to the Ashram of priest disciple named Katyayan to assume the role of a warrior. 

Meanwhile, the gods went to Brahma for help and, with Brahma, then made their way to Vaikuntha (8)—the place where Vishnu (9) lay on Ananta Naag (10). They found both Vishnu and Shiva, and so Brahma eloquently related the reign of terror Mahishasur had unleashed on the three worlds.

To save the worlds, Vishnu, Shiva and all of the gods got together and emitted beams of fierce light from their bodies. The blinding sea of light reached Parvati at the Ashram of the priest Katyayan and Durga emerged from this pool of light. The Gods armed her with many weapons.

The conch shell in her hand symbolized the 'Pranava' or the mystic word 'Om', which indicates her holding on to God in the form of sound. The bow and arrows represent energy. By holding both the bow and arrows in one hand "Mother Durga" is indicating her control over both aspects of energy - potential and kinetic. The thunderbolt signifies firmness that can break anything against which it strikes. The lotus in her hand is not in fully bloomed, It symbolizes certainty of success but not finality. The lotus in Sanskrit is called "pankaja" which means born of mud. Thus, lotus stands for the continuous evolution of the spiritual quality amidst the worldly mud of lust and greed. The "Sudarshan-Chakra" or beautiful discus, which spins around the index finger of the Goddess, while not touching it, signifies that the entire world is subservient to the will of Durga and is at her command. She uses this unfailing weapon to destroy evil and produce an environment conducive to the growth of righteousness. The sword that Durga holds in one of her hands symbolizes knowledge, which has the sharpness of a sword. Knowledge which is free from all doubts, is symbolized by the shine of the sword. Durga's trident or "trishul" is a symbol of three qualities - Satwa (inactivity), Rajas (activity) and Tamas (non-activity) - and she is remover of all the three types of miseries - physical, mental and spiritual (2).

The goddess Durga took the name Katyaayani from the priest. She introduced herself in the language of the Rig-Veda (11), saying she was the form of the supreme female aspect of Brahman (the male aspect being Shiva) who had created all the gods. Now she had come to fight the demon to save the gods. They did not create her; it was her lila (12) that she emerged from their combined energy. The gods were blessed with her compassion.

It is said that upon initially encountering Durga, Mahishasura underestimated her, thinking: "How can a woman kill me, Mahishasur—the one who has defeated the trinity of gods?". However, Durga roared with laughter, which caused an earthquake which made Mahishasur aware of her powers (3).

And the terrible Mahishasura rampaged against her, changing forms many times. First he was a buffalo demon, and she defeated him with her sword. Then he changed forms and became an elephant that tied up the goddess's lion and began to pull it towards him. The goddess cut off his trunk with her sword. The demon Mahishasur continued his terrorizing, taking the form of a lion, and then the form of a man, but both of them were gracefully slain by Durga (3).

Then Mahishasur began attacking once more, starting to take the form of a buffalo again. The patient goddess became very angry, and proclaimed to Mahishasur in a colorful tone—"Roar with delight while you still can, O illiterate demon, because when I will kill you, the gods themselves will roar with delight". When Mahishasur had half emerged into his buffalo form, he was paralyzed by the extreme light emitting from the goddess's body. The goddess then resounded with laughter before cutting Mahishasur's head down with her sword. Hence, Mata Durga (Mata means mother) is also known as Mahishasurmardhini—the slayer of Mahishasur (3).

There are many incarnations of Durga: Kali, Bhagvati, Bhavani, Ambika, Lalita, Gauri, Kandalini, Java, Rajeswari, et al. Durga incarnated as the united power of all divine beings, who offered her the required physical attributes and weapons to kill the demon "Mahishasur" (2).

Her nine appellations are Skondamata, Kusumanda, Shailaputri, Kaalratri, Brahmacharini, Maha Gauri, Katyayani, Chandraghanta and Siddhidatri (13).

Durga is depicted as having eight or ten hands. These represent eight quadrants or ten directions in Hinduism. This suggests that she protects the devotees from all directions (2).

Like Shiva, Mother Durga is also referred to as "Triyambake" meaning the three eyed Goddess. The left eye represents desire (the moon), the right eye represents action (the sun), and the central eye knowledge (fire) (2).

The lion represents power, will and determination. Mother Durga riding the lion symbolises her mastery over all these qualities. This suggests to the devotee that one has to possess all these qualities to get over the demon of ego (2).

Devi Durga stands on a lion in a fearless pose of "Abhay Mudra", signifying assurance of freedom from fear. The universal mother seems to be saying to all her devotees: "Surrender all actions and duties onto me and I shall release thee from all fears" (2).

References:
1. wikipedia. wikipedia. [Online].; 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga.
2. Rajhans SG. about.com. [Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://hinduism.about.com/od/hindugoddesses/a/durga.htm.
3. [Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahishasura.
4. earthwit. http://topyaps.com. [Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://topyaps.com/top-10-characteristics-of-aghor-tradition/.
5.[Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma.
6. [Online]. [cited 2012. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva.
7. [Online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvati.
8. [Online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaikuntha.
9. [Online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu.
10. [Online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shesha.
11. [Online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rig-Veda.
12. [Online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lila_(Hinduism).
13. [Online]. Available from: http://hinduism.about.com/od/hindugoddesses/a/durga.htm.

Durga Puja

Durga puja , meaning ‘Worship of Durga’, also referred to as Durgotsava or  ‘The Festival of Durga’ is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga.

 It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and Vijayadashami. 

The dates of Durga Puja celebrations are set according to the traditional Hindu calendar and the fortnight corresponding to the festival is called Devi Paksha ( meaning‘Fortnight of the Goddess’). Devi Paksha is preceded by Mahalaya, the last day of the previous fortnight Pitri Paksha,(meaning ‘Fortnight of the Forefathers’), and is ended on Kojagori Lokkhi Puja, (Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night).

Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Tripura and West Bengal, where it is a five-day annual holiday.

In West Bengal and Tripura, which has majority of Bengali Hindus it is the biggest festival of the year. Not only is it the biggest Hindu festival celebrated throughout the State, but it is also the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali society. 

Apart from eastern India, Durga Puja is also celebrated in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka and Kerala. Durga Puja is also celebrated as a major festival in Nepal and in Bangladesh where 10% population are Hindu. Nowadays, many diaspora Bengali cultural organizations arrange for Durgotsab in countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Singapore and Kuwait, among others. In 2006, a grand Durga Puja ceremony was held in the Great Court of the British Museum.