Spiritual

 

 

             Ramana Maharishi

                                                 Hazrat Inayat Khan

                    Ramana Maharishi 

 

Navratri Day 1:
Shailaputri :- Daughter of the Mountains

There she is, in solemn majesty,
Beyond all ego and pride;
Redefining our known reality,
In plain sight, does she like to hide.

This day commemorates Goddess Parvathi’s human birth to King Himavat of the Himalayan Kingdom, calling her by the name Shaila-putri (Mountain- daughter). This is a depiction of her, amidst her creation, within the raw beauty of the Himalayan Mountains.
 

 

Navratri Day 2:
Bramhacharini :- Young girl

Embodying knowledge and austerity,
She governs both matter and spirit;
And her dainty walk of humility
Is the formless one, assuming a limit.

This day commemorates the Goddess youth, when she became a great Yogini (austere Yogi/meditator) and became the embodiment of knowledge and meditation. This is a depiction of her, walking between the realms of matter and spirit.  

 

Navratri Day 3:
Chandraghanta :- One adorned with a bell shaped moon

Being auspiciousness itself
Her touch beckons the divinity within
To come out and enjoy one’s own true self
As pure children of her sovereign.

This day commemorates the Goddess’s marriage to Lord Shiva where she adorns herself with the moon. The story speaks of her aura transforming Shiva and his followers from their gory appearances to a pleasing one.This is a depiction of her powers of positive transformation by her mere presence.

 

Navratri Day 4:
Kushmanda :- Tiny cosmic egg of Energy

Darkness enveloped darkness,
Say the ancient scriptures as evidence;
When suddenly erupted the cosmic egg of pure brightness,
For she had smiled the universe into existence!

This day commemorates the Goddess's creation of the universe by smiling and bursting forth a 'Ku' - tiny, 'Ushma' - heat/energy, 'Anda' - Cosmic egg.This is a conceptual depiction of this event.

 

Navratri Day 5:
Skandamata: - Mother of Skanda

Coiled up and coy,
She renders her existence a myth;
Yet when she unfurls, does she destroy
All ignorance to its pith.

This day commemorates the Goddess as the mother of Kartikeya aka Skanda. God Kartikeya is symbolic representation of the coiled Kundalini energy that resided in each human and rises up through each of the chakras from the base of the spine to the top of the skull. This energy is known as the energy of the Mother Goddess and this is the symbolic representation of this aspect of the Mother.

 

Navratri Day 6:
Katyayini: - One cherished by Sage Katyayana

Worshiped by all sages
And protector of the innocent;
She ended the evil ages
Through her heavenly decent.

This day commemorates the Goddess as the one worshiped by Sage Katyayana. In this avatar, the Mother Goddess decimates various evils represented allegorically as demons, the most famous of them being the buffalo formed monster, Mahishasura. This piece depicts this avatars accomplishments.
 

                                     

Navratri Day 9:
Kaalaratri: - Dark night

Being truth itself
She alone is real;
Ever present in oneself
Devotion is the one essential!

The 7th day of Navratri commemorates the Goddess as the one who destroys darkness or in other words, ignorance. The myths speak of her battles with various demons, each representing an ignorant aspect in humans, which can be destroyed by allowing the divinity in us overcome them. This depicts how within her alone exists all light and knowledge.

 

Navratri Day 8:
Mahagauri: - Great Gauri

Many conquests won,
And evil vanquished;
Once more she became the beckon,
Of peace and tranquility that all cherished.

This day commemorates the Goddess as the bringer of peace. This is the depiction of the story where Shiva (representing the ever existing silence) washed the Mother (active energy) after her victorious battles against evil and she once again becomes the glowing peaceful Mother.
 

Navratri Day 9:
Siddhidhatri: - Giver of Siddhi/boons

Ever watchful and benign,
She benevolently gifts her children;
Fulfilling their desires, trivial and divine
She awaits their evolution, so they implore only spiritual union.

This day commemorates the Goddess as the fulfiller of desires, be it materialistic powers or the higher spiritual powers. This piece depicts the ever watchful loving mother benevolently granting the aspirants desire.

Navratri Day 10:
Vijayadashami: - Celebration of the ever victorious one

The whole earth rejoiced, at the divine play
And flowers danced in the wind with glee
As the sun rose on the joyous day
Singing to Mother, ‘Victory to thee!’

The 10th day of Navratri commemorates the events leading up till this day by celebrating the overall triumph of good over evil. It is celebrated in various way by devotees, but this depiction shows nature itself celebrating the divine victory.

Mother's Love:
The divine Mother's love transcends all understanding for the purest form of Love gives with no expectations 

The Offering:
 Flowers captures a sense of purity and beauty like few other objects, and none more so than the beautiful Lotus that blooms above the murky muddy waters

Silence:
Silence speaks louder than words if we are willing to listen

Abode of Peace:
Resting among the Himalayan Mountains, lies the beautiful Mt. Kailash, inspiring all to find their inner peace

 

 The Auspicious One:
The beautiful irony of the loving benevolence associated with the lord of destruction, Shiva

Devotion:
This piece depicts the single minded devotion of Nandi, where none exists except his Lord

Skanda:
The symbolic representation of the Kundalini energy, Skanda/Kartikeya is the commander of the army battling evil. The analogy of each battle being us allowing our inner divinity to triumph over the basic egotistic instincts

Silence:
Silence speaks louder than words if we are willing to listen

Subbharama