Devi Atman Darpan

 

                                      

         (Artwork contributed by Ms Avni Moudgil)

Present time, somewhere in the Himalayas

“ Daddyyyyyy……”, she cried so loud that her throat almost choked, the voice of a 14 year old daughter in distress, in anxiety, in pain. Almost 200 meters apart from the other prison just in front of hers another voice spoke, “ Durga you are brave my child, you are brave. Don’t be afraid!”, it was the voice of Durga’s father King Shakti, he was himself shattered and shaken from within yet his voice was powerful and positive, after all he was a worshipper of Devi. Snow fell and covered the road separating the two prisons, yet it could not calm down those flames between the two hearts, hearts which were united once but had been separated by the evil.

15 years back, Ambapur

Shakti was once the ruler of a place called Ambapur in North India. A very benevolent and righteous king who cared for Ambapur’s citizens. His strong character stood the tests of time and won him the trust of the kingdom. Shakti’s wife Janaki was a very pious lady. Her devotion for the Devi was the quality which made Shakti fall for her. Both would sit for long hours in the palace garden and discuss about the nature of the divine. While Shakti would look for complex theories, Janaki would explain him everything as if it was child’s play, this was possible only because she was a pure soul and her understanding of god was simple yet with infinite depth. 

When Janaki got pregnant Shakti’s happiness knew no bounds, even before the sun rose he would reach the temple and pray. He prayed that they be blessed with a child whom they would teach everything they had understood about the Devi…and in a very soft voice he also prayed that the Devi’s light enter Janaki’s womb. Ma Kali Ma Bhavatarani listened his soft voice very clearly! The day arrived and Janaki gave birth to a beautiful girl, but Alas! Hours after giving birth to the child Janaki closed her eyes and never opened them again, she was now smiling from the Devi’s abode looking at her newborn and her husband.

Janaki’s loss was unbearable for Shakti. For days he did not speak to anyone, he would weep in his room throughout the day and would come out only for the evening meals. It had been 2 weeks now he had not seen the face of his daughter. Then one day he gathered together the broken pieces of his soul and went to the room where his daughter slept under the care of the traditional birth attendant and the female servants. He gently took the little girl into his arms. His daughter’s eyes twinkled, her face emanated radiance..just like Janaki. Shakti smiled for the first time after two weeks. “We will call her ‘Durga’ from now on, Durga- The princess of Ambapur!”

What makes a person immortal? The deeds of the person, the character exhibited, the thought process which influences others and above all the very pristine nature of the soul, the fragrance of which lives on even when the person isn’t physically present. Janaki had become immortal. Her devotion for the Devi was such that it had made a permanent impact on the mind of Shakti. He would sit for hours in the temple with little Durga in his lap and would contemplate at Devi’s feet. Mantra’s, Bhajans, Stuti’s, Vandana’s (Various form of worship as devotional songs, poetry) were all what little Durga was listening. Did she understand anything? No. Did she imbibe anything? Yes! She was imbibing each and  everything she was listening in the temple, not only now but also from the time before her birth.

As Durga grew up, Shakti slowly taught her how to recite various Bhajans. He would also read her the various names of the Devi from the holy book ‘Durga Saptashati’. The bond between the father and daughter strengthened further. Like any other child Durga was playful and mischievous. She would imitate his ways of speaking and fool around with her father.

“This is against Dharma O King Shakti to not give time to your daughter and to not take her to the waterfall “, little Durga would say in her joking tone imitating the way her father spoke during the meetings with his ministers.

“ Oh yes you are right my dear princess! The King is guilty! Please tell me what is my punishment my princess”, Shakti would reply like a child.

“ Your crime is Grave O King of Ambapur, the punishment thus shall be harsh. You are punished to gift your daughter, which is me, many toys, plenty of Yogurt and a sword”

“Well My princess I understand about the toys and the yogurt…but a sword?”, asked Shakti a bit perplexed.

“ O yes daddy please…I want to learn to combat!”, replied Durga.

Shakti smiled. She was only 5 then, he gifted her a wooden toy sword. He was seeing something else though. Durga’s interest were quite different, while she was enthusiastic about going to the temple daily, she was equally interested in sports that included swords and archery. 

As Durga grew further and reached the age of 12 Shakti personally started taking her classes of combat training and archery. Little Durga was no more little, for the age of 12 she was exceptionally tall, athletic and beautiful. Her hair tied in a pony, face emanating brilliance, dressed in red angavastram she sat in the temple immersed in meditation, her sword by her side, this time the sword was not a wooden one though, it was made of steel. The light in the temple was dim except for the place where there was the Devi’s idol, where several dia’s were lit. From behind , entered through the door King Shakti. He was so proud of her, the same little Durga whom he used to keep in his lap and sit in the same temple had grown up to do her own Sadhana. He silently sat behind her and waited for her Pooja to complete.

“So now who is not giving time to her father? Isn’t that a grave crime now”, said Shakti jokingly.

“Oh Daddy! Come on! Now will you please bow down before the Devi”, both bowed down before the Devi, following which Durga touched her father’s feet. As they walked out of the temple they talked about Janaki. Durga would listen with fascination as Shakti would speak about her. From his voice she could gauge how much he loved and respected her, through his riveting eyes she could see her mother talk endlessly about the Devi. The father and the daughter walked back to the palace with a sense of satisfaction, satisfaction of the fact that Janaki was still with them, within.

While the father daughter relation blossomed and the kingdom flourished in trade and agriculture, a new threat loomed on Ambapur. Mahish, The King of the neighbouring kingdom of Bandhannagar was planning an attack on Ambapur. War was inevitable and preparations began. Chariots equipped with advanced weapons, the most skilful and strong warriors of the army, the best horses and elephants were all assembled and trained. All efforts were made. King Shakti hadn’t slept now for several days , busy with the preparations, and Durga was getting anxious every second.

“ But why can’t I participate in the battle…Ambapur is my land too”, Said Durga in a Distressed tone.

“ You are young..you are just 14.. No you can’t. My word is final and I don’t want any more arguments now”, Said Shakti

“ Then why and for what I’ve been learning combat for Daddy?”

“ You have been learning combat for your motherland, but now is not the right time for you. I am not sending you on the battlefield anytime before you reach the age of 18! I am clear on this!”, said Shakti in a voice which was fierce now, he then rushed out of the room. A dejected Durga watched her father go to war with his army, she ran to the Devi’s temple next, cried and prayed, prayed for her motherland, prayed for the soldiers, prayed for her father.

Unfortunately Mahish’s soldiers outnumbered Shakti’s soldiers. They fought with valour and bravery yet they lost. Mahish who was a cruel leader, inhumanly  massacred the captured army men of Ambapur. He held Shakti and Durga captive in the kingdoms prison for a few days first. Time was tough but the father daughter were happy that they were together, they would talk about the plan of action for future, how they would seek help from the other neighbouring kingdom of Sheetlapur, and retaliate to claim the throne of Ambapur again. Mahish sensed this and sent them to the Himalayas and specially ordered his men to keep them in separate prisons. 

What followed was a state of complete Iniquity. Women were raped, children were forced into slavery, the land of men was taken by Mahish for growing crops of his interest, the treasure was looted, those who resisted were mercilessly killed by Mahish’s men. Where were Shakti and Durga? No one knew except for Mahish and few other men whom he trusted. Where was the Devi? She was there…at the same place, watching all the chaos…she was there, she was there!

Present time, somewhere in the Himalayas 

As the prison guards on the two ends gave each other a wicked smile, the daughter and the father looked intently at each other through the bars, they wanted to say so much but they had lost all energy. They were fed with terrible soup which had almost no nutritive value, the cold was getting extreme day by day and they were struggling to stay alive.  “Remember child, whenever you are in trouble chant the Devi’s name. She comes to the rescue of her children every time”, these words which Durga’s father had once told her in the temple echoed in her ears and thus she started chanting the Devi’s name and closed her eyes. On the other end Shakti closed his eyes too, he knew this was the right time, the right time to do “Devi Atman Darpan (translation- Devi-soul-reflection)” Pooja(worship), a highly advanced technical Pooja which required extraordinary devotion,focus and expertise in control of inner energies, which when performed correctly could help manifest the Devi herself through humans. 

Janaki had taught him Devi Atman Darpan when she was alive. He recollected it was just another day in the palace garden when she in her ecstatic mood held his hand, took him to the temple and for the  first time spoke to him about Devi Atman Darpan .

Devi exists within us all. The key is realising her. Once when a person realises her he must surrender to her, and once when he surrenders at her feet, he unites with her. You must understand that the Devi is beyond the worldly things but sometimes for Jagat Kalyan (welfare of the world) she comes, she comes to destroy the evil, She comes to save Dharma, she comes with all her intensity and vigour, and the most fascinating thing, she comes through us small souls who have completely surrendered themselves at her feet. This Pooja is not to be used for trivial purposes Shakti. It must be practiced only when there is a true need for it.

And gradually everyday for the next two weeks Janaki taught him judiciously how the Pooja had to be performed until one day he mastered it. 

Now was the time he thought. Closing his eyes he focused all his energy onto the Devi. Temple bells began ringing in various Shakti Peeths and Devi temples of India . From Vaishnodevi Devi in Jammu to Maihar Devi in Madhva Pravesh, from Kamakhya Devi in Kolkata to Chamundeshwari Devi in Karnataka, from Jivdani Devi in Maharashtra to Visalakshi Devi in Uttar Pradesh. The all powerful Devi is taking form. Look! There! She is opening her third eye! Look! There Durga in the prison is rising. Rising with full might. She is no longer weak, she was never weak in reality for the Devi’s soul reflects in her now. Blessed is she with wisdom and skill. The water falling from the prison top has frozen in the form of a sharp dagger. Very slowly as the prison guards sleep she breaks it from the ground producing no noise. Her hair open, fire in her eyes, her tongue outside, her face emanating anger, the aura of her body.. Extending  her hands outside the prison bar one by one she stabs the two prison guards, her hands drenched with blood of followers of the epitome of evil. The keys fall from the guards pocket and she uses it to open the door. She takes one of the sword of the guard and rushes towards her father’s prison. Duelling with the two guards at the same time was no joke, but she was the Devi herself the embodiment of courage, light and divine wrath. Very effortlessly she defeated the duo and knocked them on the ground. She took the key and opened the door of the prison where Shakti was. There Shakti sat engrossed in the blaze…

“Daddy…”

Shakti opened his eyes. Tears quickly filled his eyes and he felt as if he was in a river covered with waves of the Devi.

He fell on his daughters feet but he didn’t call her his daughter.. He said something else while his head was still on her feet-

“ Ma….Ma….Devi I’m blessed to have your Darshan(vision)”

Durga was perplexed, an innocent look on her face. Isn’t the Devi innocent too? The creator of this universe has her own innocence, she behaves at times as if she hasn’t done anything at all. She lifts him holding his shoulders, and both father and daughter cry after hugging each other, their clothes drenched in tears, tears of pain, tears of fighting through pain, tears of devotion, from the waterfall of the Divine Devi’s abode.

Shakti and Durga escaped the other guards near the prison. After months of travel through wild forests, extreme climatic conditions, rocky terrain of the Himalayas they finally made it to the kingdom of Sheetlapur. With the support of The King of Sheetlapur and his army they launched an attack on Mahish’s army in Ambapur. They were way stronger, skilful and more in number than his army this time. Shakti won the battle and reclaimed his throne. Peace and harmony was once again restored in Ambapur. Durga resumed her education. She would always question her father about why he had called him ‘Ma’ that day. Shakti would always ignore her with a smile..but one day in the garden he answered her question, “ I saw Devi Ma in Janaki. For me Janaki is still alive, she will always be….because I see her in you..I see Janaki in you..And within her I see Devi Ma”