27 Sep Navratri: The Divine Mother’s Sacrifice
The Samudra Manthan or the churning of the ocean -as we call it, is significant and talks about the Divine and Its creation. What emerged as a result of the churning of ocean became the foundation of this existence. As the devas (gods) desired the amrita (nectar) that will make them immortal, they approached Maha Vishnu for His guidance. Maha Vishnu took the form of Kurma (tortoise) and served as support for Mount Meru. With the help of Vasuki (king of the serpents), the gods and asuras (demons) began tugging Vasuki to churn the ocean with hope to receive the amrita. Interestingly, before the auspicious items emerged such as the sacred cow, white horse, Goddess Lakshmi and eventually the amrita, the deadly Halahal poison arose from the ocean. As no one could clear the poison, the Gods prayed to Lord Shiva to remove it. He fulfilled their desire and drank all the poison. Many people may have heard this story but do not know what happened to the poison thereafter.
Sri Jayanthi Kumaraswami reveals, “as the poison entered the throat of Lord Shiva, the Divine Mother Goddess Parvati realised the consequence of the poison intake. She quickly pressed the neck of Lord Shiva and held the poison at His throat. To relieve Lord Shiva from any suffering, The Goddess transferred the poison into Her body and discharged it through the private area. This flow is menstruation. This is the reason why women experience the menstrual cycle, and can hold the foetus in the womb. These nine nights of Navratri, as I have explained previously, is to honour Shakti for Her sacrifice and absolute power.”
-SRI JAYANTHI KUMARASWAMI
Featured image: Sri Jayanthi Kumaraswami during puja in 2009.