NINE NIGHTS
The 'nine nights' -- 'the Navratri' -- just concluded yesterday. And, today is the tenth day -- 'Dassera'.
Like the Ganpati festival, in Mumbai, the Navratri festival has become a huge affair, and it keeps becoming bigger, grander, and more and more deafening.
My own Society had programmes lined up on all th nine nights, which included the mandatory 'Mata-di-chowki' and 'mahaprasad' - which means a grand dinner sponsored by some generous soul.
Just below our nose, live the MHADA residents. They are new-comers in this area and had just begun their Navratri celebrations last year. The Shiv Sena is their sponsor. This year, the size and scale of their operations would put any event manager into shame! That huge it was ... at least the sizes and the sound of their speakers and equipment. What a crowd-involvement - men and women, the children, young and adults,Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians ... Wow, what an exuberance, what a unity ... what a zest for life!
The police came on all the nights. But, it did not stop them from having their 'blast' till mid-night and even past mid-night.
There are exams going on for children; there are sick and elderly'; there are just-born babies ... yes, there are these realities around to be considered by sheer empathy, leave alone the the 'Laws' which are supposed to be 'obeyed'.
But, who cares!
When I said 'who' -- I meant 'all'.
None of us care. All that we are interested in is: the sadistic pleasure that we get when some one compliments us for organising our 'grand shows'.
Yes, the prayer is all a small - insignificant and irrelevant - part of this huge package. Hardly, any of us pray, there ... no matter how loud.
Maybe, the celebration - the gaiety - is prayer in itself. After all, what is the purpose of prayer? Is it not to to celebrate ... Celebrate life?
So, even though, personally, I can not relate to the kind of prayer that is offered during these 'sarvajanik' festivals, I fully relate to the fundamental truth:
"THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER IS TO CELEBRATE."
I am an ordinary mortal. I can not turn the tide, just because I don't like its fierce force or sound and, just because, I am scared of its destructive capabilities. Let the tide be ... Till the Sun, the Moon and the Winds favour it!
I thought, I would key in these nine prayers - one for each night - so that, today, on the Dassera day, I could offer them to the Lord:
1. Lord, make me feel worthy of your love and grace;
2. Fill me with gratitude: to you, your merciful Laws, to every human who makes
my life rich and fruitful, every opportunity that unfolds before me, every
triumph and every defeat, to every smile on my face or a hurt in my heart;
3. Fill me with wonderment. Keep me eternally in awe and reverence to all that
You have made for us, whose mighty secrets we all are struggling to
discover ... Keep me childlike ... ever innocent, ever awe-struck;
4. Teach me trust: In You, Your Laws, in people. and, above all, in my own
goodness;
5. Fill me with consciousness of prosperity and abundance ... Fill me with the
belief, that there is more than enough for every one ... that, the more we ask
the more we get ... the more we give the more we receive back;
6. Grant me the power of honesty and integrity ...particularly, in the face of my
adversity;
7. Grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the
things I can not, and the wisdom to know the difference;
8. Grant me the strength of tolerance and forgiveness ... not only towards others,
but also, towards my own self; teach me to empathetic towards every one,
particularly, towards those who 'hurt' me the most;
9. Finally, my Lord, help me from getting swayed by the 'greed' of material
prosperity. Instead, I beg of you to fill me with a strength that can help me
lead a life with grace, honour and contentment even when 'everything' is taken
away from me. Keep me secure in simplicity.
Nine prayers for nine nights. Frankly, I couldn't pray this way during all these days, and in spite of all those 'aarti's' and 'mata-di-chowki's'.
But, was that true?
Am I not praying this way, today, only because of them?
Yes, I am thankful for this festive season -- yes, including all the things I detest about them. After all, is this not one of my nine prayers:
"Lord, grant me the strength of tolerance and forgiveness ..?"
And, is not 'Dassera' a beautiful time to score our personal victory of the good over the evil?
Wishing you all a very happy Dassera,
GERALD D'CUNHA
Like the Ganpati festival, in Mumbai, the Navratri festival has become a huge affair, and it keeps becoming bigger, grander, and more and more deafening.
My own Society had programmes lined up on all th nine nights, which included the mandatory 'Mata-di-chowki' and 'mahaprasad' - which means a grand dinner sponsored by some generous soul.
Just below our nose, live the MHADA residents. They are new-comers in this area and had just begun their Navratri celebrations last year. The Shiv Sena is their sponsor. This year, the size and scale of their operations would put any event manager into shame! That huge it was ... at least the sizes and the sound of their speakers and equipment. What a crowd-involvement - men and women, the children, young and adults,Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians ... Wow, what an exuberance, what a unity ... what a zest for life!
The police came on all the nights. But, it did not stop them from having their 'blast' till mid-night and even past mid-night.
There are exams going on for children; there are sick and elderly'; there are just-born babies ... yes, there are these realities around to be considered by sheer empathy, leave alone the the 'Laws' which are supposed to be 'obeyed'.
But, who cares!
When I said 'who' -- I meant 'all'.
None of us care. All that we are interested in is: the sadistic pleasure that we get when some one compliments us for organising our 'grand shows'.
Yes, the prayer is all a small - insignificant and irrelevant - part of this huge package. Hardly, any of us pray, there ... no matter how loud.
Maybe, the celebration - the gaiety - is prayer in itself. After all, what is the purpose of prayer? Is it not to to celebrate ... Celebrate life?
So, even though, personally, I can not relate to the kind of prayer that is offered during these 'sarvajanik' festivals, I fully relate to the fundamental truth:
"THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER IS TO CELEBRATE."
I am an ordinary mortal. I can not turn the tide, just because I don't like its fierce force or sound and, just because, I am scared of its destructive capabilities. Let the tide be ... Till the Sun, the Moon and the Winds favour it!
I thought, I would key in these nine prayers - one for each night - so that, today, on the Dassera day, I could offer them to the Lord:
1. Lord, make me feel worthy of your love and grace;
2. Fill me with gratitude: to you, your merciful Laws, to every human who makes
my life rich and fruitful, every opportunity that unfolds before me, every
triumph and every defeat, to every smile on my face or a hurt in my heart;
3. Fill me with wonderment. Keep me eternally in awe and reverence to all that
You have made for us, whose mighty secrets we all are struggling to
discover ... Keep me childlike ... ever innocent, ever awe-struck;
4. Teach me trust: In You, Your Laws, in people. and, above all, in my own
goodness;
5. Fill me with consciousness of prosperity and abundance ... Fill me with the
belief, that there is more than enough for every one ... that, the more we ask
the more we get ... the more we give the more we receive back;
6. Grant me the power of honesty and integrity ...particularly, in the face of my
adversity;
7. Grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the
things I can not, and the wisdom to know the difference;
8. Grant me the strength of tolerance and forgiveness ... not only towards others,
but also, towards my own self; teach me to empathetic towards every one,
particularly, towards those who 'hurt' me the most;
9. Finally, my Lord, help me from getting swayed by the 'greed' of material
prosperity. Instead, I beg of you to fill me with a strength that can help me
lead a life with grace, honour and contentment even when 'everything' is taken
away from me. Keep me secure in simplicity.
Nine prayers for nine nights. Frankly, I couldn't pray this way during all these days, and in spite of all those 'aarti's' and 'mata-di-chowki's'.
But, was that true?
Am I not praying this way, today, only because of them?
Yes, I am thankful for this festive season -- yes, including all the things I detest about them. After all, is this not one of my nine prayers:
"Lord, grant me the strength of tolerance and forgiveness ..?"
And, is not 'Dassera' a beautiful time to score our personal victory of the good over the evil?
Wishing you all a very happy Dassera,
GERALD D'CUNHA
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