Navratri...Another detailed perspective..

A Talk by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The Art of Living International Centre, Bangalore (Navaratri 2004)

‘Nava’ means nine. It also means new or fresh. ‘Ratri’ – ‘Ra’ means giving solace or rest. ‘Tri’ means three. These are the three types of botherations or problems that can haunt a person: the physical, mental and the spiritual problems that come to you. That which gives you relief from these difficulties is ‘ratri.’ ‘Ratri’ literally means night. Night is called ‘ratri’, because it relieves you from misery and brings you comfort. It takes you in it arms and puts you to sleep.  Birds and animals do not worry at night they go to sleep happily. Night relaxes everybody; whether one is unhappy or miserable, everybody goes to sleep. It gives relief from any type of misery: physical, mental or emotional. ‘Navaratri’ means the new night or the nine nights that give you rest from all these three aspects of your lives.

An infant is in its mother’s womb for nine months. It is in the rest period. Similarly, these nine days are an opportunity to get back to your Self and take your mind off all the mundane things that bother you. This is the time for self referral and self inquiry, “Who am I?”,  “What is the world all about?” Then you become creative. You become victorious. When negative forces haunt you, you are disturbed, unpleasant, unhappy, uncreative, unproductive and grumbling. Craving, aversion, uncertainty and fear are negative forces. Get relief from all this, go to the source of energy within you. That is Shakti.

And, what are the ‘asuras’ (demons)?

‘Madhu and Kaitaba’ – ‘Madhu’ is craving and ‘Kaitaba’ is aversion. The second signifies hatred towards anybody. These are the first rakshasas (demons).

‘Raktabijasur’ is that which is in your genes. ‘Bija’ means seed. Sometimes your behaviour is not under your control. It is in your genes. This can be changed.  With pranayama and meditation, certain genetic changes happen inside you. That is Raktabijasur. Sometimes people have to take medication to behave properly. The medication is for killing the Raktabijasur. For example, when there is a lack of lithium in the blood it causes restlessness and valium is prescribed. The body and mind are not two separate things. They are interlinked. Sometimes the body affects the mind. When 'Raktabijasur' is transformed, the  'Shakti" (energy) is awakenend and negatitivty disappears. When this happens, all  physical ailments disappear.

‘Mahishasur’ – Mahi means dullness; like a buffalo. ‘Mahisha’ is symbolic of heaviness and jadatwa (inertia).The Divine Shakti brings energy, and inertia is lifted off.

‘Shumbh - Nishumbh’ is doubt of everything. Doubt of the self is ‘Shumbh’. Some people doubt themselves: “Am I right? Am I really devoted? Do I have my intelligence? Can I do this?” Doubt of others is ‘Nishumbh.’ Nishumbh is to doubt everybody else around you. You think that a person is not good, he / she wants to pull your leg.  That is when you always think others are after you. That is Nishumbh. Nobody is interested in pulling your leg. Everybody is busy in their own running race. But you sit and imagine, everybody is trying to pull your leg, they are thinking about you. Who is thinking about you? You know, these days people are so busy. Nobody has the time to intentionally insult anybody. Even to insult anybody you need time. You need time to think. People’s minds are clogged and preoccupied. Where do they have time to insult you? If they insult you, it has happened by chance…. it’s a by product, because they are so occupied. They are doing something and their action has insulted you. Do not think they are after you or trying to insult you. So do not sit and worry. You need clarity of mind. People don't have this. When you thus doubt everyone around you it means 'Nishumbh' has taken over you.

‘Chanda – Munda’. ‘Chanda’ means the one who has only a head. Someone with this tendency will say the very opposite of what you say. They are determined to oppose, irrespective of anything. That is Chanda - to say no, to be negative. ‘Munda’ is one who does not have a head at all. Some people whatever you say it goes above them. They cannot take in anything. Chanda and Munda - they are a big botheration.

Chanda is one who always goes against you; one who cannot agree with you at all. Chanda has taken control over such a kind of person. There is a story. There was once a married man who found out after marriage that whatever he would ask his wife to do, she would do the opposite. One day he would want raw food and on that day she would make him an elaborate cooked meal. She would do the opposite of anything he told her to do. He said “I want to sleep”. She would say, “I want to play music.” So he was frustrated. He tried to adjust. He applied all the course points: ‘Accept people as they are. Present moment is inevitable. Do not see intention behind other people’s mistakes.’ But how long could he remind himself. Nothing seemed to work and he got more tense.

So he went to see a wise man - a swami and asked him, “I have a big problem. What should I do?” The swami whispered a mantra in his ears and told him to come back in three months. After three months when he came back, his face was all bright. The Swamiji said, “You look very happy.” He replied, “Yes Swamiji, your mantra worked excellently.” There were other disciples there who were curious to know what the mantra was. The Swami said it was very easy and that he would tell everybody. He repeated out loud the instructions that he had earlier given to the man. He said whatever you want her to do, you tell her to do the opposite. If you want to sleep, you tell her to play music. If you want to eat dosa, tell her that you want idlis. Do not speak your plain heart to her.

I know there are some people here. When they want to go they will say they do not want to go. They want to sleep and they say they do not feel like sleeping. If someone says they do not feel like leaving that means they are leaving now. So, “I am fasting” means “I am going to eat well!” So you should know the minds of these people and say the opposite of what you want. That is the way to deal with Chandas. As for the Mundas, just know that they will not listen to anything. Nothing goes through.

‘Dhumralochana’ – ‘Dhumra’ means smoke and ‘Lochana’ means eyes; it means one who does not perceive things in the right way. They are neither blind nor do they have clear vision. These are more dangerous. People who think they know that which they do not know. People who think they have great logic but in fact do not have any. It’s like saying:  ‘If the door is half open then it is half closed; (hence) that means if the door is fully open, then it can also be fully closed.’ This type of argument is Kutarka (illogical arguments). That is Dhumralochana. Those under the influence of this do not see anything clearly. For them everything is hazy. That is another lack of Shakti.
 

So when you are full of enthusiasm and energy all these six rakshasas will disappear. At high prana level, you will not find any one of these. From time to time they come to you and you have to get over them. This can happen to everybody.

‘Durga Shakti’ is not limited to some time and space. It’s happening in every atom in creation, in every mind, every consciousness and in everybody’s life. All these Chanda – Munda also come not only to one person. You have all acted like that sometimes; as children you have been like that. Chandi means stubbornness - just being stubborn without any reason, without any logic, without any cause. All these are different modes of prana and they are finally all part of one divinity. They are not an entity somewhere they are all a play and display of one consciousness. That is beautiful is it not?

Some of the devas (gods) asked, why should the Goddess Durga appear? It would be sufficient for her to say, “Hmmm…” and all the rakshasas would disappear. Why did she have to fight them? But we know why she fights… to make it more playful, more colorful and to make the world more interesting. So, she comes and just plays with the trishula, chakra and gada and through these weapons even these ‘asuras’ become purified, they attain her.

It’s one light, one consciousness which plays in two roles to get back to the Self. That is why it is said that there are no two separate Shaktis (energies) but only one. It is there as deva (god) and asura (demon) that come in different forms and become one in all.  This is ‘Advait Gyan’ (knowledge of nonduality). 

It is not that Durga attacks at some particular time. It is happening everyday. Everyday creation (Shrishti) happens and destruction (Samhar) happens. Everyday a new tree is born. The sun was born, and now has set. Again the sun is going to rise. It’s all a cyclic phenomenon. That’s what makes this world diverse and so interesting.

You know the biggest contribution of India to the world is that: everything is cyclic; it is not linear. Usually people think that things are born and that’s it; it is all linear: there is a beginning and there is an end. Here everything is cyclic and spherical. Truth is spherical. Time is spherical.