05/10/2021
ЁЯЩПSHUBHO MAHALAYA ЁЯЩП
~ Aradhika Bhattacharya
ЁЯЪйExplanation of the Pictures -
1. CHAKSHU DAAN. 2. TARPANA. 3. SOIL FROM NISHIDDHO PALLIS. 4. SHONAGACHHI KOLKATA.
ЁЯНБ photography ┬й ARADHIKA's SNAPshot
ЁЯНБ"Aswiner sarada prate beje utheche alokomonjir,
Dhoronir bohirakashi ontorhito meghomala;
Prakritir antarakashe jagorito jyotirmoyi jaganmatar
aagomono-barta,
Anandamoyi moha mayar padodhyani;
Ashima chande beje uthe roop-lok o raso-lok e aane naba
bhabomadhurir sanjeeban,
Tai anandita shyamoli matrikar chinmoyi ke mrinmoyi te
aabahon..
Aj chitchaktiroopini bishwajanonir sharodo-sribimondita
protima;
Mondire mondire dhyan bodhita..."ЁЯНБ
On Mahalaya, which is being celebrated today, sculptors, who have been working for days carving and chiseling the statue of Durga, carry out their final touch of drawing the eyes of the Mother.
Called Chakshu Daan, which means offering the eyes to Durga idol has a special significance; artisans paint the beautiful eyes of the goddess in the week hours and only a senior member from the artisan community is allowed to draw the eyes of Maa Durga.
According to Indian mythology, Durga was created by all supreme godheads and powers of the universe to slay Mahishasura, who was wreaking havoc on Earth and in heaven.Mahalaya is considered to be the day Goddess Durga defeated the demon Mahishasura. It signifies the end of Pitru Paksha Shradh and the beginning of Durga Puja for the Bengali community. Pitru Paksha is a period of worshipping ancestors and the deceased, and to pray for their souls.
On this day, Bengalis traditionally wake up in the morning 4am in the voice of the Great Birendra Krishna Bhadra to listen to Mahishasura Mardini**, an audio montage of Chandipath recitation from the scriptural verses of Sri Sri Chandi along with devotional songs. Then they proceed to make food and water offerings or Tarpana to their ancestors is a term in the Vedic practice which refers to an offering made to divine entities. It refers to the act of the offering as well as the substance used in the offering itself.
It is believed that the goddess begins her journey from Mount Kailash to her maternal home on Earth on this day, either on a palanquin, or on a boat, an elephant or a horse. Perhaps everyone counting the days for the biggest festival of the year, Durga Puja.
Every religions and their rituals are sacred. Some have mythological explanations others exist only because there has been an age-old practice and belief. Among them is the famous yet unexplained practice of using soil from the land of Sex-Workers to prepare Durga Idols in Kolkata. Sex-workers, all through their lives they are attributed with slangs, but during Durga puja, individuals throng at their doorsteps with polite smiles begging for some land from their land.According to Hindu rituals, for the preparation of Durga idol, four things are of utmost importance- mud from the banks of the Ganga, cow urine, cow dung and soil from a prostitute's land or Nishiddho Pallis (forbidden terrorities).
** Mahishasura Marddini is a widely popular early Bengali special dawn radio programme that has been broadcasting since 1931on All India Radio (AIR) in Indian state West Bengal. It is a one-and-a-half-hour audio montage of Caс╣Зс╕Нip─Бс╣нh (chanting from Caс╣Зс╕Нi) recitation from the scriptural verses of ┼Ъr─л ┼Ъr─л Caс╣Зс╕Нi or Durga Saptashati, Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The program has been translated into Hindi set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience. This programme is aired every year at day-break on Mahalaya. The programme, which started off as a live-performance, has been broadcast in its pre-recorded format since 1966. However, its great popularity remains undiminished even today over 89 years later.
Birendra Krishna Bhadra, who will always be remembered for making Mahalaya memorable to one and all, is the voice behind the тАЬMahisasura Mardini.тАЭ He recites the holy verses and tells the story of the descent of Durga to earth. It was on the day of Mahalaya, the beginning of "Devipaksha", that the gods and goddesses woke up to prepare themselves for Durga Puja. In 1931, Mahalaya was first broadcast over the radio in Akashvani, Calcutta.
Bhadra died long ago, but his recorded voice still forms the core of the Mahalaya program. In a sonorous voice Bhadra renders the Mahalaya recital for one and half thrilling hours, mesmerizing every household with the divine aura of his narration, as the Bengalees submerge their souls in quiet moments of prayer.
ЁЯНБЁЯНБЁЯНБЁЯНБ
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu vishnu-mayeti sabdita,
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu chetanety-abhidhiyathe
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu buddhi-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu nidra-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu kshudha-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu chhaya-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu sakti-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Yadevi sarva-bhutesu trishna-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu kshanti-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu jati-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu lajja-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva bhutesu santi-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu sraddha-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
ya devi sarva-bhutesu kanti-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu laksmi-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu vritti-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu smriti-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu daya-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu tushti-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu matri-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namasthasyai namasthasyai namo namah
Ya devi sarva-bhutesu bhranti-rupena samsthitha
Namas thasyai namas thasyai namas thasyai namo namah...