The Durga Puja season has become inseparably linked with the Sharadiya or Puja issue of journals and magazines. In the early days, what began as a special supplement to the regular edition of a periodical—printed in autumn—was the Puja number. Quite possibly, it was the weekly *Sulabh Samachaar*, published by the Brahmo Samaj institution founded by Keshab Chandra Sen, that first brought out a special edition called *Chhuţir Sulabh*. That one-paisa special issue appeared in the month of Ashwin in the year 1280 of the Bengali calendar. From then on, journals like *Bharatbarsha* and *Bangabani* began publishing Puja numbers. The celebrated writers of that era—Dwijendralal Roy, Satyendranath Datta, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay, and others—contributed to them. The first Sharadiya novel was printed in the Sharadiya *Basumatī*. In 1926, *Ananda Bazar Patrika* brought out its first Sharadiya issue. Several years later, the first novel to appear in it was Manik Bandyopadhyay's *Shahartalī*. Rabindranath's celebrated story "Sunday" was published here, followed the next year by "Laboratory." The Puja issue of *Desh* magazine first appeared in 1341 of the Bengali calendar, and Subodh Ghosh's novel *Triyamā* was the first novel published in *Desh*, appearing in 1356. After this, from the 1960s onwards in the English calendar, we see that multiple Puja issues began appearing in a single autumn season, with as many as six or seven novels being published. The celebrated writers of the age would write for them. Open any old issue of *Desh* magazine, and you would invariably find Rabindranath's presence first—unpublished writings or a trove of his letters. Then would follow essays and articles about Rabindranath himself. After the age of Tarashankar, Manik, Bibhuti, and Satinath, the torch passed to Somoresh Basu, Romapod Chowdhury, Bimal Kar, Jyotirindra Nandi, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shirthendu Mukhopadhyay, Somoresh Mazumdar, and others. Through Satyajit Ray's hand, we first came to know Feluda through the Puja issue itself. During the Puja season, the editors of journals and newspapers begin their preparations well in advance to secure writings from celebrated authors. This was the case even in Rabindranath's time. Requests would come to Rabindranath from various editors, asking him to contribute to their Sharadiya issues. As far as is known, Rabindranath first gave a Puja piece to the Sharadiya annual called *Parbani*. *Parbani* was the first Bengali annual publication. It first appeared in 1325 of the Bengali calendar. The responsibility for editing *Parbani* fell to Nagendranath Gangopadhyay, Rabindranath's younger brother-in-law. In the first Puja annual of *Parbani*, Rabindranath wrote the song "Sharate Aaj Koun Atithi Elo Praner Dwāre"—titled "The Song of Autumn"—along with the story "Ichhhapuran" and the poem "Thakurddar Chhuti." Upon receiving the first Sharadiya annual, Rabindranath wrote a letter to Nagendranath Gangopadhyay, the editor of *Parbani*: "I have derived great pleasure from reading your *Parbani*. It will be enjoyed by children and the elderly alike. Your labour has borne fruit. That you have gathered this *Parbani* from the treasuries of nearly all the celebrated writers of the land for the children of Bengal—on one hand, it is a most arduous undertaking, and on the other, an act of supreme merit. Indeed, I was astonished at the variety, elegance, and wit it displays—and yet within it lies much for readers to learn, to ponder, to understand. This collection of yours is not mere material to be read during the holidays and then discarded—pages torn, pictures cut out, marked with ink and dust—relegated to the rubbish heap. Rather, it shall be preserved in the treasury of our children's literature for perpetual use. If you can maintain, year after year, the standard you have set in this first volume of *Parbani*, you shall receive the blessings of both Goddess Shashthi and Goddess Saraswati. In these days of scarcity and high prices of paper and such materials, I cannot fathom how you have managed to bring out this book at one and a half rupees. I suspect in your eagerness to gather contributions, you have not had the leisure even to calculate profit and loss. Yours, Rabindranath Tagore. 9th Ashwin, 1325." In 1935, on behalf of *Ananda Bazar* and *Desh* magazines, Rabindranath was offered "an advance of one hundred rupees" for contributions to their Puja issues.
# On Durga Puja
Referring to an incident, Rabindranath Tagore wrote to Ramananda Chatterjee, editor of both *Prabasī* and *Modern Review*, from Santiniketan on the 29th of August, 1935:
“I was engaged in raising funds for the relief of those afflicted by the floods here. Personally, I too am going through difficult times. My mind was deeply troubled that I could not give anything. It was then that the editors of *Desh* and *Anandabazar* gave me an advance of a hundred rupees for two poems for their Puja issue, and that money went into the flood relief fund. The ability to write with ease as before is no longer mine. For this reason, I have resolved to repay their debt with the poem ‘Bismoy’. My weary pen refuses to take up new writing…”
The eagerness of editors to obtain Rabindranath’s work for their Puja issues knew no bounds. An editor who failed to secure a contribution from him for the Puja number would lodge complaints with Rabindranath. Sometimes, rumours would even circulate in this regard. For instance, Buddhadeb Basu, editor of *Kavita* magazine, heard news that Rabindranath was supposedly giving his Puja contribution that year to *Purbasha*, Sanjay Bhattacharya’s journal. Rabindranath wrote to Buddhadeb Basu from Santiniketan on the 2nd of August, 1939: “My own work has piled up—besides, my body is weary. I will not be able to write.” For the great poet Rabindranath Tagore, Durga Puja was understood as a generous space of social communion. Here there is no taint, no degradation, no reckoning of high and low, no boasting of aristocracy. Here all forget everything and come together, intermingle—”giving and receiving, mingling and merging, never to turn back…” Here all are invited.
In earlier times, Puja was not celebrated with such grandeur, so there were no official holidays either. The first mention of a holiday for Durga Puja is found in 1787. To bring the Calcutta Puja market within reach of village people, in 1927 the Eastern Bengal Railway authorities ran a special three-coach train called the ‘Puja Bazaar Special’ for nearly a month, stopping at various stations. A total of sixteen commercial establishments participated, setting up their wares on the train with the intention of selling to village customers.
In Hindu scriptures, in explaining the word ‘Durga’, it is said:
*Daityanāsārthabacho dakāraḥ parikīrtitaḥ.*
*Ukāro vighnanaśasya vāchako vedasammata.*
*Refo roghaghnabacho gaścha pāpaghnabaćakaḥ.*
*Bhayśhātrughnabandhśchākāraḥ parikīrtita.*
That is: the letter ‘d’ destroys demons, the vowel ‘u’ destroys obstacles, the letter ‘r’ destroys disease, the letter ‘g’ destroys sin, and the vowel ‘a’ destroys enemies. In other words, she who protects from the hands of demons, obstacles, disease, sin, and enemies—she is Durga.
On the other hand, the *Śabdakalpadruma* says: “Durgaṁ nāśhayati yā nityaṁ sā durgā vā prakīrtitā”—that is, she who slew the demon named Durga is forever known as Durga.
According to the *Śrīśrīchanda*, the Goddess who is ‘Niḥśheshadebagānaśhaktissamūhamūrtyāḥ’ (the embodiment of the combined power of all gods) is Durga.
Durga is fundamentally the Goddess of Power. Yogeshchandra Ray Bidyanidhī has said: “Durga Puja is a transformation of Vedic sacrifice, covered over by tantra…. In the Vedic age, sacrifice was performed at the beginning of each season. It was also performed at the beginning of autumn. This autumnal sacrifice was transformed into Durga Puja.” The Vedic *Śhāradotsav* or *Rudrayajña*, the numerous terracotta female figurines discovered in the prehistoric age in the Indus valley—all testify to the antiquity of Durga Puja. Durga is mentioned in Vedic literature. References to Durga are found, sometimes veiled in allegory but on the whole fairly consistently, throughout various sacred texts: the *Chhandogya Upanishad*, the *Taittirīya Āraṇyak*, the *Muṇḍak Upanishad*, the *Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa*, the *Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa*, the *Kālikā Purāṇa*, the *Bṛhannandikeshvar Purāṇa*, the *Devī Bhāgavat*, the *Kāli Vilās Tantra*, and many other Purāṇas and Tantras. The detailed discussion and ritual of Durga Puja, however, are found in Tantras and Purāṇas. The Purāṇas and subsidiary Purāṇas containing discussions on Durga are: the *Matsya Purāṇa*, the *Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa*, the *Devī Purāṇa*, the *Kālikā Purāṇa*, and the *Devī Bhāgavat*. She is worshipped under various names and forms: Jayadurgā, Jagaddhatrī, Gandheshvarī, Vanadurgā, Chandī, Nārāyaṇī, and others. There is a custom of celebrating Durga’s festival twice a year—the Sharadiya Durga Puja during the bright fortnight of the month of Ashwin, and the Basanti Durga Puja during the bright fortnight of Chaitra. Durga’s vehicle is the lion.
# The Family Form of Durga: Vishnupur’s Ancient Worship
The image of Goddess Durga most commonly seen in Bengal is the family-form or *saparivar* Durga — Durga with her household. At the center stands the Goddess herself, lion-borne and slayer of the buffalo demon. To her right, above sits Lakshmi and below, Ganesha; to her left, above is Saraswati and below, Kartik.
Many scholars hold that Bengal’s most ancient Durga worship is that of the *Mrinmayee* temple in Bishnupur, in the Bankura district. In the household of the Malla rulers of Bishnupur, Mother Durga is venerated as *Mrinmayee* — the Earthen Goddess. Raja Jagat Malla established the Goddess in 997 CE. Here, the Goddess is worshipped throughout the year. Yet it is during the festival days that every rite — from the recitation of the *Chandi* to the final oblations — lends the royal worship an otherworldly grandeur. In the time of Raja Jagat Malla, the cannon would be fired from the palace, and the worship would then spread to the surrounding regions. Even now, on *Mahashtami*, the cannon announces the *Sandhipuja*, the twilight rite — drawing streams of devotees and pilgrims to Bishnupur. Legend has it that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once came to this temple to worship, and saw the Goddess in the form of the lion-rider herself. The *neelkantha* birds are now nearly extinct, yet the royal household has preserved a thousand-year-old custom: even now, on *Bijoya Dashami*, the morning after victory, a blue-necked bird is released from the palace.
According to legend, Raja Jagat Malla ventured into the deep forest to hunt from the then-capital of *Pradyumnapur*, lost his way, and there received the vision of Goddess Durga. It was at that very spot that in 997 CE he established the image and temple of *Mrinmayee*. This region came to be called *Vana Bishnupur* — the Forest of Vishnu. Later, he moved his capital to the lands adjoining this temple.
This image differs from the conventional form. Beside the Goddess stand Kartik and Ganesha above, with Lakshmi and Saraswati below. Atop the structure sits Mahadeva himself, flanked by Nandi, Bhringi, and the spirits and ghouls of his entourage. Directly beneath them are painted the ten forms of the *Dasamahavidya* — the ten cosmic powers of the Goddess.
This worship has certain uncommon rites of its own.
Beyond the worship of *Mrinmayee*, the festival honors multiple Durga images: the Elder Aunt, the Middle Aunt, the Younger Aunt, and other metal-cast *durga-pats*. On the evening of *Jitashtami*, there is the ritual unwrapping ceremony of the Elder Mistress. The following day, on the ninth lunar day, the *pat* of the Elder is brought from *Gopalsayer* ghat, along with the royal silver *pat* and after the special worship of the *Navpatrika*, to the *Mrinmayee* temple. Thus begins the nineteen-day festival.
On the fourth day, a pot is filled with water from *Gopalsayer* and ceremonially installed; on this day the Middle Aunt’s *pat* is worshipped. On the sixth day, at dusk, the Younger Aunt’s *pat* is placed at the fig tree and honored. The *durga-pats* of both Elder and Younger Aunts are painted, generation after generation, by artists from the *Shankhari Para*, from the family of the *Fauzdar*. On the seventh day, at dawn, a Durga *pat* painted on gold leaf — known as *Pateshwari*, the Goddess of the Image — is brought from the palace to the temple, inaugurating the special bathing rites and the seventh-day worship.
The eighth day is celebrated with extraordinary pomp. The twilight rite of *Sandhipuja* holds special significance here. On this day, the eighteen-armed, fierce form of *Ugrachanda* is brought from the palace. The royal family members arrive in proper observance. After the flower offerings comes the cannon fire. At midnight on the ninth day comes the special worship of *Khakkharbahini* — the Goddess of Plague, she who rides the mule — with the priest facing away from the pot in a rite forbidden to common sight.
It is whispered that once, human sacrifice was made before *Mrinmayee*. But when Raja Vir Hambir embraced Vaishnavism, all such offerings — indeed, all blood sacrifice — were forbidden here. *Mrinmayee* herself is never immersed. On the tenth day, as custom dictates, the *Navpatrika* and other painted images are carried to the waters. This worship too became established long before *Kansannarayan* instituted his celebrated rites. Nityananda, the foremost disciple of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, performed the Durga festival in *Khardaha* in his own home — an history even more ancient than *Kansannarayan’s*.
# Durga Puja: Manifestations, Calendar, and the Worship of the Virgin Goddess
In certain households throughout Calcutta, one observes during the Durga Puja festival that Lakshmi and Ganesha exchange places with Saraswati and Karttikeya. In other homes, one sees the goddess Durga seated upon Shiva’s lap. Beyond these variations, different regions of Bengal display their own distinctive forms of the goddess Durga. The goddess possesses many arms. One encounters her in eighteen-armed, sixteen-armed, ten-armed, eight-armed, and four-armed forms. Yet it is the ten-armed manifestation that enjoys the greatest popularity.
Generally, the Durga Puja festival is observed over five days, from the sixth day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin—that is, from Shashthi to the tenth day, Dashami. These five days are respectively known as Durga Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami, and Bijoy Dashami. The entire lunar fortnight itself is called the Devi Paksha, or the Goddess’s Fortnight. This period commences on the preceding new moon day—known as Mahalaya—and concludes on the fifteenth day, the full moon, celebrated as Kojagari Purnima, the annual day of Lakshmi worship. Though Durga Puja is essentially a five-day celebration, the true festival begins at Mahalaya and ends with the Lakshmi worship on Kojagari Purnima. In certain families of West Bengal, however, there exists a custom of observing the festival over fifteen days. In such cases, the festival commences on the ninth day of the dark fortnight preceding Mahalaya—Krishna Navami, the ancestors’ fortnight—and continues until Kojagari Purnima. This ancient tradition still prevails in the old palace of Bishnupur. In West Bengal and Tripura, national holidays are declared from Maha Saptami through Bijoy Dashami; in Bangladesh, such holidays are granted only on Bijoy Dashami itself, though Hindus may generally obtain three additional days of leave by petition for worship. This festival is celebrated with great ceremony in eastern Indian cities such as Calcutta, Hooghly, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Latahguri, Baharampore, and Jalpaiguri, as well as in non-Bengali regions of India including Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. In Kashmir and South India, the goddess is worshipped as Amba and Ambika; in Gujarat as Hingula and Rudrani; in Kanyakubja—the city of enchantresses—as Kalyani; in Mithila as Uma; and in the Cape Comorin region as Kanyakumari. In Japan, the goddess Durga is revered as Chundi Devi; in China as Chansen Devi; in Tibet as Tara Devi; in Nepal as Manjushri Devi; in Egypt as the lion-faced Isis Hathor; in the deserts of Baluchistan as Hinglaj Mata; and across Germany, Britain, America, Europe, and the Mediterranean coast, the great goddess manifesting in diverse forms is worshipped and honored according to local customs and traditions. Abroad, in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Tobago, Kuwait, and Malaysia—across many nations of the world—various organizations of emigrant Hindus and Bengali Hindus celebrate this festival. In 2006, in London, the capital of Great Britain, at the Great Hall of the British Museum, local Bengali expatriates collaborated with the museum authorities to organize a magnificent Durga Puja as part of a cultural exhibition titled “Voices of Bengal.” In Bengal, this worship is known as the Sharadiya Puja, the Sharad Festival, the Maha Puja, the Worship of the Mother, the Worship of the Goddess, and in spring as the Basanti Puja. In Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh, it is called Durga Puja; in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Mysore, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, it is known as Navratri Puja.
Among the most significant aspects of Durga Puja is the worship of the virgin goddesses—a sacred practice through which I conclude this account. The Devi Purana contains explicit mention of this worship. The scriptures generally prescribe the veneration of maidens from one to sixteen years of age, unwed, of fair complexion and blessed countenance. The practice also permits the worship of unmarried daughters of Brahmin or other communities. On the morning of the virgin goddess worship during Durga Puja, the selected maiden is bathed, dressed in new clothes, and adorned with flower ornaments and various jewels. Her feet are decorated with the red paste of lac, a vermilion mark is drawn upon her forehead, and fragrant flowers are placed in her hands.
# The Worship of the Virgin and An Encounter on the Jhelum
The young girl is seated on an adorned throne in the pavilion, and placed at her feet are bel leaves, flowers, water, consecrated offerings, and the myriad implements of worship. At the proper hour, she is installed on a beautified seat and worshipped with the sixteen ritual offerings. From all directions, the sound of conch shells and ululations mingles with the hymns of praise to the Mother, filling the place of worship with sacred resonance. Then follows the meditation upon the maiden. Sri Ramakrishna said that the Goddess manifests more fully in a pure-hearted virgin. Through the worship of the maiden, womanhood itself becomes sanctified and maternal in spirit, reverent and devoted. In the worship of an idol, the Goddess grants but partial grace; but when we perceive the Goddess manifest in the maiden, we receive the complete fruit of our worship. This is not the worship of the maiden—it is worship *in* the maiden. The form and virtues of the Divine Mother take residence in the girl, and we worship there. It is at once the adoration of the Divine, the honoring of humanity, and the exaltation of womanhood. The veneration of woman, the hymn to humankind, and the worship of God—all three are woven into this sacred rite.
The year 1898. Mid-March, at dawn. On the banks of the Jhelum River, shrouded in thin mist, a solitary boat lies waiting. In it sits a middle-aged boatman, wrapped in a dark shawl. It is clear he is expecting a passenger. His face is framed by salt-and-pepper stubble. On his head rests a white woolen cap. In his lap sits a girl of seven or eight, silent and still, wrapped in a soiled gray shawl, a purple woolen cap on her small head.
Through the river mist, two shadowy figures appear, as if emerging from the fog itself. The boatman glances toward them and takes up his oars. Presently, two young monks come into view, descending the bank and drawing near the boat’s gunwale. They wear ochre robes and yellow turbans. But the boatman cannot know—these two young monks are Bengali. One is Swami Vivekananda, thirty-five years old; the other, Swami Akshanananda, a year or so his junior. Both are traversing India, studying Vedantic philosophy while gathering the rich experience of human encounter. Between them, Vivekananda’s face bears a contemplative gravity, his gaze half-closed, lending him an inward cast; Akshanananda, by contrast, appears spontaneous and unburdened. The two Bengali monks have been staying in Kashmir for some time now, and being keen-minded, they have already mastered the local tongue reasonably well.
Swami Akshanananda, smiling gently, addressed the boatman in the local language in a voice of sweet resonance: “Take us across, boatman.”
“Please board, sir,” the boatman replied with a laugh. How the heart warms when one hears the mother tongue from the lips of a stranger! The boatman is poor, and his motherland has long been under British rule. The future often weighs upon his mind with anxiety. But seeing these two young ascetics at dawn, his worry lifts.
The two monks boarded with slow, composed grace. In that instant, a faint fragrance, as of night-blooming jasmine, seemed to pervade the boat. Drawing a deep breath, the boatman loosened the rope and lowered his oars into the cold waters of the river. The small girl sitting in his lap gazed fixedly at the two travelers with unwavering eyes.
Swami Akshanananda asked the boatman, “What is your name, friend?”
“My name is Ibrahim, sir,” the boatman replied, rowing steadily. A gentle splash of water was heard. In those days, the smell of the Jhelum had perhaps not yet turned to the acrid, briny stench of later times.
“And this is your daughter, I take it?”
Ibrahim nodded. “Yes, sir. She is my daughter. Her mother is gone, so she stays with me all day long.”
Unobserved, Swami Vivekananda exhaled a long, heavy breath. *Ah*, this orphaned child will never see her mother again. He felt the deep void, the terrible absence, that knowledge creates.
# The Suffering of Life in This World
The suffering of creatures in this world……as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the young yogi felt the anguish of all living beings in the entire world surge through him instantaneously. Then, in the very next moment, he became conscious again. Looking toward Ibrahim the boatman, he asked in a voice deep and melodious as rain clouds, “What is her name?”
Ibrahim the boatman had grown enchanted by the young traveler’s rich, resonant voice. The traveler’s full face seemed to glow with inner light. Two large, clear, almond-shaped eyes gazed out from that luminous countenance. From the depths of his pure heart, Ibrahim the boatman could perceive that this young traveler was no ordinary man, but a great and perfected ascetic. He was even astonished to see that the young ascetic showed no weakness at all against the cold. With reverence, Ibrahim the boatman said, “Her name is Sabihah, Swami.”
“Sabihah? Ah, what a beautiful name indeed.” So saying, Swami Vivekananda began to scrutinize the maiden’s face intently with those penetrating, almond-shaped eyes. Sabihah’s complexion was fair and somewhat elongated. There was a delicate flush of color in her cheeks. Golden, curling locks spilled out from beneath a purple woolen cap. Her eyes were large, utterly innocent, and tinged with blue. Her face——as if I have seen it before……a thousand years ago……when in a past life I dwelt in the ancient city of Sravasti……amid its sun-bright rains……amid its downpours……amid its darkness……amid the shapes of ripening grain……amid the clatter of hoofbeats……amid the fragrance of wheat……amid the dim shadows of temples……amid the perfume of incense……at eventide……then……did this innocent maiden not come to me in the role of a tender mother? Did she not pluck a hibiscus blossom for me from the garden by the riverbank in the dawn of autumn, for my worship?
Suddenly a kind of overwhelming trance seized the young ascetic. He fell gradually into a state of profound absorption. On his full and solemn face there appeared the unmistakable signs of intense devotion. With hands joined, he offered a reverent salutation to Sabihah——as a devoted disciple bowing before a great Mother Goddess. Witnessing this divine spectacle, Swami Akshayananda was overcome with deep wonder. “All this time we have been together,” he thought to himself, “and yet I have never witnessed anything like this before.” Ibrahim the boatman too was no less astonished. As the young ascetic bowed before his daughter Sabihah, a profound joy welled up in his heart. This motherless girl was everything to Ibrahim the boatman. May Allah shower endless mercy upon her——this was the prayer he made after performing his daily prayers. The corners of Ibrahim’s eyes grew moist with tears.
Swami Vivekananda remained absorbed and motionless in the gesture of salutation to the maiden Sabihah. Losing all sense of self, he began to worship the maiden in the knowledge that she was the Divine Mother. Suddenly, from the young yogi’s lips issued forth a verse from the Vedas: “Susamkashā mātṛimṛṣṭrevā yoṣāvistambhaṁ kṛṇuṣe dṛśe kam……”
Swami Akshayananda knew that this verse was from the 11th hymn of the 123rd sukta of the Rigveda, which in Bengali reads:
“……As a beautiful daughter adorned by her mother’s own hands reveals her form before the gaze of men.”
The fragrance of night-blooming jasmine grew heavier in the breeze that swept across the boat. And time itself seemed to have come to a standstill——so it felt to Swami Akshayananda. Two drops of tears of joy glistened at the corners of his eyes. On this morning at the close of winter, a supreme realization came to him regarding the distinctions of caste and creed——a realization that would infuse his long and noble life’s journey with profound and lasting conviction. The waters of the Jhelum lay calm and waveless. Upon those still waters, Ibrahim the boatman rowed with joy in his heart. In the boat sat a Bengali yogi, absorbed in deep meditation, offering worship to an innocent Kashmiri maiden in the knowledge of the Divine Mother——while the pale mist of the riverbank was pierced by the unobstructed light of the rising sun……
Though the worship of the Mother has manifested itself in various forms throughout the world, nowhere else is the cultivation of Shakti——divine power——pursued as it is in India. Here the Shakti is worshipped in countless forms and names. During the celebration of Durga Puja, some temples arrange for the worship of the Goddess in her virgin form.
# The Worship of the Divine Maiden
The venerable ascetic and saint of great spiritual power, Sri Swami Advaitananda Puri, has contemplated in manifold ways in his work *Sri Sri Dashamahavidya* the Primordial Shakti—the Mother who is the Source of all knowledge, the Brahmavidya that gives birth to the entire cosmos. In his vision, this Mother is the Brahma-Shakti, the Brahmamaya—that Primordial Shakti eternal, the revealer of the inconceivable qualities of the attributeless Brahman, the very refuge of all living beings and the world. Though without parts, she is endowed with supreme majesty and perfection. In the ether of her utterance, the sky-veiled one eternally shines—*She who is the daughter of the sky itself*. O Mother, you are the daughter of the very heavens! You are the celestial queen cradled in the lap of the sky. On the other hand, in the *Devi-Mahatmya* of the *Markandeya Purana*, in the fifteenth verse of the *Narayani Stotra* dedicated to the Goddess *Sri Sri Chandi*, we find: “In the form of the Maiden does Narayani manifest, worthy of our salutation.” Who is this Maiden? She is the Brahma-Shakti—the creator, untainted by sin, eternally pure. The Maiden is the Divine Feminine Power incarnate as Brahman itself. Regarding the naming of the Maiden in the *Devi-Bhagavata*, it is said that a daughter of one year is not fit for worship. From two years up to ten years, the Maiden is to be worshipped. When the Maiden is pleased, she grants the aspirant his heart’s desire. The fruits of worshipping maidens of different ages are also distinct.
The worship of a maiden of two years destroys sorrow, poverty, and enemies, and increases life span. Wealth, abundance of grain, and increase of progeny follow. The worship of Kalyani makes the aspirant learned, content, and victorious. Through the worship of Rohini comes the attainment of riches and prosperity. The worship of Shankari of the sixth year—Durga or Kali—subdues enemies with delusion, destroys poverty and adversaries. For the fulfillment of one’s desires, the worship of Subhadra is prescribed. The tantras declare that a maiden of any caste or creed is to be worshipped in the knowledge that she is the Goddess herself. In the Maiden dwells the unique manifestation of the World-Mother. Without the power of motherhood, is the creation of any life in this world even possible? The worship of the Maiden is a resplendent chapter in the autumn festival of Durga-puja. On the day of Mahashtami during the Durga-puja, the worship of maidens is celebrated. There is considerable curiosity about this worship among the common people. The worship of the Great Maya in the form of a young maiden image may be said to be the fruition of approaching the Divine through the sentiment of motherhood. Woman is a portion of the World-Mother herself. Throughout the entire cosmos she manifests as the Great Maya. To regard every woman with the sentiment of motherhood is the supreme worship of the Great Maya and the highest consecration of woman’s dignity.
The Maiden is the earthly representative of the Goddess Durga. In every woman dwells the power of Durga. Therefore women are to be worshipped—from this perspective, a maiden is seated upon the Goddess’s throne and worshipped. This is a profound homage paid to the feminine power of the world, to the Mother-Power of creation, manifested in the form of the Maiden. Apart from Durga-puja, this worship also takes place on the occasions of Kali-puja, the worship of Jagadhatri, and the worship of Annapurna. The practice of maiden-worship prevails in various Shakti-temples, including Kamakhya. Sri Ramakrishna once said, “One needs the Divine Eye. The mind becomes purified and then one gains that eye. Look at the worship of the Maiden! A girl with all her ordinary ways—when the heart is pure, I see in her the very Goddess manifest.” He further said, “Because I can see Mother Sarada in every maiden, I worship the Maiden.” The Maiden is a pure vessel. According to the tantric scriptures, the worship of the Maiden (*Kumari-puja*) is the worship of a girl of at most sixteen years who has not yet menstruated. Every year, after the Mahashtami puja at the time of the Durga festival, the worship of maidens is performed, though according to some schools, it may also be conducted on the day of the Navami puja. That the practice of maiden-worship had long been established in Bengal is evidenced by the manuscript of a work titled *Kumari-puja-prayoga* (dated 1850 CE). In religious texts such as the *Yogini-tantra*, the *Kularnavatantra*, the *Devi-purana*, various *Stotras* and *Kavachas*, the *Sahasranam*, the *Tantra-sara*, the *Prana-toshini*, and the *Purohita-darpana*, the method and glory of maiden-worship are described in detail. According to these descriptions, there is no distinction of caste, religion, or class in maiden-worship. In the knowledge that she is the Goddess, any maiden is worthy of worship—indeed, even a maiden born of a courtesan’s line. Certainly, even a maiden of a non-Brahmin family will receive the most excellent worship. Nevertheless, the worship of a Brahmin maiden is generally what is prevalent everywhere. The Maiden embodies all knowledge. In this regard, any maiden girl between one and sixteen years of age may be worshipped.
# The Ten Thousand Names of the Divine Mother: An Enumeration by Age
During the worship season, these virgin maidens are addressed by various names according to their years:
1) A girl of one year — Sandhya
2) A girl of two years — Saraswati
3) A girl of three years — Tridhaamuri
4) A girl of four years — Kalika
5) A girl of five years — Subhaga
6) A girl of six years — Uma
7) A girl of seven years — Malini
8) A girl of eight years — Kusthika
9) A girl of nine years — Kalsandarva
10) A girl of ten years — Aparajita
11) A girl of eleven years — Rudrani
12) A girl of twelve years — Bhairavi
13) A girl of thirteen years — Mahalakshmi
14) A girl of fourteen years — Pithanayika
15) A girl of fifteen years — Kshetrajnya
16) A girl of sixteen years — Annada or Ambika
According to the *Brihaddharmapurana*, the goddess Chandika, pleased by the hymns of the gods, appeared before them in the form of a virgin maiden. The *Devipurana* contains a detailed account of this matter. Yet many scholars hold that the worship of virgins was incorporated into Durga worship through tantric practice. There was once a widespread custom of virgin worship at the sacred sites of the goddess. Even the *Svetasvatara Upanishad* makes mention of the virgin. From this, it is not difficult to infer that the goddess’s designation as “virgin” is ancient indeed. And just as her name as virgin is old, so too are the rituals and customs of her worship equally ancient and far-reaching.
The *Yogini Tantra* contains references to virgin worship. When, by Brahma’s curse, sin flows into Vishnu’s body with terrible force, Vishnu seeks liberation in the Himalayas through austerities performed before the great Kali. Pleased by Vishnu’s penance, the great goddess grants him her favor. At the moment of her satisfaction, from Vishnu’s navel lotus suddenly emerges a mighty demon named Kola. This Kolasur defeats Indra and the gods, seizing all the earth, Vishnu’s realm of Vaikuntha, and Brahma’s lotus throne. The defeated Vishnu and the gods then begin to praise the goddess with the words “Protect, protect,” bowing their hearts in devotion. Satisfied by their hymns, the goddess declares: “O Vishnu! I shall assume the form of a virgin and go to the city of Kola, and there slay the demon Kolasur and all his kin.” Having then destroyed him, from that time forward, all the gods and goddesses, the gandharvas and kinnaras, have gathered together and worshipped the virgin with offerings of flowers and sandalwood.
The *Purana* tells us that following Brahma’s instruction, Sri Ramachandra arranged the worship of the goddess. She appeared in meditation, and Brahma learned that the goddess then lay in virgin form upon the bilva tree. Following Brahma’s direction, Sri Ramachandra began the awakening ceremony of the goddess at the root of the bilva tree on the morning of the sixth day of the bright fortnight, with the ritual inauguration at dawn and the invocation at dusk. The goddess awoke on the sixth day. On the seventh day, Sri Ramachandra worshipped her with the sixteen offerings, yet still the goddess gave no sign of response. Then on the eighth day, he called forth all the yoginis and performed the entire ritual anew, entreating the goddess once more. Still she did not respond. At the clamor of the assembled yoginis, the goddess merely stirred slightly, rolled to her side, and lay still—she did not awaken. Then at the great junction hour between the eighth and ninth days—at the cusp of midnight—Ramachandra performed a special worship of the goddess, which became known as *Sandhipuja*, the worship at the threshold. This special ritual occurs on the eighth day of Durga worship, lasting exactly forty-eight minutes: the last twenty-four minutes of the eighth lunar day and the first twenty-four minutes of the ninth. Because this worship takes place at the joining of the eighth and ninth days, it is called *Sandhipuja*—worship at the moment of union. This ritual is a distinctive aspect of Durga worship, during which the goddess Durga is worshipped in her form as Chamunda. The worship is performed according to tantric rites. In this ritual, the goddess receives sixteen offerings, often accompanied by animal sacrifice. The flesh and blood of the sacrificed animal, as well as wine, are offered to the goddess. Though animal sacrifice appears in the worship of Chamunda, Chandi, or Kali individually, nowhere in Bengal is such sacrifice performed in Durga worship itself.
# Shri Ramachandra and the Worship of the Divine Maiden
Shri Ramachandra, at the twilight worship, invoked the goddess Chamunda and declared that by any means necessary, the goddess Durga must be awakened. With Chamunda’s aid, the goddess then awakened on the ninth lunar day. Shri Ramachandra, accompanied by the yoginis, worshipped the goddess. And he beheld her in the form of a maiden. From that moment began the worship of the goddess in her maiden form. Shri Ramachandra offered the goddess Durga one hundred and eight blue lotus flowers together, and on the ninth day the goddess came to be worshipped as a maiden. The Mahabharata records that during the reign of Shri Krishna, in the city of Dwarka, the goddess Durga was worshipped as the family deity. On the battlefield, Arjuna of the Pandava faction and Pradyumna performed the worship of the goddess Durga in her maiden form. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad too mentions the worship of the maiden. Moreover, from ancient scriptures and texts, references to the worship of the maiden are found in Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim as well.
I have already mentioned that Swami Vivekananda first performed the worship of the divine maiden in 1898, during his travels in Kashmir. According to scriptural convention, it is a Brahmin girl who is to be worshipped as the divine maiden. But he transcended all such conventions and performed the worship with a Muslim girl. He beheld divinity beyond caste and creed. Divinity is not confined to Brahminhood, nor are divinity and motherhood the exclusive possession of any. Motherhood and divinity are the birthright of every woman. In Swamiji’s meditation and philosophy, this was recognized. Thus he discovered divinity within the Muslim girl. In 1899, in the city of Kanyakumari, he performed the worship of the divine maiden with the daughter of Manmatha Bhattacharya, Deputy Accountant General. Though the worship of the maiden was lost to the depths of time in the celebration of Durga Puja, in 1901 Swami Vivekananda revived it as an inseparable part of the Durga Puja at the Belur Math. Behind this lay Swamiji’s noble purpose. The society of that time did not grant women their due dignity. Consequently, the position of women in society was extremely weak. In Hindu society, women were oppressed through various injustices—child marriage, sati, perpetual widowhood, and more. Swamiji felt deeply that for the progress of the nation, the participation of both men and women was absolutely essential. And it was for this reason—that women might receive their rightful honor—that women came to be worshipped. The ascetics of India had kept women at a distance, considering them an obstacle on the spiritual path. But Swami Vivekananda thought about womanhood with great consciousness, for if both women and men do not advance equally in life, the comprehensive development of the nation is impossible. Though the worship of the maiden is a different practice, it is grounded in spiritual realization.
At the first worship of the maiden at Belur Math, Swami Vivekananda worshipped nine maidens. Now at Belur Math, only one is worshipped. This is the scriptural tradition. In Swamiji’s divine vision, every maiden is a form of the goddess. With that perspective, perhaps the perpetually celibate Vivekananda revived this practice to honor women by placing them on the seat of the divine. Yet even before this, the worship of the maiden took place in certain places. From 1901 onwards, this worship has continued every year on the eighth lunar day of Durga Puja. The worship of the maiden has as its fundamental aim the welfare of both the spiritual and the worldly. Transcending the dualities and discriminations of the world, gaining the grace and pleasure of the Mother—this is the ultimate purpose of human life. Swamiji worshipped each maiden with profound devotion. He bowed with gratitude and reverence. Among these nine maidens was one, Durgama, the adopted daughter of Gauri Ma. When placing the mark upon her forehead, Swamiji was seized by spiritual ecstasy. As he applied the sandalwood mark, he was overwhelmed with emotion. He said with profound feeling, “Ah! The goddess’s third eye has perhaps been struck.” His vision was true. Though we have two eyes, the goddess Durga possesses the third eye. He perceived that third eye in the maiden before him. In his vision, as she was that day “established as Durga,” in later years too, that girl came to be known by the name Durgama. This maiden was blessed by Swamiji’s affection. In Swamiji’s worship of the divine maiden, she was truly recognized as Durga. Nor was this all—the “Durgama” of that day was later established as the principal of the Sarada Devi Ashram.
Swami Vivekananda’s vision seemed to crystallize through this worship of the Divine Girl. Among these nine maidens were Durgama, just as she had been, and Radharani, the youngest daughter of Ramlal, the nephew of Sri Ramakrishna. Through this ritual, Swamiji appeared to unveil a new horizon. Transcending all existing conventions, he had created a new principle altogether. He rendered profound reverence to womankind through this worship of the Divine Girl. The practice prevalent nowadays during Durga Puja—of worshipping living daughters as Divine Girls—is Swamiji’s own discovery and innovation. Though some believe that the worship of maidens in Durga Puja was incorporated according to tantric spiritual practice.
In another incident, we find him as a worshipper of the divine. He was then in Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh (likely around 1900). There he performed the worship of a young girl, the daughter of a Bengali expatriate. The girl’s name was Monika. Later, this Monika became a renowned nun. It was as though Swamiji had sown a divine seed, offering an untouched flower to the service of the Goddess. Truly, his vision of the Divine Feminine. In the worship of the Divine Girl, Monika became as it were established in the form of the Goddess. This Monika later became a nun and came to be known as Yashodamai. This too was Swamiji’s unique discovery. The philosophical principle underlying the worship of the Divine Girl is thus: perceiving the Absolute through woman and the attainment of the Absolute through her. The threefold power pervading the universe—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—through which creation, sustenance, and dissolution are constantly enacted, dwells latent and seedlike in the Divine Girl. The maiden embodies Prakriti, or woman, as the symbol of nature and the primordial or seed-state of existence. Thus, by invoking the divine presence in the young maiden and performing her worship, the seeker practices his discipline. In this method of spiritual practice, before the aspirant, the World Mother takes the form of the maiden; the central theme of the worship becomes: woman is not to be enjoyed, but to be revered. Moved by this understanding, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa worshipped his own wife as the Sixteenth Consciousness.
Sources Acknowledged:
The Ramayana in the Light of History—Sudhamayi Das
Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda: A Historian’s View—Amalesh Tripathi
Kalikopuranam, edited by Panchanan Tarkaratna
Worship of the Divine Girl—Tarapad Acharya
The Krittibasi Ramayana and Bengal’s Folk Tradition—Tanima Chakraborty
Durga in Transformation—Purba Sengupta
Durga Puja and Some Thoughts—Sanjit Ghosh
Science of Worship—Swami Promeyananda
Pauranika: Encyclopedia of Hinduism—Amalakumar Bandyopadhyay
Sharad Festival in Bengal and Unconventional Durga Puja—Shiva Shankar Ghosh
Durga in Bengali Scroll Painting—Dipankar Ghosh
The Sociology of Folk Culture in Bengal—Binay Ghosh
The Course of Social History in Bengal—Binay Ghosh
The Ramayana of Valmiki—translated by Rajshekar Basu
Valmiki’s Ram and the Ramayana—Nrisinha Prasad Bhaduari
The Ramayana of Valmiki—Dr. Kanai Lal Ray
The Structure of Mother Durga—Mahanambrata Brahmachari
Swami Vivekananda: Man of the Age—Alok Kumar Sen
Ramayana: composed by Krittibas, edited by Harekrishna Mukhopadhyay
Sri Sri Chandi, translated and edited by Swami Jagadishwarananda
Swami Vivekananda: New Facts, New Light—Shankari Prasad Basu
and various sources obtained from the Internet
দাদা আপনার অনেক স্পীচ শুনেছি কিন্তু আপনার কোনো লেখা আমার পড়া হয় নি।আপনার শেরপুর আগমনের জন্য আপনার অনেক পোস্ট এর দেখা পাই যার ফলেই মূলত এই লেখা টা আমার সামনে চলে আসছে। আপনে এত সুন্দর ভাবে লিখেছেন যা বলে প্রকাশ করা যাবে না।অনেক অজানা জিনিস জেনেছি।আপনাকে অনেক অনেক ধন্যবাদ এত সুন্দর ভাবে লেখার জন্য।আমি নিয়মিত আপনার লেখা গুলো পড়বো।