Glory of the Mother

This is an extract from a long letter written by Sri Swami Chinmayananda from Uttarkasi (Himalayas) on 20th October 1950, which happened to be the Vijaya Dasami Day, to Sri. P. B. Menon of Ernakulam, Kerala. It is interesting to note that Sri Swamiji started writing this letter around midnight and completed it at 4 am, the sacred Brahma-Muhurta on the Vijaya Dasami Day. We are grateful to Menon’s family, who made the precious manuscript available to us for our use. Religion without philosophy is superstition. Philosophy without religion is mere theory. And nowhere is the wedding of these two so perfect and enduring as in the great religion of Hindusim. Religion, everywhere, includes three sections: the ritualistic forms and symbols, the mythology and the philosophy. These three are the three stages regular, systematic, measured and graded. A deluded Jiva (embodied soul) is to be taken from the first, through the second previous ones also must have for their basis the essence of the last. This is true in Hinduism. All our rituals and mythology represent the God-consciousness is the message, be it in the ritualistic stage or in the mythological stage of evolution. In this light let us view Navaratri, the nine day’s Devi Puja and glorious end of it all on the tenth day, the Vijaya Dasami. What do we do in these nine days? Every house is cleaned, and there is an all of festivity in the entire village or town. Each houses is converted for these ten days to serve as a Temple. For ten days there is regular Pooja, Kirtans, Songs, and reading of the spiritual books. Now what exactly is the procedure? These nine days are divided into three sections, each of three days;; the first three days are dedicated for Durga or Kali, the second for Lakshmi (the Raja Rajeshwari) and the last three days for Goddess Saraswathi. The nine days’ Pooja ends in the great grand festivity and joy inexpressible, on the tenth day-the Dassera Day, the Vijaya Dasami Day. Thus the ritual, with forms and symbols-"the burning of the Devil" at the dawn heralds in the Vijaya Dasami, and the merry laughter and joyous feasting.