Dusshera Celebrating the Divine Mother - By Sri Preethaji
Namasthe

We are now in the Navratris. More than 800 million hindus in India are celebrating this festival in the honour of the mother goddess.

However very few would know its esoteric significance. You are those whom I will lead into the heart of this great celebration.

The week before last, we saw the play of Maha Durga, in the first of the 3 Navratris. Last week we saw the divine play of Maha Lakshmi on the 4th, 5th & 6th days of Navratri.

Today we will see the Leela of the Divine as Maha Saraswati on the 7th, 8th, 9th days & Parashakti on the 10th day of Vijaya Dashami.

When Krishnaji and I lead seekers on the path of enlightenment, on their journey into their depths of consciousness, beyond the dark forces of suffering, beyond the dark forces of craving, he or she is met by the third dark force.

In the scripture this dark force is depicted as Shumbha & Nishumbha, the two asuras. The mother goddess then assumes the form of Maha Saraswati. Maha Saraswati is not a warrior goddess, she is the great goddess of wisdom, dressed in white, she rides a Himalayan Swan or a Hamsa.

The depiction of the divine mother in this form is so full of symbology. She is dressed in white to symbolise that she would take you beyond Sattva too. As Maha Durga she took you beyond Tamas or the dark qualities of laziness, anger and greed. As Maha Lakshmi she took you beyond Rajas or the dark qualities of incessant craving and aggressive desire. As Maha Saraswati she takes you now beyond sattva too. Sattva is being calm, being contented and free of desire.

But is being calm and contented the end of a seekers journey? No. This is not the end of your journey as a seeker. You need to go beyond sattva also to the fourth dimension towards enlightenment.

The Himalayan Swan on which she rides is a very rare species. A graceful bird which known to fly at the highest of altitude. It is actually beyond any bird's flight. Which means the seeker now lives in a transcendental consciousness beyond all chaos of the world.

The word Hamsa in Sanskrit means I am you. It represents a state of undifferentiated consciousness, it represents unity consciousness.

On your journey from the 7th night onward, you invoke the wisdom of the universal mother to go beyond separation, to go beyond Maya.

Shumbha & Nishumbha are seen as the third and final dark forces in mythology. I see them as representing the illusion of separation. In ignorance you feel you are separate from your life, you feel you are separate from your fellow human beings, from the universe, from the divine, from everything.

It is this root-ignorance of separation that causes so many divisions and strife in the world, divisions based on gender, on color, on caste, on religion, and nationality and race.

When with the power of wisdom you see through the illusion of separation, you rise victoriously into the tenth day of Vijaya dashami.

As you emerge into the light you celebrate the divine as Para Shakti or the ultimate force that animates the universe. You are one with Para Shakti, the all. One with the intelligence that is spread across the multiverses.

You awaken to cosmic consciousness. This is the journey of the seeker through Navratri or Dusshera.