“Hallelujah! The Lord! He has risen!”
We all have heard that often but how about:
“All hail the Mother Goddess! SHE has risen!”
Well, this is the focus of the festival of Navratri or the nine nights of the Goddess, where the glories of Her on the battlefield are sung, people dance and rejoice in Her victory over evil. The grandest festival of the Divine Feminine, we celebrate the Cosmic Mother who Mothers during Navratri.
Well, what about paralleling this with other religions and cultures? In Jewish folklore, Lilith was banished when she revolted for equality, so the submissive Eve was chosen as Adam’s wife. In Greek Mythology, the Queen Goddess Hera was antagonised because of her wrath and jealousy, but her distress was caused by her husband’s infidelity, we know the story of Medusa, and let’s just not even go into the Salem witch trials where women were burnt if they showed any signs of, well, probably just being smarter than men, or if they suffered from mental issues, thereby bothering men by not being traditional, oppressed, obedient housewives. What does this tell us?
“But we need rights for men too!” That’s what feminism does. It isn’t reserved for women; it strives for equality of all genders because patriarchy destroys women, men, and everyone alike.
Patriarchy isn’t against women.
It’s against femininity.
Why else are men also targeted? And mocked for things such as crying or displaying other ‘woman-like’ qualities?
Even Gods being feminine aren’t spared. Lord Krishna, who is the embodiment of femininity, is labelled as a promiscuous one who married 16,000 women (even though these women were abducted by a demon and when rescued by Lord Krishna, were rejected by society by being deemed ‘impure’ for marriage by any other man) and forget that he was the only one who helped Draupadi, a major queen in the Indian epic Mahabharata when she was disrobed in a room full of men who gambled her away.
Isn’t it ironic how patriarchy degrades femininity yet is dependent on it for the continuation of its power? If femininity and submissiveness didn’t exist, then such ‘alpha’ men wouldn’t be tolerated because femininity stands for compassion & empathy, and unfortunately, women are sometimes ‘compassionate’ towards men a little too much, so much so that they allow men to step on them like a doormat. But, if women display ‘man-like’ qualities then they are labelled as mean and selfish. The character of Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada is a classic example of this. She was a fierce boss feared by everyone, but her new assistant, played by Anne Hathaway, empathized with her:
“Okay, she’s tough, but if Miranda were a man, no one would notice anything about her except how great she is at her job.”
– Andy Sachs, The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
When I watched Barbie for the first time and saw everyone wearing pink, it was a moment for the tomboy kid in me who grew up hating the colour. But then I realized that I didn’t despise the colour, I hated the association of femininity that came with it and the notion that femininity = weak. The movie moved me on levels that patriarchy couldn’t touch and redirected me to the Mother Goddess and Her Divine Femininity present in every one of us that co-exists with the Divine Masculinity. But, that doesn’t mean man and woman complete each other. They complement each other. And this Yin Yang energy has to be cherished and be in harmony first within an individual, the person embracing all their sides and fluidity.
All rigid institutions are exploited by patriarchy to keep the women and the minority groups in tow. Therefore patriarchy is also against any flexible form of gender roles and identities, which includes the queer community, but again when it comes to Hindu Mythology, did you know about how Lord Shiva blessed two queens to conceive a child together? Or when Lord Ram granted a boon to the hijras or eunuchs that their presence shall always bless auspicious occasions? Or the woman who reincarnated as a warrior man to take revenge on the one who wronged her? Or how the king who changed gender every month fell in love with a non-binary planet? Hinduism may not be perfect from every angle, as it is with every religion, but the stories and legends welcome people with open arms, making space for everyone :)
Although, in a country where women are worshipped, we still have a long way to go in terms of women’s safety.
And I hope the Mother Goddess guides us every step of the way.
I shall conclude with my favourite verse from the fifth chapter of the Devi Mahatmya, aka the sacred glories of the Mother Goddess that is recited every Navratri in Her worship.
Background: The demon kings Shumbha & Nishumbha were wreaking havoc. They had a boon that no man could ever kill them. Emphasis on man. Women were out of the question because they thought women stood no chance or didn’t have any power anyway, let alone being able to overpower them.
“The messenger said: “O Goddess! We consider you to be the jewel of all women. All three worlds are under the control of the demon kings named Shumbha & Nishumbha. Marry either of them and they will bestow upon you everything you desire!”
She calmly replied “You must be telling the truth. Their greatness may be beyond comparison, indeed. But tell them I have made a promise to only marry the one who can defeat me in battle.”
The messenger exclaimed “You are very prideful! The Gods couldn’t beat them! So, how can you, a mere woman, do so? Let your dignity not be lost such that they forcefully drag you by the hair with them.”
The Goddess smiled “Yet my vow stands. Kindly let them do whatever they consider proper.”
– Devi Mahatmya/Durga Saptashati
written by the sage Markandeya
P.S: Yes, she slayed it. By actually slaying them all!
Got the scene covered (in blood), all because our dear Mother mothered (with Divine Feminine love) <3
On that note, Happy Navratri!
May the Goddess Mother bless you with Her strength such that you conquer life 🙏
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