PRITHVIRAJ THALI

Shraavana evokes in me an undefiled purity and faith in absolute deliverance. As I self-introspect, I sense the liberating presence of the divine within. Like a soothing salve, it spreads over my being, suffusing me with a unique sense of completeness and fulfilment.

Inner purity and piety are as central to Hinduism as are their outward expressions, which form the core of the rites and rituals that are extensively practised by devout Hindus till this day. The sages of yore looked at the cluster of stars adorning the blue vault above and derived meaning. Thus the celestial scrolls were read, interpreted and passed down for posterity. To ensure their permanent continuity, these wise ones ingeniously wove what they saw into mythology, which was at once magical as well as mundanely relatable. Long periods of such contemplative insights produced the first ever zodiac of the Hindus which originally consisted, not of 12 but 27 constellations or Nakshatras. In the truest sense, these were asterisms and not constellations, even though for all astrological purposes, the two terms were and to some extent are still employed interchangeably. These were celestial mansions of the heavens, said to be the 27 wives of the Moon who took a month to complete his visits to all of them sequentially. The Hindu calendar is thus a Lunar calendar which is based on the path and position of the moon. The Hindu months are in turn named after these nakshatras. For instance, the month Chaitra is named after the asterism Chitra, while Kaartika is named after Krittika. The month of Shraavana is likewise named after the asterism called Shravana, which is etymologically related to the Sanskrit verb ‘to hear’. All forms of knowledge passed down orally, thus, come within the purview of this Nakshatra.
Shraavana is considered by many Hindus to be the holiest of months, and is usually associated with fasting rites, in order to propitiate Lord Shiva. As per Hindu Mythology, it is believed that Samudra Manthan or the Great Churning of the Ocean happened in the month of Shraavana. Halaahala, the most virulent poison which was produced, was eventually consumed by Lord Shiva in order to save the entire creation from annihilation.
Hinduism offers a rich treasure-trove of vital information to a symbolist. The pantheon of Gods presents an unending source for lessons in moral rectitude. On a more esoteric plane, Shraavana signifies purging and cleansing. The great churning, in forms obvious and subtle, in ways tangible and intangible thus goes on within the heart of every living being, even as the two opposing forces of righteousness and unrighteousness wage a never-ending war. Free-will is a divinely bestowed gift which every human enjoys. The exercise of this free-will decides which one of the two forces will triumph over the other.
God, in a sense, is a benevolent dictator. Though, we are endowed with the free-will to arm us with the needed ammunition to wage this war, we are thankfully not left with any real choice as to our ultimate fate. Being children of light and immortality, salvation is the only choice, and divine ecstasy is our only true nature. As all things have emerged out of the formless void at the dawn of creation, all things shall finally melt back into It. Mercifully then, all forms of lack and limitations, failures and inadequacies are temporary on a relative cosmic time-scale.
It is said that when God created this magnum opus called creation, he had no one to share his joy with. And so, out of his divine being, he created souls imbued with individuality. And thus, the ‘One’ became the many, cleverly concealed beneath the cloak of mortality and trapped within time and space. God intended that we would enjoy the gifts of life with dispassion and detached equanimity.
However, over the ages, as darkness fell upon the world, humans forgot their divine legacy and falsely identified themselves with their bodily forms. This ignorance or cosmic amnesia is the Halaahala or poison, symbolically spoken of in the scriptures.
Shraavana evokes in me an undefiled purity and faith in absolute deliverance. As I self-introspect, I sense the liberating presence of the divine within. Like a soothing salve, it spreads over my being, suffusing me with a unique sense of completeness and fulfilment. The churning within me gives forth the nectar of realisation that the same life pulsates within all of us; that no matter which road we take to reach our gods, we are pilgrims unwittingly drawn towards the same goal.
Let us invoke the Shiva within ourselves, so that ‘He’ may consume the poison of ignorance and save us from the delaying and distracting false gods of ego and bigotry. As the great Rabindranath Tagore said, “…Into that heaven of freedom, my father, may make my country awake.”