Rimple Sanchla's Blog, page 22

Day 3 of Navratri and Mata Chandraghanta

The Third Night of Navratri and Goddess Chandraghanta

The third night of Navratri is dedicated to Goddess Chandraghanta, a deity who brings bliss, peace, and calmness. She also supports growth in life’s activities and helps us understand our purpose. She shines with a red light mixed with a pink hue, spreading her divine energy.

The Red Light and Emotional Healing

Goddess Chandraghanta’s red light, tinged with pink, is a symbol of strength and peace. This energy heals emotions by giving courage and stability. It helps us feel secure and strong, calming the mind and heart.

The Mooladhar (Root) Chakra in Depth

Chandraghanta resides in the Mooladhar, or root chakra, located at the base of the spine. This chakra is all about self-awareness, stability, and feeling grounded. It connects to organs like the kidneys, bladder, pelvis, spine, hips, and legs. The adrenal gland and the excretory system are also linked to this chakra. When this energy is strong, it boosts our confidence and health.

Spiritual Discipline and Navratri’s Third Step

On the third day of Navratri, worshipping Goddess Chandraghanta teaches us discipline and focus. This step in the festival helps us build inner strength and stay connected to our life’s purpose through her blessings.

Red Light Visualization in Modern Meditation

In meditation, imagining a red light with a pink glow can bring a sense of security and power. This practice, inspired by Chandraghanta, helps people feel stable and peaceful while healing the body and mind.

Chandraghanta as Parvati: The Pauranic History Connection

Goddess Chandraghanta is a form of Parvati, known for her fierce yet calm nature. Her name comes from the crescent moon (Chandra) on her forehead, shaped like a bell (ghanta). This form shows her strength and grace, protecting her devotees and guiding them toward peace.

Tying It All Together

Mata Chandraghanta’s energy on the third night of Navratri combines peace, courage, and healing. Through her red and pink light, she strengthens the root chakra, helping us feel secure and grow in life. Worshiping her brings balance to our body, mind, and spirit.

Day 2 of Navratri and Mata Brahmacharini

The Second Night of Navratri and Goddess Brahmacharini

The second night of Navratri is all about Goddess Brahmacharini, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Her name means “one who practices devotion” (“Brahma” for divine knowledge and “Charini” for one who follows). She’s shown walking barefoot, holding a rosary and a water pot, symbolizing focus and purity. This night is about growing smarter and stronger inside, as she guides devotees toward truth and purpose with her calm, wise energy.

The Blue Light and Emotional Healing

Brahmacharini brings a blue light that stands for love, loyalty, and the power to reach your goals. Blue is a peaceful color that helps you feel steady and true to yourself. This light connects to the Vishuddha (Throat) chakra, helping you speak your needs clearly and heal emotional hurts tied to feeling misunderstood or stuck. It’s like a cool wave that washes away confusion and builds confidence.

The Vishuddha (Throat) Chakra in Depth

The Vishuddha chakra, or Throat chakra, is the fifth energy center, located at your throat. It controls your throat, neck, lungs, and upper digestive tract, plus the thyroid gland, which keeps your energy and growth in check. When this chakra is open, you communicate well, feel aware of your purpose, and stay honest. If it’s blocked, you might struggle to speak up or have issues like a sore throat or tiredness. Brahmacharini’s energy helps unblock it, healing related organs and boosting your ability to express yourself.

Spiritual Discipline and Buildup on the first day

Worshipping Brahmacharini on the second night builds on the first day’s heart-opening with Shailputri. Now, it’s about focusing your mind and finding your true path. Her discipline—think of her barefoot penance—teaches devotees to stay committed to their spiritual goals. This night strengthens your voice and purpose, setting the stage for the deeper growth coming in the next seven nights of Navratri.

Blue Light Visualization in Modern Meditation

You can use Brahmacharini’s blue light in meditation today. Sit quietly, imagine a soft blue glow at your throat, and breathe it in. Picture it spreading to your neck and lungs, calming you and helping you feel strong enough to say what matters. People use blue in relaxation exercises because it lowers stress and clears the mind—perfect for connecting with her wisdom and healing your throat area.

Brahmacharini as Parvati: The Pauranic History Connection

Brahmacharini is another form of Parvati, just like Shailputri. After being reborn as the mountain’s daughter, Parvati became Brahmacharini to win back Lord Shiva through tough penance. She gave up food and comfort, meditating for years to prove her love and loyalty. Her blue light reflects this steady, devoted spirit—strong enough to chase big dreams. On this night, she’s the young Parvati, full of determination, showing us how wisdom and effort lead to success.

Tying It All Together

When you honor Brahmacharini, you’re tapping into her story and her blue light to awaken your Throat chakra. Imagine her guiding you with that cool, loyal energy—clearing your voice, healing your neck and lungs, and helping you know your truth, just like she pursued Shiva. In today’s world, it’s a way to find focus and speak your mind clearly and confidently.

Day 1 of Navratri and Mata ShailPutri

The First Night of Navratri and Goddess Shailputri

Navratri, a nine-night Hindu festival, celebrates the Divine Feminine through the worship of Goddess Durga and her nine forms, known as Navadurga. The first night is dedicated to Goddess Shailputri, whose name means “Daughter of the Mountain” (from “Shail” meaning mountain and “Putri” meaning daughter). She’s often depicted riding a bull and holding a trident and lotus, symbolizing strength and purity. As the first manifestation of Durga, she represents the beginning of the spiritual journey—a grounding force tied to nature and stability, much like a mountain. Her association with green light aligns with renewal and balance, setting the tone for the transformative nights ahead. Devotees honor her with offerings and mantras, seeking her blessings to start their inner purification.

The Green Light and Emotional Healing

The green light is a powerful symbol tied to Shailputri. In spiritual traditions, green is the color of harmony, growth, and compassion—qualities that soothe anger and foster peace. This light is said to resonate with the Anahata or Heart chakra, the energy center located at the chest. When you meditate on Shailputri’s green light, it’s believed to flow into this chakra, dissolving emotional blockages like resentment or grief. Think of it as a gentle reset button for the soul, helping humans release pent-up negativity and open up to love. This aligns with Navratri’s broader purpose: a time to shed old burdens and realign with higher energies.

The Anahata (Heart) Chakra in Depth

The Anahata chakra is the fourth of the seven main chakras in the yogic system, acting as a bridge between the lower, earthy chakras (root, sacral, solar plexus) and the higher, spiritual ones (throat, third eye, crown). It’s all about love—not just romantic love, but unconditional acceptance of self and others. Physically, it governs the heart, lungs, chest, arms, and shoulders, as well as the thymus gland, which supports immunity—a neat link between emotional openness and physical health. When this chakra is balanced, you might notice better listening skills, empathy, and resilience. If it’s blocked, though, issues like loneliness, breathing difficulties, or even heart-related ailments can crop up. Meditating on Shailputri’s energy, especially with focus on the green light, is said to activate and heal this chakra, clearing traumas and boosting the efficiency of these organs.

Spiritual Discipline and Navratri’s Starting Point

Shailputri’s worship on the first night isn’t just a ritual—it’s the launchpad for spiritual discipline during Navratri. By focusing on the Heart chakra, devotees begin with love and compassion as their foundation, which is key for the intense sadhana (spiritual practice) of the next eight nights. Each night builds on this, with subsequent goddesses activating higher chakras and energies. For example, after Shailputri grounds you in Anahata, the second night’s Goddess Brahmacharini might stir the Svadhisthana (sacral) chakra for creativity and discipline. It’s a step-by-step ascent toward enlightenment, and Shailputri’s role is to open the heart so the journey feels less like a struggle and more like a flow.

Let’s expand further by connecting Goddess Shailputri and the Anahata chakra to modern meditation practices using green light visualization, and then dive into her Pauranic Historical roots as Parvati, Shiva’s consort.

Green Light Visualization in Modern Meditation

The idea of Shailputri’s green light resonating with the Heart chakra fits beautifully into contemporary mindfulness and healing practices. Today, many meditation techniques use color visualization to balance chakras, and green is a go-to for Anahata. Here’s how it might work: You sit quietly, close your eyes, and imagine a soft green glow radiating from your chest. As you breathe in, picture this light expanding, calming any anger or tension—like a forest breeze soothing a restless mind. As you exhale, imagine it washing away emotional scars, maybe even picturing Shailputri’s serene presence guiding the process. Studies in color therapy suggest green can lower stress and blood pressure, which ties into the Heart chakra’s role in regulating the cardiovascular system. Practitioners often report feeling lighter and more connected after such sessions, mirroring the traditional belief that Shailputri’s energy heals emotional blocks and boosts love. It’s a simple yet profound way to bring her ancient wisdom into a busy, modern life—whether you’re spiritual or just seeking calm.

Shailputri as Parvati: Pauranic History Connection

Shailputri’s story deepens when we see her as an incarnation of Parvati, the goddess of love, devotion, and power, married to Lord Shiva, the cosmic destroyer and meditator. Pauranic History tells us Parvati was born as the daughter of Himavan, the king of the Himalayas—hence “Shailputri,” the mountain’s daughter. In her previous life as Sati, she was Shiva’s first wife, but she self-immolated due to her father Daksha’s insult to Shiva. Reborn as Parvati, she vowed to reunite with Shiva through intense penance, embodying determination and unconditional love. On Navratri’s first night, Shailputri symbolizes this rebirth and resolve. Her green light can be seen as her nurturing, earthy essence—tied to the mountains where she was raised—while her trident and lotus reflect her balance of strength and grace. This duality connects to the Heart chakra: love isn’t just soft, it’s fierce enough to heal wounds and conquer obstacles, much like Parvati’s journey to win Shiva’s heart.

Shiva and Sati, Shiva and Parvati… Shiva marries the same soul in different bodies. In Hinduism, the bond between male and female is considered sacred. It keeps your Karmic Debt bare minimum. As every person we meet, we touch creates a Karmic Debt. And especially if we exchange bodily fluids (thru intercourse, kissing, etc.). This also explains the concept of soul-mates. You marry the same soul in every birth, which is rare or once in a blue moon event in today’s time. So this is a first path to spirituality.

So, when you meditate on Shailputri during Navratri, you’re tapping into both her historic roots and her chakra-healing power. Picture this: You’re channeling Parvati’s mountain-born resilience, visualizing her green light flooding your Heart chakra, soothing your lungs and shoulders, and awakening your capacity for love—like she did for Shiva. In modern terms, it’s a reset for your emotional and physical heart space, backed by the thymus gland’s role in immunity and Anahata’s link to listening and empathy. The history adds a layer of inspiration: if Parvati could transform pain into purpose, maybe that green light can help you turn trauma into growth.

Shailputri is the PUREST form of Mata Durga. Hence, she is represented in White color.

Mata means Divine Mother.

Jana Gana Mana – Full song (all 5 stanzas) in Hindi

जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे
भारत भाग्य विधाता।
पंजाब सिन्धु गुजरात मराठा
द्राविड़ उत्कल बंग

विध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्छल जलधि तरंग
तब शुभ नामे जागे, तब शुभ आशिष मांगे
गाहे तब जय गाथा।

जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे भारत भाग्य विधाता
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे

अहरह तव आह्वान प्रचारित, शुनि तव उदार वाणी
हिन्दु बौद्ध सिख जैन पारसिक मुसलमान खृष्टानी
पूरब पश्चिम आसे तव सिंहासन पाशे
प्रेमहार हय गांथा

जनगण ऐक्य विधायक जय हे भारत भाग्य विधाता
जय हे जय हे जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे

पतन अभ्युदय वन्धुर पन्था, युग युग धावित यात्री
हे चिरसारथि, तव रथचक्रे मुखरित पथ दिनरात्रि
दारुण विप्लव माझे तव शंखध्वनि बाजे
संकट दु:खत्राता

जन गण परिचायक जय हे भारत भाग्य विधाता!
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे

घोर तिमिरघन निविड़ निशीथे पीड़ित मूर्छित देशे
जाग्रत छिल तव अविचल मंगल नतनयने अनिमेषे
दु:स्वप्ने आतंके रक्षा करिले अंके
स्नेहमयी तुमि माता।

जन गण दु:खत्रायक जय हे भारत भाग्य विधाता!
जय हे जय हे जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे

रात्रि प्रभातिल, उदिल रविच्छवि पूर्व-उदयगिरिभाले
गाहे विहंगम, पुण्य समीरण नवजीवनरस ढाले
तव करुणारुणरागे निद्रित भारत जागे
तव चरणे नत माथा।

जय जय जय हे जय राजेश्वर भारत भाग्य विधाता
जय हे जय हे जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे।

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Day 2 Bhagavad Gita – side stories

Drupad, son of king Prishata was the king of Panchal.

He was the father of Draupadi,the Pandavas wife.

Drupada, and Drona studied together in Rishi Baradwaj’s gurukul.He was also Drona’s father.

They became great friends.

While Drupada became a king after the death of his father, Drona lived a life of poverty,he approached Drupada for help. Drupada, now conscious of the status between them, refused to acknowledge Drona’s friendship,saying that a king can only have friend with another king.

Drona was later employed by Bhishma to train the sons of Pandavas and kauravas.

After the gurukul period,Drona asked the princes to defeat and capture Drupada,as Gurudakshina.

Then the Pandavas and Kauravas led by Arjun defeated Drupada,and brought him to Drona.

Drona considering their friend forgave Drupada and set him free, and gave him half of the country to rule so that they are equals.

Drupada felt humiliated.

Drupada performed a great yajna called for a son who could slay Drona.

From the fire of the yajna, twins Dhrishtathyumn and Draupadi, (who married Arjun later) were born.

Drona accepted him as his student and taught him everything.

Later during the Kurukshetra war Drona killed Drupada who fought on Pandavas side.

Dhristathyumn beheaded Drona,when he was meditating.

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Walking with Nanak – By Haroon Khalid (Book Review)

I finished reading Walking with Nanak yesterday night. It’s a very beautiful read. The author Haroon Khalid had been fascinated with Nanak since childhood. He wanted to search and know more about his life. He travels across Pakistan wherever Nanak went.

Following his footsteps (as the name says walking with Nanak) Nanak was born in present-day Pakistan. He left his family to find his own truth. He traveled for 24 years on foot all parts of India – east, west, north, and south, with his friend Mardana. Learning more about Hindus and Muslim’s and finding a middle path. And thereby sets the foundation for a new religion. There are 2 stories running parallelly – one Haroon and his friend’s journey visiting places Nanak visited in present-day Pakistan and other of the history of Sikh Gurus in brief. There are references to various gurudwaras in Pakistan connected to Guru Nanak.

In particular, I enjoyed reading about Nanak’s personal life. He was born in a simple Hindu family, educated by Muslim and he founded a new religion called Sikhism. When he left his family to travel and seek his own truth, he had to deal with all the family issues that once could think of. Unhappy father and mother, wife and kids he was leaving hoping he would change his mind. His father remained unhappy with him whole life as instead of focusing on career, he spent time with yogis and spiritual matters.

After nearly 3 decades of traveling when he returns home, he sees lots of complaints and questions in his wife’s eyes. He never spent time with his kids and hence kids are more friendly with their mother. He struggles to be a part now. Though on surface everything is perfect. His wife would cook food, serve him take care of him but there is still an invisible wall. His kids and talking to their mother but when father comes in, they suddenly stop.

His elder son got more inclined towards ascetics and younger son towards business. He was more worried for his elder son because he himself has been preaching since years that don’t be an ascetic believing in superstitions but find your own truth. He also went thru a phase thinking what will society think that this man who is preaching the whole world, can’t teach the same to his own sons. He is a saint god who is worshipped my Sikhs and non-Sikhs also.

This reminded me of a small paragraph I wrote in my book – Men are from Earth, Women are from Earth – A New Scripture for Men and Women:

There are as many combinations possible as there are families in this world. In a nutshell, every human being is a part of this generation’s dysfunction unless one generation chooses to identify and break through it. It is simply inescapable. And it is reflected in all our relationships, be it with the same gender or opposite. If anyone says he or she has not picked from their parents, they are lying to themselves. One may also decide to be extremely opposite of what their parents were. That is also picked-up by many.

Family dysfunction is passed down from generation to generation like a fire in the woods, taking down everything in its path until one generation has the courage to turn and face the flames. That person brings peace to their ancestors and spares the children that follow. He had the privilege of moving beyond his parents’ limiting beliefs. Beliefs that are formed in response to an injury are always limiting and hinder us from getting what we really want in life. How contradictory and confusing humans’ minds are! One day, we live to make memories and another day, we erase memories to live.

MEN ARE FROM EARTH, WOMEN ARE FROM EARTH – A NEW SCRIPTURE FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Not just Guru Nanak but even our mythological characters like Kartikeya (son of Shiva), Shani Dev (son of Lord Surya – the Sun God), etc. Even if we take a biblical character like Lucifer a fallen angel condemned to hell by his father (The God).

Nobody is immune to family dysfunction

Overall, Walking with Nanak is a very beautiful book to read.

Taarein hai baarati – Peru Folklore

We all have list of favorite songs. I am sure Taarein hai baarati is in the favorite list of almost everyone. Originally it is an Andean folk music.

Andean music is a group of styles of music from the Andes region in South America.

Original chants and melodies come from the general area inhabited by Quechuas, Aymaras and other peoples who lived roughly in the area of the Inca Empire prior to European contact. This early music then was fused with Spanish music elements. It includes folklore music of parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. Andean music is popular to different degrees across Latin America, having its core public in rural areas and among indigenous populations. The Nueva Canción movement of the 1970s revived the genre across Latin America and brought it to places where it was unknown or forgotten.

Here’s the original folk version and then the 1916 version, then 1970 version, the hindi music version.

The folk music

The 1916 version

The 1970 version

1997 Bollywood music version with Indian musical instruments

El condor pasa is an 18th century Peruvian folk melody. Around 1916, Peruvian composer Daniel Alomias Robles notated this popular traditional melody and used it as the basis for an instrumental suite. The ‘My choice’ words are by Paul Simon!

El Cóndor Pasa (The Condor Goes by or Flies by) is a song from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes.

It is possibly the best-known Peruvian song worldwide due to a cover version by Simon & Garfunkel in 1970 on their Bridge Over Troubled Water album. This cover version is called El Condor Pasa (If I Could).

Mumbai Story 2 – Dabbawalas: Lifeline of Mumbaikars Daily Lunch

About 125 years ago, a Parsi banker wanted to have home-cooked food in his office and hired someone to collect it from his home and bring it to him at work. He was the first ever Dabbawala or tiffin carrier. Many people liked the idea and the demand for Dabba delivery soared.

In the beginning the deliveries were informal, with arrangements being made between workers and Dabbas. But one day an Indian entrepreneur Mahadeo Havaji Bachche saw the opportunity and started the lunch delivery service. He started with a team of 100 Dabbawalas.

As the city grew, the demand for Dabba delivery grew too.

The system has developed and from the original 100 Dabbawalas in 1890 there is today a Mumbai Army of 5,000 Dabbawalas fulfilling the hunger of almost 200,000 workers with home-cooked food brought from their home to their office and back each day and on time.

The people who use the service tend to be middle-class citizens who, for reasons of economy, hygiene, caste and dietary restrictions or simply because they prefer whole-some food from their kitchen, rely on the dabbawala to deliver a home cooked mid-day meal.

Most of them reach work by train, which means they leave home early and may be boarding chaotically packed carriages, making carrying their own tiffin a challenge. The Dabbawalla system provides a welcome solution by collecting meals prepared at home, then getting them to the office and back.

Today let’s see the life of a dabbawala who live in slums and have a just in time delivery record be in summer, winter, floods, rains, etc. 

“People Living in Slums are the one who actually runs the city of MUMBAI”

Life of Dabbawala Vitthalbhai

Life of Shankar

See a day in the life of Shankar — one of 5,000 Dabbawalas in Mumbai responsible for delivering 200,000 fresh home-cooked lunches to Mumbai’s office workers each day. Each day, with 60kg on his head, a Dabbawala travels some 65km. This home-cooked network makes less than 1 mistake per 6 million deliveries.

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Life of Dabbawalas

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