Hello World!!
In today's viewing, we learned all about Shiva and Devi. I found the story of kanyakumari to be very interesting! Her story was heart wrenching, and it's outcome is incredibly unfortunate. I especially enjoyed the quote,
"The goddess is a symbol of the material world. We want this world to be
like a mother so that it can feed us; we want this world to be like a
warrior so that it can defend us. So, the Goddess and her many
diminutive doubles, the goddesses of households and villages, are
mothers and warriors, loving and fearful."
I think that this shows that we all have weaknesses in the material world. We try to overcome them but sometimes it isn't a possibility for us and we end up getting hurt. It is unfortunate,but it is a part of life.
Once again, I found that there was a stark difference in men and women as well as how they are depicted when it comes to deities. For example, for man this quote was used,
"A man's desire is fulfilled by engaging with the world. From the world
come wealth, knowledge, and power. Man can take all this from the
Goddess, but the Goddess also asks him to give some things in return.
She may be the object, the observation, but she demands that the
subject, the observer, engage with her not with the language fo
domination, but with the language of love."
and for women, this one
"Man begs the goddess to allow herself to become domesticated and become
a mother. But he knows she is wild and dangerous and can strike him
down any time."
I don't understand completely why it is necessary for the women to be domesticated but the man can engage with the world? I find this to be giving men a ability that is being taken away from women. If I am wrong please do correct me, but if you agree please feel free to let me know!
All the above
information can be found at this link:Epified 7 Secrets from the Hindu Calendar Reading Guide.