Change.

 Navaratri and Our Traditions — The Dolls Have Found New Hands 

Every year, as Navaratri approaches, we hear concerns about our fast-disappearing Indian traditions. Are our children losing touch with our culture? Will the songs, stories, rituals, and customs that enriched our homes for generations survive in a rapidly changing world?

These are genuine concerns. But this year, my own family has given me a beautiful reason to feel hopeful.

In our home in India, the grandchildren took charge of arranging the Navaratri dolls. Across the oceans, in the USA, at my other child's home, the grandchildren did the same. They brought out the dolls and the traditional arrangements that had been given to them and created magnificent displays of their own.

Both exhibits are wonderful.

What touched me most was not simply the beauty of the arrangements. It was the enthusiasm, care, and creativity with which the younger generation had embraced something handed down to them.

The best part was they did not use all the dolls but a selected few. Which displayed how the thinking has changed. 

The dolls had travelled from one generation to another, but they had not become forgotten objects packed away in cupboards. They had been brought into the light, arranged with imagination, and given a place of honour in the homes of the next generation.

A Tradition Travels Across Oceans 

The Golu tradition is much more than arranging dolls on a set of steps. It brings together devotion, mythology, art, family memories, and scenes from everyday life. Each doll can tell a story. Each arrangement can become an invitation to learn something about our heritage.

When grandchildren take the initiative to create these displays, they do more than follow a family custom. They begin to make it their own.

That distinction matters.

A tradition survives most naturally when the next generation does not feel that it is merely fulfilling an obligation imposed by its elders. It survives when children find joy in it, add their own creativity, and feel proud of what they have created.

This year's Navaratri reminded me that cultural inheritance is not a one-way journey from grandparents to grandchildren. We give them the dolls, the stories, and the memories. They bring fresh imagination and energy to them.

In that exchange, the tradition remains alive.

We Need Not Fear Every Change 

The younger generation may not celebrate every festival exactly as we did. Their homes, schedules, interests, and circumstances may be different. Those growing up outside India may encounter our customs in a different cultural setting.

But must the outer form remain identical for the spirit to survive?

Perhaps not.

When grandchildren arrange inherited dolls with enthusiasm, they are building a connection with their roots. When they ask about a figure, learn a story, or invite friends to see their display, they create opportunities for that connection to deepen.

Most importantly, we should recognise that the younger generation is capable of carrying forward our heritage in its own way.

The Dolls Are Safe in Their Hands 

This Navaratri, I feel grateful to have witnessed something precious in both our family homes.

The dolls have found new hands. The arrangements have found new imaginations. And a tradition that might have seemed fragile has revealed its strength.

Perhaps this is how traditions survive—not through worry alone, not through criticism of the young, but through participation, affection, and the willingness to pass something beautiful on.

Our responsibility is to give our children and grandchildren more than objects. We must give them the stories, meanings, and memories that make those objects precious.

They, in turn, will decide how best to carry them into the future.

A tradition is not disappearing when the next generation takes it into its own hands. It is beginning another chapter.

This Navaratri, the dolls have reminded me of a simple truth: the lamp of our culture need not remain in the same house or even in the same country to keep burning.

It only needs someone willing to tend its flame.

And this year, in both our homes, I have seen that flame shining brightly.

How to wonder

 

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The Dandelion and the Meaning of Life: G.K. Chesterton on How to Live in Wonder

By Maria Popova

There is a myth we live with, the myth of finding the meaning of life — as if meaning were an undiscovered law of physics. But unlike the laws of physics — which predate us and will postdate us and made us — meaning only exists in this brief interlude of consciousness between chaos and chaos, the interlude we call life. When you die — when these organized atoms that shimmer with fascination and feeling — disband into disorder to become unfeeling stardust once more, everything that filled your particular mind and its rosary of days with meaning will be gone too. From its particular vantage point, there will be no more meaning, for the point itself will have dissolved — there will only be other humans left, making meaning of their own lives, including any meaning they might make of the residue of yours.

These are the thoughts coursing through this temporary constellation of consciousness as I pause at the lush mid-June dandelion at the foot of the hill on my morning run — the dandelion, now a fiesta of green where a season ago the small sun of its bloom had been, then the ethereal orb of its seeds, now long dispersed; the dandelion, existing for no better reason than do I, than do you — and no worse — by the same laws of physics beyond meaning: these clauses of exquisite precision punctuated by chance.

Nebular by Maria Popova. (Available as a print, benefitting The Nature Conservancy)

And yet, somehow, against the staggering cosmic odds otherwise, we get to experience this sky, these trees, these colors, these loves we live. The recognition of this unbidden miracle of chance is the fundamental matter of meaning — the great awakening from the myth.

How to awaken to this miraculousness and begin to make meaning is, of course, the great creative challenge of life.

All of this — the dandelion, the insistence on wonder as the sieve for meaning — reminded me of a some passages by G.K. Chesterton (May 29, 1874–June 14, 1936) — philosopher, impassioned early eugenics opponent, prolific author of several dozen books, several hundred poems and short stories, and several thousand essays — from The Autobiography of G.K. Chesterton (public library).

G.K. Chesterton at seventeen

A century after Baudelaire observed that “genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will,” and a generation before Dylan Thomas insisted that “children in wonder watching the stars, is the aim and the end,” Chesterton looks back on his early life and how it fomented the animating ethos of his later life as a literary artist and thinker:

What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world.

With an eye to the absurdity of pessimism as a life-orientation, given the astonishing good luck of existing at all in a universe where the probability is overwhelmingly against it, he adds:

No man* knows how much he is an optimist, even when he calls himself a pessimist, because he has not really measured the depths of his debt to whatever created him and enabled him to call himself anything. At the back of our brains… [there is] a forgotten blaze or burst of astonishment at our own existence. The object of the artistic and spiritual life [is] to dig for this submerged sunrise of wonder; so that a man sitting in a chair might suddenly understand that he [is] actually alive, and be happy.

Once Chesterton found the art through which to channel this blaze of astonishment, he found his writing “full of a new and fiery resolution to write against the Decadents and the Pessimists who ruled the culture of the age.” He reflects:

The primary problem for me, certainly in order of time and largely in order of logic… was the problem of how men could be made to realise the wonder and splendour of being alive, in environments which their own daily criticism treated as dead-alive, and which their imagination had left for dead.

Art by Dorothy Lathrop, 1922. (Available as a print and as stationery cards.)

And so we get to the dandelion:

I had from the first an almost violently vivid sense of those two dangers; the sense that the experience must not be spoilt by presumption or despair… I asked through what incarnations or prenatal purgatories I must have passed, to earn the reward of looking at a dandelion… [or a] sunflower or the sun… But there is a way of despising the dandelion which is not that of the dreary pessimist, but of the more offensive optimist. It can be done in various ways; one of which is saying, “You can get much better dandelions at Selfridge’s,” or “You can get much cheaper dandelions at Woolworth’s.” Another way is to observe with a casual drawl, “Of course nobody but Gamboli in Vienna really understands dandelions,” or saying that nobody would put up with the old-fashioned dandelion since the super-dandelion has been grown in the Frankfurt Palm Garden; or merely sneering at the stinginess of providing dandelions, when all the best hostesses give you an orchid for your buttonhole and a bouquet of rare exotics to take away with you. These are all methods of undervaluing the thing by comparison; for it is not familiarity but comparison that breeds contempt. And all such captious comparisons are ultimately based on the strange and staggering heresy that a human being has a right to dandelions; that in some extraordinary fashion we can demand the very pick of all the dandelions in the garden of Paradise; that we owe no thanks for them at all and need feel no wonder at them at all; and above all no wonder at being thought worthy to receive them.

Dandelion by Jackie Morris from The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane — a spell against the erasure of wonder from this world

Find some kindred thought in this epochs-wide meditation on the flower and the meaning of life, starring Emily Dickinson, Michael Pollan, and the Little Prince, then revisit Roar Like a Dandelion — poet Ruth Krauss’s lost serenade to wonder, found and turned into a modern picture-book by artist Sergio Ruzzier.

Garland

 

Śrī Sūktam — A Garland of Divine Beauty, Auspiciousness and Grace

A verse-by-verse study of Śrī Mahālakṣmī, with Sanskrit verses, transliteration, word-by-word meanings and devotional reflections.

The Vedic hymn Śrī Sūktam presents Śrī Mahālakṣmī as the embodiment of radiance, nourishment, abundance and auspiciousness. Through images of gold, moonlight, lotus flowers and fertile earth, it invites us to contemplate not merely the Goddess's divine beauty, but also the grace through which life flourishes.

May this study deepen our appreciation of Śrī Mahālakṣmī and the blessings she represents.

हिरण्यवर्णां हरिणीं सुवर्णरजतस्रजाम् ।

चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥

Transliteration

Hiraṇyavarṇāṃ hariṇīṃ suvarṇarajatasrajām,

candrāṃ hiraṇmayīṃ lakṣmīṃ jātavedo ma āvaha.

Word by word

Sanskrit Meaning

Hiraṇya Gold

Varṇām Having the colour or radiance of

Hariṇīm A term interpreted in several ways, including graceful or radiant

Suvarṇa Gold

Rajata Silver

Srajām Garlanded; wearing garlands

Candrām Moon-like, radiant

Hiraṇmayīm Golden, resplendent

Lakṣmīm Goddess Lakṣmī

Jātavedaḥ Agni, the divine fire

Me For me

Āvaha Bring, invoke

Meaning

“O Agni, invoke for me Lakṣmī, golden-hued and radiant, adorned with garlands of gold and silver, shining like the moon and resplendent with golden splendour.”

Expressions describing Mahālakṣmī

Hiraṇyavarṇā — the golden-hued Goddess.

Suvarṇarajatasrajā — adorned with gold and silver garlands.

Candrā — moon-like in radiance.

Hiraṇmayī — golden and luminous.

Reflection: The Goddess combines the brilliance of gold with the gentle radiance of the moon. Her beauty is both splendid and soothing.

तां म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीमनपगामिनीम् ।

यस्यां हिरण्यं विन्देयं गामश्वं पुरुषानहम् ॥

Transliteration

Tāṃ ma āvaha jātavedo lakṣmīm anapagāminīm,

yasyāṃ hiraṇyaṃ vindeyaṃ gāmaśvaṃ puruṣān aham.

Meaning

“O Agni, bring me that Lakṣmī who does not depart, through whom I may obtain gold, cattle, horses and people.”

Here the prayer seeks enduring prosperity and the resources needed for a flourishing household and community.

The word anapagāminī is especially meaningful: the worshipper seeks blessings that remain, rather than prosperity that appears briefly and disappears.

अश्वपूर्वां रथमध्यां हस्तिनादप्रबोधिनीम् ।

श्रियं देवीमुपह्वये श्रीर्मा देवीर्जुषताम् ॥

Transliteration

Aśvapūrvāṃ rathamadhyāṃ hastinādaprabodhinīm,

Śriyaṃ devīm upahvaye śrīr mā devīr juṣatām.

Meaning

“I invoke the Goddess Śrī, preceded by horses, accompanied by chariots, and awakened by the trumpeting of elephants. May the Goddess Śrī graciously bless me.”

This is royal imagery: horses, chariots and elephants evoke dignity, abundance and sovereignty.

कां सोस्मितां हिरण्यप्राकारामार्द्रां ज्वलन्तीं तृप्तां तर्पयन्तीम् ।

पद्मे स्थितां पद्मवर्णां तामिहोपह्वये श्रियम् ॥

Transliteration

Kāṃ sosmitāṃ hiraṇya-prākārām ārdrāṃ jvalantīṃ tṛptāṃ tarpayantīm,

Padme sthitāṃ padma-varṇāṃ tām ihopahvaye śriyam.

Meaning

The worshipper invokes Śrī, radiant and smiling, surrounded by golden splendour, full of life-giving freshness, fulfilled yet nourishing others, seated upon a lotus and lotus-hued.

Textual recensions of the Śrī Sūktam can differ in wording and verse numbering; the above follows a commonly circulated extended recension. 

The expression “tṛptāṃ tarpayantīm” is especially lovely. She is fulfilled herself, yet she satisfies and nourishes others. This suggests generosity that flows from fullness rather than scarcity.

चन्द्रां प्रभासां यशसा ज्वलन्तीं श्रियं लोके देवजुष्टामुदाराम् ।

तां पद्मिनीमीं शरणमहं प्रपद्येऽलक्ष्मीर्मे नश्यतां त्वां वृणे ॥

Transliteration

Candrāṃ prabhāsāṃ yaśasā jvalantīṃ śriyaṃ loke devajuṣṭām udārām,

tāṃ padminīmīṃ śaraṇam ahaṃ prapadye 'lakṣmīr me naśyatāṃ tvāṃ vṛṇe.

I seek refuge in radiant Śrī, glorious and generous, honoured by the gods and associated with the lotus. May misfortune depart from me; I choose You as my refuge.”

Expressions describing the Goddess

Candrā — moon-like.

Prabhāsā — radiant.

Yaśasā jvalantī — shining with glory.

Udārā — noble and generous.

Padminī — the lotus-associated Goddess.

Here the hymn moves from the Goddess's appearance to the devotee's surrender. Her radiance inspires refuge.

आदित्यवर्णे तपसोऽधिजातो वनस्पतिस्तव वृक्षोऽथ बिल्वः ।

तस्य फलानि तपसा नुदन्तु मायान्तरायाश्च बाह्या अलक्ष्मीः ॥

Transliteration

Ādityavarṇe tapasodhijāto vanaspatistava vṛkṣo 'tha bilvaḥ,

tasya phalāni tapasā nudantu māyāntarāyāś ca bāhyā alakṣmīḥ.

O Goddess of solar radiance, the bilva tree is associated with You and is said to have arisen through tapas. May its fruits, through their sacred power, drive away obstacles, delusion and external misfortune.”

The final clause is interpreted differently in translations, particularly concerning māyāntarāyāḥ.

Expression describing the Goddess

Ādityavarṇā — she whose radiance resembles the Sun.

The hymn now brings together sunlight, sacred trees and the removal of obstacles.

उपैतु मां देवसखः कीर्तिश्च मणिना सह ।

प्रादुर्भूतोऽस्मि राष्ट्रेऽस्मिन् कीर्तिमृद्धिं ददातु मे ॥

Transliteration

Upaitu māṃ devasakhaḥ kīrtiś ca maṇinā saha,

prādurbhūto 'smi rāṣṭre 'smin kīrtim ṛddhiṃ dadātu me.

May the divine companion come to me, together with fame and preciousness. Established in this community, may I be granted good repute and prosperity.”

This verse shifts the focus toward the devotee's life in society: prosperity, dignity and a good name.

क्षुत्पिपासामलां ज्येष्ठामलक्ष्मीं नाशयाम्यहम् ।

अभूतिमसमृद्धिं च सर्वां निर्णुद मे गृहात् ॥

Transliteration

Kṣutpipāsāmalāṃ jyeṣṭhām alakṣmīṃ nāśayāmy aham,

abhūtim asamṛddhiṃ ca sarvāṃ nirṇuda me gṛhāt.

I remove Alakṣmī, associated with hunger, thirst and impurity. Drive every form of deprivation and lack of prosperity away from my home.”

Expression to remember

Alakṣmī is the contrast to Śrī: deprivation, disorder and misfortune. This verse asks that the conditions preventing a household from flourishing be removed.

गन्धद्वारां दुराधर्षां नित्यपुष्टां करीषिणीम् ।

ईश्वरीं सर्वभूतानां तामिहोपह्वये श्रियम् ॥

Transliteration

Gandhadvārāṃ durādharṣāṃ nityapuṣṭāṃ karīṣiṇīm,

īśvarīṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ tām ihopahvaye śriyam.

“I invoke Śrī, approached through fragrance, invincible, ever-nourishing, associated with fertile earth and the sovereign of all beings.”

Expressions describing the Goddess

Gandhadvārā — approached through fragrance.

Durādharṣā — invincible.

Nityapuṣṭā — ever-nourishing.

Īśvarī sarvabhūtānām — sovereign of all beings.

This is a powerful image of prosperity as the fertility of the earth and the continuity of life.

मनसः काममाकूतिं वाचः सत्यमशीमहि ।

पशूनां रूपमन्नस्य मयि श्रीः श्रयतां यशः ॥

Transliteration

Manasaḥ kāmam ākūtiṃ vācaḥ satyam aśīmahi,

paśūnāṃ rūpam annasya mayi śrīḥ śrayatāṃ yaśaḥ.

May we attain the fulfilment of our heart's worthy desires and truthfulness in speech. May prosperity, abundance of living resources, food and good repute dwell in me.”

This verse links prosperity with truthful speech, purposeful intention and nourishment.

कर्दमेन प्रजाभूता मयि सम्भव कर्दम ।

श्रियं वासय मे कुले मातरं पद्ममालिनीम् ॥

Transliteration

Kardamena prajābhūtā mayi sambhava kardama,

śriyaṃ vāsaya me kule mātaraṃ padmamālinīm.

O Kardama, associated with the generation of offspring, manifest in me. Establish in my family the Mother Śrī, adorned with a garland of lotuses.”

The hymn invokes continuity, fertility and the lasting presence of auspiciousness in the household. Kardama also means mud or fertile earth, an apt image for the conditions in which life grows.

Expression describing Mahālakṣmī

Padmamālinī — the Mother who wears a garland of lotuses.

आपः सृजन्तु स्निग्धानि चिक्लीत वस मे गृहे ।

नि च देवीं मातरं श्रियं वासय मे कुले ॥

Transliteration

Āpaḥ sṛjantu snigdhāni ciklīta vasa me gṛhe,

ni ca devīṃ mātaraṃ śriyaṃ vāsaya me kule.

May the waters produce nourishment and richness. O Ciklīta, dwell in my home, and establish the divine Mother Śrī firmly in my family.”

Some words in this verse, especially ciklīta, have several traditional interpretations. The prayer's central theme is the establishment of enduring prosperity in the household.

आर्द्रां पुष्करिणीं पुष्टिं सुवर्णां हेममालिनीम् ।

सूर्यां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥

Transliteration

Ārdrāṃ puṣkariṇīṃ puṣṭiṃ suvarṇāṃ hemamālinīm,

sūryāṃ hiraṇmayīṃ lakṣmīṃ jātavedo ma āvaha.

O Agni, invoke Lakṣmī, fresh and life-giving, associated with the lotus pond, the embodiment of nourishment, golden, adorned with a golden garland, solar in radiance and resplendent with golden splendour.”

Expressions describing the Goddess

Puṣkariṇī — associated with the lotus pond.

Puṣṭi — nourishment and flourishing.

Hemamālinī — wearing a golden garland.

Sūryā — solar in radiance.

Hiraṇmayī — golden and luminous.

The Goddess is pictured as a source of life, nourishment and radiance.

आर्द्रां यः करिणीं यष्टिं पिङ्गलां पद्ममालिनीम् ।

चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥

Transliteration

Ārdrāṃ yaḥ kariṇīṃ yaṣṭiṃ piṅgalāṃ padmamālinīm,

candrāṃ hiraṇmayīṃ lakṣmīṃ jātavedo ma āvaha.

O Agni, invoke Lakṣmī, fresh and life-giving, sustaining, golden-brown in hue, adorned with a lotus garland, moon-like and golden in radiance.”

The wording of this mantra varies among recensions, and kariṇīm and yaṣṭim are not interpreted uniformly. The unmistakable images are the Goddess's golden and lunar radiance and her lotus garland.

तां म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीमनपगामिनीम् ।

यस्यां हिरण्यं प्रभूतं गावो दास्योऽश्वान् विन्देयं पुरुषानहम् ॥

Transliteration

Tāṃ ma āvaha jātavedo lakṣmīm anapagāminīm,

yasyāṃ hiraṇyaṃ prabhūtaṃ gāvo dāsyo 'śvān vindeyaṃ puruṣān aham.

O Agni, invoke for me Lakṣmī, who does not depart, through whom I may obtain abundant wealth, cattle, attendants, horses and people.”

The final mantra returns to the second verse, but expands the request to include abundant resources. The hymn ends by reaffirming the desire for lasting prosperity.

A complete glossary of Mahālakṣmī's descriptions

These are the expressions from the verses we have studied that most directly describe the Goddess.

Expression Meaning

Hiraṇyavarṇā Golden-hued

Hariṇī Graceful or radiant, according to interpretation

Suvarṇarajatasrajā Adorned with gold and silver garlands

Candrā Moon-like

Hiraṇmayī Golden and luminous

Anapagāminī She who does not depart

Hastināda-pramodinī She who delights in the sound of elephants

Hiraṇyaprākārā Surrounded by golden splendour

Ārdrā Fresh, tender and life-giving

Jvalantī Radiant

Tṛptā Fulfilled

Tarpayantī She who nourishes others.

Padmavarṇā Lotus-hued

Prabhāsā Luminous

Udārā Noble and generous

Padminī Lotus-associated

Ādityavarṇā Solar in radiance

Nityapuṣṭā Ever-nourishing

Īśvarī sarvabhūtānām Sovereign of all beings

Padmamālinī Wearing a lotus garland

Puṣṭi Nourishment and flourishing

Hemamālinī Wearing a golden garland

Piṅgalā Tawny or golden-brown.

The hymn begins with a vision of golden and lunar beauty. It then describes royal splendour, the lotus, fertility, nourishment and the removal of misfortune. Finally, it asks for prosperity that remains.

For a Śrī Vaiṣṇava devotee, this can be contemplated in the light of Śrī Mahālakṣmī's inseparable relationship with Śrīman Nārāyaṇa: she is the compassionate divine Mother through whom devotees approach the Lord and seek grace.

The most memorable expression may be “tṛptāṃ tarpayantīm” — fulfilled herself, yet nourishing others. It offers a timeless picture of auspiciousness: to possess enough, to be content, and to help others flourish.

Ksheera samudra.

Lotus beauty — Padmākṣī, Padmamukhī

The lotus expresses purity, auspiciousness and beauty that rises above muddy waters.

Royal splendour — Gajalakṣmī

The elephants evoke majesty, abundance and royal auspiciousness.

What makes Lakṣmī's beauty distinctive?

We can gather her descriptions into five beautiful themes.

Golden radiance — Hiraṇyavarṇā

Her golden hue represents splendour, auspiciousness and abundance.

Śrī Mahālakṣmī — A Garland of Beauty, Auspiciousness and Divine Grace

In the Vedic hymns and traditional Lakṣmī stotras, Śrī Mahālakṣmī is described in many ways: as radiant as gold, seated upon a lotus, adorned with garlands, surrounded by elephants, and overflowing with compassion and abundance.

But there is a beautiful distinction to remember: the Vedas praise Śrī not only for her beauty, but also for the auspiciousness, nourishment, prosperity and grace she brings into life.

Let us study the expressions from the Śrī Sūktam first, followed by some well-known Lakṣmī stotras.

1. Śrī Sūktam — the Vedic vision of Mahālakṣmī

The Śrī Sūktam is a Vedic hymn traditionally recited in the worship of Śrī Mahālakṣmī. Its opening verses give us a remarkably vivid picture of the Goddess.

The deepest beauty of Śrī is that she is not merely beautiful to behold; she makes life more beautiful for those who seek her grace.

For a Śrī Vaiṣṇava devotee, Mahālakṣmī is not simply the Goddess who grants material prosperity. Śrī is the divine Mother who dwells inseparably with Nārāyaṇa and is approached with reverence, love and hope for grace.

The Śrī Sūktam gives us a beautiful way to understand auspiciousness: the golden radiance of prosperity, the cooling light of the moon, the purity of the lotus, and the nourishment that enables life to flourish.

Hiraṇyavarṇām — golden-hued.

Hariṇīm — a word interpreted in traditional explanations in connection with radiance, beauty or auspiciousness.

Suvarṇa-rajata-srajām — adorned with garlands of gold and silver.

Cand rām (candrām) — radiant, moon-like.

Hiraṇmayīm — golden or made of gold.

Lakṣmīm — Goddess Lakṣmī.

Jātavedaḥ — Agni, the divine fire invoked in the hymn.

Āvaha — bring or invoke.

The lotus and the elephants

तां म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीमनपगामिनीम् ।

यस्यां हिरण्यं विन्देयं गामश्वं पुरुषानहम् ॥

Tāṃ ma āvaha jātavedo lakṣmīm anapagāminīm,

yasyāṃ hiraṇyaṃ vindeyaṃ gāmaśvaṃ puruṣān aham.

“O Agni, bring me that Lakṣmī who does not depart, through whom I may obtain gold, cattle, horses and people.”

Here the prayer seeks enduring prosperity and the resources needed for a flourishing household and community.

The word anapagāminī is especially meaningful: the worshipper seeks blessings that remain, rather than prosperity that appears briefly and disappears.

Verse 3 — The golden garland.

अश्वपूर्वां रथमध्यां हस्तिनादप्रबोधिनीम् ।

श्रियं देवीमुपह्वये श्रीर्मा देवीर्जुषताम् ॥

Aśvapūrvāṃ rathamadhyāṃ hastinādaprabodhinīm,

Śriyaṃ devīm upahvaye śrīr mā devīr juṣatām.

“I invoke the Goddess Śrī, preceded by horses, accompanied by chariots, and awakened by the trumpeting of elephants. May the Goddess Śrī graciously bless me.”

This is royal imagery: horses, chariots and elephants evoke dignity, abundance and sovereignty.

Verse 4 — Her fragrance and nourishing presence

कां सोस्मितां हिरण्यप्राकारामार्द्रां ज्वलन्तीं तृप्तां तर्पयन्तीम् ।

पद्मे स्थितां पद्मवर्णां तामिहोपह्वये श्रियम् ॥

Kāṃ sosmitāṃ hiraṇya-prākārām ārdrāṃ jvalantīṃ tṛptāṃ tarpayantīm,

Padme sthitāṃ padma-varṇāṃ tām ihopahvaye śriyam.

The worshipper invokes Śrī, radiant and smiling, surrounded by golden splendour, full of life-giving freshness, fulfilled yet nourishing others, seated upon a lotus and lotus-hued.

When we chant Śrī Mahālakṣmyai namaḥ, we can remember that true prosperity includes not only wealth, but also good character, contentment, generosity, health of relationships, and the ability to help others.

Compassionate grace — Karuṇā, Suprasannā

Her greatest beauty is the grace by which she nourishes, protects and blesses her devotees.

Moon-like face — Candravadanā

The moon suggests calmness, gentleness and soothing grace.

. Mahālakṣmī Aṣṭakam — the Goddess's majesty and beauty

The Mahālakṣmī Aṣṭakam, traditionally attributed to Indra and associated with the Padma Purāṇa, describes Lakṣmī not only as beautiful but as the supreme divine power. 

Verse 1

नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते ।

शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

Namaste'stu mahāmāye śrīpīṭhe surapūjite,

Śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-haste Mahālakṣmi namo'stu te.

Meaning

“Salutations to You, O Mahāmāyā, enthroned upon the seat of Śrī and worshipped by the gods, holding the conch, discus and mace in Your hands. O Mahālakṣmī, my salutations to You.”

Here the Goddess is regal and powerful. The conch, discus and mace connect her iconography with the divine sovereignty of Viṣṇu and his cosmic protection.

नमस्ते गरुडारूढे कोलासुरभयङ्करि ।

सर्वपापहरे देवि महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

Namaste garuḍārūḍhe Kolāsura-bhayaṅkari,

Sarva-pāpa-hare Devi Mahālakṣmi namo'stu te.

Meaning

“Salutations to You who ride Garuḍa, who strike terror into Kolāsura, and who remove all sin. O Goddess Mahālakṣmī, my salutations to You.”

The hymn moves beyond external beauty to divine authority, protection and purification.

The Śrī Lakṣmī Aṣṭottara Śatanāmāvalī offers a wonderful collection of names describing her appearance, relationship with Viṣṇu, compassion and auspicious power.

She who is golden or resplendent

Hiraṇmayī She who is golden or resplendent

Padmā The lotus Goddess

Kamala She who is like a lotus

Padmālayā She whose abode is the lotus

Padmapriyā She who loves the lotus

Padmahastā She whose hands hold lotuses

Padmākṣī She whose eyes resemble lotuses

Padmasundarī She whose beauty resembles the lotus

Padmamukhī She whose face resembles a lotus

Padmamāla-dharā She who wears a lotus garland

Candravadanā She whose face resembles the moon

Indirā A celebrated name of Lakṣmī

Harivallabhā Beloved of Hari, Lord Viṣṇu

Padmanābha-priyā Beloved of Padmanābha

Suprasannā Most gracious and favourably disposed

Prabhā Radiance and splendour

Karunā Compassion

Lokamātā Mother of the world

Lokāśoka-vināśinī She who destroys the world's sorrow

Dhanadhānya-karī Bestower of wealth and grain

Śubhapradā Giver of auspiciousness

Daridrya-nāśinī Remover of poverty

Kṣamā Patience and forgiveness

Nityapuṣṭā Ever-nourishing

Viṣṇupatnī Consort of Lord Viṣṇu

The expression “tṛptāṃ tarpayantīm” is especially lovely. She is fulfilled herself, yet she satisfies and nourishes others. This suggests generosity that flows from fullness rather than scarcity.

Bangla

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Amazing drone show  Eden garden 

Eden Gardens is one of India's most famous cricket grounds, located in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal. Often called the Mecca of Indian cricket, it is steeped in sporting history and has witnessed some of India's most memorable cricketing moments.

A few interesting facts:

Established in 1864: It is among the oldest cricket stadiums in the world.

Historic venue: It has hosted international Test matches, One Day Internationals and major cricket tournaments.

Massive crowds: Its capacity has changed over time; following renovation, it accommodates approximately 68,000 spectators.

Name: The ground takes its name from the nearby Eden Gardens, a historic public garden associated with the Eden family during British rule.

Moving ahead.

India’s Progress, Politics and the Ordinary Citizen 

Beyond political arguments lies a simple question: Are we moving forward together as a nation? Of course we are.

Every ordinary citizen has a dream for India.

We want our roads to improve, our villages to prosper, our cities to become cleaner, our children to receive good education, our young people to find opportunities, and our country to earn respect across the world. Above all, we want to feel that the nation is moving forward and that our children and grandchildren will inherit a country with greater possibilities than the one we received.

Yet, when we look at politics today, a question naturally arises: How much of our national energy is being spent on building India, and how much is being spent on fighting over who should receive the credit?

The challenge of building a nation

Governance is an enormous responsibility. A country as vast and diverse as India cannot be transformed overnight. Development requires planning, resources, competent administration, cooperation between the Centre and the states, and the patience to carry projects from announcement to completion.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has witnessed major initiatives in areas such as digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, sanitation, roads, railways, renewable energy and welfare delivery. Supporters see these efforts as important steps towards a more developed India. Their impact, like that of any large public programme, must ultimately be assessed through implementation, outcomes and the experiences of citizens.

There is also a larger ambition: to see India become more self-reliant, technologically capable and influential in the world.

Such ambitions demand sustained effort. They cannot be achieved by one person, one party or one term of government. They require institutions that function effectively, public servants who deliver, citizens who participate and political leaders who understand that the country's interests extend beyond the next election.

Opposition is necessary. Obstruction is a different question.

Democracy was never intended to be a system in which everyone agrees with the government.

The opposition has an important duty. It must question policies, expose failures, demand accountability and offer alternatives. Sometimes, a government may be moving in the wrong direction, and a strong opposition can protect the public interest by pointing it out.

But there is a difference between questioning a policy and rejecting it merely because it comes from a political rival.

When parliamentary proceedings are disrupted, discussions are repeatedly lost, or important proposals become entangled in partisan confrontation, citizens have reason to ask what has been accomplished through that conflict. At the same time, not every disagreement or legislative delay is the opposition's fault; governments too have a responsibility to consult, explain their decisions and respond to legitimate criticism.

The real test is not whether the government or the opposition wins an argument. It is whether the argument helps the country.

A government must be answerable for its decisions. An opposition must be answerable for the alternatives it offers. Both must be answerable to the people.

The new political battleground: our mobile phones

There was a time when political discussion took place in newspapers, public meetings, homes and tea shops. Today, a political message can reach millions of people within minutes.

A video without its original context, a dramatic headline, an edited speech, a sarcastic meme or an emotionally charged post can shape public opinion before anyone has checked whether it is accurate.

Social media has brought many benefits. It gives ordinary people a voice, allows neglected issues to gain attention and makes information accessible to those who once depended entirely on traditional media. It can also help citizens question those in power.

But the same medium can spread misinformation, deepen divisions and turn every public issue into a battle between opposing camps.

The danger is not that people have different opinions. Differences are natural in a democracy. The danger is that we may begin to treat every opinion we encounter as a fact, every disagreement as hostility, and every political opponent as an enemy.

When that happens, we stop listening in order to understand. We listen only to find something to attack.

Our young people deserve better

Perhaps the greatest concern is the effect of this atmosphere on our youth.

Young people are already negotiating a complicated world. They are trying to discover their abilities, choose careers, establish relationships, manage family expectations and find their place in society. They are full of energy and idealism, but they are also learning how to distinguish confidence from certainty and information from persuasion.

They deserve to participate in public life. Their questions, protests and aspirations are important. 

But they also deserve the time and freedom to form their own judgments.

When political communication—whether from a party, an influencer or an anonymous account—uses outrage, ridicule or selective information to recruit young people into rigid political camps, it can discourage independent thinking. The young may find themselves defending a position before they have had the opportunity to examine it fully.

We must encourage our youth to read beyond headlines, check sources, examine evidence, listen to differing arguments and question even those with whom they generally agree. They should be free to support a government on one issue, criticise it on another, and change their minds when the evidence changes.

A young citizen's greatest strength is not unquestioning loyalty to a political camp. It is the courage to think independently.

Social media should inform us, not govern us

Before forwarding a political message, we could pause and ask a few simple questions.

Who originally made this claim? Is the full speech or document available? Does the information come from a reliable source? Is an important fact missing? Would I accept the same argument if it were directed against the party I support?

These questions may appear small, but they can make a substantial difference to the quality of public discussion.

We need not abandon our convictions. We need to hold them responsibly.

Citizens should be able to appreciate a government's achievements without becoming blind to its shortcomings. They should also be able to acknowledge an opposition's valid criticism without assuming that doing so makes them disloyal to the government they support.

Patriotism is not the defence of every action taken by one's preferred political party. It is a commitment to the country's well-being, even when that requires uncomfortable questions.

Progress is a collective undertaking

It is easy to imagine a developed India. We can picture modern transport, strong industries, better healthcare, excellent educational institutions, scientific innovation, clean surroundings and prosperous communities.

But turning that picture into reality is a herculean task.

Every bridge, school, hospital, research laboratory and public service depends on thousands of decisions and the work of countless people. National progress requires continuity, cooperation and correction when things go wrong. It requires governments to deliver, opposition parties to contribute constructively, institutions to uphold their responsibilities, and citizens to remain alert.

No government is beyond criticism. No opposition is automatically right. No party owns the nation.

The country belongs to its people.

The farmer waiting for a fair opportunity, the student preparing for an examination, the parent worried about employment, the entrepreneur trying to build a business, the soldier serving far from home and the elderly citizen hoping for dignity—all have a stake in how our democracy functions.

For them, political rivalry is not an end in itself. They need decisions that improve their lives.

Let us raise the standard of political discussion

We cannot demand civility from our leaders while celebrating abuse on our own social media accounts. We cannot complain about misinformation while forwarding claims simply because they confirm what we already believe. And we cannot expect young people to think independently if we reward them only when they repeat our opinions.

The change must begin with us.

Let us question without insulting, disagree without dehumanising, and demand accountability without spreading unverified allegations. Let us recognise genuine achievements wherever they occur and point out failures wherever they are found.

The Modi government, like every government entrusted with public responsibility, should be judged by its promises, decisions, implementation and results. Its supporters should be free to defend its record with evidence. Its critics should be free to challenge that record with evidence. Parliament should make room for serious scrutiny and meaningful debate.

That is not a concession to one political side. It is a commitment to democracy itself.

As ordinary citizens, most of us cannot determine the course of national politics. We cannot personally build highways, reform institutions or resolve every disagreement in Parliament.

But we are not powerless.

We can stay informed. We can vote thoughtfully. We can refuse to spread falsehoods. We can teach our children to think rather than merely follow. We can demand results from those we elect, regardless of their party. And we can remember that the person who disagrees with us is also a citizen of the same country.

India's future is too important to be reduced to an endless argument over who is right and who is wrong.

We need ambition, criticism, accountability and debate. But we also need the wisdom to know when political competition is serving the nation and when it is distracting us from the work that remains to be done.

The government has a responsibility to govern. The opposition has a responsibility to scrutinise and offer alternatives. The media has a responsibility to inform. And we, the citizens, have a responsibility to think.

Our ultimate loyalty must be to India—not to a party, not to a leader, and certainly not to a viral post.

When the next generation looks back at our time, let them see more than arguments, accusations and political victories. Let them see a generation that understood its differences but did not allow those differences to become bigger than the country itself.

For in the end, the question is not simply who won the political battle.

It is whether India moved forward—and whether the lives of its people became better because of it.

When Sensible Voices Get Lost in the Noise 

One of the most disappointing aspects of today's political atmosphere is that the loudest voices often appear to command the greatest attention, while the more measured voices struggle to be heard.

An opposition is essential to democracy. But surely its purpose is not merely to oppose everything the government proposes. Its responsibility is to question, examine, suggest improvements and present alternatives that can genuinely benefit the people.

When political confrontation becomes the principal attraction, serious discussion risks being pushed aside. A constructive argument may receive less attention than a dramatic accusation. A carefully reasoned proposal may be overlooked while an angry exchange dominates television screens and social media feeds.

And what happens to the citizens in the middle of all this?

They are left trying to distinguish genuine criticism from political theatre. They may see repeated conflict without understanding what has actually been debated, what has been achieved, or what remains unresolved.

Perhaps there are capable and thoughtful people within political parties whose voices deserve greater attention. If so, our democratic culture must create more room for them. They need not be less passionate about their country; they need an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment through reasoned arguments, practical proposals and sustained work.

Passion is valuable in public life, but passion without patience can become confrontation. Criticism is necessary, but criticism without alternatives leaves citizens wondering what should happen next.

A country needs political leaders who can raise their voices when necessary, but it also needs leaders who can sit down, listen, think and work together when the nation's interests demand it.

The ordinary citizen is not asking every politician to agree with every other politician. We are asking something more reasonable: let disagreements produce better decisions rather than become an end in themselves.

India is too large, its challenges too complex, and its future too important for constructive voices to remain unheard.

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What fun and work ethics to have been in. And look at our state now. 

We need to move ahead. 

Dool konoche

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The spirit of dance.  Beautiful.