Durga Puja is one in the series, trail of poetic thoughts and ideas which the poet, Kasiprasad Ghosh has written about pertaining to Indian festivity and celebration. To read the poems is to think of writing essays on Indian festivals and ceremonies. Ghosh here talks about the great Indian festivity drenching in the autumnal aroma and fragrance, mist and fog.

Durga Puja comes after the long spell of summer is over with the herald of autumn and the autumnal days draped in mist and chill when the moon starts shining beautifully. It is a season when a strange sweetness and fragrance does the rounds. The story is one of perennial Siva, Durga, Parvati, what it is Sati is but Durga, the myths will lay it bare.

Goddess Durga is adored by the people differently in various regions of varied climate. Somewhere she is known by some other name. Somewhere she is as Mother Goddess. We call her Bisweswari. What is she? How to say it? She is Jagannamata, Jagadhatri.

To read the poem is to relate to the story of Siva-Sati, the Rama-Sita story. How does Parvati marry Shiva? How does Shiva take the test of Parvati? The daughter of the mountain-king is benign and bountiful. How did Rama take pains to set Sita free? Where did Rama get his power from? Without seeking blessings from her, he would not have succeeded in his mission.

When tyranny aggravates it on earth, atrocity, she takes her birth to annihilate the evil forces. She takes her incarnation to slay the satanic people. When increases it sin, she comes to balance it with virtue.

She is the eternal force, primordial power. If she looks it not, rears it not, who will but the vast world? She is but a creative force.  She is the mother of creation, the upholder of the universe. The world has not come upon suddenly. It has definitely undergone some processes out of which it has created. Who has but shaded it with light and darkness? Whose is this cycle of birth and death? Who is it who has carried it through chaos and doom? The story of creation we know it not. How were things created? How did the shapes of the things come into being?

No. VI. Durga Puja (January 27, 1830)

Or a festival in honor of Durga the consort of Siva.

I.

Fair summer’s days have rolled away
Its flowers no more abound ;
But autumn holds her closing sway,
With plenty smiling round.
The young moon beams her silver ray
And shines serenely bright;
As if in heaven’s ethereal way,
She were the watch of night ;
O ! ’tis the time when Durga! thou dost deign
To see what beauties spring in autumn’s reign.

II.

Goddess adored in every clime,
Beneath the Indian sun;
Since when of old perennial time,
Its course began to run!
Fair daughter of the mountain-king
With Siva great combined!
Thou art all mercy, and the spring
Of goodness unconfined.
Benignant Power! Remover of distress!
Thy blessings are sweet peace and happiness.

III.

When evils great and dangers dire
Disturb the worldly spheres,
By thine high grace they all expire,
And peace again appears.
Thou art the energy divine,
Or power personified ;
Beneath that potent arm of thine.
How many demons died.
The mighty Minotaur had warred in vain
With thee, whose prowess stretched him breathless — slain.

IV.

The godlike Rama vainly sued
His mighty foe to kill;
With more than human power endued,
His purpose failed him still ;
But when thou wakened from thy sleep,
Didst yield unto his prayer,
What joy then thro’ his heart ran deep!
What light hope darted there!
’Tis thus O goddess! by adoring thee.
He slew his foe and made his Sita free.

V.

When sprang creation-making will
In the great eternal mind;
Worlds had no form, no order, till
Thou wast with them combined.
Then chaos and primeval gloom .
Their olden banners furled ;
And by th’ irrevocable doom
Light leaped upon the world,
Where every object bursting into birth,
Showed order in the infant sky and earth.