In other words, “Please Goddess Durga Kill “ME” so I can be “me.” She rides a tiger so she may express that she is a warrior. Ego is one construct required for survival in the physical realm, but Ego should never be in charge (like it is now in the world of Putin and Trump).
Morning chant session next day was led by #NinaRao, a student of #KrishnaDas, who has created a group of exceptional women who interpret the Hindu texts with an eye toward the woman's contribution.
We chanted at Sita and Rama, a couple who lived 10000 or more years ago. Rama also got caught up in a situation with his Step Brother though he was his father's first son. His step Brother was promised the throne because of relationship issues with Rama's father.
Rama and Sita lived in exile in the forest for years. Same old family problems, different day. They lived in the forest and encounterd many thrilling things, but ultimately Sita was kidnapped by a demon.
Back 10000 years ago when man spoke to animals, Hanuman was of selfless service to Rama when his woman, Sita was kidnapped by demons.
We chant "Sita Ram" and "Hanuman Chalisa" to remember all service is selfless, not transactional. Hanuman was enlisted to rally an Army to fight Ravana in a war, Rama almost died, but Hauman was able to save him, then Hanuman found Sita and rescued her from the Demon.
When Sita returned, Rama was confused as to whether or not he should trust that his wife was "true" to him, so she set herself on fire to prove to him she was true (or because she was so pissed of he doubted her "true").
Anyway, they both survived & went on to rule the kingdom and put together the very first "democracy" where people lived in freedom and loved each other. Critical in this living process is immediate forgiveness of self and others and self care and responsibility! I got just the reminders I needed.
Worship: show reverence and adoration . The true meaning of worship is to express profound respect, adoration, and devotion to someone or something considered supremely valuable or sacred, often through acts of reverence, praise, and obedience.
I don’t worship anything. However I do find lots of appreciation, love and respect for those who have live before me and left stories about how they overcame hardship.
Worship is an internal, intimate posture of the heart and can include outward expressions like bowing, prayer, songs of praise, or acts of submission and gratitude.