COVID Navratri

COVID Navratri

Observe the Navratri as COVID Navratri and Vrats or fast as COVID fast
Dr KK Aggarwal
President CMAAO and HCFI
Navratri is a ten days purification festival in India where we purify our body, mind and the environment.

This is how you should celebrate the current Navratri

• Greet each other with bowing or Namaste
• Clean your 3 feet area all around (working place, dining table) with 0.1 % bleach solution with wet cloth moping every 8 hours
• Welcome all your guests (athithi devo bhava) like Vedic tradition
• Give then water so that they can was any droplets on the feet
• Give them water and soap to wash their hands
• Give them water to wash their mouth, nose and eyes
• Make them sit maintaining three feet distance
• Do the same yourself and all your family members
• Pay your Pitra Rin (parenteral debt) at this time and look after the elderly in your family. They are at risk of CIOVID 19
• Practice social distancing but not emotional distancing
• Experience self-realisation and give time to your mind the consciousness
• Minimise meeting people and observe self-restrain
• Learn to eat less so that you practice if you end up with a lock down like situation
• Do Pranayama and Meditation daily to stay calmed.
• Speak softly (loud speaking can shed the viruses)
• Do Jalneti nasal wash to stay away from nasal irritation
• Wash your eyes twice a day with water ( triphla)
• Eat satvik food to build up your immunity
• Do Pranayama and take sun bath daily

People of respective religion can observe the next ten days as COVID EID, COVID Easter or CIOVID Paryushan Parv of Jainism

Spiritual Significance of Jagannath Yatra

Why Subhadra is worshipped along with Lord Krishna in Jagannath Yatra
In 2011 Jagannath Rath Yatra starts July 2nd and has a special significance when it comes to the relationship between brother s and sisters.
 The value of relation between brother and sister has been shown in many festivals and rituals in our country.
 Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj are two major festivals devoted to this sacred relationship. In Raksha Bandhan, the brother vows for the safety of his sister and sister prays for the long life of the brother. The Raksha Bandhan rakhi or the red thread ‘moli’ works as a reminder and is removed on the date of Janmashtami falling after Raksha Bandhan. When Bahadur Shah of Gujarat attacked Chittor, Rani Karnavati sent a Rakhi to Emperor Humayun, calling him a brother and requested for his help. Humayun did come to his Rakhi sister's help.
 In the ritual of Bhai Duj, the sister anoints her brother’s forehead with vermilion and performs aarti. This festival is similar to that of Raksha Bandhan. Only the ritual of tying Rakhi has been replaced with tikka (vermilion spot on forehead).
In terms of symbolism, the brother-sister relationship is depicted in Jagannath Mandir in Puri and is one of the temples in the country where Gods and Goddesses are not worshiped in the form of husband and wife.
The other example is Ganesha and Lakshmi worshipped together as brother and sister. Goddess Lakshmi is symbolic of good fortune and wealth and Lord Ganesh is symbolic of the intelligence required to utilize the wealth that we have.
At the Jagannath temple, Subhadra, the sister, is depicted in the center and Krishna and Balram (Lord Balabhadra) are shown on the left and right side of Subhadra. Here, Krishna is worshipped along with his brother and sister. Subhadra was married to Arjuna and a brave boy Abhimanyu was born to them.

A synonym of Purushottam is Jagannath and his abode. Puri is known as Purushottam Kshetra, which is one of the four most sacred places in India for the Hindus. The famous festival related to the Jagannath temple is the Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, which occurs yearly in June or July. During this festival, the three deities are taken from the temple and placed in large chariots which are then drawn along Grand Road to the Gundecha temple, a few kilometers away. After they have stayed in that temple for seven days, the deities again ride the chariots back to their home temple. Then three idols are made of margosa (neem) wood.
Brother-sister relationship is always a sacred relationship in Indian law. Marriages or illicit relationship between brothers and sisters are prohibited. Consanguineous marriages are also known to end up with diseases. While in some religions, a marriage of the daughter with maternal uncle is allowed, but in no religion, a marriage between a brother and sister is allowed.  
Devaki and Kansa depict the extreme opposite of brother-sister relationship. Kansa was the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna and brother of Devaki. There was a prediction that the eighth child of Devaki would kill him. When Kansa came to know about that prediction he decided to kill all children born to his sister.
 All three festivals Jagannath Yatra, Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj are observed in the last six months of a year in the period of dakshinayana, which is the period with darker or the negative side of the mind. In Chaturmas the mind is more negative, violent, irritable and with more non fulfillment of desires. All festivals which relates to purity of relationship are thus observed in this period.

The Health Significance of Ashad Month

Ashad (Ashada) Maas ki mahima

Ashad (Ashada) month, mausam, maas or mahina is the fourth month in traditional lunar Hindu calendar and consists of continuing summer with added humidity due to rain. It’s a part of dakshinayana with the start of longer nights compared to days.

From Ayurveda context it is a period of Pitta or metabolism predominance with Vata or movement accumulation. Chaturmas starts in Ashad month (14th July). The Chaturmas months are savan, bhado, ashwin and kartik. The start of savan and bhado months falls in rainy season with air or Vata aggravation in the environment and in the body especially in the mind.

In Ashad month with continuing Pitta aggravation (though reducing) diseases like typhoid, jaundice, and diarrhea continue to occur but due to start of rainy season rainy disease like malaria, dengue, chikungunya and electrical accidents gets added. Also with falling heat but with increase in humidity the heat index rises and hence the cases of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke continue.

In terms of diet Vata or movement gets aggravated by bitter, astringent and pungent foods and Pitta or metabolism gets aggravated by pungent, sour and salty foods,  Pungent food being in common should be eaten less in this month of Ashad.

With the start of savan month one will need to avoid bitter, astringent and pungent foods especially the leafy vegetables.

The festivals of Ashad month are Devshyani ekadashi or the start of Chaturmas; Gupta Navratre, Jagannath yatra, Guru Purnima etc.

There are two Gupt (hidden) Navratre in a year. One is observed in the month of Magh (January – February) and the other is observed in the month of Ashad (June – July). Ashad Navratre is also known as Shakambari Navratre and Gayatri Navratre. In July 2011, Ashad Navratre starts from 2nd July to 9th July. It is observed during the Shukla paksha (waxing moon phase) of the month.  The main two famous Navratre fall in the months of Chaitra and Ashwin. There is another Navratre festival known as “Poushya Navigate.” It is celebrated in the months of December and January. Navratre means a nine days detoxification or purification period of the mind body and soul and is observed whenever there is a season change. The two main are observed at the start of the summer and the winter. Ashad Navratre is observed to prepare the body to bear the negativity observed in the Chaturmas rainy period.