“Greetings Ayya!  Great privilege of bowing down to you on this auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami!”

I prostrated at his feet.

As I got up, Ayya Said.

“Be well. What are your plans for today?”

“Oh, just in 30 minutes,  we are leaving for Scotland! Tomorrow is the first Unchavritti in Edinburgh! This year, our London Śri Radha Madhava Kalyana Mahotsavam  is scheduled for November! The journey is for that!”

“Happy. May everything  go well!” – Ayya blessed.

“Of course, Ayya! That is why I need your blessings on this auspicious day! Isn’t  our tradition that we should start good things  on Vijaya Dashami!”

Ayya smiled.

“One can start a good deed anytime! Why is there a time constraint for doing good!”

How could I disagree with what he said.

However, I asked.

“Even so, it would be better if we start on  Vijaya Dashami day. It is good to worship the teachers who guide us.  Don’t we all have such things mandated for us as duties!”

Ayya laughed again.

“That’s true! What is this Vijaya Dashami?”

“Ayya, Vijaya Dashami is the day when we complete our nine-day Navaratri pujas and pay obeisance to Ambāl as Śri Vijayalakshmi, Mother Śri Rajaraāeśwari, who gives victory. Isn’t it right?”

“That’s right. The goal is to worship the Goddess as Mahā-Śakti for the nine nights and on the tenth day, pray that by her grace, all our endeavours become successful. !”

Ayya continued again.

“Why the nine-nights of worship? Why do we worship even our books, tools, and implements on Vijaya Dashami, as ‘Ayudha Puja’?”

I remained silent as I was sure that Ayya would clarify.

“The Supreme Being, whom we worship as Mahā-Śakti, has hidden the Supreme Truth of eternal existence-knowledge-bliss, the cause of all, as the indwelling effulgence within everything. It is only because of the radiance of that hidden light that all the worlds outside us appear. It is in those external worlds that we are involved and conducting our life’s business. Therefore, we need two main things!”

“What are they, Ayya?”

“One, the life’s business in this empirical world  that we are involved in – it should go well, and through it we should get happiness, prosperity and good knowledge.”

“Of course, Ayya! That is why we start any work with devotion on the day of  Vijaya Dashami.”

Ayya looked at me deeply.

“If our affairs in the empirical world need to run smoothly, there is another, but important need, that we  must realize. That is, the recognition of the divine power that is hidden within us,  and in everything! If we realize that light, and by Its divine grace, gradually,  we come to understand that we are that indwelling light; it is then our worldly affairs gain their right meaning and purpose, so that all turn to give us the spiritual elevation.”

“What has hidden such clarity from us? Who is hiding this Truth?”

“What else!  It is the divine power! Its divine play creates, protects, destroys, conceals, and bestows grace upon the world.”

“Ayya, creation, protection, and destruction – these I understand. Everything appears, grows, and disappears. We have been told that Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra are the divine powers that control these aspects respectively. But what are the other two aspects:  concealment and grace?”

“In order to ensure the perpetual cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction, even from the gods that are empowered with those tasks,  Goddess Parā-Śakti spreads the veil of `hiding’ the unchanging truth of Brahman! For this act, She is revered as the ‘Mayā-Śakti’. Her divine play therefore includes ‘concealment’ as well as ‘bestowal of grace’,  the way to liberate from this delusion, as two important powers.”

Ayya continued.

“All are subjected to this nescience.  In our case, we have no way of removing this darkness without the grace of Mahā-Śakti.  That is why, deluded by these veils,  we failed to recognize our true nature; instead, we take up a notional identity and looking up to the external world as permanent. Instead of taking our affairs with the world as a sport and enjoying it, we deem those as eternal and suffer as a consequence.”

“Then, how can we remove that veil Ayya?”

“Only through effort! We must remove the veil through our ‘bhakti’, ‘shraddha’ and ‘seva’. The sword of ‘jnānam’ which we gain as the result of our pursuit, then cuts asunder the veil.   There are many ways to do that.”

“Tell me, sir!”

“Now, the Navarātri puja you have performed is one such way, perhaps an elegant and simple one. In the worship of Māyā-Śakti, the Goddess of Power, is said to have covered Herself with nine different types of veils known as ‘nava-āvarana’, Those are to be removed one by one.”

“Where are those veils, Ayya!”

“It is within you! It is in your vision! It is in your knowledge! Because what you see as the world is a mental fortress shaped by your perception and mind!”

“Are you saying that the world is an imagination?”

“Yes! Everything is an  imagination at every different level of awakening. The world that you create and experience in your dreams is a reality within your dreams.  Yet when you wake up, it fades away as  just an imagination. Similarly, is the worldly life of us!  It is a reality within a veil that we all elude ourselves naturally;  however, when this veil is removed and the indwelling light comes, the world disappears as an imagination! So, in that sense, the world we experience is just an imagination of God!”

“Such a profound assertion – Isn’t this something that needs to be studied? How can we understand it by performing puja?”

Ayya replied.

“Isn’t it enough to take the medicine given by the doctor to get cured! What is the need to study the composition of that medicine! Indeed, the knowledge of investigation is important. However, such profound inquiry requires our instruments such as  senses, mind,  and intellect, must first be purified. These are our implements – ayudha.”

Ayya continued.

“Purification of the mind is obtained through selfless service and worship of God. That is why, by talking about the ‘new veils’, we describe our body, mind, and intellect as a city called ‘Śri Chakra’, and by gradually removing the veils of  every door of that city, we gently enter into the supreme abode, ‘bindu’ where  Śakti reigns.  This venerable worship is called ‘Śri Vidya’, which makes us realize the true nature of the Self, as the effulgence of consciousness.  Does all this seem like a ‘bhāvana’ to you?”

Ayya asked, sensing my doubt.

“Yes Ayya!”

“That’s right! Bhāvana is visualization.  Know that it is the intensity of the thought that creates the world of experience for you. Is not life only a chain of experiences! So, do not dismiss this as mere imagination, but as the instrument or the means to realize your goal.”

“Okay Ayya!”

Ayya continued.

“Through the pujas, the noble sacrifices and the services you do to help others, – you trigger transformation within you; it means that your mind and intellect are cleansed of all blemishes; those become poised in support of your pursuit for perfection. Notice, you also take effort to place your books, pens and the tools of your profession, cleansed and divinely placed under the feet of the deity, for the performance of ‘Ayudha Puja’, do you see!”

“Yes Ayya! In Ayudha Puja, we submit all to Goddess Saraswati. On that day, children also celebrate by saying, ‘Jolly, we don’t need  study today!’ as they are told!”

Ayya said with a smile.

“Yes, on the ninth day, we generally don’t engage in study or work relating to our worldly affairs.  That too is only for highlighting a key philosophical import. In the nine days of Navarātri, as you endeavour to purify your mind, your will power increases and as a result good intentions come to you. That is the ‘Icchā-Śakti’, the most fundamental power we all require. Only when there is intention, creativity and knowledge could follow. That is why we worship the ‘Icchā-Śakti’ on the first three nights of Navarātri.”

“Then?”

Ayya said with a smile.

“We then seek the resources to attain our goal. This is the ‘Kriyā-Śakti’, the power-to-perform. Finally, on the last three days, we pray for ‘Jnāna-Śakti’ the power-to-know so that our motives and the means could be invested correctly to reach our goals. In this way, in the nine nights, we have prayed for all three powers and hopefully understand what we need to do next in our life’s journey both in the worldly affairs and spiritual growth.”

“Yes! The next,  tenth-day is Vijaya Dashami!” – I intervened, unable to control my curiosity.

“Yes! Even if we have gathered our power to will, to know and to perform, it is important to embark on our pursuit only with the expressed gratitude to our teachers and their steer.   This is the significance of the  Vijaya Dashami.  That is why, in whatever worldly pursuits we embark on, we start with the offering of obeisance to the teachers who were, are and will be instrumental in guiding us. The same is true for the spiritual journey! Whoever teaches us good things and supports us, is our venerable Guru and it is our duty to revere and demonstrate our gratitude. That is the point of Vijaya Dashami!”

I bowed to him again with gratitude.

“Sir! Another doubt.” – I asked.

Ayya quickly interrupted.

“I know, you will ask! But there is no time for that now! You have a long journey to make! Set off! May it go well.”

I don’t think Ayya’s reminder of the long journey ahead, refers to the imminent  trip to Edinburgh! But hey, he said,  all would go well!  All will!

A new beginning is now!