Punjab has a very special significance in my life!
Hi Folks,
In this post I am going to relate some observations that I made on my own life. The significance of Punjab in my life!
I was born in Chandigarh, Punjab.
I was born on the 5th of October – which strangely coincided with Panchami of Durga Puja festival. Panchami or the 5th day is calculated according to the Bengali (or Hindi) calendar and does not necessarily fall on the 5th of English calendar – like Panchami can fall on 14th of October or 20th Oct like that. But on the year of my birth …both English and Hindi calendar had the same 5th as Panchami!
I was born as a ‘Breech’ baby – meaning ulta – usually head comes out first – my feet came out first! In fact the Doctor actually told my mom (before she passed off completely after the turmoil of giving birth to a breech baby) that ‘ Maa Durga has arrived’ – what he actually wanted to let her know was that a daughter was born to her.
If we do a sandhi-vichede (divide the word) – Chandi + Garh that means the house of Shri Chandi Mata. Shri Chandi Maa (one of the names of Mother Durga) is worshipped as the ‘Warrior Goddess’… and folks we all know that The Indian Army has to be specially blessed by Mother Goddess Durga – guess what? My father was an Army Officer posted at Command Hospital Chandigarh when my mother was expecting me…my arrival (just joking guys).
My Naming – another eerie happening!
Since I was born last – after 2 children and both my siblings have names starting with ‘S’ so my mother filled the name ‘Sudipta’ in the birth certificate. My father – who is not really very interfering with such things and usually my mother’s say is the last in the family – suddenly showed his disappointment with the name and suggested that I should be named ‘Aparna’ rhyming with my sister’s name ‘Suparna’! Guess what folks – Aparna is one of the names of Shree Durga!
The name is actually the beej mantra – that does signify a message about the personality…well we Hindus kind of believe in this!
How Mother Parvati (aka Durga) got the name ‘Aparna’:
Mother Parvati did severe penance to attain Lord Shiva as her husband. Actually Lord Shiva or Sadashiva is the ultimate God Head and everything starts from Him and ends in Him. Wanting to attain Shiva is also the same as attaining Moksha or final liberation (Nirvana as the Buddhists call).
So much was her determination to attain Shiva, that she left eating leaves (Parna in Hindi) as well – like during penance (Tapasya) one is allowed to have roots, stems and leaves – but she left even that. Thus she got the name ‘Aparna’ (A= without | parna= leaf) by the other devotees of the Lord.
Back to my Life..
So folks, after taking birth and after doing the regular stuff – getting education – collecting school and college certificates etc., I joined back my parents (I completed my college education from Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata and stayed in a Hostel). Guess what folks – a major turning point was awaiting me!!
My dad’s last posting was MH Ambala cantt. Ambala, Punjab!
Ambala – Birth of the spiritual seeker in me!
Again if we do a sandhi-viched of Ambala – Amba + Alaya = The house of Mother Amba (another name of Goddess Durga)!
We were given a huge bungalow and very close to our bungalow was the Kharga Library. Kharga is the weapon of Maa Kali (the fierce form of Maa Durga) with which She terminates all that is redundant & useless and stopping the evolutionary progress! She is the One whose power annihilates all that is negative.
And here is where I came across Complete works of Swami Vivekananda – that gave a complete ‘U’ turn to my desires….I desired ‘Self Realization’’ – I desired a SadhGuru who will awaken my Kundalini Shakti and make me merge with the divine…will release me from this cycle of birth and death….will give me Moksha or final liberation or Nirvana….basically ‘Self Realization’!
Seeking began in 1992 ended in 2002!
I was eventually blessed by all the Gods, spiritualists, angels I had ever worshipped in my life – I found my SadhGuru in 2002! I am a Sahaja Yogi and my Guru is Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi.
Jai Shree Mataji.
