Female Empowerment in Goddess Worship,

by saroj Cbawh ways becoming, and the focus needs her life to . She could come to remain on what is desired rather homeifwejoinedKrishnaConscious- Apartir dcses mph.imccspmonnef&s, than what it is. When caught in situ- ness. It would mean changingour life l'auteurc maminc ks gets apratiques ationsofvulnerability, it is legitimate style completely, becoming vegetar- et tbkrapeutiqws~du cultc dr h dicsse for Hindus to appeal to the divine to ian, shunning alcohol and tobacco, . help them in gaining control. and all that I regard as normal social The ~oddessis supposed to fulfil1 life. My husband was expected to the wishes and desires ofher devotees manage temple accounts, and I to irrespective of their sex or the gender propagate Iskcon ideas and books in appropriateness of their wishes. The the university. Goddess fulfills the wishes of all be- We made not very fruitful visits to lievers who worship her devoutly. In lawyers and psychiatrists. The law- the court (dzrbar) of the Goddess, yer's opinion was that the age be- there are no men or women; they are tween 1G and 18 was legally a gray just beings asking for favours (sawali area. He could try to intimidate the or ~achak). temple authorities by arguing that The contemporary scientific they were unlawfully keeping a juve- worldview might label Hindu wom- nile away from school and home, but en's belief in the Goddess as supersti- said that it would be difficult to re- tion. But in most religions of the strain a 1G-year-old from going to the world the divine can be evoked to act temple, The psychiatrist, who knew as an intercessor for believers. Most the Iskcon very well, told us that the religions accept that psychic acts in temple was trying to emotionally the form of prayer and ritual per- blackmail us into its fold. His advice formed in the name of the divine can was also to let the influence wear off. be directed toward achieving desired At this juncture I suspended my ends. Popular firmly be- European educated self and exam- lieves in the effectiveness of material ined-my predicament as a Hindu and nonmaterial efforts. For Hindus mother. I sincerely believed that the words and images have magical com- followers of a male God Krishna had ponents. The magical component brainwashed my daughter. No Hindu might help them to avoid unhappy beliefsystem sanctioned temple lead- experience and attain desired results ers to live off the earnings of young of a very concrete nature. boysandgirls. By this time my daugh- ter was selling incense, candles, and Personal testimony flowers on the street. She was also collecting funds for Iskcon charity. I My rational-agnosticexistencewas thought that my daughter should live shaken one July when my 16-year- like an average Canadian teenager, old daughter went jogging and did albeit under a little parental supervi- not return home. She had been visit- sion. To bring her back to the fold, I Goddess , Naggar, Himachal Pradesh, , 1996. ing Iskcon temple in Toronto for the needed the iifluence of a Goddess, Photo: Brenda Cranney past six months. My husband and I especially Goddess Durga-the one Hindu philosophy conceptualizesre- drove to the temple; awoman leaving who rides a tiger, bears arms in six of ality as in a state of constant change the temple informed us that she did her eight hands, and is willing to and as indeterminate, experiential, see a young girl of our daughter's destroy the enemies ofher devotees. I and context specific. From the Hindu description with the temple head remembered how my mother used to point of view no person, man or priest. The head priest informed us worship Durga. woman, is born powerful or remains that our daughter, a Grade 12 stu- TheMarch Navratra ("ninenights" powerful forever. According to the dent, was a simple person, not inter- devoted to goddess worship) were Hindu concept of time, reality is al- ested in studies; she wanted to devote near. I bought two shallow earthen

CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESlLES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME or Goddess Worship in Toronto

dishes and filled them with potting before the Navratra-period was to The worship during the Navratra soil. In the living room I created an begin, I had made all the prepara- brought power into my house. My altar. The picture of Durga sat in the tions: the altar with the Durga pic- husband did not want the Durgaaltar middle, flanked by the earthen dishes, ture, the earthen dishes, the incense, in the living room. He wanted it barley was to be sown in them. I the lamp, the food offerings, the flow- moved to the spare bedroom on the collected the items necessary for ers were all ready. second floor. I wanted to keep the altar in the living room so that I could "feel" her presence frequently. He also insisted that the household mem- bers follow a vegetarian diet during the nine days. In his mother's home there was abstention from egg, meat, poultry, onion, and garlic for nine days. My mother was managing, a household of staunch meat-eaters, so that she could not impose such di- etary restrictions without risking major strife in the household. She kept the discipline of remaining veg- etarian herself, and meat, poultry, eggs, onion, and garlic were available to other members of the household. To avoid dissension I agreed to main- tain a vegetarian kitchen during the nine days. On the third Navratra, my other daughter, the second twin, phoned me at the university. She had a crav- ing for meat; she did not like this vow ofvegetarian diet. I thought for asplit second. It did not make sense that I observe Navratra to regain closeness ofone daughter and alienate her twin by denying her wishes. Very calmly I told her that she could take meat out ofthe freezer, cookit, eat it, andclean the dishes. The vow ofvegetarianism was suspended to meet my daughter's wishes. I could sense my daughter's relief at my response. That episode made me realize the distinction be- Goddess carved in wood, Bhima Kali Temple, Sarahan, Goddess would affect me. On the tween dogma and the essence of reii- Himachal Pradesh, 1996. Photo: Brenda Cranney second day of the Navratra my aunt gion. When formal rules and indi- Durgaworship: incense, flowers, food visited me and noticed the two dishes vidual needs conflict, individual needs offering of nuts and raisins; a small sown with barley. She asked why two take precedence. bowl filled with clarified butter, with dishes--one is more than enough? Did my Goddess worship have the a cotton wick sitting in the middle, My response was that the two barley desired effect? On the second day of was a lamp, and it accompanied a planters represented my twin daugh- the Navratra, I spotted my daughter hymn book. I phoned the ters-I was praying for their well- in a crowd on the street. A week after temple to make sure when the being. She thought I was crazy. I paid I had submerged the barley shoots in Navratra was beginning. The night no attention. the flowing water, the Iskcon head

VOLUME 17, NUMBER 1 priest (under pressure from the corn- keep a vegetarian household during understand my constraints, but I munity) did persuade my daughter to the Navratra, and I do not observe avoid explaining this to devout wor- come home. She stayedwith me until fruit-fast @hakahar) meaning only shippers. I do not want them even to her eighteenth birthday, when she fruit can be eaten during the fast. And mention the idea of the wrath of the rejoined the temple. But, over a pe- I do not perform Kirnya , literally Goddess. Their criticism of my style riod oftime, she began to understand "the worship of young girls." My of Goddess worship will disrupt my the ways of the temple. The wedge mother on the eighth day of the personal relationship with the God- created by the temple wore off. Now Navratra invited five or seven young, dess. Since criticism by devout wor- she phones to ask me to pray to the unmarriedgirls to the house. Younger shippers may have negative impact Goddess so that her wishes are hl- than nine was the most auspicious upon me, I avoid their mention of the filled. I continue to perform Durga age. She washed their feet, tied red Goddess's wrath. worship during the spring and au- cotton thread on their right wrists, tumn Navratra. And I repeat the and adorned their foreheads with red Other voices names of the four Goddesses (Durga, powder. Auspiciously and reveren- L&hmi, , and Tara) morn- tially she fed them a meal of fried flat Since last July I have interviewed ing and evening using the phalanges bread, vegetables, and sweets andgave women in their homes and in the of my four fingers as the count. Over them a cash gift. Kirnyapuja is held in temples about why they worship the the years I have noticed that when I Toronto temples and in some house- Goddess. Most ofthe interviews were raise my voice against perceived in- holds that can bring together young conducted in a casual and unstruc- justice my voice comes out calm and girls of the appropriate age.' Person- tured manner. The responses can be firm, as if it is not Saroj but the ally I find it difficult to prepare an classified in two categories. The first Goddess speaking. A sceptic may say elaborate meal and collect young girls. are women who grew up in religious it is mere coincidence. Possibly, but Instead, I give my daughters raisins environments and continued the pat- my inner self feels that Goddess wor- and almonds and a cash gift. I had tern of Goddess worship they had ship bore fruit for me. observed my mother takesuch a route observed in their childhood and ado- Devout worshippers may find fault for young girls who were unable to lescence. Thesewomen were surprised with my style of Goddess worship participate in the worship. at the naivete of the question. The and may warn me that the wrath of From my point of view, the God- second are those women who in their the Goddess will fall on me. I do not dess is omniscient and I expect her to childhood and adolescence had paid no attention to Goddess worship. In their married lives when faced by Hymn to Goddess Durga stresshl situations, an older woman (power and courage) had advised them to pray to the God- Bhuja cara ati sobhita dess and perform Goddess worship. vara mudra dhari Both categories spoke about their mana vamchita phakz pavata wishes coming true and their home sevata nara nari environments becoming calm with (Your four arms adorn your person, your hand is raised in benediction the grace of the Goddess. to bless your worshippers. All those men and women who worship you The women of the first category have all their wishes fulfilled.) attribute their prosperity and good fortune to the belief in and worship Hymn to Goddess of the Goddess. Mrs. N., for exam- (prosperity and wealth) ple, who after immigration to Canada Durga rupa nirantra with her husband experienced eco- sukha sampati akta nomic hardship and car accidents, jo koi tumako dhyavata together with her husband helped to riddhi siddhi Aana pata establish the Jai Durga temple in (In the form of Durga you grant both happiness and prosperity, and all Scarborough. She, her husband, and those who focus their attention on you receive prosperity and accom- teenage daughter observe the fruit- plishments.) fast @haLa bar) on the first seven days of Navratra. Her son, being the Hymn to Goddess Saraswati youngest, is a passive observer of the (wisdom, knowledge, and learning) worship. Mrs. N. had been facing Man saraswati ki arati jo koi jana gavai difficulty in announcing the engage- hitkari sukhakari jnana bhaktipavai ment of her daughter. The young (Whom so ever sings this hymn to Mother Saraswati, receives wisdom1 woman and the young man had made knowledge, devotion, and great happiness.) m their decision, but the young man's

42 CANADIAN WOM AN STUDIESlLES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME parents were reluctant to give their speaking women residing in the presentation and publication of this consent. Mrs. N, attributes the par- Greater Toronto area the Navratra papr is gratefilly acknowIrt&ed. ents' eventual acceptance to her be- are an occasion to perform garba lief in and worship of the Goddess. dances to the clicking of colourful Dr. Saroj Chawka teaches Sociology She celebrated the fulfillment of her wooden sticks. Among the Bengali- and Social Science at York University, wish by holding a night-long hymn speaking Ontarians, Saraswati puja North York, Ontario. A@ years of singing session (jagran)in thevishnu (worship) in the spring and Durga skepticism and agnosticism, she has re- temple. puja in the autumn bring women, tumedto tbefoldofinnumerableHindu Mrs. P, was unable to bear chil- men, children together. The God- Go&ses and God. dren for the first ten years of her dess fulfills wishes and provides op- married life. She thinks she bore two portunities to celebrate good fortune. References sons, the first one after eleven years of The women involved in Goddess marriage, because of the beneficence Durga worship are concerned with Erndl, Kathleen M. "Victory to the of the Goddess. the practical effects of their devotion. Mother: The Hindu Goddess of Mrs. D. and Mrs. V. grew up in the Their worship is an attempt to resolve North West India." Myth, Ritual United Kingdom. Products of Brit- life's predicaments. They firmly be- and Symbol. New York: Oxford ish education, they inform me they lieve that the impact of ill wishes, bad University Press, 1993. did not think much about Goddess thoughts, and negative actions can be Heinmann, Betty. Indian and West- worship. Mrs. D., after her marriage nullified, eradicated, neutralizedwith em Philosophy. London: Allen and and immigration to Canada, felt the help of the Goddess. Unwin, 1937. lonely. Her husband suffered from ill Kinsley, David. Hindu Goda'esses: health and job-insecurity. Around Thispaper waspresentedat the Centre Visions of the Divine Feminine in this time in her life an older woman for Feminist Research i "Conference on the Hindu Religion Tradition. advised her to pray to the Goddess. Female Spirituality: A Celebration of Berkley: University of California She thinks her husband's health and Worshippers, GoaYesses, Priestesses, and Press, 1986. job situation improvedwith the bless- Female Saints," held at York Univer- Pintchman, Tracy. The Rise of the ings ofthe Goddess. She was also able sity in March 1996 Fundingassistance Goridcs in the Hindu Tradition. to get over her loneliness. Mrs. V. from the Social Sciences and Humani- NewYork: State University ofNew perceived herself as a non-believer ties Research Council (SSHRC) for the York Press, 1994. and "liberated" woman. At a period in her life she felt very frustrated and - overburdened with work. She had Worshipping the Goaldess in the Greater Toronto Area three young children to look after- a first-born son followed by twin According to the 1991 census of Canada, Hindus are 0.6 per cent sons-and she helped her husband (157,010 persons) of the Canadian population, but 68 per cent of them in his business. The husband's input reside in Ontario. Hindus in Ontario have organized and established in houseworkandchild carewas mini- more than fifty temples and organizations. Most of these are located in mal. In her own words, "I thought in the Greater Toronto Area and nearby cities. The 1995 East-West terms of sharing work and equality Connections Business Directoty lists nine major Hindu temples in the and the lackof my husband's support Greater Toronto Area, of these three are exclusively devoted to Goddess was frustrating." Again, an older worship (Durga, Kali, and Vaishno ). The Toronto Kalibari temple woman advised her to pray to and in Brampton has held Saraswati and Durga worship (puja) in the worship the Goddess. Over a period Toronto area since 1969. Since 1986 Saraswati and Durga worship has of time she stopped expressing frus- also been held in a private house in Brampton. Temple, tration and her husband became more located on Highway 25, Oakville, is a recently (1991) constructed helpful in housework and child care. temple with a resident priest. The Jai Durga Hindu Society established Of course, the young children grew in 1990 holds Durga worship in a strip plaza on Markham Road. The up too. Vishnu Temple on Yonge Street, North ofHighway 7, has in the middle Besides fulfilling the specific and ofthe altar the statue of Durga flanked by her nine incarnations, four on concrete wishes of the worshippers, the left and five on the right. andvishnu Temple Goddess worship also generates a hold special hymn singing sessions (chowki) for the Goddess on Tuesday spirit of comraderie and together- and Friday evenings. All other temples propitiate the Goddess during the ness. It bridges generations. For nine days (Navratra, literally "nine nights") in spring and autumn. The women it is an excuse to pamper Navratra fall close to spring and autumn equinoxes. Goddess worship is themselves, an occasion to buy new not restricted to women only-it is a family affair, in which women, clothes, a sari, apunjabi suit, a piece men, and children participate. of jewellery. Among the Gujarati- L

VOLUME 17, NUMBER 1