8 z Wednesday z October 21, 2020 NAVRATRA SPECIAL Maa Skandamata – Fifth NAVRATRA SPECIAL RECIPE manifestation of Mishti Doi he fifth manifestation of Devi Durga is known as Maa Skandamata. She is fifth among Nava Durgas, thats why she is worshiped on the fifth Navratri. Devi Maa is the mother of TKumara Skanda or Kumara also called Lord Murugan in south India. Kumar Skanda was chosen by Gods as their commander in 'Deva-Sura Sangram' (the war of gods and demons) against the demons. Lord Murugan's glory has been narrated in the Puranas and he is referred to as Kumara and Saktidhar. His vehicle being peacock he is also called Mayuravahana. Thus being the mother of Skanda she is Skandamata. Worshipping Skandamata on the fifth day of Navaratra has very importace for Yogis & Sadhaks. This day devotee's mind reaches Visuddha Chakra and stays therein. In her image the Lord Skanda in his infant form is always found. She holds him in her lap. Using a lion as a vehicle, Mother Goddess has four arms and three eyes. She holds Lord Skanda in her right upper arm and a lotus flower in her right lower hand, which is slightly raised upward. The left upper arm is in a pose to grant boon and in left lower hand, which is raised, she again holds lotus. She is of Golden colour. She is seated on lotus flower so she is called Padmasana. The scriptures are very eloquent in glorifying the fifth day of Navaratra period. As the mind of the aspirant, on this day, is in the Visuddha Chakra, so all his actions internal as well as external Ingredients completely stop and the mind bereft of all thought-waves, is calm like a wave less ocean. It would 3 cup milk be advancing towards the state of pure consciousness. It is completely submerged in the medita- 2 cup yoghurt (curd) tion of Mother Padmasana, quite devoid of worldly thoughts or coats of Maya. It is time when the 6 tablespoon sugar aspirant should be most careful and cautious on the path of his Sadhana. 1 green cardamom By worshiping the Goddess in the form of Skandamata, the devotee gets all his desires fulfilled. He starts tasting the Supreme joy even in this very mortal world. The gateway for salvation to him Method: is spontaneously opened. Her worship automatically includes the worship of Lord Skanda in his This Bengali sweet delight needs no introduction, it is a child form. Only she has got this pride of place. So the Sadhak should particularly be attentive to perfect sweet dish, which can be prepared at home very eas- her worship. Being the presiding deity of Sun God, she bestows an uncommon luster and radiance ily by following the easy steps given below. Here’s how you on her devotee. He is always surrounded by an invisible divine halo, which always maintains his go about preparing this delicacy. 'Yoga-Ksema'. In a saucepan, heat the milk over a medium-high flame Therefore, we should try very sincerely to take refuge under her. There is no better way to Moksha and add 2 tablespoon sugar. Keep stirring so that the milk from this world. She is the Goddess of Fire. The daughter of Himalaya, after observing penance doesn't stick to the saucepan. Reduce it to half and keep it got married with Shiva. She had a son named Skanda. Skanda is a leader of the army of Gods. aside. Skanda Mata is a deity of fire. Skanda is seated in her lap. She has three eyes and four hands. She Take another pan and add in 4 tablespoon of sugar and is white and seated on a lotus. Some also depict her sitting on a lion with her son Skand ( Lord sprinkle some water. Then caramelize the sugar and once Kartikeya) in her lap with two hands holding lotuses while the other two hands respectively display done, add in the warm milk and mix nicely. Then turn off defending and granting gestures. the flame and allow it to attain normal room temperature. It is said, by the mercy of Ma Skandmata, even the idiot becomes an ocean of knowledge. The Then pour in the blend and add in the curd and a dash of great and legendary Sanskrit Scholar Kalidas created his two masterpiece works viz. Raghuvansh cardamom, whisk the blend and let it set for 9 hours or Maha Kavya and Meghdoot by the grace of Ma Skandmata. However some believe Kalidasa was overnight. also inspired and blessed by Maa Kushmanda. Make sure before eating, refrigerate it and relish! Serve chilled Mishti Doi at a dinner party or for a weekend post- meal treat. Tips To accentuate the taste you can also add date jaggery, this will make it even more delicious. You can also add some cardamom powder. You can add some fruits and nuts. How invited death by undermining woman power –– Durga

urga Puja is round the corner and festivities have begun. Along with the festivities come the various tales and legends surrounding the festivals. The story of Goddess Durga, the legend of Mahalaya, and the story of Goddess Durga defeat- Ding Mahishasura for instance. Who was Mahishasura? As legends have it, Mahishasura was a king with the head of a buffalo. He was a staunch worshipper of Lord Brahma. After years of penace by Mahishasura, Brahma was finally pleased and offered him a wish. Mad with power, Mahishasura demanded immortality. His wish was that he should not be killed by a "man or animal" on the face of Earth. Brahma granted him this wish, and then told him that a woman will be the end of him. Mahishasura believed that there is no woman in the world who could cause him any harm. The legend continues, Mahishasura, high on the power of "immortality", attacked Trilok (the three worlds of earth, heaven and hell) with his army. He even tried to capture Indralok (the kingdom of Lord Indra). The gods decided to wage a war on Mahishasura but due to Lord Brahma's boon nobody was able to defeat him. The gods thus approached Lord Vishnu for help. After considering the situation, Lord Vishnu decided to create a female form to defeat Mahishasura. But since Lord Shiva is the god of destruction, they consulted with him. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined all their powers together to give birth to Durga. Durga is an incarnation of Goddess , the daughter of Himavan, the lord of the mountains. She is the mother-goddess -- -- the power that runs the universe. Goddess Durga then fought Mahishasura over a period of fifteen days during which he kept changing his shape to become different animals and misled her. Finally when he transformed into a buffalo, Goddess Durga stabbed him with her trident and that was the end of him. Mahishasura was defeated and killed on the day of Mahalaya. This story is widely nar- rated during Durga Puja. Mahishasura as the non-AAryan King Another tale that dates back 3000 years says that Mahishasura was a non-Aryan king whose people worshiped the buffalo. Mahishasura's power knew no bounds as he defeated many Aryan kings in the northern kingdom of Aryabarta. While many kings were defeated by Mahishasura, a queen came to rule the northern part of Aryabarta. the kings who were already defeated by Mahishasura pledged their allegiance to the Queen. Her army grew in strength and numbers, while Mahishasura was running out of supplies and man power. Thinking that he couldn't be defeated by a woman, he send out mes- sengers to the queen to become his consort. The queen kept refusing but Mahishasura was not to back off easily and kept send- ing messengers. Meanwhile, the queen was planning an attack on the buffalo king. Mahishasura's army was too worn out to protect themselves from the queen's army. Mahishasura himself thought that he could defeat the queen but she killed him with her spear, tore his chest and fed him to his pet lion.

ASTRO SPEAK

General Knowledge Question ARIES You can certainly use your charm to get what LIBRA When you encounter a new or confusing person you want today, but wouldn't you rather go for today, be thorough with your questions. The a more challenging option? This is a good time more meticulous you are with what you want to 1. Which vitamin is needed to prevent Xero- C. Carbohydrate: Potato B. Fleshy, fruiting bodies of the fungus to put yourself to the test. Instead of smiling, know, the more perceptive you have the capaci- flirting, or even sassing your way through ty to be. This isn't an attempt to catch them in a phthalmia? D. Fat: Butter C. Grown in small sheds or plots things, get real and meet people directly. lie or uncover some deep, dark secret. You're not D. All the above Address the issues head-on and people will interrogating them. There is no doubt that they MAR 21 - APR 20 take you more seriously. Your charms are usu- SEP 24 - OCT 22 will be flattered by your interest. A. A 6. Which is a communicable disease? ally a valuable strength. B. B 11. Which one of the following pairs is not cor- C. C A. Asthma rectly matched? D. D B. Scurvy TAURUS Growth is a good thing, but you should take a SCORPIO Try to mix things up a little today. Don't behave break from pushing yourself right now. Today the way that other people expect you to. See C. Measles A. Becquerel: Radioactivity isn't be best spent challenging yourself or start- what happens when you act out of character. If 2. Why the white blood corpuscles are popularly D. Diabetes B. Alexander Fleming: Penicillin ing any difficult (if revelatory) conversations. you're usually shy in a new social situation, called "soldiers of the body”? C. Louis Pasteur: Blood groups Settle in to a routine and find comfort in doing unleash your inner performer and see what it's the same things in familiar patterns. There is like to be the center of attention. If you're the 7. Which one of the following is not correctly D. William Harvey: Blood circulation something to be said for predictability. Plus, if one who is usually the life of the party, pull A. March at a regular pace matched? APR 21 - MAY 20 things never got boring, shaking them up again OCT 23 - NOV 22 back and watch things unfold from the side- B. Appear uniform 12. Which of the following is a sexually transmit- would not feel nearly as wonderful. lines. C. Defend the body A. Tuberculosis: Lungs ted disease? D. Disciplined B. Filaria: Lymph nodes GEMINI Have you ever had one of those dreams SAGITTARIUS What's on your mind right now? Good or bad, C. Encephalitis: Heart A. Leukaemia where you're trying to run as fast as you can it's time to talk all about it. You are loved by your but can't do much more than slowly inch your friends, so why not find one who has time to lis- 3. Hepatitis is a general term for a disease that D. Leukaemia: Blood cells B. Hepatitis way along? Today might feel a bit like that: ten? Sure, they might not be able to solve your is caused by: C. Colour Blindness frustrating, limiting, and yet somehow interest- problems, but they can help you figure out how 8. Which of the following has the highest protein D. All of the above ing. Whatever it is that's impeding your to solve them. Being able to get things off your progress isn't clear, and it isn't important. chest will make you feel much better! That's the A. Viruses content per gram? MAY 21 - JUN 20 There is no point in getting rid of the obstacles NOV 23 - DEC 22 secret about friends. It's not all about how they B. Bacteria 13. Which one of the following systems of the right now. They aren't going anywhere. can make your life better. C. Parasites A. Groundnut body is primarily attacked by the HIV? D. All the above B. Soyabean CANCER While things in your professional life are com- CAPRICORN People are giving you feedback that is genuine, C. Apple A. Cardiovascular ing together quite nicely right now, not every- although it might be hard for you to believe right 4. Which among the following is not an example thing may be going as smoothly in your home now. These people aren't just praising you for D. Wheat B. Immune life. This definitely won't be an easy day in their health, they really mean it! Have faith in of carbohydrate? C. Respiratory terms of keeping that promise you made. You yourself and understand that you're capable of 9. Which of the following have Alpha-kkeratin as D. Reproductive need more time to devote to this issue, so if amazing things. The worst mistake you can you can, reschedule your day so you can pay make today is to limit yourself. This applies to A. Maltose protein? JUN 22 - JUL 23 attention to the people who really matter. DEC 23 - JUL 20 new relationships, career challenges, and even B. Fructose 14. In the human body, the blood enters the aorta business opportunities. C. Glycogen A. Blood of the circulatory system from the: D. Glycine B. Eggs LEO Working in tandem with a new associate or friend AQUARIUS You'll be most interested in intellectual pursuits C. Skin A. Left atrium could yield some entertaining rewards, so don't today, so feel free to put off plans for frivolous 5. Which one of the following is not correctly D. Wool B. Left ventricle be shy about starting a new group project today! activities if you can. Instead of shopping online, Roll up your sleeves and get ready to get going pick up a book and settle into a comfy chair. matched? C. Right atrium as soon as you hear about something that Instead of vegging out on the couch for some 10. Mushrooms are/can be: D. Right ventricle sounds interesting. You and this other person reality TV. And instead of having a gossip ses- A. Haemoglobin: Skin could make a very good combination because sion with friends, start a political conversation. JUL 24 - AUG 23 you balance each other out and challenge each JAN 21 - FEB 23 Your brain is hungry for stimulation and chal- B. Vitamin C: Scurvy A. A variety of fungus other not to think in the same old ways. lenge, and it won't be satisfied until it gets it.

VIRGO Keep on keeping on. You are closer than ever PISCES Positive results may be slow in coming right now, 14. Left ventricle Left 14. 9. Wool 9.

4. Glycine 4. to getting what you want, and if you just keep but other people are getting behind you more and

13. Immune 13. 8. Soyabean 8. 3. Viruses 3. going you'll soon see a sign that things are more. Your personal cheerleading squad is growing,

about to change the way you want them to. If so your spirits will be shiny and bright. Your ambition 12. Colour Blindness Colour 12. 7. Encephalitis: Heart Encephalitis: 7.

2. Defend the body the Defend 2. you're on a diet, you'll notice your clothes fitting is also starting to burn a little brighter, but you should

11. Louis Pasteur: Blood groups Blood Pasteur: Louis 11. 6. Measles 6.

1. A 1. differently. If you're working on a new relation- resist taking on any more challenging projects right

now. Just pick the path of least resistance and wait

: s r e w s n A -A 10. All the above the All 10. 5. Haemoglobin: Skin Haemoglobin: 5. ship, you'll start to see this person open up in a for everyone else to get on the same . AUG 24 - SEP 23 deep and meaningful way. FEB 20 - MAR 20