Vedic Civilization:The Reall Womens' Liberation Movement

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Kumari puja being performed by a Monk at Belur Math, in Kolkatta, India on

Mahashtami, October 21, 2004. According to the Mahabharata , Arjun is said to

have performed the Kumari Puja.

(Note:This is a wonderful tradition that instills the highest ideals in regard

to womanhood. Vedic/Hindu culture is naturally empowering for women. By

following authentic traditions like Kumari Puja, the whole society evolves into

a holistic civilization that gaurantees dignity, honor and respect for its

women. Thus Authentic Vedic culture is the True Womens' Liberation

Movement.Vrndavan Parker)

Kumari Puja

Goddess Durga arrives to her earthly abode with her four children, Laskhmi,

Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh. We worship her as the Goddess of Shakti who

overpowered the evil to establish peace and prosperity on earth. She is also

the daughter making her yearly visits at her parents place along with her

children for four days. The Goddess is worshipped in various forms during her

stay here. One of those forms is the "Kumari", the Virgin form. This mould is

the most powerful form of Mahashakti.

A girl aged between one to sixteen, symbolising the Kumari form of Devi is

worshipped in front of the idol of Goddess Durga. The Kumari form of the

Goddess was emphasised as the most dynamic form by the devotees since yester

years as Kumari Shakti is the basis of all creations. Our scriptures have

emphasised Kumari Puja particularly to evolve the purity and divinity of the

women of the society. Diminishing the larger than life stature of the Goddess

to someone much nearer and closer is the real reason for this form of worship.

Sri RamKrishna had said that Kumari is another form of Devi Durga and he

himself worshipped Sarada Ma as Kumari. To imagine the Goddess in the mould of

a Kumari is an age old concept. In Mahabharata Arjuna had performed Kumari

Puja. The Puranas mention the Kumari form of Chandika.

Selection of Kumari

The scriptures mention the great care with which the Kumari is selected to be

worshipped as the earthly representative of Devi Durga. The qualities required

in the girl has to match the dynamism, purity and serenity of the Goddess. A

calm, serene and an unmarried girl with a bright disposition between one to

sixteen years, who has not yet reached her puberty and is bereft of desire,

worldly pleasures and anger is the right requisite for the Kumari Puja.

Depending on the age of the girls they are worshipped in the various forms of

the Goddess. A one year old girl is worshipped in the Sandhya form of the

Devi while a two year old is worshipped in the Saraswati mould of the Devi. A

three year old girl is worshipped in the Tridha form of Durga and a four year

old is worshipped in the Kalika mould of the Devi. Subhaga and Uma are the

forms of Durga for a five and a six year old respectively. Malini form of the

Goddess represents a seven year old while Kujjika represents a eight year old

girl. Kalsondarbha and Aparajita stands for a ten year old girl and an eleven

year old girl. Bhairavi is represented by a twelve year old girl and Mahalakhmi

by a thirteen year old girl. Pitnayika, Khetragya and Ambika by a fourteen,

fifteen and sixteen year old girl respectively.

Worshipping The Kumari

Kumari Puja is held on Ashtami or sometimes Nabami. Kumari Puja is performed in

Annapurna, Jagatdhatri and even Kali Puja as without Kumari Puja, the yagna

remains incomplete. In the dawn of Ashtami or Nabami, the Kumari is bathed in

Ganga water and is clad in a red benarasi saari. She is then adorned with

flowers and jewelry, alta is applied to her feet and a 'tilak' of sindur on her

forehead. The young Kumari fasts the whole day until the puja is over. On a

decorated chair she is made to sit before the goddess and a flower from the

Devi's hand is placed in her hand.

Placed before her are flowers, bel (wood apple) leaves, incense sticks, lamps,

'noibiddo' and other things required for puja. The purohit then chants the

mantras and the sound of dhak fill the atmosphere. After the puja the divinity

of the Goddess Durga is said to be seen in the girl. It is customary to gift

the girl with gold, silver and clothes. To gift the Kumari is considered to be

a pious act.

Kumari Puja is very much prevalent in Belur Math. In 1902, Swami Vivekananda

performed Kumari puja for the first time in Belur. In the premises of the Math,

in the mandap, in the presence of Sarada Ma, Swamiji worshipped nine Kumari

girls. He offered pushpanjali at their feet, gave them sweets and 'dakshina'

(gift). He touched their feet after the completion of the puja. Later with

meditation and mantras he worshipped Sarada Ma as Goddess Durga.

Kumari Puja

One of the forms in which Goddess Durga is worshipped is that of Kumari. This

is considered to be the most powerful form of Shakti, the energy in the

universe. A kumari is an unmarried girl, between the age of one and 16, who has

not reached the age of puberty and is thus bereft of desires. Such a girl is

worshipped as an embodiment of Goddess Durga. This is an effort to identify

human beings with the divine principle. It is a way of making the

larger-than-life gods more familiar. Who should be worshipped: According to the

scriptures, the girl to be worshipped as a representative of Goddess Durga

should possess the following attributes – she should be a virgin aged between

one and 16, should be dynamic, pure, serene and bright. She should be bereft of

all desires for worldly pleasures and free from negative emotions like anger,

jealousy and greed. Different manifestations of the goddess : Depending upon

the age of the girl, she is worshipped as different manifestation of Goddess

Durga. A one-year-old girl is worshipped as the Sandhya form of the Goddess, a

two-year-old as Goddess Saraswati, a three-year-old as Tridha Durga, a

four-year-old as Kalika, a five-year-old as Subhaga, a six-year-old as Uma, a

seven-year-old as Malini, an eight-year-old as Kujjika, a 10-year-old as

Kalsondarbha, an 11-year-old as Aparajita, a 12-year-old as Bhairavi, a

13-year-old Mahalakshmi, a 14-year-old as Pitanayika, a 15-year-old as

Khetragya, and finally, a 16-year-old girl is worshipped as Ambika. Ritual:

Kumari Puja is performed on Ashtami or Navami. The Kumari is given a bath early

in the morning and is given a new red sari to wear. She is adorned with

jewellery, flowers and a kumkum tilak on the forehead. Kumari observes a fast

until the puja . She is seated on a decorated seat before the idol of Goddess

Durga and a flower adorning the hand of the goddess is placed on Kumari's hand.

Flowers, wood apple ( Bel ) leaves, incense sticks, lamps and noibiddo (food

offering) are placed before her. The purohit then chants the mantras and the

sound of drums fills the air. Clothes, gold and silver are given to the Kumari

as a gift. Tradition: According to the Mahabharata , Arjun is said to have

performed the Kumari Puja. Ram Krishna Paramahans and Swami Vivekananda also

performed the Kumari Puja. The practice is prevalent at Belur Math, in Bengal,

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