Navratri Swadhyay 3
Wars take place the world over for acquiring land or resources. Paddy cultivation is the center of contention in the war waged between Russia and Ukraine for the last 3 years. Ukraine is the largest producer of Rice in Europe. It has been called the Rice Bowl of Europe. Russia attacked the Eastern regions of Ukraine for annexing that fertile land. Due to this food security, countries of Europe are also supporting Ukraine in this battle which it is certain to lose. Water, energy and food nexus has emerged as a major factor in international relations. Friendship and adversity are incumbent on these factors.
The significance of food has been recognised in Bharat since times immemorial. There is a Vedic mantra – ‘Annam bahu kurvita’. The Vedas exhort us to maximise the food production. No one should starve. Vedas also call upon us that we should not trade food grains. The tradition of making all the three – annam (food), griham (home) and vaidyam (medical care) available free of cost has been prevalent in Bharat. Even now, food is provided free in numerous religious and social systems. Annakshetras and Langars are seen in large numbers at all the places. It is very rare to see a person starving in Bharat with the exception of the metropolitan cities.
Dhanyalakshmi is the third of the Ashtalakshmi (eight Lakshmis). She is the Goddess of grains. She has the form of a nourisher, attired in green. Her eight arms are bearing paddy ears, bunches of bananas, lotus, conch, chakra (wheel) and sefty pose. The mother Dhanyalakshmi is bestowing her blessings for an abundant production of food for the nourishment of the society. Prayers offered to Her bring about immense benefits in all the main agrarian activities. Hence, paying tributes to Dhanyalakshmi, invoking her blessings and beseeching her grace is an integral part of Anna Pooja (worship of crops) right before sowing the seeds to the harvest of the crops. Foodgrains have been given more significance than wealth in Bharat since always. Hence, Dhan Dhanya (wealth and foodgrains) accompany each other in the common parlance of the people in Bharat. The filled up granaries is an important index of the development of the state.
It occupies an important place in contemporary transactional economics too. Bharat imported inferior quality wheat from America 55-60 years ago as it faced an acute shortage of food. Lal Bahadur Shastri called upon the entire nation to observe fast on Monday so that we do not have to import food from foreign countries. After the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri in suspicious circumstances, the minority government of Indira Gandhi imported wheat from America. Due to the incompetence of her leadership Bharat Mata which was glorified by Bankim as ‘Sujalam Suphlam’ had to stretch a begging bowl for food. The society took it as a serious challenge and there was a bumper production of foodgrains in Bharat in following decades. Now since a few years, the granaries of the Food Corporation of India are replete with surplus foodgrains. Even after providing foodgrains free of cost to 80 crore people since the Corona epidemic, Bharat has emerged as an exporter of foodgrains. Some elders who started weekly fasting after the exhortation of Lal Bahadur Shastri felt accomplished when we sent two shiploads of foodgrains to America when they were facing the onslaught of cyclones in 2003 (Vikram Samvat 5105). Bharat has been continuously receiving the blessings of Dhanyalakshmi in the form of the unwavering efforts of our farmers and the strength of our leadership.
This topic is very critical. Hence possibly this is the reason why the Tritiya will be observed on two days this Navratri. The swadhyay of Dhanyalakshmi will continue tomorrow. The Goddess Chandraghanta of Tritiya will also be invoked.
