Pradosham

While we wait for the 14th Lok Sabha to form, it’s interesting to think of the fortnightly ‘Parlok Sabha’ that convenes every trayodashi or thirteenth day of each lunar fortnight. In the moon’s ‘bright phase’, called Shukla Paksha (15 days from New Moon to Full Moon) and in its ‘dark phase’, the Krishna Paksha (15 days from Full Moon to New Moon), the evening of the thirteenth ‘moon day’, trayodashi, between 4.30 pm and 6 pm, is called Pradosha. This is sacred to Lord Shiva and praying to him sincerely in that auspicious time is believed to free us from sins, hence the name Pradosha, remover of dosh or defects. The reason for the super-charged vibes at this time is astoundingly beautiful. Lord Shiva is said to dance his Ananda Tandava then, the divine Dance of Joy that keeps the Universe going. All the other amshas or aspects of Divinity assemble to watch: Brahma, Vishnu, Devi in all her glorious forms, Ganesha, Kartikeya and the celestials, from Indra, King of Devalok to the most insignificant Gandharva and Kinnara.

It sounds like a huge battery-recharge for the Universe, doesn’t it? Serious plug-in time for an influx of super-energy from that Source of all things, Shiva Mahadeva, the Great God himself. There is one charming difference between Shiva worship and Vishnu worship that seems to acknowledge and honour the different yet complementary tasks performed by our One Creator. It is that Mahavishnu loves adornment (alankara) as befits the Preserver while Shiva loves ablution (abhisheka), which seems in consonance with his personality as the Supreme Ascetic or Mahayogi.

One Pradosha Purana says that when the Halahala poison was churned up from the Ocean of Milk, it threatened to consume all creation. It was Shiva who swallowed it and contained it in his throat, which was stained blue by the poison (hence his name Neelkanth). After dredging up amrita, the nectar of immortality from Kshirsagar, the devas and asuras prayed to Shiva in thanksgiving, with profuse apologies for not thanking him earlier. Shiva the Ashutoshi (Easily Pleased) forgave them at once and danced in joy with Nandi, his faithful bull. Sounds very human, doesn’t it? We take our blessings for granted, commit all kinds of sins of omission and commission in our behaviour with each other. But it is when we shake off the death grip of ego and muster the grace to apologise where we have caused distress that a relationship can live honourably. Otherwise it goes down the tube of history. It seems as if our civilization has set up this story as a fortnightly reminder that goodwill is the only energy to take our lives forward. Will the 14th Lok Sabha heed this?