*NAVARATRI WEEK* SARVAMANGALA

[Guest guest]

In a village there once lived a poor Brahmin. A good man, he loved

the Mother of the universe with all his heart in the form of Durga.

Very often, Devicharan read to people about the Mother from a book

called the Chandi. The Villagers in return gave him gifts of food and

clothing. Devichanran lived happily with his family though they were

very poor.

 

Devichanran had a beautiful daughter, Sarvamangala. Devicharan and

his wife taught her all they knew. Sarvamangala worked very hard and

whatever she did, she did well. It was time for Sarvamangala to get

married. "You must look for a husband for your daughter,'

Sarvamangala's mother said to Devicharan. "But who will marry

such a

poor girl?" We have nothing to give her."

 

"Do not be anxious, my dear," Devicharan replied. "Our

daughter is as

beautiful as Lakshmi and as gifted as Saraswati. Where is there a

girl as lovely and as brilliant as Sarvamangala ?"

 

"You are right." Agreed his wife. "She is good and

beautiful, and

skilful in everything she does. Her cooking is excellent. Above all

she loves to make people happy by serving them"

 

"So we must not worry about her marriage." Devicharan said.

" Mother

Durga will do everything"

 

A few weeks later a good man who was a landlord paid a visit to the

village, and he happened to see Sarvamangala. When he found that she

was as good as she was beautiful he wanted her to be married to his

son.

 

Devicharan agreed to this and Sarvamangala was married. She went away

to her father-in-law's house in the next village. Devicharan and

his

wife felt sad and lonely without their daughter, but they were happy

that she was no longer poor and had a good husband. Soon it was the

month of the Durga pooja festival.

 

"Wife," said Devicharan, "Mother Durga has blessed our

daughter with

a good and wealthy husband. This year we must perform Durga pooja in

our own house"

 

"But we are so poor,' his wife replied. "We have barely

enough to ear

ourselves, how can we think of doing the pooja here?"

 

"What?" cried Devicharan. "Is Durga the mother of the

rich and not of

the poor? Will she, not accept our humble offerings? We shall offer

her whatever we can afford"

The time of the festival drew near.

 

"We must bring home the image of the Mother," Devicharan said

to his

wife.

 

"I wish Sarvamangala could come home, too ," his wife replied.

 

Devicharan took a fifty-paisa coin and went to the image-maker.

 

"I am going to perform Durga pooja in my house," Devicharan

said. "Please make me a small image of Durga. I shall pay you

fifty

paisa"

 

"have you lost your sense, Devicharan Babu?" the image-maker

replied. "It costs a great deal of money to perform Durga pooja,

and

even the smallest image costs more than fifty paisa."

 

"I have no money", Devicharan explained, "but I love the

Mother and I

am grateful to her. I shall perform Durga Pooja even if I worship her

with nothing but flowers"

 

The Image –maker looked very surprised, and he became thoughtful.

"I understand your feeling," he said " very well, I shall

make an

image for you, and you need not pay me for it"

 

"I must pay you whatever I can afford," Devicharan answered,

and he

made the man accept the fifty paisa.

 

As Devicharan and his wife prepared for the pooja, their thoughts

turned very often to their daughter. Sometimes they wept because they

felt so lonely without her.

 

"She will not be allowed to come to us now," Devicharan

said, "because she will be too busy. In that rich family they

will

perform Durga Pooja in a big way and Sarvamangala will be of great

help to them. We shall have to manage without her."

 

The very next day, however, Devicharan's wife fell ill.

 

"what shall we do?" she wept. "Tomorrow the pooja begins,

but I am

too ill to move from my bed. Who will cook? Who will help us? Oh

Sarvamangala, we need you."

 

Devicharan comforted his wife.

 

"Don't fret," he said. " I shall go at once and see

Sarvamangala.

Perhaps her father-in-law will allow her to come as you are ill."

 

Devicharan went to Sarvamangala's home, but she was not allowed

to go

back with him.

"I am sorry," her father-in-law said to Devicharan, "but

my wife just

cannot manage without her."

 

Feeling sad and worried, Devicharan said good-bye to his daughter and

set our for home. He talked to Mother Durga as he walked along.

 

"The image-maker had made a beautiful image for me," he said,

" and

tomorrow I want to worship you. But now my wife is ill and my

daughter cannot come home. What am I to do?"

 

At that moment Devicharan heard someone calling him from behind. It

seemed to be his daughter's voice. He stopped and looked back. To

his

surprise there was Sarvamangala hurrying towards him

 

"Wait for me Father, " Sarvamangala cried, "I am coming

home with

you."

"How is it possible for you to come?" cried Devicharan.

"What will

your mother-in-law say "

 

 

To be continued …..