Reflections on Navaratri, night nine

Colour: All

Sighting the blue-throated Indian roller is considered auspicious today. Seeing one specific bird on one specific day brings us good fortune.

And yet, we fail to see this bird perched conspicuously all across the roads and fields of our land on other days. And yet, we search and seek only to fail to see it today.

Happiness, enlightenment, a state of flow, peace…whatever you might call it is sold to us as eternal attainment, a permanent state of being, a trophy we win for all our efforts. Our myths speak of rishis who lived in timeless bliss. And these myths are useful as ideals to inspire us.

But if we were to ask if bliss, peace, joy, etc., are possible to achieve in every moment of our life. The honest answer is no. In fact, the honest answer is a question. Do we even want to achieve bliss, peace, joy, etc., as eternal attainments? Isn’t that unaltering state of being just another word for death? Even the Buddha after enlightenment chose to return to a vivid life of teaching, learning, and engaging with love towards other souls. What eternal state of perfection then can we aspire to?

We are alive. To be alive is to feel pain, to cry, to hurt, to rage, and to fail. To be alive is to feel pain and hope for joy, to hurt and then to heal, to rage and then to learn kindness, to fail and then grow.

Step out into the world. You might see an Indian roller on Vijayadasami. The day you see an Indian roller might feel like Vijayadasami. And someday there might be no roller and no Vijayadasami. On that day, be thankful that you still have that day.