“Dadhana Kara Padmabhyam Akshamala Kamandalu, Devi Prasidatu Mayi Brahmacharinyanuttama”: may the goddess who holds a rosary and a water pot in her lotus hands bless us.
The second day of Navratri belongs to Maa Brahmacharini, the second form of Maa Durga. Her name holds her meaning: “Brahma” stands for tapas, or penance, and “charini” for one who follows it.
According to Hindu tradition, this is Parvati in the years she resolved to be united with Lord Shiva. She walked the path of tapasya for thousands of years, enduring heat, rain and cold. She lived first on fruits and flowers, then only on leaves, and finally on nothing at all. When she gave up even the leaves, she came to be known as Aparna.
Devotees picture her in white, barefoot, with a japa mala in her right hand and a kamandalu in her left. Nothing about her is hurried or loud. She represents patience, wisdom and the emotional strength to hold on to a purpose when the world gives no sign that it will come true.
That is why she is worshipped on the second day. When the wait feels long, she reminds us that penance is not suffering for its own sake. It is the quiet work of becoming ready.
A faint echo of that spirit lives in Star Plus’ Apsara, where Sunehri, played by Samiksha Jaiswal, is learning that some things cannot be rushed. Samiksha says, “Sunehri is learning that strength is not always about acting fast. Sometimes it is about staying patient and trusting that your time will come.”
View Apsara only on JioHotstar, dropping soon on
Apsara premieres on 21st Oct at 10:30pm on Star Plus and JioHotstar
