T&T’s economy is in shambles. Now more than ever, we need the presence of Mother Lakshmi in our consciousness. The fact that our economy is reeling is because we have driven Mother Lakshmi out of our consciousness. We have fallen victims to prejudices and religious bigotry and have allowed our entrepreneurial spirit to wilt and die.
Mother Lakshmi will be with us only after we have unburden our minds of anger, hate, lust and greed. Only after that cleansing has been done that Mother Lakshmi will descend on us. In the celebration of Nau Ratri-nine nights of worship to the goddesses-Mother Durga is worshiped for the first three nights. Stories are told about her encounters with the demons and her transformation to the terrible form of Mother Kali to wipe out evils. So long as demons of hate and other negativities are roaming our psyche there is going to be no peace or quiet. We need to find that inner calm so that we can focus on our goals.
Mother Durga is also represented as emotional intelligence, that is, our ability to work and get along with others. It is cooperation and team work that trumps; not a boastful intellect. Jennings, in his book THINK BIG, Act Small: How America Performing Companies Keep the Start up Spirit Alive (2005), mentioned that the CEOs of the top 10 companies that consistently grew their companies by 10% annually were very humble individuals who prefer to talk about the company and less about themselves. A similar conclusion was drawn in The Millionaire Nest Door: The Surprising Secrets of Amrica’s Wealthy.
Petty quarrels continue to plague families. Divorce and separation are on the rise. In most cases, the victims of these conflicts are children. This is most horrendously manifested in the growing number of children who cannot read and write. This is further expressed in a steep rise in juvenile criminal activities.
Law enforcement remains a major stumbling block. Despite a whopping budget of $7 B, law and order in our country appear to be elusive. The backlog of cases before the courts is overwhelming with no end in sight. Countries with a breakdown of law and order such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen are amongst the poorest in the world. If this durga power or consciousness does not arrest the ongoing lawlessness, prosperity will continue to elude us.
India must invoke her durga power. She can no longer afford to tolerate a few terrorists sponsored by a neighbour to dictate her policies in Kashmir. India must strengthen her military power to curb this ongoing external aggression. The Indian government cannot afford to allow history to repeat itself. India now has a duty to crush her enemies to claim her place in the Security Council.
Without law and order tourists are warned by their countries through travel advisories not to travel to hotspots; investors withhold their investments and capital flight increases. Law and order is critical for Mother Lakshmi to take residence in a country. If no peace and quiet prevail, Mother Lakshmi will apply for a US Visa.
The US has a GDP of $18 trillion making it the wealthiest country in the history of the world. India has less than $2.7 trillion with a population three times bigger that the USA! The one factor that holds back India from moving forward is its failure to put to rest domestic quarrels and settle cross border terrorism. The BJP government is working hard to put right this wrong and cannot rule out the use of force.
The US is a military power house. It has no qualms about employing its homeland security and defence force to stem any insurgency from within or without. Should any group or state within the US dare to challenge the territorial integrity of the country, the retaliation by the state machinery would be brutal and non-negotiable.
With leading brands like Nike, Google, FB, Mc Donald, etc, one can easily conclude that Mother Lakshmi has taken residence in NY. Why should Mother Lakshmi reside in Mumbai or Delhi when there is always the fear of a terrorist from across the border detonating a bomb! Mother Lakshmi is a practical goddess and has opted for Green Card!
As we celebrate Divali we must evaluate our security, our prosperity and most importantly, our learning. Each aspect of life is dependent on the other and the fulfilment of one automatically fulfil the other.
May Mother Lakshmi shower her blessings upon you and your family!
