“The Goddess doesn’t enter us from outside; she emerges from deep within. She is not held back by what happened in the past. She is conceived in consciousness, born in love, and nurtured by higher thinking. She is integrity and value created and sustained by hard work of personal growth and the discipline of a life lived actively in hope.”
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
I feel blessed being a part of the anthology where divinity has been overwhelmingly perceived and commemorated in stories by 18 eminent authors in their own fascinating styles. Each and every story depicting the divine presence in conscious narration is worth reading. India is the land of Gods and Goddesses, where religious beliefs and spiritualism are the essence of its existence since time immemorial. Each of the Gods and Goddesses represent an element that supports life and activities in the planet and the universe. These beneficial elements are revered and regarded as manifestation of God. There are numerous avatars - who are believed to be the descendants of Lord Vishnu – the protector aspect of Trimurti; demigods and Saints, revered in different regions because of their divine powers and unusual or remarkable personalities. ‘Shakti’ is identified as female energy, which is responsible for creation, protection and sacred knowledge. According to Manu, ‘the daughter is the highest object of tenderness’ and ‘the mother is revered thousand times more than the father’. In most of the regions of our country people evoke the mother and beg for her care and protection from misery and pain. The female’s responsibility in creation is adored from the very beginning of our civilization. The lives and experiences of the great saints and seers strengthen our belief in the existence of the supreme power. Faith and belief in God moulded our customs and traditions which guide us in our everyday life. Often, the devotees admit that religious practices fill them with positive energy and bring them peace of mind. Of the various forms of the Supreme Lord that the Vedic Prophesiers worship, the most beautiful is the devotion of a child towards his mother. Here it is heartening to learn that not only in India, in other countries of the world too, people revere the ‘Mother Goddess’ who epitomises deification of motherhood, fertility and creation.
The stories ‘Jouhatsu’ and ‘The Reawakening’ acquaint us with the Mother Goddesses of fertility, growth and sacred knowledge, who are revered in countries like Japan and Greece. The stories are intriguing and worth mentioning for associating the Goddesses with nature; and human interference with nature’s laws and its pernicious effect on the sustenance of the planet. The practice of idol worship is an integral part of Hindu religion. In every corner of the country one may find temples or shrines attributed to some Gods and Goddesses who are believed to be one or other form of the supreme being. Hinduism is still evolving, and the questioning and searching for the ultimate truth are still on-going. The Goddesses - believed to have walked the earth, were glorified and praised for saving the planet and lives innumerable times from suffering and destruction. In 'The Amma of Attukal’; ‘The Edible Firecrackers’; ‘Saru, Shankara and The Chime of the Anklets’; ‘The Tiruvannamalai Odyssey'; 'When the Humility Soars Sky'; and ‘Divine Recreations’- where the Goddesses emerge in different names such as Kannagi, Bhagawathy, Devi, Bhairavi, Vaishnodevi or Parvathy, are only the various forms of Mahadevi – the creator and the protector of the planet, who gives her appearance when her children are in pain and distress. ‘Stolen Dawn’; ‘Meeting the Night Goddess’; ‘The Call of A Wild’; and ‘The Luminous Lady’, are the legends passed through the generations by word of mouth. People wholeheartedly believe that Devi or Shakti helps to overcome the hardships as and when ‘She’ is evoked sincerely and with a pure heart. According to the Padma Purana, during 'Samudra Manthan' or the churning of ocean, Alakshmi was born of the Halahala or poison, and then emerged Goddess Lakshmi. It is observed that, inauspicious or bad emerges first, whereas, it takes much effort and time to produce the good or the auspicious.
Lakshmi is the harbinger of good fortune, sacred knowledge, peace and prosperity. And Alakshmi the harbinger of vice and evil. Alakshmi is believed to be the shadow of Goddess Lakshmi, and wherever Lakshmi goes Alakshmi is sure to follow. ‘’The Night Spirit’s Sobs’; ‘The Goddess That Guards A City’; ‘Shubh Deepawali’; and ‘Peace Amid The Storm’, are the stories of virtue and vile, of Goddesses Lakshmi and Alakshmi which recount that, misfortune and sufferings need to be acknowledged so that providence never impairs our percipience. Perception of both prosperity and poverty leads to the door of vision. The universe never rejects anything, be it is good or bad, moral or immoral, light or dark, elixir or poison, swan or crow, etc., etc., to maintain a balance between different elements of nature. ‘Jagajjanani Maa Sharoda’ is a true story of a pious soul, who was considered a living Goddess by the people because of her untiring service for the poor and the destitute, religious mission, wisdom and larger than life persona. ‘The Cursed Goddess’ is an amazing work of fiction inspired by Puranic stories while incorporating in it the principles of evolutionary biology, which is quite innovative and sure to intrigue the readers. The anthology, ‘When Goddesses Walked the Earth’ has been conceptualised by Monalisa Joshi, the Chief Editor and Publisher of Chrysanthemum Chronicles, who is also an excellent writer and one of the contributing authors of the anthology. Her idea fired the imagination of the devout authors, resultantly, precious works of art reverently bejewelled the title. All the stories are enlightening and intriguing, and have lessons to share.
The Anthology has been edited in a combined manner by both Guest Editor Moushumi Bhattacharjee and Senior Editor Nandita De nee Chatterjee.
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Moushumi Bhattacharjee is a teacher by profession and has a great passion for writing. Few of her short stories and articles have come up in various e-papers, magazines and newspapers. She picks up social issues for her writing. A mother of two young adults, she manages her time between her job, home and writing quite efficiently.