Chandra Dev- He who waxes and wanes

This week, I move closer home to planet earth and look at the celestial body who is our closest neighbor- The Moon. It is probably the most appropriate time, as full moon this week is supposed shine luminous, bright and silver, it is on this full moon night, that the Goddess Lakshmi visits the homes of those who worship her, bringing with her the silver, peace and benevolence radiance from the moon before it wanes to the darkest night, the night of Diwali.

Of all celestial bodies the Moon has the most obvious impact on our lives, our planet feels his presence, our oceans react to his pull with their ebbs and flows. But let us look beyond the facts, into the soul of things- who is the Moon?

The Moon, was an extremely important person for our ancestors. He was close, large and lit up the night sky in the manner, the bolder and stronger Sun lit up the day; but as their lives enlarged and more interesting things filled their days, the importance of the Moon as a deity waned. His beauty and valour was relegated to that of a wanton, pleasure-seeking rule breaker!

But there was a different beginning to this story; Chandra Dev is often referred to as the ‘thrice born’- Trijanmi because he was first born of Brahma’s creative process, but was lost in the middle of the complex myths. So, he was reborn through the tears of the powerful and energy laden Sage Atri. While there are multiple versions to this story, the narrative that runs common through them all is that the Sage, steeped in Soma, turned emotional and a tear drop welled up in his eyes and spilt over as a luminous drop of soma which became the Moon. But, he was too bright so he was thrown into the ocean of milk. There he remained, under the white waves for many a millennium right up till it needed to be churned! And he was born again! And as they say – third time lucky.

This strange birth process, with no parents and family, probably made Chandra Dev emotionally unstable. He was prone to mood swings and intense relationships that tended to be short lived such as the romantic fling he had with Tara, the wife of Brihaspati. While the relationship ended quite abruptly, it made him a father. Chandra dev’s attitude to parenting, reflects his personality – uninvolved and irresponsible; this led to his son, Budh intense antagonism towards him.

He finally married twenty-seven Nakshatras, who were Daksh’s daughter’s. However, he loved Rohini more than the others; when the other complained to Daksh, in anger he cursed Chandra that he will waste away. The only way to solve the problem was to win Shiva’s favour. Chandra Dev underwent severe penances for many years while his beautiful body gradually lost its lustre, finally Shiva appeared before him! Shiva could not take back the curse, but he modified it, saying that Chandra Dev would shrivel for half a month and then grow in strength for the next half! and that set the calendar for the waxing and waning moon.

And so it was, the Chandra Dev made peace with his fate and served the rest of his time spreading beauty, peace and romance. As he revolves round the earth there are moments when he plays light hearted pranks on us confusing our emotions, but he his generous too, showering those he touches with beauty and wealth. If you have been touched by the moon, you glow with gentle beauty and sharp aesthetic sense- an artist expressing deep emotions, yet indifferent to the more earthy realities of life.

By Sheila Bhattacharya