Be a Honey Bee
By Dr. Shilpa
When I look back on this stage of my life, I’m surprised. Today, I am living a happy and contented life. Do you get this happiness automatically, or do you have to earn it? I think we have to earn it... but how?
Many believe it’s a change in attitude. But how do we make this change now? That’s the real question. In my experience, when you always put yourself in a student’s position, you become enthusiastic. Only then you learn new things, change yourself a bit, and make your way of thinking as conscientious as possible.
The experience of everyday life can transform you in an instant. It can be a sentence, an event, someone’s reaction, a movie, a song... anything! At that time, the formula for living comes out of that incident and it definitely affects your personality. I remember when I was in seventh grade, we had a lecture at school by Mrs. Vidya Bal, she was the chief editor of the magazine “Milun Saryajani” (“Let’s come Together.”) Mrs. Vidya Bal was a feminist. Her thoughts were very clear and concise.
In Indian society, menstruation is considered a stigma for women.
Mrs. Bal openly talked about that topic, which is uncommon for a woman. She was openly expressing explosive views on this issue in front of all. She said that when the discharge is in her body for a whole month, she is pure, and when it comes out of her body, how can she be impure?
I still remember that sentence and rebellious thoughts were sown that day.
In my personal life, I do not follow the strange rules of menstruation. (One of the strange rules is you cannot go to the temple during four days of menstruation.) No matter if it’s festivals, ceremonies, poojas, and temples, when my menstrual cycle comes, I attend without hesitation, as I’ve learned to welcome this natural cycle in my body.
Her lecture was heard among students and her words penetrated deep - they became an integral part of my thoughts.
In India, Navratri is a special auspicious occasion devoted to women’s power. The Indian culture praises women’s power in these nine days. But, in the present day, the status of women in patriarchal India influences the relationship inside the house and society as a whole.
I remember an instance that changed my perception towards myself as a woman. There is a temple near “Saraubagh” (a historical place in Pune). It has idols of Goddess Durga, who is the symbol of power, self-defense, the idol of Lakshmi, symbol of wealth, and Goddess Saraswati, the symbol of intelligence. The road from college to home used to pass through that temple. I went into the temple to take darshan, and my gaze was fixed on the black idol of Durga, smiling idol of Lakshmi and the sattvic idol of Saraswati, and a thought came to my mind at that moment: “Why do I bow in front of these idols?” Then the answer came: They will bless me!
I please them with my prayer so I won’t be in trouble. Even if it comes, it will be avoided! Suddenly a thought flashed into my mind, the true salutation is to cultivate the qualities of bravery, courage, self-defense from Durga, business acumen from Lakshmi, and intellectual brilliance from Goddess Saraswati.
There is no better way to absorb these qualities into your personality than by humbly asking for something in front of the image of the deity.
Greeting gods and goddesses really means greeting ourselves. Really! Some of these events have a profound effect on our daily lives, and the way we think changes dramatically. There is nothing in the world that we cannot learn from.
The honey bee swarms around many flowers to collect honey in her tiny, delicate probe. Honey is different in each flower, yet it takes it regardless, with the energy, perseverance and effort it takes to collect it. We can certainly enrich our lives by learning from these different experiences, like a honey bee does with flowers!
