Ayudha puja is all about tools and weapons, which happens to remind us of their significance. The day reminds us how a tool, whether tiny or giant is essential. For example, a needle is a small tool, but it is the only thing we can stitch the clothes we are wearing. On the arrival of the Ayudha puja, people understand this significance and worship their tools.
The festivity happens all over India; however, in some regions, it is celebrated more such as in Southern states of India.
The Significance of Ayudha Puja
Ayudha pooja allows us to worship and honor the tools and devices we use to make our life easier. We feel grateful for all these objects that make human life so better and faster. Hence on the day, we express our gratitude toward these tools and things that make our lives simpler and better.
People from every profession worship their tools and honor them. Even a pen is worshipped because, regardless of its size, it is the sword of a writer with which he crafts words that teach this world.
A musician worships his instruments because, without them, the world would have no taste of music, our ears won’t be hearing the melodies, and life would be a bit tasteless if there were no music.
However, we would still be using these tools and instruments; the arrival of Ayudha puja makes us realize their importance and gives us a chance to be grateful and content that mankind was able to make all these objects.
The Historical Reference to Ayudha Puja
Worshipping of weapons was also performed in the olden days. The Kings used to worship their weapons as they were used in the war, defeating the enemy. The event also takes us to a legend about Goddess Durga and the demon king Mahishasura.
To kill the demon, Devi took the form of Chamundeshwari and drank every single drop of the demon’s blood. The same celebration takes place in Karnataka to remember the victory of the Goddess over the demon.
There is another reason why we worship the weapons, and it is not related to any legend or mythology. The simple reason is “gratitude.” When we worship the tools, it means we give them respect and understand their importance. When we worship something after understanding its importance, we feel a state of contentment. When we are thankful for what we already have in life, we feel a sense of satisfaction and less greed.
Hence the simple act of worshipping the tools and objects even once a year makes us realize their importance and the invention of humans.
It has been proved that our minds lose the value of things we own and instead focuses on the ones that we don’t have. This creates dissatisfaction in our brains, and we continuously crave new things. However, this is not the right way to live life, and as a human, you should be satisfied with what you have; instead, we should also focus on providing others because that is the right way to living.
Thus Ayudha puja makes us remember what we already have and understand that how life would be without all these things. Thus by worshipping the weapons and objects, you show gratitude to the Universe as well, and in return, it maintains harmony in your life. Thus it is necessary that you understand the importance of things you own and learn to honor them; Ayudha puja is a way to make it happen.
Revering the Goddess on Ayudha Puja
On Ayudha Puja, we revere things; it is said that when we admire things we have, we indirectly worship the mind that perceives them. All the ideas first come to our minds before becoming a reality, and hence by worshipping the objects, we admire the intelligence, which is the same source as the Devi.
This is why the shloka is written:
‘Ya Devi sarva bhuteshu buddhi rupena samsthita.’
It means that I bow down to the Divine Goddess who resides in all beings in the form of intelligence.
It clearly describes how the Devi resides within us in the form of our intelligence, and when we worship something we make, we worship this intelligence, and that means the Devi.
When is Ayudha Puja 2021?
This year, Ayudha Puja falls on October 14th, Thursday, which will be celebrated on the ninth day of Navaratri.
