Kartik Poornima: Across The Ages And Today

Ram Mandir, Bali Yatra, & The Goddess!

Dear Reader,

Imagine the Kartik Poornima of the second century BC.

Recollect and remember the Kartik Poornima in 1990.

Today too is Kartik Poornima.

What weaves together all of these days spread so far apart in time? The answer is — our civilisational continuity and our collective memory.

Sanjeev Sanyal in his book The Ocean of Churn explains how ancient mariners from Odisha set sail to the Southeast Asian lands of Bali and Java and further in mid-November when the winds shift and begin to blow from the north — during the festival of Kartik Poornima.

The day is still celebrated at a fair which is held every year in Cuttack called Bali Yatra (The Journey to Bali). As the November winds shift, families gather by water bodies, setting afloat paper boats lit with oil lamps, echoing the farewell rituals of ancient Kalinga mariners.

On the same day in 1990, the day of parikrama at Ayodhya, and also the day designated for kar-seva by the sadhu-sants. But this was also destined to be the day when Sarayu became red with the blood of Ram Bhaktas who pressed forward undeterred, chanting “Shri Rama, Jai Rama, Jai Jai Rama.”

The fateful day was October 30, 1990. thousands of kar-sevaks gathered in Ayodhya despite formidable police fortifications ordered by Mulayam government. They were shot point blank. Among them were Kothari brothers — Sharad Kumar (20) and Ram Kumar (23).

In two months' time, on 22 January, 2025, we will be celebrating the first anniversary of the same Ram Mandir's Pran Prathishtha. We must internalise into our civilisational consciousness and collective memories the Kartik Poornima of 1990, lest we forget the sacrifices that sealed the commitment — 'Mandir Vahin Banayenge'.

Kartik Poornima binds these experiences and remind us of the sacrifices and adventures that define our collective past. While Ayodhya’s kar sevaks gave their all for a spiritual commitment, Odisha’s mariners braved uncharted seas to foster trade and cultural exchange.

Away from the worldly and cultural, the moon has a profound spiritual symbolism, particularly in relation to Kartik Poornima and Goddess Shakti.

In Sri Lalita Sahasranama, the moon is depicted as a symbol of compassion and wisdom in various texts. The Goddess is described as the embodiment of both the full moon and the crescent moon.

The text celebrates Her as Chandrika (soothing moonlight) and Chandramandala Madhyaga (residing in the lunar disc). This lunar imagery signifies the Goddess' ability to nurture and guide humanity through suffering, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, offering a comforting light amid worldly ordeals.

In fact, as Aravindan Neelakandan says in his piece — The Goddess and the Moon: Meditations on Kartika Poornima — ancient civilizations worldwide revered the moon as a symbol of the nurturing Goddess.

The association of the Goddess with moon—the crescent moon, full moon and the new moon—existed in all cultures and civilisations but found its full expression in India.

The expression is further accentuated through the mystic and sacred geometry grasped here. Aravindan Neelakandan mentions Prof. Subhash Kak's insights on the significance of the number 108 in the cosmic alignment of the moon and the sun:

"Distance between Earth and Sun is 108 times Sun-diameter. Distance between Earth and Moon is 108 times Moon-diameter, and, most remarkably diameter of the Sun is 108 times the Earth diameter."

So while Kartik Poornima connects our civilisational experiences across the ages, it also connects us to the spiritual richness of our civilisation.

The Kartika Poornima moon is not merely a celestial event; it is a reminder of humanity's inherent capacity for transcendence — from a maritime trade excursion undertaken thousands of years ago to a festival celebrated today and from the resolve of 'Mandir Vahin Banayenge' taken decades ago to the Mandir's Pran Prathistha this year.

Here are three pieces for you to read today on Kartik Poornima:

• The Sacrifices That Sealed A Commitment — 'Mandir Vahin Banayenge'

• A Short History Of The Bali Yatra Festival

• The Goddess And The Moon: Meditations On Kartika Poornima

Wish you an auspicious and prosperous Poornima!

Anmol N Jain