Ratri Suktam the rigvedic hymn to — Ratri Devi—the divinity of night, is one of my favourite hymn. A whole other world exists in the light of a moon filled night something that we rarely take the trouble of noticing.
My older daughter used to call it the “Moon Gardens”
I prefer referring ratri in when explained in the terms of Ra—to give and tri – is to protect.
she is like a queen who surveys her domain, and all it contains. With the stars as her eyes she sees everything nothing is spared, as the night progresses, her sovereignty gets spread. Being the queen she protects her subjects.
The height of summer time heat we drift outdoors at dusk to refresh ourselves, in the cool evening air. Songs of the cricket and glow of the fireflies they all come together with ever lengthening shadow to creating a symphony of overlapping sensations that invigorate the body and gladden the soul.
As the sun sets, the vivid colours of most flowers and leaves fade, the light slowly reduces, and the Ratri Devi, steps in gradually she takes over hence cannot be destroyed. The moon who accompanies her provide us with a space to appreciate mother nature’s bounty long after the light of the day has retreated.
As the light withdraws, the birds and animals come home, the empress of the night soothes the troubled and tired, letting all of us heal. Holding the light until we are rested and rejuvenated she then gradually makes way for her sister Usha— who ushers the Dawn.
Most plant life worship the sun, though there are few flowers and plants that come to their own in the loving care of Ratri Devi. There are flowers like the moonflower that open at night and release their fragrance .
My friend who does garden landscaping and creates indoor gardens, suggested that one way of creating this would be creating a moon garden that would contain nocturnal blossoms and plants. If you are planning then here is a link.
Creating a moon garden — http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/colorful/design-for-a-moon-garden/
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