Part 2: 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐏𝐮𝐣𝐚

 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚 played a 𝐩𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 in 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐏𝐮𝐣𝐚, transforming it from a regional custom into a significant spiritual ritual. In 𝟏𝟖𝟗𝟖, while staying in Kashmir after a pilgrimage to Amarnath, Vivekananda had a vision that inspired him to worship a young girl as a 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞. This led to one of his earliest instances of 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐏𝐮𝐣𝐚, where he reverently touched the feet of a local 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦 boatman’s daughter.

In 𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟏, he formally introduced the ritual at *Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, making it an integral part of 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐚 𝐏𝐮𝐣𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. His approach to Kumari Puja was deeply influenced by the teachings of his guru, Sri Ramakrishna, who saw the 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧, including his wife, Sarada Devi. Vivekananda expanded this concept, viewing young girls as pure embodiments of this divine energy.

His version of 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐏𝐮𝐣𝐚 was notably inclusive, breaking barriers of 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧, with the selection of the Kumari at Belur Math reflecting this 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭. For Vivekananda, the practice was a 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧, 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

His promotion of Kumari Puja elevated it from a local tradition to a practice of national significance, with the ritual spreading beyond Bengal and continuing to inspire reverence for the divine feminine today. Through this practice, Swami Vivekananda reinforced the 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧, leaving a lasting cultural and spiritual legacy.

𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐏𝐮𝐣𝐚 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝟏𝟏𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫.