Navratri
Significance of Navratri
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The word Navratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning night. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti / Devi are worshipped.
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The seeds of inner renewal are sown, sprouting, watched & worshipped by devotees during Navratri and on the 8th, 9th and 10th days, Goddesses Durga, Mahanavami and Vijayadashami are worshipped. The tenth day that is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or "Dussehra", celebrates victory of Shakti over Mahishasura, of Lord Rama over Ravana, and of Durga over demons like Madhu-Kaitav, Chanda-Munda and Shumbha-Nishumbha; that is victory of good over evil.
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The last 3 days of Navratri are called Durgashtami (8th day), Mahanavami (9th day) and Vijayadasami (10th day). On the morning of the tenth day there is a fire ceremony dedicated to Shiva, where the Navaratri participants have a chance to receive Shiva's blessing.
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The beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn are considered to be important junctions of climatic and solar influences. That is why these two periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the Divine Mother Durga.
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Durga, the Mother Goddess of the Hindus and a form of Devi and Shakti, is believed to have manifested in various forms, and Navadurga Maa is believed to be the most sacred aspects of Goddess Durga. According to a Hindu tradition, it is believed that there are three major forms in which Goddess Durga manifested herself, namely, Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali who are the active energies (Shakti) of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra respectively.
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Navadurga and significance of each day of Navratri
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These three forms of Durga further manifested in three more forms each, and thus emerged the nine forms of Durga, which are collectively called Navadurga or Nine Durgas. The significance of each day of Navratri is attached to a form of the Mother Divine.
Day 1- Devi Maa Shailaputri - The Navratri commences with the 1st night devoted to the puja of Devi "Shailaputri". Her 2 hands display a trident and a lotus and is mounted upon a bull. Shaila means extraordinary or rising to great heights. The divine consciousness represented by Devi always surges from the peak. On this first day of Navratri, we propitiate Devi Shailaputri so that we may also attain the highest state of consciousness.
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Day 2- Devi Maa Brahmacharini - One hand holds a "Kumbha" or water port and the other rosary. She personifies love and loyalty. Maa Brahmacharini is a storehouse of knowledge and wisdom and Rudraksha is her most adorned ornament. Devi Brahmacharini is the form of Devi Parvati in which she undertook severe penance to have Lord Shiva as Her consort. Brahma means divine consciousness and achar refers to behaviour. Brahmacharya is the behaviour or an act that is established in divine consciousness. This day is especially sacred to meditate and explore our inner divinity.
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Day 3- Devi Maa Chandraghanta - Worshipped on the 3rd night this Maa Durga "Shakti" is astride a tiger, displays a golden hue to Her skin, possesses ten hands and 3 eyes. Eight of Her hands display weapons while the remaining two are respectively in the mudras of gestures of boon giving and stopping harm. Chandra and Ghanta, meaning supreme bliss and knowledge, showering peace and serenity. Chandraghata is the special form that Devi Parvati assumed at the time of Her marriage with Lord Shiva. Chandra refers to the moon and the latter represents our mind. The mind is restless and keeps moving from one thought to another. Ghanta is a bell which produces only one kind of sound. The significance is that when our mind is established at one point, i.e. Divine, then our prana (subtle life force energy) gets consolidated leading to harmony and peace. This day thus signifies withdrawing from all vagaries of the mind, with a single focus on Mother Divine.
Day 4- Devi Maa Kushmanda - The 4th night begins the worship of Maa "Kushmanda", possessed of eight arms, holding weapons and a mala or rosary. Her mount is a tiger and she emanates a solar like aura. "Kumbh Bhand" means to see cosmic vivacity in Pindi shape or knowledge of cosmic intricacies in human race. The abode of Maa "Kushmanda" is in Bhimaparvat. Kushmanda means a pumpkin. Ku means little, ushma means energy and anda refers to egg. This entire universe which arose from the cosmic egg (hiranyagarbha) is manifested from an infinitesimal energy of Devi. A pumpkin also represents prana as it has the unique property of absorbing and radiating prana. It is one of the most pranic vegetables. On this day, we worship Devi Kushmanda who showers us with Her divine energy.
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Day 5- Devi Maa Skandamata - Using a lion as a vehicle, She holds her son, "Skand" in her lap while displaying 3 eyes and 4 hands; two hands hold lotuses while the other 2 hands respectively display defending and granting gestures. It is said, by the mercy of Maa "Skandmata", even the idiot becomes an ocean of knowledge such as "Kalidas". On this day, the motherly aspect of Devi Parvati is worshipped and, in this form, she is the mother of Lord Karthikeya. She represents motherly affection (vatsalya). Worshipping this form of Devi brings abundance of wisdom, wealth, power, prosperity, and liberation.
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Day 6- Devi Maa Katyayani - As mother, Maa "Katyayani" stayed in the Ashram of sage Katyayan for penance, hence She is named as "Katyayani". This 6th Shakti is also astride a lion with 3 eyes and 4 arms. One left hand holds a weapon and the other a lotus. The other 2 hands respectively display defending and granting gestures. Her complexion is golden coloured. It is a form that Mother Divine assumed to annihilate the demonic forces in the universe. She was born from the anger of the gods and was the one who slayed Mahishasura. As per our scriptures, anger that supports dharma (righteousness) is acceptable. Devi Katyayani represents that divine principle and form of the Mother Divine who is behind natural calamities and disasters. She is the anger that arises in creation to restore balance. Devi Katyayani is invoked on the sixth day to put an end to all our inner foes that are an obstacle on the path of spiritual evolution.
Day 7- Devi Maa Kalaratri - Black skin with bountiful hair and 4 hands, 2 clutching a cleaver and a torch, while the remaining 2 are in the mudras of "giving" and "protecting". She is mounted upon a Donkey. Mother Nature has two extremes, one is terrifying and devastating. The other is beautiful and serene. Devi Kalaratri is a fierce form of Devi and represents the dark night. Night is also considered an aspect of Mother Divine as it is night that brings solace, rest, and comfort to our souls and it is only at night that we get a glimpse of infinity in the skies. Devi Kalaratri is that infinite dark energy that houses innumerable universes. Her famous shrine is in Kolkata.
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Day 8- Devi Maa Mahagauri - Four arms with the fairest complexion of all the Shaktis. Peace and compassion radiate from her being and she is often dressed in a white or green sari. She holds a drum and a trident and is often depicted riding a bull. She gives momentum and freedom in life and represents the beautiful and serene aspect of Nature. She is that energy which propels our lives and liberates us. Maa "Mahagauri can be seen in a temple at Kankhal near pilgrim centre Haridwar.
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Day 9- Devi Maa Siddhidatri - Ensconced upon a lotus, most commonly, with 4 arms, and is the possessor of 26 different wishes to grant her devotees. Siddhi means perfection, implying that she brings perfection in life and making the impossible, possible. She takes us beyond the ever-reasoning logical mind to explore the realm beyond time and space. Her famous pilgrim centre is in Nanda Parvat in the Himalayas.
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The nine forms of Maa Durga that are worshipped with fervour during Navratri, are believed to lift divine spirit in us to help us overcome obstacles and get liberated from unnecessary qualities to be filled with new freedom and purity. All these nine names of Goddesses are described in "Devi Kavacha" of the Chandipatha scripture. Also, called The Devi Mahatmyam or Devi Mahatmya ("Glory of the Goddess"), it is a Hindu religious text describing the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
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Devi Puja is an expression of expanded consciousness showing reverence to the whole Creation. The puja that we perform during the 9 days of Navratri is a way of honouring the Devi and showing our gratitude to the Mother Divine. While attending the puja we give up all our worldly activities for a while and enter deep meditation.
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Where and how is it celebrated?
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Navratri is a very important and major festival in the western states of India: Gujarat and Maharashtra, during which the traditional dance of Gujarat called "Garba" is widely performed. This festival is celebrated with great zeal in North India as well, including Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and the northern state of Punjab.
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Navratri is celebrated differently in India’s various regions. For many people it is a time of religious reflection and fasting; for others it is a time for dancing and feasting. Among fasting customs are observing a strict vegetarian diet and abstaining from alcohol and certain spices. Dances performed include Garba, especially in Gujarat. Typically, the festival’s nine nights are dedicated to different aspects of the divine feminine principle, or shakti. While the pattern varies somewhat by region, generally the first third of the festival focuses on aspects of the goddess Durga, the second third on the goddess Lakshmi, and the final third on the goddess Saraswati. Offerings are often made to the goddesses and their various aspects, and rituals are performed in their honour. One popular ritual is Kanya Puja, which takes place on the eighth or ninth day. In this ritual, nine young girls are dressed as the nine goddesses aspects celebrated during Navratri and are worshipped with ritual foot washing and are given offerings such as food and clothing.
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Dussehra is the 10th day of the festival. Whether throughout the festival or as the 10th day, Dussehra is a time to celebrate the triumphs of good over evil, such as Durga’s victory over Mahishasura. In some parts of India, Dussehra is associated with the victory of the god Rama over the demon-king Ravana. In North India, the Ram Leela (“Play of Rama”) is the highlight of the festival. On successive nights different episodes of the epic poem the Ramayana are dramatized by young actors elaborately costumed and masked; the pageant is always climaxed by the burning of huge effigies of the demons. Some celebrate by erecting bonfires and burning effigies of Ravana, sometimes by stuffing them with fireworks.
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By Rishikesh Beeharry