The culture of Indian festivals has been followed since the deep observations of humanity and its connection with the Sun, Moon, Earth and all parts of the universe. This also reflects in the way we celebrate our festivals and how we celebrate them.
"Nava" in Navratri means "nine" and "ratri" means night. This depicts that Navratri is the festival of nine days and these nine days are celebrated right after the new moon. These first nine days of the lunar cycle are known to be feminine. Navratri is the time of Devi- the feminine nature of the Divine.
These nine days of the month are dedicated to Devi and that is why we worship Devi on Navami.
Majorly, Navaratri is dedicated to the significance of the nine nights of the year as this is the time of Sharada- the goddess of learning. It is the time when we acknowledge the power of human beings to learn. If you are willing- you can learn about anything in the universe.
The other significance of Navratri is also counted as the time of deep rest. Practices like fasting, prayers, meditation and other religious norms bring about deep rest.
Navratri in India has great importance and significant beliefs are connected to this festivity. For the nine propitious days, the celebration continues with distinct customs and rituals.
These rituals are a significant part of Hindu culture and that is why this time is celebrated with immense pleasure. Worshipping the beautifully decorated incarnations of Devi, these nine days are believed to be sacred.
Here are some of the beliefs associated with celebration.
The nine days of Navratri are dedicated to each form of Devi. These 9 forms of devi are known as Navdurga.
The first day of Navratri is known to have the significance of Shailputri. Devi Parvati is the daughter of Raja Himavan or Himalaya Raja. The name, Shaila, means extraordinary or the one who reaches great heights.
Shailputri holds a Trishul in her hand with a bull by her side mounted with a lotus. Goddess Shailputri is worshipped to achieve a high state of consciousness.
The worship of Shailputri represents the power to fight all evil traits. Human cannot reach anywhere if he has tendencies like laziness, ignorance, darkness and procrastination (known as tamoguna).
The second day of this festival worships Devi Bramhacharini. Devi Bramhacharini is the form of Devi Parvati in which she took immense self-harm to have Lord Shiva as her life partner. Brahma in Brahmacharini refers to divine consciousness and achar means behaviour.
Brahmacharya means the act or behaviour that occurs in divine consciousness. Therefore, on the second day of Navratri, we take the opportunity to meditate, calm our inner self and explore our inner divinity.
Goddess Chandraghanta is worshipped on the third day of Navratri. Chandraghanta is the form of Devi Parvati which she took during the time of her marriage. Ma Durga in this form sits on a tiger, symbolising strength or shakti.
Her hands are formed in the gesture of blessings and mudras preventing harm and misdeeds. Chandra in her name stands for the moon, which symbolises the mind. The goddess wears a half moon on her forehead and she showers blessings through emotional balance and knowledge.
On the fourth day, worshippers soak in the blessings of Goddess Kushmanda. Kushmanda. Her name refers to the development of the cosmic universe from a divine egg.
The name means a pumpkin. It is formed with the combination of "Ku," "ushma," and "anda", meaning little, energy and egg. The whole universe developed from the cosmic egg (hiranyagarbha) and it is believed that it occurred from the infinite energy of Devi.
Pumpkin also symbolises prana as it has the power of soaking and radiating prana.
The fifth day is dedicated to Skandamata. Skandamata means the Mother of Skanda. She is the mother of Lord Karthikeya. In this form, she is the mother of Lord Karthikeya and is a symbol of motherly affection. Paying respect to this form of Devi brings health, wisdom, power, liberation and prosperity.
Worshipers dedicate the sixth day to Katyayani- the power to destroy demonic forces in the universe. Katyayani was born from the aggression of gods and she was the one to kill Mahishasura.
She is the form of Devi responsible for calamities and natural disasters. She is worshipped to kill our inner evils and to help us reach the path of spiritual evolution.
We invoke Devi Kalaratri on the seventh day. Kalaratri is the fierce form of Mother Divine and she represents the dark night. The night is believed as one of the aspects of Mother Nature because it brings calmness, comfort and rest to our souls. Devi Kalaratri represents infinite darkness that hides infinite universes.
The eighth day is dedicated to Devi Mahagauri. She represents freedom, momentum and beauty. She is the serene and beautiful form of Mother Nature. She is the power of our lives and the reason behind our liberation.
The final day- Navami, is dedicated to Siddhidatri. She sits on a lotus and has the power to bless her devotees with 26 different wishes. Worshippers pay respect and worship to her to go beyond the logical mind and explore the unexplained. She is known to be the Goddess who makes the impossible possible.
We celebrate Navratri because of the huge significance it holds. All nine days have different significance, dedicated to each form of Devi. Every step of worship holds unique importance and purpose. That is why it is important to understand its meaning before we move on the path of opening our hearts and minds to evolution.
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