NAVRATRE: The significance of NavDurga

The NavRatri or nine days of Devipujan represent the nine stages of manifestation of the boundless cosmic energy. The 9 Avatars of Maa Durga are not only a personification of the nine stages of cleansing and rejuvenation of our spirit/soul which is the limitless and eternal source of energy of this universe, but also is symbolic of the 9 stages of manifestation of success in our lives.

Navratri is a time to reflect inwards and evoke our own Divine Feminine which resides in all of us.

The NavDurga is also the representation of the nine stages of our journey towards success in whatever sphere we desire. How do we start a journey that leads us towards success, this is also what the nine days of Navratri signify.

Now let us see what these nine stages of success are according to each Avatar of Maa Durga:

• Devi Shailputri, the daughter of Himalaya Raja, represents the divine consciousness and is worshipped on the first day of Navratri. The first day of Navratri is the first stage of the beginning of our journey towards success. Anything first starts with the conception of an idea and our belief in that idea. So, the first day symbolises “this is an idea and I really believe in it.”

• Devi Brahmacharini, the form of Devi Parvati in which she undertook severe penance to have Lord Shiva as Her Consort, is propitiated on the second day of Navratri. Brahmacharini means to have behaviour that is established in the divine consciousness, the Brahma. In this second stage one needs to practice discipline towards that idea, energy and hard work towards the journey one has taken up to reach one’s goal.

• Devi Chandraghanta, the special form that Devi Parvati assumes at the time of her marriage to Lord Shiva, is worshipped on the third day of Navratri. It represents our victory over the vagaries of our ever-fluctuating mind. This third stage of success signifies our strong resolve and the immense energy that is needed to work towards our goal. It’s a positive declaration of our intent.

• Devi Kushmanda, the goddess thatrepresents the beginning of cosmic energy, is the presiding Devi on the fourth day of Navratri. The entire universe arose from this cosmic egg (Kushm means energy, anda means egg) that is manifested from the infinite energy of Devi. This fourth stage of success is significant that whatever we have thought and declared, now we are ready to work towards it and channelise all our energies towards this goal. This stage is where we start the process and put our idea into actual motion and start working on it.

• Devi Skandamata, the mother of Lord Karthikeya, is worshipped for her motherly affection on the fifth day of Navratri. The fifth stage of this journey towards our goal represents how the Divine Goddess blesses us by nurturing our idea, our plan, our process.

• Devi Katyayani, the form of Mother Divine that she assumed to annihilate all the evil and demonic forces, is worshipped on the sixth day of Navratri.She was born from the anger of the Gods to slay the Asura Mahishasura. This stage of our journey towards success is symbolic of how Devi gives us the energy to remove all small hurdles that we face in our path of growth or success.

• Devi Kalaratri, the fierce form of Devi, represents the dark night and presides over the seventh day of Navratri. It is that stage of our journey where, in the darkest of times when we are at the peak and feel like giving up, Devi leads us to light and success, making us hold on while She removes the biggest negativities from our path.

• Devi Mahagauri, the goddess that represents which is beautiful, gives momentum and freedom in life, is worshipped on the eighth day of Navratri. She liberates us and propels our lives forward. This stage of our journey is when we have scaled the highest peak of success and we start seeing results of what we planned. This stage makes us realise and reveal to us our true purpose.

• Devi Siddhidatri, symbolising perfection in life, is worshipped on the ninth and the last day of Navratri. She makes the impossible, possible. This last stage is the final stage of our journey towards success where our success becomes perpetual. Equipped with skills, we start operating on autopilot with efficacy, being one with the divine consciousness. This is the time when our endeavours get accomplished effortlessly while we are on our path to success.

These 9 days of Navratri are symbolic of the 9 habits, the 9 disciplines that we can inculcate through 9 daily prayers to help us understand the process of manifestation.

Author: Aumtara