Navaratri: A Journey of Transformation.
Navaratri is a nine days long festival in which the Goddess Durga is worshipped in nine different forms It symbolizes the victory of higher divine forces over the lower negative qualities. Journey through the process of transformation in these 9 days and nights with her various Shakti forms: Durga (transformative aspect), Lakshmi (prosperity in material and spiritual life), Saraswati (knowledge and wisdom).
Nature is in transition at
this time of the year and the body and mind also undergo a metamorphosis.
Sincere sadhana and positive restraint through body, mind and speech during
this time results in vital health and spiritual strength.
Join Shri Anantbodh Chaitanya as he officiates over Navaratri, considered to be one of the most auspicious
times for spiritual sadhana.
Navaratri Story.
The story associated with Navratri can be found in
various Hindu religious texts like Markandeya Purana, Vamana Purana, Varaha
Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Devi Bhagavatam and Kalika Purana. The story
of Navratra is the symbolic message of the fact that however glorious and
powerful the evil become, in the end, it is the goodness that wins over all of
the evil. The story is associated with Maa Durga and Mahisasura, the buffalo
headed demon.
The story begins with the life of two sons of Danu
called Rambha and Karambha who performed austerities to gain extreme power
and authority. When their prayers became deeper and austerities became
exceptional, the King of the heaven God Indra got perturbed. Out of fear, he
killed Karambha. Rambha, who came to know about his brother’s death, became
more stubborn to win over the Gods. He increased the intensity of his
austerities and finally got several boons from gods like great brilliance,
beauty, invincibility in war. He also asked a special wish of not being killed
by either humans or Gods or Asuras.
He then considered himself immortal and started
freely roaming in the garden of Yaksha where he saw a female-buffalo and fell
in love with her. To express his love, Rambha disguised in the form of a
male-buffalo and copulated with the female buffalo. However, soon after that a
real male buffalo discovered Rambha mating with the she-buffalo and killed him.
It was due to Rambha’s inflated ego that killed him, out of which he has not
asked his death to be spared from the wrath of animals. As the pyre of Rambha
was organized, the female-buffalo, who was copulated with him jumped into the
funeral pyre of Rambha to prove her love. She was pregnant at that time. Thus, a demon
came out with the head of a buffalo and human body and he was named
Mahisasura (the buffalo headed demon).
Mahishasura was extremely powerful. He defeated the
gods and the demons and acquired power over the entire world. He even won over heaven and threw Devtas outside it. He captured the throne of Indra and
declared himself to be the lord of the gods. The gods led by Brahma
approached Vishnu and Shiva and evaluated them of the situation. In order to
save the Gods, the three supreme deities emerged a light of anger, which
combined to take the shape of a terrible form and this was Durga. All the
gods then granted this Goddess of power with all the supreme weapons they had.
This is why; Durga is called the brilliance of all the Gods.
When the goddess was seen by Mahishasura, he was
mesmerized by her beauty. He then fell in love with her and proposed to marry
her. The goddess said she will marry him if he defeated her in the battle.
Then began a scary and terrible battle between both of them which continued for
nine days. Finally, on the last day, Durga took the form of Chandika and stood
over the chest of Mahishasura and smashed him down with her foot. She then
pierced his neck with her spear and cut off his head with her sword. It is
the day when Vijayadashmi is celebrated.
