Navaratri Day 3 – Mata Chandraghanta

Navaratri Day 3 – Mata Chandraghanta

The auspicious festival of Navaratri is specially performed to worship the nine forms of Durga known as NavaDurga. According to the belief oh Hindu mythology, Goddess Durga manifested herself into nine different divine forms.

Each day of Navaratri is dedicated to one of the forms of Goddess Durga. The third day of Navaratri is dedicated to Devi Chandraghanta. She is considered to be the third manifestation of Goddess Durga and the married form of Parvati. The name Chandraghanta is derived from the word Chandra and Ghanta as she has a half moon or Chandra on her forehead in shape of a bell or Ghanta. This manifestation personifies serenity, peace and prosperity to her devotees. The goddess has a skin of golden colour and reflects a charming. This divine personality is depicted to be seated on a lion and has three eyes and ten hands all holding different types of weapons.

The planet Shukra is believed to be governed by Chandraghanta. She is also considered as the advocator of bravery and possesses enough strength to fight against demons. Her roaring voice results in the demons to tremble. The dreadful sound of the Ghanta or bell terrifies the demons and keeps away the negative energy. By virtue of the blessings of Chandraghanta, all the hindrances in a person’s life get removed.

Chandraghanta is also known to hold the potent energy which is yet to become unrestrained. She claims the Manipura Chakra which is influenced by the planet Mars. This chakra is symbolized by a lotus having ten petals. Manipura Chakra is also known as navel chakra. In the festival of Durga Puja, the third day of Navaratri is considered to be very important. On this day, the minds of the devotees are believed to enter the Manipura Chakra crossing the stage of Swadhishthan Chakra. At that stage, the devotees become capable to see unearthly and divine things by the grace of Chandraghanta. On the Puja performed on third day of Navaratri, Chandraghanta is requested to remove all the miseries and sorrows from the life of her devotees and worshippers. Although her image is represented in the form of destroyer of devils and negative energy, she is always gentle for her worshippers.

All the devotees who solely worship this deity of Goddess Durga, certainly achieves positive aura which helps one to shine among chaos of people. Grace and glory of Chandraghanta is eternal.

The rituals which are to be observed for worshipping Goddess Chandraghanta are quite simple. The devotees worship all the Gods, Goddesses and the Planets in Kalash followed by the family members of the Goddess. This includes Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikay, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Laxmi, Goddess Vijaya, Goddess Jaya and others. Her worship is concluded with the praying of Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma. On this day of Puja, milk and sweets made out of milk are offered to the Goddess. Sometimes Kheer is also offered to Chandraghanta with a purpose to free the person or worshipper from all the pains and receive extreme happiness and joy. One famous temple of Chandraghanta is situated in Udaypur where a large number of devotees visit every day and worship the divine power Chandraghanta.

Article II:

 Maa Chandraghanta is the third Shakti of Maa Durga. Maa Chandraghanta is worshiped on the third day of Navrti Pooja. Those who worship Devi Chandraghanta get eternal strength and be blessed by Devi Maa to be happy through out one’s life.

Maa Chandraghanta is one Who establishes justice and wears crescent moon on Her head. Because of this bell shaped mark of moon which is present on the fore head of Maa Chandraghanta, Maa is known as Chandraghanta. The colour of her body is golden, she rides on lion who descrides “dharma”, possesses ten hands and three eyes, eight of Her hands display weapons while the remaining two are respectively in the mudras of gestures of boon giving and stopping harm. Devi Maa is posed as to be ready for war. “Chandra Ghanta” meaning supreme bliss and knowledge, showering peace and serenity, like cool breeze in a moonlit night. By her blessings all the hindrances coming in way of a person are removed. Her pleasant looks clears all sorrows and sadness of her devotees. Her roaring voice alerts and makes the Demons to tremble.

The third day of Navratri is very important in Navaratri. This day the mind of the sadhak enters Manipura Cakra. At this stage by the grace of Maa Chandraghanta he becomes capable of seeing unearthly and divine things. He smells the divine fragrance and many types of divine sound become audible to him. On this day and in this stage of discipline the sadhak is required to be most careful.
By the grace of Mother Chandraghanta all sins of the sadhak (striver) are burnt up and obstacles removed. Her worship is instantly fruitful. She is always in a gesture as if ready to proceed for the battlefield and thus she removes the difficulties of devotees very promptly. Her vehicle is lion and so her worshiper becomes valorous and fearless like a lion. The sound of her bell always protects her devotees from evil spirits. As soon as the sadhak invokes her, her bell immediately becomes active and starts ringing to protect the devotee under her shelter.

Even though she keeps her always busy in killing and suppressing the wicked, yet to her devotees and worshipers she looks most serene, gentle and peaceful. A very good quality that is developed in her devotees who worship her, is-the striver cultivates bravery and fearlessness accompanied by serenity and humility. His face, eyes and the entire body gets effulgent. His voice becomes divinely sweet. Wherever the devotee worshiper of mother Chandraghanta go, they disperse peace and blessings among the people. From the body of such a striver there always takes place an invisible radiation of divinely lighted atoms. This divine action is beyond the perceiving capacity of physical eyes but the striver himself and his associates go on experiencing this fact every now and then. By purifying his mind, words, deeds and body through prescribed manner we should worship the mother Chandraghanta and take shelter under her feet. Through worshiping her we can get rid of all worldly sorrows, and attain the supreme goal spontaneously. We should always try to advance on the path of spiritual discipline by contemplating on the sacred image of the mother. Contemplating on her, we can attain the mundane perfection and ultimate good in the other world.