Navaratri Day 9 - Maa Siddhidatri

Navaratri Day 9 - Maa Siddhidatri

Among the nine manifestation of Goddess Durga Maa Siddhidatri is greatly worshipped on the ninth day of Navaratri. Siddhi means perfection and Datri means giver; so Goddess Siddhidatri is the one who grants her devotees with perfections and achievements. According to Markhandaye Purana there are about eight achievements which Goddess Siddhidatri bestows upon her devotees. These eight achievements are Anima, Garima, Ishitva, Laghima, Mahima, Prakaamya, Prapti and Vashitva. While in Brahmavaivart Purana 18 types of Siddhi or achievements have been mentioned namely, Anima, Amaratva, Bhavana, Laghima, Mahima, Kalpavrushatva, DurShravana, Prakaamya, Prapti, Ishitva or Vashitva,Parkaayapraveshan, Shrishti, Sarvagyatva,Sarvakaamvasayita, Samharkaransaamarthya, Sarvanyayakatva, Vaakasiddhi and Siddhi.

Maa Siddhidatri imageIn Vedic scriptures it is being described that all Siddhis attained by Lord Shiva was blessed by Maa Siddhidatri which made him half Devi and so he has been glorified with the name Ardha Narishwar which means the God whose half body is in female form. On the auspicious day of Navaratri Puja Kanya Puja is performed with little girls grandly. On this day there is a custom to offer little girls as homage and they are feed with blessed meals. The ninth day of Navaratri is a very significant and the most prominent day because this is the last day of the nine forms of Durga Puja. Various austerities, Maha Puja, Yagna and other grand celebrations are performed to delight Maa Durga.

Maa Siddhidatri is very blissful, pleasant ad graceful and her appearance is highly divine and heavenly. Devi Siddhidatri is depicted with four arms sitting on lotus flower. She holds mace in one right hand and lotus flower in one left hand. In the other right hand she carries chakra and scallop shell or Shank in the other left hand. She looks bright and glowing in red saree. She is seen to mount over a lion.


Maa Siddhidratri Goddess Siddhidatri must be worshiped by all human beings in order to achieve absolute perfection which makes the person highly glorified and eminent. If one pays heartily adherence toward Maa Siddhidatri then they are blessed with Siddhis. Human beings observe enhancement after attaining perfection in their charisma. She is well known for her generous character and her boundless glorious character for all animal and mankind present on earth. Worshipping Maa Siddhidatri can accomplish any kind of desires of worshippers. It is said that by the grace of one of the glorious aspects of NavaDurga, Goddess Siddhidatri satisfies and controls all desires of her devotees. All wishes of her worshippers get fulfilled by her grace and almost no types of wishes remain in the heart of her devotees after worshipping her. She also helps in the removal of greed and unnecessary temptation toward material comforts. It is believed that if all devotees pray for her with full dedication and devotion then they will get all achievements in life and nothing remains unattainable in the universe. Whenever any devotees of her step on the path of success, Maa Siddhidatri bestows energy and positive attitude towards her devotees. She is not only worshipped by humans but also by Gods, demons, beast and demigods for making their wishes fulfilled.

Article II:

The last among the nine Avtar of Maa Durga, Maa Siddhidatri, is worshipped on the 9th day of Navaratri. Maa Siddhidatri grants Her devotees all sorts of achievements and is capable of giving all sorts of occult powers. She is the possessor of 26 different wishes (Siddhis) which She grants Her worshipers. The legend has it that the Lord Shiva got all those Siddhis by worshipping Maa Shakti. With Her gratitude the half body of Lord Shiva became that of Maa Shakti, and therefore he was called as Ardhnarishvar.

This Avtar of Maa Durga removes ignorance and provides knowledge to Her devotees. She is also worshipped by Deva, Gandharva, Asura, Yaksha and Siddha. Maa sits on Kamal (Lotus) and rides on the lion. She has four hands and holds a Gada in the lower right hand, a Chakra in the upper right hand, a lotus flower in the lower left hand and a Shankha in the upper left hand.

Her glory and power are infinite and worshipping Maa Siddhidatri on the final day (the ninth day) of Navaratri bestows all Siddhis to Her devotees and also marks the successful completion of the Navaratri festival.

Chant this mantra to worship Maa Siddhidatri…

सिद्धगधर्व यक्षाद्यैरसुरैरमरैरपि।
सेव्यमाना सदा भूयात सिद्धिदा सिद्धिदायिनी।।

Sid’dhagadharva yakṣādyairasurairamarairapi |
Sēvyamānā sadā bhūyāta sid’dhidā sid’dhidāyinī ||

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Navaratri Day 8 - Maa Mahagauri

Navaratri Day 8 - Maa Mahagauri

The auspicious occasion of Durga Puja festival consists of worshiping all the nine forms of Goddess Durga in nine separate days. Each day is dedicated to respective forms of Goddess Durga. Maha Gauri is the eighth manifestation among the nine forms of Goddess Parvati. Maha means Great and Gauri means white in colour so Mahagauri means the one who is extremely fair. This eighth form of Goddess Parvati is worshipped in the form of an eight year old child. Goddess Mahagauri is the symbol of peace, calmness and innocence. She has the power to fulfil all the desires of her devotees and reliefs them from all the sufferings of life.

Goddess Maha Gauri is very peaceful, intelligent and washes away all the sins of past present and future of her dedicated devotees.

goddess mahagauriIn Hindu mythology it is believed that once Goddess Parvati performed very tough and strong penance in order to get Lord Shiva as her husband. While undergoing hard penance her complexion became very dark. Being pleased with her penance Lord Shiva appeared before her and blessed with a boon that she will become his wife very soon. Then Lord Shiva washed her body by sprinkling water from Ganga. The sacred water of Ganga removed the darkness and cleaned her and brought her beauty back. Due to her pure white complexion Lord Shiva gave her the name Maha Gauri which means extremely white.

According to Hindu belief Goddess Mahagauri possesses four arms. Her right hand in the lower part carries a trident and her lower left hand is in the form of blessings. The right arm in the upper region is in the pose of allaying fear and upper left hand is holding a tambourine. Her complexion is as white as silver. Goddess Mahagauri wears white clothes only and is decorated with pure ornaments. She is seen to mount on a bull also known as white vrishabha. Her white complexion symbolizes purity, serenity, calmness and peace.

mahagauri photoAshtami Puja or the Puja of the eighth day is considered as Maha Puja during Navaratri. This auspicious occasion is vivaciously celebrated whole heartedly and with devotion inclined towards Maha Gauri. The Maha Gauri Puja is performed during Ashwin Shukla. This puja is accomplished with worshipping of Lord Shiva. By worshipping Maha Gauri, the devotees get blessed and it is believed that none of the devotees or worshippers returns empty handed. A variety of fruits and sweets are offered to this goddess during Puja. One interesting thing about this occasion is that on Ashtami Puja Kanya Puja i.e. providing food to little girls is done to please this goddess. Nine numbers of little girls are invited by the worshippers and feed a variety of sweet dishes.


mahagauri picsBy worshipping goddess Mahagauri from the core of the heart, previous sins and the influence of wrong deeds gets vanished. Devotees gain divine perfection of the universe. Observing fast on the eighth day is highly fruitful especially for the unmarried girls as well as married women. Unmarried girls, with her blessings gets desired husband and for married women, her blessings leads to peaceful and harmonious long married life.

Article II:

 The 8th day of Navaratri is dedicated to Maa Mahagauri, the 8th Avtar of Maa Durga. The legend has it that Maa Mahagauri liberated the world from evil forces. She has three eyes and four hands. Her lower right hand holds a trishul and the upper right hand is in the mudra of allaying fear. Whereas her lower left hand is in a pose of granting boons to Her devotees and she is holding a damaru in Her upper left hand.

She has extremely fair complexion and therefore Maa is compared with the conch, the moon and the white flower of Kunda. Radiant and compassionate, Maa Maugauri is usually depicted in a white or green saari and riding a bull. She is also known as Shwetambardhara. Maa Mahagauri purifies the souls of Her devotees and removes all their sins. She has a calming effect on the lives of Her devotees and she also helps them improve their knowledge.

Worship Maa Mahagauri to be free from the clutches of the material world and to remove sorrows from your life, for She will lead you to the path of virtue and inner power.

Chant this mantra to worship Maa Mahagauri…

श्वेते वृषे समारूढा श्वेताम्बरधरा शुचिः |
महागौरी शुभं दद्यान्त्र महादेव प्रमोददा ||

Śvētē vr̥ṣē samārūḍhā śvētāmbaradharā śuciḥ |
mahāgaurī śubhaṁ dadyāntra mahādēva pramōdadā ||

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Navaratri Day 7 - Maa Kaalratri

Navaratri Day 7 - Maa Kaalratri

Maa Kalratri is the seventh form amongst the nine forms of Hindu Goddess Durga. The most violent form of Goddess Parvati is worshipped during the nine nights of Navaratri celebrations. The word Kaal means time and death and Ratri means night and so Maa Kaalraatri means the one who is the death of the Kaal that is the one who removes darkness by bringing light and destroys ignorance. Goddess Kalratri is also known as Shubhamkari or good doing. This form of Maa Durga signifies that life also has a dark side which includes the violence of Mother Nature, creating havoc and removal of dirt. She is believed to be the destroyer of all evil entities including the demons and brings calmness and courage to her devotees.

goddess kalratriAccording to Hindu mythology Raktabeej, a demon, obtained a boon from Lord Brahma after doing hard penance. The boon was like that whenever every drop of his blood will fall on the ground and another clone of his would be born. Feeling happy and stronger he started to torment both the Gods and the humans and became uncontrollable. So they requested Goddess Parvati to save them from his threats and Goddess Parvati promised them to stop him. In order to kill him she changed herself in the most furious form of Kalratri Mata in which she wore a garland of human skull heads that represents the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabets and a girdle of several human heads and her three eyes bright red in colour. She holds a scimitar, sword, trident and vajra in her four hands. The new form of Parvati made Raktabeej scared and she stabbed and decapitated him with her weapons and at last drank all his blood.

kalaratri navratriMaa Kaalraatri is depicted as having dark complexion like dark night with bountiful hair and a fearlessness posture. She has four hands. One of the two left hands holds a cleaver and the other carries a torch. Her two right hands are in the mudras of giving and protecting. Her neck is adorned with a necklace that flashes like lightning and shines like moon. When she inhales and exhales flames come out through her nostrils. She wears tiger skin like Lord Shiva. Her three eyes implicates past, present and future which emanate rays like lightning. She wore two dead heads as her ear rings. She is seen to be mounted on a donkey. It is advised to wear blue, red and white colour on this day.

The appearance of Maa Kalratri is very dangerous especially for the evil doers. But her gesture reveals us of protection and assures us of freedom from all troubles and fear. The devotees should not be afraid of her appearance because she gives good fruit to her devotees. The devotees and worshippers should not fear while facing Devi Kalratri because she is responsible for the removal of worry and darkness from the life of sufferer. It is believed that on this day worshippers attain Siddhi, power and practice in the universe.

Article II:

 The 7th day of Navaratri is dedicated to Maa Kalratri, the 7th Avtar of Maa Durga. Here, Kaal means time and death and Kaalratri means the One who is the Death of Kaal. Maa Kalratri destroys ignorance and brings light into the dark. Well, this form also depicts the dark side – the super power that creates havoc and removes all things bad and dirty. But to Her devotees, She brings calmness and courage.

Maa Kaalratri has dark complexion. Donkey is Her mount, She has bountiful hair and four hands. One of the two left hands holds a cleaver and the other holds a torch, and the right two hands are in “giving” and “protecting” mudras. She has three eyes emanate rays like lightning and Her necklace is shining like thunder. When She inhales and exhales air, flames appear through Her nostrils. Ganesha advises you to wear Blue, Read and White colour on this day.

Maa teaches us that sorrow, pain, decay, destruction and death are unavoidable and cannot be ignored. These are the truths of life and denying them is futile. We must accept their presence and significance to realise the fullness of our being and our potential.

Chant this mantra to worship Maa Kaalratri…

वाम पादोल्ल सल्लोहलता कण्टक भूषणा |
वर्धन मूर्ध ध्वजा कृष्णा कालरात्रि भर्यङ्करी ||

Vāma pādōlla sallōhalatā kaṇṭaka bhūṣaṇā | vardhana mūrdha dhvajā kr̥ṣṇā kālarātri bharyaṅkarī ||

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Navaratri Day 6 - Maa Katyayani

Navaratri Day 6 - Maa Katyayani

The nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped during the days of Navaratri Puja. Devi Katyayani is the sixth manifestation of Goddess Durga and the most prominent deities among all other nine forms of Goddess Durga. According to Hindu mythology Maa Katyayani took birth in the house of sage Katya. Since she was the daughter of sage Katya and so she is well known as Devi Katyayani. On the sixth day of puja she is worshipped by the devotees in the form of daughter. As per Shaktism she is associated with the fierce form of Durga including Bhadrakali and Chandika.

In Hindu mythology it is revealed that sage Katya wanted to get Goddess Durga as his daughter and so he performed very hard penance of Devi Bhagvati. Goddess Bhagvati became pleased with his penance and went before him and blessed him by fulfilling his wish and took birth in his house as his daughter. The planet Brihaspati is believed to be governed by Maa Katyayani. This violent form of Goddess Durga is also known as Warrior Goddess. It is described in Skanda Purana that she has been created from the spontaneous anger of Gods. Eventually she led to slaying the death of Mahishasura – the demon.

Goddess KatyayaniMaa Katyayani has been depicted with four hands. She is found to hold a lotus flower in her upper left hand whereas in her lower left hand she carries a sword. Her upper right hand and lower right hand remain in the postures of defending and blessing. The appearance of Goddess Katyayani is imagined with pink saree and her neck is ornamented with white rosary. She has an immense power to demolish tyranny and torments of giants and demons. The colour of her skin is as bright as gold. She is seen to mount on a lion. Maa Katyayani is highly generous to her devotees and she has a very grand and divine look. When the whole world was in threat of the demon Mahishasura all the Gods including Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva requested Maa Durga to destroy the demon and to save the world form his threats. On their request the sixth manifestation of Goddess Durga took horn on her shoulder and killed all the devils and saved the earth from their harmful destruction.


The legend of Maa Katyayani Vrata is described in the Bhagavata Purana where young ladies of the cowherd men of Gokul in Braja took a vow to get Lord Krishna as their husband. During the month of Margashirsha the unmarried daughters ate only unspiced khichri and bath in the Yamuna river and then worship Goddess Katyayani with aromatic substances like sandal, incense, flowers, fruits, betel nuts, newly grown leaves and fragrant garland. Worshipping goddess Katyayani makes the devotees feel the presence of Agya Chakra in their soul and mind. The devotees who worship her with absolute self sacrifice win the heart of Devi Katyayani and she accomplishes true desires of her devotees. There are many temples of Maa Katyayani in India.

Article II:

 The 6th day of Navaratri festival is dedicated to Maa Katyayani, the 6th Avtar of Goddess Durga. Once there was a great sage named Katya and it was his wish that Maa Durga be born his daughter. He practiced austere penance for several years to please the Gods. The trinity of Gods – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – got enraged and they designed Goddess Durga, who was an end result of the abilities of all deities. Since she was born to Katya, she was called Katyayani.

Maa Katyayani has 3 eyes and 4 hands. She holds a sword in Her one left-hand and a lotus in another. The other 2 hands respectively show protecting and allowing actions. If you make vow of fasting and worshipping her, she would bless you with the husband you have wished and prayed for. If a lady’s marriage is getting delayed due to one or the other reason, she may worship Maa Katyayani to remove obstacles that may be causing delays in her marriage.

Maa also blesses you with better health and wealth. By worshipping Maa Katyayani, you may develop great strength to fight all disease, sorrows and fears. In order to destruct the sins accumulated over your several lives, you should religiously worship Maa Katyayani.

Chant this mantra to worship Goddess Katyayani…

कात्यायनि महामाये महायोगिन्यधीश्वरि ।
नन्द गोपसुतं देविपतिं मे कुरु ते नमः ॥

Kātyāyani mahāmāyē mahāyōgin’yadhīśvari |
Nanda gōpasutaṁ dēvipatiṁ mē kuru tē namaḥ ||

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Navaratri Day 5 – Maa Skandamata

Navaratri Day 5 – Maa Skandamata

The auspicious occasion of Goddess Durga Puja lasts for nine days where all the nine forms of Goddess Durga known as Nava Durga are being worshipped.These nine days of Puja is collectively known as Navaratri. Skanda Mata is considered to be the fifth manifestation or fifth divine form of Goddess Durga and is worshipped on the fifth day of Navaratri. As the name Skanda Mata implies, this Goddess is the mother of Skanda.


Skanda is none other but Kumar Kartikay and is also commonly known as Lord Murugan in many regions of southern India. Being the mother of Lord Skanda, this fifth form of Goddess is popular as Devi Skanda Mata.

goddess skanda mataGoddess Skanda is represented with four arms and three eyes. She holds Kumar Kartikay in her lap. Both of her left and right upper hands are found to hold lotus. She is also known with the name Padamasana Devi as in meditation state, she seats on lotus. She uses lion to move around and is the vehicle of Devi Skanda Mata.

Worshipping of Goddess Skanda on the fifth day of Navaratri has a great significance. The elegant appearance of Skanda Mata mesmerizes the devotees and worshippers. She is a true symbol of purity and by offering invocation to this divine power, worshippers travel the tranquil Universe in order to pacify their mind and soul. It is a belief that the worshippers and devotees enter into Vishudh Chakra while worshipping on this day of Navaratri Puja. Vishudh implies to undiluted. The devotees feel the removal of the tensions and impurities of the outer world and gets immersed completely in adhere of Skanda Mata. On this auspicious occasion, the worshippers realize and experience the immense pleasure and peace in mind and soul. They make themselves free from the unnecessary and meaningless anxieties of human life and enjoy the happiness bestowed by Skanda Mata. The journey into Vishudh Chakra makes devotees realize the truth of life and they leave behind the sorrows and achieve the divine and great commitment in life.

maa skand mataPanchami or fifth day of Navaratri Puja is completely dedicated to Skanda Mata and helps the worshippers and devotees to achieve the profound blessings. Her divine brightness radiates in the life of the devotees. With her blessings, all true wishes get accomplished. One important thing about Skanda Mata is that she never lets the worshippers return with empty hands. It is a fact that her blessings are boundless which leads to peace in life. Goddess Skanda shows the directions towards Moksha or Nirvana. By offering prayer to this divine goddess, worshippers can come out from various dilemmas of life and move forward peacefully for salvation.


Skanda Mata is one form of Goddess Parvati. A devotee who worships Skanda Mata gets the benefit of worshipping Lord Kartikay as well. According to the Puranas, worshipping of Skanda Mata is very fruitful. Worshippers get the energy to fight against the materialistic wishes and focuses on eternal peace. Skanda Mata is the premium goddess of the solar system and can provide magnitude to her devotees.

Article II:

The 5th day of Navratri is dedicated to Goddess Skandamata, the 5th manifestation of Goddess Durga and the mother of Lord Kartikeya, who was chosen by the devatas as their commander in chief in the war against the demons. The image of Devi Skandamata portrays Her holding Lord Skanda in his infant form and a lotus in her right hand. She has four arms, three eyes and a bright complexion. She is also called as Padamasani since She is often depicted seated on a lotus flower in a her idol. She is also worshiped in the form of Parvati, Maheshwari or Mata Gauri. The left arm of the goddess is in a pose to grant boons with grace to her devotees.

The legend says that Tarkasur, a great demon, once pleased Lord Brahma with his great devotion and extremely tough penance. He asked Lord Brahma to shower His blessings and make him immortal. Lord Brahma denied him this blessing, saying none can escape death. Tarkasur acted smart and asked for the death by the son of Lord Shiva, since he thought Lord Shiva would never get married. Tarkasur started tormenting the people on the earth. Fearing his strength would cause destructions, the devatas requested Lord Shiva to get married. He agreed and married Goddess Parvati. Their child, Lord Kartikeya/ Skand Kumar, demolished Tarkasur. Devi Skandmata is a symbol of the mother-son relationship.

By worshipping Her, you get immense love and affection from her and gets all his desires fulfilled. You may attain supreme joy even in this very mortal world. Her worship automatically includes the worship of Lord Kartikeya (in his child form).

Chant this mantra to worship Goddess Skandamata…

सिंघासनगता नित्यम पद्माश्रितकरद्वया |
शुभदास्तु सदा देवी स्कन्द माता यशश्विनी ||

Siṅghāsanagatā nityama padmāśritakaradvayā |
śubhadāstu sadā dēvī skanda mātā yaśaśvinī ||

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Navaratri Day 4 – Maa Kushmanda

Navaratri Day 4 – Maa Kushmanda

According to the series of the worship of nine forms of Maa Durga in Navaratri, Maa Kushmanda is worshipped on the fourth day during Durga Puja. She is known to be the fourth manifestation of Goddess Durga. The name of Maa Kushmanda is a combination of three words; Ku means little, Ushma means warmth and Anda means cosmic egg. It is believed that Kushmanda Devi created this whole universe as a cosmic egg with her little divine smile. Also it is said that before the existence of universe there was complete darkness.

When Maa Kushmanda smiled all the darkness got eliminated and thus illuminated with light creating the universe. So she is known as Adiswarup and Adishakti.

As per Hindu mythology the core of the sun is the place of residence of Maa Kushmanda. She is the only one who has strength and power to live in that part of the sun. Her divine smile illuminates in all directions of the universe including the sun itself. Devi Kushmanda provides energy to the sun so as to shine and to emit light to the universe. All the functioning of the solar system is controlled by none other than Devi Kushmanda. The Goddess Kushmanda has been seen to be very happy in this fourth manifestation among the nine forms of Maa Durga.

maa kushmanda durga pujaMaa Kushmanda is often depicted as having eight hands. In the seven hands she holds Kamandalu, arrow, bow, a jar of nectar, mace, discus and a lotus flower. While in her eighth hand she holds a rosary that consists of all the eight kinds of Siddhis and nine Niddhis. The complexion of her body is golden in colour and the structure of her face is very radiant. She is seen to mount on a lion which signifies Dharma. Since Devi Kushmanda provides energy and light to the Sun in order to emit in all directions so it is said that God Sun is governed by Goddess Kushmanda.

Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped on the fourth day of Navaratri. If one worships Devi Kushmanda then all the ailments, sorrows, hurdles and troubles are removed or eliminated from one’s life. While the divine blessings of Goddess Kushmanda helps to improve health, wealth, fame, prosperity and strength in one’s life. All the customs and rituals involved in worshipping Devi Kushmanda are very sophisticated. It is believed that the worship of Devi Kushmanda starts with the puja of the Kalash where all other Gods and Goddesses are invited. On the fourth day of Navaratri there is a crucial ritual of sacrificing a pumpkin because according to Hindu mythology it is said that Maa Kushmanda loves the sacrifice of a pumpkin. Due to this reason sometimes, in many temples, on the fourth day of Durga Puja, many devotees are seen in queue with a pumpkin in order to satisfy Goddess Kushmanda by sacrificing the pumpkin.

In spiritual practice goddess Kushmanda represents Anahata Chakra. Therefore on the auspicious occasion of this day along with Yogis and Sadhaks, other dedicated devotees keep their mind in Anahata Chakra.

Article II:

 On the fourth day Maa Durga is worshipped as her Maa Kushmanda swarup. She is depicted as seated on a lion, and possesses eight arms. She resides in solar systems and represents all knowledge. Seven types of weapons are shown in seven hands and prayer beads in her right hand. Rosery represents her power to bless her devotees with Ashtasiddhi (8 types of studies or wisdom sources) and Navanidhi (9 types of wealth). She likes the offerings of “Kumhde.” Therefore her name “Kushmanda” has become famous.

She is also known as ‘Krishnamanda’ and is believed o have created the universe,so she is called as Adi Swarup. She is also called ‘Astbhuja’. Worship of Ma Kushmanda brings light into darkness and ignorance, gives true knowledge,destroys ego, disease, sorrow, depression, ignorance. “Kumbh Bhand” means to see cosmic vivacity in Pindi shape or knowledge of cosmic intricacies in human race. The abode of Mata Kushmanda is in Bhimaparvat.

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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.

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Navaratri Day 2 – Maa Brahmacharini

Navaratri Day 2 – Maa Brahmacharini

On the second day of Navaratri Goddess Brahmacharini is worshipped. She is the second manifestation of Goddess Durga. The word Brahm means Tapa and Charini means one who performs Tapa or penance so Brahmacharini often refers to Tapa Charini. Goddess Brahmacharini is seen to be extremely majestic, radiant and tremendously effulgent. It is believed that after the formation of Kusumanda Goddess Parvati took birth as the daughter of the king Daksha Prajapati.

There in this form Goddess Parvati was well known as a Great Sati. Since then the unmarried form of Sati is worshipped as Goddess Brahmacharini up till now.

Goddess BrahmachariniAccording to Hindu mythology Goddess Brahmacharini did very tough penance for several thousand in order to obtain Lord Shiva as her divine consort. Rishi Narad influenced her thoughts to obtain lord Shiva as her husband and advised to perform rituals and follow custom of rigid penance for longer periods. During her tough penance she spent thousand years by eating only fruits and beet roots and another thousand years she spent on leafy vegetables. It is believed that she observed complete fast for a longer period of time and suffered painful torments of nature such as torrential rain, intense flames of the Sun and extremely biting cold under the open sky.

Also it is said that she ate leaves of dry Bilva that were fallen on the ground for about three thousand years. Later on she abstained herself from food and water and kept her fully engrossed in worshipping Lord Shiva. As she stopped eating Bilva leaves so she was known as Aparna. Her body became lean and thin after the continuous hardship penance for several thousand years and was reduced to skeleton only. The whole universe got disturbed and was shaken due to her hard and sharp penance for thousands and thousands of years to get Lord Shiva as her husband. Lord Brahma at last addressed before her and said to stop her penance and that her all desires would be fulfilled. She would definitely get Lord Shiva as her divine consort.

goddess BrahmachariniGoddess Brahmacharini is depicted as walking on the bare feet and possess two hands. She holds a Kamandal in her left hand and Japmala in her right hand. She has been seen wearing white saree with bright orange border and is ornamented with Rudraksha. Her lustre is glorified by solar radiations present behind her head.

Goddess Brahmacharini is worshipped by the devotees on the second day of Navaratri in order to acquire the strength and power to abstain themselves from food and water till the nine days of Navaratri. The blessings of Goddess Brahmacharini help the devotees to maintain great emotional strength and to keep mental balance and confidence even in the darkest hour of life. She is worshipped to get rid of ego, selfishness, greed and laziness. She also blesses her devotees by enhancing their metabolism rates and stamina. Through her blessings one can live without meals without much effect on health and can endure unexpected torment of nature.

Article II:

On the second day of Navaratri, Maa Brahmacharini – a manifestation of Maa Durga – is worshipped. The form of Goddess Brahmacharini is extremely radiant and majestic. Maa signifies love and loyalty, wisdom and knowledge. She holds a rosary in her hight hand and a Kamandal in her left hand. She wears Rudraksha. The word “Brahm” refers to Tapa (penance) – Her name means “one who performs Tapa (penance)”.

She was born to Himalaya. Devrishi Narada influenced her thoughts and as a result, she practised tough penances as she was determined to obtain Lord Shiva as her divine consort. She spent hundred of years eating very little or nothing at all, but her penance was so pure and had so much strength, power that it caused great disturbance in all the three worlds. Her desire to obtain Lord Shiva as her divine consort was eventually fulfilled.

Goddess Brahmcharini blesses you with great emotional strength and you may be able to keep your mental balance and confidence even in the darkest hour. She inspires you to hold on to your ethics and march on the path of duty. By the grace of Maa Brahmacharini, you strive to move forward in life without getting disheartened by the numerous challenges coming your way. Her blessings help you get rid of selfishness, ego, greed and laziness.

Chant this mantra to seek Maa’s divine blessings…
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु माँ ब्रह्मचारिणी रूपेण संस्थिता।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नम:।।
दधाना कर पद्माभ्याम अक्षमाला कमण्डलू।
देवी प्रसीदतु मई ब्रह्मचारिण्यनुत्तमा।।

Yā dēvī sarvabhūtēṣu mām̐ brahmacāriṇī rūpēṇa sansthitā |
Namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namō nama: ||
Dadhānā kara padmābhyāma akṣamālā kamaṇḍalū |
Dēvī prasīdatu ma’ī brahmacāriṇyanuttamā ||

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Navaratri Day 1 – Maa Shailputri

Navaratri Day 1 – Maa Shailputri

Goddess Shailputri is the first aspect of Goddess Durga. She is best known to be the Goddess of Inspiration and Nature. Navaratri Puja begins with the Puja of Goddess Shailputri. She has been given the name Shailputri because she is the daughter of King of Mountains or Parvat Raj Himalaya. On the first day of Navaratri the name of Goddess Shailputri is venerated as the first form of Goddess Durga.

Since she is defined as the Goddess of Nature so she encourages all human beings to maintain balance in nature and adjures mankind to live in harmony with her.

It is said that once upon a time the whole world was in a threat of the demon, Mahishasura. During that situation Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Kali along with other gods of the Heaven personified their immense power altogether and created Goddess Shakti also known as Goddess Durga. All the Gods ornamented her with their weapons. Goddess Shakti manifests herself in nine different forms. All of these nine manifestations of her are worshipped one by one during nine days and nights of Navaratri. The devotees enter in Moolchakra after worshipping her on the first day of Navaratri Puja.

maa shailputri photoIt is said that the planet Moon is the provider of all fortunes and this planet Moon is governed by Goddess Shailputri. It is also believed that whenever any bad things affect Moon then it can be overcome by worshipping this form of Goddess Durga. Goddess Shailputri is depicted with two hands. On the right hand she carries trident also known as trishul and on the left hand she holds a lotus flower. She is seen to be mounted over bull and because of which she is also known as Vrisharudha. She is often known as Hemavati and Parvati. Her forehead is decorated with a half moon. Being the Goddess of Nature she looks after each and every living organism including trees, animals, human beings, plants, shrubs and even tiny organisms that live on earth.

Shailaputri goddessThe glory of Goddess is incredible and she is the divine deity of purity. Shailputri is being worshipped along with Lord Shiva because she is the wife of Lord Shiva. It is believed according to Hindu mythology that after the self immolation of Goddess Sati, Goddess Parvati took rebirth as a daughter of King of Himalaya and so she is named as Goddess Shailputri. Later on she was married to Lord Shiva just similar to her previous birth. Kumar Kartikay and Ganesha are the two sons of Goddess Shailputri and Lord Shiva.

In Hindu belief all the energies of the entire world converge into one and only Goddess Shailputri. According to them, whatever is present on earth, it is because of her. No life or no matter on earth exists without being a part of Goddess Shailputri. Lord Shiva is known as the Lord of Compassion and Goddess Shailputri spreads this compassion among all masses of the whole world so both Shiva and Shakti are worshipped together.

Article II:

One of all nine forms of Devi Durga is worshipped every day in Navaratri. The first form of Maa Durga is Shailputri, who was born to the King of Mountains. “Shail” means mountain and “putri” means daughter. Hence, she is called Shailputri – the daughter of mountain. Maa Shailputri, an absolute form of Mother Nature, is worshipped on the first day of Navratri. She is also referred to as Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva and mother of Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya. The image of Maa Shailputri is a divine lady, holding a trishul in her right hand and lotus flower in her left hand. She rides on Nandi, a bull.

Maa Shailputri is the goddess of the muladhara chakra or root chakra, and upon awakening this Shakti one begins their journey to spiritual awakening and to their purpose in life. Without energising the muladhara chakra one doesn’t have the power and strength to do anything worthwhile. It is said that one should worship Maa Shailputri to make full use of the precious human life. Therefore, this Avtar of Goddess Durga is worshipped on the first day of Navratri.

Chant this mantra to worship Maa Shailputri…

वंदे वाद्द्रिछतलाभाय चंद्रार्धकृतशेखराम |
वृषारूढां शूलधरां शैलपुत्री यशस्विनीम्‌ ||

Vandē vāddrichatalābhāya candrārdhakr̥taśēkharāma |
vr̥ṣārūḍhāṁ śūladharāṁ śailaputrī yaśasvinīm‌ ||

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