NAVRATRI

 Navratri is known as the Festival of Nights. It begins on the first day of the Hindu month of Ashwin and is dedicated to honoring the three Devis – Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Total worship lasts for nine days, out of which the first three are dedicated to Durga (the Devi of Strength and Valor), the next three to Lakshmi (the Devi of Wealth and Prosperity) and the last three to Saraswati (the Devi of Knowledge). The images of Devi Durga are created, worshipped and immersed in a sea or lake. In Gujarat, Garbha dance is performed. In the South, houses are decorated, and toys are displayed.

The invocation of various forms of Devi is not without significance. Devi Durga is known as the one who killed the demons that terrorized devoted religious seekers. So also in our minds are the monsters of passion, lust, greed, jealousy, which must be annihilated before we can reach spiritual fulfillment. By invoking Durga/Kali we are invoking our own power to destroy negative forces within. Think positive and remove negative forces from your mind to achieve success.

Durga is a manifestation of an aggressively good person. Her basic nature is good. She uses her intellect (ability to discriminate between right and wrong) continuously. Such a person studies facts, foresees consequences and reasons carefully.

As a mother goddess, she is usually addressed as Maa Durga and in the Bengali Tradition, is also known as the mother of Kartik (the warrior-god), Ganesh (the god who removes obstacles), Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity), and Saraswati (the goddess of learning).

Durga is the most splendid manifestation of the Devi. Virginal and sublime, contained within her are the powers of all the gods combined. She is the invincible power of Nature who triumphs over those who seek to subjugate her. Goddess Durga is also known as "Mahamaya", the Mother of the Universe who embodies the primeval source of all power.

The name Durga means Invincible / Unconquerable / Unattainable / Beyond Reach.

Durga is depicted as a warrior woman of dazzling beauty and energy, with 3 lotus-like eyes, hair in the form of black pearls, a golden glowing skin and riding a lion with ten powerful arms carrying weapons and assuming mudras, or symbolic hand gestures. This form of the Goddess is the embodiment of feminine and creative energy (Shakti).

Full of superstition and misunderstood tradition, some people believe that the scriptures ask us to be docile, passive people. India has been ruled for a thousand years due to such misunderstanding. The scriptures ask us to be aggressive if the cause is noble. If protecting our country means we must be aggressive, so be it.

Having destroyed the negative forces, we should move to the positive aspects. That is done by Shree Lakshmi Pooja. Lakshmi is the Devi of wealth, both material and spiritual. In our country people worshipped wealth with religious fervor, and thus it is not surprising that as long as the tenets of the Vedas were nicely prevalent in our country India was the richest country in the world, attracting traders from all over the world.

However, the culture which asks us to respect wealth also symbolically shows the place of wealth in life. Lakshmi is shown sitting at the feet of Narayan, serving him. Wealth should be used for goodness and the pursuit of the truth. However, Lakshmi does not represent the external wealth only but the inner wealth too, like the qualities of love, kindness, devotion, patience, charity etc. At the end of the second phase of the festival, these divine qualities should have replaced the negative thoughts.

Having developed these divine traits, next is the invocation of Saraswati, the Devi of Knowledge. It is only when one has eliminated the negatives in one's mind and inculcated some positive virtues that realization of truths and facts is possible. The summum of Indian traditions, values, culture and philosophy is to make everyone more awakened and knowledgeable. Knowledge alone is the singularly most potent factor to make the real difference in our lives, for our professional success and our inner contentment. Invocation of the blessings of Devi Saraswati involves concrete steps to pursue knowledge, like going to the teacher, study of the Shastras, reflection and meditation.

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