Navratras | An auspicious celebration of the Divine Feminine

Shobha was in the kitchen, stirring a Kadhai full of hot falahaar potatoes. The yummy, desi ghee clad, mouth watering delicacy especially for the holy festival of Navratras, was among the dishes she had on menu to cook. Yes, it was that time of the year when the festival of Navratras arrived in full glory and engulfs every Hindu house in its pious exuberance. Not mere a religious observation, Navratras holds a far more Karmic value in the life of Hindus.The victory of good over evil is only a larger aspect of this festivity. The divine legends, mystical stories and the spiritual meaning these 9 holy nights hold have much allure and attraction. These nine nights of religious festivity correspond to celebration of the Supreme Goddess- ‘Shakti’ in her 9 grand forms. These 9 incarnations of Goddess Shakti are worshipped on each day, celebrating every aspect of womanhood. This ideology resonates mainly with one of the 4 basic schools of beliefs in Hinduism- Shaktism. Shaktism is dedicated to worship of the supreme consciousness in female form. Shakti, meaning power, is believed to the epitome of creation and completion. The whole universe begins endlessly from Devi or Shakti and constantly ends into her. She is the creator, the protector and the destroyer of all existence. It is also suggested that the Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh- the Trinity constantly originate from Goddess Kali, the ultimate Goddess, and complete into her like bubbles. She is the origin and end of time and universe. These 9 incarnations, symbolize different aspect of Shakti or the divine feminine, lets have a brief idea of every one of these as we traverse through each day; Day 1: Goddess Shailaputri, the daughter of mountains. Supreme Goddess Durga is worshipped in her earthly manifestation as Goddess Shailputri . She is believed to be the source of power of all the three lords, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Day 2: Goddess Brahmchaarni , the woman of celibacy is worshipped on the second day. She denunciates the worldly pleasures to acquire a higher spiritual conscience. Her sacrifice and utter devotion with which she performed the austere penance to beget Lord Shiva as her husband is celebrated on the second day. Day 3: The courage and brevity of Goddess Durga is celebrated on the third day as Goddess Chandraghanta.  She instills fear in evil and demons and rids her followers of their troubles while bringing them peace and serenity. Day 4: Carrier of Sidhis and Nidhis, possessor of Dharma, Goddess Kushmanda is the originator of universe. She resides in the sun and it is her energy that resonates throughout each and every creature in the world. She is known to be the start point of the universe.  Day 5: The motherly form of Divine Goddess is celebrated on the fifth day of Navratras, Goddess Sakandamata. She is known to be a testament to motherhood, bringing fulfillment and enrichment to her devotees. Day 6: The slayer of Demon Mahishasur , Goddess is worshiped as Katayayani. She possesseduncountable number of weapons to end the demon army and finally slay the Demon Mahishasur who possessed a boon to never be defeated by any male form. Day 7: Kaal Ratri, the ferocious and fear inducing form of Goddess is worshipped on the seventh day of Navratras. She acquired this extreme form of ferocity to end the Demon Mahishasur. Dark as night and clad in Tiger skin, as her husband Shiva, Goddess Kaal Ratri blesses her devotees with prosperity by ending all their worldly troubles.  Day 8: Maha Gauri, the extremely white in complexion, Goddess brings peace and serenity to the devotees on the eighth day or Ashtami of Navratras. She is known to provide everything to her followers and burn all their sins. Day 9: The final manifestation of Goddess is the Siddhidatri, which is formless and infinite. She is known to create Shiva, who in turn created Lord Vishnu who then created Lord Brahma, the creator of universe. Goddess in this form provided Lord Shiva with 18 different Siddhis and enriched him with perfection. The devotees of Shaktism also observe a specific regime of eating during these 9 days. All the non vegetarian food and liquor indulgences are strictly avoided during these days. Other avoidances include onions, garlic and a few other herbs. Those who observe fasting follow a rigorous diet that excludes wheat, whole grain rice. Falahaar- a fruitarian diet with inclusion of certain specified foods like potatoes, singhada flour. Fasting not only purifies body of toxins, but also provides for purification of mind and soul along with adding to the patience one acquires while observing them. Every year, the celebrations coupled with these rituals and lores, Navratras provide an insight to our culture to the younger generation. The knowledge is handed down from generations to generations through these festivities and Navratras provide a rich source of religious knowledge. Among these rituals is the sowing of wheat seeds ( saakh ) in a utensil at home throughout the nine days. On the final day, this saakh is then offered in the river. There is a more scientific edge to this ritual. It is believed that this sowing of wheat is done to check the temperature for wheat cultivation on fields. Shobha then beamed with the knowledge she held about the Navratras. She told the famous lores to Shruti, her 9 year old daughter, just like her mother told her. The Navratras culminated with Kanjak Poojan, after which she bid farewell to these nine days of auspicious celebrations, only to welcome them back next year.