Hari Aum.
Last night was the first night of the extremely auspicious nine-night festival of worship of the Divine Mother known as 'Gupta Navaratri' ('gupta' means 'secret' in Sanskrit). Worship of the Mother during this time is said to yield great spiritual benefits.
Unlike the well-known Navaratri festival that occurs in autumn, this one is celebrated only by select groups of devotees of the Goddess, particularly those who follow the path of Tantra (which includes worship of the Dasha Mahavidyas-- ten powerful forms of the Mother). However, any devotee of the Mother (not only Tantriks) can worship Her during this auspicious time.
This year, the duration of Gupta Navaratri is from January 30 to Febuary 7 inclusive. This is an amazing time to read the Saptasloki Durga, recite the Navarna mantra or any other mantra of the Mother, and if one is able, to read or listen to the entire Devi Mahatmyam.
One can listen to or recite the famous Vedic prayers such as the Shri and Medha Suktams. Recitation or listening to the Durga kavacham will grant protection. The Lalita Sahasranama or one thousand names of the Goddess is also an excellent way to worship Her.
In addition to the recitation of mantras and hymns, one can perform pujas and homams. In India, there is an ancient tradition of giving presents to little girls during this time as a form of honouring the Divine Mother who resides within them-- this is a good time to make donations to support charities dedicated to the welfare of girls and women in particular (living forms of the Mother).
In short, this is the perfect time to connect deeply with the Divine Mother via a variety of spiritual practices and to gain Her grace and blessings.
Furthermore, you may have heard that there is currently a beautiful planetary alignment in the skies. The planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are broadly arranged in a line-- various people say that this indicates some positive spiritual energies in the cosmos.
From a Vedic astrology perspective, Venus, the planet symbolising the Divine Mother, has recently entered the sign of Pisces where it is 'exalted' or particularly strong. Venus also signifies happiness in life, material prosperity, divine love and devotion to God. This is an additional factor that makes this time especially conducive for worship of the Divine Mother.
To have this combination of Gupta Navaratri, with an exalted Venus in Pisces, and a beautiful planetary alignment is not that common, and I feel one should make the best use of this precious time to worship the Mother.
I am certainly going to do my best to make the most of this opportunity. My favourite form of the Mother is Durga, the protective, compassionate and powerful aspect, and I will spend extra time in this period soaking myself as much as possible in Her mantras and worship.
In previous posts, I mentioned that I am developing an interest in the field of Tantra, and that I would like to educate myself a little with regard to this style of worship (I have been following the Vedantic path so far in my spiritual life).
This Navaratri feels like the perfect time to introduce myself to this style of worship. I recently came across this excellent and detailed video (please see link below) on Tantric worship of Mother Durga. I am currently in the process of watching and understanding this; I note that it involves the use of mantras, detailed visualisations and hand gestures (mudras). It seems to be an extraordinary method of developing a sense of oneness or unity with Mother Durga.
{I am fond of using the technique of visualisation in devotional practices (manasik puja), and have been learning hand gestures or 'mudras' in my recent study of Bharatanatyam dance, so find this type of worship very interesting. I am also curious because it describes the tradition of Tantra as practiced in Kerala, India from where my family originates (my paternal ancestors have worshipped Mother Kali in our home temple for centuries with the help of priests who are practitioners of this method)}.
I hope you have a wonderful Navaratri, and if like me, you are curious about the practices of Tantra, I hope you find this video helpful.
Om Sri Durgayai Namah.
Om Aim Hrim Klim Chamundayai Vicche.
May Mother Durga bless us all.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
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