Hari Aum.
There are four 'Navaratris' or 9 night festivals that are celebrated each year to worship the Divine Mother. These occur in spring, summer, autumn and winter (the autumn festival, known as 'Sharad Navaratri' is the most popular and widely-known).
Tomorrow is a highly auspicious day in the Vedic calendar-- it is New Year's day based upon the lunar calendar. It is also the first day of the spring Navaratri (known as Chaitra Navaratri).
From the perspective of jyotisha (or Vedic astrology), this day is suitable to begin new spiritual and material endeavours. It is said that any new venture started on this day (that is based upon dharma/ righteousness) is blessed with success.
It is a perfect day for the worship of the Divine Mother. She has numerous wonderful names and forms. And She can be worshipped in any of these during Navaratri. However, this festival is associated with the worship of nine special forms of Durga, known as 'Nava Durga' ('nava' means 'nine' in Sanskrit).
As we are about to enter this extremely auspicious period, let us contemplate these nine beautiful forms of the Divine Mother. These are as follows:
1. Shailaputri: the first day of Navaratri is associated with Shailaputri ('Shaila' means 'peak' and 'putri' means 'daughter' in Sanskrit). This is another name for the incarnation of Durga as Parvati-- the daughter of the peak or the Himalaya mountain King.
She is depicted as holding a trident in Her right hand, and a lotus in Her left. These respectively represent Her actions to destroy evil and grant blessings.
2. Brahmacharini: the second day of Navaratri is associated with Brahmacharini. This is the form of the Divine Mother immersed in spiritual practice. She represents the power of devotion and penance.
She is the Goddess of renunciation, who gives up everything to attain Shiva. Intent upon Him, She engages in constant recitation of His well-known mantra (the panchakshara).
She holds a japa mala (prayer beads) in Her right hand, and the kamandalu (water pot of an ascetic) in Her left. She is known as 'Tapasvini', the embodiment of tapas.
She was also called 'Aparna' by the rishis in the forest when She gave up eating leaves ('parna') that symbolise material Nature. Bilva leaves are sacred to Shiva and She had previously been eating only these while fasting from all other food. She represents mastery over the senses and the ability to withdraw the mind inwards to contemplate the Divine.
Worship of the Mother in this form gives the devotee the ability to perform intense spiritual austerities including japa, meditation and fasting.
3. Chandraghanta: the third day of Navaratri is associated with Chandraghanta. This is a form of the Divine Mother in union with Shiva. She wears the crescent moon in Her hair symbolising their unity (this is traditionally associated with Him).
This is a fierce form of the Divine Mother, golden in colour and holding various divine weapons, along with a lotus and prayer beads. She adopts this form when Shiva appears in His fierce form (leading Him to then adopt a gentler aspect!).
This form of the Mother is associated with strength and courage. She grants fearlessness and protection to Her devotees.
4. Kushmanda: She is the deity of the fourth day of Navaratri. She is the Goddess of light and of Creation, and is particularly associated with the sun. She represents love, warmth, vitality and healing.
In Her hands, She holds various weapons and also two pots filled with honey and 'amrita' (divine nectar). Worship of Mother Kushmanda is performed for physical health and mental peace. She is also associated with fertility, childbirth and spiritual awakening (spiritual rebirth).
She governs the 'anahata chakra' in particular and Her worship is said to cleanse and heal this chakra or spiritual energy centre.
5. Skandamata: This is the Goddess in the form of the Mother of Kartikeya. She is worshipped on the fifth day of Navaratri.
As a result of the union of Shakti with Shiva, a son (Kartikeya or Skanda) is born. Skandamata represents the maternal aspect of the Goddess--She holds the baby Skanda in Her arms.
As She rules the 'Vishuddha chakra' located at the level of the throat, Her worship is said to grant clarity in communication and better self-expression. She gives the ability to resolve disputes through diplomacy rather than aggression and is thus associated with harmony and peace (both within the family and in society). She also gives mental clarity and wisdom.
(Those who worship this form of the Mother are also said to gain the blessings of Her son, Skanda. He is a powerful form of the Divine associated with the granting of protection and destruction of all evil).
6. Katyayani: The Mother in this form is the Goddess of justice. She is worshipped on the sixth day of Navaratri.
She assumed this form to destroy the ego, represented by the asura (demon) known as Mahishasura. She is the Goddess at war, extremely fierce and intent upon the destruction of evil.
Her worship is said to remove all obstacles in material and spiritual life. She is traditionally worshipped by unmarried girls seeking a suitable partner.
She governs the 'ajna chakra' (located in the region of the space between the eyebrows) and is thus associated with granting intuition and spiritual wisdom, and the ability to perceive truth (beyond the illusion of the material universe).
7. Kalaratri: This form of the Divine Mother is worshipped on the seventh day of Navaratri. She resembles Mother Kali in that She is as black as night ('Kala' means 'black' and 'ratri' means 'night' in Sanskrit), has long, wild hair and is wrathful. She hold weapons in Her hands, and is associated with the destruction of the lower aspect of our nature (represented by the asuras 'Shumbha' and 'Nishumbha').
She governs the seventh chakra, located at the crown of the head, known as the 'sahasrara' (that is said to resemble a lotus with a thousand petals). Her worship is associated with the total and complete annihilation of the lower ego and with the attainment of enlightenment or realisation of one's true spiritual nature as being one with Truth or God.
She is said to grant the ability to overcome even the most testing of obstacles, the capacity to break negative habits (including recovery from addictions).
Like other fierce forms of the Mother, Her worship is said to grant protection from danger, destruction of evil and suffering.
She is known as Shubhankari, the auspicious One as Her worship is said to grant overall success and wellbeing in life.
8. Maha Gauri: She is worshipped on the eighth day of Navaratri. She represents the polar opposite of Kalaratri, being of a radiant white colour, the embodiment of peace and serenity.
She is particularly associated with the power of compassion and forgiveness, and through these, the attainment of harmony within the family and society. She is worshipped for emotional healing, and the removal of all negativity.
The Mother in this form is depicted as the embodiment of all virtue and purity, the One who grants spiritual strength. Like Kalaratri, She too is associated with the sahasrara chakra, symbolising the attainment of spiritual consciousness.
9. Siddhidatri: She is worshipped on the ninth day of Navaratri. She holds a conch shell (representing wisdom including sacred sounds/ mantras), weapons in the form of the discus/chakra and mace (representing the destruction of ignorance/evil) and a lotus (representing the granting of divine blessings. Note- these four are also associated with the form of Narayana/ Vishnu).
She represents the culmination of spiritual endeavour, the attainment of spiritual consciousness, the removal of all ignorance. She is the giver of spiritual abilities or 'siddhis' (which are naturally bestowed once the lower nature is completely transmuted into the divine). She represents balance between the material and spiritual aspects of life.
She is also associated with the famous 'Ardha Narishvara' form. In this form, Shiva and Shakti assume a single divine form, with the right half depicting the form of Shiva and the left half the form of Shakti. This form represents the state of balance of the masculine and feminine energies within oneself, the balance of Purusha/ Spirit and Prakriti/matter.
This completes a brief description of the nine beautiful forms of the Divine Mother, each associated with a particular day of the Navaratri festival.
Please see below for some useful links related to this subject:
1. Mantras and prayers for Navaratri worship including of the Nava Durga forms:
2. Recitation of some famous mantras of the Nava Durga:
The beautiful Nava Durga stothram
Mantras for each of the Nava Durgas
Let us pray to the Nava Durga forms of the Divine Mother during this Navaratri for spiritual and material wellbeing for ourselves, our families, our society and the world at large. The above mantras and prayers, as well as the Navarna mantra, would be suitable to recite during this time.
Om Sri Durgayai Namah.
Om Namah Shivaya.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
