There are four Navaratris that happen annually. Of these four, “Sharad Navaratri” is the most popular and celebrated across the country. The Ashweeja month begins with the end of the Bhadrapada Amavasya. From Shukla Prathama tithi onwards, for the next nine days, Mother Goddess is worshipped. This period is called “Nava+Ratri”. The tenth day of Dashami becomes a grand celebration, as the mother is bid farewell. This deemed visit of the “daughter of the house” is celebrated for a nine-day duration in many parts of our country. The tenth day is seen as her journey back to her in-law’s place. Here, the daughter is Goddess Parvati, and her return is to Kailasa, her home after marriage.
Each of these nine days, the Devi is worshipped in specific forms. Tradition lists Naivedyas for each of these Navaratri days. In parts of our country, fasting throughout the day is carried out, with only a small meal of “prasad” accepted after the evening puja. There are community-level cultural events throughout the Navaratri period. Some parts of our country celebrate the entire period, and some from the sixth day onwards. During the seventh day, when the incidence of Mula nakshatra happens, Saraswati puja is reverentially performed. The eighth day is celebrated as Durga+Ashtami. Durga is “Durgati Nashini”. She is the remover of fear and destroyer of the bad phase in our lives. She facilitates pending and difficult works. The ninth day is celebrated as Maha+Navami. The tenth day is Vijaya+Dashami, which is Dussera.
The Puranas tell us that the demonic forces of a cruel order troubled the divine. Vexed but unable to defeat them, the divine together requested Mother Goddess for her intervention. She drew power from all the divine energies and went on to fight the war with the demons, and after great resistance, asserted victory. But to make the divine forces incapable of fighting, the demon king ordered a tamasic “Vighna Yantra” to be dropped. Mother Goddess got it neutralised, and the divine forces were back in action. The Mother then eliminated the demon leaders. Thus, Dashami became a celebration of the victory of good over evil. Appropriately, Ayudha Puja is performed on this day.
When we worship Mother Goddess, she protects us at the Itchha, Kriya, and Jnana levels.
About the author
Dr. S. Ainavolu is a Mumbai-based teacher of Management and Sanatana Dharma. Intent is NextGen’s learning and cultural education.
