“Navratri is not just a time to celebrate and joy but is to attain Everlasting happiness, Peace and Anandam.”

Navratri (Nav Durga) is a nine day festival to honor the Mother Goddess, twice a year.  One is in spring, during March/April and the other is in fall, during September/October.

The festival signifies the nine glorious aspects of the Divine Mother and is celebrated for nine days, not only in India but in many parts of the world.

Different types of pujas and ceremonies are performed by different communities on each of the nine days.  Many people fast, do specific sadhana and visit temples on the eighth day. in some parts of India,   the idol of Goddess Durga  is immersed in the holy rivers on the 10th day (Dashehra),

Mother Goddess is also called Shakti, the energy of God. She is the energy of the Trinity, as the creative aspect of Lord Brahma, sustaining aspect of Lord Vishnu and destructive aspect of Lord Shiva are all encompassed within Her.

The Divine Trinity of Goddesses Kali/Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati together represent feminine energy that provides protection, love, prosperity and knowledge to all their devotees.  Goddess Durga is known to remove evil, misery and pain from our lives.. Goddess Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth and Goddess Saraswati is also known as the Goddess of Knowledge. Nav Durga is therefore a special time to worship and sing the glories of the Goddesses, and pray for good health, prosperity, purity of mind, love, peace and Anandam/bliss.   As large numbers of people pray during this time, the collective energy becomes very powerful and it is said that the prayers offered are often heard.
The nine days of Nav Durga (Navratri) also has great spiritual significance. It represents the three stages of an individual’s spiritual journey:

Self-Purification, Self-Transformation and Self-Realization.
Self-Purification (eradication of the negative tendencies of our minds and hearts):
During the first three days, the Goddess Mother is worshiped in her powerful, destructive and terrifying form of Kali/Durga. The devotee prays to Mother, asking her to use Her destructive power to destroy all imperfections and faults to and purify him enough to r become a receptacle of her divine energy.

Self-Transformation:
After Self-Purification, in the next three days of Navaratri, the Goddess is worshipped in Her prosperity-bestowing form as Mahalakshmi.  Goddess Mahalakshmi does not merely bestow material prosperity, but also grants qualities which a sincere spiritual seeker requires, namely, calmness, peace, equanimity, compassion, and love. By worshipping and praying to Her, one starts developing positive attributes and experiences inner prosperity, peace and happiness.

Self-Knowledge:
During the last three days, Goddess Saraswati is worshiped as the bestow-er of the true light of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Once one is purified by Goddess Durga (vices being annihilated), transformed by Goddess Mahalakshmi by receiving the spiritual wealth of inner peace, calmness, compassion and love, then the devotee is ready to receive the true light of understanding.  By worshipping and praying to Goddess Saraswati, the devotee is now blessed with true wisdom (Self-Knowledge).

Navratri, therefore  should not be just  a time to celebrate Goddess Durga’ s victory over the demons but should be the time to pray to Goddess Durga to remove our enemies/vices within us, such as  anger, selfish desires,  greed,  ego and undue attachments. We must pray to her to destroy our inner enemies/vices.

Only then can we attain Self-purification, Self-transformation and Self-Knowledge– Everlasting happiness, Peace and Anandam, “Sat Chit Ananda.”

Satya kalra
Path To Anandam
www.pathtoanandam.org
“Explore your untapped eternal happiness and peace within”

Thank you for coming to my life and God Bless You!