Navratri!!

-
Navratri is a religious Hindu festival that is celebrated to honour Goddess Durga. It is also celebrated for the victory of good over evil when Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasur in battle. Navratri is celebrated for 10 days and nine nights twice a year. First it is celebrated in the Hindu month of Chaitra and then it is celebrated in the Hindu month of Sharad. This festival goes on for nine days to worship the Goddess Durga and her nine avatars - the Navadurga. 
On the first day, Shailaputri, the daughter of the mountains, is worshipped. Shailaputri is considered to be the incarnation of Sati (Shiva's first wife who later reincarnated as Parvati. 
On the second day, we worship Brahmacharini, an incarnation of Parvati. 
The third day is devoted to Chandraghanta. It is said that after marrying Shiva, Parvati adorned the half lit moon on her forehead, hence the name. 
On the fourth day, Kushmanda is worshipped and she is believed to be the creative power of the universe. 
Skandmata is worshipped on day five and she got her name as she is the mother of Skand (or Kartikeya). 
Considered to be the most violent form of Maa Durga, Kaatyayani worshipped on the sixth day of Navratri. 
Kaalratri is worshipped on the seventh day of Navratri and it is believed that she is the most ferocious form of Durga. It is said that the skin of Kaalratri is royal blue as Parvati removed her pale skin to kill the demons Shumba and Nishumba. 
Being the epitome of intelligence and peace, Mahagauri is celebrated on the eighth day of Navratri. This day is known as Maha Ashtami and it is a very important day of Navratri. On this day, Kumari Puja is observed in which people give food to nine young girls which symbolises the nine incarnations of Durga. 
On the ninth and last day of Navratri, Siddhidatri is worshipped and this day is called Navmi. Kumari Puja is also observed on this day. Siddhidatri is also Parvati (Shiva's wife) and she is also seen as Ardhnarishvara form of Shiva and Shakti in which one side of Lord Shiva's body is Goddess Siddhidatri's body. 
During this festival, devotees fast for nine days and only get to eat food after praying in the night or evening of each day. At the end of the festival, the fast is completed only when the people who fasted hold Kumari Puja. Devotees can also fast on the seventh, eighth and ninth days of Navratri that are called Saptami, Ashtami or Maha Ashtami and Navmi respectively. Saptami, Ashtami and Navmi are the most important days in the Navratri festival. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rishikesh

-
Image
How Rishikesh got its name: Som Sharma and Raibhya Rishi had been praying to Lord Vishnu (  Lord Vishnu is one of the three supreme lords in Hindu mythology). Lord Vishnu was pleased by their prayers and came in front of them and said that since both of them had did arduous tapa by having   control over their five senses (sight, smell, sound,.taste and skin), this place will be called Rishikesh ( derived from the Sanskrit word hrisheek  which means senses in English.
Read more

Don't Give Up!

-
Image
Feeling overwhelmed is a feeling we may feel constantly in life. As we grow older, our responsibilities increase drastically. And we can't always cope up with that, which may not always feel acceptable to us because of our inner mind telling us that we aren't doing enough. So, we keep pushing ourselves to go further. This tiny endless cycle keeps on going until we can't find the motivation to push ourselves anymore. Then what do we do? Getting more overwhelmed is something that happens to us unconsciously in these types of situations. But that's not the right approach to problems like these.  Instead, look outside your window and remind yourself of something that you are thankful for in your life. It doesn't need to be anything big and robust. Even if it's a small detail, it doesn't matter as long as you are satisfied. Remember and immerse yourself in that detail. And for a while, you may find yourself feeling happier, energetic, less overwhelmed and most of...
Read more

True Self Over Societal Expectations

-
Image
Society is the world's biggest and most feared judge. Everyone wants to be loved by other people and feel like they belong in this world. But society's absurd 'rules and regulations' have their dreams crushed. The public has created their own ideal 'perfect person with a perfect personality' that every one strives to be, so that they can feel wanted and accepted. But in the midst of trying to be that perfect person, we lose ourselves. We lose our true personality that used to define us.  Maybe we might not be society's favourite. But the truth is that nobody is society's favourite. So instead, we should try to be our favourite. Be your own favourite person. Don't run after acceptance and that perfect persona, charm and looks. It may see like the best option to feel accepted, but it's actually one of the worst options in disguise. Because doing all of this, is never worth losing your true self. Trying to please the public is just one of the defini...
Read more