Navaratri 2023- Celebration of Good over Evil
Navaratri, which means ‘nine nights’ is the most celebrated Hindu festival devoted to Goddess Durga symbolizing purity and power or ‘Shakti’. The festival is celebrated at four different times in a year. Magh Navaratri (aka Gupt Navaratri), Chaitra / Vasant Navaratri (aka Ram Navaratri), Ashad Navaratri and Shardiya Navaratri also known as Maha Navaratri. Shardiya Navaratri is the most important Navaratri and is also called Maha Navaratri or Great Navaratri.
For every night of the Navaratri, nine forms of Goddess Maa Durga are worshiped by the devotees:
- Shailputri
- Brahmacharini
- Chandraghanta
- Kushmanda
- Skanda Mata
- Katyayani
- Kalratri
- Maha Gauri
- Siddhidatri
This sloka from the scripture Devi Mahatmyam describes the powers of Great Mother Durga. Shri Devi Durga is mother of all powers and represents the oneness of Lakshmi and Parvati. She gives us material prosperity (bhoga) as Lakshmi. She provides us liberation (moksha) as Parvati. Your prayer goes to the same power, no matter whom you pray, whether it is Lakshmi or Parvati. Shridevi Durga is that power who bestows you with whatever you ask for with complete devotion and faith.
सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके ।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Most auspicious of all auspicious, Parvati, Who fulfills all desires|
Refuge of everything, Three-eyed, Devi(Parvati), Lakshmi, We salute you ||
Historical and Mythological Significance
According to a myth, Mahishasura was a mighty Demon. Lord Brahma gave him the boon of immortality, making him impenetrable to harm from any weapon. Then, he started killing innocents on Earth. This evil monster was destroyed by the Goddess Durga.
Goddess Durga was created by the combined energies of Lord Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, and all other Devas. Goddess Durga and Mahishasura engaged in a ferocious nine-day battle, and on the tenth day, the Goddess beheaded the demon. Navratri’s nine days symbolise the struggle between Mahishasura and Goddess Durga.
Another tale states that Lord Rama worshipped her in all nine forms to receive the Goddess Durga’s blessings for killing the monster Ravana. He worshipped the Goddess for nine days. On the tenth day of Sharad Navratri, we celebrate Dussehra or Vijay Dashmi to remember the day Lord Rama vanquished and killed Ravana.
Navaratri 2023 Dates and Duration
In 2023, Navratri will begin on Sunday, 15 October 2023, and last through the celebration of Dussehra on Tuesday, 24 October 2023.
According to the Hindu calendar, The auspicious Muhurat for Shardiya Navratri will begin at 11:44 AM and terminate at 12:30 PM.
On Saturday, 14 October 2023, at 11:24 PM, the Pratipada Muhurat will start and end On Monday, 16 October 2023, at 12:32 AM.
Navaratri Across Different Regions
North India
In north India, Navratri is a festival celebrating Lord Rama’s victory over the cruel king Ravana. It is shown in the Ramlila celebrations, which are performed on Dussehra. On “Vijaya Dashami,” the dummies of Ravana are burned to mark the triumph of good over evil.
In honour of Mother Divine and her entire creation, including all forms of life, art, music, and wisdom, these nine days are packed full of special pujas, homas, meditations, yagnas, fasting, singing, and dance. She is revered as the person who will deliver humanity from ignorance and all wickedness.
Western India
The well-known Garba and Dandiya-Raas dances are performed during Navratri in Western India, especially in Gujarat. Women dance gently in circles around a pot holding a lamp in the beautiful dancing style known as garba. The womb is referred to as “Garba” or “Garbha” in this context, and the lamp in the pot is meant to symbolise the life within a womb. Along with the Garba, there is another dance called the Dandiya, in which women and men perform in pairs while clutching tiny, ornately decorated bamboo sticks, or dandiyas.
Eastern States
In North East India and West Bengal, Sharad Navratri’s final five days are celebrated as Durga Puja. Goddess Durga is seen carrying many weapons and riding a lion. The lion symbolises dharma or determination, and the weapons represent the intensity and attention required to extinguish the evil in our minds. The eighth day is known as Durgashtami. In some locations and temples, life-size clay statues of the Goddess Durga showing her slaughtering the demon Mahishasura are installed. They are exquisitely constructed and painted. Then, after five days of worship, these statues are immersed in the river.
Southern States
Navratri is a festive period in south India when people invite their friends, family, and neighbours to view the Kolu, an exhibition of different dolls and figurines. In Karnataka, Navratri is known as Dasara. During the nine nights of Navratri, a night-long dance called Yakshagana, which takes the shape of epic dramas from the Puranas, is performed. During the Mysore Dasara, the win of good over evil is celebrated with great pomp. On the Mahanavami, the Ayudha Puja is performed in many regions of South India.
The Nine Nights and Their Significance
Shailaputri
It is essential to worship Goddess Shailaputri on day one. She is a manifestation of Parvati, the princess of Raja Himavan, the mountain monarch. The word “Shaila,” which means “one who reaches great heights or a mountain high,” has an unusual connotation. The purpose of Goddess Shailaputri devotion is to elevate consciousness. Yellow is worn on this day to celebrate.
Brahmacharini
On the second day, Brahmacharini is worshipped. She represents Parvati as a result of her tremendous penance. This god, who wears rudraksha jewellery, is a font of knowledge and comprehension. The colour of the day is green.
Chandraghanta
The third day of Navratri is presided over by Goddess Chandraghanta. This image of Goddess Durga riding a tiger represents “shakti,” or power. She is a symbol for spreading emotional harmony and wisdom that leads to the highest levels of joy. Worshippers can remain anchored if they dress in grey on this day.
Kushmanda
On the fourth day, devotees ask for Goddess Kushmanda’s blessings. Her name refers to the divine egg from which the cosmos emerged. Worshippers receive energy from her to grow. This day calls for the vivid colour orange.
Skandamata
The Goddess Skandmata is worshipped in her maternal form on the fifth day. She embodies a mother’s love. The Goddess is claimed to offer wisdom, money, power, and success to those who worship her in her form. On this day, the colour of tranquillity and calm is worn to honour the Goddess and find inner peace.
Katyayani
The Goddess Katyayani is worshipped on the sixth day. The Goddess assumes a divine form to vanquish all nefarious forces in the cosmos. She kills Mahishasura, the demon in this incarnation. We pray to her to end all of our internal conflict. The colour for today is a vivid red, which serves as a symbol.
Kalaratri
On the seventh day, Kalaratri, a fiercer version of the Goddess that stands in for the night, is worshipped. Through this devotion, the Goddess dispels the fear of the dark, giving followers the peace and comfort they need to sleep at night. Royal blue is the colour for this day.
Mahagauri
Goddess Mahagauri, who stands for inner beauty and freedom, is honoured on the eighth day. She also stands for nature, the force that gives life its momentum. Honouring her on the eighth day invites that energy to release them and move them ahead. On this day, the magnificent pink is worn.
Siddhidatri
Goddess Siddhidatri is worshipped on the ninth day. She has the power to grant her followers’ requests in 26 various ways. She is adored for looking beyond what the logical mind can comprehend. She allegedly makes the unthinkable possible. The dominant colour of the day is vivid purple.
Rituals and Practices During Navaratri
Hindus give particular emphasis to Navratri; thus, during its nine days, devotees of the Goddess Durga observe a variety of ceremonies. Barley or “jowar” seeds are placed in a painted clay pot on the first day, and by the tenth day, the delicate shoots are given to the worshippers. Barley is thought to have been the first crop grown after the planet was created. The primary justification for planting barley is that since Brahma reveres food, it deserves respect.
After a hard fast of nine days, they begin the ceremonies by chanting pious melodies throughout these glorious nine nights. People pray to the mother deities in temples and other religious settings to receive their full blessings. One of the religious customs associated with Navratri is giving sweetmeats (bhog) to young girls.
The worshippers worship the Goddess all day while reciting the Navratri mantras and studying sacred books.
Cultural Celebrations during Navaratri
The Gujarati tradition of doing Dandiya and Garba dances during Navratri has gained enormous popularity throughout the rest of the nation. The dance styles are traditionally a creative dramatisation of a pretend battle between the Goddess Durga and Mahishasura.
In the nine days before Dussehra, Ramleela, an adaptation of the Ramayana, is performed throughout several festival grounds in the nation’s northern half. An all-day fast is kept during the nine nights of Navratri, and it is broken in the evening with celebrations and dancing.
Navaratri Cuisine
Regular grains like wheat and rice are not permitted when fasting during Navratri. During Navratri fasts, you should consume buckwheat flour, water chestnut flour, or amaranth flour. Instead of rice, use barnyard millet to make khichdi, dhoklas, or kheer. Another essential meal during Navratri is sabudana, used to make kheer, vadas, and papads. You can eat all kinds of fruits. In vegetables, avoid onion and garlic. You should also avoid eating non-vegetarian food because it is considered unholy and inauspicious.
The Ultimate Triumph of Good Over Evil
The festival of Navaratri culminates in Mahanavami. On this day Kanya Puja is performed. Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshiped. The holy festival of Navaratri is an amalgamation of various themes, with the common theme of the victory of good over evil. According to some legends, Vijayadashami or Dusshera is celebrated on the day Lord Ram kills Ravana. Demon king Mahishasura had Lord Brahma’s boon that, he would be unconquerable by any male form. According to a Puranic legend, the mighty demon defeated the gods and their king, Indra. They then approached Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who decided to destroy the demon.
So they all combined their energies, and gave rise to Shakti and appealed to Goddess Durga to come to their aid. Durga equipped with lethal weapons and riding a ferocious lion, in all her awesome majesty, destroyed the evil one without much ado. The 10th day, on which the goddess kills Mahishasura, is celebrated as Dusshera or Vijayadashami as the victory of good over evil.
On the tenth day, the Vijayadasmi day, colossal effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnadh are placed in vast open spaces. Rama, accompanied by Sita and his brother Lakshman, arrive and shoot arrows of fire at these effigies. The result is a deafening blast, enhanced by slogans of triumph. On this day in the famous Ramleela grounds in Delhi, huge effigies of the ten-headed demon king Ravana, Meghanath, his son, and Kumbhakarna, his brother, stuffed with explosive materials are torched by an arrow to symbolize the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The burning of the effigies symbolizes our responsibility to burn the evil within us and thus follow the path of virtue and honesty.
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Conclusion
Navratri’s nine nights are considered necessary because the subtle forces of the universe are supposed to be enhanced during this time of year. During Navratri, we revere and worship the omnipresent Goddess. Navratri is celebrated all across India, bringing the people together and evoking the feeling of unity.
Frequently Asked Questions
It commemorates Goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.
Desi Ghee, sugar, kheer, malpua, banana, honey, jaggery, coconut and sesame seeds.
Burn the incense sticks and the lamp. Give Ma Durga some flowers and use chandan, vermilion, and turmeric paste to adorn the image or statue. Sprinkle some water on the barley seeds you have planted daily during the puja. Offer a few intriguing foods that you have made, especially for the puja.
Day 1 – Shailaputri
Day 2 – Brahmacharini
Day 3 – Chandraghanta
Day 4 – Kushmanda
Day 5 – Skandamata
Day 6 – Katyayani
Day 7 – Kaalaratri
Day 8 – Mahagauri
Day 9 – Siddhidatri