Navarathri-the festival of nine nights

Dr. Vimala KRISHNAPILLAI

Hindus across the globe consider Navarathri as a auspicious, sanctified beneficial, moment for the upasana, worship of Devi. Navarathri re-establishes the feminine aspect the Goddess, as the supreme Mahashakti during these sacred nine nights. Parasivam is the static passive substratum from which the Prashakti the creative power, the kinetic dynamic principle arises.

She is personified as the cosmic divine energy, a conscious force of the almighty. She not only energises the cosmos with physical energy like heat and light but also the human consciousness with kundalani shakti the psychic spiritual energy.

In the Rig Veda the divine mother says "Such, am I and my powers. My glory is the phenomenal universe. Although I am one, by my power I appear manifold." Shakti is not confined or limited to this or that, she is boundless and infinite, she takes on innumerable forms. She manifests and functions through several emanations of hers, each presiding over a particular operation in this universe.

This truth is the essential central theme underlying every Hindu scripture.

To the Hindu, the lunar cycle is of particular significance and the phases of the moon, determines the fixing of dates of fasts, festivals and religious observances. They are based on astronomical, astrological, extra terrestrial factors of time and the seasons of nature too coincide with it to make them meaningful.

The puranic mythological aspect enhances and adds a special dimension to the sanctity of these occasions and helps to preserve the religious and cultural dimensions of society.

Hindus observe the Navarathri festival in a wide variety of ways, depending on their region, local traditions and family influence. In South India and Sri Lanka the nine days of Navarathri are composed of clusters of three days. During these days the Mahashakti manifests in the triple aspects of the Devi with different names and forms as Durga, Laksmi and Saraswathi. The Dasami, the tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadasami. Navarathri festival celebration commences with puja to Lord Ganesha and with sprouting of seeds.

In this ceremony a wide mouthed earthen pot is filled with earth and nine varieties of seeds navathaniam are sown and placed in the shrine room or honoured place to sprout for nine days.

It is a green exuberance which brings fertility and blessing of the Goddess for a bountiful crop. A kumbam is also set up in an ornate pot filled with water, mango leaves and with a coconut on top.

This is to welcome the Goddess and the Devas and invoke their blessings during the festival. With these in place, the worship, ritual and festivities continues for nine days, three days each allocated for the upasana of Durga, Laksmi and Saraswathi respectively.

During the first three days Shakti is portrayed in her fearful and terrifying aspect as Durga Devi as the Goddess of valor and protection, she holds the thirusula the trident and is mounted on a lion. Durga means destroyer of all impurities, defects and evil.

She annihilates the base animal tendencies, the demonic qualities and the dark hostile forces, to establish dharma. She wages war with the Asuras and kills the most powerful of their hoard Mahisa Asura the buffalo headed monster on the ninth day.

He represents the animal instincts in man and the buffalo head the bloated ego. Her purifying act makes one fit to receive her grace. This victory is celebrated as Vijayadasami on the tenth day.

The next three days are for the adoration of Laksmi Devi. Dressed in red, bedecked in jewelleries she is seated on a pink lotus with the two white elephants beside her symbolising wealth and prosperity. She not only gives material wealth but also prepares one to step forward to receive the daiva sampath-divine wealth.

The last three days are allocated to the worship of Saraswathi Devi. Her seat is the fully blossomed white lotus or sometimes the Hamsa the celestial swan. These symbolically depicts that she resides in the spiritual hearts of Janis whose heart blooms by divine illumination. Hamsa also indicates action of breathing manifested as prana shakti in control of our life. She is dressed in white, the color of sattwa, immaculate purity, wearing pearl ornaments radiating a white sheen.

Her eyes, depicts the numerical and literary knowledge and her face bhrama vidya. She presides over speech, poetry and the sixty four arts. Two of her hands play, the veena the pranava nadam. In the other two hands she holds the edu book and japamalai, as the giver of apara vidya the worldly knowledge and the spiritual knowledge para vidya, jana.

At the dawn of the ninth day, the Ayudha Puja the tool blessing ceremony commences. All kinds of tools of trade used by artisans and workers, armoury, books, pens, shopkeeper's cash registers and musical instruments are placed at the feet of the Goddess with flowers for her blessings. On the Vijayadashami day initiation into formal learning and fine arts Vidyarambha is performed. This is considered as an important samskara or right of passage for children.

Navarathri has spiritual and esoteric inner meanings. It portrays the stages of evolution of man from tamas, rajas to sattwa. Shakti operates to leads one from his gross animal level to the ultimate goal of highest perfection of a divine being. Mata Amirtanandamayi of Kerala explains, "At all level, Navarathri signifies the progress of the spiritual aspirant. During this spiritual journey, the aspirant has to pass three stages personified by instinctive Durga, Motherly Laksmi and finally wise Saraswathi. Then one enters the realm of the infinite, wherein one realises one's Self.

"The adoration of the divine as mother during Navarathri, strikes a sensitive chord in the heart of beings for they are physically, emotionally and subconsciously linked to the mother.

Salutations to the Devi who abides in all beings as Mother!