Indian Festival Navaratri | Durga Navaratri | Durga Astmi

Happy Navratri Indian Festival

The two most important parts of the climatic and solar influence are the beginning of spring and autumn. These junctions are the most religious opportunities to worship the divine goddess. Lunar calendar decides the dates of the festival. Hinduism has a lot of old beliefs because it is the oldest religion in this world.

The worshipers in this religion believe in one main god but worship the god or goddess in many different appearances as known all over in India. In navratri goddess durga in the form of shakti is worshipped. Dussehra is actually “dasahara” which means 10 days. This 9 day or the navratri festival in addition with the last day “vijaydashmi” becomes a 10 day festival. All these 10 days goddess durga is worshipped with all devotion.

Traditions of Navaratri

These celebrations happen 5 times a year and are known by different names: vasanta navratri, ashadha navratri, sharada navratri and magha /poushya navratri. The two most important ones out of these are sharada and the vasanta navratri in the months of purutashi and kala respectively.

1. Vasanta Navaratri : Basanta Navrathri is a festival of 9 days and durga maa is worshipped in 9 different forms of shakti. It is celebrated in march and april. And this festival is also known as raama navratri.
2. Gupta Navaratri : Gupta Navratri, is celebrated in the months june and july which is the ashadha month. It is observed during the waxing phase of moon which is the ashadha shukla paksha.(waxing phase of moon).
   
3. Sharana Navaratri : Sharana Navaratriis the most important and is called the maha navratri and is celebrated in the ashvina month which is the beginning of winter in September and October.
4. Poushya Navaratri : Poushya Navaratri  is celebrated in December and January and comes during pousha shukla paksha.(December–January). Poushya Navaratri is observed during the Pousha Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon).
5. Magha Navaratri : Magha Navratri is celebrated in months January and February and comes during magha shukla paksha.

Vasanta Navaratri

Vasanta Navaratri
This navratri comes during chaitra according to the lunar calendar and is celebrated during vasanta that is in the months of march-april.

The Story Behind the Origin of Vasanta Navaratri

Long time ago, a lion killed the king dhruvasindhu when he was hunting. Prince sudarsana had to be crowned. For the same throne of kosla, even king yudhajit of ujjain and king virasena of kalinga fought and in the battle king of ujjain won. King yudhajit’s daughter maorama went to the forest with sudarsana and eunuch and stayed with rishi bharadwaj in his hermitage.

Thus then grandson of yudhajit, satrujit was crowned at ayodhya. He went to search for manorama and the rishi where manorama took shelter disagreed to let him meet manorama as he was protecting them. Yudhjit tried to attack the rishi bt then after knowing about the true rishi statements he returned back to his capital.
Sudarsana became lucky. One day, son of a hermit came and called eunuch as kleeba (Sanskrit name). prince heard it and randomly started saying kleem. This was a sacred mantra. It is the root mantra of durga maa. This mantra got him peace of mind and grace of maa. He repeatedly said the mantra and durga maa appeared and blessed him with power and weapons.

Swarna Kavachalakruta Durga Devi

When the people of king of benares were crossing the rishis’s ashram. They saw king sudarsana and recommended him fro the daughter of king of benares, shashikal.

Shashikala at once agreed for king sudarsana at her prince choosing ceremony. Yudhajit was present at the wedding ceremony. He suddenly started fighting with the king of benares and seeing this devi helped sudarsana and destroyed yudhajit’s army to ashes.

Devi was happy seeing sudarsana, his wife and his father in law praising her and thus she ordered them to perform havan during vasanta navratri and disappeared.

Sudarsana after getting married went to rishi’s ashram for his blessings and their he was declared as king of kosla. Then sudarsana, his wife, and kingt of benares performed the havan on vasanta navratri.

Rama and lakshman even performed the worship to devi as they were the descendants of sudarsana and durga maa helped them to recover sita.

Sharad Navaratri

Sharad Navaratri
This is also a 9 day festival which ends on the bright half of asvina(lunar month).

During this ten day celebration sri kanaka durga devi is the main goddess bless the worshipers.

According to the lunar calendar and as per the every day’s astrological star, the symbolic presentation of the different 10 forms of the winning of good over bad, “alankaram” is chosen.

According to this alankaram schedule the worshipers are blessed.

Day 1 – SRI SWARNA KAVACHALAKRUTA DURGA DEVI
Day 2 – SRI BALA TRIPURA SUNDARI DEVI
Day 3 – SRI ANNAPURNA DEVI
Day 4 – SRI GAYATRI DEVI
Day 5-  SRI LALITHA TRIPURA SUNDARI DEVI
Day 6 – SRI SARASWATI DEVI
Day 7 – SRI MAHA LAKSHMI DEVI
Day 8 – SRI DURGA DEVI
Day 9 – SRI MAHISHASURA MARDHINI DEVI
Day 10 – SRI RAJA RAJESWARI DEVI

Note: Alankarams may change according to Thidis and nakshatrams every year

Forms of Shakti
Nine forms of Shakti are worshipped during the Navaratris -

1. Durga, the inaccessible one
2. Bhadrakali
3. Amba or Jagadamba, Mother of the universe
4. Annapurna, The one who bestows grains (anna) in plenty (purna: used as subjective)
5. Sarvamangala, The one who gives joy (mangal) to all (sarva)
6. Bhairavi
7. Chandika or Chandi
8. Lalita
9. Bhavani
10. Mookambika