"Nava-ratri"
literally means "nine nights." This festival is observed twice a
year, once in the beginning of summer
and again
at the onset of winter.
What's the Significance of Navratri?
During
Navaratri, we invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the universal
mother, commonly
referred to as "Durga," which
literally means the remover of miseries of life.
She is also referred to as "Devi"
(goddess) or "Shakti" (energy or power).
It is this
energy, which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and
destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely
changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything.
Truly
speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy
is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.
Why Worship the Mother Goddess?
We think
this energy is only a form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and
all of us are her children.
"Why mother; why not father?", you may
ask.
Let me
just say that we believe that God's glory, his cosmic energy, his greatness and supremacy can
best be depicted as the motherhood aspect of God.
Just as a
child finds all these qualities in his or her mother, similarly, all of us look
upon God as mother.
In fact,
Hinduism is the only religion in the world, which gives so much importance to
the mother aspect of God because we believe that mother is the creative aspect
of the absolute.
Why Twice a Year?
Every year
the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important
junctures of climatic change and solar influence. These two
junctions have been chosen as the sacred opportunities for the worship of the
divine power because:
(1) We
believe that it is the divine power that provides energy for the earth to move
around the sun, causing the changes in the outer nature and that this divine
power must be thanked for maintaining the correct balance of the universe.
(2) Due to
the changes in the nature, the bodies and minds of people undergo a
considerable change, and hence, we worship the divine power to bestow upon all
of us enough potent powers to maintain our physical and mental balance.
Why Nine Nights & Days?
Navaratri
is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme
Goddess. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as powerful force
called Durga in order to destroy all our
impurities, vices and defects.
The next
three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is
considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible
wealth.
In order
have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of
the divine mother; hence, the worship for nine nights.
Why Do You Need the Power?
Thus, I
suggest you join your parents in worshipping "Ma Durga" during the
Navaratri. She will bestow on you wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity,
knowledge, and other potent powers to cross every hurdle of life.
Remember,
everyone in this world worships power, i.e., Durga, because there is no one who
does not love and long for power in some form or the other.
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pic courtesy : http://festivals.iloveindia.com/navratri/pics/navratri-wishes.jpg,
