Navaratri - a spiritual celebration

1. Introduction

The festival of Navaratri commences on the first day (pratipada) of the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Ashwin. During this vowed religious observance, a clay pot is installed (ghatasthapana) in a sanctified section of one's home. A lamp is placed in the pot and it is kept lit for nine days. The pot symbolises the universe. The uninterrupted lit lamp is the medium through which we worship the brilliant primordial energy, AadiShakti, i.e. Sree Durgadevi. During Navaratri, the principle of Sree Durgadevi is more active in the atmosphere. When we understand the spiritual science behind the various rites that come under the worship of Sree Durgadevi, we become worthy of absorbing more of the Divine Energy principle, thereby acquiring more of Her grace.

In this article we will see the spiritual significance of some common rituals performed during Navaratri.

2. Rituals performed during Navaratri*

2.1 Continuous burning of a lamp

One of the observances during Navaratri is that a lamp is kept lit continuously for nine days. The following are the benefits of this ritual:

The distress of negative energies reduces and hence the pressure in the atmosphere is reduced.
Due to the radiant vibrations emanating from the lamp, the embodied soul (jiva) benefits at the level of his spiritual emotion.
The Divine Energy (Shakti) principle present in the universe gets attracted to the lamp light, thereby benefitting everyone around it.
The spiritual purity (sattvikta) and divine consciousness (chaitanya) in the atmosphere increases.
The embodied soul (jiva) gets the experience of bliss and peace.

Atonement for interruptions in the burning of the lamp

Fast for the entire day without a single morsel of food or drink (absolute fast).
Chanting from 1 to 10 rounds of rosary (mala) (108 recitations make one round) or one round of rosary for every minute that the lamp was not lit.

2.2 Fasting during Navaratri

If one observes a fast then the embodied soul (jiva) benefits up to 3% and depending upon one's spiritual yearning, the six basic vices (shad-ripu) also get reduced.

2.3 Staying awake

During Navaratri, the Divine Energy (Shakti) principle is raging a continuous battle with the unrighteous elements. Hence it is considered very inauspicious to sleep during this period. Therefore people usually stay awake for a longer time as a token of gratitude and respect towards the Divine Energy (Shakti) principle. Also one should not wear footwear, not sleep on a bed or mattress and observe strict celibacy during this time.

2.4 Worship of a virgin girl (kumarika pujan)

During this festival, a virgin girl is worshipped for nine consecutive days and is offered meals. A virgin girl is a symbol of unmanifest energy and by worshipping her, the unmanifest energy in her gets activated. Due to this the radiant frequencies in the universe get attracted and the devotee benefits by it.

2.5 Offering consecrated food (naivedya) to the Goddess

During Navaratri we should prepare spiritually pure (sattvik) dishes for the Goddess, as is customary. Apart from the regular food items, we should make a sweet made of split chickpeas and jaggery (puran) and plain curry (varan) made of yellow lentils (toor-dal) for the meal. This consecrated food (naivedya), radiates the activated raja component. The absolute fire element frequencies (tej tattva) from the Universe get attracted to it quickly. When one consumes this naivedya as sacrament (prasad), one benefits from the energy and frequency of the absolute fire element, which purifies ones gross and subtle bodies.

2.6 Performing Garba

According to Hinduism, performing 'Garba' means singing devotional hymns praising the Goddess with rhythmic clapping. Performing Garba is a means of awakening Sree Durgadevi from Her meditation through the medium of the manifest spiritual practice of rhythmic clapping, and appealing to her to assume the destructive form for Her activity in the Universe.

Reason for performing Garba with three claps:

The destroyer form of the Goddess is awakened by the musical rhythm of three claps through the frequencies of desire (ichchha), action (kriya) and knowledge (dnyan), representing the Bramha, Vishnu and Mahesh principles.

Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh are the three main manifest energies of God. During Navaratri the destroyer principle of Goddess Durga gets awakened slowly and gradually. The destroyer form of the Goddess is channeled through these three energies. By clapping three times, the energy of Her resolve (sankalp) gets activated. Hence it is more desirable and fruitful to praise the Goddess through the rhythmic movement of three claps. The meaning of the three claps is as follows

The first clap is related to the Brahma principle which is symbolised by the energy of desire (ichchha shakti). As a result, the energy of desire (ichchha shakti) of Brahma gets awakened in the universe. This energy also gives approval to the wishes in the mind of the embodied soul (jiva), according to his spiritual emotion.
Through the medium of the second clap, the action related (kriya) waves of the Vishnu principle give energy to the embodied soul for performing actions.
Through the medium of the third clap, the knowledge (dnyan) waves of the Shiva principle bring about the actual act and from its result give the desired fruits to the embodied soul.

The act of clapping generates the fire element (tej-tattva), so it is possible to awaken the destructive form of the Goddess through the striking of the claps. The act of clapping is symbolic of the worship of the fire element. Invoking the Goddess by the singing of devotion filled hymns and moving around in a circle while clapping helps in the awakening of spiritual emotion towards the Goddess.

3. Important aspects of some of the common rituals associated with Goddess Worship (Devi-pujan)*

There is a specific way to worship every Deity and every action in the ritual has its own spiritual significance. The table below gives important information about some common actions of the ritualistic worship of all the forms of the Goddess.

	Action of ritualistic worship	Important details about the actions
1.	Applying wet vermillion (kumkum) on oneself before starting the actual worship	Using one's middle finger apply wet vermillion (kumkum) in a straight vertical line over the mid-brow region (adnya chakra)
2.	Applying wet vermillion (kumkum) to the Goddess	One should use the ring (anamika) finger of the right hand
3.	Offering Flowers
	Which Flowers?	Jasmine (Mogra), Shevanti, Gladiolus (Nishigandh), Lotus (Kamal) and Jui
	How many?	One or multiples of nine
	How to offer?	The base of the flower should face the idol or picture of the Goddess
	How should the flowers be arranged?	Flowers should be arranged forming a circle ensuring that nothing is placed within this circle
4.	Using incense sticks
	For the worship of saviour form.	Sandalwood, Rose, Jasmine, Kewda, Champa, Chameli, Jaee, Vaala, Night blooming Jasmine (Raat-Rani), Amber
	For the worship of destroyer form	Hina, Darbar
	How many?	Two
	How to wave the incense sticks around the Goddess?	The incense sticks should be held between the thumb and the index finger of the right hand and rotated in a clockwise direction three times
5.	Which perfume oil should be offered to the Goddess?	Jasmine (Mogra)
6.	How many times should one circumambulate around the idol of the Goddess (Devi)?	Once or in multiples of nine

4. Spiritual science behind offering specific flowers to specific deities*

One of the important aims of worshipping Deities is that the divine consciousness in the Deity's idol (murti) helps in enhancing our spiritual progress. To attract specific subtlest divine particles of each Deity, some flowers are better suited than others. If such flowers are offered to the Deity, it helps in activating the idol (murti) and we too benefit from the divine consciousness in the murti. Hence it is important to offer specific flowers to specific Deities. In the table below we have given some names of Deities and the flowers to be offered to them.

Goddess	Flowers to be offered
1. Sree Durga Devi	Jasmine
2. Sree Lakshmi Devi	Rose
3. Sree Saptashrungi	Magnolia
4. Sree Sharda	Nightqueen
5. Sree Yogeshwari	Michelia
6. Sree Renuka	Bakuli
7. Sree Vaishnodevi	Tube-rose
8. Sree Vindhyavasini	Lotus
9. Sree Bhavani	Ground-Lotus
10. Sree Amba	Coral

In reality it is the fragrance from that specific flower which attracts the Deity's principle towards the idol. So the same benefit can be obtained by using incense sticks of the corresponding fragrances.

5. Worshipping the Goddess' idol by bathing it with vermillion (kumkum-aarchan)*

Vermillion (kumkum) is made from turmeric powder. It is used for religious markings in Hinduism and is regarded as an auspicious symbol.

How to worship the Goddess using vermillion (kumkum)?

One should do this worship by constantly chanting the Goddess' name and simultaneously bathing her idol (murti) with vermillion (kumkum) starting from her feet and going up towards the crown. Alternatively, one can also bathe the idol (murti) as shown in the picture above while chanting her name.

The science behind worshiping the Goddess using vermillion (kumkum-aarchan)

The original active Divine Energy principle (Shakti) was created from red coloured rays. Hence, as a symbol of it, the Goddess is worshipped with vermillion (kumkum). The fragrance associated with kumkum attracts the universal Divine Energy (Shakti) principle very quickly towards the idol (murti) and this helps in the effective invocation of the idol. Vermillion (kumkum) also symbolises the fragrance waves which please the Goddess. The fragrance of the original Shakti principle seed (bija) is similar to the fragrance of kumkum. Therefore, using kumkum is a much revered and indispensable aspect of the Goddess' (Devi's) worship.

6. Rangoli's that attract the Shakti principle*

Rangoli is one of the most popular art forms in India especially drawn during various rituals and festivals. It is a form of sand-painting that uses finely ground coloured powders.

From a spiritual point of view, each Deity represents a specific divine principle. Therefore there are specific shapes that have the capacity to attract the Shakti principle, just like specific flowers are used to attract specific the Goddess (Shakti) principle. Below are some shapes and also the Divine Shakti principle vibrations that they attract.

	Goddess principle	Proportion of colour (%)
1.	Sree Durga Devi	Red
2.	Sree Mahalakshmi	Red + Saffron (60+40)
3.	Sree Lakshmi	Red + Yellow (40+60)
4.	Sree Saraswati	White
5.	Sree Mahasaraswati	White + Red (60+40)
6.	Sree Kali	Violet
7.	Sree Mahakali	Violet + Red (80+20)

The Divine Energy (Shakti) principle gets attracted towards the rangoli based on the colours used

When the rangoli is drawn and the colours associated with respective divine principles are used, then about 7 % Divine Energy (Shakti) principle can reside within the rangoli, which is the maximum that can be attracted.

The rangoli diagram given below attracts the Divine Energy (Shakti) principle.

Deity's principle getting attracted to the rangoli as per the spiritual emotion

A rangoli drawn by an embodied soul (jiva) who has good spiritual emotion (bhav) can attract twenty percent divine principle. When the colours are filled inside the rangoli, God has to expend less energy to come there. This also benefits those embodied souls (jivas), who may not have spiritual emotion (bhav).

If the spiritual emotion of the jiva is more than 60%, then a specific Deity's principle gets attracted to a specific rangoli.
If the spiritual emotion of the jiva is more than 80%, then any Deity's principle can get attracted to any rangoli.

7. Spiritual experiences of seekers related to the Navaratri celebration

During the Navaratri festival experienced a sharp saw being kept in the middle of my head and at times also experienced its touch:

On the first day of Navaratri, on 23.09.2006, we visited the Navaratri celebrations at the "Congo Hindu Mandal" in Congo. Over there, I felt as if someone had placed a sharp saw on the middle of my head. Sometimes, I also felt the saw actually touching me. After the Navaratri festival, this reduced to some extent; although sometimes all of a sudden I continue to have the same experience

- Shri Ajay Patil, Congo, Africa

On the fourth night of Navaratri, I dreamt that I was inside the Goddess's temple and the next morning discovered a holy offering, on my blanket:

On 26.09.2006, which was the fourth night of Navaratri that year, I dreamt that I was inside the Goddess' temple. The idol (murti) of the Goddess was made of solid rock, yet I could not make out which Goddess' murti it was. Some of our fellow seekers were also visiting this temple. I could also see a Lord Ganesh murti inside the temple. All throughout the night, I was inside this temple and when I woke up in the morning I saw a red coloured cloth (which is offered to the Goddess) on my blanket.

- Ms. Ranjana Gavas, Ramnathi Ashram, Goa, India

While looking at the rangolis of Sree Lakshmi and Sree Krushna principle, experienced Sree Krushna smiling and playing his flute and observed a divine yellow light around the rangoli.

On the morning of 25.09.2007, rangoli pictures taken for the 'Shakti' book were sent for printing. As I was verifying the contents of the pages before giving them for printing, while looking at the rangoli pictures for the Sree Lakshmi and Sree Krushna principle, my chanting started occurring slowly. I experienced goose bumps. After some time, while gazing at the same pictures, saw Sree Krushna smilingly playing his flute and experienced a state of Divine Bliss. For a few moments, saw a divine yellow light around the rangoli. At that time felt immense gratitude at P.P. Doctor's feet that, due to His grace, through the rangolis, the Deities principles will reach many homes.

- Shri Sashikant Kumbhar, Sanatan Ashram, Devad, India

Spiritual experience after worshipping the Goddess with vermillion (kumkum-aarchan)
On 27.01.2004, we went to the temple to do kumkum-aarchan. After completing our worship, the priest in the temple gave us the vermillion (kumkum) which was used in kumkum-aarchan. While receiving this kumkum, I prayed to the Goddess, "please let this holy kumkum impart us with the energy to make our prayers and chanting more effective." Since then, whenever I apply that kumkum on my forehead, my chanting starts and I am filled with some sort of divine enthusiasm.

- Mrs. Rakshanda Rajesh Gaavkar, Ponda, Goa

* Based on divine knowledge received by some seekers doing sadhana per Gurukrupayoga.

To know more about this divine knowledge please visit the about us section of this website.

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