Significance of NavRatri

Sri Guru, SRM Delhi Mission.

Nav|nine; ratri| nights. Navratri is paying homage to the significance of the number 9, the nine subtle energies that lie within us, that a sadhak works towards activating within themselves, aided by the energetic support of Navratri.

Mandala Art by Dina Shah, 72 https://youtu.be/nccY0Ka4ImI

Often thought of as an annual celebration of nine nights, there are in fact as many navratri occasions each year as there are new moons, essentially are the nine nights that follow it. Two of these, in Sharad & Chaitra months, are prakat|manifest, are the ones celebrated by all. Two of these occasions are gupt|hidden, ie while they aren’t celebrated or observed by all, they are powerful times for sadhaks however. The rest of the navratris are aprakat|unmanifest, in the contemporary era, but in past era of higher consciousness, satyug, it is said that all navratris were manifest, hence each benefitting mankind.

The nine nights are also divided into 3, each addressing the 3 fundamental attributes of all in this universe of tamas, rajas & sattva. First three nights address the destruction of tamas|inertia, darkness, ignorance, laziness, negativity. Second three nights aid in controlling our rajas|dynamism, activity, movement, creation. While the last three aid in uplifting sattva|all encompassing equilibrium, hollistic sereneness.

SHAILPUTRI(1) (bhakti|devotion) Color: White

SHAIL|mountain PUTRI|daughter — prayer to awaken subtle bhakti energy within us. While the son of the strong mountain, is symbolic of gyan|wisdom, its daughter is symbolic of bhakti|devotion. The humble prayer on this day is to ask for unwavering, continuous devotion towards your path, your Guru, your inner being.

BRAHMA CHARANI(2) self awareness) Color: Red

BRAHMA|universe CHAR|animate INI|perennial flow — prayer on this day is to invoke that ever flowing subtle energy within us that differentiates the animate from the inanimate, ie awareness.

CHANDRA GHANTA(3) (waxing & waning of mind) Color: Royal Blue

CHANDRA|moon GHANTA|bell of alertness — prayer to achieve a stable bhav|emotion & state of the mind. The moon is symbolic of the incessant waxing & waning of the mind, driven by external facets of the world.

KUSHMANDA(4) (energy of samyam|patience) Color: Yellow

KU|subtle USHNA|heat MANDA|universal — prayer to achieve the subtle energy of patience, of control over our inner energy system, so that while dynamism is present, it is channeled & controlled to our benefit, instead of it being accidental, hence detrimental to our path.

SKANDAMATA(5) (to move out of duality) Color: Green

SKANDA|dual MATA|energy — prayer to observe the duality of the universe around us, while still being able to progress towards oneness, keeping everyones best at heart, always.

KATYAYANI(6) (faith, in your potential) Color: Grey

Prayer to ask for unwavering faith. In much the same way, how a seed has all this potential unmanifested, hidden within it, & it needs tremendous act of faith to see its potential

KALRATRI(7) (immense darkness) Color: Orange

Prayer to be able to see the inner darkness, the most fearful energy, that on being blessed one is able to see the fruitlessness of the world around, & able to be graced with vairagya|detachment.

MAHAGAURI(8)(witnessing energy) Color: Peacock Green

MAHA|Great GAURI|witnessing — prayer to be blessed with the sacred energy of witnessing the going ons around us without getting attached.

SIDDHIDATRI(9) (invoking the anand|bliss energy) Color: Pink

Prayer to the universal energy to invoke the energy of bliss, amongst siddhis|powers, within us once all is in balance inside, much like ardha-nareshwar avatar of Shiva, both the masculine & the feminine in perfect balance.

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