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DASARA – NAVARATRULU
1.Sri Bala Tripura Sundari
2. Sri Annapurna
3. Sri Gayathri
4. Sri Lakshmi
5. Sri Saraswati
6. Sri Lalitha
7. Sri Durga
8. Sri Mahishasura Mardini
9. Sri Rajarajeshwari
Devi is worshipped as Sri Bala Tripura Sundari on the DAY 1.
We all know the story of Parvati trying to woo Shiva after Brahma bestows upon an asura a boon that he shall only be killed by the son of Shiva. While doing so, Kamadeva helps Parvati to bring Shiva out of his meditative trance so that he can see Parvati in her beatiful form and fall in love with her and start a family. In the process, Lord Shiva burns Kamadeva into ashes for disturbing him in his meditation.
Now the story that we know, Rati the wife of Kamadeva comes and pleads to Shiva and he gives her a boon that he will be restored to life in the Dwapar yug. But in this version of the story, the shiv gana to help rati bring the ashes of Kamadeva and make a statue of a man out of it and after Rati's pleading, he instills life into that statue and teaches him a mantra by which he can gain half the power of his adversary instantly and also gives him the boon to rule over all the worlds for 60,000 years. And since he sent him off saying, "Bhanda, bhanda", meaning nice nice... he was named Bhandasura. Now since he was born out of the wrath of Shiva, he had the Ugra swaroop and turned into a demon, "Bhandasura"...
Bhandasura attacked Indra and took over the heavens. Indra prayed to Tripura Sundari for 60000 years and she agreed to help him. She took her army and waged a war against Bhandasura. Now Tripura Sundari is also known as lalita meaning soft and beautiful. So Bhandasura laughed on her saying she is beautiful and soft and battle and war is not something that she should be doing.
The battle between Bhandasura and Tripura Sundari was most unusual. It wasn't a direct battle. Bhandasura created demons and Tripura Sundari created deities that destroyed the demons. Bhandasura created hiranyakashipu and she created prahlada and Narasimha. Bhandasura created Ravana and she created Rama. In fact the Vishnu's 10 incarnations "Dashavatara" are also known to be born from the 10 fingernails of the divine Tripura Sundari. Bhandasura created mahishasura and She created durga. The battle between Mahishasura and Durga has been beautifully described in the brahmana purana.
Then one of the generals of Bhandasura named Vishnukra used a yantra called the Jayavighna which takes away the will to be victorious from the armies of Tripura Sundari. The Generals of Tripura Sundari Manthini and Dhanapta informed this to Her and she just smiled. From her melodious smile was born Lord Ganesha, also known as the Vighneshwara. He weakened the force of the Jayavighna yantra and the armies got their strength back. Vishnukra slays Ganesha in this story using the Gaja astra and as a reward Tripura Sundari blesses Ganesha that he be prayed first in any puja henceforth.
Later in the story Vishnukra deploys the weapon called the trishna astra and the armies of Tripura Sundari become extremely thirsty. That's when Manthini suggests to call Sura Sindhu (The ocean of liquor) to quench the thirst of the entire army. This depicts that nothing in itself is negative or positive... even an element like liquor has been created by the divine and may have its own divine purpose at times...
Finally Tripura Sundari kills Bhanda and Rati, wife of Kamadeva or Bhanda pleads to her to restore his life. Because Kamadeva is the lord of desire and without him there would be no desire. So she in her infinite divinity and kindness restores the life back into Kamadeva in the Dwapara yuga.
The no. "3" is closely associated to Tripura Sundari. e.g. she is the icha shakti (will), gyana shakti(wisdom) and kriya shakti(action) in this entire eternity. Her other name is lalita which according to one script has 8 meanings: beauty, brilliance, manifestation, sweetness, infinity, energy, grace and generosity.
Women have been described as the manifestation of perfection in our own ancient scripts. They have been the source of all power the medium of creation. For example Saraswati is the medium between the Goddess Tara and Brahma. Brahma derives the energy to create from Goddess Tara and Saraswati is the medium.
DAY 2 - Annapoorna Devi
Shiva and parvathi regularly play the game of dice on kailsh mountain...one day to make the game more spicy...shiva bets his trident, snake etc and parvathi bets her jewels...shiva looses everything...he feels humiliated and goes to seclusion...
Seeing this his friend vishnu tells shiva that he will help him this time and asks shiva to play one more time...shiva goes to parvathi and both play again...this time shiva wins everything...parvathi becomes skeptical and accuses shiva of cheating...they verbally fight...then vishnu comes and tells that his spirit entered the dice and even though both of them are playing, he was the one actually moving the dice...then shiva takes this example and tells parvathi that this material world/nature is an illusion...
Parvati, mother of all material things including food, lost her temper. "If I am just an illusion, let's see how you and the rest of the world get along without me," she said and disappeared from the world. Her disappearance caused panic in the world. There was no food to be found... "Salvation makes no sense to an empty stomach", cried the sages.
Seeing all the suffering, Parvati's heart melted and she appeared at Kashi and set up a Kitchen. Hearing about her return, Shiva ran to her with all other hungry mendicants and presented his bowl in alms saying, "Now I realize that the material world, like the spirit, cannot be dismissed as an illusion."
Parvati smiled and fed Shiva with her own hands.
Since then Parvati is worshipped as Annapoorna Devi - the Goddess of Food.
DAY 3- Devi is Worshipped as Sri Gayathri Devi
The almighty Lord Brahma is the Maker of the universe and his mighty creations is being carefully protected by Lord Vishnu. Lord Shiva demolishes every sin in this world and thus the creations of Lord Brahma attain mukhti. The Universe and thus the whole world exist by virtue of the three Lords namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. All these three Devas owe their origin to the Goddess Gayathri Devi. Being the root of the world, she empowers the word "OM" . All the Four(4) Vedas originated from her onlyThe meaning of the �Gayathri Mantra� is that, the one who is lighting our knowledge is the one we worship. The �Gayathri Mantra� describes the power that enlightens us as our LORD. Vishwamitra, the devoted sage by uttering the powerful Gayathri Mantar only, created the Heaven. All the shaktis of the world owe their origin to the Gayathri Mantra only.
Ok today mother manifests herself as Gayathri Devi. One has to acknowledge that there is no story behind her origin because she manifests herself in the form of Gayathri mantra and not as a demon killer or goddess. She is the mother of four vedas, so called as Vedamatha.
This manthra was referred in Chandogya and Brahadaranyaka Upanisads. Krishna reckons it as the greatest and most powerful manthra of hindu religion. Gayathri literally means "Gaayathram thraayathe ithi gayathri"- that which redeems the chanter of the mantra (thras=protects, Gaya-s=chanter).
Iconographically gayathri is depicted as panchamukhi with 5 faces representing the 5 parts of the manthra or 5 indriyas or 5 bhoothas.
The mantra goes like this:
Om bhoor bhuvah svaha,
Tat Savitur varenyam,
Bhargo devasya dheemahi,
Dheeyo yo nah prachodayat.
It has 14 words. Meaning of each word:
Om= pranava nadam or primeval sound
bhoor= physical world
bhuvah= mental world
svaha= spiritual world
Tat= that; the god
savitur= the sun, creator, preserver
varenyam= most adorable
bhargo= luster, effulgence
devasya= supreme lord
dheemahi= we meditate upon
dhiyo= the intellect
yo= may this light
nah= our
prachodayat= enlighten.
Five faces of the mother: Om, bhoor bhuvah svaha, Tat Savitur varenyam,
Bhargo devasya dheemahi, Dheeyo yo nah prachodayat
The mantra has three parts: Praise/description, Meditation and Prayer. The first nine words praises the lord saying that he is the whole world and adorable. Dheemahi means you are meditating upon him and the last 4 words means you are praying him to enlighten you.
Gayathri also is a culmination of three aspects: gayatri (senses), savithri (praana) and saraswathi (vaak) which represent thrikarana suddi.
It's a very powerful mantra. One should chant it 108 times a day. If you are busy go with 9 or 18 times. The mantra is believed to cure all the diseases (parvathi), grants you infinite knowledge(saraswathi) and grants you all the wealth(lakshmi).
Day 4 of Navrathri , Devi is Worshipped as Sri Lakshmi
Sri Laxmi or Maha laxmi (the goddess of beauty and wealth) (also known as Lokamatha, Jaladhi-ja (ocean born), chanchala (the fickle fortune), and Haripriya) - According to vishnu Purana, Laxmi was the daughter of Bhrigu maharshi and Khyaathi and used to live in swarga. Some how she got cursed by DUrvasa muni and had to leave swarga and make Khseera Sagara as her home.
One day DUrvasa gifts a heavenly garland that never wilts to Indra. Indra garlands it to Airaavata, his elephant. Seeing his gift on a beast as disrespect, Durvasa becomes angry and curses Indra that all the gods will loose their powers. Indra naturally goes to Brahma for rescue. Brahma tells him to churn the ksheerasagar to get amrutha to get immortality and power back.
So, out of this churning comes Lakhmi as the last gift of the sagara. She chooses vishnu because only he is beyond Maya. Moon is considered as her brother because he also was churned out of the sagar along with her. The goddess of misfortune Alakshmi is her older sister because of the same reason.
She is seen in two forms - Bhudevi, the fertility form as earth and sridevi - goddess of wealth and beauty. Contrary to the popular belief, Vishnu and laxmi are inseparable and they are one. Physically, goddess Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in fine garments and precious jewels. Her expression is always calm and loving. The most striking feature of the iconography of Lakshmi is her persistent association with the lotus. The meaning of the lotus in relation to Shri-Lakshmi refers to purity and spiritual power. Rooted in the mud but blossoming above the water, completely uncontaminated by the mud, the lotus represents spiritual perfection and authority. Goddess Lakshmi's traditionally accepted vehicle, the owl (Ulooka in Sanskrit), is a bird that sleeps through the day and prowls through the night.
Whenever she is associated with different parts of the body she gives according gifts: Feet - good house, thigh- wealth, bosom-luck child, heart-fulfilment of all wishes, face-beauty and grace.
She accompanied vishnu in all incarnations: Vamana-lotus, koorma-laxmi herself, ram-sita, parusuram-Dharni, krishna-earlier as radha and later as rukmini etc.
Among these, sita is said to be the most popular and most revered.
May mother laxmi bless you all with prosperity.
Day 5 of Navarathri
Today devi is Worshipped as Saraswathi - The Goddess of Learning
Saraswati, which means �the flowing� or �the beautiful one�, is the goddess of learning, arts, music, water/river and crafts. According to her different specialities she is also known by different names like Vakdevi, Sarada, Brahmi, Satarupa, Mahasweta, Prithudar and Bagiswari.
Iconographically, Saraswati holds a mala and a palmleaf scroll, indicating knowledge. She usually rides a swan and sometimes a peacock, while playing music on a veena. Usually moon and lotus are also associated with her symbolizing the eternal womanhood. She is often depicted as a beautiful, white-skinned woman dressed in pure white sari often seated on a white Nelumbo nucifera lotus (although Her actual vahana is believed to be a swan), which symbolizes that she is founded in the experience of the Absolute Truth. Thus, she not only has the knowledge but also the experience of the Highest Reality. She is mainly associated with the color white, which signifies the purity of true knowledge. Occasionally, however, she is also associated with the colour yellow, the colour of the flowers of the mustard plant that bloom at the time of her festival in the spring. She is not adorned heavily with jewels and gold, unlike the goddess Lakshmi, but is dressed modestly � perhaps representing her preference of knowledge over worldly material things. A 'white swan' often located next to her feet. The sacred swan, if offered a mixture of milk and water, is said to be able to drink the milk alone. The swan thus symbolizes discrimination between the good and the bad or the eternal and the evanescent.
She is generally shown to have four arms, which represent the four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. Alternatively, these four arms also represent the 4 Vedas. With her four arms, she holds Vedas, a pot of sacred water (symbolizing creative powers), mala of crystals (meditative power) and Veena (mastery of music).
Perhaps the origin of Saraswathi is the most controversial and mysterious of all Hindu deities.
According to the Matsya Purana, Saraswati was born from the mouth of Brahma. She was so beautiful that Brahma himself pursues her�she rans away from him in different directions but Brahma follows her with different heads�this is the reason for Brahma�s five heads. Because of this, she is considered as Brahma�s unique creation. She is very much equvivalent to the roman goddess Minerva, Greek goddess Athena and Teuotonic goddess Fira.
In the Rig-Veda, Saraswati is credited, in association with Indra, with killing the serpentine being Vritraasura, a demon hoarded all of the earth's water and so represents drought, darkness, and chaos. She is often seen as equivalent to other Vedic goddesses such as V�c, Savitri, Shatarupa and Gayatri.
In some Puranas (like Skanda Purana) she is thought to be the daughter of Shiva and durga and in some Tantras she is also associated with Ganesha.
According to Brahma Vaivartha Purana, Vishnu had three wives-Saraswati, Ganga and Lakshmi. He was tired of Saraswati because of her superior knowledge and to gave her away to Brahma. Ganga was too frivolous and so was given to Shiva. Lakshmi quiet and sedate, remained his wife. These were the three Sris. However, Rig-veda acknowledges Laxmi as the only wife of Vishnu.
According to Vedanta she is considered to be the feminine energy and knowledge aspect (shakti) of Brahman, as one of many aspects of Adi Shakti.
Some of the many mythological stories connected with Saraswati have interesting sociological interpretations. As I mentioned in goddess Laxmi�s story, The gods and the demons by mutual agreement decided to churn the ocean for the Amrit. When Lakshmi appeared with the Amrit kunbha, both gods and demons wanted the elixir. Saraswati with her exquisite beauty lured away the asuras and was instrumental in helping the Gods to be immortal. Hence she was established in the heavens as the Goddess Saraswati.
The Gods and the Gandharvas both wanted the Soma Ras. It was again Saraswati who with her beauty and grace lured and so exhausted the Gandharvas that they could not acquire the Soma Ras which naturally went to the gods.
Vashishtha and Vishwamitra, the two sages, were both violently opposed to each other. Vishwamitra ordered the river Saraswati to wash away Vashishtha along with all he possessed. Saraswati refused to comply with his command. To punish Saraswati, he turned the water of the river into blood. At the behest of Shiva, the two sages became amicable and once again there was pure water in the river Saraswati.
In some areas she is believed to be the daughter of the Sun or Surya Kanya. In Western India, Saraswati is seen with the lion or peacock. She is married to Kartikeya. This is really the sun cult.
In Eastern India, particularly Bengal, Saraswati has been absorbed into the Bengali culture. She has been given the mantle of daughter of Parvati and is treated as a daughter. The mythological background of Saraswati shows the importance of the river Saraswati in the life of the Aryans settled along her river banks. Sociologically the River Saraswati was an important factor in ancient civilization. She is therefore a part of the fertility cult. The Aryans who lived along the banks of the river were pastoral and rural. All early development took place on the river bank. Consequently Saraswati came to be venerated as a symbol of knowledge.
The story of Kalidas also said to be revolved around Saraswathi.
May mother saraswathi bless you all with infinite knowledge.
Ya Kundendu Tushaara Haara Dhavalaa
Ya Shubhra Vastravrita
Ya Veena Vara Danda Manditakara
Ya Shveta Padmaasana
Ya Brahma Achyutaha Shankara Prabrithibhih
Devai Sadaa Poojitha
Saa Maam Paatu Saraswathi Bhagavati
Nishyesha Jyaadyaapaha
Translation: Let the Divine Saraswati, Who is as fair as the garland of moons rays, who is clad in white garments, who is carrying a Veena (lute) in her hands ( whose hands look beautiful bearing the Veena gracefully), Who is setting on a white lotus, who is always prayed to by Gods led by Brahma, Vishnu and Mahes and who destroys all lethargy; May she protect Us' being fond of white, she is as pure and unblemished as the white colour. By worshipping her, we acquire peace. She is worshipped by all Gods; as she is an authority, not only of academic learning, but also of fine arts, like music and dance. She uses a peacock or a white swan as her carrier, a fan as emblem of fine arts. Saraswati makes human beings, thoughful, and rids and mind of all lethargy. Her worship makes one modest, ever ready to fight injustice and a belief in equality, fraternity and freedom.
DAY 6 – Sri Lalitha
Sarvamangala mangalye, sive sarvartha sadhike
Saranye tryambake Gauri , Narayani namostute
Mother has many Names, but perhaps of all those Names, Lalita comes closest to Her original Form, parvathi. The name Lalita means "She Who Plays", and Play (lila), refers to the creation and sustaining of the Universe. Those who worship Her as the Supreme Deity do so fully and fervently. The Tantrarajatantra explains how Lalita took the form of Krishna for the salvation of the gopis.
In samaya tantra- Tripura tradition of tantra and shakta tantrism, she is worshipped as SriVidya or lalitha mahatripura sundari. She is the most widely worshipped aspect of Devi in South India. Her emblem is Srichakra/Sriyantra. The Panchadasakshari is her very powerful mantra and many desire to get initiated into the same. The architect of the gods, Viswakarma, built a grand city called Sripuram on the Meru mountain, specially for her sake. She resides there with her spouse Siva Kameswara.
The two most important sources of lalitha Tripura sundari are not ancient. Both are 9th century texts, of likely south Indian origin, attached to the brahmanda purana. Lalithopakhyana is her�s original myth and was composed either in sringeri or kanchipura sankara matts. Lalitha sahasranama is a liturgical text composed in imitation of vishnusahasranama predates lalithopakhyana. Lalitha Sahasra Naama is one of the principal texts of Sakta Cult the other two being are Durga Sapta Sati and Soundarya Lahari. When Vishnu Sahasra Naama helps the devotee to attain spiritual well being and subsequent Moksha(salvation) the Lalitha Sahasra Naama imparts saadhaka both spiritual and material upliftment.
Lalitha Sahasra Naama is the form of dialogue between Saint Agasthya and Lord Hayagreeva, who is the horse headed incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The Text consists 320 verses in three chapters. This text was first recited and strung into a garland of mantras by Vasini and other Vagdevathas on the command of Mother Goddess herself as remembered in the Nyaasa (The nyaasa is a process through which the aksharas or different parts of the devata or padas of the mantra is placed in the different parts of the body of the sadhaka. This placement produces the identity or rather this placement repeatedly and with the required dhyana on the specific centres and bijas etc, reveals to the sadhaka the unity between him/her and the Devi). The metre is Anushtup and Devatha is Lalitha Parameshwari. The other details in nyaasa are Vagbhava koota (the first of three kootas) as seed, the Kaamarajakoota (the second) as Sakthi and the Sakthikoota (the third) as spike or Keelakam. The purpose of the recitation is given in nyaasa is to accomplish the grace of Goddess Lalitha and to procure the benefits accompanying. MS subbulaxmi was the master of this nyaasa and that explains the beauty of her rendition of Vishnu sahasra nama.
Lalitha is usually depicted slightly red in colour (like dawn) and extraordinarily beautiful. In her four hands, she holds a bow of sugarcane, arrows, the ankusa and the pasa (noose). One of her feet, usually the left, is shown resting on a pedestal, made of diamond. The sugarcane bow represents the mind. This shows we experience all joy through our mind. The bow is an instrument which discharges the arrows. The same way, the mind is the instrument which shoots the sense organs towards the sense-objects. The arrows are the pancha tanmatras, the five subtle elements of akasa(ether), vayu (air), agni (fire), apas (water) and prithvi (earth).She is the power that enegises and controls our mind and sense organs. This is the idea.The pasa (noose) is the binding attachment (raga). The ankusa is the anger (krodha) or aversion which hurts. It is her power which animates our attachments and aversions.
If we forget her, she can bind us with (raga)pasa and pierce us with (krodha) ankusa.If we take refuge in her, she can withdraw them into her hands and free us from their torment.
Parvati , is the benevolent aspect, or representation of Shakti or Durga.As Parvati/Gauri, she takes the nourishing form of a kind Mother.
Goddess Parvati symbolises shakti. It is said in the Saundarya Lahiri, a famous literary work on the Goddess, that She is the source of all energy in this Universe and that because of Her, Lord Shiva gets all His powers. She is occasionally depicted as half of Lord Shiva.
In ancient times, Parvati symbolised the spirit of enquiry. She would pose questions to Shiva, and Shiva's answers provided deep insight into the nature of spirituality. Parvati's questions are collectively known as the Nigama shastra. Shiva's answers are philosophical; they are also of great practical value.(Agama shastra)
In Saiva Siddhanta, Siva is All, and His divine energy, Shakti, is inseparable from Him. This unity is symbolized in the image of Ardhanarishvara, "half-female God." In popular, village Hinduism, the unity of Siva and Shakti is replaced with the concept of Siva and Shakti as separate entities. Shakti is represented as female, and Siva as male. In Hindu temples, art and mythology, they are everywhere seen as the divine couple. Philosophically, however, the caution is always made that God and God's energy are One, and the metaphor of the inseparable divine couple serves only to illustrate this Oneness.
In the yoga mysticism of all traditions, divine energy, shakti, is experienced within the human body in three aspects:
1) Ida shakti,the feminine energy running thru the ida nadi - on the left
2) Pingala shakti,the masculine energy traversing the pingala nadi on the right
3) Kundalini shakti - the pure androgynous force, that flows through the sushumna nadi.
Only when ida and pingala are in perfect balance (as epitomised by the inseparable unity of the Ardhanariswara) that Kundalini takes the sushumna nadi to reach Sahasrara (Crown) chakra
DAY 7
Todays alankaram is Durga Devi
Devi is worshipped as Durga Maata
Goddess Durga represents the power of the Supreme Being that preserves moral order and righteousness in the creation. The Sanskrit word Durga means a fort or a place that is protected and thus difficult to reach. Durga, also called Divine Mother, protects mankind from evil and misery by destroying evil forces such as selfishness, jealousy, prejudice, hatred, anger, and ego.
The worship of Goddess Durga is very popular among Hindus. She is also called by many other names, such as Parvati, Ambika, and Kali In the form of Parvati, She is known as the divine spouse of Lord Shiva and is the mother of Her two sons, Ganesha and Karttikeya, and daughter Jyoti. There are many temples dedicated to Durga's worship in India.
In Her images, Goddess Durga is shown in a female form, wearing red clothes. She has eighteen arms, carrying many objects in Her hands. The red color symbolizes action and the red clothes signify that She is always busy destroying evil and protecting mankind from pain and suffering caused by evil forces. Following is the symbolism associated with Goddess Durga:
A tiger symbolizes unlimited power. Durga riding a tiger indicates that She possesses unlimited power and uses it to protect virtue and destroy evil. The eighteen arms of Durga signify that She possesses combined power of the nine incarnations of Lord Vishnu that have appeared on the earth at different times in the past. The tenth incarnation, the Kalkin (a man on a white horse), is still to come. Thus, Goddess Durga represents a united front of all Divine forces against the negative forces of evil and wickedness.
The sound that emanates from a conch is the sound of the sacred syllable AUM, which is said to be the sound of creation. A conch in one of the Goddess's hands signifies the ultimate victory of virtue over evil and righteousness over unrighteousness.
Other weapons in the hands of Durga such as a mace, sword, disc, arrow, and trident convey the idea that one weapon cannot destroy all different kinds of enemies. Different weapons must be used to fight enemies depending upon the circumstances. For example, selfishness must be destroyed by detachment, jealousy by desirelessness, prejudice by self-knowledge, and ego by discrimination.
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Durga is the warrior and fierce form of the divine mother. She is the demon killer and the most popular form of Uma. She kills the negative thoughts of her devotees.The word "Durga" in Sanskrit means a fort, or a place which is difficult to overrun. Another meaning of "Durga" is "Durgatinashini,"
which literally translates into "the one who eliminates sufferings."
The most powerful warrior she is, had to tranform in to many other forms to destroy different demons. She gets that name because she killed
a demon named "Durga" says saint AGastya to Karikeya in Skanda Purana when he inquires why his mother gets that name. A giant named durga, the son of Ruru, with the boons offered by Brahma conquered three worlds. He compelled the wives of the Rishis to sing his praise, and sent the gods from heaven to dwell in the forests,He abolished religious ceremonies ; Brahmans through fear of him gave up the reading of the Vedas ; rivers changed their course ; fire lost its energy,and the terrified stars retired from sight. He assumed the shape of the clouds, and gave rain whenever he pleased ; the earth through fear yielded
an abundant harvest, and the trees flowered and gave fruit out of the proper season.The gods in their distress appealed to Siva who in turn desired
Parvati to go and destroy this giant.
She calmed the fears of the gods, and first sent Kalaratri (Dark night), a female whose beauty bewitched the inhabitants of the three worlds, to order the giant to restore things to their ancient order. The giant, full of fury, sent some soldiers to lay hold of Kalaratri ; but by the breath of her mouth she reduced them to ashes. Durga then sent 30,000 other giants, who were such monsters in size that they covered the surface of the earth. At the sight of these giants, Kalaratri fled through the air to Parvati, followed by the giants. Durga, with 100,000,000 chariots, 120,000,000,000 elephants, 10,000,000 swift-footed horses, and innumerable soldiers, went to fight Parvati, on the mountain Vindhya.
As soon as the giant drew near, Parvati assumed 1000 arms, and called to her assistance different beings, and produced a number of weapons from
her body (a long list of these is given in the Purana). The troops of the giant poured their arrows on Parvati sitting on the mountain Vindhya,
thick as the drops of rain in a storm ; they even tore up the trees, mountains, and hurled them at the goddess, who threw a weapon which
carried away many of the arms of the giants. Durga hurled a flaming dart at the goddess, which she turned aside; another being sent, she stopped
it by a hundred arrows. He then sent an arrow at Parvati's breast; this too she repelled, and also two other weapons, a club and a pike. At last
Parvati seized Durga and set her left foot on his breast, but he, disengaging himself, renewed the fight.
The beings whom Parvati caused to issue from her body then destroyed all the soldiers of the giants. In return Durga sent a dreadful shower of hail,
the effect of which Parvati counteracted by an instrument called Sosuna. The giant now assumed the shape of an elephant as large as a mountain, and
approached the goddess, but she tied his legs, and with her nails, which were like scimitars, tore him to pieces. He then arose in the form of a buffalo,
and with his horns cast stones, trees, and mountains, tearing up the trees by the breath of his nostrils. Parvati next pierced him with her trident,
when he reeled to and fro, and renouncing the form of a buffalo assumed his original body as a giant, with a thousand arms, and weapons in each.
Approaching Parvati, she seized him by his thousand arms, and carried him into the air, whence she threw him to the ground with fearful force. Seeing that
this fall had not injured him, she pierced him in the breast with an arrow, when blood issued from his mouth in streams, and he died.
The gods were delighted, and soon regained their former splendour.
Vamana Purana however has another story in which Durga was created as Katyayani by the trinity.
At the close of the Treta Age, two giants, named Sumbha and Nisumbha, performed religious austerities for 1o,doo years, the merit of which action brought
Siva from heaven, who discovered that, by these works of extraordinary devotion, they sought to obtain the blessing of immortality. Siva reasoned long with them, and vainly endeavoured to persuade them to ask for any other blessing than immortality. Being denied, they entered upon more severe austerities, which they continued for another thousand years, when Siva again appeared, but refused to grant what they asked for: They now suspended themselves with their heads downwards over a slow fire, till the blood streamed from their heads, and continued thus for 800 years. The gods began to tremble, lest, by performing such rigid acts of holiness, they should be supplanted on their thrones. The king of the gods called a council, and imparted to them his fears; they admitted that there was great ground for fear, but asked what was the remedy.
Acting upon the advice of Indra, Kandarpa (the god of love), with Rambha and Tilatama, the most beautiful of the celestial nymphs, were sent to fill
the minds of the giants with sensual desires. Kandarpa letting fly his arrow wounded them both; upon which, awaking from their absorption, and seeing
two beautiful women, they were taken in the snare, and abandoned their devotions. With these women they lived for 5000 years ; after which they began
to think of the folly of renouncing their hopes of immortality for the sake of sensual gratifications. They suspected that this must have been a contrivance
of Indra ; and, driving back the nymphs to heaven, renewed their devotions, cutting the flesh off their bones, and making burnt offerings of it to Siva.
Thus they continued for 1000 years, till they became entire skeletons ; when Siva again appeared and bestowed upon them this blessing�that in riches and
strength they should excel the gods.
Being thus exalted above the gods, they began to make war upon them. After various successes on both sides, the giants became everywhere victorious ;
and Indra and the gods, reduced to a most deplorable state of wretchedness, solicited the interference of Brahma and Vishnu. They referred them to Siva,
who declared that he could do nothing for them. When, however, they reminded him that through his blessing they had been ruined, he advised them to perform
religious austerities to Durga. They did so; and after some time the goddess appeared, gave them her blessing, and, disguising herself like a common female
carrying a pitcher of water, passed through the assembled gods. She then asked them whose praise they were chanting. Whilst speaking, she assumed her proper
form, and replied, ' They are celebrating my praise.'
Durga took 10 forms during this battle with these giants.It seems scarcely correct to speak of these forms of Durga as incarnations ; they are rather
epithets descriptive of her appearance or method of fighting at different times during the great conflict. There is, however, so great a difference in
appearance and character between Parvati and Kali that it is not easy to regard them as the same being ; yet Durga, whilst represented as a warrior fully armed, has the calm features and golden colour of the goddess in her earlier manifestation. It certainly appears to be a reasonable hypothesis that Kali was originally altogether distinct from Uma or Parvati. The ten forms are a follows:
1. DURGA. received Chanda and Manda, the messengers of the giants; they, struck with her beauty, spoke so rapturously of her to their lords that Sumbha sent her an offer of marriage by Sugriva, their general. She killed him.
2. DASABHUJA. the ten-handed, destroyed Sumbha's array under the commander-in-chief Dhumlochana. Of these troops only a few fugitives escaped, to carry the news of their defeat to their master.
3. SINGHAVAHINI (riding on a lion) fought with Chanda and Manda, and has four arms only. She drank the blood of the leaders, and devoured a large part of their troops.
4. Mahishamardini (the slayer of Mahisha) slew Sumbha as he attacked her in the form of a buffalo. She had eight or, according to other accounts, ten arms.
There is little to distinguish the account of this form from that of Durga.
5. Jagaddhatri (the mother of the world) destroyed another army of the giants ; is dressed in red garments, and is seated on a lion. She, too, has
four arms only, and is very similar to Singhavahini; the difference being in the weapons she wields. As Singhavahini, she carries a sword and spear, and with
two hands is encouraging her worshippers ; as Jagaddhatri, she carries a conch-shell, discus, bow and arrow. In all the above forms she is represented as a fair, beautiful, gentle-looking lady.
6. KALI (the black woman). Through the practice of austerities, Raktabija who was another general of Sumbha, was granted a boon. This boon, granted by Brahma, allowed Raktabija's power to increase by a thousand every time a drop of his blood was spilled. The demon soldiers, led by Raktabija, came forth and the gods trembled with outrage. Durga rode into battle on a tiger, slaying demon soldiers as quickly as they advanced until all that remained was the demon-general.The battle between Raktabija and the Devi ensued.
Durga charged again and again; Raktabija's blood spilled everywhere. From each drop of blood a thousand more demons like him sprang up. Full armies arose from the puddles of Raktabija's blood. Demons advanced on the goddess by the thousands. They rode on elephants and horse drawn chariots. They laughed and shouted at the goddess' dilemma.
Upon seeing this, Durga became enraged. She knitted her brows in absolute fury. From this concentration came Kali, the Terrible One.The whole universe shook with the thundering roar of this powerfully terrible goddess.
Those demons who stood nearest the mighty Devi were consumed within the roaring rage of energy. Kali emerged, naked except for a covering of tiger skin.
Her skin was of the deepest black, and hung loosely on Her bones. This mad skeleton of a hag was armed with a skull topped staff, a noose, and the sword of Vengeance. She appeared most frightening with her blood red eyes,sunken deep into her skull, wild with raw power anxious to be unleashed and a third eye flaming brilliantly from her forehead. Her entangled black hair blew wildly about Her shoulders. She turned her furious gaze upon the demon armies, half fell lifeless from the deadly grip of Her stare. She let out a loud and petrifying shriek and more fell dead to the ground at Kali's feet. With wild cackling, She advanced on Her enemies. She reached out with her claw-like hands and shoveled some of the remaining demons into her gaping mouth.The rest turned away in fear of this ferocious Devi.
The skies were filled with the sound of Her shrieking laughter. But Kali didn't stop at that. She stretched out Her bright red tongue and swallowed all of the elephants and their riders as they tried to run. The horse drawn chariots disappeared with another mouthful into the abyss of Dark Goddess. With his armies fully destroyed, again the great Devi faced off with Raktabija. Kali pierced the demon in the side and quickly caught the flowing blood with her tongue and drank it greedily. The life energy of Rakatibija flowed out with his dripping blood like wine from a bottle. This time he was not given the chance to raise more demons from his blood. He was helpless in the face of this terrifying hag. Kali lifted him high in the air so she could more easily drain the blood from his body. Finally, drunken with the blood of victory, Kali, threw away the demon-general's corpse. The world was saved. . . . .almost.
It was time for Kali to begin her victory dance among the demon corpses. By now She was drunk from Raktabija's blood and the effect it had on Her caused her to
dance wildly. As She danced She threw Her head back and again filled the skies with her shrill cackling. Her terrible laughter drew the attention of the gods
who then came to see the outcome of the battle. They watched as she weaved in and out between the bodies of the demons. As she went she snatched up tokens of
victory. From the demon hands she created a belt and from their heads she fashioned a garland which she wore around her neck. Her dancing grew more and more frenzied as she slipped into a trance. Her feet pounded out destruction with each step upon the earth. Soon the demon corpses were reduced to mush, yet Kali continued dancing. It seemed as though nothing would stop Her, and again the world was on the verge of collapse.
Something had to be done,and soon. The gods begged Shiva to intervene and calm Kali before it was too late. Shiva did not yet believe that the world would be detroyed. As Lord of the Dance, He himself was enjoying the fine display of dancing. He laughed and waved the other gods away. "Let Kali enjoy herself,"he said, "Her job was well done."That was right before he was unseated by the thunderous pounding of Kali's dance. He then understood the full force of what was taking place. Shiva called out to Kali, but She could not hear him, such was the fever that raced through Her. She continued pounding what was left of demon flesh into oblivion. She rattled her staff and shook her great head. Her hair whipped wildly about causing great winds to carry off a few of the gods that were near by. She turned about, and lifted her arms to the sky, laughing crazily all the while. Nothing could stop this display of raw energy.
Shiva called out again, but again His words went unheard. Finally Shiva threw Himself down beneath Her feet. Kali continued her frenzied dancing, pounding the life out of her husband. It was a few moments more before She realized that it was indeed Her husband, Shiva, who lay flattened at Her feet. This quickly brought Her out of Her trance, and She was once more the calm Devi. Once more the world was saved from total destruction. Shiva's quick and selfless thinking had balanced the Devi's dance of destruction. With the world now safe, the gods returned to their regular routines.
Such is the nature of Kali.
7. Muktakesi (having flowing hair) destroyed another part of the giant's forces. In appearance there is little to distinguish her from Kali: she has four arms; holds a sword and a helmet in her left hands, and with her right she is bestowing a blessing and dispelling fear, She, too, is standing upon the body of her husband.
8. Tara (the saviour) slew Sumbha, and holds his head in one hand and a sword in another. Her appearance, too, is similar to that of Kali. She must not be
confounded with Tara, the wife of Vrihaspati; or Tara, the wife of Bali, the Asura king.
9. Chinamustaka (the beheaded) slew Nisumbha, the other giant. It is evident from her appearance that she found her task rather difficult, for her head
is half-severed from her body. She is painted as a fair woman, naked, and wearing a. garland of skulls, standing upon the body of her husband.
10. Jagadgauri (the yellow woman renowned through the world) received the thanks and praises of the gods and men for the deliverance she wrought; in her four hands she holds a conch-shell, a discus, a club, and a lotus. She is the Gauri the calm one.
For Iconographic description of Durga, read Neel's post below.
Durga Puja is particularly popular in Bengal, Assam and Bihar.
May Maa Durga Purify our minds!
DAY 8 – Mahisasura Mardini
Among all the demons that were killed by the mother, Mahisasura was the most powerful one. Thats why special importance was given to this story.
In the Markandeya Purana, the chapters 81 to 93 talks about the slaying of this demon Durga and it is referred as Devimahatmya. Devi-Mahatyma extols the greatness of Durga in 700 hymns grouped into 537 sections and therefore it is also known as Durga Sapta Sati.
Legend has it that two sons of Danu called Rambha and Karambha performed penances to gain more powers. Rambha performed the austerities by standing
amidst five ritual fires Panchagni and Karambha by standing in neck-deep in water.Indra, the lord of the gods, felt threatened by such intense austerities
and took the form of a crocodile and killed Karambha. Rambha, who came to know about his brother's death, increased the intensity of his austerities and won
several boons from gods like great brilliance, beauty, invincibility in war. Most importantly, the boon that he will not be killed by humans or Gods or Asuras (demons).
After receiving the boon, he was roaming in the garden of Yaksha and there he fell in love with a female-buffalo, Mahishi. To express his love Rambha took
the form of a male-buffalo and copulated with the she-buffalo. But soon a real male buffalo discovered Rambha in the garden and killed him.
Rambha's inflated ego made him not to ask the boon of invincibility from animals. And an animal happened to be the reason for his death.
The female-buffalo, who was pregnant, decided to kill herself in the funeral pyre of Rambha. She jumped into the pyre and from the pyre sprang up a
mighty asura (demon) with the head of a buffalo and human body. This was Mahishasura. He took up intense austerities for brahma for thousands of years and gets a boon that no 'god' (he makes a technical mistake of not mentioning goddess), human, animal, asura, yaksha, kinnera, kimpurusha, gandharva, garuda could kill him.
Mahishasura defeated the gods and the demons. He attacked the heaven and captured it and made 'devas' his slaves. He proclaimed that he is now
Indra -the lord of the gods. The gods led by Brahma approached Vishnu and Shiva and appraised them of the situation. Enraged by this, Visnu himself enters in to the war with the demon and hurls his sudarshan chakra at him. The demon dodges it and with his powerful horns rams in to the chest of visnu. Visnu flies far far away and hits a big mountain and falls unconcious. Enraged by the plight of his friend, Siva enters the field and hurls his trishula which was once again dodged by the demon and even the power of his third eye wont work on him.
All the gods assemble and decide to give all their powers to mother Durga. It is said that Durga looked like a mountain, brilliant like a million suns.
Out of this mountain, Durga took shape as the goddess more powerful than all the gods.'samasta devanam tejo rasi samudbhavam' Durga is the brilliance of all the gods.
Captivated by the awe-inspiring Durga, the gods bestowed on her their own characteristic weapons. Shiva - the trident, Vishnu - the discus, Varuna - the conch, Agni - the spear, Yama - the cudgel, Vayu - the bow, Surya - the arrows, Indra - the vajra, Kubera - the mace, Brahma - the water pot, Kala - the sword and Vishwakarma - the axe. Himavan gifted a mountain lion as her vehicle.
When the goddess was seen by Mahishasura, he fell in love with her and sought to marry her. The goddess promised to marry him, if he defeated her in the battle. A terrible combat ensued and continued for nine days. Finally, Durga assumed the terrifying form of Chandika and pinned Mahishasura down with her foot and pierced his neck with her spear and she cut his head off with her sword.
The legend about the killing of Mahisha is found in many Puranas and therefore there are slight variations in the story. The story is also found in Vamana Purana, Varaha Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Devi Bhagavatam and Kalika Purana.
Mahisasura symolizes the power of human ego which is unsurmountable even with great powers. Only the pursuit of the ultimate (Durga) can destroy it.
Jaya Jaya he Mahisasura Mardhini, Ramyaka Vardhini Shaila Suthe!
DAY 9
Devis alankaram & Devi is worshipped as Sri Rajarajeshwari
The 'Vaivarta Purana' relates the circumstance which led to the re-appearance on earth of Uma, who had sacrificed herself and became a Sati, under the form of Parvati.Siva, hearing of the death of his wife, fainted from grief; on his recovery he hastened to the banks of the river of heaven, where he beheld
the body of his beloved Sati, arrayed in white garments, holding a rosary in her hand, and glowing with splendour bright as burnished gold. No sooner did he see the lifeless form of his spouse, than, through grief for her loss, his senses forsook him." When he revived, gazing on her beautiful countenance, with tears in his eyes and sorrow in his voice, he thus addressed her: " Arise, arise, O my beloved Sati! I am Sankara, thy lord; look therefore on me, who have approached thee. With thee I am almighty, the framer of all things, and the giver of every bliss; but without thee, my energy! I am like a corpse, powerless and incapable of action : how then, my beloved, canst thou forsake me ? With smiles and glances of thine eyes, say something sweet as amrita, and with the rain of thy gentle words sprinkle my heart, which is scorched with grief. Formerly, when thou didst see me from a distance, thou wouldst greet me with the fondest accents ; why then to-day art thou angry, and wilt not speak to me, thus sadly lamenting ? O lord of my soul! arise. O mother of the universe! arise. Dost thou not see me here weeping ? O beauteous One! thou canst not have expired. Then, O my faithful spouse! why dost thou not honour me as usual ? And why dost thou thus, disobedient to my voice, infringe thy marriage vow ?"
"Siva, having thus spoken, raised the lifeless body, and in the anguish of separation pressed it to his bosom, and kissed it again and again.
Sankara clasped the corpse of his beloved ; and, after frequent faintings, arose, and, pressing Sati closely to his bosom, rushed forward maddened with grief. Like a man deprived of his senses, the preceptor of the universe wandered over the seven dwipas, until, exhausted by fatigue and anguish, he fell down in a swoon at the foot of a banyan tree. The gods, seeing Siva in this state, were greatly astonished, and, accompanied by Brahma and Vishnu, hastened to the spot where he lay. Vishnu placed the head of the fainting Siva on his bosom and wept aloud; after a little time he encouraged his friend by saying, ' O Siva! recover thy senses, and listen to what I say. Thou wilt certainly regain Sati, since Siva and Sati are as inseparable as cold from water, heat from fire, smell from earth, or radiance from the sun!'
"Hearing these words, Siva faintly opened his eyes, bedewed with tears, and said: ' O form of splendour! who art thou ? Who are these that accompany thee ?
What is thy name, and what are their names ? Who am I, and where are my attendants ? Where art thou and these going ? Where am I, and where proceeding ?' As Vishnu heard these words he wept, and his tears, uniting with those of Siva, formed a lake, which hence became a famous place of pilgrimage. Vishnu at length calmed Siva, who, delighted with his words, beheld Sati,seated before him in a gem-adorned car, accompanied by numerous attendants, arrayed in costly garments, resplendent with ornaments, her placid face being irradiated with a gentle smile. The anguish of separation ceased, and joy filled his soul as Sati thus addressed him : 'Be firm, O Mahadeva ! Lord of my soul! In whatever state of my being I may exist, I shall never be separated from my lord; and now have I been born the daughter of Himavat in order to become again thy wife: therefore no longer grieve on account of our separation.' Having thus consoled Siva, Sati disappeared."
She was re-born as parvathi and practiced severest possible penance with a desire to have Lord Siva as her divine consort. She took a vow (Narada Pancaratra) to attain him. Due to the severe penances her body became black. Lord Siva was pleased in the end. He himself washed her body with the holy water of Ganga. Then her complexion was changed into a shining one like a lightning flash. Since then she was known as Mahagauri (golden/fair).
Gauri represents Purity and austerity. Her complexion is extremely fair. So it is similarised with the conch, moon and Kunda flower. She is supposed to be eight year old always. All her garments and ornaments are also white. She has four arms hence called chaturbhuji. Her vehicle is a bullock. Her right upper hand is in the pose of allaying fear and right lower hand holds a trident in it. The left upper hand holds a Damaru and the lower one is in the pose of granting boon. Her appearance is very calm and serene.
Her power is unfailing and instantly fruitful. All sins of devotees are washed away with the result of her worship. Even accumulated sins get destroyed and in future no sins or sufferings come to him. He gets purified in all respects and becomes fit for inexhaustible virtues.
Maha gowri puja during Navaratras is very important one for Yogis and sadhaks. Her worship or rememberance or meditation of Mahagowri makes the devotee free from his material world and keeps him stay away from sorrows. She leads her bhakt to the path of virtue.
Gauri Puja begins on the 11th day of the bright half of the month of Ashadha (June-July).The girls, to get a good life partner, perform this ritualistic worship. A week before the start of this ceremony, they sow the seeds of seven different plants. These are called 'Jwara'. These represent Goddess Parvati who is ceremoniously worshipped for 5 days. Married women worship Goddess Gauri with Sindoor or kumkum for their sowbhagyam (marital bliss).
Mahagowri dhyana mantram:
Shwethe vrusha samaarudha shwetambara dharaa shuchih
Mahagauri shubham Dadyaan mahadeva pramodadaa
May mother gauri bless you and your families!
Festival of Dasara
Vijaya Dashami also known as Dasara, Dashahara, Navaratri, Durgotdsav� is one of the very important & fascinating festivals of India, which is celebrated in the lunar month of Ashwin (usually in September or October) from the Shukla Paksha Pratipada (the next of the New moon day of Bhadrapada) to the Dashami or the tenth day of Ashwin.
This festival is celebrated not only in India but in almost all eastern countries like Java, Sumatra, Japan etc... Dasara is Nepal�s national festival.
Word DASARA is derived from Sanskrit words �Dasha� & �hara� meaning removing the ten (10). This is the most auspicious festival in the Dakshinaayana or in the Southern hemisphere motion of the Sun. In Sanskrit, 'Vijaya' means Victory and 'Dashami' means 10th day. 'Thus Vijaya Dashami' means victory on the 10th day.
Dasara is also known as Navaratri, as in the first nine days the Divine Mother Goddess Durga is worshipped and invoked in different manifestations of her Shakti. The 10th day is in honor of Durga Devi. The basic purpose behind this festival is to worship feminine principle of the Universe in the form of the divine mother to remind the teachings of the Taitareeya Upanishad, "Matru Devo Bhava." Essence of the navaratri celebration at social level is to remind & respect all the women, who are the guardians of the family, culture, and national integrity, to take lead in times of crisis to guide the humanity towards the path of social justice, righteousness, equality, love, and divinity.
Durga is worshipped as the main deity of Navaratri by all the segments of society including tribal communities. Dasara coincide with the period of rest & leisure of the farmers after their strenuous hard work in their farms & fields, hence they invoke blessings of Durga in order to have a rich harvest in the next coming season.
In India harvest season begins at this time and as mother earth is the source of all food the Mother Goddess is invoked to start afresh the new harvest season and to reactivate the vigor and fertility of the soil by doing religious performances and rituals which invoke cosmic forces for the rejuvenation of the soil.
On the day of Dasara, statues of the Goddess Durga are submerged in the river waters. These statues are made with the clay & the pooja is performed with turmeric and other pooja items, which are powerful disinfectants and are mixed in the river waters. This makes water useful for the farmers & yields better crops.
Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Hindawi (Hindu) Swarajya used to always worship Lord Shiva & Goddess Durga in the form of goddess Bhawani before any military expedition. Goddess Bhavani had blessed Shivaji Maharaj with her own sword called �Bhavani Talwar�.
Buses, trucks and huge machines in factories are all decorated and worshipped as Dasara is also treated as Vishwakarma Divas - the National Labor Day of India.
Veda Vyasa is considered as the foremost Guru and Vijayadasami is also celebrated as Vyasa puja.
Dasara is the festival of Victory of Good over Bad, God over Devil.
Dasara in different parts of India
In most of the northern India (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Hariyana etc�) and some parts of Maharashtra Dasara is celebrated more in honor of Rama. During these 10 days many plays & dramas based on the epic of Ramayana are performed. These are called Ramlila.
In Bengal, Dasara is celebrated as Durga Puja. Idols of the goddess Durga are worshipped for nine days, and on the tenth day immersed in a river or pond. In Bengal, Assam & Orissa, Durga is also worshipped as Kali Mata as a symbol of Shakti (Power).
In Mysore - Karanataka, decorated elephants lead a colorful procession through the streets of the city.
In some regions all the three principal goddesses - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped during this festival, each for 3 days of the Navaratri.
In Gujrath, Rajasthan and most of Maharashtra during the Navaratri days the ladies & gents play a typical dance called Raas Garba every night.
The stories behind celebration of Dasara are as follows:
Victory of Prabhu Ramchandra over Ravana (Ten Headed Devil � The King of Lanka)
On this day in the Treta Yug, Shri Ram (7th incarnation of Vishnu), killed the great demon Ravan who had abducted Ram's wife Sita to his kingdom of Lanka. Ram, along, with his brother Lakshman follower Hanuman, and an army of monkeys fought a great battle to rescue his wife Sita. The war against Ravan lasted for ten days.
Rama had performed "Chandi Hom� and invoked the blessings of Durga to kill Ravana. Durga blessed Rama with the secret to kill Ravana. Ravana was defeated in his own kingdom of Lanka by Rama & the vanarsena. Rama with Sita & Laxman returned victorious to his kingdom of Ayodhya on the Ashwin Shukla dashami. This victory of Rama is since then celebrated as �Vijaya Dashami�.
So also prior to the defeat of Ravana, when Rambhakt Shri Hanuman went to Lanka to search Sita, he found her on the day of Ashvin shukla dashami.
During these 10 days of Dasara, huge idols of Ravana, Kumbhakarna (brother of Ravana) & Meghanad (son of Ravana) are erected and are set on fire by the enthusiastic youth at the sun set.
After Dasara, the hot weather of the summer ends, especially in North India and as the winter starts, the cold weather becomes breeding ground for many kinds of infections. Hence burning huge Ravana statues filled with the crackers containing phosphorous purifies the atmosphere. At the same time the temples perform Chandi Homa or Durga Homa which also helps in purifying the atmosphere.
Many houses also perform Aditya Homa as a Shanti Yagna and recite Sundara Kanda of Srimad Ramayana for 9 days. All these Yagna Performances are to create powerful agents into the atmosphere surrounding the house so as to keep the household environment clean & healthy.
The purpose of performing these homas is also to kill & sacrifice the 10 bad qualities, which are represented by ten heads of Ravana as follows:
(1) Kama vasana (Lust), (2) Krodha (Anger), (3) Moha (delusoion), (4) Lobha (Greed), (5) Mada (Over Pride), (6) Matsara (Jealousy), (7) Manas (Mind), (8) Buddhi (Intellect), (9) Chitta (will) & (10) Ahankara (Ego).
Some houses perform Yagnas 3 times daily along with sandhya vandana, called as Aahavaneeya Agni, Grahapatya Agni, Dakshina Agni. In addition to this, the Aditya Homa is performed with the Maha Surya Mantras and the Aruna Prapathaka of the Yajurveda. The effect of these mantras is to keep the heart, brain and digestive functions of the body in balance. The imbalances in these occur in the absence of adequate sunlight in the winter months.
Victory of Durga Mata over Mahishasura
Some of the Aasuras (Demons) were very powerful and ambitious, and continually tried to defeat Gods and capture the Heaven. One such Aasura called Mahishasur, who looked like a buffalo, grew very powerful & created havoc on the earth. Under his leadership the Aasuras even defeated the Devas (Gods), all of whom were powerless including Brahma, Vishnu etc� Finally, when the world was getting crushed under Mahishasura's tyranny, the Devas came together & contributed their individual energy to form �Shakti� a single mass of incandescent energy to fight & kill Mahishasur.
A very powerful band of lightening dazzled from the mouths of Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh (Shiva) and a beautiful, magnificent, radiant young virgin with ten hands appeared. All the Gods gave their special weapons to her. This Shakti coalesced in the form of Goddess Durga.
Durga with weapons in her ten hands, riding on Lion, who assisted her in the fight, took on Mahishasur. The battle raged for nine days and nights. Finally on the tenth day of Ashwin shukla paksha, the evil demon Mahishasur was defeated & killed by Durga.
Hence Dasara is also known as Navaratra or Durgotsava and is a celebration of victory of Goddess Durga. Durga as Consort of Lord Shiva represents two forms of female energy - one mild & protective and the other fierce & destructive.
End of Adnyatwas (living incognito) of Pandavas
In Dwapar Yuga, after Pandavas lost to Kauravas in the game of Dice, they had to proceed to 12 years of �Vanwas� (exile to forest) followed by one year of Adnyatwas. Pandavas spent 12 years in forest and hid their weapons in a hole on a �Shami� tree before entering the Kingdom of Virat to complete the last one year of Adnyatwas. After the completion of that year on Vijayadashmi they took the weapons from the Shami tree, declared their true identity & defeated Kauravas, who had attacked King Virat to steal his cattle wealth.
Since that day the exchange of Shami leaves on Dassera day became symbols of good, will and victory. Hence on Dasara, Shami Tree & the weapons are worshipped. |
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