About the campaign
 Which specific flower should be offered to a specific Goddess?Specific flowers have better ability to attract the subtlest particles of a specific Deity's principle. When these flowers are offered to the Deity during worship, they help awaken the idol and the devotee benefits from the chaitanya in the idol. |
 What is importance of 'offering a sari' for the Goddess?The subtle process in performing the ritual of 'Oti bharane' and its merits. What is the benefit in specific colour selection of the sari and blouse-piece offered to the Goddess? |
 How to worship the Goddess during Navratri ?Science underlying the worship of Goddess during Navratri. Information on Ghatasthapana, Lighting of Akhand deep, Establishing Goddess Ashtabhuja and Navarnav Yantra, Malabandhan, Kumarika pujan, Garba etc. |
The Navaratri commences on the first day (pratipada) of the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Ashwin. During this vowed religious observance, a pot is installed (ghatasthapana) in a sanctified place at home. A lamp is kept lit for nine days. The pot symbolizes the universe. The uninterrupted lit lamp is the medium through which we worship the effulgent Adishakti, i.e. Sree Durgadevi. During Navratri, 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 getting more of Her grace.
Sree Durgadevi is the very embodiment of all the factors that makes life perfect. She is the Mother of the entire Universe. Being a Mother, She comes rushing to help Her children.
2A. History: Sree Durgadevi fought a fierce battle with the demon, Mahishasur continuously for nine days from the first day of the Hindu month Ashwin to the ninth day and killed him on the ninth day. So She is known as 'Mahishasurmardini'. The custom of observing this vowed religious observance started as an aspect of worship of Sree Durgadevi. Sage Narad asked Lord Ram to observe this vowed religious observance to be able to kill Ravana. Following Sage Narad's advice, Lord Ram observed the vow of Sree Durgadevi and then launched attacked on Lanka and killed Ravana.
2B. Installation of the Deity: In many houses, this vowed religious observance has become a family tradition. In a sanctified place in the house, a sacrificial fireplace (vedi) is constructed and the female deity with eight arms seated on a lion and the Navarna Yantra are installed with due religious rites. A pot is installed besides the device and both the pot and the female deity are ritualistically worshipped.
2C. Worship of a virgin girl: During this festival, a virgin girl is worshipped for nine consecutive days and is offered meals. Married woman means manifest energy while a virgin girl represents unmanifest energy. Since some amount of manifest energy is wasted in a married woman, the total energy in a virgin girl is more than that in a married woman.
2D. Continuous burning of a lamp: One of the features of Navaratri is that a lamp is kept lit for continuous nine days. In Gujarat to symbolize the maternal energy (matrushakti) during Navratri a lit lamp placed in an earthen pot with many openings (dipgarbha) is worshipped. In any religious rite like the Navaratri where a lamp is lit continuously as a part of ritualistic worship, if it blows off with the wind, due to exhaustion of oil, collection of lampblack, etc. then those causes should be corrected and the lamp should be lit again. As penance, the Name of the presiding deity should be chanted one hundred and eight or a thousand times.
2 E. Conduct: During this period as part of good conduct one should not shave, should observe celibacy strictly, should not sleep on a bed or mattress, should not cross the border of the village and should not wear footwear. These nine days should be observed as is observed during war periods.
Besides worshipping the Deity at home, during Navaratri many devotees also visit temples for paying obeisance. Festivals are celebrated on a grand scale in temples. If we understand the spiritual science behind these religious acts and follow them as told, then we can get maximum benefit from this worship in the temple or at home.
3A. Offering Vermilion (Kumkumarchan) to the Deity: Offering vermilion (Kumkumarchan) to the deity means offering vermilion at Her feet to Her head whilst chanting the Deity's Name or giving bathing Her with vermilion. Vermilion is a form of Energy. In other words, vermilion has a great potential of attracting the Deity principle. When the Deity is worshipped with vermiliom, the Energy principle from the Deity's idol gets assimilated in it. When we apply that vermilion to our forehead, we absorb the Deity's energy.
3B. Offering of a Saree and a blouse piece to the Deity: While concluding the worship of the Deity, one should offer a blouse piece and a saree to the Deity.
3C. Method of offering blouse-piece and saree to the Deity: We should place the blouse-piece and saree in the joined hands and keep a coconut upon it. (The pointed part of the coconut should be towards Deity.) After praying with spiritual emotion for getting divine consciousness from the Deity and for speedy spiritual progress, the blouse-piece, saree and coconut should be offered at the Holy Feet of the Deity. As the pointed part of the coconut is towards the Deity, the Deity's principle gets attracted in it and then runs through the blouse-piece and saree. We should then wear them and eat the coconut as a holy sacrament (Prasad) of the Deity. The saree being the Deity's holy sacrament, it generates a protective cover around our body and our body gets purified. More the spiritual emotion we have towards the Deity, longer lasts the sattva attribute of the Deity in it.
In the Kaliyug, chanting is the most superior and equally easy and simple form of spiritual practice. When we invoke the Deity by way of chanting Her Name, She comes to our help much faster. One should chant 'Om Sree Durgadevyai Namaha' as much as possible during Navaratri to be worthy of absorbing the principle of Sree Durgadevi which is more active during this period.Besides Navaratri, it is beneficial to chant the name of our family-deity everyday. In fact, God gives us birth in the family of such a deity that is beneficial for our spiritual practice. For example, if our family deity is Sree Bhavani Devi, then we should chant 'Sree Bhavani Devyai Namaha'. (More information about the worship of family deity can be attained from Sanatan Sanstha's satsangs.)
During Navaratri, we pray to the Deity for fulfillment of our various desires. But in Kaliyug, which prayer offered to Mahishasurmardini would be appropriate? Devi vanquished Mahishasur. Today Mahishasur lives in the heart of most of the people in the form of the six foes (shadripu). He has established his supremacy on the internal divine qualities of man. To get freedom from his demonic clutches, we should surrender ourselves to the Divine Energy and pray, "O Mother, we have become weak. By enjoying physical pleasures and passions we are neck-deep in the mire of this Great Illusion. O Mother, you be the One to bestow upon us strength and power. Make us worthy of liquidating the demonic traits with the help of your Divine Power.
Jap and Aarti
Navaratri Introduction