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1. SailaputriGoddess Durga’s first form amongst the nine is Sailaputri. She was

nomenclatured as Sailaputri after being born in the house of the king of the

mountains, Himalaya. In this mold the mother is seen holding a trident in her

right hand and a lotus in her left and she is mounted on an ox. In the past

life she was the daughter of Daksha, the son of Lord Brahma. She was known as

Sati then. As the daughter of Daksha she was married to the God of Gods,

Mahadeva.

 

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Daksha once arranged for a ceremony of the holy fire (Yagna), and chose not to

invite his daughter and son-in-law. Sati was restless to join the ceremony at

her father’s place and even defied her husband’s advice of not attending the

Yagna without an invitation.

 

 

On going uninvited to the ceremony, she felt that everyone was giving her a cold

shoulder except her mother who greeted her with a hug. Her siblings too were no

exception and were sarcastic in their remarks. The guests too present in the

function were uttering disrespectful comments about her husband. To her

surprise her father too was harsh and rude in his approach. She was dejected

and was so heart broken that she burnt herself to ash in the holy fire. Shiva,

on hearing this incident was enraged and ordered his followers to immediately

demolish the Daksha Yagna.After burning herself to death, Sati was reborn as

the daughter of the king of the mountains, Himalaya and became known as

Sailaputri. Thus amongst all the nine forms of Devi Durga, Sailaputri is the

most powerful and glorified of all. She is worshiped in the first day of the

Navratri celebrations.

According to the Upanishads this form of Durga broke the pride of the Gods by

assuming the mold of Haimabati.

 

 

2. Brahmacharini

 

 

Durga’s second appearance is in the form of Brahmacharini. Here "Brahma" means

meditation. That is, the Goddess is the meditator or a practitioner of penance.

She is seen here holding a string of rosary beads in her right hand and a

Kamandul (an urn containing holy water) in her left hand. In her previous life,

when she was reborn as the daughter of Himalaya, she performed severe penance to

have Mahadeva as her husband. The sage God Narad advised her to take up

 

 

meditation to win Shiva. For undergoing strict meditation she was known as

Brahmacharini or Tapasyacharini. Ignoring the beating sun and thundershowers,

she began a three hundred year meditation living only on wood apple leaves that

fell on the forest floor. She furthered her penance making it even stricter by

relinquishing food and water for another few hundred years. As she gave up

eating leaves she is also referred to as “Aparna”. Practicing this painstaking

contemplation she became weak and skinny. Unable to withstand the plight of her

daughter her mother, Manoka requested her to give up her resolution. Shocked at

the sight of Durga she exclaimed “ U ma! Na aar naa”. That is why Durga is also

called “Uma”. On the other hand overwhelmed by Durga’s devotion and

perseverance, all the Gods and sages in the heaven were placated. At

last, grandfather Brahma, pleased with devi’s austerities made an oracle, “O

maiden! No one could achieve or endure the penance you have performed till

date. I am captivated by your meditation and devotion. Your wish will be

fulfilled and you will certainly have Shiva as your husband. You may now return

home and rest. Your father will come soon to take you.” This form of Durga gives

the devotees everlasting success. Worship of this appearance enriches the

faculties of sacrifice, honesty and self-discipline. In times of utter distress

the worship of this form gives success and the willpower to come out victorious.

This form of Durga is worshiped in the second day of the Durga puja.

 

 

3. ChandraghantaMother Durga’s third form is known as Chandraghanta. This name

finds its justification in the half moon seen on the temple of the Goddess that

resembles a bell. The deity has ten arms. The ten hands of the Goddess brandish

ten different weapons. Mounted on a lion this form of the mother is worshiped

on the third day of the Navratri celebration. It is believed that a devotee who

manages to earn the devi’s blessings can set himself

 

 

free from his sins and hazards that he has committed or may face in his life.

The devotee gains the power to sense the supernatural, to see it and even smell

the eternal fragrance. He is also able to distinguish the otherwise inaudible

celestial sounds. This is the time when the devotee should be alert. Although

the deity is always envisaged in the fearsome mood of demolishing the evil, her

appearance always spreads a calm and eternal peace all round. Mother

Chandraghant’s devotees spread peace and happiness wherever they go. We should

all whole-heartedly worship the mother with a devoted soul. Worship of the

deity helps one eliminate the sorrow, hazards and dangers in ones life.

 

 

4. KushmandaThe fourth appearance of the devi is in the form of Kushmanda. The

mother gets the name as she created the universe with a smile. When there was

darkness everywhere and there was no existence of the universe she created the

universe with a smile. She is believed to be the source of eternal power. The

Goddess has eight arms and that is why she is also known as “Astabhuja”. The

deity’s seven hands hold the holy urn (Kamandul), a

 

 

bow, an arrow, a lotus, a pot containing nectar, a disc and a club. The eighth

hand holds a string of rosary beads that is believed to provide success and

prudence. Pumpkin is termed as “Kushmando” in Sanskrit. Amongst the sacrificial

vegetables that are offered in the worship of the Goddess (naibidhya), pumpkin

is the most important vegetable with which Devi Kushmanda is most placated.

That is why she is named “Kushmanda”. She is worshiped on the fourth day of the

Navratri celebration abiding by the rituals that are described in the Sashtra

and the Purans. Worship of this form of the Devi exterminates sorrow and

diseases and augments life, fame and strength. Mother Goddess is appeased with

the slightest of devotion and if any one whole-heartedly worships the deity he

will certainly gain her favour.

 

5. Skandamata:Fifth form of the mother is known as Skandamata. Kumar Kartik’s

other name is Skanda. As devi Durga is the mother of Kartik, she is referred to

as “Skandamata”. This form of the deity has four arms. The mother is seen

holding her son Skanda with the top right hand and she is holding a lotus in

her lower hand. The top left hand is positioned in a blessing gesture and the

other hand holds a lotus. The goddess is fair and sits on a lotus.

 

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That is why the devi is also known as “Padmasana”. Here she is seen mounted on a

lion. If anyone worships her whole-heartedly, she fulfills the wish of the

devotee.

 

 

6. Kattayani:

 

 

Kattayani is the sixth form of Devi Durga. Sage “Kattayan” was the son of the

great sage “Kat”. Sage “Kattayan” was born in the “Kattya” clan. He was engaged

in rigorous penance and worship of “Bhagabati Paramba”. His prayer was all about

requesting the mother to appear in his house-hold as his daughter. Mother

“Bhagabati” obliged him. After some time, when, the world was terrorized of

Mahisasura, lord Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara with their divine powers gave

form to a

 

 

Goddess to combat asura and destroy him. Kattayan was the first to worship her

and that is why she is known as “Devi Kattayani”. It is mentioned in the

Shastra that Kattayani was born as the daughter of the sage Kattayan. Taking

birth on the fourteenth day of the new moon in “Ashwin” (September-October),

she accepted the worship of the sage Kattayan on Saptami, Astami and Navami and

ultimately slew Mahisasura on Dashami. The deity’s complexion is as bright as

gold. She has four hands. The top right hand is positioned in a gesture of

providing courage and the other hand is positioned in a gesture of rendering a

boon. The top left hand is holding a sword and the other holding a lotus. The

Goddess is mounted on a lion and she is worshiped on the sixth day of the Durga

puja. If one worships the deity with a pure soul he attains success in religion,

wealth, passion and salvation.

Disease, sorrow and fear are eliminated. Worship of this deity helps one to

emancipate himself from the sin he may have committed over the cycle of his

births and rebirths. We should all devote our prayers to the mother to lead a

better life.

 

 

7. Kalratri:Mother Goddess's seventh form is "Kalratri". Her complexion is as

dark as the night. Her cascading hair is let loose and she is seen wearing a

garland that radiates light as bright as lightning. She is fearsome with her

menacing three eyes, radiating fire. She is mounted on an ass. She has four

hands, of which, the top right hand is in a gesture of rendering boon to all.

The other hand on her right is rendering fearlessness. The top left hand is

holding an iron dagger and the other hand is holding a

 

 

sickle. Although she has a menacing appearance, she always delivers favorable

results and her devotees need not fear her manifestations is holding an iron

dagger and the other hand is holding a sickle. Although she has a menacing

appearance, she always delivers favorable results and her devotees need not

fear her manifestations. She is worshiped on the seventh day of the Durga puja.

Devi Kalratri destroys the evil. If anyone whole-heartedly pleads of saving him

from any impending danger, she protects him. As and when the Goddess is called,

the evils instantaneously disappear from the place. By the Goddess's grace, the

devotees overcome their fear of fire, water, animals and foes.

 

 

8. Mahagouri: Mother's eighth form is known as "Mahagouri". Her complexion is

totally white. Her garments are also white. She is mounted on an ox and has

four hands. Her top right hand is rendering fearlessness and the hand below

holds a trident. The top left hand holds a "Damru" and the hand below is in a

gesture of giving a boon. To have Shiva as her husband she went through a

rigorous penance in the form of "Parvati". As a result of this

 

 

arduous meditation her complexion turned dark. Lord Shiva, pleased with the

devotion of Parvati, bathed her in the holy water of the Ganges. As she bathed

in the holy water she turned fair. From then onwards she became known as

"Mahagouri". She is worshiped on the eighth day of the Durga puja. The devotee

is benefited on all fronts as he worships the deity. Due to the Goddess's grace

the devotee attains supernatural salvation, he is relieved from all his pains

and fatigue and can set himself free from his previous sins. He is never faced

with sorrow and poverty and never commits any sin. The devotee wins pure and

endless virtue.

 

 

9. Siddhidatri:Durga's ninth mold is the form of "Siddhidatri". She delivers

success. According to "Markendeo Puran" there are eight types of success, such

as "Anima", "Laghima", "Prapti", "Prakashya", "Mahima", "Ishhattya",

"Bashittya", "Sarvakaam bashayita" and "Sarvagyata". But in the "Brahmabaibarta

Puran" in the "SriKrishna Janmakhanda"

 

 

there are another ten types of success such as "Dursravan", "Parakayaprabeshan",

"Baksiddhi", "Kalpabrikkhatta", "Sristi", "Sanharkaransamartha", "Amaratta",

"Sarvanyaykatta", "Bhavna" and "Siddhi". Thus there are eighteen types of

successes. Mother Siddhidatri is capable of rendering all these forms of

successes to her devotees. According to the Purans, Lord Shiva achieved

salvation by the grace of this deity. The deity is seen sometimes sitting on a

lotus and sometimes mounted on a lion. She is four armed. The lower right hand

of the Goddess holds a disc and the upper right hand holds a club. The lower

left hand holds a conch shell and the upper hand holds a lotus. She is

worshipped on the ninth day of the Durga puja. She is the ultimate form of the

Goddess among the Navadurga. After having performed the worship of the other

forms of the Goddess according to the rituals mentioned in the Sashtra, the

devotee can then

start the worship of this deity. Those who worship the Goddess with full

devotion are bestowed with all the success

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