Countdown to Navaratri - 21 days to go

[Guest guest]

Here is something I found interesting on the web , especially on the

importance of the Chaitra Navarati that we are looking forward to.

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Navaratri is celebrated four times a year. They are Ashada Navaratri,

the Sharada Navaratri, the Maha Navaratri and the Vasantha Navaratri.

Of these, the Sharada Navaratri of the month of Ashvin and

the Vasantha Navaratri of Chaitra are very important. If you

refer to the agni purana, Asvin and Chaitra are like the two

jaws of Lord Yama. If one wants to escape the mouth of Yama, then one

should celebrate Navaratri on these two occasions. A similar analogy

is presented in the devi bhagavatam. Devi bhagavatam also talks in

detail on how one should observe fasts, and how one should

meditate/work on these days.

 

According to legend, Durga sat on the tip of a needle for nine

days, doing a severe penance to destroy the evil Asura Mahisha. On

the first three days, she meditated as Herself, the next three days

as Mahalakshmi and the last three days as Sarasvati. This signifies

progression from tamsik, to rajasik to satvik and eventually

obtaining liberation. The tenth day during Sharada Navaratri is

called vijayadashami to signify the victory on the day of dashami.

 

It is, however, a long tradition that one reads the devi-bhagavatam

or the devi mahatmyam (Durga saptasati, 700 verses on Durga) during

this period. Devi bhagavatam notes that Rama meditated and fasted for

nine days after Sita was kidnapped by Ravana. There are numerous such

incidents on how people's wishes were granted.