Countdown to Navaratri - 21 days to go ...Qstn(1)

[Guest guest]

being a teacher myself i always tell my students, no question is too

dumb. [that's not exactly true, if i just said something and then

they ask it, but in the early stages i say that to encourage them. i

do love them they are great.] anyway, my question is:

 

who [or what] is Saraswati? yes this is part of Swami's name but i

see it come up again and am not sure what the reference is.

 

peace! victory over ego! chop-chop!

 

steve c.

 

, "Latha Nanda" <lathananda>

wrote:

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

the

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

> ===============================================================

>

> 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.