Today Navratri has started in Panchmahayoga. This time Tritiya Tithi will last for two days. Due to the discrepancy in this date, the worship of Ashtami and Mahanavami will take place on the 11th. Dussehra will be celebrated on Saturday, October 12. Despite the discrepancy in the date, full nine days will be available for Devi Puja.
Today Navratri is starting in five Rajyoga named Parvat, Shankha, Parijat, Budhaditya and Bhadra. Astrologers believe that due to the establishment of Ghat in these Panchmahayoga, the auspicious results of worshiping the Goddess will increase further.
Ghat (Kalash) is established on the first day of Navratri. This is also called setting up Mata ki Chowki. For this there will be only two auspicious times in the day.
First day of Navratri today: Shailputri gives stability and courage in life, worship the goddess wearing yellow clothes.
Now let us understand the science of Navratri
According to Devi Bhagwat and Markandeya Purana, there is a tradition to worship the Goddess and observe fast for nine days of Navratri. If we understand it from Ayurvedic point of view, the weather changes during these days, due to which digestion gets disturbed. To keep this in order, the tradition of fasting has been started.
Best time to improve your health Shardiya Navratri marks the beginning of winter, hence light diet is taken during this period. During this time the digestion process is slower than normal days. Due to which one feels laziness and lethargy. For this reason it is said that even if you do not fast during Navratri, your food should be light.
Our digestive system gets cured by fasting. The ability to digest food improves. This is the main time of weather change. Due to this, disease-causing bacteria and germs remain more active. In such a situation, the importance of fasting increases during Navratri.
Navratri: Day and night are equal, the time of new beginning and old ending. During Navratri, the Sun is closest to the equator and day and night are equal. In the language of science it is called Equinox. This happens twice a year. The first in March, followed by September 22, which is called the Autumnal Equinox. During these days, sunlight and moon light reach the earth equally. We celebrate Shardaya Navratri at the same time of the year when this astronomical event is happening. Sharad Navratri brings the season of snow falling.
There is neither much cold nor heat during Sharadiya Navratri of Ashwin month. Nature is very favorable at this time. The impact of changing nature and weather is visible both personally and externally. Personally, this is a time for meditation and sadhana, whereas outside the world, the heat subsides during this time. In science it is called Principle of Thermodynamics.
Our sages knew that the points of the equilateral cycle, that is, the junction of the seasons, represent the dissolution and re-creation of the power of the universe. This is a big form of completion of the green cycle and then new sprouts sprouting in the small world of our mind and body.
Vrindavan: Kali is worshiped in the form of Krishna.
Krishna Kalipeeth is the birthplace of Shri Krishna in Vrindavan. The black form of Krishna is worshiped here. In the story of Bhagwat Purana, Krishna has been described as the incarnation of Kali. This four-armed statue is about five feet tall and is made of black smooth stone.
The face and feet of the idol of the goddess are like those of Krishna, while the upper left hand holds a sword and the lower hand holds the head. The right hand is in blessing posture. Goddess worship is done in the temple according to Vaishnav method.
According to the story of Bhagwat Purana, Lord Shiva expressed his desire to incarnate in a female form to Parvati, then Parvati said that my Bhadrakali form will incarnate as Krishna. Then you will incarnate in the form of Radha. After this both were born in Vrindavan.
Tamil Nadu: Here Draupadi is worshiped in Kali form.
It is mentioned in Tamil Mahabharata that Draupadi was the form of Kali. Draupadi had taken a vow that she would wash her head with the blood of the person who had insulted her, that is why Draupadi is considered the incarnation of Mahakali in South India. Here Goddess Draupadi is called Amman. Who was born to help Shri Krishna.
There is Sri Dharmarayaswami Temple of Draupadi Devi in Bengaluru, Karnataka. This temple is 800 years old. It is believed that the army men had built the temple of Draupadi. Dharmarai Swami i.e. the eldest brother of Pandavas is Dharmaraj Yudhishthir. There are statues of the five brothers in the temple. Special worship is done here during Navratri.
Vijayawada: Kanak Durga appeared after killing Mahishasura.
It is believed that this temple of Goddess Durga is Swayambhu i.e. she has appeared herself. After killing Mahishasura, Goddess Durga appeared on the hills of Indrakiladri. Then his appearance was gentle. The glory of the goddess was brighter than hundreds of suns, that is why this temple is called the temple of Kanak i.e. the golden Durga. It is believed that Shri Ram and Arjun also worshiped here.
Different decorations of the Goddess are done here during Navratri. On the first day, she will be worshiped in the form of golden armor ornament and on the second day, she will be worshiped as Bal Tripura Sundari. On the third day, Gayatri will be decorated and on the fourth day, Lalita will be decorated as Tripura Sundari.
Panchami will be worshiped as Annapurna, Shashthi will be worshiped as Shri Mahalakshmi Devi. After this, she will be decorated as Saraswati, Durga and on the last day, Mahishasura Mardini.
Kanyakumari: Goddess is worshiped here in the form of a virgin girl.
At the confluence of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, there is a temple of the Kumari form of Goddess Parvati, about three thousand years old. Kanyakumari city got its name from this temple. This Kanyakumari Amman temple is one of the 52 Shakti Peethas of the Goddess. It is believed that a part of the spinal cord of Goddess Sati had fallen here. During Navratri, the goddess's vehicles are changed to adorn her.
According to temple priest Subramaniam, the Sharvani (wife of Shiva) form of the goddess is worshiped here. It is believed that Parashuramji had built this temple. There is a legend that the demon king Banasur had received a boon that only a virgin girl would be able to kill him. Later Goddess Shakti took the form of Kanyakumari and killed that demon.
Banaras: Two feet gold statue of Annapurna, no one sleeps hungry here
Special puja is performed every day during Shardiya Navratri in Maa Annapurna temple of Banaras. According to temple manager Kashi Mishra, Mother Annapurna appears here in the form of Gauri on Ashtami.
After Navratri, the doors of golden Annapurna will open on Dhanteras. This idol is made of about two kilos of gold. This statue can be seen only four days in a year on Dhanteras, Roop Chaturdashi, Diwali and Annakoot.
It is believed that Mother Annapurna herself fed food to Lord Shiva here. No one sleeps hungry in Kashi due to the blessings of Mother Annapurna.
Sketch – Sandeep Pal, Graphics – Kunal Sharma
First day of Navratri – Ground report from Kamakhya: Here Naga sadhus wear clothes, mothers menstruate; Red cloth available in Prasad
Graphics Source: NavJivanIndia | VaskarAssets
