Navratri – 9 Days to Worship the Feminine Divinity

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्ति-रूपेण संस्थिता।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः॥

To that Devi Who in All Beings is Abiding in the Form of Power,
Salutations to Her, Salutations to Her, Salutations to Her, Salutations again and again… Maa Durga Mantra to begin the Navratri puja & celebrations.

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Navratri is that time of the year which is dedicated to worship the feminine power – Aadi Shakti (Goddess/ the

Supreme power) in the Indian subcontinent and Hindus across the globe. ‘Nav‘ means ‘Nine’ & ‘Ratri’ means ‘Nights‘, Nine Nights of festivities, worship, fun & frolic, and celebrations. In Indian Culture, feminine power is graced as most supreme across most mythological stories and rituals, be it – Goddess of Wealth – Devi Lakshmi, Goddess of knowledge – Devi Saraswati, Goddess of Power – Devi Parvati.

Navdurga, the nine Goddesses of Navratri, is the manifestation of Maa Durga in nine different forms. These nine goddesses are – Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skanda, Mata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. Followers observe strict rituals of fasting during these nine days and abstain from all considered lustful – i.e., alcohol, sex, greed, gluttony, etc. I have been observing Navratri for many years now, and the experience is truly holistic.

Reality Check – Femininity: a power or a curse?

When the culture, holy books, religion, and mythology talk so much about the power of the feminine and its various embodiments, then why is the real state of average Indian Women so appalling? Why do they have to fight a long battle to have equal rights? Why are they murdered inside the mother’s womb, and she never even gets the chance to object to this butchery? Why does she get stalked by any passerby’s whims & fancies? Why does she feel unsafe going out without her father or another male from her family?

We worship divine feminine power during Navratri to bless & prosper, but at the same time force many dreams to succumb under the pressure in the name of society and norms. Women have been worshiped in many regions across the globe – Egypt, Asia, Europe, etc. It was also said in many studies that Women once ruled the world. Well, today I am sure we do not wish so much to rule but an equal chance to live and dream as we aspire.

Change is inevitable – grace Femininity for ultimate survival

It was said in Hindu mythological tales that even Lord Shiva had to accept the divine power of Goddess Parvati, and his manifestation of ‘Ardh-nareeshawar’ is half man & half woman. Hence, when the creator had no qualms accepting the power of femininity, then why do we mortals have hitches in quoting women as equals?

Respect the Goddess in Every woman – in the article written by Ms. Pooja Bedi for TOI blog shares a note – “If a woman were to stand up to injustice in the family, we would quash the Durga within her and tell her to shut up and to accept being tormented, ridiculed or harassed. When she can’t bear it anymore and the Kali within her emerges in full force, she is abused, told she has no respect for family or elders, called names, and slandered for seeking retribution. Let’s not blindly follow religion; let’s understand it.”

Like how Goddess Durga is described as the one who won in her fight of good over evil, and warranted the righteousness, in the same way, let’s pledge this Navratri that we will not succumb to the evils of society and lose ourselves in this battle of egos.

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With this note, I will introduce you to our next #bloggarba hopper – who is a Legal Practitioner by profession and a Blogger by passion.

Sanandita from tic.talk.toe started penning down her thoughts on her blog because she loves creating her own space. TicTalkToe is like therapy to her after a long, tiring day at work, drafting legal assignments. She believes that blogging is a community, and though individually we are a drop of water, together we are an ocean of thoughts.

Thank you so much for reading and coming on this beautiful journey with us. I hope you are enjoying the #bloggarba.  To reach the starting point of the blog train, hop on to mommystimeline and follow the route to read this interesting series.

Happy Durga Puja and Festivities around.

“I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with #MyFriendAlexa by Blogchatter”

My Alexa Rank today on 21st September 2017 is:

Global – 826,211 Indian – 33,323