Importance Of Navratri As Vaidik Energy & Yogik Energy's

 It is sadly observed that due to the desire in living in materialistic world, in present days our younger generation losing interest in our spiritual festival. Without blaming them, one contributing reason might also be due to our inability to make them understand with correct logic about the deep embedded meaning of each spiritual festival. Let us delve into a debate on that.

Hindu new year (Vikram Sanwat or the Calendar which follows the emperor Vikramaditya, and sadly in back burner due to adaptation of Gregorian calendar) starts with the festival Gudi padwa on Chaitra pratipada. This also marks the beginning of a spiritual worships for nine nights called Navaratri.

The importance of Navaratri (Nava = Nine; Ratri = night, literally means nine successive nights)

However, what is Navaratri?

In Sanatan Dharmic or Hindu (our) festivals the word night comes only twice – One is in Shivaratri (Night of Lord Shiva, worshiping the male gender essence of nature) and another is Navaratri (Nights dedicated to Mother Durga worshipping the female gender essence of nature)

Without Lord Shiva or the male power, the world cannot be imagined and similarly without Mother Durga or the female power it cannot be thought of. This metaphor also represents that without conjugation of a male and female a family cannot be thought of and the flow of heredity thru’ progeny after progeny will stop and creation will cease to exist.

Again, why does Navaratri come four times in a year.

Basically, Navaratri is the first nine nights at the confluence of two Seasons. In other words when one season (like Monsoon season starts after Summer) starts after another then the first nine nights are Navaratri. Since there are four seasons

To understand the why Navaratri is of nine days and importance of each day one has to understand a little about classification of human’s own nature as per Sanatan Dharma.

Quality of human is divided in three basic types and those are,

• Sattvik (or person in mode of Goodness)

• Rajasik (or person in mode of passion)

• Taamasik (or person in mode of ignorance).

It is needless to say that that can be no dual nature existing in same human and Sattvik is the nearest nature for a human to attain liberation from life and death cycle.

[ Supreme Godhead Krishna has given detailed instruction on essence or nature of Sattvik, Rajasik and Taamasik people in Shrimad Bhagwadgeeta, Chapter 17. There shloka 4 & 5 defines whom respectively they should worship, their way of respective worship is outlined in shloka 11 to 13 and what they eats is described in Shloka 9 & 10.]

First three nights of Navaratri is for cleansing oneself (read own soul) from Taamasik essence like Lust, Anger and self-pride or Ego.

Next three nights of Navaratri is for cleansing oneself from Rajasik essence like desire of materialistic things and pleasure, greed etc.

After cleansing self, which an worshiper believes has been possible due to Grace of mother Durga, one attains stage of Sattvik and last three days are for offering gratitude to the Mother due to her grace and blessings. After performing this sincerely and whole heartedly one is expected to arrive in Sattvik stage.

Out of four Navaratris two are for the ones who stays in family and the other two Navaratris are called Gupta (means hidden) and are for ascetics, saints and hermits.

Why to fast during Navaratri

During the confluence or change of Season our health suffers adversely. To avoid such malady body needs to be cleansed and internal energy needs to be increased to increase immunity (Best kind of Autophagy made famous by Noble laureate Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi) by observing “Vrata”, fasting and reducing food intake.

Importance of nine (Nava) in Navaratri

In our spiritual festivals Navaratri represents the mother element and energy inherently associated with it. It is similar to Nine planets, Nine festivals, Nine colours, Nine months and nine days gestation period of a human fetus in mother’s womb. As the fetus develops for nine month and nine days similarly during Navaratri all limbs gets purified.

Relation between worshipping nine nights and physical body

And types of Vidyaa (path of knowledge) – there are two types of Vidyaa – Paraa and Aparaa. In Paraa vidyaa the cleansing of body and soul takes place while performing hymn chanting, meditation, Yajna (fire ritual) etc. If we call it as Bhakti Yoga then it will not be erroneous. [acknowledged in Shreemad Bhagwadgeeta in Chapter 12 Shloka 9 – “Avyasayogen….”]

In Aparaa Vidyaa the cleansing or purification happens by pranayama and meditation. Each Chakra in body is presided by one corporeal form of Divine Mother.

In Paraa vidyaa school of thought the Divine mother is worshipped as follows

The worshipper (Sadhak / Sadhwi) keeps Vrata (penance?) for nine days by rejecting all materialistic comforts like sleeping on hard floor, maintaining celibacy. They establish Water filled pot (Ghat) dedicated to Divine Mother. In some pits they place wheat, pulses etc. and sitting in front of Mother’s statue or image chant Devi Saptasati, Devi kavacha etc. While reading Devi kavach concentrating in different parts of body in sequence falls in Aparaa vidyaa.

Importance of Hawan (Fire ritual) on Final day.

All of us are aware that with solemn vow (Sankalp) to remove/ destroy outside negative influence, ill- effects of Planets Hawan is perfomed in presence of every family member / worshipper in which each one offers oblation in the fire. This in turns increases the bonding of love and respect in family members and removes the negative feeling among them.

Aarati (greeting a Deity by waving a lamp, thurible, incenser etc. before his or her face) of Mataji

During all ninedays puja (worship) aarati is performed. In present days lingo it can be said that the singing in Aarti is metaphoric and defines the resolution of remembering Divine mother all 24 x7 and her victory over the Demons signifies that we should get victory of our inner demonic nature like anger, jealousy, ego etc. The singing is a constant reminder about what we need and what we do not need, what we should accept in our daily holistic life and what we should reject. The last stanza of Bhajan of Aarti prays for peace and harmony of all religion, religious people world and creations contained therein.

Importance of Prasad (the food offered to Deity) distribution.

Normally Childrens are entrusted with the responsibility of distribution of prasad after completion of Aarati. It is considered to be good deed (Punya) and the more it is distributed the better it is. Actually, this indirectly imparts the sense of giving on the distributor and every receiver accepts it with lot of emotion and sense of gratitude. This imbibes the sense of gratitude among receivers.

How should present generation perform Navaratri?

Each day of Navaratra relates to one Chakra which are situated along our spine and each chakra centre is governed by one corporeal form of mother. These chakras shapes and controls our nature and many descriptions about the fact can be found in many ancient religious texts.

Let us connect worship of Navaratri with our own body and nature.

1st day – before going to bed reconcile on your past and past year and recollect all intentional and unintentional mistakes/ error/ unjust committed. While meditating concentrate on Mulaadhaar / Root Chakra (situated at the end of tail bone) and surrender all those mistakes. This will remove the laziness from your nature and make you energetic. A lazy can not be energetic and an energetic cannot be lazy.

2nd day morning while getting up sit in meditation and focus your attention on Swadhisthan / Sacral Chakra (situated behind genitals on the spine) and if lust governs your mind, then breath in and out on this Chakra. Feeling of lust will subsidise and nature will turn to creativity.

3rd Day – Concentrate on Manipurak or Naval Chakra, situated behind the belly button on the spine and breath in and breath out. You will be able to get rid of jealousy. In Hindi there is a saying which roughly translates why do you have stomachache seeing others earning – this proverb points out that jealousy is controlled by this chakra. When jealousy reduces then magnanimousness increases.

4th day – Focus your attention on Anahata/ Heart Chakra and as the name says it is situated on the spine behind sternum and recalling your fears breath in and out on this chakra. This will free one from fear. All of us are aware that whenever we are afraid or scared our hand goes over heart. So heart chakra controls fear and once fear subsidises love (again depicted by heart sign universally) will increase. The complimentary emotion of fear is love.

5th day – Focus your attention on the Visshudhhi / Throat chakra, situated behind vocal cord along the spine and breath in and breath out. Recollect all names who has ever helped you and offer your Gratitude. Your indecisive nature will reduce, and communication skill will improve.

6th to 8th day – Focus attention on Ajna chakra (situated between two eyebrows) and breath in and breath out and recollect all past intentional or unintentional events when you were angry and surrender all those events while breathing in and out. You shall be able to note reduction in your anger and pride and your clear thinking, intuition together with memory retention will increase. Pointer – In anger eyebrows contracts and in case of deep thinking most of us tap the Anja chakra.

9th Day – Focus your attention on Sahasradhaar / Crown chakra and imagine white colour and meditate in peace and in complete silence.

Navaratri comes for purification and cleansing our body and souls, and this keeps us healthy and disease free.

During Navaratri, the willing one should get attached to their own body created out of five elements (Ether, Sky, Fire, Water and Earth) and should cleanse him/herself of own’s ill nature which makes them undesirable to Society.

Hail Mother

Krishna Kanta Mishra a.k.a Krishna Guruji

International Spiritual healer and humanitarian

www.krishnaguruji.com