Navratri means nine nights. Here ‘Nav’ has two meanings, ‘new’ and ‘new’! Night is what gives you rest. There are three types of heat in our life physical, spiritual and spiritual. calamities caused by nature such as heat, cold, heavy rain, drought or earthquake; This is called spiritual heat. Problems caused by family, spouse, children, one’s mind, behavior or poverty etc. are physical heat. Pain, restlessness and unhappiness in the mind in spite of everything – these are spiritual heats. They are called Tapatray. What gives you relief from these three types of heat is the night. She frees all animals and birds from hunger, thirst, sorrow and pain and lets them sleep in her lap.
Each child rests in its mother’s womb for nine months. Rest creates a new consciousness in him. Navratri is nine days of immersion in one’s source, the divine conscious power, every year. This conscious power is called Mother Goddess. Mother gives us happiness from within, she does us good.
The first three days of Navratri are associated with Tamogana, which symbolizes darkness and heaviness. The next three days are associated with Rajogana, the sign of activity and restlessness. The last three days celebrate sattva guna, which is associated with purity and peace. During the nine days of Navratri, we transcend all three qualities by worshiping the three forms of Goddess Bhagwati. For the first three days, Goddess Durga is invoked, whose prayers remove the impurities of the mind and we overcome evil tendencies like attachment, hatred, ego and greed. Once we overcome these negative tendencies, we pray to Goddess Lakshmi for the next three days to nurture our positive qualities. In the last three days, when the sattva quality within us increases, we worship Goddess Saraswati to attain enlightenment.
The story of the monster Raktbejasura
There is a story in the Puranas that there was a demon named Raktbejasura and he had the honor that whenever a drop of his blood fell on the earth, a hundred more Raktbejasuras would be born from that drop. Because of which he became very irregular. It shows that all our qualities are in our DNA, our entire history. Therefore, if any change is required, it must be in the ‘seed’ and this change can only be done by the Mother Goddess. With her trident of knowledge, love and action, she eradicates demons like Raktabijasura.
When there is a lack of knowledge, you get caught up in desires. Sometimes you have knowledge but you don’t act on it and then you suffer. Despite knowing what is good for you, you keep putting it off. There is a desire to do something, and you know it is good for you yet you do not do it, this is a lack of action power. Therefore, whatever negative qualities are present in us, they can be eliminated by the power of knowledge, the power of love and the power of action.
Circulation of life force
When you engage in spiritual practice and awaken your spiritual energy, your entire body and mind are activated and negative qualities dissipate. This change is not only at the level of mind but at the level of existence. The power of spiritual practice and meditation to bring about changes at the level of your DNA. Meditation is a way of being deeply relaxed and alert at the same time. It is the skill to calm the mind and achieve inner happiness.
In these days we worship Mother Goddess in all forms. We experience the energy of the Mother Goddess who is the essence of this entire being.
During Navratri chant, kirtan and meditate and dive into your consciousness.
Many other deep mysteries are associated with Navratri. We can’t know all the secrets, so sit back and think. Navratri is a beautiful opportunity to awaken in your consciousness! When you immerse yourself in the wave of devotion, all defects are automatically removed. At this time, we pray that everyone gets well and that everyone finds happiness and peace.
On the days of Navratri, people dance garba together and celebrate. The word garba is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘garba’. Just as a child lives in the mother’s womb for 9 months, so we are in the womb of Allah. Garba’s message is to accept us all!
Suppose we like ten things about a person, but if we don’t like two of them, we reject him. It is not possible for us to like every single thing about every person, so whatever suits us is fine. Accept the person as they are. Navratri is the festival of taking Rajoguna, Tamoguna and Satguna together.
Vijaya Dashami is celebrated on the Dashami day after Navratri. On the day of Vijaya Dashmi, all the defects and negative tendencies of the mind are removed. This day symbolizes victory over all the anger and hatred that accumulates in our minds throughout the year. On this day we burn all the negativity within us in the fire of knowledge. And in doing so, we blossom from within.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a humanitarian and spiritual guru. He founded the Art of Living organization, which serves in 180 countries. This organization is known for empowering people through its unique breathing techniques and mind management tools.
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