Navratri - A holy celebration

Navratri, the oldest tradition in the Hindu culture, is a juncture of two seasons in which we people try to explore and ameliorate ourselves. According to the Hindu calendar, Navratra is believed to fall in 'Shukl paksha of Ashwin Maas', which continues to 'Navami' or ninth day. These nine days of Navrati signifies nine incarnations of Maa Durga or Parvati. They are;  Goddess Shailputri, Goddess Bhramacharani, Goddess Chandraghanta, Goddess Skandamata, Goddess Katyayani, Goddess Kaalratri, Goddess Mahagauri, and Goddess Siddhidatri.

Let's study it a little more deeply into the history of the Navratra...

 Legend has it that the demon king Mahishasura was granted immortality by Lord Brahma, with the condition being that he could only be defeated by a woman.

Mahishasura attacked all three spheres, Trilok, which includes Earth, Heaven and Hell, and nobody could defeat him. Then Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva combined their powers to create Goddess Durga. What ensued was a 15-day long battle between Mahishasura and Goddes Durga, during which the demon king kept changing his form to confuse the goddess. When Mahishasura turned into a buffalo, Goddess Durga slew him with her Trishul. It was the day of Mahalaya when Mahishasura was killed.

As per the Hindu Lunar calendar, the last day of Pitru Paksha or Pitripaksha, the fortnight of the forefathers, in the month of Ashwina is known as Mahalaya. Today is the first day of Navratri that is believed to be the day of Shailputri, the incarnation of Maa Durga.  

Shailputri

वन्दे वंछितलाभाय चन्द्रार्धकृतशेखराम्।
वृषारूढाम् शूलधरां शैलपुत्रीं यशस्विनीम्॥

Mata Shailputri is worshipped on Pratipada. She is also known as Hemavati, Bhavani, and Parvati. It is said that Goddess Sati was born as Shailputri to King Himalaya after her self-immolation. Shailputri is an amalgamation of two words- ‘Shail and Putri’ which means daughter of mountains. Goddess Shailputri governs the Moon - the provider of all fortunes, hence blesses her devotees with good fortunes. 

In some scriptures like Shiva Purana and Devi-Bhagavata Purana, the story of Mother Goddess is written as follows: Maa Bhagwati in her earlier birth was born as a daughter of Daksha Prajapati. Then her name was Sati and she was married to Lord Shiva. But in a sacrificial ceremony organized by her father Prajapati Daksha, her body was burned in the yogic fire, because she could not bear the insult of her husband Lord Shiva by her father Prajapati Daksha in the sacrificial ceremony. In her next birth, she became Goddess Parvati, the daughter of Parvat Raj Himalaya. Another avatar of Nava Durga is the incarnation of mother Parvati, she also incarnated her as 32 vidyas, who was again known as Hemavati. In her Hemavati aspect, she defeated all prominent gods. Like her previous birth, in this life also Maa Shailaputri (Parvati) married Lord Shiva. 

Maa Shailputri is worshipped all over India, therefore, we have many temples across India.
● Shailaputri Temple is located at A-40/11, Maria Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
● Hedavde Mahalaxmi is located at Hedavde Village, on Mumbai Ahemdabad Highway, Vasai Virar region, Maharashtra, India.
● Shailaputri Temple at Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

In the end, I only pray for good health, happiness and accomplishment of goals, for all the people reading this.

    Wishing everyone a Happy and safe Navratri!!