The Nine Sacred Days

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The nine sacred days By Divya Swami Attri MOST of us go to temples during navratras to worship Goddess Durga, but not many of us are  aware of the philosophical significance behind it. It is believed that there are 40 navratras in a year (40x9=360), out of whichChaitra - Sukla  (March - April) and Asvin - Sukla (September - October) are the most important for  devi worship. According to Devi Bhagwat Puran, "The two seasons, autumn and spring,  are known as the teeth of Yama, the God of Death". The beginning of summer and  beginning of winter have the right weather and solar influences and are taken as  sacred opportunities for worship. Durga Puja or Navratri commences on the first and ends on the tenth day of the  bright half of Asvin Sukla. It celebrates the victory of Durga over Mahisasura,  the buffalo-headed demon. The tenth day is called Vijayadashmi or Dasehra  and is also the day when Rama defeated Ravana. Das means ten sins and  Harameans to remove, and so Dasehra celebrates the cutting of ten heads  of Ravana associated with passion, pride, anger, greed, lust, infatuation,  hatred, jealous, selfishness and crookedness. Because of its auspicious  character, Hindu kings in ancient times used to undertake ambitious expeditions  on this day. In Rajasthan, even now, people arrange mock attacks on some forts  on Vijayadashmi.

Religious observances, festivals and traditional worship are  more important than the adoration of the Divine. Apart  from commemorating important events in history, they  are allegorical when interpreted from a mythological standpoint. On a spiritual level, navratras symbolise the stage of man’s  evolution into God-- from Jivahood (state of individualisation)  to Sivahood (state of self realisation). Navratras can be divided into three sets of three days each,  dedicated to the three different aspects of the Goddess. First,  she is adorned as Durga, the Terrible, where she fights  against and overcomes the base animal qualities of the  individual. It marks the destruction of impurity and  evil tendencies in one’s mind. The next step is to acquire  positive qualities and build a sublime spiritual  personality by worshipping Lakshmi, who bestows the  divine wealth on her devotees. The worship of Saraswati  in the last three days is to receive the  light of supreme wisdom. Vijayadashmi, on the tenth day,  marks the triumph of the soul at having attained liberation  while living in this world. Even the images, their various forms, attributes, symbols  and weapons have a esoteric meaning with deep  philosophical significance. The worship of the image  of Durga indicates the victory of the soul over animal  passions -- the demon personifies passions, desire,  anger, pride, jealousy and attachment. This victory is  achieved with the help of Saraswati (higher knowledge)  Ganesha (determination for success) and Lakshmi  (good fortune).  They are the companions of Durga. The various weapons in the hands of Durga also have  their significance. The trident given to her by  Shiva represents satva, rajas and tamas qualities,  the discus given by Vishnu represents rotation of the world,  the conch given by Varun relates to sound and symbolises  the sky. Similarly, the bow and arrow given by Maruta  represents Sankhya and Yoga, and the danda given by  Yama is the Rod of Fate. Sun gave her red rays which  is the source of all lust. Destiny presented her with  a sword and a spotless shield, which is symbolic  illusion, necessary for the creation of the world.  , the elephant-headed Ganesha represents inflated  ego or consciousness. ‘I’, Saraswati’s two eyes stand  for the sun and moon, her four arms represents  the four Vedas, rosary represents time and the veena  in her hand stands for all achievements. Lakshmi’s  pot of nectar represents the essence of water,  while lotus in her hand represents wealth,  and the bilva fruit in her hand symbolises  the whole world. This truth should inspire devotees to graduate from  idol worship to Para-Vidya — the highest knowledge in life.