Navaratri Celebrations at Datta Temple, Baton Rouge October 12-21, 2007

[Guest guest]

Jai Guru Datta Sri Guru Datta

 

You are cordially invited to

 

Navaratri celebrations at Dattatemple, Baton Rouge

October 12-21, 2007

Navaratri festival is celebrated all over India. This year it is celebrated

from October 12 thru 21. The essence of this festival consists of fasts and

worship of nine aspects of Durga, one on each of the nine days. Navaratri is

known as the Festival of Nine Nights honoring the Mother goddess.

Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji personally conducts all the pujas and

celebrates Navaratri festival at Avadhuta Datta Peetham in Mysore. Sri Swamiji

conducts bhajans every day where the devotees hear new songs composed and

sung by Him. It is a rare and unique opportunity to witness the grandeur of the

celebration of the festival. Sri Swamiji appropriately dresses each day to

represent the forms of the Devi of that particular day. He also conducts

Kumarika Puja to represent the worship of nine forms of Devi.

This festival of Navaratri is popularly known as Durga Puja, Dussehra,

Vijayadashami etc. After these nine days of festival comes the Dashami, the

tenth

day, which is the day of the famous festival of Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami

(the tenth day of victory). This is the day Lord Rama had killed Ravana,

signifying the victory of good over evil. Vaishnavas generally celebrate Vijay

Dashami on a grand scale rather than Durga puja.

The total period of worship lasts for nine days out of which the first three

are dedicated to:

Durga (the Goddess of Valor), the first three days;

Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth) the next three days; and

Saraswati (the Goddess of Knowledge).

Durga is worshipped in her nine forms which are sometimes interchangeable

since basically they represent only her. They are:

Durga, goddess beyond reach;

Bhadrakali, the Auspicious Power of Time;

Amba or Jagadamba, Mother of the World;

Annapurna, Giver of Food and Plenty;

Sarvamangala, Auspicious Goddess;

Bhairavi, Terrible, Fearful, Power of Death;

Chandika or Chandi, Violent, Wrath, Fury;

Lalita, Playfulness Personified; and

Bhavani, the Giver of Existence.

Navaratri, is celebrated as the festival of nine nights, and is celebrated

differently in different parts of India. In Gujarat, for nine nights, women

and girls decked in finery dance the garba around an earthen lamp or a kalash

(pitcher) symbol of divine power, which is decorated with flowers and betal

leaves, and has its mouth covered with a coconut. They sing and dance, clapping

their hands in rhythmic movements, or do the Dandi dance (stick dance),

holding two sticks and striking them to the rhythm, of the music.

In Tamil Nadu, the first three days of the festival are dedicated to

Lakshmi, Goddess of Beauty and Prosperity; the next three days to Durga,

Goddess of

Righteousness, and the last three days to Saraswati, Goddess of Music and

Learning. These goddesses are the consorts of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma

respectively. A special platform is decorated with the clay figurines of these

gods

and goddesses. The main room of worship contains a pitcher made of clay, silver

or copper, depending on the devotee’s financial standing. The pitcher is

placed in the centre of the room, its mouth covered with a coconut and it is

worshipped symbolically as Durga. Girls sing and dance before it and in the

evening, gifts are exchanged.

In Andhra Pradesh the temple in the house is decorated with clay images of

the Deities. A special sweetmeat like laddoos or sweet rice colored yellow

with turmeric, or khir (milk-preparation cooked in rice) is made every day and

after offering to the household gods, is eaten. In the South, houses are

decorated and toys by the name of Bomma Kolam are displayed. The toys are

dressed

in new clothes and friends drop in to see the family’s collection of images.

In Maharashtra on the first day of Navaratri the idol of Yogeshvari, a

benign form of Durga, is installed in the house and the Haldi-Kum kum ceremony

is

held. Haldi (turmeric) and kum kum (vermilion) is applied on the forehead and

sandalwood paste is smeared on the arms of all the invitees as these are

considered auspicious.

In Bengal especially where there are many Shaktas (worshippers of the female

consort of Lord Shiva - Durga), it is a nine-day festival, when the Shakti

or goddess Durga is worshipped, thus it is called Durga Puja. This

commemorates the birth of the Mother Goddess, and has an interesting origin. An

Asura,

Mahisha, was troubling the three worlds of heaven, earthy and the space

between. When his atrocities became unbearable, Shiva tried his best to kill

him,

but without success. The other gods were equally unsuccessful. Then, on

Shiva’

s advice, the devas / demigods performed a sacrifice and put their female

shaktis (energies) into the sacrificial fire from where arose a woman of

dazzling beauty. As a product of the female energies of the devas /demigods,

she was

called Shakti. The demigods requested her to kill Mahishasura. For killing

him, she came to be called Mahishasuramardini. Similarly, for killing the

demon called Durg, she came to be called Durga.

In Karnataka (South India) lemons are placed on the road in front of the

wheels of cars, buses, scooters and the vehicles driven over them. It is also a

symbolic representation of sacrifice whereby dhrishti, inauspiciousness is

removed. Also, a slit is made in a big gourd and vermilion is sprinkled on it,

then the gourd is crushed and the red extract is sprinkled on all vehicles as

a symbol of sacrificial blood.

The Tradition and History of Dussehra in Mysore:

The Mysore kings, Wadiyars, were subordinates of the Vijayanagara emperors.

They declared independence at the decline of the Vijayanagar Empire in 1610

AD and tried to retain the latter’s goodwill by continuing the traditions

started by them. Raja Wadiyar, the founder of the Mysore kingdom, started the

Navaratri festivities in order to celebrate his new - found freedom, and issued

an order that the days be observed with piety and splendor by one and all.

Initially, as the rulers had their stronghold in Srirangapatnam, now a

satellite town of Mysore city, the festival continued undisturbed even during

the

annexation of Mysore (then state) by Hyder Ali and followed by Tippu Sultan’s

rule between 1761 and 1799. In 1799, the capital was shifted to Mysore city

from Srirangapatnam, and the Navaratri festivities began to be performed with

greater magnificence in the new capital with the introduction of a special

durbar (‘audience’ or ‘royal assembly’) for the Europeans, and direct

participation by the common masses.

In other parts of India, Navaratri festival is celebrated as Mahanavami when

the goddess is worshipped as Durga in the form of Aparajita and sugarcane

stalks are offered to her. Sugarcane is harvested at that time. On this day, in

rural Kashmir, Punjab, Harayana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other parts of

India, Kanya Puja is performed, when nine young virgins, symbolically

representing the nine forms of the goddess, are worshipped. Their feet are

washed and

they are feasted after each has been given new clothes by the worshipper.

Sponsorship:

Please visit our web site to sponsor the festival. You will see the schedule

for all 10 (ten) days of festival to be celebrated at Datta Temple in Baton

Rouge. Please below to sponsor:

_http://www.dattatemple.com/calendar/index.php_

(http://www.dattatemple.com/calendar/index.php) .

 

Please FORWARD it other interested devotees and Friends

 

V. V. Prakasa Rao

601-918-7111

 

 

 

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