~Durga Puja / Navaratri by Swami Sivananda

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/30/2005 11:16:46 A.M. Mountain Standard Time, muktimaa (AT) aol (DOT) com writes:

Jai Maa, dear family!i found this intersting article by Sri Swami

Sivananda on Durga Puja and Navaratri. It is a bit long, but a very

good read. i hope you enjoy it and become inspired; as Blessed

Navaratri is just around the corner. :<) Jai Maa! Jai

Swamiji! Jai Thakur Ramakrishna Deva! muktimaa

DURGA PUJA OR NAVARATRI By SRI SWAMI

SIVANANDA

Namaste muktimaa,

Very nice, thanks for posting !

With Love

Om Namah Sivaya

Kanda

[Guest guest]

Jai Muktimaa!

 

thank you so much for sharing this article with us.

the passages about Durga and Shiva inspired me so much that I stood up

and started singing and dancing!

 

With Love,

Kumari

 

 

 

 

, "muktimaa" <muktimaa@a...> wrote:

> Jai Maa, dear family!

> i found this intersting article by Sri Swami Sivananda on Durga Puja

> and Navaratri. It is a bit long, but a very good read. i hope you

> enjoy it and become inspired; as Blessed Navaratri is just around the

> corner. :<)

> Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! Jai Thakur Ramakrishna Deva!

> muktimaa

>

> DURGA PUJA OR NAVARATRI

> By SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

>

> "SALUTATIONS to the Divine Mother, Durga, who exists in all beings in

> the form of intelligence, mercy, beauty, who is the consort of Lord

> Shiva, who creates, sustains and destroys the universe.

>

> This festival is observed twice a year, once in the month of Chaitra

> and then in Aswayuja. It lasts for nine days in honour of the nine

> manifestations of Durga. During Navaratri (the word literally

> means "nine nights") devotees of Durga observe a fast. Brahmins are

> fed and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property.

>

> The beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very

> important junctions of climatic and solar influence. These two

> periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the

> Divine Mother. They are indicated respectively by the Rama-Navaratri

> in Chaitra (April-May) and the Durga Navaratri in Aswayuja (September-

> October). The bodies and minds of people undergo a considerable

> change on account of the changes in Nature. Sri Rama is worshipped

> during Ramnavmi, and Mother Durga during Navaratri.

>

> The Durga Puja is celebrated in various parts of India in different

> styles. But the one basic aim of this celebration is to propitiate

> Shakti, the Goddess in Her aspect as Power, to bestow upon man all

> wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge (both sacred and

> secular), and all other potent powers. Whatever be the particular or

> special request that everyone may put before the Goddess, whatever

> boon may be asked of Her, the one thing behind all these is

> propitiation, worship and linking oneself with Her. There is no other

> aim. This is being effected consciously or unconsciously. Everyone is

> blessed with Her loving mercy and is protected by Her.

>

> Durga Puja or Navaratri commences on the first and ends on the tenth

> day of the bright half of Aswayuja (September-October). It is held in

> commemoration of the victory of Durga over Mahishasura, the buffalo-

> headed demon. In Bengal Her image is worshipped for nine days and

> then cast into water. The tenth day is called Vijaya Dasami or

> Dussera (the "tenth day"). Processions with Her image are taken out

> along the streets of villages and cities.

>

> The mother of Durga (that is, the wife of the King of the Himalayas)

> longed to see her daughter. Durga was permitted by Lord Shiva to

> visit her beloved mother only for nine days in the year. The festival

> of Durga Puja marks this brief visit and ends with the Vijaya Dasami

> day, when Goddess Durga leaves for Her return to Mount Kailas. This

> is the view of some devotees.

>

> In Bengal, Durga Puja is a great festival. All who live away from

> home return during the Puja days. Mothers reunite with their sons and

> daughters, and wives with their husbands.

>

> The potter shows his skill in making images, the painter in drawing

> pictures, the songster in playing on his instrument, and the priest

> in reciting the sacred books. The Bengalis save money throughout the

> year only to spend everything during the Puja days. Cloth is freely

> distributed to the Brahmins.

>

> The woman of Bengal welcomes the Goddess with a mother's love and

> sends away the image on the last day, with every ceremony associated

> with a daughter's departure to her husband's home and with motherly

> tears in her eyes. This signifies the parting of Durga from Her

> beloved mother.

>

> Durga Puja is the greatest Hindu festival in which God is adored as

> Mother. Hinduism is the only religion in the world which has

> emphasised to such an extent the motherhood of God. One's

> relationship with one's mother is the dearest and the sweetest of all

> human relations. Hence, it is proper to look upon God as mother.

>

> Durga represents the Divine Mother. She is the energy aspect of the

> Lord. Without Durga, Shiva has no expression and without Shiva, Durga

> has no existence. Shiva is the soul of Durga; Durga is identical with

> Shiva. Lord Shiva is only the silent witness. He is motionless,

> absolutely changeless. He is not affected by the cosmic play. It is

> Durga who does everything.

>

> Shakti is the omnipotent power of the Lord, or the Cosmic Energy. The

> Divine Mother is represented as having ten different weapons in Her

> hands. She sits on a lion. She keeps up the play of the Lord through

> the three attributes of Nature, namely, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas.

> Knowledge, peace, lust, anger, greed, egoism and pride, are all Her

> forms.

>

> You will find in the Devi Sukta of the Rig Veda Samhita that Vak,

> symbolising speech, the daughter of the sage Anbhirna, realised her

> identity with the Divine Mother, the Power of the Supreme Lord, which

> manifests throughout the universe among the gods, among men and

> beasts and among the creatures of the deep ocean.

>

> In the Kena Upanishad, you will find that the Divine Mother shed

> wisdom on Indra and the gods and said that the gods were able to

> defeat the demons only with the help of the power of the Supreme Lord.

>

> The worship of Devi, the universal Mother, leads to the attainment of

> knowledge of the Self. The story in the Kena Upanishad known as

> the "Yaksha Prasna", supports this view. It tells how Uma, the Divine

> Mother, taught the Truth to the gods. Goddess Shakti thus sheds

> wisdom on Her devotees.

>

> Devi worship is, therefore, worship of God's glory, of God's

> greatness and supremacy. It is adoration of the Almighty. It is

> unfortunate that Devi is ignorantly understood by many as a mere

> blood-thirsty Hindu Goddess. No! Devi is not a vicious demoness nor

> is She the property of the Hindus alone. Devi does not belong to any

> religion. Devi is that conscious power of God. The words Devi,

> Shakti, etc., and the ideas of different forms connected with these

> names are concessions granted by the sages due to the limitations of

> the human intellect; they are by no means the ultimate definitions of

> Shakti.

>

> The original or Adi Shakti is beyond human comprehension. Bhagavan

> Krishna says in the Gita: "This is only My lower nature. Beyond this

> is My higher nature, the life-principle which sustains the universe".

>

> The Upanishad also says: "The supreme power of God is manifested in

> various ways. This power is of the nature of God, manifesting as

> knowledge, strength and activity".

>

> Truly speaking, all beings in the universe are Shakti-worshippers,

> whether they are aware of it or not, for there is no one who does not

> love and long for power in some form or other. Physicists and

> scientists have now proved that everything is pure, imperishable

> energy. This energy is only a form of divine Shakti which exists in

> every form.

>

> A child is more familiar with the mother than with the father,

> because the mother is very kind, loving, tender and affectionate and

> looks after the needs of the child. In the spiritual field also, the

> aspirant or the devotee--the spiritual child--has an intimate

> relationship with the Mother Durga, more than with the Father Shiva.

> Therefore, it behoves the aspirant to approach the Mother first, who

> then introduces Her spiritual child to the Father for his

> illumination.

>

> The Mother's Grace is boundless. Her mercy is illimitable; Her

> knowledge infinite; Her power immeasurable; Her glory ineffable; and

> Her splendour indescribable. She gives you material prosperity as

> well as spiritual freedom.

>

> Approach Her with an open heart. Lay bare your heart to Her with

> frankness and humility. Be as simple as a child. Kill ruthlessly the

> enemies of egoism, cunningness, selfishness and crookedness. Make a

> total, unreserved, and ungrudging self-surrender to Her. Sing Her

> praise. Repeat Her Name. Worship Her with faith and unflinching

> devotion. Perform special worship on the Navaratri days. Navaratri is

> the most suitable occasion for doing intense spiritual practices.

> These nine days are very sacred to the Divine Mother. Plunge yourself

> in Her worship. Practise intense repetition of the Divine Name,

> having a regular "quota" of repetitions per day, and the number of

> hours spent on it.

>

> Devi fought with Bhandasura and his forces for nine days and nine

> nights. This Bhandasura had a wonderful birth and life. When Lord

> Shiva burnt Cupid with the fire of His "third eye", Sri Ganesha

> playfully moulded a figure out of the ashes, and the Lord breathed

> life into it! This was the terrible demon Bhandasura. He engaged

> himself in great penance and on account of it obtained a boon from

> Lord Shiva. With the help of that boon, he began harassing the

> worlds. The Divine Mother fought with him for nine nights (the demons

> have extraordinary strength during the night), and killed him on the

> evening of the tenth day, known as the Vijaya Dasami. The learning of

> any science is begun on this highly auspicious day. It was on this

> day that Arjuna worshipped Devi, before starting the battle against

> the Kauravas on the field of Kurukshetra.

>

> Sri Rama worshipped Durga at the time of the fight with Ravana, to

> invoke Her aid in the war. This was on the days preceding the Vijaya

> Dasami day. He fought and won through Her Grace.

>

> In days of yore, kings used to undertake ambitious expeditions on the

> day of the Vijaya Dasami. Those kings who did not go on such

> expeditions used to go out hunting in the deep forests. In Rajputana,

> India, even up to this date, people arrange mock attacks on some fort

> on Vijaya Dasami.

>

> This day, however, has much to do with the life of Sri Rama. Nowhere

> in the history of the world can we find a parallel to the character

> of Sri Rama as a man, son, brother, husband, father or king.

> Maharishi Valmiki has exhausted the entire language in describing the

> glory of Sri Rama. And, we shall be rightly celebrating the Dussera

> if we make honest efforts to destroy the demon of our ego, and

> radiate peace and love wherever we go. Let us all resolve to become

> men of sterling character. Let us resolve and act. The story of Sri

> Rama is known in almost all parts of the globe, and if we but succeed

> in following even a hundredth part of His teachings, we shall make

> our lives more fragrant than the rose and more lustrous than gold!

>

> Dussera can also be interpreted as "Dasa-Hara", which means the

> cutting of the ten heads of Ravana. So, let us resolve today to cut

> the ten heads--passion, pride, anger, greed, infatuation, lust,

> hatred, jealousy, selfishness and crookedness--of the demon, Ego, and

> thus justify the celebration of Dussera.

>

> Religious observances, traditional worship and observances at times

> have more than one significance. Apart from being the adoration of

> the Divine, they commemorate stirring events in history, they are

> allegoric when interpreted from the occult standpoint and, lastly,

> they are deeply significant pointers and revealing guides to the

> individual on his path to God-realisation.

>

> Outwardly, the nine-day worship of Devi is a celebration of triumph.

> This nine days' celebration is offered to the Mother for Her

> successful struggle with the formidable demons led by Mahishasura.

> But, to the sincere spiritual aspirant, the particular division of

> the Navaratri into sets of three days to adore different aspects of

> the Supreme Goddess has a very sublime, yet thoroughly practical

> truth to reveal. In its cosmic aspect, it epitomises the stages of

> the evolution of man into God, from Jivahood (the state of

> individualisation) to Shivahood (the state of Self-realisation). In

> its individual import, it shows the course that his spiritual

> practice should take.

>

> Let us, therefore, examine in detail the spiritual significance of

> Navaratri.

>

> The central purpose of existence is to recognise your eternal

> identity with the supreme Spirit. It is to grow into the image of the

> Divine. The supreme One embodies the highest perfection. It is

> spotless purity. To recognise your identity with That, to attain

> union with That, is verily to grow into the very likeness of the

> Divine. The aspirant, therefore, as his initial step, has to get rid

> of all the countless impurities, and the demoniacal elements that

> have come to cling to him in his embodied state. Then he has to

> acquire lofty virtues and auspicious, divine qualities. Thus

> purified, knowledge flashes upon him like the brilliant rays of the

> sun upon the crystal waters of a perfectly calm lake.

>

> This process demands a resolute will, determined effort, and arduous

> struggle. In other words, strength and infinite power are the prime

> necessity. Thus it is the Divine Mother who has to operate through

> the aspirant.

>

> Let us now consider how, on the first three days, the Mother is

> adored as supreme power and force, as Durga the Terrible. You pray to

> Mother Durga to destroy all your impurities, your vices, your

> defects. She is to fight with and annihilate the baser animal

> qualities in the spiritual aspirant, the lower, diabolical nature in

> him. Also, She is the power that protects your spiritual practice

> from its many dangers and pitfalls. Thus the first three days, which

> mark the first stage or the destruction of impurity and determined

> effort and struggle to root out the evil tendencies in your mind, are

> set apart for the worship of the destructive aspect of the Mother.

>

> Once you have accomplished your task on the negative side, that of

> breaking down the impure propensities and old vicious habits, the

> next step is to build up a sublime spiritual personality, to acquire

> positive qualities in place of the eliminated demoniacal qualities.

> The divine qualities that Lord Krishna enumerates in the Gita, have

> to be acquired. The aspirant must cultivate and develop all the

> auspicious qualities. He has to earn immense spiritual wealth to

> enable him to pay the price for the rare gem of divine wisdom. If

> this development of the opposite qualities is not undertaken in right

> earnest, the old demoniacal nature will raise its head again and

> again. Hence, this stage is as important in an aspirant's career as

> the previous one. The essential difference is: the former is a

> ruthless, determined annihilation of the filthy egoistic lower self;

> the latter is an orderly, steady, calm and serene effort to develop

> purity. This pleasanter side of the aspirant's Sadhana is depicted by

> the worship of Mother Lakshmi. She bestows on Her devotees the

> inexhaustible divine wealth or Deivi Sampath. Lakshmi is the wealth-

> giving aspect of God. She is purity itself. Thus the worship of

> Goddess Lakshmi is performed during the second set of three days.

>

> Once the aspirant succeeds in routing out the evil propensities, and

> develops Sattwic or pure, divine qualities, he becomes competent to

> attain wisdom. He is now ready to receive the light of supreme

> wisdom. He is fit to receive divine knowledge. At this stage comes

> the devout worship of Mother Saraswathi, who is divine knowledge

> personified, the embodiment of knowledge of the Absolute. The sound

> of Her celestial veena awakens the notes of the sublime utterances of

> the Upanishads which reveal the Truth, and the sacred monosyllable,

> Om. She bestows the knowledge of the supreme, mystic sound and then

> gives full knowledge of the Self as represented by Her pure, dazzling

> snow-white apparel. Therefore, to propitiate Saraswathi, the giver of

> knowledge, is the third stage.

>

> The tenth day, Vijaya Dasami, marks the triumphant ovation of the

> soul at having attained liberation while living in this world,

> through the descent of knowledge by the Grace of Goddess Saraswathi.

> The soul rests in his own Supreme Self or Satchidananda Brahman. This

> day celebrates the victory, the achievement of the goal. The banner

> of victory flies aloft. Lo! I am He! I am He!

>

> This arrangement also has a special significance in the aspirant's

> spiritual evolution. It marks the indispensable stages of evolution

> through which everyone has to pass. One naturally leads to the other;

> to short-circuit this would inevitably result in a miserable failure.

> Nowadays many ignorant seekers aim straight at the cultivation of

> knowledge without the preliminaries of purification and acquisition

> of the divine qualities. They then complain that they are not

> progressing on the path. How can they? Knowledge will not descend

> until the impurities have been washed out, and purity is developed.

> How can the pure plant grow in impure soil?

>

> Therefore adhere to this arrangement; your efforts will be crowned

> with sure success. This is your path. As you destroy one evil

> quality, develop the virtue opposite to it. By this process you will

> soon bring yourself up to that perfection which will culminate in

> identity with the Self which is your goal. Then all knowledge will be

> yours: you will be omniscient, omnipotent and you will feel your

> omnipresence. You will see your Self in all. You will have achieved

> eternal victory over the wheel of births and deaths, over the demon

> of worldliness. No more pain, no more misery, no more birth, no more

> death! Victory, victory be yours!

>

> Glory to the Divine Mother! Let Her take you, step by step to the top

> of the spiritual ladder and unite you with the Lord!

>

> At the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, the following are the regular

> features during the Durga Puja celebrations:

>

> A special ritualistic worship of the Mother is conducted daily, which

> includes the recitation of the Durga Saptashati.

>

> Laksharchana for the Mother in the temple, with recitation of the Sri

> Lalita Sahasranama, is also conducted.

>

> All are exhorted to do the maximum number of Japa of the Navarna

> Mantra, Aim hreem kleem chaamundaayai vichche, or the Mantra of their

> own tutelary Deity.

>

> An elaborately decorated altar is set up for the evening Satsangs,

> with the picture of Mother Durga for the first three days, Mother

> Lakshmi for the next three days, and Mother Saraswathi for the last

> three days. Many sacred verses from the scriptures are recited and

> many Kirtans are sung. The Durga Saptashati or the Devi Mahatmya is

> recited and explained in discourses. The function concludes with the

> formal floral worship and Arati. Sometimes scenes from the Devi

> Mahatmya are also enacted.

>

> Earnest spiritual aspirants fast with milk and fruits only on all the

> nine days, or at least once in each of the three three-day periods.

>

> Besides the books representing Saraswathi, all instruments and

> implements like typewriters, printing machinery, etc., are also

> worshipped on the ninth day.

>

> On the Vijaya Dasami day, all aspirants en masse are given initiation

> into various Mantras according to their tutelary Deities. Deserving

> aspirants are initiated into the holy order of Sannyas. Initiation in

> the study of the alphabets is given to young children, and to the old

> children also! New students commence their lessons in music, etc.

> During the morning Satsang the books which were worshipped on the

> ninth day are again worshipped and a chapter from each of the

> principal scriptures like the Gita, Upanishads, Brahma Sutras,

> Ramayana, and Srimad Bhagavatam is recited.

>

> On the Vijaya Dasami day, there is Kanya Puja also. Nine girls below

> the age of ten are worshipped as the embodiment of the Divine Mother.

> They are fed sumptuously and, amongst other things, presented with

> new clothes.

>

> On this last day a grand havan is conducted in the temple, with

> recitation of the Durga Saptashati and other verses in praise of the

> Divine Mother."

>

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