Navratri 2021: 9 Days of Divine Strength And Celebration

07 October,2021  |  By Brainwonders

About Navratri 2021:

Navaratri is a nine-night celebration that is celebrated by Hindus that takes place every year in the fall. It is observed and celebrated differently in different regions of the Indian cultural realm for various reasons.

On this Navratri 2021, let us see why Navratri is celebrated?

Navratri 2021 is a festival that lasts for nine nights, starting on October 7th and ending on October 15th. This event, also known as Sharda Navratri, takes place in the Hindu lunar month of Ashwin. This is also one of the oldest celebrations, stretching back to unimaginable ages.

Navratri is celebrated in all parts of India in different forms. Many states in India celebrate the 9 days festival by worshipping the goddess Durga by devoting the Garba to the Goddess. Some other states follow other ways to celebrate the festival like Pujo in West Bengal and Raam Leela in northern parts of the country.

Let us look at the story of Navratri on Navratri 2021:

The Navratri mythology tells of an epic fight between the mighty demon Mahishasura and Goddess Durga. Lord Brahma granted Mahishasura immortality on the condition that the mighty Mahishasura could only be destroyed by a woman. Mahishasura battled the Trilok—earth, heaven, and hell—with the benefit of immortality and confidence. Because he could have been only defeated by a woman, the Gods appealed to Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva for assistance in defeating their greatest foe. Afterwards, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva created the Goddess Durga to defeat the demon mahishasura.

She fought Mahishasura for 15 days and nights. Throughout the battle, Mahishasura changed his appearance to mislead Goddess Durga. When the demon assumed the appearance of a buffalo, the Goddess Durga used her 'Trishul (a forked sword) to puncture his chest, instantly killing him. Hence on each day of Navratri, Goddess Durga is worshipped to celebrate the victory of truth and good over evil.

Significance of Navratri 2021:

On this Navratri 2021, let us look at the importance of Navratri. On the Nine days of Navratri, 9 forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped.

Day 1: Shailaputri

On this Day, Devi Shailaputri is worshipped who is the avatar of Mountain's daughter Maa Parvati.

Day 2: Brahmacharini

On the second day, Devi Parvati's unmarried incarnation, Brahmcharini, is worshipped with fervour.

Day 3: Chandraghanta

After marrying Lord Shiva, Parvati decorated her forehead with Ardha Chandra. As a result, on the third day, she is revered.

Day 4: Kushmanda

Maa Kushmanda is worshipped on the fourth day and is considered to be the universe's creative power.

Day 5: Skandamata

Skandamata, the mother of Skanda (Kartikeya), is honoured on the fifth day.

Day 6: Katyayani

Katyayani is a warrior goddess and on Panchami, the sixth day of the Hindu calendar, Hindus pay their respects to her.

Day 7: Kaalratri

On the seventh day, we worship Maa Kaalratri, one of Maa Durga's most fierce forms.

Day 8: Mahagauri

Ashtami is one of Navratri's most fortunate days. On the eighth day, Devi Mahagauri is worshipped, and she represents serenity and intellect.

Day 9: Siddhidatri

On the ninth day, Goddess Siddhidatri form of Goddess Durga is worshipped.

The idols are taken out in processions and submerged in water on the last day which is known as Vijaya Dashami.

Let us look at the 9 Colours of Navratri and their Significance on this Navratri 2021:

1. Yellow: Colour yellow symbolizes brightness and cheers in life.
2. Green: This colour is linked to new beginnings and nature. On the second day of Navratri, this colour is worn to promote development, harmony, and new vitality into one's life.
3. Grey: Devi's favourite colour is grey, and she has a half-moon on her forehead. Grey is a dark colour that is sometimes linked with pessimism, yet it also represents passion and desire to defeat evil.
4. Orange: Orange is associated with Goddess Kushmanda, who is credited with creating the universe with her heavenly smile, and is honoured on the fourth day. She's also known as the "smiling goddess." Because of this, she is linked with the bright colour orange.
5. White: White represents peace, cleanliness and purity and is associated with the fifth form of Goddess Durga i.e Goddess Skandamata.
6. Red: Goddess Durga is also known as the warrior-goddess or Bhadrakali, and she is Goddess Durga's most powerful form. The Goddess Durga, in her most ferocious form, is symbolised by the colour red. The colour signifies the Goddess's wrath towards her foes as well as her bravery.
7. Royal Blue: This colour symbolizes extreme power and strength which is associated with goddess Gurga’s form Kaalratri.
8. Pink: This colour is associated with goddess Durga to fulfil everyone’s wishes. Anyone who worships this version of the Devi receives respite from all of life's hardships. The colour pink is linked with this day because it signifies optimism, self-improvement, and societal upliftment.
9. Purple: This manifestation of the Devi is a source of wisdom that aids you in achieving your goals. As a result, the colour purple is connected with the day, which signifies ambition and strength.

9 Things to learn from 9 forms of Devi Durga on this Navratri 2021:

1. Removal of the evil (negativity): We can learn to remove the negative from our life as Goddess Durga defeated the demon.
2. Fearlessness: One of the most crucial elements that can be learnt from Goddess Durga is fearlessness.
3. Devotion: As the story depicts the ultimate devotion by Gods, which led to the creation of Goddess Durga, can be learnt from this Navratri 2021.
4. Harmonizing Hard and Soft Energy: Goddess Durga understands when to use hard and soft force. She is the perfect depiction of soft energy as well as hard energy.
5. The Transformational Power: Goddess Durga is well known for transforming herself into a variety of avatars based on the necessity and scenario she was confronted with.
6. Strength as a whole: Durga also displays the combination of mind and body. She wasn't simply a strong physical fighter; she was also a strong psychological fighter.
7. Collaborative efforts: Durga was able to defeat Mahishur because her conquest was the result of a joint effort. All of the Gods who believed in her and put their faith in her helped her conquer the demon.
8. Compassion: Durga is a great example of a single being who embodies compassion.
9. Bringing out the inner Durga: Every individual has an inner strength that can be brought out according to the needs of the situation.

9 Modern Day forms of Devi Durga- Women who created history.

On this Navratri 2021, let us look at some of the stories of women who created history.

1. Avani Lekhara: At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, she won a gold medal in 10m air rifle standing and a bronze medal in 50m air rifle standing.
2. Rani Rampal: The Indian captain has gone a long way from training with broken hockey sticks to being the youngest player in the national women's hockey squad.
3. Tessy Thomas: The Missile Woman of India. Tessy Thomas is the first woman to head a missile project.
4. Anurima Sinha: She was the first female amputee to summit Mount Everest in 2013.
5. Saalumarada Thimmakka - Indian Environmentalist.
6. Indra Nooyi- Chief Executive and Chairperson of PepsiCo.
7. Seema Rao- India’s first commando trainer.
8. Vandana Luthra - The founder of VLCC.
9. Tejas Parulekar- Co- Founder SaffronStays.

...and many more Modern Day forms of Goddess Durga continue to inspire us every day!

This Navratri 2021, we continue to salute the power of women and celebrate their inspiration to the world.

On this Navratri 2021, we wish you all a very Happy Navratri. We urge you to come forward and recognize your inner strength and celebrate good over evil.