Nine Goddess

During the Nine Divine nights of the Navratri celebrations, Goddess Shakti or Durga is worshipped in her nine different forms. These nine avatars are collectively known as Navdurga. The names of these nine avatars of Shakti are mentioned in the Devi Mahatmya and Durga Saptashati. All the nine divine names of these nine incarnations or Nava Durga are also recited in ‘Devi Kavacha’ of the ‘Chandipatha’ scripture.

  • The first day of Navratri is dedicated to the worship the Shailputri form of Durga Ma. Goddess Shailputri, as the name suggests, is the daughter of Himalaya. She is the consort of the powerful God Shiva and symbolizes power. She is also known as Parvati or Hemavati.
  • The second day similarly sees the worship of the second form of Durga Ma in the incarnation of Brahmacharini. She too symbolizes power and her name carries the word 'Brahma and that itself means tapa or penance. Her other popular forms are known by the names of Uma, Tapascharini, Aparna or Parvati.
  • The third day of Navratri celebration is marked by the worship of Chandraghanta, another form of Durga and this goddess symbolizes beauty and courage. She gets Her name from the crescent-shaped moon She wears on her head.
  • The fourth day culminates with the worship of Kushmanda. This Goddess is believed to have created the entire universe through her smile as the darkness dissipated and light of creation dawned. She has eight arms and is thus also known as Asthabhuja. Her name carries a grave significance: ‘Ku’ signifies ‘a little’, ‘Usma’ stands for ‘energy’ and ‘Anda’ means ‘the cosmic egg or universe.’
  • Fifth day of Navratri worships the Goddess Skanda Mata and this Goddess is believed to be the chief of warriors of the army of Gods.
  • The goddess that is worshipped on the sixth day of the puja is Goddess Katyayani. She appears mounted on a fierce looking lion and has four hands and a third eye. She represents the daughter form of Durga.
  • On the seventh day, Goddess Kalratri is worshipped with great fervour. This Goddess is fierce looking and is as dark as black as the darkest of nights. She too has two pairs of hands. Her other name is Shubhamkari. In this form, the goddess is said to have licked the blood of Demon Rakta Beeja who had the boon of creating a thousand demons from every drop of his blood that is spilt from his body.
  • Eighth day celebrates the worship of Mata Rani in the form of Maha Gauri. She is a symbol of calmness and purity. This Goddess in well known for her extreme beauty and appears dressed in pure white with lots of ornaments. She is known to have performed rigid penance to obtain Lord Shiva as her husband.
  • The last or the ninth day is celebrated through the worship of Siddhidatri or Sidhdhidayini form of Goddess Durga. She is a symbolic representation of the eight shiddhis and comes mounted on a lotus. This Goddess is worshipped by all sages and saints, Siddhas, Sadhakas and Yogis. She is an epitome of supreme knowledge and is believed to remove the darkness of ignorance.

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