We all know Navratri is a Hindu festival that spans nine nights, ten days and is celebrated every year in Autumn, in Eastern and North-Eastern states of India.
This festival signifies the victory of good over evil, it celebrates and worship Goddess Durga, who symbolizes power and purity.
For many people it is the time for dancing and fasting, for others it's time for religious reflection.
All nine days of Navratri are dedicated to nine forms of goddess, these nine forms signify the various traits that are influenced by the goddess.
The first manifestation of Durga is Goddess Shailputri. According to scriptures, she holds a trishul and a lotus in her hands, and rides a bull called Nandi. As per Shivpurana, Goddess Shailputri in her previous birth was born to Daksha Prajapati, and was named ‘Sati'. Deeply devoted to Lord Shiva ever since her childhood, Sati meditated earnestly to beget Lord Shiva as her consort. Lord Shiva bestowed upon her the desired boon and accepted her as her consort. The union was not accepted well by Sati's father Daksha Prajapati, who insulted Shiva by not inviting him in one of his special gatherings. Infuriated upon the humiliation meted out to her husband, Sati immolated herself and sacrificed her life in honour of her husband. In her next birth Sati was born as a daughter to Himalaya, the Lord of Mountains and thus, was called Shailputri. Sailputri is also worshiped as Parvati or Hemvati. On this day, she must be adorned with Orange colored clothes and flowers
The second day of Navratri bhog is dedicated to Goddess Brahmacharini. She is depicted as a monastic goddess in Hindu scriptures, two-armed, clad in white and holding a rudraksh mala and a sacred Kamandalu. Her stance is of utmost piety and devotion. Her meditative form is related to the severe penance undertaken by Sati and Parvati in their respective births to attain Lord Shiva as their beloved consort. She is also known as Tapasyacharini. It is believed that when Parvati was engaged in her deep meditation to please Lord Shiva, she was reduced to a mere skeleton. Her austere penance gained her the name of Bharahmacharini by all the devtas and Gods who were awestruck by her reverence. Worshiping this form of Shakti is known to invoke the spirit of penance, renunciation, virtue and nobility. Goddess Brahmacharini is a lover of simple food and offerings. On this day, she must be adorned with White colored clothes and basil leaves.
The third manifestation of Durga is Goddess Chandraghanta. She is depicted as a fierce 10-armed Goddess, roaring in anger. Chandraghanta is worshiped on the third day of Navratri. She has a golden complexion and on her forehead she wears a crescent moon, which is why she is called Chandraghanta by her devotees. According to scriptures during a great battle between gods and the demons, the sound vibrations produced by her ghanta (bell) took the lives of many wicked enemies. She rides on a lion and is believed to destroy all evil and wicked. On this day, she must be adorned with Red colored clothes.
On the fourth day of Navratri, Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped. The name Kushmanda is made of three other words ‘Ku' (little), ‘Ushma' (warmth or energy) and ‘Amnda' (egg) which means the one who created the universe as the “Little Cosmic Egg” with energy and warmth. According to Hindu scriptures, the universe was a dark space and it was Goddess Kushmanda who produced the Cosmic Egg with her smile. On this day, she must be adorned with Royal Blue colored clothes and flowers.
The fifth manifestation of Durga is Skandmata who is worshiped on the fifth day of the Navratri also known as Panchami. Goddess Skandamata is depicted as a four-armed deity, who carries a lotus in two of her arms with a Kamandalu and a bell. She is also seen carrying little Kartikay on her lap. Kartikay is also known as Skanda, hence giving the goddess the name of Skandamata. Her posture is calm and serene. She is seated on a lotus, but a lion is also her vehicle. On this day, she must be adorned with Yellow colored clothes and flowers.
Worshiped on the sixth day (Shashti) of Navratris, Goddess Katyayani is a form of Shakti who is depicted as having four arms, and carrying a sword. She rides a lion, and can be pleased with true devotion and piety. She is the daughter of Sage Katyayan. On this day, she must be adorned with Green colored clothes and flowers.
Goddess Kaalratri is worshiped on the seventh day of Navratris. According to the Hindu scriptures, Goddess Kaalratri is etched as a four-armed deity who rides a donkey. She carries a sword, a trident and a noose. She is the fierce form of Durga, dark and ferocious in appearance. She possesses three eyes on her forehead that are known to contain the entire universe. She breathes fierce flames of fire, and lustrous rays emanate from her. Fierce on the outside, Kaalratri bestows her true devotees protection from evil-powers and spirits. On this day, she must be adorned with Grey colored clothes and flowers.
Durga Asthami or the eight day of Navratris is dedicated to Goddess Mahagauri. As per the scriptures, Mahagauri worshiped as the four-armed deity who rides on a bull or a white elephant. She carries a trishul and a damru. When Parvati decided to go on an austere penance to beget Lord Shiva as her consort, she renounced all comforts and lived in a forest for deep meditation. Her meditation continued for several years - braving heat, cold, rain, and terrible storms. Lord Shiva, impressed by her deep penance, appeared before her and showered the holy water of the Ganga over her. The Gangajal washed off all the dirt. She regained her natural beauty, and came to be known as Mahagauri. On this day, she must be adorned with Purple colored clothes and flowers.
Worshiped on the ninth day, Goddess Siddhidhatri is projected as a four-armed deity sitting calmly on a lotus. She also holds a lotus, mace, discus and a book. This form of Shakti signifies the ushering of knowledge and wisdom over ignorance. Siddhi in Sanskrit translates to accomplishment. Thus, Goddess Siddhidhatri signifies perfection. On the ninth day of Navrartris, devotees observe a fast. On this day, she must be adorned with Peacock Green colored and flowers.
Remove Conflict: If there are conflicts between both the partners due to differences in opinions then they should recite the below mantra 108 times along with pouring ghee in the fire during Navratri. Even, they can chant this mantra 21 times regularly in the morning while worshipping. If possible then both partners should chant the mantra together.
During all nine navratras, one should visit a Laxmi Narayan temple in the evening and offer the prasad of besan laddoos (Yellow Sweets) to God. This will soon overcome the dissimilarity of mind confrontation in between the partners.
If there is a conflict of opinion among family members then it is advisable that all family members should go to a sacred place (Teerath Sthal) for the peace and contentment all over.
If your partner’s nature is aggressive and most of the time, he / she remains angry and does not give importance to your talks then you should light a lamp (diya) in the roots of a peepal tree on the first Saturday of Navratra.
The causes of house unrest (Grah Kalesh) can be destroyed by creating a sound of Shankh and playing / listening of Gayatri mantra at home on the daily basis.
If you feel that people from outside are responsible for the conflicts between you and your partner then it is advisable to take a handful of RAI (Mustard Black) in your hand from the day one of Navratra and rotate it from your head and throw the rai in all the directions by facing towards South.
After taking bath early in the morning, recite the mantra ‘OM MITRAY NAMAH’ while giving water to Lord Surya in a mug (lota) made of Tamba. As a result of this, all the evils will be removed and a peaceful atmosphere will be created at home among all the family members.
If you observe that people are feeling jealousy from your happiness and they have negative wish for you in their mind then put three nazar battoo at the main entrance of the house on the eighth day of Navratra.
If you are not living your life happily because of a Mangal Grah Dosh and situation is getting worse day by day, then you should offer sava kilo jalebi (1 KG Plus 1/4 KG) to Lord Hanuman Ji as Prasad or bhog and pray for peaceful life on the first Tuesday of Navratra. Distribute this Prasad to the kids in the next day morning and you should also eat a bit of it.
All the family members should pray and perform the Aarti of God together daily in the evening. At the end, they should blow a Shankh because it generates a positive energy and enhance the love and feeling of togetherness among all.
If the cause of bad creations is the bad grah (Planets) or a Vaastu Dosh then you should light a guggul and apply it in all the rooms of house in the early morning. In this manner, the bad omen of any ghost / problem from the house will be removed.
Even after trying all the above remedies you feel things are not moving for you as desired please consult an Astrology and Vaastu expert for advise.
Navratri has always been a festival of gaiety and romance. it is during these nine days that men and women cut across all barriers to be a part of this rich tradition. Marriage is a union between two souls, a commitment between husband and wife for life. The most important element for any married life is happiness.
It is the emotional intimacy which can easily get disturbed with a silly fight between the partner. So, to bring back the love and happiness in your life. Here, are some tips of Vaastu and Astrology as remedies which are recommended to improve your bonding and lead a happy life ahead.
Keep a Tulsi Plant at home. With this plant, bonding between the couples is always assured. Offer turmeric and Kumkum along with water, daily, to the Tulsi plant at home. This should be performed by the females of the house.
The male member of the house can place a small flute, made of either wood or silver, on the Tulsi plant. Avoid office work in the bedroom as it could spoil your relationship with your partner.
A simple remedy of placing your bed in the south west or north west direction of the house can make your bond strong, nurture love and compatibility.
As per Vaastu, there should be no mirror in front of your bed. This can be harmful for your health.
Decorate your house with beautiful crystal items as it attracts light and illuminates your relationship. Get Astrological Remedies for Overcoming Delayed in Marriages In case, looking for any alliance for happy married life, then make sure you match the two horoscopes.
You can connect with an expert astrologer for personal consultation and get personalised report. Kindly take help of an Expert Astrologer and Vaastu consultant for marriage problems.
Navratri is known to bless us with abundance of wealth, our sole means is to make existence smooth and comfortable. The primary means to ensure that you are blessed with wealth is by making sure Lord Kuber is happy. So, here are some remedies to keep Lord Kuber happy.
Place the cash locker or your cash cupboard in the south or south-west wall of the house and ensure that it opens in the North direction. North is the direction for Lord Kuber and opening the locker in this direction ensures that He can fill it again and again.
To attract wealth, place a mirror in front of the cash locker so that the mirror reflects the image of the locker
Never take anything free of cost nor offer any of your services free of cost. Make sure some compensation is obtained money-wise.
Money earned through false means never stays. Keep this in mind while conducting all dealings.
Donate some portion of your earnings each month in charity. This will earn you blessings of Goddess Lakshmi thereby ensuring your happiness and prosperity.
Treat the women in the house with utmost respect. They are the embodiments of Goddess Lakshmi.
Plant a Tulsi plant in the house and every evening light a ghee filled mud-lamp near the plant. Goddess Lakshmi will never leave your house and will always bless you with abundance and prosperity.
Make donations in white to please the Goddess of Wealth.
Never keep or use any broken vessels in the house.
Every Friday offer water to Lord Vishnu through a south opening conch-shell. This pleases Goddess Lakshmi immensely.
After a bath, each day, pray and seek blessings of Goddess Lakshmi and apply a tilak made of saffron on your forehead.
For more information and remedies kindly consult an Astrologer and Vaastu consultant.
