Navratri Path
Navratri Path, which means “nine nights”, is a festival celebrated across India for centuries. Navaratri pays tribute to the goddess, the great goddess, and the divine mother, Shakti, who allows everything.
In India, there are two main Navratri festivals. One of them is Chaitra Navratri, which occurs during spring. The other, and most celebrated nationwide, is Sharad Navaratri or Mahanavratri, which begins on the first new moon in the early autumn and ends with the celebration of Dussehra on the tenth day. On the path of Siddha Yoga, this is the Navratri we celebrate.
There are many scriptures that speak of the glory of the goddess and tell stories of her victory. One of these texts is Devi-Mahatmya, which is found in the Markandeya Purana and belongs to the Navratri Path tradition. In this story, the goddess Mahadev, who covers all forms of the goddess, spends nine days at war with a host of demons, including the formidable buffalo demon, Mahishasura. These demons symbolize the powers of arrogance and ignorance. The Mahadurga defeats the demons on the tenth day, or Dussehra, in the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil.
The main attraction of Navaratri Path is the Panja dance as part of the night service of the Goddess. The groups dance in a thick circle around Garfalam, which represents the light of the goddess. While dancing, they rhythmically bury small poles, which are painted in vibrant colors and decorated with taslim and other ornaments.
During Navratri Path, Siddha yogis worship the goddess in their three forms as Kundalini Shakti in the form of Mahadurga, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati. Each of these forms of the goddess helps the seeker to experience and nourish the light which is her true nature. And during the nine nights and ten days of this festival, Siddha yogis honored the goddess by singing Jaya Devi Aarti in her various manifestations.
In the next three nights of Navratri Path, we honor Mahalakshmi, the goddess of abundance, beauty, and auspiciousness. He is often depicted standing or sitting on a lotus flower, dripping gold coins with his open palm. When we pray to Mahalakshmi and invoke her grace within us, she gains wealth in all forms, inspires generosity, and helps us recognize the abundance and beauty in ourselves and the world around us Huh.
Mahalakshmi has many names and forms. Eight of these forms are known as Sri Ashtalakshmi, which you can read here. Siddha yogis explained a way to invoke Mahalakshmi by reciting the beautiful hymn – Sri Mahalakshmishtakam Stotram.
The final three nights pay tribute to Mahasaraswati, a personality of wisdom, creativity, and artistic expression. Dressed in white and holding the Veda in one hand, it represents the purity and light of knowledge within us. On the other hand, she holds the veena, a stiff musical instrument that symbolizes creative inspiration, which is always new and always renewed, emanating from the inner self. Worshiping Mahasaraswati leads to learning, best ideas, and speaking with eloquence and truth. He is an inspiration to musicians, artists, writers, and students.
Navratri Path
The festival of Navratri Path is celebrated in Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami – the tenth day, the day of victory after nine nights of Navratri. Dussehra symbolizes the victory of the goddess over the demon Mahishasura and signifies the generality of the supreme light.
Dussehra is a victory day is also reflected in other Indian scriptures and texts. According to the epic Ramayana, this is the day when Lord Rama defeated the ten-headed demon Ravana.
In the Mahabharata, Dussehra is the day the Pandava brothers returned to their kingdom after thirteen years of exile and restoration of righteousness in the world. On their return, the Pandavas recovered their weapons and Dipujato. Therefore, in Dussehra, it is traditional to pay tribute to the means of your trade.
Navaratri Path
Dussehra is considered to be one of the most auspicious three and a half days of the year. (In India, auspicious days and nights are determined by the almanac, which is a traditional minute-by-minute lunar calendar). It is the day of new beginnings, of new beginnings, when the heavens give their golden blessings, especially in abundance, supporting the success of our new endeavors.
Jaya Devi! Victory to divine light! Victory for religion!