Devi or the Divine Mother is the energy which has given birth to the entire universe including the celestial stars far away and the subtle mind and its emotions. Called ‘shakti’ which means energy, the Divine Mother is also responsible for running this creation.
Navratri is the time when this energy can be tapped. One of the ways to do so is to worship all the names and forms of the Divine Mother.
“The divinity is everywhere, but it is dormant. Pooja (worship) is the process to awaken it.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati
The Divine Mother or Shakti has three major forms: Durga, the Goddess of defense; Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth; Saraswati, the Goddess of education. During the nine nights and ten days of Navratri, these three forms are invoked.
The first three days of Navratri celebrate Devi in the form of Goddess Durga. In the presence of Durga, negative forces fade away. She transforms negativity into positivity.
Durga is also referred to as 'Jaya Durga' or the one who brings victory. Following are a few notable aspects of Durga.
Durga is associated with red. She is depicted as wearing a red saree. Red is the color of dynamism – the ‘moving’ energy. You may be trained and skilled, but if you are not able to move things, people, and efforts in unison, then the results are delayed, and you can't be effective. When you pray to Durga, she brings forth dynamism in you to make things move.
Nav Durga
Nav Durga are the nine aspects of the Durga Shakti which act as a shield to ward off all negativities. Just remembering these qualities of the Devi can remove your mental blocks. Chanting these names elevate your consciousness and make you more centered, courageous and composed. It is especially beneficial for people suffering from anxiety, self-doubt, and fear.
Mahishasura Mardini form of Durga
Devi Durga, in Her form as Mahishasura Mardini, is the destroyer of Mahisha. The word Mahisha means buffalo which is a symbol of laziness, lethargy, and inertia. These are the qualities which impede the spiritual and material progress of an individual. The Devi is a storehouse of positive energy, and any trace of laziness or inertia dissolves in her very presence.
Navdurga, All the nine forms of Durga Devi represent nine different qualities. Shakti means energy and Devi Shakti is the primordial source of unseen energy that maintains and sustains this creation. Navratri celebrates and honors the nine different aspects of Mother Divine, also known as Nav Durga.
The Devi Shakti, or the feminine spirit, manifests itself in many forms. It encompasses and supplements qualities such as strength, transformation, anger, beauty, compassion, fear, and power. These qualities are reflected in each individual, in different events, and in this universe as a whole.
The first name of Goddess Durga is Shailaputri. Shaila means the peak.
When you reach the peak of any experience or feeling, you experience the emergence of the Divine consciousness, because it always surges from that peak. This is the hidden meaning behind Shailaputri.
The second name of the Mother Divine is Brahmacharini.
one is movement and the other is presence. This is what Brahmacharya means. Brahmacharya means not indulging in small things, not getting stuck in small limited things but indulging in the whole. Celibacy is also said to be synonymous with Brahmacharya because in that you are dealing with the greater whole and not with limited parts. Lust is always in parts, it is the localized movement of consciousness. So, Brahmacharini is the consciousness that is all-pervading.
The third form of the Mother Divine is Chandraghanta.
Chandra also signifies the various feelings or shades of emotions and thoughts (similar to the different phases of the waxing and waning moon). Ghanta means a bell from which only one kind of sound arises when the mind that is scattered and entangled in different thoughts and emotions gets consolidated and established at one point (in the Divine), then it gives rise to the Divine energy within us which becomes one-pointed and rises upwards. This is what is meant by Chandraghanta. Her name literally means (The bell of the moon).
The fourth form of the Mother Divine is called Kushmanda. Kushmanda is also the Sanskrit word for ‘pumpkin’.
This entire creation – both the manifest and the unmanifest – is like a huge round ball or pumpkin. You have all kinds of diversity here, from the smallest to the largest.
"Anda" here means the Cosmic Egg or the Cosmic Sphere. "Ku" means small, "sh" means Energy.
The Mother of Wisdom: Skandamata
Skanda is another name for Lord Karthikeya who represents the coming together of Jnana Shakti (power of knowledge) and Kriya Shakti (power of righteous action). Skanda is the combination of these two. Skandamata is that form of the Divinity that brings practical wisdom and action together. It is said that the Devi represents the confluence of Iccha Shakti (power of intention), Jnana Shakti (power of knowledge) and Kriya Shakti (power of righteous action). When the Shiva Tattva unites with these three powers, then what emerges is Skanda.
Skandamata represents the very origin of Jnana (knowledge) and Kriya (the principle of action or activity). It can be understood as Kriyatmak Jnana (knowledge in action or action driven by right knowledge).
The sixth form of the Mother Divine is Katyayani.
Everything that happens and unfolds before us, which is called Prapancha is not limited only to what is visible. That which is invisible and cannot be perceived by the senses is far greater than we can even imagine and comprehend. Katyayani is the divine force or principle of the unmanifest Divinity that arises in the subtle layers of creation against negativity and for the purpose of restoring Dharma.
The seventh form of the Mother Divine is said to be Kaalratri.
It is a very fierce and terrifying form of the Mother Divine. There can be no form more terrifying than this in the entire Creation but even this terrifying form has a motherly aspect to it. The Kaalratri form of the Mother Divine is said to bestow Jnana (knowledge) and Vairagya (dispassion).
The eighth form of the Mother Divine is called Mahagauri.( The epitome of beauty)
Mahagauri means that form which is beautiful and resplendent. If you see, Nature has two extremes. One of the forms is Kaalratri which is most terrifying and devastating, and on the other hand you see Mahagauri which is the most beautiful and serene form of the Mother Divine.
Mahagauri represents the epitome of beauty. Mahagauri confers and fulfills all your wishes and desires. Devi Mahagauri gives you all blessings and boons that you seek for material gains, so that you become content from within and move forward in life.
The ninth form is called Siddhidhatri.
Siddhidhatri form of the Mother Divine blesses you with Siddhis (extraordinary capabilities) so that you do everything with perfection. Siddhi means that you get what you need even before the desire for it arises. You need not even work or act to attain something. At the mere thought of it you are able to attain what you desire, without having to struggle or make efforts for it. This is what is meant by Siddhi.