Navaratri - Spiritual Significance

Navaratri - It is celebrated all over India with extreme zeal and enthusiasm. It is a nine days celebration and devotees during these nine days observe fasts, go to temples, and worship Goddess Durga. The entire surrounding is full of pious echo of Maa Durga bhajans. People do Jagraate, Golu (the festival of dolls), organize community feasts and celebrations. The celebrations are at its climax on the eighth and the ninth day of the Navratri. In Hindus this festival is given immense importance and treated as a festival of eternal enlightenment. Quotes of some popular Hindu scholars will explain you the eternal significance of the Pooja. Read the Navaratri quotations given below to understand more.


Spiritual Significance of Navarathri
During Navaratri, for the first 3 nights, Goddess Durga is invoked first to remove impurities from the mind. Then, for the next 3 nights Goddess Lakshmi is invoked to cultivate the noble values and qualities. Finally, for the last 3 nights Saraswati is invoked for gaining the highest knowledge of the Self. This is the significance of the three sets of three nights when all these three are gained subjectively, and then there will be Vijayadasami (Dussera), the day of true victory. Dussera can also be interpreted as “Dasa-Hara”, which means the cutting of the ten heads of Ravana. So,it's a resolve to cut the ten heads–passion, pride, anger, greed, infatuation, lust, hatred, jealousy, selfishness and crookedness–of the demon, Ego, and thus justify the celebration of Dussera. 


Navaratri is celebrated in various parts of India in different styles. But the one basic aim of this celebration is to propitiate Shakti, the Goddess in Her aspect as Power, to bestow upon man all wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge (both sacred and secular), and all other potent powers. Whatever be the particular or special request that everyone may put before the Goddess, whatever boon may be asked of Her, the one thing behind all these is propitiation, worship and linking oneself with Her. There is no other aim. This is being effected consciously or unconsciously. Everyone is blessed with Her loving mercy and is protected by Her.