Dear Editor,
Sharada Navratri is a nine-day/night period, dedicated to the worshipping of the Universal Mother, Mata Durga. She is the embodiment and consolidated form of Mother Parvati, Lakshmi and Sarswati and as such, she is the invincible fortress that represents Shakti (power) and whose blessings is sought for the protection against negativity and evil. Each night is dedicated to one form of her manifestations as listed below.
8. Mahagouri: Goddess Mahagouri is depicted sitting on a bull. One of her right hands carries the trident and the other is in Abhay Mudra. Similarly, one of her left hands carries a damru and the other is in Varada Mudra. When Goddess Shailputri was very beautiful and fair at the age of sixteen, she was known as Mahagouri. This form of the Goddess is worshipped for the removal of suffering and the enlightenment of spiritual seeker on the eighth day of Navratri.
Mantra:
Om Devi Mahagauryai Namah.
Prarthana:
Shwete Vrishesamarudha Shwetambaradhara Shuchih, Mahagauri Shubham
Dadyanmahadeva Pramodada.
Stuti:
Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Maa Mahagauri Rupena Samsthita, Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namah.
9. Siddidhatri : Goddess Siddhidhatri is the moola roopa of goddess Parvati. When at the beginning of the universe, Lord Shiva worshipped the unmanifested form of Shakti, she had no form. Therefore, she was depicted as the left half of Shiva. She sits on a lotus, riding a lion. In one of her right hands, she has a Gada and in the other is a Chakra. In her left hands, she holds a lotus flower and a Shankh. The devotee seeks her blessings for the realisation of the Divine or Brahman as she completes the mundane world on the ninth day of Navratri.
Mantra:
Siddh Gandharv Yagyahair Surair Marairapi Sevyamana Sada Bhootyaat Siddhida Siddhi Dayanee
As the warrior-form of Goddess Parvati, she was transformed into Durga by combining the power and divine energies of all the Gods. These divine powers and energies of all the Gods are represented by the different weapons held by Goddess Durga. Not only the weapons but each and everything related to Goddess Durga symbolises some or the other divine things as noted below.
1. Lion: The lion of Goddess Durga symbolises courage and the uncontrolled materialistic desires and tendencies such as greed, jealousy, agree, selfishness, arrogance, etc. Goddess Durga sitting on a lion symbolises we need to control our materialistic desires, needs and emotions and face our problems with courage.
2. Red Saree: Goddess Durga is usually seen wearing a red saree with gold ornaments. The red saree symbolises passion. It also represents her way of protecting mankind against evil and bad.
3. Conch: The conch was given to her by Varuna. She is often seen holding a conch shell in one of her upper hands. The conch shell in her upper hand represents happiness and dedication for fulfilling our responsibility happily. It gives us a lesson that one must perform his/her duties with contentment and not with resentment.
4. Sword: The sword in her hand was given to her by Kala and signifies the importance of distinguishing and eradicating our negative and evil qualities. It shows one must be ready to quit his/her bad habits and embrace good habits. Also, one should raise voice for unjust and mean actions.
5. Chakra: The chakra in one of the hands of Goddess Durga was given to her by Vishnu and symbolizes duty and righteousness. It shows the importance of acknowledging our duties and responsibilities and fulfilling them to achieve our goals in life.
6. Lotus Flower: The lotus flower in the hands of Goddess Durga was given to her by Brahma and symbolises austerity, purity, and detachment from the materialistic world. It gives us a lesson that despite staying in the mud water, the lotus water remains pure, lively and full of colours. Similarly, we humans too should try to reflect the good in bad, we a humble soul even during the toughest of time and never being impudent.
7. Trident: The trident or Trishul in the left hand of Goddess Durga was given to her by Shiva and symbolises courage and bravery. It tells us that no matter how grave the situation, we should never lose our hope. Instead of running away from the problems in our lives, we should stand strong and face our problems with full courage, hope and determination.
8. Forgiveness: The right hand of Goddess Durga always stays in the forgiving and blessing position. The forgiving mudra (positions) symbolise the need for forgiving others. There’s no good in holding on to the grudges. We should always forgive others and seek forgiveness from those whom we have hurt. In addition to this, we must not say rude things to others or hurt others for our pleasure and selfish needs.
9. Club: Goddess Durga usually holds a club in her right lower hand. The club in her hand was given to her by Kuvera and symbolises devotion and bravery. We must accept whatever the Almighty sends to us. Whether it is happiness or sorrow, we must accept whatever comes in our way and face it with bravery.
10. Bow and Arrow: The bow, given by Vayu, and arrow, given by Surya in the hands of Goddess Durga, symbolises perseverance. No matter what problems come in our lives, we need to persevere and always stick to the truth. We must not lose our character or make wrong decisions.
11. Snake: The snake in the hands of Goddess Durga represents the beauty and truth of destructive times. Those who are living on this earth will have to die and their soul will take a new form in the next life. It also symbolises goodness in darkest times.
As Guyanese revere the auspiciousness of this significant period, let us pray that COVID-19 can dissipate and a healing process can materialise from the eradication of evil, suffering and unhappiness. Let us pray that all leaders will overcome any ignorance and allow wisdom to prevail so that light will replace darkness.
As we pray for the protection from any form of negativity, let us envelop the love for our fellow mankind in our bosom and sanctify our hearts with purity and peace. A new dawn awaits a united Guyana if only we can bid farewell to greed, anger, lust, jealousy and animosity with the passing of dusk. Shubh Navratri.
Respectfully,
Jai Lall
