Nav Durga Are Not Separate Goddesses, But Nine Phases of Goddess's Life, Says Mythologist

With September kicking-in, festive season has started. Navratri has incepted, everything in the air is glammed up. Navratri is a Sanskrit  word for "9 Nights." The nine-day long festivities of Navaratri is a much anticipated Indian festival which is celebrated in different ways all across the country. At the heart of it is the homecoming of goddess Durga, the mother goddess.

During Navratri, nine avtars of goddess Durga are worshipped. These include Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, SkandaMata, Kaatyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri. Most of us think nine days means, nine separate goddesses representing them. But that's not the case, it means the nine phases of the goddess's life. The nine nights of Navratri are celebration of the goddess in her eternity and ends with the celebration of Vijayadashmi. Popular mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik explain each phase of goddess's life on social media. You can read more about it here.

9 Phase of Goddess During Navratri

Day 1: Shailaputri

Pattanaik speaking on first day, first phase said, The first stage is Shailaputri, where Shakti is goddess of mountains. She born of mountains and decides marry the mountain hermit, Shiva. But Shiva doesn't want to marry her and  withdraws into his mountain caves. As the daughter of Himalaya, Devi Shailaputri is venerated as Devi Parvati. We pray to Devi Shailaputri on the first day of Navratri so that we may reach the highest level of consciousness.

Day 2- Brahmacharini

Second day her phase is of Brahmacharini, a hermit, who performs tapasya similar to Shiva. She does exactly what he does, Shiva realises if all men and women choose to become hermits what would happen to the life. The next generation will not be created. The world will cease to exist. Brahmacharini depicts that this is the phase where Shiva realises he is just a  dead body (shava) without Shakti.  The rock (shiva-linga) becomes the plant (bilva), the object turns into an organism.  The goddess symbolises Goddess Parvati when she engaged in her deep meditation to please Lord Shiva.

 Day 3 - Chandraghanta

When Shakti accepts Shiva's proposal of marriage, the goddess assumes her third form. She inherits her name Chandraghanta from moon, which is chandra in sanskrit. The Chandraghanta, or the bell-shaped moon, represents the first day of the waxing moon, when only an arc of the moon is seen. If Shiva is the waning moon (destroyer), he becomes the waxing moon (creator) when Shakti around.

Day 4 - Kushmanda

Post-marriage, She enjoys the companionship of Shiva and her body is filled with warmth. This makes her Kushmunda, gently aroused. In her fourth form, she becomes radiant like the sun, in the presence of Shiva. Kushmanda translates to "pumpkin." In this case, prana is symbolized by a pumpkin since it has the unusual ability to both absorb and radiate prana. Kushmanda is also derived from three words - ‘Ku’ (little), ‘Ushma’ (warmth or energy) and ‘Amnda’ (egg), it means the creator of the universe.

Day 5 - SkandaMata

She is Lord Karthikeya's mother on fifth day. She embodies a mother's love. She is Skanda's mother. She turned Shiva, a recluse, into Shankara, a householder, and gave him parental responsibilities. She delivers prosperity and wisdom in plenty to those who worship her.

Day 6 - Katyayni

She transforms into the enraged warrior who flees Mahishasura, a Deva who cannot be beaten. Mahishasura arrogantly declares that no man can defeat him; forgetting that a woman can defeat him. On the sixth day, she is asked to vanquish all of our inner enemies who stand in the way of spiritual advancement.

Day 7 - Kalaratri

She turns into a fiercer version of Kali known as Kalaratri, who murders Chanda and Munda. She is the pitch-black night in her seventh form. It is also seen as a feature of night that gives us solace for the soul. She adorns her body with his entrails, limbs and head. After darkest form she quickly calms downs.

Day 8 - Mahagauri

The lovely housewife and homemaker. Gauri is the domesticated one; her hair is no longer free. She is the force that both drives and liberates us in life. She sits at home preparing food, to feed her husband Shiva, in the form of Annapurna. Gauri is a four-armed deity who rides on a bull or a white elephant and carries a Trishul and a damru in her hands

Day 9 - Siddhidatri

The one who has achieved. The Siddhidatri, the accomplished one.  She has finished her task, and she now assumes her proper position as one half of Shiva's body. She completes him here. She has connected Shiva to worldly life, made him realise his purpose, to animate the world, and make the world realise its value and purpose. This is the ultimate role of the Goddess in Hindumythology.

Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashmi, which follows the marks of the conclussion of Durga Puja and is a time to commemorate the goddess Durga's victory over Mahishasura to restore and safeguard Dharma. additionally recalls the triumph of the hero Rama against Ravana.

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