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 Saraswati and as such, she is the invincible fortress that represents Shakti (power) and whose blessings are sought for protection against negativity and evil.

Each night is dedicated to one form of her manifestations as listed here:

1.Shailputri: Goddess Shailputri (Goddess of Nature) is depicted with a beautiful face, having a crescent moon on her forehead. She destroyed the demoness Tarika and is worshipped for the realisation of the self within, on the first day.

2. Brahmacharini: Goddess Brahmacharini is depicted bare feet and carrying a Jaapmala in the right hand and a Kamandalu in the left. She is worshipped for ascetic qualities on the second day.

3. Chandraghanta: Goddess Chandraghanta is depicted with 10 hands. She rides on a tigress and is worshipped for peace and serenity on the third day.

4. Kushmanda: Goddess Kushmanda rides on a lioness, shines as the Sun, and is specifically known for her prowess. She is worshipped for health, wealth and strength on the fourth day.

5. Skandmata: She is shown with four hands, in two of which she carries lotus flowers, in the second left hand, she carries baby Skanda and the second right hand is in Abhaymudra. She rides on a lion and is worshipped for wisdom and purity of the heart on the fifth day.

6. Katyayani: Goddess Katyayani is depicted sitting on a lion and was born to attack Mahishasura, and came to be known as Katyayani. She is worshipped for the desire of a righteous partner for marriage on the sixth day.

7. Kalratri: The Goddess of Fierceness manifested to destroy the demon Raktabija. As the name suggests, she is depicted in a very ferocious form. This form of the Goddess is worshipped for the removal of ignorance and darkness on the seventh day.

8. Mahagouri: Goddess Mahagouri is depicted sitting on a bull. This form of the Goddess is worshipped for the removal of suffering and the enlightenment of spiritual seeker on the eighth day of Navratri.

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. 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.

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: Symbolises courage and the uncontrolled materialistic desires and tendencies such as greed, jealousy, selfishness, arrogance, etc. Goddess Durga sitting on a lion symbolizes that we need to control our materialistic desires, needs and emotions and face our problems with courage.

2. Red Saree: The red saree symbolises passion. It also represents her way of protecting mankind against evil and bad.

3. Conch: The conch 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 signifies the importance of distinguishing and eradicating our negative and evil qualities, be ready to quit his/her bad habits and embrace good habits and also, one should raise one’s voice against unjust and mean actions.

5. Chakra: The chakra symbolises 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 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, be a humble soul even during the toughest of times, never being impudent.

7. Trident: The trident 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 (the forgiving mudra (positions)) symbolises 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: The club 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 and arrow symbolise 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 represents the beauty and truth of destructive times. Those who are living on this earth will have to die and their souls will take a new form in the next life. It also symbolises goodness in the darkest times.

Guyanese revere the auspiciousness of this significant period and hope 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 prostrate ourselves for the protection from any form of negativity, let us envelop the love for our fellow mankind in our bosoms and sanctify our hearts with purity and peace.

As we successfully conclude another celebration for Sharad Navaratri, may the weapons of Shakti Ma, represented by the power to withdraw, discern, decide, tolerate, accommodate, let go, face and cooperate, be used to destroy any lust, ego, anger, greed, jealousy, attachment, pride or malice that may surface; let the darkness be removed and be replaced with purity and love, so that our intellect may remain clear, positive and powerful.

The advent of Vijay Dashmi heralds the culmination of Sharad Navatri. May the grace of Durga Ma’s Divinity continue to evolve around your well-being, providing you with the energy to prosper with enlightenment.
Shubh Navratri.

Yours respectfully,
Jai Lall