The meaning and significance of Navaratri – the ‘nine nights’

Navaratri is a festival of nine days, in which the Devi, or divine mother, is worshipped. It is celebrated all over India. It happens twice a year, but the main celebration usually comes end of September or beginning of October, depending on the astrological calendar. It is said that this creation is governed by 64 aspects or energies of the Devi, and these energies are all contained within one’s awakened consciousness. The celebrations during the nine nights of navaratri rekindle those energies, harmonize the environment and bring depth to our lives.

The Sanskrit word ‘navaratri’ is made up of a two parts: ‘nava’, which means ‘nine’, and ‘ratri’ which means ‘night’. ‘Ratri’ actually refers a period where you are ‘in rest’, where the consciousness turns inward. ‘Ra’ also means ‘giving solace’, and ‘tri’ refers to the ‘three aspects of our life’, the body, mind and soul. So when the consciousness turns inward, it gives solace to these three aspects of our life. ‘Tri’ also refers to the three types of problems or misery, from which we get solace: physical, ethereal and causal. These are the misery inflicted by the outside world, by the subtle mind, and by the impressions (karma) in the consciousness (soul). When we sleep we are always at peace – we cannot fall asleep unless, at least for a moment, we forget about the world, our worries, and our desires. And it is this peaceful state – where the mind turns inward for a moment – that actually refreshes us. It is so beautiful to see how in Sanskrit, the meaning is always inherent in the words!

A homa during the Navaratri celebrations

Navaratri is thus seen as the night where these three aspects of our life are given rest, to come out again refreshed and rejuvenated. Just like the child, that rests for nine months in the womb of the mother, we rest for nine nights in the Self, to come out with more creativity, and be victorious. Victorious over what? Over the different negative forces, or aspects of ourselves. In the ancient scriptures, this victory of the Self over the negative aspects of our mind, has been beautifully depicted by stories. In these stories the Devi, or Divine Mother, battles the various asuras (demons), and comes out victorious. The stories themselves are wonderful, but they become even more beautiful when we realize the depth of the knowledge they convey – there are many deeper layers to all of these stories.

The Sanskrit names of the asuras that are destroyed by the Devi, for example, are very interesting! Some of the demons that are destroyed by her are Madhu, Kaitabha, Raktabijasura, Mahishasura, Shumbha, Nishumbha, Chanda, Munda and Dhumralochana. ‘Madhu’ also means ‘craving’, ‘kaitabha’ means ‘aversion’, and ‘raktabija’ means ‘the seeds in the blood’ (genes), which refers to any defects or tendencies that are present in our DNA. ‘Mahisha’ means ‘buffalo’, and refers to the dullness, insensitivity and inertia of this animal. ‘Shumbha’ means ‘doubting oneself’ and ‘nishumbha’ means ‘doubting others’, and ‘chanda’ means ‘opposing head’, or that which opposes anything you say and cannot agree with anything. ‘Munda’ means ‘without a head’, or that which does not listen at all. ‘Dhumralochana’, finally, means ‘whose eyes are smoky’, or whose vision is hazy or blurred. So these ‘demons’ actually represent our negative tendencies, that we normally battle with every day, trying to be as good a person as we can be. When our shakti (energy) increases, the Devi (our Self) is victorious, and all these demons (negative tendencies) are conquered. The Navaratri is therefore often celebrated as the victory of good over evil.

The Chandi Homa celebrates the victory of the Devi over the demons

It is also said that the different gunas (qualities) reign during different times of the Navaratri. These three periods are connected to the three main aspects or manifestations of the Devi respectively: Mahakali, the adhisthata (or ruler) of tamoguna; Mahalakshmi, the adhisthata of rajoguna; and Mahasaraswati, the adhisthata of sattvaguna. During the first three days, the tamoguna is predominant; during the second three days, the rajoguna is predominant; and during the last three days, the sattvaguna dominates. The three gunas that dominate our lives are celebrated and honored, and during the celebrations, our consciousness is taken from tamoguna and rajoguna to sattvaguna in the last three days. Whenever sattva dominates, victory follows in life, and that is why the tenth day is also known as ‘vijayadashami’, or ‘the tenth day of victory. These primordial gunas are seen as the feminine force in our creation, and by worshipping the Devi during these nine days, the three gunas are harmonized, and sattva is raised in the atmosphere.

So when you honor and worship the Devi, when you dive deep within the Self during these nine nights, you emerge victorious over all these negative aspects or qualities. This is done through fasting, meditation, knowledge, worship, satsang and silence, because all of these purify different aspects of our being. Fasting detoxifies the body, silence refines the speech and calms down the mind, knowledge purifies the intellect, and meditation allows us to experience our true nature.