Navratri 2011 & Astrology

Thought One Navratra literally means '9 nights'. These days are astrologically very powerful for Spiritual upliftment. During these days and nights, prayers are offered to 'Mother' who is the Manifestation of the Absolute Energy that pervades the Universe. As 'Durga' sitting on a Lion, she is a Manifestation of 'Shakti' or the Primordial Energy. The Power to breathe, walk, digest etc, comes from Ma Durga. As Laxmi She is abundance. Not only material, but of Air, Land, Space etc. The fact that you have understood what I have written so far is due to the Grace of Ma Saraswati' She is the 'OM', from where all sound emanates. 'Ma' is the 'Garbha' (Womb) from where the Universe manifests. A fortnight before Durga Puja, offerings (Tarpan) are made to ancestors. This continues till Mahalaya. Before one proceeds on the Spiritual Path, the offerings are probably a form of gratitude to the ancestors as our fathers are responsible for our achieving a human body. The next 'worship' is towards Mother Nature. On the 1st day of the Puja (mahashasti) one prays to the abode of 'Mother' which is the wood apple tree. On the 2nd day of the puja, navaptrika (nine leaves) are offered. The word 'Garba' stems from 'Garbha' and symbolizes the 'Dance of Creation' The first 3 days of 'Navratra' are dedicated to 'Ma Kali' to annihilate the enemies within

The next 3 days are dedicated to 'Ma Laxmi' and the last 3 days are dedicated to Ma Saraswati. On the 10th day a Bonfire is lit to burn the Self arrogating Ego. Whether we pray to Ma or not, she thinks of us all the time. She holds us in our arms when dejected, gives us various gifts from time to time, but admonishes us when we cross our line. The Ramadan falls around the same time as Navratra (2005) During the month of Ramadan the first 10 days are dedicated to the mercy of Allah. The next 10 days spotlight on forgiveness from Allah and the last 10 days on liberation from Hell Fire. Thought Two Ma Vaishno Devi's birth name is Trikuta. She was called Vaishnavi because of Her taking birth from Lord Vishnu's lineage. When Trikuta was 9 years old, She sought her father's permission for doing penance on the sea-shore. Trikuta prayed to Lord Vishnu in the form of Rama. During Shree Ram's search for Sita, He reached the sea-shore along with His army. His eyes fell on this Divine Girl in deep meditation. Trikuta told Shree Ram that She had accepted Him as Her husband. Shree Ram told Her that during this Incarnation He had vowed to be faithful to only Sita. However the Lord assured Her that in 'Kaliyuga' He would manifest as 'Kalki' and would marry Her. In the meantime Shree Ram asked Trikuta to meditate in the cave found in the Trikuta Range of Manik Mountains, situated in Northern India. Ma decided to observe the 'Navratra' for the Victory of Shree Ram against Ravan. Hence one reads the Ramayana during the 9 days of Navratra.
Thought Three (2001) And once more ?Navratras? are on! The nine nights in which we shall worship the Cosmos and the Cosmic Self as The Mother Goddess! The Mother has various names and forms, but the one that comes to mind, is very relevant to the times that we are going through.

Allow me to describe Her to you! Mother holds weapons and emblems in Her 10 hands. She has a benign face, a smile and a golden yellow hue. She rides a lion and drives a spear into the chest of a Demon. That Demon?s name is Mahishaasur, I would prefer to call him ?Terrorism?. Mother has taken it upon Herself to make the world free of oppression. The Devi Mahaatmya, which consists of 700 verses and is part of the Markandeya Puraana describes the battle between Mother and the demons. Mahishaasur changed his form many a time, but Mother ultimately trapped him under Her foot. The demon and his various forms represents evil and its various disguises. Also the base instinct in man. It is believed that Sri Ram prayed to the Mother before embarking for Lanka to fight the demon Raavana. The Mother is known as ?Shakti? or the Divine Female Energy. Her other popular names include: Uma or Light, Kali or Dark, Gauri, the Yellow, Durga, the Invincible, Bhairavi, Jagaddhatri, Amba, Chamundi, Bhadrakali Each night of the Navratras is dedicated to one form of Mother.

1. Mata Shailputri - Daughter of Parvatraj (King of the Mountain) Himalaya. She married Shankar and gave birth to Ganesh (The Remover of obstacles) and Kartikeya (The God of War). 2. Mata Brahmachaarini - She gives the world the message of Pure Love. 3. Mata Chandraghanta - She establishes Justice. She wears the crescent moon on Her head. 4. Mata Kushmaanda - She provides the ?Everyday Sustenance? to the world. 5. SkandMata - She gives the world the gift of Discrimination of right from wrong. 6. Mata Kaatyayini - Constantly fights against Evil and devious entities. 7. Mata Kaalraatri - She killed a demon called Raktabeej. (He had the power to produce a demon from every drop of blood, that fell from his body. Mother eventually licked the blood before it could touch the ground, and thus overpowered him.) 8. Mata Chaamunda - She killed the 2 demons, called Chanda and Munda and reestablished order. Mata Maha-Gauri who also rid the world of evil forces. 9. Mata Sidhidaarti - She is a Treasure house of Yantra Tantra (Mystic Powers) and Gyaan (Knowledge) Let us worship Mother to help us through the difficult times, the world is going through. We must have faith that virtue and goodness will continue to prevail despite the heavy odds.

Navratri: Festival dedicated to Devi Adi Parashakti

The classic text of the Devi Mahatmya, tells a story of how Shaktis (Energies) emerged from each of the Gods to aid the Supreme Goddess in fighting the asuras (demons). Each shakthi possessed the form, ornament, and mount of the particular god. These are the goddesses who serve Adhiparasakthi and carry out Her functions. The one who rules this world. Everything in this world is contained in HER. All forms in the world are HER forms. All living things are part of HER. It is Devi AdhiParashakti who performs the tasks of the Tri-Murthys, Siva, Vishnu and Brahma. She is the 8 Siddhis, 7 Rishis, Lords of the 8 directions, 11 Rudras and many more She is not only worshipped by men but also by the Devas. She is present in everything we see. She is represented in the plants, the animals, the birds, the sea, the sky and the holy river. She is the Shakti ( power) who drives this world. She is of The 7 Goddesses of Adhi Parasakthi the mother mankind

BRAHMI Brahmi represents Lord Brahma's energy. She has big eyes. Her body is golden in color with four arms. She is seated on Her vehicle which is a swan. CHAMUNDI Chamundi represents an aspect of Mother's energy. She has three eyes and eight hands. She is seated on Her vehicle which is a buffalo. Her left foot is resting on a demon who is praying to Her. INDIRANI Indirani represents Lord Indra's energy. She is wearing very beautiful (rich) ornaments and clothing and has four arms. She is seated on her vehicle which is an elephant. KOWMARI Kowmari represents Lord Muruga's energy. She is kumkum (red powder) in color with

four arms and she wears a diamond studded crown. Her flag which has a peacock on it. She is seated on Her vehicle which is a peacock. MAHESWARI Maheswari represents Lord Shiva's energy. She has three eyes (2 normal and 1 in Her forehead). Her body is white in color with four arms. Her hair is shaped into a crown and She has a cobra around Her neck. She also has Her weapon which is a Soolum (trident) and her flag which has a bull on it. She is seated on Her vehicle which is a bull. VARAHI Varahi represents Lord Yama's energy. She is very dark in color and she is wearing black silk and black jewelry. Her face is like that of a boar and she has four arms. She is seated on a peetam (seat) with her left foot supported by a small stool. VISHANAVI Vishanavi represents Lord Vishnu's energy. She has lotus like eyes and Her body is a dark cloud color (blueish) with four arms. She is seated on Her vehicle which is a eagle Devi Adhi Parashkti:

Thought Four (2002) THE UNIVERSAL ENERGY A mother has the ability to generate life. God?s ?desire? to create is represented by a Female Energy. Hindus have always believed in worshipping the Male and Female aspect of God together. In common parlance, one often hears, that Krishna without Radha is incomplete. Rama and Seeta are also always worshipped together. Shiva and Parvati are worshipped in the form which is conceived as ?united in a single body?. I have heard that the Female counterpart of God is ?Maya? the Creation. The Energy that created the Universe stems from the Female Energy of God. And God and His Creation is not separable. God is not only His Creation, but lives in every atom of It.

During the Navratra festival Mother, as the Universal Energy is worshipped. Navratra literally means '9 nights'. During these days and nights, prayers are offered to 'Mother Goddess? Hindus believe that the Mother stands for everything that is everywhere in the Universe. The first 3 days are devoted to the worship of the Mother Kali. It is in all probability for the destruction of the evil tendencies that live within us. The 2nd, 3 days and nights are devoted to the worship of Mother Laxmi. Mother Laxmi gifts us all the wealth that we possess, and all the wonderful things that money can buy. She stands for all the abundance in every conceivable form that exists in our life. The last 3 days and nights are devoted to Mother Saraswati. Mother Saraswati, gifts us knowledge. After having cleansed ourselves, and having partaken of the necessities of life, it is time to imbibe, the knowledge and wisdom that Mother Saraswati imparts. On the 10th day, a bonfire (Havan) is lit. During the 9 days of Navratra people dance the Garba Dance. Whether we pray to Mother Goddess or not, She thinks of us all the time. She holds us in our arms when we feel sad, in the form of our own mother, or friend. Mother Laxmi gives us various gifts from time to time. As Mother Saraswati, she teaches us all the wonderful things that we need to learn. And as Mother Kali, She teaches us lessons that may be painful, but are ultimately for our own good. The all-pervading energy, source of existence, or Shakti manifests itself as creation. Shakti is the divine mother who gives birth and nurtures the new born- whether it is a new-born baby, a brand new relationship, a fresh idea, or a magical manifestation.

Although Shakti is beyond the boundaries of gender, form or colour, we call it Mother because of its mothering and creative qualities. Mother Saraswati
Mother Saraswati holds a pen in one hand which symbolizes the power to communicate through the written word. The name Saraswati is derived from the Sankrit words sara, which means, 'essence';and swa, which means, 'self'. Thus Saraswati means ?the essence of the self?. The Vedas that She holds in Her hand, summon the spirit of brilliant knowledge. Material Prosperity (Laxmi) invites knowledge(Saraswati). Goddess Saraswati represents the fine arts. Many believe that ones self-essence can be found through the use of knowledge and wisdom.The Gayatri Mantra is one of the most well-known invocations to Mother. Mother?s white saree speaks of Her purity. Her carriage is the swan. The swan is able to separate water from milk. Great Saints in the Hindu tradition are addressed as ?Param Hans? meaning a great Swan. The reason? Because great sages are able to separate good from bad, truth from falsehood and illusion, true knowledge from ignorance? Mother Saraswati is called Veena Vaadini. She plays an instrument called Veena which has seven strings. The number seven is mostly associated with the seven charkas. On either side of the veena there are two hollow rounds. Maybe those hollow globes save one from drowning in the ocean of Samsara. The parsaad offered to the Goddess are nutrients that increase the potential of the brain. The parsaad (food offering) consists of Misri (sugar) nuts, cardammon, nodes of the bamboo shoot (banslochan) and lotus seeds. The rosary made of tulsi seeds makes one consistent in the pursuit of knowledge and spirituality. For the puja of Mother Saraswati: The youngest girl applies a teeka on everyone's forehead. The other devotees then sprinkle water, and other auspicious offerings on Mother Saraswati. Aarti is performed. Parsaad for devotees consists of a few bers, a laddoo, a paan? and good will and cheer.