Navadurga

For the goddess Navadurga worshipped in Maharashtra and Goa, see Navadurga (regional goddess).

Navadurga, depicted surrounding Durga, worshipped in Varanasi

Navadurga (Devanagari:नवदुर्गा), which literally means nine Goddess Durgas, constitute, according to Hindu mythology, the manifestation of Durga in nine different forms. These nine forms of manifestation are Śhailaputrī, Brahmachāriṇī, Chandraghaṇṭā, Kuṣhmāṇḍā, Skandamātā, Kātyāyanī, Kālarātrī, Mahāgaurī and Siddhidātrī; together worshipped during the Navratri (Nine Divine Nights) celebration in Autumn each year.

Forms of manifestation

Durga, the Mother Goddess of the Hindus and a form of Devi and Shakti, is believed to have manifested in various forms, and Navadurga Maa are believed to be the most sacred aspects of Goddess Durga. According to a Hindu tradition, it is believed that there are three major forms in which Goddess Durga manifested herself, namely, Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali who are the active energies (Shakti) of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra respectively (without these goddesses the gods will lose all their powers). These three forms of Durga further manifested in three more forms each, and thus emerged the nine forms of Durga, which are collectively called Navadurga or Nine Durgas. Navadurga are famously worshipped during the Autumn Navaratri or the Nine days, initiating the devotees into a period of festivities according to Hindu calendar.

Meditative mantra

Each one of the Navadurga is known by a particular name and the deity has a particular dhyana-mantra, a mantra for meditation, a free English version of which is mentioned below:

• Shailaputri

May the illustrious Shailputri Durga whom I salute and whose head is adorned by a halfmoon, who rides nandi, a bull and carries a spear fulfill the desires of my heart. She is known as 1st phase of Durga when she took birth as the daughter of Great Himalayas.

• Brahmacharini

May the supreme Brahmachari Durga, who holds rosary and kamandalu in her lotus hands and whose nature is to attain Sachchidanandamaya Brahmaswarupa the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss absolute, be propitious on me. Devi is Devi's that phase when Maa Parvati before marriage was Devi Yogni and Devi Tapsvini.

• Chandraghanta

May that Durga Devi, who rides on Tiger, who is endowed with intense anger and violence and is renowned by the name of Maa Chandraghanta, bestow her grace on me. Chandraghanta Maa is known and named Chandraghanta or Chandra-Khanda as Maa Durga wears the semi-circular moon (Chandra) which appears like a bell (Ghanta) on her forehead.

• Kushmanda

May Kushmanda Ma Durga who holds two pitchers full of blood in her lotus hands and the universe is created, sustained and drawn within Devi's ownself in a wink be propitious for me. In this form Mother Durga creates solar system by liberating her power to Lord Sun.

• Skandamata

May the renowned Durga Devi Skandamata who is eternally seated on a throne and whose hands are adorned with lotuses, be ever propitious to me. As Mother of Skanda or Kartikeya, Maa Parvati or Maa Durga is known as Skandmata.

• Kathyayini

May the ever watchful Durga Devi Katyayani, who holds shining Chandrahasa (Sword) in Devi's hand and rides a magnificent lion and destroys the demons, bestow welfare on me. When Maa Parvati's Partial expansion took birth in Sage Katya's home and gets energy from trinity and demi Gods, then the Goddess was known as Maa Katyani.

• Kaalratri

May she Bhayankari Maa Durga who is with long lips, riding an ass, shining in various hues looks formidable because of the halo of Devi's lustre and is adorned with multi coloured ornaments remove my darkness of ignorance. In Skand Purana, Maa Parvati liberates Devi's golden outer sheath and becomes dark complexioned then Goddess becomes Goddess Kaalratri.

• Mahagauri

May the Mahagauri Ma Durga who rides a white Vrishaba the bull and who wears spotless white clothes and remains ever pure and also provides ever lasting bliss to Mahadeva Lord Shiva bestow all auspiciousness. Devi is 16 years old unmarried Goddess Parvati.

• Siddhidaatri

May the ever victorious Siddhidayini Ma Durga, who is always worshipped by the hordes of siddha, gandharva, yaksha, asura, and Deva, bestow success at my every venture. She is one who was worshiped by Lord Shiva to become in the form of Goddess Ardhnarishwara, then Goddess Shakti Appeared from the left side of Lord Shiva

Significances of Nava Durga

Shailputri - Shailputri is the very first form of Goddess Durga and is the first among all Nava Durga. Variously known as Sati Bhavani, Parvati or Hemavati, the daughter of King Himavan - The King of the Himalayas. Legends say that Adi Shakti was pleased by Daksha and Prasuti's penance and asked her to reincarnate as his daughter Sati, Adi Shakti advised him that he would have to wait for a long time. Finally, the baby girl was born as Sati (Gauri) in the womb of Prasuti. As when Gauri grew to womanhood to become her daughter as Daksha, she loved Shiva and worshipped him a lot since when she was a toddler, an 6- to 12-year-old and then a teenager in the age 13-19. Daksha worshipped Lord Vishnu as a staunch devotee. Daksha refuses to listen to Shiva's name whenever somesays his name, Daksha has accumulated supernatural powers from his father, Lord Brahma, he advised Daksha that the given powers were used to protect the world, not for destroying each other. Gauri became Shiva's first wife when she married him. It went through a chain of events and she committed suicide by jumping into the sacrificial fire of Daksha. An angry and grief-stricken Shiva was upset and it went through a chain of events when he renounced the whole world to meditation. In Gauri/Sati's next life, she reincarnated as King Himavan and Queen Menavati's daughter as Parvati and loved Shiva a lot, she has children such as Kartikeya, Ganesh and Ashok Sundari. She protects the world, devotees and her children. She thinks, cares and loves her parents very much. Shailputri has two hands holding the trident alone, her vehicle is Nandi or Vrishabh (Bull and one of Shiva squad) and she is often known as Vrishabhda. She is adorned with jewelry, wears a red or pink saree, wears a crown and has a fair complexion. Shailputri is also a pure form of Parvati, known as a peaceful form of Shakti/Durga.

Brahmacharini - Brahmacharini is the second form of Goddess Durga. Her name means "One who practises Devout Austerity", her name also means "Brahma" means penance (Not The God) and "Charini" means a lady follower, she holds a rosary and water utensil in her two left and right hands. After Gauri reincarnated as Parvati, she meditated on Lord Shiva to attain him as her husband. Lord Shiva came in a saint's getup to test Parvati. He then made fun of Lord Shiva which the saint doesn't know that he himself is Lord Shiva. Parvati gets angry and tries to curse him, but she didn't, she chanted the "Panchakshri Mantra" of Lord Shiva. The saint changed his real form to Lord Shiva. Parvati was blessed and asked him to marry her, Lord Shiva became emotional when he married Sati, tears were rolling down his eyes, Parvati wiped them away with her hands. Brahmacharini is adorned with flowers and wearing a necklace made of beads, wearing a white saree, wearing "Rudraksh" beads as her necklace and has a fair complexion. In this way, she attained Lord Shiva to be her husband. She is filled with bliss and happiness. Brahmachari means bachelor in male and Brahmacharini means bachlorette in female.

Chandraghanta - Chandraghanta is the third form of Goddess Durga, in her forehead, she has a half moon which is in the shape of a bell. Chandraghanta is considered to be a fierce incarnation of Parvati, she killed Dhumralochan, Chand-Mund, Raktabeej, Shumbh-Nishumbh and their demonic hoardes with the help of Goddess Kali, Kaushiki and other Goddesses. She is often known as Chandika, she is always ready for wars, battles and fights against all the demons, monsters, beasts, ghosts, evil spirits, ogres, demonesses, negative energies, elusive powers, mystical forces, and all demon entities. They also flee the battlefield like cowards when they see the violent, ghastly, intense, fierce, fearsome, ferocious, horrifying, terrible, frightful, horrble, terrifying, frightning, fiercest and most dangerous shadow on knowing upon her arrival. Usually, Parvati took this incarnation to kill Demon Dhumralochan and his armies who was sent by Shumbh and Nishumbh to kidnap her daughter, Kaushiki, they all didn't know that they was all-powerful, she (Parvati) also took this incarnation to destroy Shumbh-Nishumbh and their remaining demon hoardes. Chandraghanta has ten hands holding weapons while the remaining right hand are in the gesture of boon-conferring. Her vehicle is the tiger, adorned with jewelry, wearing a grey saree, wears a crown, having three eyes representing past, present and future and having a fair complexion, she also wears a garland of flowers. Pertaining to have the main Durga look but she is a Mother Goddess filled with kindness. She is also a demon-fighting form of Goddess Durga. She wears a half moon on her forehead. After Kaushiki's birth from Parvati, Parvati started to take various form to assist Kaushiki in the battle against Shumbh and Nishumbh's demon messengers. Finally, Kaushiki killed Shumbh and Nishumbh.

Kushmanda - Kushmanda is the fourth form of Goddess Durga, her name goes through like this: Ku - A little, Ushma - Warmth and Anda - The cosmic Egg, in texts, the universe was no more than a void full of darkness until she appears and from the light from her body emerged an uncountable numer of light that spread all around. She is also the provider of light like Lord Surya, the Sun God. Kushmanda used her powers to create the world, after creating the world, she created all Gods (Demi Gods), saints (sages), Kinnars, (Kinnaries) Yakshs, (Yakshinis) fairies, humans, Goddesses and including the Trinity and many more. Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma were created from her grace. Goddess Kushmanda picked Brahma to be with Saraswati for creation, Vishnu with Lakshmi for maintaining and Shiva with Kali for slaughtering the world. Kushmanda is also the consort of Shiva. Kali is the wife of Shiva also, Kushmanda is Adi Shakti herself and reappeared herself as Goddess Chandika by the combination by these three Goddesses. Kushmanda has eight hands holding weapons while the other two pitchers are filled with blood, she also rides the tiger as her vehicle. She wears jewelry, a crown, wears a pink saree and has a fair complexion. She is somewhat like Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, except with her, she has four hands and rules the world.

Skand Mata - Skand Mata is the fifth form of Goddess Durga. Her name goes through like this: Skand - Kartikeya and Mata - Mother. In one myth, Shiva and Parvati's energy combines into their own forms of nature when meditating. Indra came to know all this and assigns Lord Agni (Fire) to kidnap the ball of energy and keep it for safety from Demon Tarakasur. Agni snuck in the cave and took the energy by deceit and lies in his hands, after meditation, Parvati realizes that Lord Agni took the divine energy and chased after him. Lord Agni vanished with the divine energy and ran to Goddess Ganga. Meanwhile, Parvati came out of the cave and asked the Gods that why Lord Agni stole the divine energy, the Gods answered her that they have to keep it safe from Demon Tarakasur. Parvati gets angry and attains the form of Goddess Shakti with eight hands holding weapons, wearing a red saree, adorned with jewelry, wearing a crown and has fair complexion cursed the Gods that their wives will never be able to enjoy the happiness with their children and with that, curses Lord Agni that he will be an all-burner, unable to differentiate between right and wrong and his food will have impurities, he will always be surrounded by black smoke and also curses that in anyone touches him in one of the three worlds, they will get reduced to ashes. Meanwhile, Shiva came out of the cave placated her by telling her to calm down. Skand Mata has four hands, in the first two in which they were raised the two pink lotuses, the right one is slightly raised upwards, the left upper hand is slightly lower, the lower two are in the gestures of fear-dispellings and boon-conferrings. She holds the infant Skand in her lap while the left lower hand is the gesture of boon-conferrings, she has three eyes representing past, present and future and having a fair complexion. She wears a yellow or orange saree, rides the lion as her vehicle. Her son Skand is chosen by Gods as their commander in chief in the war against the demons and Demon Tarakasur. She is regularly known as "The Goddess of Fire".

Katyayani - Katyayani is the sixth form of Goddess Durga. According to a legend, Sage Katyayan and his son Katya prayed to Goddess Durga for a boon, when she appeared, Katyayan asked to reincarnate as his daughter in the form of a Goddess. Meanwhile, Sage Katyayan named her daughter as Katyayani to protect the world from terror and evil. When she grew, Brahma gives Mahishasur a boon that he will be killed by a lady and no one else but a lady (Parvati). To fulfill the boon, she has to kill Demon Mahishasur, to kill him, all Gods offered their powers and weapons by having ten or eighteen hands for her. Another tale says that Lakshmi and Saraswati goes into Parvati's body to kill Mahishasur. Lakshmi's "Maha Lakshmi" form has eighteen hands bearing weapons in Devi Mahatmyam (Durga Saptashati) she rides a lion and gets ready to kill Mahishasur's commanders. This form is considered to be Adi Shakti's incarnation as Mahishasur Mardini (Killer of Mahishasur). Mahishasur Mardini is another name for Goddess Durga/Katyayani. "Jai Jag Janani Maa Durga" serial says that Goddess Durga takes the getup as an unmarried woman then reveals herself to the demons and kills them along with Mahishasur and Kaalkey's demons had kidnapped Katyayan and Narayani's child by throwing it up in the air into the ceiling and the baby transformed into an uncountable number of bright suns. The voice cursed Kaalkeyi that he will be killed by a Goddess in the form of a Goddess. Kaalkeyi was terrified and ran here, there and everywhere in the hell. Katyayani has four hands, the raised right hand holds a sword, the upper left holds a trident, the left lower holds a lotus and the lower right hand is in the gesture of fear-dispellings, she wears a green saree, wears a flower garland, adorned with jewelry, having a fair complexion and rides the lion as her vehicle. In Shaktism, she is associated traditionally with the colour red and also associated with the fierce forms of Bhadrakali and Chandika.

Kaal Ratri - Kaal Ratri is the seventh form of Goddess Durga. She is the most aggressive form of Adi Shakti, also known as destructive form of Shakti/Durga. Kaal Ratri is a War Goddess like Chandraghanta and Durga, she is often known as Kali, means black. When Parvati incarnated as Jagadamba to kill Raktabeej, she saw the great demon Raktabeej who was arrogant about his power, she got angry and incarnated as Kaal Ratri to kill Raktabeej and his clones, she killed him by drinking his blood and beheading without letting a clone of Raktabeej remaining and his blood without letting it fall on the ground and letting another clone of Raktabeej being created. Often, it is said that Kaushiki kills Raktabeej with her sword and Kali drinks up his blood. Parvati again manifested as Kaal Ratri to kill Demon Hund and to protect Ashok Sundari. She is also identified with Bhairavi in Durga Saptashati. In other texts, Kaal Ratri is always ready for wars, battles and fights against all the demons, monsters, beasts, ghosts, evil spirits, demonesses, negative energies, elusive powers, mystical forces, and all demon entities. They also flee the battlefield like cowards when they see the violent, ghastly, intense, fierce, fearsome, ferocious, horrifying, terrible, frightful, horrble, terrifying, frightning, fiercest and most dangerous shadow on knowing upon her arrival. Usually, Parvati took this incarnation to kill Chand and Mund and is called Chamunda (Chamundi). Kaal Ratri has four hands, the raised right hand is holding a trident, the upper left hand holds a sword, the right lower hand is holding a scimitar and the left lower hand holds a weapon made out of thorns. Kaal Ratri often wears a black saree and also wears a garland of severed human skulls which represents the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet or heads, a girdle made out of tiger skin and wearing severed human hands and having a third eye on her forehead.

Maha Gauri - Maha Gauri is the eighth form of Goddess Durga. Her name goes like this: Maha - Great and Gauri - White. In one text, due to Lord Shiva's miracle, Parvati turned black like Goddess Kali. Lord Shiva knows that this was a dirty trick he played on. Parvati got very upset and started to cry. Meanwhile, Adi Shakti appears and tries to cheer Parvati up. She tells her to go to Himalaya and do severe penance for Lord Brahma. So Parvati did what Adi Shakti said. She chanted his name for a long time and never stopped. Finally, Lord Brahma appears there and he gives Parvati her fair complexion back and the dark complexion took shape of a Goddess named Kaushiki, therefore she (Parvati) was justified with the name "Maha Gauri". Maha Gauri has four hands holding trident, a small rattle drum and a lotus, her right lower hand is in the gesture of fear-dispellings. She wears a crown and wears a pink saree.

Siddhidatri - Siddhidatri is the ninth and last form of Goddess Durga. Her name means "Giver of all supernatural powers". According to one myth. Siddhidatri gave Brahma, Vishnu and Lord Shiva an identity each, creator, caretaker and destroyer. She tells Lord Shiva to meditate on her to be blessed with all eight supernatural powers: Anima (Ability to change the physical size to the smallest), Mahima (Changing the size to the largest), Garima (Becoming infinitely heavy), Laghima (Becoming weightless), Prapti (Having access to all places), Prakambya (Generating any desire), Ishitva (Having sovereign lordship) and Vashitva (Controller of all things). Meanwhile when Lord Shiva was meditating on Siddhidatri for all the eight supernatural powers, Siddhidatri appears and gives him the form of a half man-woman and Lord Shiva will be known as "Ardhnarishwar" (The Lord who is half-Shiva and half-Shakti). Lord Shiva was very happy. Siddhidatri has four hands holding discus, conch shell, trident and mace, wears a red saree, adorned with jewelry, wears a crown, sitting on a fully bloomed pink lotus as her vehicle.

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NavaDurga Life Phases

Parvati, the Supreme Goddess of Power known as sagun form of Devi Adi-Parashakti primarily gives the concept of Nav-Durga Devi. In Reality Nav Durga are the life phases of Maa Parvati.

1. In beginning When Lord Rudra worshiped Maa Adi-parashakti for creation, Lord Rudra cleared different levels of Shakti and Maa Shakti appeared in 'Saguna' form from the left half of Lord Shiva. The Goddess was Siddhidatri.
2. Then Goddess started living inside center of Sun so that Sun liberates energy by the grace of Goddess, the Goddess is known as Goddess Kushmanda.
3. The same Goddess then took birth in home daksha, Goddess was a great sati and her unmarried form is known as Goddess Brahmacharini.
4. After the self-immolation of Maa Sati she appeared as daughter of Lord Himalya, the Goddess is then recoganized as Goddess Shailputri.
5. At the age of 16 Goddess Durga was extremely beautiful and very fair complexion and known as Goddess Mahagauri.
6. When Devi gets married with Lord Shiva, as Lord Shiva, Devi also liked to wear half chandra on her forehead, and recoganized as Goddess Chandraghanta.
7. When Devi became the mother of Lord Skanda or Lord Kartikeya, Devi was then known with name Goddess Skandmata.
8. Then Devi took the form of Goddess Katyani to destroy Demon Mahishasura.
9. Goddess Gauri or Goddess Parvati removed Devi's outer golden skin to fight against demons Shumbha-Nishumbha, Devi became very dark Goddess's this form is called Goddess Kaalratri.

References

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola