NAV DURGA (DIFFERENT FORMS OF GODDESS DURGA)
1. Sailaputri:
Goddess Durga’s
first form amongst the nine is Sailaputri. She was nomenclatured as Sailaputri
after being born in the house of the king of the mountains, Himalaya. In this
mold the mother is seen holding a Trishula(Trident) in her right hand and a Lotus
in her left and she is mounted on an Ox. In her past life she was the daughter
of Daksha, the son of Lord Brahma. She was known as Sati then. As the daughter
of Daksha she was married to the God of Gods, Mahadeva.
Daksha
once arranged for a ceremony of holy fire (Yagna), and chose not to invite his
daughter and son-in-law. Sati was restless to join the ceremony at her Father’s
place and being obstinate, she reached there.
On going uninvited to the ceremony, she felt
that everyone was giving her a cold shoulder except her Mother who greeted her
with a hug. The guests too present in the function were giving disrespectful
comments about her Husband. To her surprise her father too was harsh and rude
in his approach. She was dejected and was so heart broken that she burnt herself
to ash in the holy fire. Shiva, on hearing this incident was enraged and
ordered his followers to immediately demolish the Daksha Yagna.
After burning
herself to death, Sati was reborn as the daughter of the king of the mountains,
Himalaya and became known as Sailaputri. Thus amongst all the nine forms of
Devi Durga, Sailaputri is the most powerful and glorified of all. She is
worshiped in the first day of the Navratri celebrations. According to the
Upanishads this form of Durga broke the pride of the Gods by assuming the mold
of Haimabati. Being ashamed they bowed and prayed that, "Thou are Shakti,
we all - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv get Shakti from you."
2. Brahmacharini:
Durga’s second appearance is in the form of
Brahmacharini. Here "Brahma" means meditation. That is, the Goddess
is the meditator or a practitioner of penance. She is seen here holding a
string of rosary beads in her right hand and a Kamandul (an urn containing holy
water) in her left hand. In her previous life, when she was reborn as the
daughter of Himalaya, she performed severe penance to have Mahadeva as her
husband. The sage God Narad advised her to take up meditation to win Shiva. For
undergoing strict meditation she was known as Brahmacharini or
Tapasyacharini. Ignoring the beating sun and thunder showers, she began a
Three Hundred year meditation living only on wood Apple leaves that fell on the
forest floor. She furthered her penance making it even stricter by
relinquishing food and water for another few Hundred years. As she gave up
eating leaves she is also referred to as “Aparna”. Practicing this painstaking
contemplation she became weak and skinny. Unable to withstand the plight of her
daughter her mother, Manoka requested her to give up her resolution. Shocked at
the sight of Durga she exclaimed “ U ma! Na aar naa”. That is why Durga is also
called “Uma”.
On
the other hand overwhelmed by Durga’s devotion and perseverance, all the Gods
and sages in the heaven were pleased. At last, grandfather Brahma, pleased with
devi’s austerities made an oracle, “O maiden! No one could achieve or endure
the penance you have performed till date. I am captivated by your meditation
and devotion. Your wish will be fulfilled and you will certainly have Shiva as
your husband. You may now return home and rest. Your father will come soon to
take you.”This form of Durga gives the devotees everlasting success. Worshop of
this appearance enriches the faculties of sacrifice, honesty and
self-discipline. In times of utter distress the worship of this form gives
success and the willpower to come out victorious. This form of Durga is
worshiped in the second day of the Durga puja.
3. Chandraghanta:
Mother Durga’s
third form is known as Chandraghanta. This name finds its justification in the
half moon seen on the temple of the Goddess that resembles a bell. The deity
has ten arms. The ten hands of the Goddess brandish ten different weapons.
Mounted on a lion this form of the mother is worshiped on the third day of the
Navratri celebration. It is believed that a devotee who manages to earn the
devi’s blessings can set himself free from his sins and hazards that he has
committed or may face in his life. The devotee gains the power to sense the
supernatural, to see it and even smell the eternal fragrance. The deity is
always envisaged in the fearsome mood of demolishing the evil, her appearance
always spreads a calm and eternal peace all round. Mother Chandraghant’s
devotees spread peace and happiness wherever they go. We should all
whole-heartedly worship the mother with a devoted soul. Worship of the deity
helps one eliminate the sorrow, hazards and dangers in ones life.
4. Kushmanda:
The fourth
appearance of the devi is in the form of Kushmanda. The mother gets the name as
she created the universe with a smile. When there was darkness everywhere and
there was no existence of the universe she created the universe with a smile.
She is believed to be the source of eternal power. The Goddess has eight arms
and that is why she is also known as “Astabhuja”. The deity’s seven hands hold
the holy urn (Kamandul), a Bow, an Arrow, a Lotus, a Pot containing nectar, a
Sudarshan Chakra and a Club. The Eighth
hand holds a string of rosary beads that is believed to provide success and
prudence. Pumpkin is termed as “Kushmando” in Sanskrit. Amongst the
sacrificial vegetables that are offered in the worship of the Goddess
(naibidhya), pumpkin is the most important vegetable with which Devi Kushmanda
is most placated. She is worshiped on the Fourth day of the Navratri
celebration abiding by the rituals that are described in the Sashtra and the
Purans. Worship of this form of the Devi exterminates sorrow and diseases and
augments life, fame and strength. Mother Goddess is appeased with the slightest
of devotion and if any one whole-heartedly worships the deity he will certainly
gain her favour.
Fifth form of the
mother is known as Skandamata. Kumar Kartik’s other name is Skanda. As devi
Durga is the mother of Kartik, she is referred to as “Skandamata”. This form of
the deity has four arms. The mother is seen holding her son Skanda with the top
right hand and she is holding a lotus in her lower hand. The top left hand is
positioned in a blessing gesture and the other hand holds a lotus. The Goddess
is fair and sits on a lotus.
That
is why the devi is also known as “Padmasana”. Here she is seen mounted on a
lion. If anyone worships her whole-heartedly, she fulfills the wish of the
devotee.
6. Katyayani:
Kattayani is the
sixth form of Devi Durga. Sage “Kattayan” was the son of the great sage “Kat”.
Sage “Kattayan” was born in the “Kattya” clan. He was engaged in rigorous
penance and worship of “Bhagabati Paramba”. His prayer was all about requesting
the mother to appear in his house-hold as his daughter. Mother “Bhagabati”
obliged him. After some time, when, the world was terrorized of Mahisasura,
lord Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara with their divine powers gave form to a Goddess
to combat Asura and destroy him. Kattayan was the first to worship her and that
is why she is known as “Devi Kattayani”. It is mentioned in the Shastra that
Kattayani was born as the daughter of the sage Kattayan. Taking birth on the Fourteenth
day of the new moon in “Ashwin” (September-October), she accepted the worship
of the sage Kattayan on Saptami, Astami and Navami and ultimately slew
Mahisasura on Dashami. The deity’s complexion is as bright as Gold. She has four
hands. The top right hand is positioned in a gesture of providing courage and
the other hand is positioned in a gesture of rendering a boon. The top left
hand is holding a Sword and the other holding a Lotus. The Goddess is mounted
on a Lion and she is worshiped on the sixth day of the Durga puja. If one
worships the deity with a pure soul he attains success in religion, wealth,
passion and salvation. Disease, sorrow and fear are eliminated. Worship of this
deity helps one to emancipate himself from the sin he may have committed over
the cycle of his births and rebirths. We should all devote our prayers to the
mother to lead a better life.
7. Kalratri:
Mother Goddess's
seventh form is "Kalratri". Her complexion is as dark as the night.
Her cascading hair is let loose and she is seen wearing a garland that radiates
light as bright as lightning. She is fearsome with her menacing three eyes,
radiating fire. She is mounted on an ass. She has four hands, of which, the top
right hand is in a gesture of rendering boon to all. The other hand on her
right is rendering fearlessness. The top left hand is holding an iron Dagger and
the other hand is holding a Sickle. Although she has a menacing appearance, she
always delivers favorable results and her devotees need not fear.
She
is worshiped on the seventh day of the Durga puja. Devi Kalratri destroys the
evil. If anyone whole-heartedly pleads of saving himself from any impending
danger, she protects him. As and when the Goddess is called, the evils
instantaneously disappear from the place. By the Goddess's grace, the devotees
overcome their fear of fire, water, animals and foes.
8. Mahagauri:
Mother's eighth
form is known as "Mahagauri". Her complexion is extremely fair. Her
garments are also white. She is mounted on an ox and has four hands. Her top
right hand is rendering fearlessness and the hand below holds a trident. The
top left hand holds a "Damru" and the hand below is in a gesture of
giving a boon. To have Shiva as her husband she went through a rigorous penance
in the form of "Parvati". As a result of this arduous meditation her
complexion turned dark. Lord Shiva, pleased with the devotion of Parvati,
bathed her in the holy water of the Ganges. As she bathed in the holy water she
turned fair. From then onwards she became known as "Mahagouri". She
is worshiped on the eighth day of the Durga puja. The devotee is benefited on
all fronts as he worships the deity. Due to the Goddess's grace the devotee
attains supernatural salvation, he is relieved from all his pains and fatigue
and can set himself free from his previous sins. He is never faced with sorrow
and poverty and never commits any sin. The devotee wins pure and endless
virtue.
9. Siddhidatri:
Durga's ninth mold
is the form of "Siddhidatri". She delivers success. According to
"Markendeo Puran" there are eight types of success, such as
"Anima", "Laghima", "Prapti",
"Prakashya", "Mahima", "Ishhattya",
"Bashittya", "Sarvakaam bashayita" and
"Sarvagyata". But in the "Brahmabaibarta Puran" in the
"SriKrishna Janmakhanda" there are another ten types of success such
as "Dursravan", "Parakayaprabeshan", "Baksiddhi",
"Kalpabrikkhatta", "Sristi",
"Sanharkaransamartha", "Amaratta",
"Sarvanyaykatta", "Bhavna" and "Siddhi". Thus
there are eighteen types of successes. Mother Siddhidatri is capable of
rendering all these forms of successes to her devotees. According to the
Purans, Lord Shiva achieved salvation by the grace of this deity. The deity is
seen sometimes sitting on a lotus and sometimes mounted on a lion. She is four
armed. The lower right hand of the Goddess holds a disc and the upper
right hand holds a club. The lower left hand holds a Shankha(conch shell) and
the upper hand holds a Lotus. She is worshipped on the ninth day of the Durga
puja. She is the ultimate form of the Goddess among the Navadurga. After having
performing the Puja of the other forms of the Goddess according to the rituals
mentioned in the Sashtra, the devotee can then start the worship of this Deity.
Those who worship the Goddess with full devotion are bestowed with all the
success.
