Navratri means nine nights. These are opportunities to transform your negative energies into positive energies. Besides the colourful celebrations, it is a time to awaken and harmonise your body, mind, and intellect with the Spirit within. You connect with your divine Self.
Navratri is a time to embrace the spirit of joy, and oneness. You leave behind all that is coming in the way of your growth. From a social perspective, you mix with new people and revive old relationships. Nothing brings people together as festivals do. Every festival in our culture was designed keeping in mind the overall growth of beings.
Through rituals, our ancestors made sure we kept in touch with the philosophy. Navratri starts when the season changes. This subtly but powerfully impacts our physical, emotional, and intellectual aspects. Through fasting during Navratri, you become more aware of the changes in your biological cycles. It helps you de-clutter your mind and body. It removes the mental toxins of fear, anger, hatred, addiction, attachment, etc. Celebration and meditation during these nights bring joy, bliss, and fulfilment in a natural way.
Dassera marks Goddess Durga’s victory over the mighty asura demon, Mahishasura. It also represents Lord Rama’s victory over the ten-headed Ravana. The word Dassera derives from two words “Dasha” meaning ten and “Hara” meaning defeat, symbolising victory over the ten-headed demon Ravana. Ravana’s ten heads represent the ten sense organs. Dassera thus is the victory of good over evil both within and outside us.
Mahishasura and Ravana represent our lower, base instincts, our vasanas (desires). Goddess Durga and Lord Rama represent the nobler, divine tendencies, the immortal Spirit in each one of us. Their victories signify the triumph of good over evil, the destruction of vasanas, and the realisation of the Self.
Dassera signifies the total sublimation of desires and the re-discovery of the Divinity within. Thus Dassera is not just about feasting and catering to the frailties of the senses. It is a reminder to each one of us to commit ourselves to the spiritual path. The ten-day festival is symbolic of the lifelong search for the Spirit within each one of us and of the battle we fight every day against our own lower tendencies.
The first three nights are dedicated to Goddess Durga. Durga represents the power of destruction. She is the epitome of feminine strength. Our spiritual journey begins with the conquest over our own negativities. Durga is the power needed to overcome and destroy our evil tendencies. She has the combined strength of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. With this she killed the demon Mahishasura despite his various tricks and form changes. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped during the next three nights. Lakshmi represents the good qualities. And the last three nights are worship of Goddess Saraswati representing spiritual knowledge. On the tenth day, you gain victory over your own lower tendencies and emerge Enlightened.
