Batticaloa Ashram	Colombo Ashram

Nava-ratri" literally means "nine nights." This festival is observed twice a year, once in the beginning of summer and again at the onset of winter.

What's the Significance of Navratri?

During Navaratri, we invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the universal mother, commonly referred to as "Durga," which literally means the remover of miseries of life. She is also referred to as "Devi" (goddess) or "Shakti" (energy or power). It is this energy, which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything. Truly speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.

The Reason for Durga Worship

We saw how Aditi, the mother of all the gods and all the worlds, became transformed into Durga. We also saw that Durga destroyed the terrible enemies of the gods. But why do we worship Durga now also?

Durga is worshipped because she is the source of everything, and represents the Supreme in this divine form. Moreover, by worshipping her, all the gods and goddesses are worshipped, because, for instance, Durga is the goddess of learning. The Brhad-devata (2.76) says that Aditi, Vak and Sarasvati are one and the same. Again, Durga is the goddess of wealth, Laksmi. The Rg Vedas says that Aditi is sarvamangala; and the Atharva Vedas says that Aditi is samrddhi dayini. And Durga is Kali also. Scholars quote the Kubjika Tantra and say that even though she is fair and golden in complexion, Durga assumed the dark colour in this Kaliyuga. The Mahabharata (1.1.209-10) says that it is Kala or Time who creates, preserves and destroys everything. This Kala is the other name of Siva’s wife is Parvati or Durga. So she is called Kali, and hence the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe. In this way, Durga is the Universal mother. To worship her is to worship everything and everyone all powers. Yet we see that others deities too are worshipped along with her.

Above all, Durga is the personification of supreme knowledge. By symbolically killing the dark demon Mahisa who represents ignorance or tamas, she reveals that see is the bestower of divine knowledge that liberates. She destroys evil in us and bestows all good She is the deliverer of souls.

By worshipping her, Mother Durga bestows everything; as Laksmi she bestows wealth, prosperity, etc; as Sarasvati she bestows intelligence, spiritual brilliance, etc. As Durga herself, she bestows liberation. So by worshipping Durga, we attain everything all the four purusarthas or goals of human life religion (dharma), material prosperity (artha), enjoyment (kama) and liberation from suffering and bondage (moksa).

Vijayadasami is the last day of the 10-day Dasara festival and the day after the nine-day Navratri festival.

Symbolically, Vijayadasami is the victory of Good over Evil - Goddess Durga annihilating Demon Mahisha and Lord Ram defeating Ravana.

Symbolically, these wars are the prolonged struggle against the ego and ignorance in each human being. After the struggle there is the day of new beginning - Vijaya Dasami.

Pushpanjali Mantra

Esa Sachandana   pushpa  vilvapatranjali Durgayayi namah.