This is the second part in a series of blogs on Navarati. You can read the first part here - Navaratri - the nine nights.

The Nine days of Navaratri are usually divided into three sections devoted to Kaali, Lakshmi and Saraswati as I have mentioned in the first article. One of the main sadhanas that are recommended during these days is the reading of the Devi Mahatmyam (Glories of the Goddess) which is also known as Chandi Path (chant of the fierce one) and Durga Saptashati (seven hundred slokas to Durga). So here I will give some instructions how the thirteen chapters should be divided during these days. Durga stands for the invincible aspect of Adi Shakti, the primordial energy of the divine in the form of the goddess. 

The seventy- fourth to the eighty-sixth chapters of the Markandeya Purana is known as the Devi Mahatmyam. It is a highly esoteric treatise with seven hundred slokas, in which are embedded many important bija mantras.  As with all Puranic books, the stories are all symbolic. If we read this with faith and concentration we will find that with each asura that Durga vanquishes one of our negative traits will also be vanquished. Before we start the reading we have to supplicate her that she will clear all our negative tendencies and make us pure and ready to receive the highest wisdom.

The book begins with the story of a king named Suratha and a merchant called Samadhi who have been thrown out of their homes by their families. They are totally dejected with life and by coincidence they both meet each other at the ashrama of a great rishi called Medhas. In order to comfort them he tells them the story of the divine lilas of Durga which come in the Markandeya Purana. He tells them to surrender everything to the Divine Mother who will take control of our lives and lead us to enlightenment. Of course the story has a deep esoteric meaning which if understood properly will help us to control our lower nature and expel all our negative tendencies.  

There are thirteen chapters in the book which are to be divided into three sections and have to be completed during the nine day vow. The three sections are known as Pradhama Charitra devoted to Maha Kaali, Madhyama Charitra to Maha Lakshmi and Uttama Charitra to Maha Saraswati. 

The altar for Navaratri is a special one. First of all we should fill a mud or copper pot with Ganga Jal and put some sheaves of grain or banana leaves in it and keep it as the symbol of the Goddess of plenty. The pot can be embellished with sindoor (red powder) and a red string which is wound round it.  Some people also keep a flower pot or some vessel which has been filled with mud on which nine types of seeds of different grains are sown. These should be watered daily and by the tenth day all of them would have sprouted. Each grain stands for a certain positive quality which will grow and flourish in our minds during these nine days. This is distributed as prasad at the end of the festival. Of course we also light the usual diyas or lights and incense and make some edible offering. Durga is supposed to be fond of black channa or beans so many people offer that. Of course anything we make in the house and offer with love is happily accepted by her. In South India people make beautiful altars filled with idols of all the deities. Reading of the Devi Mahatmayam and singing her bhajans are an essential part of this festival. 

Before starting the reading, three preparatory stotras (hymns) are to be read which give extra benefits. These are the Devi Kavacham which is a sort of armour for protection against all evil forces as well as for curing diseases. Then comes the Argala Stotram which invokes the blessing of the goddess and the Keelaka Stotram which gives us the benefits to be got from the reading. 

Pradhama Charitra is the 1st chapter and should be read on the 1st day. It has the famous Brahma stuti which has a lot of bija mantras.

Madhyama Charitra comprises the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chapters and the rest is known as Uttara Charitra and should be read on consecutive days ending on the tenth day which is known as Vijaya dasami day or the day of victory.

Those who wish can also do the whole poem comprising of 13 chapters on Vijaya Dasami day. 

In the first chapter Durga slays the demons known as Madhu and Kaitabha. They stand for the dualities of pleasantness and unpleasantness. Madhu is sweetness or addiction and Kaitabha is bitterness or aversion. The world is a world of duality and we have to overcome this duality before we can proceed on the path to liberation. 

The next three chapters deal with the killing of the great asura known as Mahishasura who stands for the stubborn ego which refuses to accept anything other than itself as being the greatest. Thus he is shown with a buffalo body. The buffalo is quite unintelligent and has a stubborn way of not listening to orders! Such a person is not open to the voice of the divine which is always ready to lead us. 

The fifth is the longest chapter and contains the conversation between Durga and the messengers of the two great asuras known as Shumbha and Nishumba who want to marry her. The first messenger is known as Dhumralochana which stands for distorted vision -someone who cannot discern reality from unreality. All of us suffer from this particular quality. 

Durga finishes him off and then Shumbha sends Chanda and Munda. Chanda is anger and Munda extreme dullness. Actually they refer to the qualities of rajas and tamas. The awesome form of the goddess that kills them is known as Chamunda. 

After this Shumbha sends the asura known as Raktabija, whose every drop of blood turns into a thousand warriors if allowed to fall on the ground. This asura stands for our unquenchable desires that keep multiplying even as they are satisfied.

Shumbha’s brother is Nishumbha which stands for self-pity which prevents us from putting forth our best in any endeavour. This is what Arjuna suffered from in the 2nd chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. One by one, Durga vanquishes all of these asuras.

The 11th chapter is a beautiful stotra to Narayani, who is the sole refuge of all “naras” or human beings.

The goddess gives all her blessings in the 12th chapter and the 13th chapter concludes the story of the king and the merchant whose wishes are fulfilled. 

Each of these nine days has one form of Durga attached to them. Each day has a special colour which is the colour worn by the goddess on that particular day. Ladies who are doing the puja try to wear these colours every day. The goddesses are known as the Nava Durgas or the nine Durgas whose names are given below. 

1. Shailaputri
   Refers to Parvati or the daughter of the mountain. She is worshipped as the consort of Shiva riding the bull, Nandi, with the trident in her right hand and the lotus in her left. The colour for this day is red.

2. Brahmacharini
   Refers to Sati, the previous incarnation of Parvati before she married Shiva. She is depicted as walking barefoot, holding a rosary or japamala in one hand and a kamandalu or water pot in the other. She symbolizes bliss. White is the colour of the day. 

3. Chandrakanta
   After marrying Shiva, Parvati adorned her forehead with the crescent moon (chandra). She is the embodiment of beauty and bravery. The colour for the day is yellow. 

4. Kushmanda
   She is said to be the creative power of the universe, associated with vegetation and hence the colour of the day is green. She has eight arms and her vehicle is a tiger.

5. Skandamata
   She is the mother of Skanda (Kartikeya, the general of the gods). She is riding on a ferocious lion, has four arms and holds her baby. Grey is the colour of the day. She depicts the power of the mother when her baby is in danger. 

6. Karthyayani
   She was the daughter of the sage Katyayana and is an incarnation of Durga. She is the warrior goddess and is a violent form of Parvati. She rides a lion and has four hands. The colour of the day is orange. 

7. Kalaratri
   She is the most ferocious form of Durga. She is black in colour and wears white. Therefore the colour of the day is white. 

8. Mahagauri
   She is the symbol of intelligence and peace. The colour is pink.

9. Sidhidatri
   Seated on a lotus she bestows all types of siddhis (extraordinary powers) to her devotees. She has four hands and is the incarnation of Saraswati. Light blue is the colour of the day.    

Aum Shakti Aum