Navaratri starts tonight, so I thought ill make a post about it



The goddess, in her "TriDevi"(Tri-Goddess) form


(From wiki and other sources)

Navratri, Navaratri, or Navarathri is a Hindu festival honouring Shakti and dance & festivities. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. The 10th day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or Dashera.

The Navratri commences on the first day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashvin. The festival is celebrated for nine nights once every year during the beginning of October, although as the dates of the festival are determined according to the lunar calendar, the festival may be held for a day more or a day less.

The first three days of the Navaratri festival is in honour of the Goddess in the form of Durga(also known as Kali)

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Durga





In Hinduism, Durga means "the inaccessible" or "the invincible" or "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having ten arms, riding a lion or a tiger, carrying weapons and a lotus flower, maintaining a meditative smile, and practicing mudras(symbolic hand gestures). The name is made of Sanskrit dur- = "with difficulty" and gā ("come", "go").

An embodiment of creative feminine force (Shakti), Durga exists in a state of detachment and fierce compassion. Kali is considered by Hindus to be an aspect of Durga. She is thus considered the fiercer, demon-fighting form of Shiva's wife, goddess Parvati. Durga manifests fearlessness and patience, and never loses her sense of humor, even during spiritual battles of epic proportions.


A Baratanatyam dancer strikes Durga Mudra, wielding an imaginary trident



PS: Durga is often the goddess of warriors. The famed Gurkha war cry is "Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali" which literally translates to "Glory be to the Goddess of War(Kali/Durga), here come the Gorkhas!

Gurkha Khukuri dance invoking Durga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpy7v2dLefk
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Days 4,5 and 6 of the Navaratri festival are in honour of the Goddess in the form of Lakshmi, the giver of wealth(both materiel and spiritual)


Lakshmi



Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments. Also called Mahalakshmi, she is said to bring good luck, and is believed to protect her devotees from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows.

Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from its elemental form lakS, meaning "to perceive or observe". This is synonymous with lakṣya, meaning "aim" or "objective". The Hindu sacred texts, the Vedas call Mahalakshmi as Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi which means she is the one who has the object and aim of uplifting mankind.

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The last three days of Navaratri are held in honour of the Goddess in the form of Saraswati, the giver of wisdom and knowledge.


Saraswati




In Hinduism Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology.

The name Saraswati came from "saras" (meaning "flow") and "wati" (meaning "a woman"). So, Saraswati is a symbol of knowledge; its flow (or growth) is like a river and knowledge is supremely alluring, like a beautiful woman. She is depicted as beautiful Goddess with Four arms, wearing spotless white saree and seated on white lotus. She is also known as "Sharada" (meaning "autumnal"), "Vani" and "Vagdevi" (both meaning "speech"). Saraswati holds a special place in the minds of Hindu students, as she is the goddess of learning.

In India it is customary that, out of respect, when a person's foot accidentally touches a book or any written material (which are considered a manifestation of Saraswati) or another person's leg, it will be followed by an apology in the form of a single hand gesture (Pranāma) with the right hand, where the offending person first touches the object with the finger tips and then the forehead and/or chest. This also counts for money, which is considered a manifestation of the goddess of wealth Lakshmi.


Saraswati was also known in the east. In japan she is known as Benzaiten


Benzaiten (弁才天, 弁財天 ) is the Japanese name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the 6th through 8th centuries, mainly via the Chinese translations of the Sutra of Golden Light, which has a section devoted to her. She is also mentioned in the Lotus Sutra and often depicted holding a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute in contrast to Saraswati who holds a stringed instrument known as a veena. She is a goddess also to Shinto, with the name Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto (市杵島姫命?).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzaiten



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On a related note, all these goddesses are considered to be the but different aspects of the cosmic energy, known as Shakti.





Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes referred to as 'The Great Divine Mother' in Hinduism. On the earthly plane, Shakti most actively manifests through female embodiment and creativity/fertility, though it is also present in males in its potential, unmanifest form

Not only is the Shakti responsible for creation, it is also the agent of all change. Shakti is cosmic existence as well as liberation, its most significant form being the Kundalini Shakti, a mysterious psychospiritual force.Shakti exists in a state of svātantrya, dependence on no-one, being interdependent with the entire universe.

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The tenth day, after the preceding 9 days of festivals is known as Dussera/Vijayathasami. Naturally, each state of India has its own version/flavour of this festival. Often they differ greatly from one another, even on the reason for the festival.

Vijayathasami is a day when people honour the instruments/tools of their trade. The artisans have a puja(prayer) for their tools, the Soldiers pray to their weapons, and students pray to their books. This is known as the Ayudha Puja

The principal Shakti goddesses worshiped during the Ayudha puja are Saraswati (the Goddess of wisdom, arts and literature), Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) and Parvati (the divine mother), apart from various types of equipment; it is on this occasion when weapons are worshiped by soldiers and tools are revered by artisans. The Puja is considered a meaningful custom, which focuses specific attention to one’s profession and its related tools and connotes that a divine force is working behind it to perform well and for getting the proper reward.

In the cross cultural development that has revolutionized the society, with modern science making a lasting impact on the scientific knowledge and industrial base in India, the ethos of the old religious order is retained by worship of computers and typewriters also during the Ayudha Puja, in the same manner as practiced in the past for weapons of warfare.

some modern day Ayudha Puja's








Dances & Festivals

As all Hindu festivals, Navaratri is not complete without much dancing and merrymaking. Dandiya(short sticks dance) is a favourite during this time of the year. However different regions have their own dances and festivities.







PS:

In the Buddhist traditions, especially in Tibet, China and east Asia Durga is known as Tara