Spiritual Significance of Navratri

Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are seen as three dimensions symbolizing the Earth, the Sun and the Moon, or Tamas (inertia), Rajas (activity, passion) and Sattva (transcendence, knowledge, purity), respectively.

The nine days of Navratri are classified according to these basic qualities. The first three days are dedicated to Durga, the next three to Lakshmi, and the last three to Saraswati. The tenth day, Vijayadashami, signifies the triumph over all these three aspects of life. The first two dimensions of the Devi are needed for human survival and wellbeing. The third is an aspiration to transcend, to go beyond. There is no physical entity without all these three dimensions. Not a single atom is free of these three dimensions. These three qualities are present in everything. It is just a question of to what extent you mix these things.

The first three days of Navratri are Tamas, where the goddess is fierce, like Durga and Kali. Tamas is the nature of the Earth, and she is the one who gives birth. The gestation period that we spend in the womb is tamas. It is a state which is almost like hibernation, but we are growing. So tamas is the nature of the Earth and of your birth.

The middle three days of Navratri are Rajas, where you want to do something. Once you start doing something, if there is no awareness and consciousness, the nature of rajas is such that it’s good as long as the going is good. When the going gets bad, rajas is going to be super-bad. It is just that it has to be channelized properly. When you are passionately involved with something, nothing else exists for you. Your very existence is with absolute involvement with everything.

The last three days of the Navratri represent moving from tamasic nature to Sattva. It means you are refining the physical, mental, emotional, and energy bodies. If you refine this so much that it became very transparent, you cannot miss the source of creation which is within you. Right now, it is so opaque that you cannot see. It is time to refine it. Otherwise you will only know the wall; you will not know who lives inside.

"So the next time you celebrate Navratri, make sure you understand the essence of the festival and let it light up a spark within you too"

 - Written by Dr.Manikanth Vivek