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Navaratri-Spiritual Significance
Most of us will accept the fact that this human life is meant for more than just indulging in pleasures. Though eating, drinking and enjoying are a part of life, we cannot say that this is all there is to life. The human being is distinguished from other creatures because he possesses an intellect, the faculty of understanding and thinking. The purpose of the intellect is to know the truth Or essence of things that are perceived by our senses.
Pasu and Manusya In Sanskrit, two words make this distinction between animal and a human being very clear. The Sanskrit word for animal is Pasu, derived etymologically from Pasyati iti pasuh - that which "sees" only externally, which takes things at face value, giving no thought to what the truth of a thing is. For the animal there is no need to look deeper, for an object is generally useful only in so far as it is edible.
The English word "man", however, is derived from the Sanskrit word Manusya, from the root man, meaning "to think". Manusya suggests that for the human being it is not enough to merely see an object physically, but that he should think about and know the truth behind it.
The purpose of human life, therefore, is to know the truth, and is not for bhoga, or enjoyment, alone.
Knowledge of the Truth gives us real victory in life. And what is this victory? It is the conquering of our own minds, so that we are not perturbed by every little change that takes place in the world around us. This total victory over our minds is won not by compulsion nor by artificially induced methods that suspend the mind temporarily, but by knowledge and understanding alone. Navaratri serves the purpose.
Spiritual Significance of Navaratri
Let us first discuss these values of the Indian culture and the subject matter of the Vedas in terms of the Navaratri festival. Even though Hindus celebrate this festival every year, most of them have no idea of the significance of Navaratri. Last year, an American boy who was attending my talks regularly had gone to see a Navaratri festival in a Gujarati community where they were doing the Garba dance throughout the night. He asked some of his Hindu friends what it meant, but they were unable to explain.
What colossal ignorance! Here a westerner wants to know the meaning of Navaratri and no one can tell him. They could only say, "Oh, it is a nice thing, isn't it? A social gathering. Just enjoy, sing and dance, eat, and then go!" We should know, however, the meaning of this important religious festival, which I will explain briefly.
Ratri means "night" and nava means "nine". During Navaratri ("nine nights"), the Goddess is worshipped in Her various forms as Durga, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati. Though the Goddess is one, She is represented and worshipped in three different aspects. On the first three nights of the festival, Durga is worshipped, Lakshmi is worshipped on the next three nights, and then Sarasvati Devi on the last three nights. The following day, the tenth day of the festival, is called Vijayadasarni. Vijaya means "victory", the victory over our own minds that can come only when we have worshippd these three - Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati.
To be continued
About the author
Swami Tejomayananda
Swami Tejomayananda, the Chairman and spiritual head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide, is one of the foremost disciples of Swami Chinmayananda. In this article about Navaratri, He explains the necessity to understand the essence before proceeding to detailing the spiritual significance of the festival which is also referred to as Dasara in certain regions and Durga Puja in the Eastern parts of India.
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