Story of NavDurga

(Day – 8)

8. Story of Maa Mahagauri

Today I'll be sharing the story of the eighth day of the nine-day-long festival of Navratri. On the eighth day of the Navratri, we celebrate and we pray to Maa Mahagauri. 'Maha' means 'extremely' and 'Gauri' means 'fair'. This is the story of Maa Parvati.

Once when Maa Parvati in the form of Kaalratri was fighting all the demons and when she came back, her skin had turned dark, and try as she may she just couldn't get rid of that dark skin. Her husband Lord Shiva made a little fun of her; he teased her and called her 'kali' (Black).

However, this infuriated her and she went to Lord Brahma. She prayed and prayed to him and she told him that, 'I want to get rid of this dark skin. Make me fair once again.' After a severe penance, Lord Brahma was pleased and he blessed Maa Parvati. He told her that she should go and take a dip in the Mansarovar Lake in the Himalayas. The moment Parvati stepped into The Mansarovar, her dark skin separated from her and magically took the form of a female. This female was called Kaushiki.

Once Parvati had bathed in the river she emerged stunning. Her skin was now fair and radiant and once again she became the fair-skinned one and came to be known as Maa Mahagauri. Maa Mahagauri has four arms; she carries a trident in one hand and a Damaru in the other. She rides a white bull; she is the symbol of kindness and morality.

Conclusion:

This was a wonderful story, but then it makes me think about something. Tell me, is fair skin a symbol of beauty? Is it important to have fair skin or a fair heart? I think Maa Mahagauri had an enormously courageous and beautiful heart, and no matter what the color of her skin was. She was the one who destroyed demons before and after.

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