NavDurga Story | Navratri

Hello friends, welcome to the milliondollarknowledge.com, today we are going to be discussing the nine-day-long Hindu festival of Navratri that is celebrated in India. Navratri is the celebration of Devi Durga (Hindu Goddess) and her nine forms.

Devi Durga is also synonymous with Shakti. Shakti means energy, power, and empowerment. Shakti celebrates the female energy of the universe. The energy that brings about equilibrium and balance. The nine forms of Devi Durga are Maa Shailaputri, Maa Bramhacharini, Maa Chandraghanta, Maa Kushmanda, Maa Skandamata, Maa Katyayani, Maa Kaalratri, Maa Mahagauri and Maa Siddhidatri.

(Day – 1)

Maa Shailaputri

This is the goddess that is worshiped on the first day of the nine days long Hindu festival of Navratri. Maa means mother and Shailaputri means the daughter of the mountains, but before we get into the story of Shailaputri Maa it's important to know the stories of her previous births.

Birth where she was born to Daksha Prajapati, one of the sons of Lord Brahma as Sati. Sati was in love with Lord Shiva and she wanted to marry him but her father Daksa Prajapati was absolutely against this marriage. According to him, Shiva was a dirty ascetic not meant for marrying girls from respectable families. But this did not affect Sati's love for Lord Shiva and she married him even though her father was against it, and she started living with Lord Shiva in Kailash Parvat (Mountain).

After a few years of her marriage, she got to know that her father Daksa Prajapati was organizing a huge yagna in which all gods and goddesses were invited. She was very excited because she missed her parents and she wanted to go home and visit them. But unfortunately, they did not receive an invitation.

Sati could not believe it and she thought, maybe there was a mistake, it was obvious, you know, daughters are always welcome in their homes, aren't they? So she decided to go and visit her parents even though Shiva tried to tell her that, 'No if we haven't received an invitation maybe we are not expected there and we shouldn't be going there.' But Sati did not listen; she did not pay heed to Shiva's words and went to Daksha Prajapati's home.

Sati was excited to meet her parents after so many months of being married and the moment she reached. She received a cold shoulder not just from her father but also from all the relatives who had gathered there. It was only her mother who welcomed her and embraced her but Sati was heartbroken. She could not bear the thought of being unwelcome in her own house. The very same house where she grew up, the very same house where she had those lovely memories, and her father, whom she loved so much, humiliated her, humiliated her choice of her husband.

Sati could not bear it and she entered the huge fire that was burning and she self-immolated herself. The moment this news reached Lord Shiva, he was livid and reached there. He was so angry that he pulled the half-burning corpse of his wife from the fire. He was so enraged that he took the form of an angry god Veerbhadra and caused immense destruction over there. So that he even beheaded Daksha Prajapati.

Lord Shiva took the half-burning corpse of his wife with him dragging it in fury, in rage. On the way, different body parts of Sati fell on different places and these places are called Shakti Piths. There are 52 Shakti Piths in India. Daksa Prajapati was later forgiven because of the intervention of Lord Vishnu and he was given the head of a ram. He even completed his Yagna in the presence of all the gods.

Sati took birth again and this time as the daughter of the Himalayas. She came to be known as Shailaputri, which means daughter of the Himalayas. In the same incarnation, she had two other names Parvati and Hemavati. In this birth too she was married to Lord Shiva. Shailaputri is considered one of the most powerful forms of Durga, and we pray to her on the first day of the Navratri festival.

Conclusion:

Maa Shailaputri is immensely powerful she rides a bull called Nandi, and she carries a trident and a lotus. She's known for her many glories. If you like this article then don't forget to push the Subscribe button. There are stories about all the nine forms of Devi Durga and also why we celebrate Navratri. Here's wishing all of you a very happy Navratri. May you too get the power of Maa Shailaputri and may you too fight always for what is right. Happy Navratri

Continue….