Fourth Navratri: Devoted to Kushmanda Devi

Fourth day of the Navratri begins with the chant, "Om Dukha Hantraya Namah". This chant is meant to please Kushmanda Devi, the fourth manifestation of the Divine Goddess. The Goddess is this incarnation is said to have Eight Arms, holding weapons and a mala. She is said to be seated on a Tiger and radiates as shiningly as the Sun.

White is the color meant to be worn on this day along with draping the Goddess with a cloth of the same color. This manifestation of the Divine Mother is said to annihilate sorrow of the mind and get rid of ego. She is said to possess divine powers through which the macro universe synchronizes with the micro universe and creates a lot of peace and tranquility around the person. She is the mother responsible for Birth and Rebirth.

The chant mentioned above is started off by priests at the crack of dawn along with all of those who start worshipping with them. Delicacies are prepared, which are first offered to the Mother and kept outside for crows and pigeons to come and feed on. Once that happens, then it is all open for people to take a certain portion of. The Prashaad, they say is a very noble way of ensuring that the person becomes an integral part of that festivity and is able to get into the realm of worship.

The Fourth Day of the Navratri marks the half way stage. It marks for an occasion where worshippers and devotees have been incessantly praying to the Divine Mother for the past four days with the hope that she would come and bless them with a lot of peace and happiness. Kushmanda Devi is said to bring in all these virtues and hence, is worshipped with all heart and soul on this day.

Kalash Sthapna-First Day of Navratri

The very first day in the auspicious nine day long Navratri is known as the day of Kalash Sthapna. The color for the day is the Color Green and the Goddess too is dressed up in the same color as a symbolic gesture to ethos. The apparel is either a Green Colored Lehenga, or a Green shaded saree. The day begins on a very positive and auspicious note for the fact that the holy week begins, and has to start off well. The very first thing that happens in the morning is the Prathmi Puja. This Puja sees women all around getting dressed quickly and decorating the place of worship with a lot of diyas and flowers. The Goddess is worshipped from the heart and prayers are chanted for her to come over and reside in the house, as it is perceived that her presence guarantees an unlimited influx of wealth and happiness.

A Kalash, an earthen pot, is placed near the Goddess upon which a coconut is kept, which is further draped in a holy cloth. The Kalash is revered for the fact that it happens to be a token of homage and way to welcome the Divine Mother into one’s abode.

Chants and prayers start at the crack of dawn and go on till the sun rises, into the late hours of the morning. Priests can be seen pounding the bells hard to make noise resonate in high decibels. People completely lose themselves in the quest to reach out to the divine power, which is requested with all humility to come and grace the occasion and bless everyone with wealth and prosperity. The day cannot begin on a better note than this, which promises the coming 8 days to be unforgettable. Hail the Divine Mother!

Navratri: The 9 Holy Nights, All for the Goddesses

The Goddess Kali/Devi has these 9 days to her name every year twice. The commencement of spring and the beginning of autumn are the two junctions when Navratri begins. These 9 days are considered to be very auspicious, for the Goddess is worshipped all across India with a lot of fervor and passion. The Divine Mother is said to enter every household that worships her truly, with loyalty and belief. The Lunar calendar determines the dates every year and people getting ready during that time for the days to begin.

Though a festival meant for Hinduism and Hindus, people all over the country celebrate these days with a lot of happiness and belief. They fast, sing bhajans, put up Golus in their homes and pray from their hearts. The celebrations go over a period of nine days because the Divine Mother being thought of in her 9 manifestations. The 10^th day that follows these 9 days is the day when Vijayadashmi is celebrated, culminating the whole festivity and being called as ‘Dusshera’.

A lot of fuzz and activity can be witnessed during this time all over the nation. Various dance forms can be seen, people light candles and diyas, lights illuminate neighborhoods and the whole ambience is bustling with a lot of joy and ecstasy. One has the time of his life celebrating these 9 days for one gets to see all kinds of festivities being done all over. This is the best and most auspicious time as well to show how well one respects the presence of the divine power.