NAV RAATRI
There are nine forms of female energy in the universe. Before the birth of the Universe, the first Energy after Time (Shiva) was Heat (Shakti). Then after Creation (Bramha) came subsequent to the Universe (Vishnu), the various energies of Heat or Shakti was created. Since Bramha got knowledge (Saraswaty) as his consort, and Vishnu got Light (Laxmi ) as his consort, they both approached Time (Shiva) and asked him to get a consort. However Time or Mahakali hesitated since Time is above everything it would be difficult to be subjected. In spite of this the Universe and Creator (Bramha Vishnu) insisted that Time has a consort or else there will be no Motion (Kali) and thus Reality (Laxmi Narayan ) will not be sustained.
Shiva (Time) was persuaded to get a consort, but to complete the proper propagation of the Universe and its creations, Shiva (Time) had to consider all NINE LEVELS of the Universe. To make all these levels work in harmony, Shiva (Time) had to link all these levels by merging the NINE Forms to achieve the universal Shakti or Energy, thus Time would be able to create all NINE dimensions of this Universe.
The fist form Shiva (Time) wanted to marry was Devotion (Sati), however, Ego (Daksa) had a problem with Time and because of their disagreement Devotion did not listen to Time, and so Devotion was burned in the Yagna fire.
The second form Shiva (Time) married was Motherhood (Parbatty) who was the mother of Ganesh, but mother did not reveal all things to Time, so when a battle took place over the death of their son, Ganesh (Obstacles), Mother placed more importance on Obstacles (the son Ganesh) rather than Time, (Husband).
The Third form Shiva (Time) got married to was Knowledge (Gayatree) but knowledge was always studying, playing, and entertaining, so Knowledge paid very little attention to Time.
The Fourth form Shiva (Time) married was Work (Rudrani). However Work spent much time cleaning, cooking and other household duties, that there was hardly any time for (Shiva) Time.
The Fifth form Shiva (Time) married was Lover ( Narayani) whose demand for attention and love was so great that Time had to stop and change many times over for Lover. Because Lover demanded Changes, Lover was then left alone.
The sixth form of Shakti that Shiva (Time) married was Power (Chamunde). Power had a lot of Energy. Power was very commanding and constantly frustrating Time over following rules and regulations. Time could not cope with these rules.
The Seventh form Shiva (Time) was married to was Emotion (Ganga). Emotion was a “cry-baby”, demanding that Time paid more and more attention to Emotion and feelings. Emotion wanted to constantly affect the head of Time so Time demanded that Emotion flowed out of Time’s head.
The Eight form Shiva (Time) was married to was Wealth (Laxmi). After marrying Time, Wealth demanded materiality constantly, had great attachment to material reality. Since Time could not be attached to materialism Time was not unable to cope with Laxmi.
The Ninth form Shiva (Time) was married to was Destruction (Kali) who had always been with time but was never able to exercise Destructive power until Reality came into being. Since Destruction always trying to step on top of time, and sometimes Time (Shiva) had to play dead so as to deceive Destruction, it was difficult for time to get Respect, so Time was unhappy.
Since Shiva (Time) was unhappy with all the individual forms of Female Energy, Time decided to fuse them together as One, so that Time would have some Devotion, some Knowledge, some Motherhood, some Work, some Love, some Power, some Wealth and some Destruction (portions of all the qualities, in one) to have a complete female called NAV-DURGA.
The 9 days of Nav-Raatri is the worshiping of the nine forces or components necessary for the perfect woman to sustain the Universe. When there is a failure in any of the components, it creates a breakdown in the system of the home. As NAV-DURGA - THE COMPLETE WOMAN, who may be the wife, mother, sister, aunt, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, maid, daughter, cook, all the forms are needed to have a complete and blessed home.
THE DAYS OF NAV-RAATRI ARE REPRESENTED AS FOLLOWS:
· First day………….SARASWATY……..Represents Knowledge
· Second day………PARBATY………….Represents Motherhood
· Third day…………GOWRIE…………..Represents Romance
· Fourth day……….RUDRANI…………Represents Home Care
· Fifth day………….RADHA…………….Represents Pleasure
· Sixth day…………SHAKTI…………….Represents Power
· Seventh day……..GANGA…………….Represents Emotion
· Eight day…………LAXMI……………..Represents Wealth
· Ninth day………..MAHAKALI………Represents Destruction of all evil
RITUAL FOR NAV-RAAT
PRASAD NEEDED: 9 Purees, Soaked Chick Peas, halwa, sweet rice, mahambhog, 9 different fruits, 1 coconut
Place the coconut(dried) to stand at the head of the yellow cloth (approximately 1 yard square) then place the purees, singled out on a square yellow cloth below the coconut . Put a little of each prasad on each puree, and also a piece of each fruit. Add the following items to each puree while reciting the mantra below: water, sindoor, hardi, chandan, attar, agarbati, coins, clove, neem leaf, tulsi, yellow flowers, elaichi, and rice, then arti each puree individually with the agarbati and the lighted diya. Put saindoor, hardi and attar on the coconut, nine times each then arti with the agarbati and the lighted diya, nine times. Blessings are conferred to you if gifts are given to 9 unmarried girls, during Nav-Raat.
NAV-RAAT MANTRA:
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU VISHNUMAYETI SHABDITA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH She who lives in every being and known by the name of Vishnu Maya may receive our repeated and continuous reverence.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU NIDRA ROOPEN SANSTHITA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as sleep.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU KSHUDHAROOPEN SANSTHITA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as hunger.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHUCHHAYAROOPEN SANSTHITA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as the shadow (of the real being).
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU SHAKTIROOPEN SANSTHITA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as energy.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU TRISHNAROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as thirst.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU KSHANTIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as forgiveness.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU JATIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as their jati (social classification).
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU LAJJAROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as modesty.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU SHANTIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as (longing for) peace.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU SHRADDHAROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as faith (in the Almighty).
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU KANTIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as the radiance.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU LAXMIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings the Goddess of riches, Lakshmi.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU VRITTI ROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as their natural inclination.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU SMRITIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as memory.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU DAYA ROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as kindness.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU TUSHTHIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as satisfaction.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU MATROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as the natural feeling of motherhood.
YA DEVI SARVABHOOTESHU BHRANTIROOPEN SANSTITHA NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is present in all beings as erroneous judgement.
INDRAYANAMADHRISHTHATRI BHOOTANAM CHAKHILESHU YA BHOOTESHU SATATAM TASYEI VYAPTI DEVYE NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess who is the Ruler of all the senses of beings and ever present in them
CHITIROOPEN YA KRISHNAMETADAVYAPYA STITHA JAGAT NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMASTASYEI NAMO NAMAH Our repeated and continuous obeisance to the Goddess the whole world inspiration with whose existence is the supreme consciousness
After the arti wrap everything together in the yellow cloth, and take it to the sea. Ask Ganga to accept the offerings, then open the cloth and let go slowly in the water, sprinkling the water over your head three times. If this is done for any 3 nights consecutively, Mother Durga will come to you in your dream and answer questions you may have about your life.
PURPOSE OF NAV-DURGA PUJA:
· To be reborn into a new path
· To be born again from a new mother (Mother of the Universe)
· To reborn again so as to remove the karmas of your earthly parents
· To start a new life with new karmas
· To remove ancestry sins of parents, grandparents and great-grandparents
· To stop the effects of kal bhairo, ritual performed by past ancestors
· To stop the effects of kateri ritual or previous actions of meat eating
· To promote pregnancy and child birth by enabling the womb to be fertile
BENEFITS OF NAV-DURGA PUJA
· To remove all bad karmas of past lives
· To remove sins and bad karmas inherited from parents, grand-parents and great-grandparents
· To remove the effects of Kal Bhairo and Kateri which are the devil’s male and female energies. Note: There are no written evidence of Kal Bhairo in the Vedas or the Puranas. Kal Bhairo is known only in Africa, and Guyana, and is known as Dee Baba, Land Master or Sanganee Baba or Satan in the Caribbean and Guyana.
· To promote the birth of children and to stop miscarriages and abortions
· To improve the relationship between one’s self and his or her mother
· To improve relationships between husband and wife
· To assist a single woman in finding a husband rapidly
· To bring wealth and prosperity to the female children of the family
· To renew one’s karmas through rebirth with Durga as the mother and Shiva as the father
HOW TO REMOVE KAL BHAIRO FROM YOUR LIFE BY PERFORMING DURGA PUJA
To remove the effects of Kal Bhairo, a householder must perform a Durga puja. The purpose of this puja is to ask Mother Durga to accept them as her own children and so Lord Shiva becomes their new father. Through this puja, the person is granted re-birth with the new mother as Mother Durga and the new father as Lord Shiva. With these new parents, the sins of that person’s earth parents and grand-parents are no longer attached to them. This rebirth cleanses the householder from past bad karmas.
To break the curse from the entire family, all members must contribute equally to the monetary costs of performing the Puja and the daschina to the preceptor. Each family member must contribute an equal amount of money from their own earnings. Sometimes the evil is so attached to one family member that he will resist all attempts to believe that anything is wrong and will refuse to contribute his share or to participate in the puja. In such a case, if the other family members are willing to help and protect him, they must put the amount on behalf of that person and must add 10% more to the total cost. In this way, all the family members come under the protection of the GOD-PARENTS. If someone does not participate, that person will continue to suffer.
Once the Durga puja is complete, the family will begin to notice changes in their lives. As the positive change cycle begins the family must continue to attach themselves to God through the worship of Lord Shiva. The following should be done:
· A Lord Shiva puja should be performed each year. Family members should chant the mantras provided by the holy person.
· The family should set up an altar in the home and bathe the shivling when they kneel to say their prayers. Devotees of Lord Shiva will find that after they return from Kal Bhairo, they eventually will develop high psychic ability, their 3rd eye will open and they will have visions of Lord Shiva and other Dewtas.
· Swami-Ji noticed that people born under the Deity Laxmi are able to fight off the debts of bad karmas and break the curse, usually on their own. Others are not so successful and must seek help from Mother Durga and Lord Shiva.
ALL BRAHMINS AND PUNDITS ARE ADVISED TO FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE OUTLINED BELOW FOR THEIR DEVOTEES TO RECEIVE THE POSITIVE BLESSINGS FROM THEIR DURGA PUJAS
After the priest has performed his regular puja procedures up to Lord Shiva, he should begin the Durga Puja by inviting the following 9 forms of durga by raising the 9 colored flags.
Invite the 1st female half of Lord Shiva - Sati, known as BRAHMA CHARINI.
Invite the 2nd female half of Lord Shiva - Parbaty, known as SHALPUTRI.
Invite the 3rd female half of Lord Shiva - Gowrie, known as CHANGRAGANTA.
Invite the 4th female half of Lord Shiva - Rudrani, known as KUSHMANDI.
Invite the 5th female half of Lord Shiva - Rati, known as SKANDAMATA.
Invite the 6th female half of Lord Shiva - Kali, known as KATYANI.
Invite the 7th female half of Lord Shiva - Rohini, known as GANGA.
Invite the 8th female half of Lord Shiva - Shakti, known as MAHAGAURI.
Invite the 9th female half of Lord Shiva - Indrani, known as SIDDIDATRI.
After raising the 9 flags, lighted diyas are placed in each of the nine prepared plates. This brings all the 9 forms to form Nav-Durga, by placing the plates on the 9 yds of yellow cloth.
Ritual is performed by mantras to the procreative energy of the universe called Durga. Then Durga is married to Lord Shiva by placing a 10th plate representing Lord Shiva on the Yellow Cloth.
Requests are then made to the Divine couple for the rebirth of the Yagman so that he or she can have Divine Parents. This is done by the cutting of the nutmeg which symbolizes the releasing of the egg from Mother Durga then the fertilization of the egg and the “splitting” of the Zygote (Fertilized egg called Hirany Garbha) which is represented by the cutting of the lime in two halves, followed by the breaking of the coconut (dried) which symbolize the birth from the fertilized egg.
This means that the yagman is being born from DURGA a heavenly mother replacing the earthly mother.
The puja procedure is concluded by the cutting of the banana flower (a symbolism representing creation of children and the Blessing of the children with worldly prosperity) followed by the bathing of the CUT NUTMEG, THE SPLIT LIME, THE BROKEN COCONUT AND THE CUT BANANA FLOWER with the DURGA DAR which is a mixture of 9 ingredients.
THE DURGA DAR CONSISTS OF:
1: MILK……………………….For the yagman to receive wealth from parents (from the cow- Laxmi)
2: GANGA WATER……….Washing away of all previous Karmas and Sins
3: CANE JUICE…………….Sweetness and love to be received from divine parents
4: HONEY…………………….To receive proper speech and mantras
5: COCONUT WATER…..To receive proper consciousness and divine thoughts from parents
6: TUMERIC (DYE)……….To receive peace of mind from parents
7: NEEM LEAF……………..Protection from spirits and diseases
8: YOGURT………………….Good nourishment and bliss from parents
9: MUSTARD SEED………To destroy all obstacles and enemies
NOTE: Hindu Rituals are not magic. In fact they are very SCIENTIFIC in the philosophy used to correct our lives from our sins or karmas in the Universe. If a knowledgeable person follows the proper procedure when doing a puja, then the puja is sure to be successful. Please note that Kal Bhairo is not part of any puja ritual, definitely not a part of Durga Puja.
There is only one way to enter the Universe, therefore every puja must follow the set procedure. When doing a puja, if a Laxmi Puja is performed before the Ganesh Puja, then the process is considered to be incorrect. Similarly, if a Nav-graha Puja is done first then the puja process is done backwards. For the puja to be successful, the procedure must be properly followed in the correct order, and there is no short form of doing a puja.