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Navratri
or Navratra festival
is celebrated twice in a year. Once in spring season
which is called Chaitra Navratri or Vasanth Navratri
or Spring Navratri. For the year 2009 Chaitra Navratri
Festival falls on March 19, 2009.
Most of the people are unaware of this
Navratri celebration
in the month of March because the festival is not
popular amongst the other Indian populace due to lack
in pomp and fanfare. Although like its October counterpart
this festival is celebrated to mark the seasonal changes.
Vasanth Navratri is
celebrated at the beginning of the summer whereas
the Navratri in October
marks the beginning of the winter. Vasanth
Navratri is also known as Ram
Navratri because Ram Navami falls on the nine
day of Chaitra. This Spring
Navratri or Vasanth
Navratri festival is dedicated to Mother Gauri
or Parvati.
Legend of celebrating Vasanth
Navratri
According to the legend of Devi Bhagwata
King Dhruvasindu of Kosala was killed
by a lion during one of his hunting expeditions. Next
Preparations were made to crown the prince Sudarsana.
But, King Yudhajit of Ujjain, the father of Queen
Lilavati, and King Virasena of Kalinga, the father
of Queen Manorama, were each desirous of securing
the Kosala throne for their respective grandsons.
They fought with each other. King Virasena was killed
in the battle. Manorama fled to the forest with Prince
Sudarsana and a eunuch. They took refuge in the hermitage
of Rishi Bharadwaja.
The victor, King Yudhajit, thereupon
crowned his grandson, Satrujit, at Ayodhya, the capital
of Kosala. He then went out in search of Manorama
and her son. The Rishi said that he would not give
up those who had sought protection under him. Yudhajit
became furious. He wanted to attack the Rishi. But,
his minister told him about the truth of the Rishi’s
statement. Yudhajit returned to his capital.
Fortune smiled on Prince Sudarsana. A hermit’s
son came one day and called the eunuch by his Sanskrit
name Kleeba. The prince caught the first syllable
Kli and began to pronounce it as Kleem. This syllable
happened to be a powerful, sacred Mantra. It is the
Bija Akshara (root syllable) of the Divine Mother.
The Prince obtained peace of mind and the Grace of
the Divine Mother by the repeated utterance of this
syllable. Devi appeared to him, blessed him and granted
him divine weapons and an inexhaustible quiver.
The emissaries of the king of Benares passed through
the Ashram of the Rishi and, when they saw the noble
prince Sudarsana, they recommended him to Princess
Sashikala, the daughter of the king of Benares.
The ceremony at which the princess was to choose her
spouse was arranged. Sashikala at once chose Sudarsana.
They were duly wedded. King Yudhajit, who had been
present at the function, began to fight with the king
of Benares. Devi helped Sudarsana and his father-in-law.
Yudhajit mocked Her, upon which Devi promptly reduced
Yudhajit and his army to ashes.
Thus Sudarsana, with his wife and his father-in-law,
praised Devi. She was highly pleased and ordered them
to perform her worship with havan and other means
during the Vasanta Navratri.
Then she disappeared.
Prince Sudarsana and Sashikala returned to the Ashram
of Rishi Bharadwaja. The great Rishi blessed them
and crowned Sudarsana as the king of Kosala. Sudarsana
and Sashikala and the king of Benares implicitly carried
out the commands of the Divine Mother and performed
worship in a splendid manner during the Vasanta
Navratri.
Sudarsana’s descendants, namely, Sri Rama and
Lakshmana, also performed worship of Devi during the
Vasanta Navratri
and were blessed with her assistance in the recovery
of Sita.
Why Vasanth Navratri is celebrated?
The reason stated for celebrating Vasanth
Navratri is given as
- To welcome the seasonal changes
because other celebrations of the year starts with
Vasanth Navratri.
- To worship the divine power
of Shakti that was started by our ancestors.
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