Nine Nights Of Worship And Awakening

Navratri — nine nights of worship, ritual, and deep inner work. It is not merely a festival marked by lamps, offerings, and temple visits; it is an invitation to awaken the slumbering power within you. The one who is revered as Durga , Kali, Saraswati, Lakshmi — these are not separate goddesses, but varied expressions of the same infinite power, the same living Shakti . This consciousness pervades the entire cosmos and yet quietly resides within every human being as Kundalini , coiled and dormant at the base of the subtle spine, in the Muladhar chakra.
Until this primordial energy awakens, human life cannot reach its highest potential. The ancient yogic sciences, especially Raj Yog and path of chakra sadhana, were designed precisely to stir this sleeping power. For as long as Kundalini sleeps, human awareness remains trapped in lower planes, tied to mere survival and gratification. But when this energy rises, it transforms — turning the inert into the divine, making the body itself a living temple, a form of Shiv.
Shakti is not an abstract concept; she is life itself. Consciousness is Shakti, knowledge is Shakti, the arts are Shakti. The ability to cook, to weave society together, to build nations, to create music, to innovate — all are manifestations of Shakti. Without her, even worldly life is incomplete; how then can spiritual life be whole? Until the inner awakening of this supreme energy occurs, human life is spent merely in eating, sleeping, fearing, seeking pleasure, and hoarding — no different from animals. To awaken this power, sages gifted us Navratri: nine sacred nights to fast, meditate, and live in heightened awareness, to create space for the divine power within to stir and rise.
Ironically, today Navratri has been reduced to mere ritualism. Visiting temples for nine days, eating vegetarian food, abstaining from alcohol — this is not the full meaning of Navratri. Its true essence lies in disciplined inner practice: yogasanas, pranayama, shatkarmas, dharana — practices meant to purify body and mind, and ignite the Kundalini. Many limit Durga Puja to offering flowers to a statue or picture. But if the goal of life is only sensory pleasure and material comfort, we have not yet known Durga. Her real form is jnan — Supreme knowledge. When this knowledge becomes steady within, Mahasambodhi — enlightenment — blossoms. Then the entire universe is seen as one dance of energy, one play of Shakti.
In India, Shakti is celebrated in thousands of forms. As Durga, she destroys obstacles; as Kali, she slays time and ego; as Saraswati, she bestows wisdom; as Lakshmi, she grants abundance; as Tara, she shows the way to knowledge; as Jagadamba, she is mother of all creation. In worshipping these forms, we call forth courage, compassion, forgiveness, strength. She is formless and yet takes form, she is matter and energy, visible and invisible — the very power that shines in the sun and moon, that pulses in every living being, in rivers, mountains, stars. She is the cosmic mother, and she is also the mother who bore you. Yogis call her Kundalini Shakti — the power that can transform life.
The Saundarya Lahari proclaims: “Shiv is powerless without Shakti.” In the Vedic tradition , she appears as Kali, Lakshmi, and Saraswati — three aspects of the primordial energy. She is life-giving, infinitely forgiving, infinitely compassionate. That is why the sages first declared, “You alone are the Mother,” and then, “You alone are the Father.”
Navratri is, therefore, not just a cultural festival — it is an inner pilgrimage. It is the time to journey within, toward the source of all creation, to unite with the supreme power that is your very essence.


By: Anandmurti Gurumaa