Mystry of nine nights; Nav-Ratra

Nine different source of power 'Nau Durga'
Nine incarnations of mother Goddess Durga

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According to Durga Saptashati, the nine different forms of goddess Durga has been narrated as follows :-

प्रथमं शैलपुत्री च द्वितीयं ब्रह्मचारिणी।
तृतीयं चन्द्रघण्टेति कूष्माण्डेति. चतुर्थकम्।।
पंचमं स्कन्दमातेति षष्ठं कात्यायनीति च।
सप्तमं कालरात्रीति.महागौरीति चाष्टमम्।।
नवमं सिद्धिदात्री च नवदुर्गा: प्रकीर्तिता:।
उक्तान्येतानि नामानि ब्रह्मणैव महात्मना:।।

Trilok (World, Hades, Heaven) Worship Goddess Adhya-Shakti

Goddess Durga, the destroyer of the demon Durgamasura.

Once, the demon Durgamasura had attained the power and knowledge of all the Vedas as well as holy chants from Lord Brahma through a boon. Due to the absence all the mantras or chants, it was no more possible for the sages and Brahmans of the world to dedicate their offerings to the gods. Consequently, the people on the earth had to suffer from the permanent absence of rain for a long time. All plants, trees, vegetables, etc. disappeared from the earth. Such a situation continued for a hundred long years and it led to the death of humans and other living things on the earth. The only thing that could be seen anywhere were the dead bodies of one and every kind of living beings. Under such circumstances, the Brahmans and Sages went to the Himalayas to worship the Adi Shakti so that they could be blessed with rain. Their sincere prayers satisfied the universal mother goddess, Devi Adi Shakti and she offered vegetables and fruits for the sages to eat. Then she continued to shed tears for seven days through her thousands of eyes, as a result of which the entire earth was full of water. Furthermore, she killed the demon Durgamasura and became famous by the name of Durga. She is also known as Parvati or Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva. She is also well-renowned by the name of Nav Durga, as she exists in the form of nine separate goddesses.
The festival of Nav Durga is celebrated four times in a year in the months of Pausha, Chaitra, Ashwin and Ashada lasting from the first day of the fortnight till the ninth day. The nine different forms of the mother goddess is worshiped with special grandeur and purity. It is observed with great joy in the northern part of India as well as in the state of Gujarat. In the eastern part of the country, it is a grand festival observed during the autumn in the month of Ashwin. In this region, following the footsteps of the great sage Katyayan, the goddess is evoked on the sixth day of the festival. Then, the goddess is worshiped with due respect following all the rituals during the seventh, eighth and ninth day of the fortnight. On the tenth day, she is sent off to Mount Kailash, her residence. In the same manner, the goddess is also worshiped during the month of Chaitra. In the northern and western parts of India, the devotees worship the nine forms of the mother goddess, namely, Maha-Kali, Maha-Laxmi, Maha-Saraswati and so on, while in the eastern part, the valiant form of the goddess, Mahishmardini Durga

is worshiped. . It is believed that during this period, any prayer offered to the goddess is fulfilled and is also very effective. The true devotee can experience the miraculous power of the goddess. Especially, people following the Tantric philosophy perform their rituals during this period so that they can easily attain salvation.

These nine forms of mother goddess Durga are respectively :

!!... Goddess Shailaputri ....!!

Goddess Shailputri

Due to her origin as the daughter of king Himalaya, she is known as
Devi Shailaputri (the daughter of the mountain)

Goddess Durga, in her very first incarnation, is also known as Shailaputri. She took birth in the home of the Himalayas, and hence was named so. (Shaila=Mountain, Putri=daughter). Her appearance in this form is fascinating, complete with the crescent moon on her forehead, the varieties of ornaments, her crown etc. She is carried by her Vahana, the Vrishabha (the ox); she bears a trishul (her weapon) in her hand and a lotus in her hand.
Previously, with a view to fulfill the prayers of Lord Brahma, the goddess had already taken birth as Sati. Sati was the daughter of king Daksha, the son of Lord Brahma. She got married to Lord Shiva or Shankara. She could not bear with the insult king Daksha had caused to Lord Shiva and had sacrificed herself in the fire of Yajna (fire sacrifice). As soon as Lord Shiva got to know about this unfortunate incident, he at once appeared there along with his followers and destroyed the en-tired fire sacrifice event. Afterwards, the demon named Tarakasura began to worship Lord Brahma in order to gain control over the entire universe. He worshiped so hard that Lord Brahma was pleased with him and granted him his wish. Brahma also added that the demon could be killed only by the son of Lord Shiva or Shakti, and not by anyone else. But, after the death of Sati, Lord Shiva was deeply engrossed in meditation in Mount Kailash, and hence, there was no possibility for him to give birth to a son. Taking full advantage of the situation, Tarakasura threw out all the gods from heaven, and seated himself in the throne of the king of gods Lord Indra. From then on-wards, he began to rule over the three Lokas (heaven, earth and Hades). Under such circumstances, all the gods, along with Lord Brahma as well, started worshiping Adi Shakti, so that she would take rebirth as the partner of Lord Shiva, because there was no other way to defeat Tarakasura. Goddess Adi Shakti, moved by the united prayer of the gods, took birth as the daughter of king Himalaya. Initially, she was known as Shailaputri, and later she came to be known as Parvati. Thus, on the very first night of the Nav-Ratra festival, goddess Shailaputri is worshiped by the devotees.

!!... Goddess Brahmacharini ...!!

Goddess Brahmacharini

The goddess well-known for her practising tough penance
Goddess Brahmacharini

The second form of power of Goddess Durga is famous by the name of Brahmacharini. In this formation, the goddess immerses herself in very deep meditation. She practices strict celibacy, and delves in the toughest form of meditation. The half-moon gloriously exists on her forehead, she wears a wide variety of ornaments, she carries the rosary on her hand, while the kamandala is on her hand. She possesses three eyes.
Born as the daughter of king Himalaya, the goddess obeyed the advice of sage Narada, and started practicing very strict meditation in order to get Lord Shiva as her life partner. Her such devotion and capability to perform tough penance had earned her the name Brahmacharini. She had continued her worship for thousands of years even without water or food. She even refused to intake dried leaves as her food, and hence, she also came to be known as Aparna (parna=leaf). There was much outcry all over the universe caused by her such strict meditation. Even Lord Brahma was highly praised by her dedication. He saluted the goddess, and announced that there had never been anyone else who had sacrificed so much for meditation. Hence, all her wishes would be fulfilled. Followed by the death of Sati, Lord Shiva had given up living a normal life, and had gone to the Himalayas to engage himself in deep mediation. He had also withdrawn himself from the action of destroying the evil power. Observing this situation, Tarakasura was well aware of the fact that since Lord Shiva had adopted the life of celibacy, he would never again get married, and thus, the birth of his child was out of question. Tarakasura used to think like this because he had been earlier threatened to be killed by the son of Shiva. Since Parvati wanted herself to be married to Lord Shiva, she employed her best possible efforts to win his heart, but to no avail. Lord Shiva was so deeply engrossed in his meditation that nothing could distract him. Afterwards, all the gods decided to send Kaamdev with the purpose of distracting Shiva from his meditation, but the lord got so angry that Kaamdev himself was burnt to ashes caused by the terrible anger of Shiva. Finally, goddess Brahmacharini was able to bring back Shiva from his strict meditation phase to normal life.
Thus, this form of goddess Durga is well-known for fulfilling human wishes expressed through sincere devotion, sacrifice, and unparallel faith towards god. The second night of the Nava-Ratra festival is dedicated to the worship of this goddess

!!... Goddess Chandraghanta ...!!

Goddess ChandraGhanta

The goddess, bearing the crescent moon on her forehead, in the shape of a bell is known as
Goddess Chandraghanta

The third form of the goddess is also well-known as Chandraghanta. This is because the crescent moon that can be seen on her forehead is in the shape of a bell (ghanta). She is golden complexioned, she bears ten hands, in which she carries trishul (the trident), gada (the mace), talwar (the sword), kamandal (the ewer used by the sages), dhanush - baan (the bow and arrow), the lotus flower and the rosary; she poses with the Abhaya mudra (the symbol to grant fearlessness to us) through her hands. She sits bravely on a tiger which is her carrier, she wears ornaments encrusted with precious jewels, and she is always ready to go for a battle. The sound of her bell keeps away the evil spirits, and the ferocious demons are terrified of her. She always attempts to punish the enemies of mankind, but in her appearance, she looks very calm and composed. She is very well-known among her devotees for such contrasting nature, which combines both bravery and peacefulness and war techniques in her character. Consequently, her devotees are also courageous and gentle in nature. Her devotees are as fearless as the lion or tiger; honesty, courageousness and politeness are their chief character traits and their appearance depicts their kind nature. During the Nava-Ratra festival, she is worshiped on the third night.

!!... Goddess Kushmanda ...!!

Goddess Kusmanda

The creator of the entire Universe,
Goddess Kushmanda

The fourth power of goddess Durga is also famous by the name of Kushmanda. As she had created Brahma or the universe, she has been named so. She has three eyes, the half-moon is gloriously present on her forehead, she has eight hands and is adorned with jewels and ornaments. The goddess sits on a tiger, the different things present in her hands are Chakra (the wheel), Gada (the club), Kalash (the urn), Japmala (the rosary), Kamandal (the ewer), Dhanush-Baan (the bow and arrow), and the lotus flower. She has a very pleasing appearance. Prior to the origin of the universe, there was no sign of creation anywhere. Only darkness prevailed all around. During this time, goddess Kushmanda created the universe through her smile. She is goddess Adi Shakti, the sole creator of each and every thing. She resides within the Surya Mandal (the sphere of the Sun). She is the only goddess empowered to stay in the Surya-loka, no other god or goddess is comparable to her power or lust-re. All the living and non-living beings as well as all the elements spread all around the universe are blessed by the blazing power of goddess Kushmanda, their creation is also solely influenced by this goddess.
The fourth day of the Nava-Ratra is designated for the worship of goddess Kushmanda. Her power helps to destroy all the illness and sorrows and miseries. Her worship also leads to the increase of lifespan, power etc. Moreover, the goddess can be satisfied through very simple efforts.

!!... Devi Skandamata ...!!

Goddess Skandmata

The mother of Kartikeya or Prince Skanda, who was the chief commander of the battle between the gods and demons
Devi Skandamata

The fifth formation of goddess Durga is also known as goddess Skandamata. Skanda is the other name given to Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. He was the chief commander on behalf of the gods during the battle between the gods and demons. He was the one who had killed the demon Tarakasura. As the goddess is the mother of Skanda, she came to be known as Skandamata (mata-mother). In this form, the goddess appears with the young prince Kartikeya in her lap and she bears four hands. She is adorned with various ornaments, she carries lotus flower and the half-moon in her hands. Her carrier is a lion, but she is also found to be seated on a lotus flower.
The devotees worship goddess Skandamata on the fifth day of the Navratra festival. She is worshiped with absolute devotion as she fulfils all our wishes. The worshiper feels a sense of peace and internal happiness, and can easily find the way to achieve salvation. Through the worship of this goddess, Lord Kartikeya can also be praised simultaneously.

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!!... Goddess Katyayani ...!!

Goddess Katyayani

The daughter of sage Katyayan, who killed the demon Mahishasura
Goddess Katyayani

Goddess Durga is well-known among her devotees as Katyayani in her sixth form. Once upon a time, the great sage Kat had a son named Katya. The famous sage Katyayan was born into the family of Katya. Sage Katyayan wished to get the goddess as his daughter and with this purpose in view, he engaged himself in very strict meditation for a long period of time. In order to fulfill his wishes, goddess Durga took birth as his daughter, and came to be known as Katyayani. The physical appearance of this goddess is also similar to the other forms of Durga, like, she also bears the half-moon on her forehead, she wears plenty of ornaments studded with precious stones, and she has four hands. Her carrier is the lion, sitting on the back of lion, she assures us of fearlessness and giving boons through her right hands. On her left hands, she carries lotus flower and a sword.
The notorious demon Mahishasura had once attacked the heaven and had forced out all the gods from there. He had also started to torture the residents of all the three Lokas. To gain control over the situation, Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shankar formed a new powerful goddess who was a combination of the powers of all the three gods. Sage Katyayan was the first one to worship this female power, and hence, she came to be known as Katyayani. Later on, after she had killed Mahishasura, she became famous as Mahishasura Mardini Durga. She was originated on Ashwin Krishna Chaturdashi (the fourteenth day of the lunar cycle beginning from full-moon). She was worshipped by sage Katyayan till the seven, eighth and ninth day of her origin, and on the tenth day, had killed Mahishasura. Her physical appearance is very decent as well as pleasing. She is the deity of the Vraj Mandala. The Gopis of Vraj used to worship goddess Katyayani in order to get married to Lord Krishna.
The sixth night of the Navaratra is designated towards the worship of this goddess. In the state of West Bengal, the traditional Durga Puja begins on this day. This festival is celebrated with much grandeur in this state. The person, who worships this goddess, can easily acquire wealth, religion, desirable job and salvation. Her worship also helps us to get rid of all our sins accumulated over our previous births.

!!... Goddess Kalratri ...!!

Goddess Kal-Ratri

The goddess, as dark complexioned as the dark night, and the one who represses the evil power
Goddess Kalratri

The seventh power of the mother goddess Durga is also famed as Kalratri. Her complexion is so dark that it can be compared only with the darkest of nights, hence, she has been named so. The hair on her head is completely dishevelled, she has three round shaped blue eyes, the half-moon gloriously exists on her forehead, the goddess wears a necklace as bright as the lightning around her neck. She has four hands. With both her right hands, she assures fearlessness as well as boons to us. In her left hands, she carries Kharag (a type of sword), and a Paash (the snare). She sits on a donkey, as this animal is her carrier. She breathes out fire through her nostrils. Her appearance is terrible and very dark, but such an appearance always proves to be beneficial to those who are righteous in nature. Consequently, she is also known by the name of Shuvankari (one who does "shubh" or good to others).
The seventh night of the Navaratri festival is dedicated to goddess Kalratri, her true devotees are never afraid of anything. The goddess has such strong impact on evil forces, that any evil spirit, ghosts etc. leaves the place as soon as they get to know about Kalratri. At the same time, the goddess also helps to get rid of any negative effects of planetary motions. The devotees of Kalratri can always roam about anywhere fearlessly, there is no such power in the universe that can scare them. The goddess appears to be terrible only to those who are wicked, hypocrites and dishonest in nature; otherwise, her helpful and caring nature is always dedicated towards the wellness of others.

!!... Devi Mahagauri ...!!

Goddess Maha-Gauri

The eight year old young girl, with complexion as bright as the moon, who was determined to be the wife of Lord Shiva
Devi Mahagauri

Mahagauri is the eighth form of goddess Durga. She is only eight years old, but appears to be extremely beautiful and divine. She is highly fair complexioned, which can be compared only with conch-shell or moon light. She wears a lot of ornaments and has four hands. She carries a trishul (the trident) and a Damru (cornets) in both her hands; she makes a posture of granting dauntlessness as well as granting our wishes through her other two hands. The ox is the carrier of the goddess. She was advised by sage Narada, and thus, started worshiping Lord Shiva in order to get married to him. She practised such tough meditation that her complexion turned dark due to the extreme heat. Lord Shiva was satisfied by her prayer and got ready to grant her wish. He bathed the goddess with the purest form of water from the river Ganga, and consequently, her complexioned turned out to be as bright as lightning.
The eighth night of the Navaratra festival is dedicated to this goddess. On this day, goddess Durga is worshiped as Mahagauri. The devotee who whole-heartedly worships the goddess, is extremely beneficial from her kindness. He can get rid of all his sins that he might have performed during his previous birth. He would also be free from all sorts of poverty and sorrow by worshiping the goddess. The devotee becomes sanctified by the grace of the goddess, and can also achieve miraculous powers. The goddess also turns the impossible to be possible for her worshiper.

!!... Goddess Siddhidatri ...!!

Goddess Siddhidatri

The goddess who grants all our wishes
Goddess Siddhidatri (siddhi=accomplishment)

Last but not the least, the ninth form of goddess Durga is also known as Siddhidatri. As the name suggests, in this form, the goddess accomplishes all the desires of her devotee. The appearance of the goddess is very pleasant. She has four hands, and adorned with precious stone-crafted ornaments. She takes her seat on a lotus flower as well on the back of a lion. She bears rosary and the club on her right hands, while in her left hands, there are lotus flower and a conch shell.
According to the Markandeya Purana, the eight Siddhis are Anima, Mahima, Garima, Laghima, Prapti, Prakamya, Ishitwa and Washitwa. All these Siddhis or accomplishments are granted only by goddess Siddhidatri. There is nothing in this entire creation which cannot be accessed by the goddess.
Devi Bhagwat Purana narrates the fact that Lord Shiva had also achieved all the accomplishment due to her connection with the goddess. The united form of Shiva and the goddess is known as Ardhanarishwar (half of the goddess and half of Shiva). Any and every living thing present in the universe, like the Yaksha, the sages, human beings, demons, gods and so on get their wishes granted only by the grace of Siddhidatri.
The ninth day of the Navaratri festival is dedicated to goddess Siddhidatri, she is worshiped whole-heartedly observing all rituals and customss; she exists as the last power of goddess Durga. The devotee, who worships the goddess, can have absolute power over the entire universe. The goddess also fulfils all our desire, be it temporal or otherworldly.