9 Days, 9 Forms and 9 Stages

Image Source : https://in.pinterest.com/pin/3237030977769824/

Sri City: Navratri, the nine nights of devotion, celebration and togetherness. In different parts of India one will find different mythological stories around navratri being followed which shape the rituals and customs of those people. For example in the Northern states, Ram Leela (The play of Ramayan) takes place. The entire story of Ramayan, from Lord Ram being sentenced to Vanvas (exile) to his wife Sita getting abducted by the King of Lanka (now known as Sri Lanka) , Ravan and Ram finding his way through to reach Lanka and defeating Ravan, is enacted out. In the East side of the country it has been given the name of Durga Puja. Here Durga Ma is honoured with her victory over the demon Mahishasura. Huge pandals are built and idols of Durga Ma are installed in those pandals. From where I come from , a Gujarati born and brought up in Mumbai we also have a different way of celebrating. In parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan we follow the same mythology of Ma Durga killing the demon Mahishasura. Garba and dandiya is a lively form of celebrating this occasion. Each day honours different forms of Ma Durga. 

Being brought up in a Gujarati household I have looked up to the festival as celebrating the nine forms of Ma Durga - Shailputri , Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta , Kushmanda , Skandmata , Katyayani , Kalaratri , Mahagauri  and Siddhidatri . All of these forms have a backstory. What fascinated me was how each form resonantes with the development of a female from an infant to a young lady to a mature woman. 

When anyone is born they are recognised as their parents' child, even before you get your name. The same for me, I am the daughter of my parents. Even when I have grown up most of my father’s friends recognise as his daughter. The same for Shailputri, she was named after her father who was the king of the mountains. She carries a lotus and trident in each hand. The trident and lotus are a symbol of how a baby or an infant are pure, full of promises and have great potential. As a baby my parents have given me exposure via colourful books, brought in the best toys, provided me with the best food for my growth. All of these luxuries were provided to me so that I could execute the great potential I have built in me. This great potential comes through them (parents). Which is unleashed in later stages of life through different mediums, beginning with school.  

The next stage in life is school. Where knowledge is imparted to us or we can say a place where we go to seek knowledge from. Brahmacharini, the second form of Durga,  the seeker of knowledge wears white simple clothes with a pot in her hand . Similar to how I used to go to school wearing the uniform assigned, which was standardized for all students. Instead of a pot I used to carry a pink colour winnie the pooh water bottle with glitters on it too! It was the place where I grew up and learned about the world and my likings. Apart from academics I got into sports and music which shaped my understanding and wisdom. I will always cherish this stage of my life as I can’t relive it. 

Life moved on and I finished 12th grade and soon came to Krea University, in Andhra Pradesh. A lot of people asked me why did you opt for this university so far from your home and that Mumbai has such good colleges for doing psychology. My answer to this is I had thought I wanted to start exploring what the world has got for me. And the first step I took for it was moving out of my home. This coaligns with what the third form of Durga is, Chandraghanta, a confident and brave warrior. Here I was ready to face the challenges the world had got for me. But it seems like this is going to go a long way until I graduate, then head out for the job market. The warrior in me has arisen but it is yet to fully unleash the potential it has. 

Till now these are the three stages in life I have gone through. And this isn’t the end of it, going forward I will evolve as a woman just like Ma Durga’s forms have. Kushmanda the fourth form translates to the Cosmic Creator. This points at motherhood, the challenges and hardships of pregnancy the woman faces. Her strength and power she holds to create and birth another human. Skandmata means the protective mother. Once the child is born the mother is extremely cautious and protective of her baby. Like my mother was when she first had me. I never had a nanny, my mom was the one who took care of me by herself all along and till this date she does. She keeps checking up on me whether I had my meals on time and how my day has been. She has taught me what selfless love is. She always puts me first. For me she marks the presence of the fifth form Durga, Skandmata who is holding her child in her lap and focusing entirely on his well being. 

The battle of a woman’s life doesn’t just end here it actually begins. Like Ma Katyayani (The Strong and Fearless Protector) and Ma Kalaratri (The Fierce Defender of Justice) she battles her way through the hardships of raising a child, fights she has to win against the societal pressures she gets buried with after having a child and the struggle she faces in developing her own identity apart from being a mother. 

The eighth and the ninth form of Ma are a symbol of the calm after the storm. Mahagauri  and Siddhidatri can be rephrased as the return to peace and the wise and compassionate guide respectively. As a woman reaches old age she finally gets time for herself. Her children have all grown up and are leading their own lives. She has passed the competitive and agitated phase of a woman and has learned to gain intrinsic self worth, radiating the quiet confidence of experience. 

This deep connection between the Durga and her nine forms to the stages in a woman’s life is a beautiful portrayal of defining womanhood. Every phase in a woman’s life from innocence to curiosity to nurturing and wisdom carries its own strength and divinity. Just as Ma Durga has her nine forms which transform with grace and purpose, so does a female acquire the designated characteristics which fit her role the best. The woman also  evolves through her experiences, helping her embody resilience, compassion and strength in different forms. Navratri is not just the celebration of the goddess Durga but also an ode to womanhood- a reminder that the strength and softness of Durga Ma coexist in every woman.