NAVARATHRI

Navaratri (in September-October) is a festival celebrated with eclat in homes and temples alike. According to ancients, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati signify valor, wealth and learning, respectively, just as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva stand for creation, preservation and annihilation. Navaratri is ideal for worshipping the Mother in her three roles. There is a Vasantha Navaratri, on the nine days starting from sukla paksha prathama in Chithirai month in spring, when Uma is worshipped. What is commonly called Navaratri is the nine-day festival starting from prathama in sukla paksha of Purattasi (September-October). According to the chandra mana measure, these are the nine days from prathama to navami in the aswija sukla paksha. This is the popular autumnal festival Sharada Navaratri when Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped. Including Vijaya Dasami on the tenth day, this has become Dasara. There is a belief that the first three days are for worship of Durga and the breeding of courage and valor in the world; the next three for worship of Lakshmi for universal prosperity; and the last three for worship of Saraswati for growth of learning. Devi Bhagavatam has it that a special feature of Navaratri is doing puja to virgins between the age two and ten as embodiments of Kumari, Thiru, Kalyani, Rohini, Kalika, Chandika, Sambavi, Durga and Subhadra, offering them food and clothes and jewelry. This is a festival that places emphasis on worship of Shakti. Many fashion a large Durga idol out of clay, offer puja to the idol on the three days starting with Durgashtami during Navaratri, and, taking out the idol in a procession, immerse it in the sea on Vijaya Dasami. This is the observance in the northern parts of India. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra, beautiful clay figurines of gods and goddesses are worshipped during Navaratri, viewing art as Divinity. This is the bommai kolu of the south. Bhavishyad Puranam lays down one way of observance of Navaratri. Young maiden should be offered combs and other such articles on prathama; fragrant hair oil on dwithiya; mirror and kumkum on truthiya; kohl on chaturthi; sandal, turmeric and other cosmetics on panchami. On sashti Durga should be worshipped under a bilva tree, with bilva leaves. On saptami, the goddess should be invoked in a kalasam and worshipped. Ashtami, the eighth day of the festival, is Durgashtami. Navami is for worship of Ugra Chandi. The puja on the final three nights – saptami, ashtami and navami – is Saraswati puja. Traditionally, puja is done on the nine days as follows: 1 - Kalasa sthapanam; 2 - Devata puja; 3 - Sapta sati puja; 4 - Akhanda deepa; 5 - Mala bandana; 6 - Upavasa during daytime; 7 - Suvasani puja; 8 - Kumari puja; and 9 - Stotra mantra homam. We can each worship the Mother according to our capacity.

VIJAYA DASAMI

The day following Navaratri is Vijaya Dasami. Every endeavor started on this day is guaranteed success, according to elders. On this basis, the young are given aksharabhyasam (instruction in alphabet) on this day. And new works are launched. In the Virata parva of Mahabharata, Pandavas had to live incognito in ajnata vasam for a year. During that period, Arjuna cached away his weapons in a vanni tree in a Kali temple. On dasami thithi after Navaratri, when the incognito duration was over, Arjuna who was also known as Vijaya retrieved his hidden arms and began practicing with them; and went on to triumph in the Mahabharata war. This day is therefore traditionally marked for starting arms training. Vijaya Dasami is a special festival in Mysore. At some places, as the decorated utsava idol is taken out in procession from temples, there is an observance in which arrows are shot. Elsewhere, in what is called makara nonbu, there are observances like pinnal kolattam. In north India, this day is called Dasara.

DEEPAVALI

Deepavali falls in Aippasi month (October-November) on chaturdasi, the day before amavasya. This is the only festival celebrated everywhere in India. But there are differences in the way it is celebrated in different parts. There seems little reference to Deepavali in ancient Tamil texts, beyond a mention that people take Ganga snana on Naraka Chaturthi. Vatsyayana, said to belong to a period prior to 400 AD, refers to Deepavali as Yaksharatri in a work of his, notes that since it is observed on Karthikai amavasya it is also known as Sukharatri, and mentions that it is the concluding day of the year. In North India the day after Deepavali is the first day of the new year under the Vikarama era. This is possibly why Vatsyayana referred to Deepavali as the last day of the year. Nagananda by Sri Harsha (606 – 648 AD) refers to Deepavali as Deepa pratipati utsava and the day on which the newly married daughter of the family is invited home along with her husband and offered new clothes. Evidently, the custom of bringing home the daughter and son-in-law for the first Deepavali after their wedding prevailed even 1400 years ago. Another work from Kashmir belonging to the period 500 – 800 AD calls this festival Karthika amayam Deepamala varnanam. One other ancient work, Yakshatilaka Sambhu, by Somadevasur belonging to the Tenth Century AD, describes this as a festival of lights following Navaratri, when houses are whitewashed and bright with lights. A Kannada stone carving by Chalukya king Tribhuvana malla, dating to around 1119 AD, indicates that each Deepavali a scholar was honored with valuable presents. Legends have it that the demon called Narakasura was born to Bhooma Devi and Maha Vishnu’s Varaha incarnation. The demon offered hard penance to Brahma, obtained rare boons, and harassed Devas and humans alike. The Devas approached Maha Vishnu for relief. And Vishnu, with Satyabhama for his charioteer, fought and slew Narakasura. As he lay dying, the demon was filled with remorse and entreated the Lord that that day each year – Aippasai krishna paksha chaturdasi; aswija bahula chaturdasi, under the chandra mana measure – should be celebrated by people with oil bath, new clothes, and special food preparations. This forms one basis for our observance of Deepavali. In Karnataka the day after Deepavali is celebrated with fervor as Bali Pattima, the day Emperor Maha Bali comes down to earth. It is not in accordance with shastras to have oil bath before dawn. Yet great merit is said to accrue if it is taken on Deepavali.

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