Mystic Mantra: Nine nights of devi

Navratras are the nine nights of devi. What is devi is beyond the scope of this article. It is a subject of lifelong sadhna under a guru... I will attempt here to throw light on just a small aspect of it. That devi, which resides in every being as shakti. Everything manifests as a union of Shiv and shakti. Shiv without shakti is a shav (corpse). Just like a car cannot run without fuel, no aspect of creation can run without shakti. Shakti is the propelling force, pure energy. Even gods cannot function without shakti. For Shiv, it is Parvati. For Vishnu, it is Lakshmi. For Brahma, it is Saraswati.

First the shakti is invoked, then Shiv manifests. No event or anushthan is complete without invoking the shakti. In the battle between Lord Ram and Ravan, Ram invoked the shakti of Durga, Ravan invoked Kali. When Guru Gobind Singh created Khalsa, he performed a Chandi yagya. On the path of yog, the evolution of sadhak is impossible without the transference of shakti from the guru, in the form of shaktipat.

To get a first-hand experience of what the shakti is, light a diya with ghee and place it at an eye-level at a distance of two feet from the eyes. Fixing your gaze on the flame, repeatedly chant the mantra: “Ya devi sarvbhuteshu Shakti rupen sansthitaa, Namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah.” First out loud, then internally, for as long as comfortable. Next close your eyes and internalise on the flame.

Navratras are a powerful time to manifest the swaroop of devi in its myriad forms. It is devi which holds the universe together as the force of attraction (Vishnu Maya). The protection provided to Duryodhan by Gandhari in the war of Mahabharat was devi in the form of mother’s force (Matri). The protection provided to Prahlad when he was thrown off the cliff by his father was devi in the form of devotion (Bhakti). Our shastras detail various shakti sadhnas and dashmahavidyas towards specific ends. Shakti mantras are tools to awaken shakti inside us. Navratras are the perfect time to awaken them. Om asato maa sadgamayo, om tamaso maa jyotirgamayo, om mrityurmaa amritam gamayo.