Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
“Navratri means the
nine nights. Nava means nine and ratri means night.
Nights provide rest and
rejuvenation. At night, you turn inward (you sleep) and you feel refreshed and
rested in the morning. In the same way, Navratri or the nine nights is that
time of the year in which you turn inward towards your source. It is that time
to spend with yourself, nurturing and rejuvenating through prayers, chants,
meditation, fasting and other spiritual practices, and coming out feeling
refreshed, renewed and creative.
Navratri is
traditionally celebrated at the beginning of autumn every year, when everything
in nature starts undergoing transformation. These nine nights are said to be
precious as there are subtle energies in Creation which are enriched at this
time of the year that enhance and assist the experience of going inwards,
making prayer, chanting and other spiritual practices more fruitful.
There are 64 divine
mother impulses which govern the subtle creation. These are responsible for
restoring all earthly and spiritual benefits. They are simply part of one’s
awakened consciousness. These nine nights are celebrated to rekindle those
divine impulses and celebrate the innermost depth of our lives.
Navratri is celebrated
to glorify the spirit in us. The spirit in us alone can destroy all our
negative qualities (inertia, pride, obsession, cravings, aversions, etc.). By
turning inward during Navratri and getting in touch with the spirit within, we
can overcome these negative tendencies and invoke the positive qualities that
are within us, thus feeling elevated and renewed.
This is the
significance and the true spirit of Navratri.”
No comments:
Post a Comment