Significance of Navarati - 2

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev:

“Navaratri will be celebrated from the dates of October 13 to 21 in 2015, and will culminate with Vijayadashami on October 22. These nine nights celebrate the Divine Feminine, and are a time of great festivity in India. Sadhguru looks at the significance of the festival and the many ways in which it is celebrated in India.

Sadhguru: In the yogic culture, the summer solstice which falls in the month of June marks the beginning of Dakshinayana, which means in the Earth’s sky, the Sun begins to trace a southward movement in the northern hemisphere of the planet. Similarly, the winter solstice which falls in the month of December marks the beginning of Uttarayana or the northern run of the Sun. The half of the year from the beginning of Uttarayana in December to the beginning of Dakshinayana in June is known as gnana pada. The other half of the year from the beginning of Dakshinayana to the beginning of Uttarayana is known as the sadhana pada.

The southern run is the phase of intimacy or the feminine. The earth is acting out her role as a woman. Festivals concerned with the feminine energy are celebrated only in these six months. The whole culture of this land was attuned to this…The quarter from the Amavasya to the beginning of Uttarayana in December is known as the Devi pada. In this quarter, the northern hemisphere of the planet becomes “gentle” because it is the quarter where the northern hemisphere receives the least amount of sunlight in the year. So everything becomes subdued; it is not “on” in a big way…” 

Source: http://www.ishafoundation.org/blog/sadhguru/masters-words/navaratri-sadhana/

Significance of Navaratri - 3

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.”

Source: http://www.artofliving.org/navratri/significance