From a satsang with Pt. Balram Persad, Spiritual Leader, SWAHA Om Shakti Mandali
Nau Raatri is one of the many significant periods on the Hindu calendar that encourage us to heighten our spiritual growth and development. It is a time to remember who we are in relation to God; that we are spiritual beings. According to the Devi Bhagwat, there are four Nau Raatri periods every year; normally, most devotees celebrate two of these: the Nau Raatris that follow Phagwa and Pitra Paksha.
In Sanaatan Dharma, God manifests on earth in every age. God, the Absolute, is beyond gender, race, religion or any other defining quality. However, through His manifestations He mirrors the variety of creation: sometimes He appears as a man, a woman, half man-half lion, or various animal forms. It is a reflection of the fact that He is anything and everything; in fact, He says, “As you see Me, so I am.” God is perfection itself; it is human perception that limits Him and his capabilities. Thus, during the period of Nau Raatri we celebrate God in the form of the female: as a mother, and a warrior saving the world and Her devotees.
As devotees, we must perform Nau Raatri in a devoted and committed manner: fasting, lighting deeyas, performing jap, reciting mantras, stotras and stutis, offering the coconut, the neem leaf and feeding the holy ones, being charitable and the whole host of good actions. According to the Devi Bhagwat, such observances lead to significant results:
- Sukh daayak, great happiness;
- Gyaan daayak, wisdom which leads us to spiritual transformation;
- Moksha daayak, freedom from the cycle of birth and death and the bondage of sin and suffering;
- Sukh santaan vardak, fulfilment of sincere and right wishes;
- Shatru naash kaari, destruction of internal enemies or negative qualities.
Like the sun and the rain, Devi Maa shines and rains upon all with her grace, glory and blessings. As Durga Maa, She represents the willpower to perform action in this world. As Lakshmi Maa, She is the manifestation of the various forms of wealth, including the acquisition of material possessions, health, stable relationships and spiritual wealth. As Saraswati Maa, She represents knowledge and the arts. These forms of the Devi represent Icchaa Shakti, Gyaan Shakti and Kriyaa Shakti: willpower, right knowledge and right action and, in time, represented by Kaali Maa, the achievement of the right result. Thus, if we are blessed by Devi Maa, we will have the willpower, the right knowledge and the right action, which will lead to spiritual transformation.
