Secret Of Nine forms of Durga

My father was a highly learned person with Master degree in four streams. He was very soft at heart but had keen eye for small-small things in our life. I never saw him giving up in his life.

He was always ready to go out of the way to help others. He never had accepted any negativity though had faced challenging situations which were difficult and were life threatening.

I was with my father those days at my grand pa’s place in Meerut. It was month of april and temperatures were high. 

Navratri celebrations were going on. During one of those days, in the evening we had a guest, he was my father’s friend and he knew that I have interest in spirituality. He also knew that I practice yog, mantra and other divine sciences.

We all were sitting together and during lighter discussions on tea, he was arguing that there is no significance of these nine days. He expressed his surprise that how come this type of nine day celebration came into existence?

He was repeating that what do these nine forms do to us? Do they have any importance in our life? Why do we worship these nine forms of Devi Durga?

I was listening to him carefully, he was not wrong in his place. It’s a problem of our time that no one explains the background of our rituals and hence people have started disbelieving our own roots.

Uncle, I don’t agree with you, I said. Every one turned around and looked at me. 

My mom asked, What happened to you?

Mom, I was just curious.

I read in my Sanskrit book that Durg means fort, a Qila. Durga is fortress. She is the beholder of the body, where soul lives. 

Durga is the energy or life force that carries us. We are living because of this life force, then how could we distrust. I was amazed, if there is any other thing that Uncle was planning to establish and hence my reaction. 

(you may also like reading Nav Durga - Secrets of Nav Ratri )

Well, understood that Durga is the fortress but then what is her significance for us, he asked.

Uncle, she is fortress so she will live in the fort only. Do you agree?

Yes, I do. If she is the fortress then she will live in the fort, which is our body.

She is the energy that is present in our Kand. She is the energy reservoir and she releases energy into 72000 nadis/ vessels present there. These nadis are the pathways of energy through which it flows into entire body. You know this is the way Durga holds charge of entire Durg.

Good explanations son but am not clear what is the significance of these nine forms of Durga? She is there at Kand as per you, so now my question is, where is this ‘Kand’?

Kand is about 1&1/2 inch below our navel and about an inch inside stomach. As per yog, this is the spot where 72684 nadis are supposed to be originating. All of these are energy vessels. They transport energy into and out of navel. Durga shines likes a Sun at kand. 

Well, he asked then why she takes nine forms.

This energy moves across the body through these wires or nadis. There are few spots in the body, where the charge accumulates and gets redistributed differently to create a balance, harmony in the vital parts around that centre. These energy centre are the manifestation of Durga and hence are form of Durga.

Well said son.

Now, uncle you agree that Durga from Kand gets manifested at different parts of body for starting a secondary distribution for localized harmony. 

Well! Then you will say that it manifests at nine places in the body so there are nine forms, he argued.

All of these are not in the body but they have direct effect on us, I replied. 

The first Durga form is our earth energy centre and is below our feet. This personalized centre receives and stores mother earth energy. She is Shailputri.

Second Durga form holds all our downward flows or pressures to sustain our life. She is called Brahmcharini as she is connected with the Brahma Mandal in the body.

Third form holds the water flow, she separates energy from the flowing water and retains it, directing it back into the body. She is very beautiful and hence called Chandraganta. 

Fourth one handles the abdomen and hence is named Kushmanda. She holds the entire universe and teaches us the right way of living life. She signifies our Awareness state. 

Fifth form regulates air or pran that connects us with cosmic energy and enlivens us. She is Skandmata. She nourishes the entire body of ours and hence this name.

Sixth Durga form creates waves in shunya and hence regulates our speech. She connects us with the entire world. She opens the gate to the Raas Mandal and hence is very critical in our spiritual evolution.

Seventh Durga form regulates Mahat and controls our mind. As we close our eyes, the darkness there is the form of Devi. She is Kaalratri.

Eight one is the light itself, she is pure milky white light containing entire spectrum in itself and she is found at Crown. She is MahaGauri. 

The last and ninth form of Durga is Sidhidatri, she is the grace that flows into us from the Universe. She holds the universal shower at her place above the crown and processes it to make it useable by us.

Oh! I see, he said. So these are the nine Durga forms in which she manifests herself along our existence but then why Navratri? As these nine forms are ever present in us, then what is Navratri?

You know Navratri are celebrated at the time of transition, when one weather transforms into other weather, for instance to understand it better we could say broadly when winter transforms into summer or summer transforms into winter during this period Navratri is celebrated. Due to this transformation our body has to retune itself to be able to quickly adapt to this new climatic condition and remain healthy. This is the reason for celebration of Navratris. 

Now, you know that there are nine Durga forms, so each day-night is tuning one form of Durga to the new state of Prakriti. 

These Navratris are then worshipped using different techniques evolved by our Rishis with a purpose to use this state of transition for higher realization of ourselves.

Good argument, he said. The weather change requires us to get adapted, else we will fall sick and hence in India where so many climatic changes are experienced. We have Navratris celebrated twice in a year.

Uncle, you will be surprised that there are two more Navratris that are divine and known to tantriks and sadhak. (we will discuss these later in some other article).

My father was very happy listening to all this, he stood up and hugged me. I can’t forget that moment of blessing ever…