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Nine-step blueprint to raise our consciousness

Navratri is the core principle of teachings in the Shakti tradition. It is a reminder to every practitioner to rise from lower to higher consciousness.

Before proceeding further, let us have some clarity on the glossary. Bhaga is purity. Agni is considered the symbol of purity and the colour of fire is called Bhagwa.

One who possesses roop, beauty, is roopwaan; one who possesses dhan, wealth, is dhanwaan; similarly, the one who has Bhaga, the purity of consciousness, is called Bhagwan.

Equally, for the feminine gender, one who possesses roop is roopwati; one who possesses dhan is dhanwati; similarly, the one who has Bhaga, the purity of consciousness, is Bhagwati. Shakti tradition is primarily matriarchal, therefore, the principal deity is Bhagwati. Every committed practitioner is a Parvati, who has to ascend the parvat, mountain, of tapasya, arduous hard work, and immerse herself into a yajna, an enterprise of the evolution of consciousness.

Navratri codifies the practice of Bhagwati. It is the code of discipline that a Parvati has to undertake to become Bhagwati, pure.

Day one starts at the manifested lowest form of consciousness as the daughter of stone Shailputri. Day two is dedicated to Brahmcharni, the stony sadhak goes through a strong physical and mental discipline to tame her body and mind and makes herself ready for the next level of progression.

On day three, the practitioner gains stability on the strong foundation of discipline and Parvati enters the practice of meditation. Serenity of mind is denoted as Chandraghanta. Meditation makes her pure and full of divine possibilities as Kushmanda, on day four of the journey. This divine possibility bears fruit in the form of vairagya, skand, detachment. At this stage the practitioner is called Skandmata. Continuous practice on the path, powered by discipline, devotion and dispassion bestows the sadhak with supreme knowledge. At this stage the practitioner is called Katyayani.

Blessed with knowledge and detachment, the practitioner continues through a very long time – Kaalratri – and attains a state of supreme tranquility, Mahagouri. The practice reaches the state of perfection – Siddhidatri. The sadhak becomes Durga, the highest state of consciousness, and finally overcomes the entire heaviness – lassitude, sloppiness and ignorance – of his consciousness called Mahishasur.

Durga is the one who has conquered the durg, fort of her ignorance. Durga is the one who has performed the most durgam, onerous, task of winning over the demons of her consciousness.

Consciousness is the controlling element of this existence, and the purpose of existence is the evolution of consciousness from jad, inert, to chetan, animate.  Navratri is the journey from jad to chetan.

We need to devote nine days, in other words, our entire life towards intense discipline and meditation to raise our consciousness and win over the heaviness of our mind, body and consciousness.

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