Why do we celebrate Navratri?- Spiritual and Scientific reasons

Why Navratri is Celebrated? Many questions come to our mind regarding Navratri such as – how many times is Navratri celebrated in a year? Why is it celebrated? Let us understand these questions from a spiritual and scientific point of view today.

Navratri, which is an important festival of Indian culture and religion, is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm and devotion. This festival is a symbol of worship and devotion of Goddess Durga and it is celebrated with great pomp for nine days across the country.

When and How many times does Navratri come in a year?

The holy festival of Navratri comes four times a year. Navratri is celebrated at the arrival of two seasons. Out of these, two are Gupt Navratri and two are Prakat Navratri. All the four times we are moving from one season to another, which is as follows-

January/February is when we move from winter to spring season

March/April is when we enter summer

June/July is when we move from summer to rainy season and

September/October is when winter starts.

Why Navratri is Celebrated?-Spiritual Significance of Navratri

Worship of Goddess Durga

This festival is dedicated to the worship of nine forms of Goddess Durga. According to Hindu scriptures, Goddess Durga fought continuously for nine days to kill the demon named Mahishasura and won on the tenth day. Thus Navratri symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

Each day a different form of the Goddess is worshiped, which are Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. Each form of the Goddess has a special power and worshiping these forms helps devotees fulfill their desires. (Know more here)

Religious Beliefs

In Hinduism, it is believed that the nine days of Navratri are a time for purification of the soul, giving up bad habits and self-realization. Goddess Durga in various forms helps us defeat our desires, evils and ignorance.

Awakening of Spiritual Power

Navaratri is also seen by seekers as the awakening of self-power. It is considered to be the time to awaken the power hidden within the soul through yoga practice, meditation, and chanting.

Worship of Shakti

Navaratri is the time to worship Goddess Durga, who is the symbol of strength and courage. This festival teaches us how to face the difficulties in life. Worshiping the nine forms of the Goddess gives inner strength and confidence to a person.

Why Navratri is Celebrated?- Scientific Importance of Navratri

As we have seen, during every Navratri, we are moving from one season to another which is the time of weather change, when there are significant changes in the body and the environment. At such a time, when we fast for 9 days, it is considered helpful in balancing the body and increasing immunity.

Through fasting, the body gets a chance to detox, which gives new energy to the body and it is able to adapt to the changing weather.

Benefits of Fasting

During fasting, the body gets an opportunity to free itself from toxins. Fasting not only gives rest to the digestive system of the body, but it also provides physical and mental purification to the body. It energizes the body and strengthens the immune system.

Mental Peace and Stress Management

Meditation and sadhna during Navratri help in achieving mental peace. This is a time to reduce mental stress and calm the mind. Meditation improves mental health, thus relieving problems like anxiety and stress.

Flow of positive energy

During Navratri, there is a high flow of positive energy in the environment. From a scientific point of view, collective meditation and worship generates positive energy, which makes the surrounding environment pure and positive. The positive energy generated by the worship of the Goddess at this time purifies the environment and provides mental peace.

Physical and mental health

Scientifically, fasting and meditation during Navratri maintains hormonal balance in the body. This time provides an opportunity to flush out toxins from the body and relax the mind. Eating fruits and light food during fasting helps in detoxifying the body, keeping the body healthy and energetic.

Significance of Navratri

Navaratri is a festival which is extremely important from religious, spiritual and scientific point of view. This festival is the time of worship of Goddess Durga and awakening of Shakti, which fills our life with new energy and positivity. The spiritual significance of Navratri inspires us towards self-purification and self-realization, while from a scientific point of view it provides an excellent opportunity to improve body and mental health. (Read more here)

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