‘Navratri' means the ‘nine nights'. ‘Nava' means ‘nine', and ‘ratri' means ‘night'.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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) when you turn inward towards your source. It is the time of the year to spend with yourself, nurturing and rejuvenating yourself through prayers, chants, meditation, fasting, and other spiritual practices, and coming out feeling refreshed, renewed and creative.
This is the significance and the true spirit of Navratri.
Navratri is celebrated to glorify the spirit in us. The spirit in us alone can destroy all 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.
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 the creation that are enriched at this time of the year. These energies enhance and assist the experience of going inwards, making prayer, chanting and other spiritual practices more fruitful.
What to do during Navratri?
Navaratri when literally translated to English means nine nights. Night is the time for relaxation and rejuvenation of the mind and the body. If we don't rest at night, it becomes hard to carry on with our activities the next day, isn't it? Similarly, Navratri is the resting time for the spirit in you. It is the time when you withdraw yourself from all sense activities (eating, talking, watching, touching, listening, smelling), and rest in yourself. This withdrawal from all sense activities takes you deeper within yourself which is the actual source of bliss, joy and enthusiasm in our lives.
Most of us don't get to experience this because we are constantly engaged in some activity or another. We are constantly engaged with the mind. Navratri is the time to withdraw from the mind, and rest in the spirit, or soul. It's the time to feel your soul!
So this Navratri, take the opportunity to transition from the gross material world to the subtle spiritual world. To put it simply, take some time off from your day-to-day activities and entanglements and focus on yourself. Think of your origin, of who you are and where you have come from. Go within, and rest in the remembrance of the love of the Divine Mother.
We are connected to this universe, to some power that makes this whole creation happen. This power is filled with love. The whole creation is filled with love. Navratri is the time for you to realize that you are loved, and rest in this feeling of love. When you do this, you come out feeling stronger, wiser, rejuvenated, refreshed and harmonious.
The way to feel your soul
Now, the way to transition to the spiritual world, or make the journey to the inner self is through Silence, Fasting, Chanting, and Meditation.
- Silence
What stops you from experiencing inner peace is your mind thinking about this or that. Keeping silence for some time can help bring rest to the chattering mind. When the mind is quiet, you experience such deep rest, peace, and clarity. This in turn enhances your ability to express yourself much better. So take out some time to observe silence, as it is one of the ways to clean the mind.With silence, the mind becomes sharper, you become more aware of what you are speaking, and your intuition also becomes stronger.
- Fasting
Fasting is done to detoxify the body. Specific food has a specific effect on the body, and also the quantity of food consumed affects the body. Fasting is done to cleanse the body by eating the right kind of food in the right quantity.The body and the mind are very intimately connected. So when the body is purified through fasting, the mind is also purified. And a pure mind is calm and peaceful. So this Navratri, fast with a little bit of fruit and water, or small quantities of easily digestible food to keep the body light and you will see the difference it makes to your mind.
- Chanting
Chanting the ancient Mantras, or even listening to them has a transforming effect on the mind. It helps calm the mind and purify the mind.It helps calm and purify the mind. If you observe closely, after listening to or chanting mantras, more positive thoughts arise in your mind, and a lot of the negative thoughts disappear.Listening to or chanting mantras reduces agitation, enhances positive communication, brings clarity in the mind, and augments positive emotions. There are many more benefits to Mantras, but one of the most important benefit is that they bring refinement to our consciousness. Mantras are sounds that are charged with energy. Most words have energy associated with them. If someone insults you with a word that is not very pleasant, it has an effect on your mind. And when someone praises you and calls you beautiful, or kind, that uplifts something in you.Mantras are very ancient sounds that carry a deep and transformational energy with them. And since the same Mantras have been used for thousands of years, these sounds have gained much power.
- Meditation
Meditation takes you deep into your own being. It helps you transcend the mind and go beyond it. It is the pathway to feel your soul. So this Navratri, make it a point to meditate every day.Meditation also makes your body strong, health better, mind clear, and your emotions become softer and positive. It also improves your intuitive ability, improves your vibrations, and brings positive energy around you. And if you do meditation in a group, it becomes a Yagna. When done in a group, the benefits are multiplied as the group consciousness has the power to elevate you faster.
In our day to day lives, we get so caught up in different activities, and there are all kinds of noises that are constantly going on in our minds, such as bickering, judgments, etc. Navratri is a time to overcome these tendencies and unite with the source.
www.artofliving.org/navratri
