Sharad Navrātri
DAY TWO - MON 16 OCT
the way of yajna & Goddess Brahmacharini
All dharmic principles and right living recommendations of Vedic tradition can be easily summed up as treating all life, including yourself, as sacred. This requires recognising certain duties and responsibilities to the whole of life, and being conscious and compassionate in all that we do. All of this is summed up under the Vedic term Yajna, meaning sacrifice, worship, consecration, offering.
Yajna is a synonym for divinity, as the sacred ground of existence. Yajna is another name for Yoga, which is an inner Yajna or offering of our minds and hearts to the sacred presence within and around us.
Our whole life becomes Yajna.
We have a primary duty to the Divine Mother. Part of this duty consists of worship of the Divine in some manner, which means creating a channel for Divine energies to come into our world through our effort and aspiration. A happy mind and harmonious life-style is rooted in honoring the sacred nature of all existence. It requires that we are open to the presence of the sacred in every moment, as the very nature of consciousness in the universe.
Our lives should be based upon a recognition of the sacred nature of all life, which naturally brings more depth into our life experience. This means honouring every day, each thing and every creature in the universe and affording each it its own sacred space that we do not interfere with.
We have a karmic debt to the Divine Mother simply just for being alive in this body for it is a gift and a blessing! There is a force that is beating our hearts and moving our breath, and that force is Her. Our lives should be an honouring, celebration and worship of the whole of life, not a separative action for our own personal benefit only. We are but waves in a greater ocean and the root of our being resides in the depths of the sea, one with all. We rise and fall with the whole and are ever supported by it.
It is the subtlest of the subtle. She manifests in all of life; love, sleep, hunger, desire, confusion, pain. All of it is Her. Her Shakti is the pure creative force behind the entire manifestation, the field of which beauty arises.
JAI MAA
NINE DAYS, NINE AVATARS
2. Brahmacharini
Devi Brahmacharini is the second form among the nine divine forms of Mother Durga worshipped on the second day of Navarātri .As the name symbolises, she is the one who observed deep penance to marry Lord Shiva. The Goddess signifies love, affection and fidelity. She is believed to be the storehouse of divine wisdom and intellect.
The mighty goddess adorns white clothes and holds rosary, rudraksha, Kamandalu, and lotus bloom in her hands. All these symbols represent peace, momentum and a flourishing aura.
Goddess Brahmacharini was the daughter of Himalayas and incarnated to merge with her divine beloved Lord Shiva. Under the guidance of Narada Muni, she did extreme Tapasya to attain Lord Shiva. This aspect of the Goddess teaches us to sacrifice our lower nature and achieve perfect control of our senses which is essential to attain the supreme state of unmatched bliss and moksha (ultimate freedom).
“Knowing” means containing or restricting something. Can you contain infinity? If you contain infinity then it is no longer infinity. Brahmacharini means one who is present and moves in the infinity. She is energy that is not stagnant or inert but moving in infinity.
Devi Brahmacharini invites us to master our lower mind. This requires radical self honesty. To truly master ourselves, we first must learn to separate from all that is unhelpful or irrelevant to our evolution. To separate from it, you must become aware of it. Awareness is freedom.
I use Navaratri as a moment in the manifestation to dig deep into my karmas; to be honest with myself (with compassion) and understand where and when the density of my lower mind is keeping me stuck. The whole nine days is the process of becoming ‘unstuck’, with the cosmic nurturance of Shakti.
Tread with grace and with trust. Allow the blessings of the Devi to carry you through.
With love,
Kris x
Ritual
Ritual is a way for us to be in relationship with the Divine and a way for us clear our karmic debt simply just by being alive. Being in this body is a divine blessing from the Divine Mother and a great responsibility. Ritual is considered Yajna; offering, worship, sacrifice and opens a doorway for the cosmic energies of the Devi to enter our world.
With all puja, there are 5 elements:
1. Preparation - light your ghee lamp or candle, take your seat. Light the incense. Prep and clear the space.
2. Purification - purify Durga with water, the altar and then yourself (dip your fingers in the bowl and flick it)
3. Invitation - open with the Ganesh mantra Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha once. Ganesh is envoked whenever we sit puja, to remove any obstacles that could obstruct our prayer or evolution.
4. Union - Brahmacharini mantra (see below) any amount of times (can be chanted 108 times with mala for a longer ceremony)
5. Offering - offer her a leaf, flower. water or fruit, or all 4.
The main ingredient is devotion. Don’t worry about ‘getting it right’. This is a goal oriented tradition, not a ‘way’ oriented tradition.
Brahmacharini Mantra
ॐ ह्रीम श्री ब्रह्मचारिणी दुर्गायै नमः |
Aum Hreem Brahmacharini Durgaye Namaha
Self-study questions
How can I honour the sacred in my daily life?
What unhelpful habit or tendency am I ready to let go of? What is keeping me stuck?
Do I do things that I know aren’t good for me, but I do them anyway? Why do I think that is?
If you have any questions, please email me at kristin@kristinspenceyoga.com