Many Hindus celebrate the nine nights dedicated to the Goddess Durgā twice a year; in spring and autumn. In the east of India, it is mainly only the autumn celebration that is very important. Surinamese and Dutch Hindus also worship the Goddess during the nine nights (Navarātri) in spring. For some people, spring Navarātri is the main celebration of the Goddess.
What is the meaning of Navarātri? Most religions are familiar with the idea of God as father and creator of the cosmos. Hinduism is probably the only remaining world religion in which God is also regarded as mother and creator of the cosmos. The first complete description of the Mother Goddess, simply called Devī, can be found in the ‘Glorification of the Goddess’, the Devīmāhātmya, a sacred text in Sanskrit in thirteen chapters. In it, we hear about who the Goddess is: namely, the source of the universe and the universe itself; and about the great deeds of the Goddess. She ultimately helps those who call upon Her out of need.
The Devīmāhātmya describes three acts (caritas) of the Goddess in Her three aspects of Mahākālī (great Kālī), Mahālakṣmī (great Lakṣmī) and Mahāsarasvatī (great Sarasvatī). In Her first aspect, she helps Lord Visṇu to defeat two very powerful demons, Madhu and Kaiṭabha, who threaten God Brahmā and thus destroy the cosmos. God Brahmā, in his need, calls upon the Goddess who then gives Viṣṇu the opportunity to defeat the two demons. In Her second aspect of Mahālakṣmī the Goddess appears as Durgā (‘Difficult to approach’) to defeat the demon Mahiṣāsura (Buffalo Demon) after an intense battle and duel to restore the cosmic order. The third and longest story of the Devīmāhātmya is about Mahāsarasvatī, the Goddess in Her third aspect. After many long and intense battles with the armies of the demons, she finally defeats their two leaders: Śumbha and Niśumbha.
Although the stories are told realistically, they contain a lot of profound symbolism and refer both to the activity of the Goddess in the great cosmos and Her activity in the microcosm of each individual human being. The three aspects of the Goddess are Her unimaginable cosmic forces, energies, and śakti. Mahākālī symbolizes the Goddess’s power of absolute tranquillity, the night preceding a new manifestation of the universe. Mahālakṣmī is the Goddess’s creative primal force, the power of movement and the maintenance of the cosmos by constantly restoring order. Her third form, Mahāsarasvatī, is the power of balance and purity. But other interpreters say again that the highest form is Mahālakṣmī and that Mahākālī and Mahāsarasvatī are forces that originate from Mahālakṣmī. Exactly how the relationships lie is perhaps less relevant for the moment than the more general thesis that the Goddess in all Her various aspects and forms (there are infinitely many of them) always maintains the order of the cosmos.
She is not only a nurturer and protector of the cosmos, She is also the object of personal devotion, bhakti, for Her believers. Devotion to God as the Mother is stronger and more intimate than to God the Father. In Devīmāhātmya there is a eulogy that says, among other things, that the Goddess is present in all living beings as their consciousness, their intellect, but also their sleep, hunger, shadow, thirst, modesty, compassion… There is no emotion or characteristic of consciousness of which the Goddess is not a part. She is everywhere and She is everything, including in our own consciousness and our bodies: ‘Homage and homage to the Omnipresent Goddess; She is in all living beings and controls their senses and the elements (objects of the senses) Devīmāhātmya 5:77.
What can we do with this in these times of crisis and pandemic? The promise that the Goddess will help her devotees is beautiful in itself, yet such a faith does not offer enough help. It is remarkable that in the long hymn of praise to the Goddess in chapter five of the Devīmāhātmya the Goddess is invoked in Her omnipresence. She is also the intellect, the mind, that every being carries within her, including every human being. By helping each other and really assisting in need, we bring the help of the Goddess to those who need it. If the Goddess is everywhere and in everything, then veneration of Her in a visible form is especially effective when we venerate, i.e. help, our fellow human beings.
The current pandemic won’t go away on its own. Its spread is not a natural disaster like an earthquake or a tsunami. Ultimately, the pandemic is partly caused by human ignorance and human negligence. Human effort is therefore needed to keep the consequences of this pandemic as manageable as possible. It is a ruthlessly hard fact that the pandemic makes no distinction between people. Anyone can become infected, but anyone can also take real precautions. The power of logical thinking and science help in this, these are also aspects of the Goddess. Let us hope that many people will be wise. And above all, let us be thankful for the exceptionally courageous efforts of social workers, medical specialists and emergency services.
Summary
Among the various philosophies, one that has for centuries promoted as its core value worshipping Bhagavān (God) in the form of Mother, is Hinduism. Especially in Spring and Autumn, Surinamese and Dutch Hindus worship the Goddess, Devī, in a festival that lasts nine nights. There are two other Navarātri also, known as Gupta-Navarātri, which are mostly observed by special sādhanas. The Sanskrit Devīmāhātmya narrates the Goddess’s three deeds (charita) of preserving and re-establishing the order in the cosmos after it was disturbed by demonic forces. The Devīmāhātmya instructs and uplifts the devotees of the Goddess. In a famous hymn in this text, the Goddess is lauded for Her omnipresence. She lives in every conscious being as consciousness and other mental states but She is also the source of their material bodies. In these days of pandemic we could best worship the omnipresent Goddess by helping and assisting those in need. And we should be grateful to science and medical staff for the services they render to humanity. After all, science and knowledge are prime aspects of the Devī.
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