Navratri is divided into sets of three days to adore three major aspects of the supreme goddess. For the first three days, the goddess is separated as a spiritual force known as ‘Durga’ also known as ‘Kali’ in order to destroy all impurities present in the human form.
In the next three three days, the Mother Goddess is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, or ‘Lakshmi’, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth, as she is the goddess of wealth.
The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the goddess of wisdom, ‘Saraswati’. In order to have all-round success in life, believers seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship.
Eighth day is traditionally Durgashtami. During Dussehra, the effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakarn, and Meghanad are burnt to celebrate the victory of good (Ram) over evil forces on the ‘Vijaya Dashami’ day.
Major Forms of the Mother Goddess
