Spellbinding stories
- POSTED ON: 12 Oct, 2018
- TOTAL VIEWS: 25815 Views
- POSTED BY: Bhavya Venkatesh | Video: Jagadish Kumar TPM
- ARTICLE POINTS: 150 Points
Mythology abounds in tales of courage and valour where good triumphs over evil. How did the Navaratri celebration come about? Watch this video story to discover the legend behind the festival.
Blue lotus
Here’s a Navaratri legend that is closely associated with the Ramayana. We know the story of how Lord Rama battled with the demon king Ravana in Lanka. It is said that before starting for the battle, Lord Rama wished to get the blessings of Goddess Durga. The puja required 108 blue lotuses, but Lord Rama could gather only 107. He decided to offer one of his eyes, which resembled a blue lotus. Just when he was about to do this, Goddess Durga appeared and granted him her blessings. Lord Rama emerged victorious in the battle, killing Ravana on Vijaya Dashami.
Worship of weapons
As the story in the Mahabharata goes, when the Pandavas lost the game of dice to the Kauravas, they were forced to live in exile in a forest for 12 years, after which they had to spend one year in disguise. If they were seen and recognised in the last year, they would have to go into exile once again. The Pandavas decided to go in disguise to the kingdom of Matsya. Before going there, they wrapped their divine weapons in a cloth and kept it on a branch of a shami tree. Their last year in exile was over, and they were able to retrieve their weapons on Vijaya Dashami, after worshipping them. This corresponds to the present-day tradition of worshipping the implements that are a part of our lives on the ninth day of Navaratri.
Illustrations: Sreejith R. Kumar