The Arrival Of Maa Mahagauri On 8th Day Of Navratri

The Story Of Maa Mahagauri

Navratri is one of the traditional and auspicious celebrations in the Hindu religion. It is celebrated over a period of 9 evenings and 10 days, even though the northern and western parts of the nation are known for Dussehra. It is also known as Durga Puja in the eastern states of India.

Here, each day of the celebration is devoted to the nine avatars of Goddess Durga. The first day of celebration of Navratri begins with Maa Shailputri and is followed by worshipping Maa Chandraghanta, Maa Kushmanda, Maa Katyayani and the other avatars of Maa Durga.

On the eighth day of Navratri, prayers and offerings are given to the eighth form of the Navdurga. There is a belief that Goddess Mahagauri governs the planet Rahu which is considered a malefic planet. This year the eighth of navratri will be on Thursday, October 10, 2024

She is also known as Vrisharudha because she is depicted on a bull. Maa Mahagauri is shown to have four arms — one of them with the weapon Trishul. Her second hand has a damaru; the third one is shown in Abhaya Mudra, while the fourth one is in Varada Mudra.

Worship Of Maa Mahagauri: The Eight Incarnation Of Shakti

The eighth day of Navratri is devoted to the incarnation of Maa Mahagauri. The word ‘Maha’ implies extraordinary, and the word Gauri means ‘brilliant or reasonable’, thus the title Mahagauri.

She is compassionate, caring and is known to satisfy the most profound wants of all her aficionados. It has been accepted that Maa Mahagauri eliminates the pain and sorrow of her devotees.

Eliminate all your pains and challenges by performing Maa Mahagauri Puja on the 8th day of Navratri. To know auspicious Muhurat timings, Talk to Experts!

Legend And Origin: The Saga Of Mata MahaGauri

As per Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva went into profound atonement and reflection due to the passing of his, to begin with, a companion – Devi Sati. Lord Shiva denied to come out of his contemplation and remained absent from all common undertakings for numerous years.

Meanwhile, an evil spirit named Tarakasura was creating a disturbance in heaven. Devtas worshipped Maa Durga, and later on, Devi Sati was reincarnated as Maa Shailaputri, the daughter of the Himalaya. She is also known as Maa Parvati. It was said that she would bring Lord Shiva out of his contemplation, and their child would kill Tarakasura. One day, Sage Narada arrived at Maa Parvati’s doorstep and told her everything around her past birth.

He told her that she had to perform extreme Tapasya (compensation) so that Lord Shiva could get to know about her past life. Maa Parvati concurred and gave up all the comforts and extravagances of her royal residence. Before that, she went into a forest and started her devoted atonement. Thousands of years passed, but Maa Parvati did not give up. She denied eating or drink anything amidst the cold, the downpours and the storms.

She turned pale and became very weak. Due to extreme Tapasya, Maa Parvati lost all her powers. At last, Lord Shiva took note of her atonement. He indeed tried her dedication and realized that she was his Sati from the past birth.

Lord Shiva finally agreed to marry Mata Parvati. Since she had ended up powerless, Lord Shiva chose to cleanse her. He asked the sacred waters of Ganga streaming through his hair to drop onto Maa Parvati. This holy water washed all the impurities from Maa Parvati’s body, and she was able to regain her power and brilliance.

The Eighth Day Of Navratri: Amalgamation of Power and Brilliance

Due to her gleam and extraordinary brilliance, Maa Parvati came to be known as Mahagauri. She wears a white dress, rides a white-coloured bull, and has four arms. She holds a Trishul (trident), a lotus, and a drum in each of her hands. At the same time, she works with her fourth hand to favour all her devotees.

Maa Mahagauri speaks to the virtue and internal excellence of every living being. She could be an adoring Goddess who takes care of her devotees and makes a difference by overcoming their troubles as well.

Significance Of Maa Mahagauri Puja

It has been believed that worshipping Mata Mahagauri will eliminate all your sorrows and pains from your life. As she administers the malefic planet Rahu, asking her to evacuate the planetary absconds and an individual will be favoured with development and joy in life. Usually, Maha Ashtami is considered as a day when devotees ought to implore for evacuation of sufferings from their lives.

Concluding Part

To adore Maa Mahagauri on Durga Ashtami, aficionados offer her white flowers, especially jasmine, and recite the above-mentioned mantras.

On this auspicious day, a feast is organized for nine little girls (Nava Kanya) and a little boy on the Ninth day or Maha Navami after performing Kanya and Kanjak Puja. This feast is popularly known as Kanjak Prasad which is served as bhog.