Happy Navratri IFians (Winners pg 11) - Page 9

Posted: 1 years ago

Congrats Shibani, Priya and dipihp👏

Posted: 1 years ago

Those are all interesting myths. Congratulations to all three winners!


Did anyone else submit missing facts? To encourage everyone to share, I will offer my own contributions below.


Missing Fact about Śailaputrī:

Her mother Menā worshipped the Goddess every day for twenty-seven years before the Goddess appeared before her and agreed to be born as Śailaputrī. Source: Śivapurāṇa, Rudrasaṃhitā, Pārvatīkhaṇḍa Chapter 5.


Śailaputrī = "mountain's daughter" is a synonym of Pārvatī = (daughter) "of the mountain."


Usually (according to Kālikāpurāṇa for example), the personal name of Śailaputrī/Pārvatī is given as Kālī, meaning that she was born with black skin. There is a myth about Śiva teasing her after marriage, whereupon she performed tapas and transformed herself into Gaurī with fair skin. However, according to Devīmāhātmya, Pārvatī was originally Gaurī and transformed herself into Kālī by releasing her body-sheath (kośa) as Kauśikī to fight Śumbha and Niśumbha.


Missing Fact about Brahmacāriṇī:

One myth is that Menā had three daughters performing tapas, of whom Aparṇā who did not even eat leaves was the eldest; the second daughter who ate one leaf after a long time was Ekaparṇā; the third daughter who ate one trumpet-flower after a long time was Ekapāṭalā. Ekaparṇā was the wife of the hermit Asita and mother of Asita Devala, whose daughter Saṃnati was the queen of Brahmadatta of Pañcāla. Ekapāṭalā was the wife of the hermit Jaigīṣavya and mother of Śaṅkha and Likhita who lived by the river Bāhudā in the time of King Sudyumna.


Missing Fact about Candraghaṇṭā:

There is a myth that when Śiva married Pārvatī, one of the wedding rituals was a game of dice between them. Śiva staked whatever he had: his bull Nandin, his snake-bracelets, his garland of skulls, his elephant-hide loin-cloth, the crescent moon crown ... and Pārvatī won it all from him, leaving Śiva in his naked form, Digambara. The moon-fragment - candra-khaṇḍa - that the Goddess won for her own use is present in her name Candraghaṇṭā. Finally, Śiva staked and lost himself, and had to allow Pārvatī to occupy half of his body, resulting in Ardhanārīśvara.


Missing Fact about Kūṣmāṇḍā:

In the Jain religion, there is also a mother goddess Ambikā who is called Kohaṇḍī (Kūṣmāṇḍī or Kumbhāṇḍī), who rides a lion and protects devotees of Nemi-nātha, the saviour who lived in Kṛṣṇa's time, before Pārśva-nātha and Mahāvīra. Kohaṇḍī belongs to the class of divine beings called Kūṣmāṇḍa or Kumbhāṇḍa, a species of goblins similar to Yakṣa or Piśāca.


The word kūṣmāṇḍa has several meanings: pregnancy as well as incantation, illusion, and deceit.


The nine forms of Durgā represent nine aspects of a woman's life: daughter (Śailaputrī), student (Brahmacāriṇī), newlywed (Candraghaṇṭā), pregnant (Kūṣmāṇḍā), mother (Skandamātṛ), protector (Kātyāyanī), destroyer (Kālarātri), mystic (MahāGaurī), and wise elder (Siddhidātrī).


Missing Fact about Skandamātṛ:

Representing blissful motherhood with Skanda as her child, Skandamātṛ counterbalances the Mātṛ-gaṇa, the group of Mother Goddesses associated with Skanda, who are responsible for different causes of fetal and childhood morbidity and mortality. Worship of these Mother Goddesses was thought to ward off illness and ensure survival into adulthood.


In the myth narrated in Āraṇyakaparvan of Mahābhārata, when Skanda was born, the Gods feared that he would subjugate them, and so Śakra sent the Mothers of the World to kill him. Sensing that Skanda was impossible to harm, the Mothers instead asked him to accept them as his Mothers.


Then Śakra threw his vajra at Skanda, and the impact produced several boys (Kumāra) and girls (Kanyā) who are Skanda's children. The girls asked Skanda to make them Mothers of the World, and he agreed that they could be both malevolent and benevolent.


After Skanda's marriage to Devasenā, the wives of six sages among the Saptarṣis, who had been divorced because Svāhā had impersonated them to conceive Skanda from Agni, pleaded with Skanda to protect them from the false accusation that they had given birth to him. They also wished that he would be their son. Skanda accepted them as his Mothers too, and they became the constellation Kṛttikā (Pleiades), by whose name Skanda is known as Kārttikeya.


Skanda also accepted Vinatā, the mother of birds, as his Mother, as she wanted to stay with him always and receive food from him. He promised that her daughter-in-law (Devasenā) would honour her.


The new Mothers of the World who were Skanda's daughters had secretly wished that he would be their son. They now approached him with their wish, and he accepted. Next, they demanded, "Let the earlier Mothers of the World lose their place, and let us have it. We should be worshipped by the World, and they should not. They stole our progeny, and we want it back." Skanda replied that he could not restore their taken progeny, but he could grant them other progeny. The Mothers said, "We want to eat the progeny of those earlier Mothers of the World." Skanda granted them that progeny, but asked them to protect it instead, and only cause harm up to the sixteenth year of human life. By this rule, Skanda and the Mothers staked their individual claims (graha) and sub-claims (upagraha) upon children. People began to worship the various Mother Goddesses to stay away from their children.


Missing Fact about Kātyāyanī:

The grammatically correct mantra for Kātyāyanī would be ॐ देव्यै कात्यायन्यै नमः - Oṃ Devyai Kātyāyanyai Namaḥ. Namaḥ means the act of bowing to someone; therefore, the nouns Devī and Kātyāyanī should both be declined to the dative case: Devyai = to the Goddess, and Kātyāyanyai = to Kātyāyanī. The nominative case देवी - Devī has no place in the mantra.


Missing Fact about Kālarātri:

Nidrā = Sleep is identified with Kālarātri in Harivaṃśa 40.26-34:

या ह्येषा गह्वरी माया निद्रेति जगति स्थिता ।

अकस्माद् द्वेषिणी घोरा कालरात्रिर्महीक्षिताम् ।।

yā hy eṣā gahvarī māyā Nidre'ti jagati sthitā

akasmād dveṣiṇī ghorā Kālarātrir mahīkṣitām

There is such a mysterious magic present in the world as Sleep, who is hostile without cause, the horrific Night of Time for guardians of the earth.

अस्यास्तनुस्तमोद्वारा निशादिवसनाशिनी ।

जीवितार्धहरी घोरा सर्वप्राणभृतां भुवि ।।

asyās tanus tamo-dvārā niśā-divasa-nāśinī

jīvit'ārdha-harī ghorā sarva-prāṇabhṛtāṃ bhuvi

Her body has orifices of darkness. She wastes nights and days. Horrific, she steals half the lives of all that draw breath on earth.

नैतया कश्चिदाविष्टो जृम्भमाणो मुहुर्मुहुः ।

शक्तः प्रसहितुं वेगं मज्जन्निव महार्णवे ।।

n'aitayā kaścid āviṣṭo jṛmbhamāṇo muhur muhuḥ

śaktaḥ prasahituṃ vegaṃ majjann iva mahārṇave

Yawning over and over, no one entered by this one is able to oppose her impact, as if sinking in a great ocean.

अन्नजा भुवि मर्त्यानां श्रमजा वा कथंचन ।

नैशा भवति लोकस्य निद्रा सर्वस्य लौकिकी ।।

annajā bhuvi martyānāṃ śramajā vā kathaṃcana

naiśā bhavati lokasya Nidrā sarvasya laukikī

Born of food for mortals on earth, or born of whatsoever exertion, Sleep of the night is common for the entire populace.

स्वप्नान्ते क्षीयते ह्येषा प्रायशो भुवि देहिनाम् ।

मृत्युकाले च भूतानां प्राणान्नाशयते भृशम् ।।

svapn'ānte kṣīyate hy eṣā prāyaśo bhuvi dehinām

mṛtyu-kāle ca bhūtānāṃ prāṇān nāśayate bhṛśam

For those with bodies on earth, generally, this one just dissipates when dreams end. And at the time of death for beings, she suddenly removes their breaths.

देवेष्वपि दधारैनां नान्यो नारायणादृते ।

सखी सर्वहरस्यैषा माया विष्णुशरीरजा ।।

deveṣv api dadhār'aināṃ n'ānyo Nārāyaṇād ṛte

sakhī sarva-harasy'aiṣā māyā Viṣṇu-śarīrajā

Even among the Gods, none holds this one except Nārāyaṇa. This friend of Death who steals everyone is a magic born of Viṣṇu's body.

सैषा नारायणमुखे दृष्टा कमललोचना ।

लोकानल्पेन कालेन भजते भूतमोहिनी ।।

s'aiṣā Nārāyaṇa-mukhe dṛṣṭā kamala-locanā

lokān alpena kālena bhajate bhūta-mohinī

She is the same one seen on Nārāyaṇa's face, with lotus-eyes, visiting the populace for a brief time and befuddling beings.

एवमेषा हितार्थाय लोकानां कृष्णवर्त्मना ।

ध्रियते सेवनीयेन पतिनेव पतिव्रता ।।

evam eṣā hit'ārthāya lokānāṃ kṛṣṇa-vartmanā

dhriyate sevanīyena patine'va pati-vratā

So, for the sake of welfare of the populace, this one is held by him of black movement, like a married woman by her approachable husband.

स तया निद्रया छन्नस्तस्मिन्नारायणाश्रमे ।

शेते स्म हि तदा विष्णुर्मोहयञ्जगदव्ययः ।।

sa tayā Nidrayā channas tasmin Nārāyaṇ'āśrame

śete sma hi tadā Viṣṇur mohayañ jagad avyayaḥ

He, unspent Viṣṇu, hidden by that Sleep in that Nārāyaṇa Retreat, indeed lay only then, confusing the world.


The grammatically correct mantra for Kālarātri would be ॐ देव्यै कालरात्रये नमः - Oṃ Devyai Kālarātraye Namaḥ. Namaḥ means the act of bowing to someone; therefore, the nouns Devī and Kālarātri should both be declined to the dative case: Devyai = to the Goddess, and Kālarātraye = to Kālarātri (not कालरात्र्यै - Kālarātryai because the name Kālarātri ends with a short i, not a long ī). The nominative case देवी - Devī has no place in the mantra.


Missing Fact for MahāGaurī:

In fantasy stories written in India over a thousand years ago, MahāGaurī is a Goddess whose favour gives Vidyādharas (wizards) their magical powers to fly, change shape, locate missing people, fight supernatural battles, and create illusions. In both Bṛhatkathāślokasaṃgraha (written by Budhasvāmin in Saṃskṛta) and Vasudevahiṇḍi-Majjhimakhaṇḍa (written by Dharmasena Gaṇī Mahattara in Māhārāṣṭrī Prākṛta), a male who aspires to wield the power of MahāGaurī must dress as a woman.


The grammatically correct mantra for MahāGaurī would be ॐ देव्यै महागौर्यै नमः - Oṃ Devyai MahāGauryai Namaḥ. Namaḥ means the act of bowing to someone; therefore, the nouns Devī and MahāGaurī should both be declined to the dative case: Devyai = to the Goddess, and MahāGauryai = to MahāGaurī. The nominative case देवी - Devī has no place in the mantra.


Missing Fact about Siddhidātrī:

Apart from the eight magical powers, Siddhi simply means Success. Success in any ordinary undertaking, such as playing sports, or attainment of any goal, such as graduation from school, can be regarded as Siddhi, the blessing of Siddhidātrī. As the last of the nine forms of Durgā that represent different aspects of a woman's life, Siddhidātrī signifies the wisdom of elders who have lived their lives well and fulfilled their obligations.


The conchshell, discus, mace, and lotus in Siddhidātrī's hands identify her as Viṣṇu in female form. There is a myth that Viṣṇu, unable to find the lower end of the pillar of fire that was Śiva, and being granted his wish of eternal devotion to Śiva, took birth as Satī and Pārvatī. In another myth, Viṣṇu's female incarnation as Mohinī united with Śiva to give birth to Ayyapaṉ. Just as the Ardhanārīśvara-rūpa unites the male (right side) and female (left side) aspects of Śiva and Śivā, the Harihara-rūpa unites Śiva (right side) and Viṣṇu (left side) - two deities sharing one body. Siddhidātrī's appearance erases the dichotomies (dvandva) of female/male and Viṣṇu vs. Śiva, as expected in a state of enlightenment.

Posted: 1 years ago

Thank yo so much you guys🤗 I couldn't wait to read your posts and then go down the rabbit hole searching for more info.😆

The badge looks gorgeous!❤️

Posted: 1 years ago

Congratulations Shibu Priya & Dips! 🤗

Posted: 1 years ago

Thank you everyone guys 🤗. The badge looking amazing ❤️

congratulations shiba and dip 🥳

Posted: 1 years ago

Congratulations Priya, Shibani and Dips.

Posted: 1 years ago

Congratulations Shibu, Priya and dipihp!! Well deserved!! 👏


Thank you to you and the other CC members so much for putting in so much of efforts to find out and share these new facts about Navdurgas. I am late, but got to learn so much from this thread. Stay blessed! 😊

Posted: 1 years ago

Thank you so much everyone 😆

Congratulations to Priya and Shibani 🥳


Thank you for this super informative game and the beautiful badge Shreya 

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