07 Oct Navratri: The significance of nine
Her Holiness Sri Jayanthi Kumaraswami shares why the number nine is significant especially during Navratri:
“Navratri is for the worship of Shakti; the female principle of divine energy. Nav means nine and ratri means night.
Why are these nine nights important? The Universe has nine planets, our body has nine holes, and humans operate through nine different gunas, called navarasas. This Universe came into existence out of the movement of the nine planets. Likewise, we get the capacity for action through the nine holes in the body, as well as the nine navarasas. The planets and holes of the body are connected to give Shakti; which is energy. And the human body functions through this.
Navaratri is meant to worship that Shakti in the form of woman. Only a woman bears the Universe. Only a woman bears the fetus in the womb. Even though a man also has nine holes in the body, only a woman can feed the baby through the holes of her body. Therefore the importance of nine days for womanhood is because she alone can open that particular hole. What man cannot do is made possible by a woman. Only a woman brings out a child. We have nine days celebration to give importance to every detail of the greatness of Shakti. Dashami is indicative of nine months pregnancy and delivery on the tenth month. Usually the woman delivers the child on the tenth month. Dashami is to celebrate that success. It is to thank women for her ability to open the hole in the universe. Nobody can find what is behind the Sun. But the woman clears and shows the hole.” -Sri Jayanthi Kumaraswami, 2013
Tamil Nadu’s Bommai Kolu
“During this celebration, we keep an exhibition of different dolls or bommai, in Tamil, on nine steps. This is to encourage devotion, discipline and to show the importance of worship. The dolls depict the various divine epics and the images and imagination that exist in our minds. The dolls are displayed to give importance to creation and life; Gods, humans, trees, animals etc.” -Sri Jayanthi Kumaraswami
Here are some clicks of Swamiji’s bommai kolu which She has been doing since Her childhood:
The dolls displayed on nine steps.
