On the second day of Navratri, we worship Goddess Durga in the form of Brahmacharini. The word Brahmacharini signifies celibacy.On the second day of Navratri, we worship Goddess Durga in the form of Brahmacharini. The word Brahmacharini signifies celibacy.
Rightly so the Goddess is depicted as a hermit and she carries a rudraksha Mala and Kamandalu in her hands.
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Goddess Brahmacharini was the daughter of Himalayas and incarnated to merge with her divine beloved Lord Shiva. Under the guidance of Narada Muni, she did extreme Tapasya to attain Lord Shiva. This aspect of the Goddess teaches us to sacrifice our lower nature and achieve perfect control of our senses which is essential to attain the supreme state of unmatched bliss and moksha (ultimate freedom).
Especially for people who have weak Mars or Mars as their Atma Karaka or who have Mangal Dosha in their horoscope or who are running Mars Dasha/Antardasha worshipping Goddess Brahmacharini can spark the qualities of sacrifice, devotion, and self-restraint. Self Restraint is what we call the “Yamas” – Code of Conduct as prescribed by Sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras.
The 5 Yamas are
- Ahimsa (Non-Violence)
- Satya (Truthfulness)
- Asteya (Non-Stealing)
- Brahmacharya (Bringing the senses under control)
- Aparigraha (Non-Possessiveness)
On a higher level, Mars directs us to the yogas of knowledge and energy, and gives self-discipline and asceticism. A strong and spiritual Mars is good for the practice of rituals and yogic techniques, methods of directing occult and spiritual energies.
– David Frawley
The secret meaning of Brahmacharini
“Knowing” means containing or restricting something. Can you contain infinity? If you contain infinity then it is no longer infinity. Brahmacharini means one who is present and moves in the infinity. She is energy that is not stagnant or inert but moving in infinity.
This is a very important thing to understand – one is movement and the other is the presence. This is what Brahmacharya means. Brahmacharya means not indulging in small things, not getting stuck in small limited things but indulging in the whole. Celibacy is also said to be synonymous with Brahmacharya because in that you are dealing with the greater whole and not with limited parts. Lust is always in parts, it is the localized movement of consciousness. So, Brahmacharini is the consciousness that is all-pervading. – Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
The mantra that you can chant to Honor Goddess Brahmacharini is
“Aum Hrim Shri Brahmacharini Durgaye Namaha.”
You can find this mantra on Japa108 app that you can download from Japa108.com and we invite you to take part in our Navratri Japa Challenge.