HINDU FASTS & FESTIVALS : 3-1-1.

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3. Durga Puja or Navaratri

1.The presiding Deity over Creation and Dissolution-1

Once you have accomplished your task on the negative side, that of breaking down the impure propensities and old vicious habits, the next step is to build up a sublime spiritual personality, to acquire positive qualities in place of the eliminated demoniacal qualities.

The divine qualities that Lord Krishna enumerates in the Gita, have to be acquired.

The aspirant must cultivate and develop all the auspicious qualities.

He has to earn immense spiritual wealth to enable him to pay the price for the rare gem of divine wisdom.

If this development of the opposite qualities is not undertaken in right earnest, the old demoniacal nature will raise its head again and again.

Hence, this stage is as important in an aspirant’s career as the previous one.

The essential difference is: the former is a ruthless, determined annihilation of the filthy egoistic lower self; the latter is an orderly, steady, calm and serene effort to develop purity.

This pleasanter side of the aspirant’s Sadhana is depicted by the worship of Mother Lakshmi.

She bestows on Her devotees the inexhaustible divine wealth or Deivi Sampath.

Lakshmi is the wealth-giving aspect of God.

She is purity itself.

Thus the worship of Goddess Lakshmi is performed during the second set of three days.

Swami Sivananda
To be continued  ....



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