2nd day of Navratri: Know Who Is Brahmacharini Devi And What Is Her Significance
The second avatar of the Navdurga, Brahmacharini Devi, is the metaphor of utmost devotion and patience. The meaning of the word “Brahmacharini'' is a devoted female who possesses sacred knowledge only.
Navratri is the festival that honours the feminine divine power, Navratri, is a major Hindu festival that is celebrated over a period of nine nights and ten days across the globe. The legends associated with this festival are very auspicious.
The first one being the end of denim Mahishasur by Durga Maa and Ram killing Ravana, who kidnapped Devi sita, and thus signifies the victory of good over evil. These nine nights end with Dussehera, also called Vijayadashmi. In these nine nights, the nine manifestations of Maa Durga- Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidhatri are worshipped.
The second avatar of the Navdurga, Brahmacharini Devi, is the metaphor of utmost devotion and patience. The meaning of the word “Brahmacharini” is a devoted female who possesses sacred knowledge only. The goddess is worshipped on the second day of the joyous festival Navratri. The goddess has a famous bhramacharini temples in Banaras/Varanasi.
According to the narratives, Devi Sati, reborn as Parvati, wanted to marry mahadeva. But since she was a princess, when her parents got to know about this, they discouraged her, but she did not give up and did tapasya for approx 5000 years to please mahadeva.
As per the legends, a demon named Tarkasur had a boon that he could only be killed by the son of Shiva, and because of this, he had created fear and chaos over the humans. So, the gods also approached kamadeva- the god of desire and attraction to make Mahadeva fall for parvati. But in vain, mahadeva burned kamdev. Then also, Brahmacharini Devi did not lose hope and patience and continued her tapasya and started living the life of a yogin.
Shiva also tried to discourage her personally, but seeing her dedication, he finally accepted her. Such is the story of Brahmacharini devi, who holds a japa mala (rosary) in her right hand and Kamandal, a water utensil in her left hand and carries white clothes. Love, loyalty, wisdom, and knowledge are signified through this goddess and she governs the planet Mars and is said that Chrysanthemum flower is her favourite.
The goddess is also adored by the names Tapascharini, Aparna and Uma. The brahmacharini mantra is “Om Devi Brahmacharinyai Namah”. It is chanted to worship her and also, for the longevity of the family members, the goddess is offered sugar by the devotees. The goddess is always shown to be barefooted.