7th day of Navratri!
The Omnipresent, Omniscent, Omnipotent Jagat Janani!
Divine Shakti manifests as the power to be conscious, to feel ecstasy, the power of desire, to know, and the power to act.
Whatever is offered in devotion with a pure heart -- a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water -- Maa accepts with joy!
Day7
Goddess Kalaratri
The seventh form of the NavaDurga is the ferocious Goddess Kalaratri, who destroys ignorance and removes darkness from the universe. Devotees believe that the regular chanting of the Kalaratri mantra can remove all the fear from the heart and make them bold and self-confident. Any kind of evil or malevolent force is destroyed by chanting the incredibly powerful Kalaratri mantra. The Goddess also bestows peace and stands as a shield protecting her devotees. Yogis and occult practitioners chant this mantra to attain mystic powers.
KNOW YOUR GODDESS
Origin/Birth: She is the fiercest and the most ferocious form of the Mother Goddess. During the devastation created by the demons, Shumbha and Nishumbha Goddess Parvati took the avatar of Kalaratri Devi to destroy them.
Etymological Meaning:The Goddess of the Night. She is also referred to as the one who is the death of time. This form primarily depicts that life also has a dark side – the violence of Mother Nature that encompasses death and destruction.
Worship Day:7th day of Navratri
Planet: Saturn
Flower To Be Offered: Krishna kamal
Color Associated: Grey
Hymn/ Mantra: Om Devi Kalaratryai Namah ॐ देवी कालरात्र्यै नम
Also Known as:Goddess Shubhankari as she possesses tremendous powers; it is said that she licked the blood of demon Rakta Beeja, who had the potential to create more demons from his own blood.
Form/Appearance: Of dark black complexion and riding a donkey, She is depicted with four hands. Her right hands are in Abhayamudra and Varadamudra. She carries a sword and deadly iron hook in her left hands.
To seek Her divine grace, we bring to you a composition by one of the greatest 18th century ‘Shakta’’ poets of Bengal and yogi, Kamalakar Bhattacharya. A sadhak whose complete surrender to Maa Kali infused his poetry with heroism and an impassioned appeal, imploring the Goddess to destroy limitations and bondage. ( Maa Kali is often depicted as the great destroyer of ignorance and hostile forces). The poems of Kamalakanta were later sung by the mystic Sri Ramakrishna Paramhans, who would descend into ecstasy, madness, and frenzy as he contemplated and sought the Divine Mother.
The composition “Amaar Sadhna Mitilo’’ is immortalized by Pannalal Bhattacharya, a famous Bengali singer and also a great devotee of Maa Kali. The genre of this lyrical composition is called ‘ Shyama Sangeet’’ in Bengali, deriving its name from the dusky complexion of the Goddess. Shyama Sangeet conceptualizes Goddess Kali as a loving human mother and the singer longs for The Mother's love. The popularity and connect of these songs stems not just from the devotional nature but also due to their human appeal. They are free of the common and somewhat rigid rituals of worship, the esoteric practice of the Tantra, and are just sublime umbilical chords.
Kamalakar Bhattacharya in this song indicates the futility of desire and explains the hardships he had gone through in order to get rid of. He is tired of alienation and the lovelessness prevalent in society and seeks to escape this world, praying to Goddess Kali to give him shelter.
In a hauntingly sweet voice, in total surrender, replete with hope, tinged by an existential angst Pannalal Bhattacharya calls out to the Divine Mother, seeking her help and protection. That poignant pathos, that longing in his voice transcends any linguistic barriers to those listening...one experiences the same primordial yearning... signaling a return to the blessed peace of The Mother’s womb.
Listen to it here :https://youtu.be/MlMCDUKkKik