Maa Brahmacharini, 2nd Day of Navratri 2021; Important Rituals and Mantras

Maa Brahmacharini is the goddess worshipped by the devotees on the 2nd day of Navratri is one of the avatars of Goddess Durga. Goddess Durga is worshipped with great enthusiasm and dedication in nine forms and avatars on the nine auspicious days starting from Navratri.

The 2nd day of Maa Brahmacharini is a part of the festival Navratri celebrated all over India with the faith that Goddess Brahmacharini will shower blessing upon the devotees by providing them with a life filled with good luck and fortunes along with happiness and knowledge. Maa Brahmacharini is also believed as ruler of one of the planets i.e. Mars. In the name Brahmacharini, the word 'Brahma' means penance or punishment and 'Charini' means conduct and behaviour and Brahmacharini symbolizes as a goddess of knowledge, love, wisdom and loyalty.

As per Hindu mythology, it is strongly believed that Maa Brahmacharini is an avatar or form of Goddess Parvati who is not married and remains youthful. The Goddess is also called with another name Tapascharini because of her disrespectful behaviour toward Lord Shiva for which she has undergone various punishments for her next birth to be a daughter of a father who would honour Lord Shiva. The Goddess Brahmacharini is seen as appearing like a maiden girl wearing clothes white in colour, in her left hand holding water utensils and in her right-hand holds a Japa mala or rosary and she walks bare feet. The devotees on this particular day used the royal blue colour and dressed in it as the colour signifies energy and calmness.

The Goddess Brahmacharini is offered on this important day with jasmine flowers which is her favourite, sandalwood, akshat and roli and worshipers keeps pan and supari close to the idol of the goddess.

The practices of the day go with bathing the murti or Idol and washing it with a liquid called panchamrit which is a unique mixture of milk, ghee, honey, sugar and card. Performing aarti to goddess Brahmacharini is a very integral part in completing the rituals or vidhis, while performing aarti the devotees praying keep chanting some mantras by remembering the Navagrahas and Ishta Dev. Important mantras chanted by the devotees on the second day of the glorious festival Navratri to worship Maa Brahmacharini are Ya devi sarvabhuteu maa Brahmacharini rupea sansthita| Namastasyai namastasyai namastastya namo namah|| Dadhana Kara padmabhyama akamala kamaalu| Devi prasidatu maa brahmachariniyanuttama|| The mantras makes the day of a high significance as believers keep chanting them wholeheartedly with the hope of getting a blessing from the Goddess. Apart from the mantras the kathas also plays a major role as a part of the rituals in worshipping Goddess Brahmacharini.

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