Brahmacharini Mata is an incarnation of Mother Goddess
Shakti and is also one among the Navdurgas – nine avatars of Goddess Durga.
Goddess Brahmacharini is worshiped on the second day of the Navratri (September
– October). ‘Brahma’ here refers to the meditative aspect of
Brahmacharini and is always depicted as pious women or Sannyasin. She performs
Tapas or intense austerities for the welfare of her devotees and for rule of
Dharma on earth.
Brahmacharini Mata is two-armed and carries a rosary and
sacred water pot (Kamandalu).
She is associated with the pious form of Goddess Shakti. She
is believed to be that aspect of Mother Goddess, which was present in Sati and
Parvati, when they both did intense austerities to get Mahadev Shiva as
husband.
Legend has it that Goddess Shakti did penance for 1000 years
just consuming fruits. She then continued the penance for 3000 years consuming
only leaves that fell from trees. Goddess Shakti got the name Brahmacharini
Mata after performing such intense tapas or austerities.
She performed these austerities for the welfare of the
living beings in the universe. Creation had come to a standstill with Shiva
showing no interest in worldly life. First as Sati and then as Parvati, she
undertook harsh austerities and succeeded in changing the ways of Mahadev
Shiva.
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