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Navratri Quotes - Thoughts and Quotes on Navratri Festival

This is a collection of Navratri Quotes. The thoughts and quotes explain the importance and religious significance of the Navratri Festival. 

During the nine nights of Navratri, Devi is worshipped in all Her names and forms each of which has a special significance. We remember a sandalwood tree by the memory of its perfume. Each name and form of the Devi refers to a specific quality or attribute of the Divine. By remembering the form or by chanting the many names of Devi, we enliven those qualities in our consciousness and they manifest in us according to the need.

The Divine Mother Devi is the womb of all Creation. She is the seed of all dynamism, radiance, beauty, equanimity, peace and nourishment. She is the life force energy.

The Divine Mother has unconditional and infinite love for Her children, that is, every being in entire Creation.

(Source excerpts of an article written by 

The theme of the entire Vedas is reflected in the Navratri festival: Purify the mind and remove all negativities; cultivate positive virtues; gain spiritual knowledge and transcend limitations. This is the real victory – the dance of joy – ritualistically performed at night, to signify our spiritual awakening.

At Navratri time, the Rasa dance (dance of joy) of Sri Krishna and the gopis is also performed. As the mind becomes purer, calmer quieter, and more cheerful and greater understanding is gained, do we not feel happier? Similarly, the Rasa dance is the dance of joy and realization. (Swami Tejomayananda)

During Navratri festival, for the first three days Goddess Durga, for the next three days Goddess Lakshmi and for the last three days Goddess Saraswati are worshipped. "Durga sarva Durg', meaning Durga removes all obstacles and defects (durgunas). Lakshmi bestows the internal or divine wealth of virtues or divine qualities. Then upon the mind that is purified thus after the first six days of worship, Saraswati bestows divine Knowledge (dnyan).

We hope that Navratri festival is celebrated with such a divine motive and that may the Mother Goddess’s grace, acquired during this Navratri celebration remove all obstacles and enlighten our lives internally and externally. The more each individual progresses thus, the more progress will occur in society and nation evolution.

"If we celebrate the festival with objective of divine wealth then we will get an experience of supreme Bliss (Anand) and the desire for worldly (inferior) pleasures will automatically start reducing, leading to our true Liberation. May the Mother of the Universe (Matrushakti or Divine Mother) give inspiration and serenity to all to celebrate this festival appropriately and may it benefit all of us." (H. H. Swami Viditatmanand)

Thoughts and Quotes on Navratri Festival



During Navratri, Goddess Durga is invoked first to remove impurities from the mind. The Goddess Lakshmi is invoked to cultivate the noble values and qualities. Finally, Saraswati is invoked for gaining the highest knowledge of the Self. This is the significance of the three sets of three nights when all these three are gained subjectively, and then there will be Vijayadasami, the day of true victory. – Swami Tejomayananda of Chinmaya Mission


…is celebrated in various parts of India in different styles. But the one basic aim of this celebration is to propitiate Shakti, the Goddess in Her aspect as Power, to bestow upon man all wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge (both sacred and secular), and all other potent powers. Whatever be the particular or special request that everyone may put before the Goddess, whatever boon may be asked of Her, the one thing behind all these is propitiation, worship and linking oneself with Her. There is no other aim. This is being effected consciously or unconsciously. Everyone is blessed with Her loving mercy and is protected by Her. – Swami Sivananda

Quotes from Devi Mahatmya

Before the Lord’s Beauty worldly beauty becomes nothing; wonderful, beautiful forms appear like dead bodies.

Think of my Mother, my Mother’s Beauty (Goddess Shakti) illumines the whole world.
See it if you have the eyes to see.

A fragment of Thy beauty makes beauty beautiful.

Salutations to the Mother, to thee Who manifests Thyself as all beauty, because of Whose presence the beautiful appears to be beautiful.

Salutations, salutations, salutations to thee!

Symbolic Meaning and Spiritual Importance of Navratri – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in this article explores the symbolic meaning and spiritual importance of Navratri.

What is the meaning of Navaratri? Ratri, "ra" means giving solace. Solace from three types of problems, that is "tri" - physical, ethereal and causal. Ratri relieves you and puts you to sleep. No animal needs to worry at night. Whether happy or unhappy everybody goes to sleep. In Sanskrit, words are connected to the meaning.

Navaratri has two meanings - “New Night” and “Nine Nights”. It takes nine months for a child to be born. The child rests in the womb during this period. Similarly in Navaratri you get back to the Self - self referral. Dip into yourself and then you come out with more creativity and be victorious. Negative forces - craving and aversion - get relief from all these. Go to the source of energy. 

Craving and aversion are two asuras (demons) like "Madhu" and "Kaitabha". Then there is also "Raktabijasura", that which is in your genes. "Rakta" means blood, "bija" means seed. Raktabijasura is like gene in the blood. Sometimes your behaviour is not in your control - it's in your genes, Raktabijasura. Medication and meditation are required to tackle Raktabijasura. When such energy comes to you, transformation happens, the genes change. 

Then there is "Mahishasura" - dullness. Dullness like a buffalo. You need "Shakti" (energy) to deal with this. When Shakti comes, inertia is lifted out. "Shumbha" and "Nishumbha" - doubting on everything. "Shumbha" means doubting oneself and "Nishumbha" means doubting others. Doubting at every step. These days people are so busy. Mind is so clogged, so occupied, no time to think of oneself. If someone insults you, don't think it as intentional.



"Chanda" and "Munda". Chanda means opposite head. Chanda will oppose anything you say. One who cannot agree with anything. "Munda" does not have a head at all. Whatever you tell them, it will all go in air. Then there is "Dhumralochana", "Dhumra" means smoke and "lochana" means eyes – smoky eyes. They see everything hazy. 

All this is due to lack of Shakti. When you are full of energy and enthusiasm none of these rakshasas (demons) can come in you. 

The nine days of Navratri are also an opportunity to rejoice in the three primordial qualities that make up the universe. The first three days of Navratri are attributed to tamo guna, the second three to rajo guna and the last three to sattva guna. Our consciousness sails through the tamo and rajo gunas and blossoms in the sattva guna of the last three days. Whenever sattva dominates in life, victory follows. The essence of this knowledge is honoured by celebrating the tenth day as Vijayadashami. 

By worshipping the Mother Divine during Navratri, we harmonise the three gunas and elevate sattva in the atmosphere. Though Navratri is celebrated as the victory of good over evil, the actual fight is not between good and evil. From the Vedantic point of view, the victory is of the absolute reality over the apparent duality. 

The Mother Divine or the pure consciousness itself pervades all the forms and has all the names. Recognising the one divinity in every form and every name is the celebration of Navratri. Hence, special pujas honouring all aspects of life and nature are performed during the last three days.

Symbolism in the Killing of Demons by Goddess Durga – Swami Sivananda

In the nine days Lila of the Supreme Goddess is illustrated the process of the overcoming of the dark and blind powers of the lower nature by the splendid and intelligent powers of the higher nature. This Great War marks the life of both the objective and the subjective sides of the created universe.


Vidya Shakti always gains an upper hand and everywhere there is a transcendence of the limitations and imperfections characteristic of Jivahood and Asurahood by the divine Jnana-shakti. True knowledge pierces through every quarter and cranny in its work of vanquishing unconsciousness or ignorance together with its train of effects, desire and selfish action.

In the Devi Mahatmya or the Saptashati, Devi is described as the mass of the effulgent energy of the gods, headed by Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. This Shakti is released when the Devas begin to complain to these higher powers.

The sense energies presided over by intelligences, which are symbolized by the Devas together with their ruler Indra, the mind, when they are oppressed by the demonical forces of passion, anger, malice, etc., of a destructive nature, begin to feel acutely their humiliation in the forms of the pains of life and resort to the higher nature for help.

At once, the Divine Principle within, reveals itself in its tremendous dignity of the power of consciousness and in its unifying absoluteness of truth and puts an end to the tempestuous life of animalism and all that is undivine or that which be longs to the realm of Avidya.

Vijayadashami is the crowning day of the success of Vidya Shakti over the negative nature of nescience.

- Swami Sivananda

Source: Excerpts from an article published in the October 2007 edition of the magazine published by Divine Life Society. 

Thoughts on Devi Worship – Swami Sivananda

Prostration to the Mother of the universe! The Navaratri celebrations and worship of Devi have purified the whole atmosphere. Let me relate to you the importance and the significance of the worship of Devi.

Devi in her aspects of the creative, the preservative and the destructive powers of the universe, is the Chidrupini Shakti, the eternal energy of God who is Satchidananda.

Devi worship or Durga Puja is the adoration of the Divine Mother of all things, who bears the seed of the universe in her imperishable womb, the Mahad-Brahma.

Devi is the consciousness power or the Chaitanya Shakti, the glory of the Supreme Sovereign of the universe made manifest to the manifested Jivas in the world of creation.

As the creator, the preserver and the destroyer of the universe are but one God appearing in three forms, so the power which is inseparable from God appears in its three fold aspect.

Even as a person here is known from his characters and powers, God is revealed in his Shakti which is the sum total of all knowledge, will and action, visible and felt as well as invisible and beyond comprehension. The whole universe is Shakti. It is all power or energy.