The first day of Navratri is dedicated to the Durga Shailputri aspect of Goddess Shakti. ‘Shail’ means mountains or rock and ‘putri’ means daughter. She is worshipped on October 15, 2023 during Sharad Navratri. She is worshipped on March 22, 2023 during Chaitra Navratri. Generally, Shailputri is associated with Goddess Parvati. She is usually considered as the first Durga among the Navadurgas or Nine Durgas. In many places, the first three days of Navratri is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga. In some regions, the first day is also dedicated to Amba. Shailputri is generally depicted as two-armed and carries a trident and lotus. Her mount is a bull. In her previous incarnation, Shailputri is believed to be the daughter of the king of Mountains, Himalaya. This is one of the very first forms of Shakti and is closely associated with Lord Shiva. She has influence over Chandra or Moon God. Thus she can influence the mind of a devotee.  The direction associated with

Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji is the 36 th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetam. His thoughts about God and Sanatana Dharma as found in an interview published in the magazine titled ‘Fostering A Timeless Philosophy.’ God is the supremely intelligent ultimate cause form which the entire universe has emerged, in which the universe exists, and into which the universe ultimately dissolves. We proclaim that God is omnipresent. Everything we see or feel is only a form of God, gross or subtle. This is the real concept of God. Sanatana means ‘eternal.’ Dharma is a word that defies exact translation into English or perhaps into any other language. It can be said to mean “the values of life that sustain.” Therefore, Sanatana Dharma means the religion based on the eternal values of life. It is popularly known as Hinduism today. This religion does not depend on the historicity of one person. It is based on eternal truth, principles and values of life that hold good for all peop