On the third day of Navratri, Mother Divine takes the form of Chandraghanta. On her forehead is a crescent moon that looks like a bell in a temple. Therein lies the etymology of the name Chandraghanta – one who has a moon in the form of a bell.
Devotees pray to Devi during Navratri, and offer milk, sweets and kheer (pudding) while performing pujas (rituals).
Navratri falls between October 15th and October 24th in 2023.
Form of the Devi
Goddess Chandraghanta’s complexion is golden and She has ten hands. In many , she is holding weapons – trident, mace, spear, bow, arrow, discus and sword. In others , she is holding a lotus, sacred pot and a bell. One of her hands is in the blessing mudra.
On her forehead, She has a crescent moon shaped like a bell. Her third eye, also situated in the middle of her forehead, is always open. She is depicted riding a lion or tiger.
What Chandraghanta represents
Chandraghanta Devi is the epitome of beauty, charm and grace. She is the very embodiment of all the things we find beautiful in life. It is the energy of Mother Divine that attracts us. The open third eye signifies the awakening of consciousness. She blesses those who pray to her protecting them from harm’s way.
At the same time, her form is meant to evoke fear. As she wields multiple weapons, it symbolizes her readiness to go to war with demons. In other words, she helps eliminate our negative feelings, and fights injustice, misery, and suffering in the world. She is a symbol of bravery and courage as the lion (tiger – according to some depictions) she is riding represent.
So, the Devi may be benevolent and fierce at the same time, as the occasion demands.
Legend behind why Devi took the form of Chandraghanta
Parvati Devi, daughter of the mountain king, Himavan and Menavati, had done severe penance to attain Lord Shiva as her husband. At this time, Shiva, who had lost His first wife, Sati, had retired to the mountains, to mourn her.
However, He was impressed by Parvati’s steadfast devotion, and agreed to come out of His mourning, and marry her. Parvati was, in fact, Sati reincarnated.
However, when He visited Parvati’s house, His form was frightening. He had ash smeared all over His body, had matted hair, and wore a garland of skulls and snakes around His neck. His wedding procession was also terrifying with ghosts, ghouls and Aghoris accompanying Him, along with gods and sages.
Parvati’s family and friends were shocked on seeing this form of Lord, and his fearsome retinue. Consequently, many fainted. To protect her family, Parvati took on the equally frightening form of Chandraghanta to persuade Lord Shiva to appear in a more attractive and appealing form. Lord Shiva relented and appeared as a prince bedecked with jewels.
Confident with this form of the Lord, Goddess Parvati revived her family and friends, and married the Lord in a grand ceremony that we celebrate as Shivaratri every year.
In Varanasi, there is a temple for Ma Chandraghanta that devotees visit on pilgrimages.
Spiritual significance of Chandraghanta
Our mind continuously goes through a range of emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, excitement, and so on. It is similar to the moon’s changing phases, as it appears to vary its appearance every day through the waxing and waning process. So, our feelings and thoughts are like the moon – ever-varying.
Chandra means moon and ghanta means bell. So, Chandraghanta means bell of the moon.
If you think about it, the sound of a bell is the same no matter how you ring it. So, you get only one sound. It represents the oneness of the emotions, thoughts and energies within us. That is to say that all the forms of energy that arise within us emanate from one single Divine energy.
This teaches us that we should accept energies in all their various forms as they are all part of the Divine. Knowing this saves us from getting caught up in the cycle of feelings and takes us to an elevated sense of being.
Another connotation of the bell is that Devi used it as a sound of war – this sound evoked fear in the hearts of enemies. All our negative and depressing emotions are our enemies. So, praying to Devi can help us get rid of these adverse feelings within us.
Devotees pray to Devi for courage, happiness, and strength to overcome the trials and tribulations of the world.
You can watch Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s talk on Chandraghanta here.
Written by: Anusha Chellappa
Reviewed by: Nakul Dhawan
Based on Wisdom talks by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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