Devi Skandamata

Devi Skandamata : In her form as mother of the God of War, Lord Skanda(also known as Kartikeya), she is known as Goddess Skandamata.

Day of worship: 5th day of Navratri

Governing planet: Mercury

Mantra: Om Devi

SkandamatayaiNamahॐदेवीस्कन्दमातायैनम

Iconography: Goddess Skandamata mounts the ferocious lion. She carries baby Skanda in her lap. Lord Skanda(also known as Kartikeya or Lord Murugan) is the brother of Ganesha. Goddess Skandamata is depicted with four hands. She carries lotus flowers in her upper two hands. She holds baby Skanda in one of her right hands and keeps the other right hand inAbhayamudra. She sits on a lotus flower and because of that, is also known as Goddess Padmasana.

Special powers: Devotees who worship this form of the Mother Goddess get the added benefit of blessings of Lord Skanda, the God of War(also known as Kartikeya).

(To be continued tomorrow)
@bhawanasomaaya
My previous posts can be visited on the following link :
http://bhawanasomaaya.blogspot.in

Devi Kushmanda

Devi Kushmanda : After taking the form of Siddhidatri, the Mother Goddess started living within the Sun thereby liberating the Sun’s energy to the universe. Since then, this form of the Goddess has been known as Kushmanda, namely for her power and capability to live inside the Sun. The glow and radiance of her body is as luminous as that of the Sun.

Day of worship: 4th day of Navratri

Governing planet: Sun

Mantra: Om Devi KushmandayaiNamah ॐदेवीकूष्माण्डायैनम

Iconography: Rides on a lioness and has eight hands. She holds a kamandalu, Dhanush, Bada and Kamal in her right hands. Her left hands hold Amrit Kalash(pot of nectar), japamala(prayer beads), Gada and Chakra – in that order.

Specific power: She created the universe in the flash of her smile and is believed to bestow siddhis(supernatural powers) and niddhis(wealth) to her devotees.

(to be continued tomorrow)

@bhawanasomaaya

My previous posts can be visited on the following link:

http://bhawanasomaaya.blogspot.in

In the Hindu mythology Durga is the Mother Goddess and is known by a variety of names – including Devi, Shakti, Adi Parashakti and Parvati. The Navdurgas are the different forms of Devi.

The Navdurgas are the manifestations of the Mother recognized by the governing planet, iconography(in the form of a mount, number of hands and items held), mantra for invocation (usually repeated 108 times at each sitting during the period of Navratri), dedicated day of Navratri worship and respective prayers (pratharna, stuti, dyan):

Shailaputri Devi

Devi Shailaputri: It is believed that after self-immolation in her form as Sati, the Mother Goddess took birth as the daughter of Lord Himalaya. In Sanskrit, Shail means “the mountain”, due to which this form is known as Shailputri, the daughter of the mountain.

Day of worship: 1st day of Navratri

Governing planet: Moon

Mantra: Om Devi Shailaputryai Namahॐदेवीशैलपुत्र्यैनम

Iconography: She rides a bull, carrying a Trishul (trident) in her right hand and a lotus flower in her left hand.

Brahmacharini Devi

Devi Brahmacharini : After the Kushmanda form, the Mother Goddess took birth at the home of Daksha Prajapati, as his daughter, Sati, who was born to marry Shiva. This unmarried form of the Mother Goddess is worshipped is called Devi Brahmacharini.

Day of worship: 2nd day of Navratri

Governing planet: Mars

Mantra: Om Devi Brahmacharinyai Namah ॐदेवीब्रह्मचारिण्यैनम

Iconography: Walks on bare feet, carrying a japa mala in her right hand and a kamandalu in her left hand.

Chandraghanta Devi

Devi Chandraghanta: Is the married form of the Mother Goddess following on from Devi Shailputri and Mahagauri. After getting married to Shiva, Goddess Mahagauri started adorning her forehead with a half-moon(Chandra) shaped like a bell(Ghanta) due to which, she became known as Goddess Chandraghanta.

Day of worship: 3rd day of Navratri

Governing planet: Venus

Mantra: Om Devi Chandraghantayai Namah ॐदेवीचन्द्रघण्टायैनम

Iconography: Goddess Chandraghanta mounts the tigress. She wears the semi-circular moon(Chandra) on her forehead. The half-moon on her forehead looks like the bell (Ghanta) and hence, her name. She is depicted with ten hands. Goddess Chandraghanta carries Trishul, Gada, sword and kamandalu in her four left hands and keeps the fifth left hand in Varadamudra. She carries a lotus flower, arrow, Dhanush and Japa Mala in her four right hands and keeps the fifth right hand in Abhaya Mudra.

Special powers: This form of the Mother Goddess is ready for war with all her weapons, to protect the peace and welfare of her devotees.It is believed that the sound of the moon-bell on her forehead drives all types of spirits away from her devotees.

(to be continued tomorrow)

@bhawanasomaaya

My previous posts can be visited on the following link:

http://bhawanasomaaya.blogspot.in

Saku

Begum Jaan

Ekjute founded by Nadira Zaheer Babbar, a veteran of National School of Drama is among the most reputed theatre groups in Mumbai celebrating 35 years of glory. A festival titled Rang Parwaaz Mahotsav launched on 24 September will go on till 2 October at Prithvi Theatre. A delighted Nadira Babbar said on the occasion, “Theatre came into my life 48 years ago, Ekjute is not just my theatre group but my best friend, a friend who has inspired me, encouraged me, supported me and lend me my identity”.

For the next few days catch the best of theater world at Prithvi Theaters featuring workshops, platform performances and a variety of plays to choose from which includes Sakubai, Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan, Jhumru and Jhumri.in, Hirkani Burj,Yumrajji Kuch Kariye, Begum Jaan, Dayashankarki Diary and Sandhya Chaya.

I have shortlisted three plays I plan to watch are Salaam 1950s Ke Naam about the writer director Nadira Zaheer Babbar’s love and admiration for the cinema of 1950s.This mega musical is her way of telling a tale which is not alien to the audience and in fact is a walk down memory lane for those who’ve grown up watching films of that era.

Jaise Sookhe Huey Phool Kitaabon Mein Milein is an interesting tale about a Library being bought by a builder to raise a mall. The books are on sale and enters Anjali Mathur into the library to buy these books. Seeing her passion for books, the authors suddenly come alive and want to recite their creations to the professor.Footnotes of Life – Haashiye Zindagi Ke…is about seemingly random events, involving personal relationships or chance meetings with strangers, impermanent but interesting.

Jhumru Jhumri

@bhawanasomaaya

My previous posts can be visited on the following link:

http://bhawanasomaaya.blogspot.in

Kajol and Ajay at Google headquarters

While on their visit to the US for the promotions of Shivaay, the Devgn’s made a stopover in the San Francisco Bay Area (California) and visited the Headquarters of Google and Facebook. Being a gadget freak himself and given the advanced use of technology in his upcoming movie Shivaay, Ajay was really looking forward to these visits but what was special was that Kajol was accompanying him. The couple was given a tour of the Google and Facebook offices and a demo of the cool oculus device (virtual reality headset).  That was the moment Kajol was convinced to come on to the social media, in this case the Facebook. She had resisted the move all this while but now there was no holding back. She was now ready to register on Facebook officially and to make it memorable picked a date she would always remember, mother, Tanuja’s birthday.

The couple visited New York, Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco for promotions and while Kajol was impressed with the effect of technology and Ajay felt proud of the Indians holding important positions globally.

@bhawanasomaaya

My previous posts can be visited on the following link:

http://bhawanasomaaya.blogspot.in