Chaitra Navratri 2025:7 rituals and practices for divine blessings from Goddess Durga

Chaitra Navratri 2025: Chaitra Navratri celebrates Goddess Durga and her nine forms. The festival spans nine days, beginning on March 30 and concluding on Ram Navami, which marks the birth of Lord Ram, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. Each day, one divine form of Goddess Durga is worshipped.

This Navratri is celebrated in the first month of the Hindu calendar- Chaitra. It symbolises new beginnings with the blessings of the Goddess.

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In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Sundeep Kochar, Celebrity Astrologer, Motivational Speaker and Life Coach, shared some practices and rituals that you can observe for a spiritually fulfilling and prosperous Chaitra Navratri.

Here are the rituals and practices as shared by the astrologer:

1. Intention purity (sankalp)

Setting a definite, clear, and pure intention sets the tone for a meaningful Navratri celebration. The power of thought and intention becomes greatly amplified during this period, as Dr Kochar puts it. Start the festival with a Sankalp-it's a resolution in which you commit to changing something toward the positive in life, whether it be in health, relationships, or even spiritual growth. This concentrated intention is supposed to align your energies in tune with the divine forces.

2. Fast or follow restrictions in diet

Navratri fasting is not about dieting; fast and spiritual cleansing; these are the two elements of Navratri fasting. According to Dr Kochar, it could be better yet signified by a sattvic diet, comprising fruits, dairy, nuts, and vegetables, and making no grains, onions, garlic, or processed foods. Make sure it is according to the individual's capacity and will not strain health. Cleanses the body, and fast gives inner peace and clarity.

3. Daily Puja

Start your day with a prayer or mantra chanting that ties you well with blessings from Goddess Durga. Offer flowers, light a diya during the evening and do Aarti. For invoking the protective energies of the goddess, chant "Durga Stotra" or "Chandi Path".

4. Nine nights significance

Nine nights are dedicated to devotion associated with different forms of the goddess who represent Navratri celebrations. According to Dr. Kochar, one should duly honour each of these forms and worship accordingly. The first three days will be dedicated to Goddess Durga, who is signified by the power of negating negativity and ignorance. The next three days are all about the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi, which gives wealth, prosperity, and spiritual abundance. Finally, three days are focused on Goddess Saraswati, who grants wisdom and knowledge. You can offer prayers each day to prayers, the reading of holy texts, or the chanting of specific mantras for the deities' glory.

5. Keep your house clean

A clean house is a sign of a clean mind. Keeping things clean brightens the abode with divine emanation. Dr Kochar adds that cleaning is to be perceived on a big scale, which also includes oneself-cleaning one's mind and spirit. Negative energies cloud the flow of spiritual vibrations.

6. Kanya Pujan

Kanya Pujan, a ritual of worship on the eighth or ninth day of Navratri, finds girls coming to your home to be worshipped as manifestations of Goddess Durga. According to Dr. Kochar, it is an act of showing gratitude and respect for the Mahashakti within the universe. Treating them to eatables, clothes, and gifts becomes an offering for blessing and prosperity.

7. Practice meditation and awareness

To increase the spiritual connection during Navratri, Dr. Kochar suggests that meditation should be practiced daily. Meditation calms the mind and relieves stress, helping in the awareness of spirit. Very simple techniques such as taking one's attention to the breath or giving our awareness to chanting a mantra allow us to raise the level of consciousness to witness and participate in the divine much more.

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