1. Nava-ratri" literally means "nine nights." This festival is observed twice a year, once in the beginning
of summer and again at the onset of winter.
What's the Significance of Navratri?
During Navaratri, we invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the universal mother, commonly
referred to as "Durga," which literally means the remover of miseries of life. She is also referred to as
"Devi" (goddess) or "Shakti" (energy or power). It is this energy, which helps God to proceed with the
work of creation, preservation and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless,
absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything. Truly speaking, our worship of
Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed.
It is always there.
Why Worship the Mother Goddess?
We think this energy is only a form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and all of us a re her
children. "Why mother; why not father?", you may ask. Let me just say that we believe that God's
glory, his cosmic energy, his greatness and supremacy can best be depicted as the motherhood aspect
of God. Just as a child finds all these qualities in his or her mother, similarly, all of us look upon God
as mother. In fact, Hinduism is the only religion in the world, which gives so much importance to the
mother aspect of God because we believe that mother is the creative aspect of the absolute.
Why Twice a Year?
Every year the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important junctures of
climatic change and solar influence. These two junctions have been chosen as the sacred opportunities
for the worship of the divine power because:
(1) We believe that it is the divine power that provides energy for the earth to move around the sun,
causing the changes in the outer nature and that this divine power must be thanked for maintaining
the correct balance of the universe.
(2) Due to the changes in the nature, the bodies and minds of people undergo a considerable change,
and hence, we worship the divine power to bestow upon all of us enough potent powers to maintain
our physical and mental balance.
Why Nine Nights & Days?
Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme goddess. On the
first three days, the Mother is invoked as powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our
impurities, vices and defects. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual
wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible
wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the mother as the goddess of
wisdom, Saraswati. In order have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects
of the divine mother; hence, the worship for nine nights.
Why Do You Need the Power?

2. Thus, I suggest you join your parents in worshipping "Ma Durga" during the Navaratri. She will bestow
on you wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge, and other potent powers to cross every hurdle
of life. Remember, everyone in this world worships power, i.e., Durga, because there is no one who
does not love and long for power in so
The Strange Bird with Two Heads
Once upon a time, there lived a strange bird
with two heads, facing opposite directions. The
two heads used to fight and argue with each
even for very simple reasons. While they shared
the same body, the two heads behaved like
rivals! The strange bird lived in a big banyan
tree, along the bank of a river.
One day, while flying over the river, one head of
the bird found a beautiful tree with a fruit in
bright red colour. One head of the bird wanted
to eat the fruit and the bird flew down to pick
the fruit from the tree.
The bird plucked the sweet smelling fruit and sat
by the banks of the river and started eating it.
The fruit was eaten by one head, which saw the
fruit from the sky. The head that ate the part
praised the fruit so much as the fruit was very
tasty.
While eating, the other head, asked the first head, ‘Can you give me a piece to taste it?’
The first head said ‘See, we are having only one stomach. So even If I eat in my mouth, it will go
into our stomach.’
The other head asked ‘But I wanted to taste the fruit. You should give me.’
The first head replied in anger ‘I only saw the fruit and I have the right to eat it without sharing with
anyone.’
The depressed second head, became very sad, and went silent.
A few days later, while the bird was flying, the second head saw a beautiful pink fruit in a tree. It
flew down near the tree and was trying to pick the fruit and eat it.
The other birds living in the tree said “don’t eat it. It is a poisonous fruit.” It will make you die.
The first head shouted, ‘Don’t eat it. Don’t ea t it’. However the second head did not listen to the
first head.
The second head said, ‘I will eat it, because I saw it’. The first head shouted, ‘Please don’t eat it. We
will all die.’

3. The second head, ‘Since I saw it, I have the right to eat it. It will go to our stomach only.’
The fruit was eaten by the second head and in a few minutes, the strange bird with two heads
died!!!!
AVOID QUARREL IN A FAMILY
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he Tree and the Travellers
There was a big tree more than hundred years old
located in the middle of a dry land. It gave rest
and shelter to hundreds and thousands of
travellers. The tree was located at the centre of
four different towns, act as a connection point of
all towns and villages in the nearby area. However,
except the big old tree, there was no other tree
that can offer rest to the people. The tree has a
huge and broad trunk with innumerable branches
which spread the shadow covering a wide space.
One day, two travellers were travelling from a
distant place and tried to reach a town located at
the east of the tree. They were walking for several
miles on a hot and sunny day. They started their journey from early morning and it was almost mid
noon. The sun was too hot and they could not walk anymore due to the heat. They were completely
exhausted! Fortunately, they reached the place where the tree was located.
They were very happy to see such a big tree with breezing wind. They decided to take rest under
the tree. They slept for some time happily enjoying the soothing cool breeze of the tree.
They felt hungry and one of the travellers decided to climb the branches to see whether the tree has
any fruit. Since it is not a fruit-bearing tree, the traveller was disappointed.
He started cursing the tree owing to his hunger. ‘Oh, this is just a useless tree and it has nothing to
feed us, not even a fruit or even nuts! It is of no use!’
The other traveller composed him and asked him to stay cool. However, the traveller was so angry
due to hunger and cursed the tree.
The tree, which could not tolerate the cursing words of the traveller, in a sad yet strong voice, ‘You
can’t be so ungrateful to me. Just look back at the condition when you reached here in the hot and
dry sun! I offered you cool and comfortable place to rest and sleep with soothing breeze. If I’m not
here when you are very tired you would have died now! I saved your life from the hot sun, but you
humiliate me!’
The traveller realized his mistake and apologized to the tree.
Every creation of God has innumerable benefits to the mankind. There is good in

4. everything and we often fails to notice the good! Also, don’ t badmouth the one who
helped you.
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