October 1, 2016 (Saturday)
The first day of Navratri is the day to worship goddess “Shailputri” one of the nine forms of goddess. The first day of the festival starts with Ghatasthapna, which means that the followers are required sow the seeds of grains in a clay pot that signifies the presence of Goddess Durga in home. The person, who had taken initiative to sow the seed, is required to take care of it twice daily by sprinkling water for growth purpose.
This year in 2016, the first day of Navratri is on October 1 and dedicated to Goddess Shailputri, who is also a form of Mother Nature.
About Goddess Shailputri:
The meaning of “Shailputri” is, Shail means the Mountain and the Putri means the Daughter of Mountain. Well, Goddess Shailputri was the daughter of Himavan (a Mountain Range). She was the younger sister of Goddess Ganga, who has been brought to Earth by King Bhagirath. Talking about her lifestyle, she was fascinated with the idol of Lord Shiva and worshipped it devotedly to win the love of the Lord. On this auspicious day, the devotees tend to wear yellow color as a symbol of ultimate devotion to the Goddess.
The worshipped deity, Goddess Shailputri, is said to wear grey colored saree and holds a Lotus flower in one hand; while, waving other hand for giving blessings. Seated on a bull named Nandi, she happens to preach peace by warning off the evils from the world. A deity so pious and so beautiful, Shailputri always made sure that justice was served. By awakening spiritualism in a person, the Goddess enlightens the soul of her devotees.
First Day of Navratri Rituals/Worship:
First day of the Navratri is to do sthapana of Goddess at home and invoke goddess to enter at home. Get the detailed information on how to worship goddess Shailputri on the first day of Navratri.
In order to start the Puja on the first day, it is essential to put a flower garland around the photo of the Goddess and take a bowl or metallic Diya holder for lightening the lamp. Some people lighten the lamp twice in a day; while, many like to lighten the lamp continuously for 9 days. In the second condition, the care has to be taken by the people of the family to put Desi Ghee regularly in the bowl. Indeed, the preparations have to be made properly to let the custom continue without difficulty.
At the first step, the bowl should be filled more than half with Desi Ghee and one has to put small Swang rice pieces in it. Then, the Moli or holy thread in red color should be taken long enough to continue for 9 days. Further to this, the silver Chhatar should be placed in the bowl and the thread needs to be passed out of the middle hole in the Chhatar and lit with “Agni”. In order to protect the lamp-light, the devotees also make use of metal cover with holes in it. As the preparations get complete, one has to start reading Durga Saptshathi with one chapter every day. All these moments make the entire home pious on the very first day of Navratri.
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