Navrātri
Navrātri is a holiday that represents a few different myths in Hinduism. But whether it’s Mā Durgā and Mahishāsur, or Rāma and Rāvana, at its core, Navrātri is always about good defeating evil. In my story, we see a very Gujarāti celebration of Navrātri. Garbā and Raas are traditionally celebrated in the North Indian state of Gujarāt. In this version of the mythology, a shape-shifting demon named Mahishāsur performs tapas, an intense form of meditation, to the gods for a thousand years, ensuring a god-given boon. When Brahmā appears before him, Mahishāsur asks for immortality. Brahmā, cleverly, allows that no man or god will be able to kill Mahishāsur.
Mahishāsur gains control of Earth and then sets his eyes on Heaven. He drives the deities out of their home, and in despair they go to the holy trinity of Vishnu, Shivā, and Brahmā. The three of them know they cannot defeat Mahishāsur, so they band together to create a physical manifestation of divine female energy. This is Durgā. Durgā battles Mahishāsur for nine days and nine nights (the word “Navrātri” literally means “nine nights”) before she kills him.
I chose Navrātri because it is my favorite Hindu holiday. It’s about community and being good to one another and accepting people into your space. It’s about celebrating the divinely feminine. And it’s about dancing into the night until your legs stop working.
—Preeti Chhibber