Kalaratri is the seventh form of the goddess Durga, who is worshipped on the seventh day of Navaratri, the nine-night festival of the Hindu goddess. Kalaratri means “the dark night” or “the night of death” and she is the most fearsome and powerful aspect of Durga. She is also known as Shubhankari, meaning “the one who does good”, as she bestows auspiciousness and courage to her devotees.
Kalaratri has a dark complexion, three eyes, and four arms. She holds a curved sword and a hooked vajra in her left hands, and shows the gestures of protection and boon-giving in her right hands. She rides on a donkey or a lion or a tiger, and wears a garland of skulls around her neck. She has long, disheveled hair and flames emanate from her nostrils. She is the destroyer of all evil forces, ghosts, demons, and negative energies.
The story of Kalaratri is related to the battle between Durga and the buffalo demon Mahishasura, who had obtained a boon from Brahma that he could not be killed by any man or god. He became arrogant and tyrannical, and started to harass the gods and sages. The gods approached Vishnu for help, who suggested that they should create a female power from their combined energies to defeat Mahishasura.
The gods agreed and concentrated their powers in a beam of light that fell on the Himalayas. From that light emerged Durga, the supreme goddess, who was endowed with the weapons and attributes of all the gods. She was beautiful and radiant, but also fierce and formidable. She mounted on a lion and set out to fight Mahishasura.
Mahishasura sent his army of demons to stop Durga, but she easily defeated them with her weapons and skills. She then faced Mahishasura himself, who changed his form many times to escape death. He became a lion, an elephant, a snake, and finally a buffalo. Durga matched his transformations and attacked him with her sword, spear, discus, trident, and other weapons.
Finally, she pinned him down with her foot and pierced his chest with her trident, killing him instantly. The gods rejoiced at the victory of Durga and praised her as the savior of the universe.
However, the death of Mahishasura was not the end of Durga’s battle. His blood spilled on the ground and from each drop arose another demon, who continued to fight Durga. Durga realized that she had to stop the blood from falling on the earth, otherwise she would have to face an endless army of demons.
She then assumed the form of Kalaratri, the dark night of death. She opened her mouth wide and swallowed all the blood that came out of Mahishasura’s body. She also devoured all the demons that were born from his blood. She became so fierce and terrifying that even the gods were afraid to look at her.
She roared loudly and shook the earth with her power. She created havoc in all directions and destroyed everything in her path. She was unstoppable and invincible.
The gods realized that they had made a mistake by creating such a powerful goddess who could not be controlled by anyone. They feared that she would destroy the whole creation in her fury. They prayed to Shiva, the lord of destruction, to calm her down.
Shiva agreed to help them and approached Kalaratri with love and respect. He praised her for her victory over Mahishasura and asked her to stop her rampage. He reminded her that she was his consort Parvati, who had taken this form to save the world from evil.
He also told her that he was proud of her and loved her more than anything else. He embraced her gently and kissed her forehead. He then asked her to return to her original form of Durga.
Kalaratri was moved by Shiva’s words and actions. She felt his love and compassion in her heart. She realized that she had fulfilled her purpose of killing Mahishasura and his demons. She also remembered that she was Parvati, the wife of Shiva.
She smiled at him and thanked him for his support. She then withdrew her fierce form and became Durga again. She looked at Shiva with affection and devotion. She also blessed the gods and sages who had worshipped her during Navaratri.
She then returned to Mount Kailash with Shiva, where they lived happily ever after.
This is how Kalaratri became one of the nine forms of Durga who are worshipped during Navaratri. She represents the dark side of nature that can be destructive but also beneficial. She teaches us to face our fears and overcome our enemies with courage and confidence.
She also shows us the power of love and devotion that can transform any situation. She is the goddess of auspiciousness and courage, who protects her devotees from all dangers and grants them success and happiness.
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