[Advaita-l] Significance of Navaratri

[Anand Hudli]

According to the Dharma-sindhu, a standard dharma-shAstra text by kAshInAtha 
upAdhyAya,
the word navarAtra (navarAtri) is the name for the karma that is done from 
the Ashvina-shukla-
pratipada to the mahAnavamI :

navarAtra-shabdaH Ashvina-shukla-pratipadamArabhya mahAnavamIparyantaM 
kriyamANa-karma-
nAmadheyam.h | (section on devInavarAtra, first parichchheda)

The dharma-sindhu also states that the pradhAna-karma or main karma here is 
pUjA:

tatra karmaNi pUjaiva pradhAnam.h upavAsAdikaM stotrajapAdikaM chAN^gam |

In the (navarAtra) karma, pUja is the main act, others such as fasting, 
stotra chanting,
and japa are supplementary acts (to the pUjA).

And who is eligible to do the pUjA ?

atra karmaNi brAhmaNAdichaturvarNasya mlechchhAdeshcha-adhikAraH |

To do this karma, brAhmaNas, kShatriyas, vaishyas, shUdras, and even 
mlechchas are eligible.

However, there are restrictions on the *way* the pUjA is to be done.

brAhmaNas must do the sAttvikI pUjA only, never using meat and wine. This is 
according
to the dictum "naivedyaishcha nirAmiShaiH" (with naivedya containing no 
meat), madyaM
"dattva brAhmaNasu brAhmaNyAdeva hIyate" (offering wine as naivedya a 
brAhmaNa loses
his brAhmaNattva),  and "madyamapeyamadeyam.h" (a brAhmaNa must not drink 
wine, nor offer
wine).

kshatriyas and vaishyas may use meat and wine in the pUjA but only when they 
do this
as a  kAmya karma. This kind of rAjasika karma cannot be done as a nitya 
karma by them.

shUdras are eligibile to do even the tAmasika karma, ie. using meat and 
wine, and without
mantras and japa. They can also do the sAttvikI pUjA through a brAhmaNa.

What is noteworthy is that the dharma-sindhu states that mlechchhas 
(barbarians) can only do
a mental pUjA since they are not eligible to even get the pUjA done through 
a brAhmaNa.

Anand

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