Story of Brahmacharini..

Story of Brahmacharini, teaches us persevarence! Know more about the this form of Durga, worshipped on second day of Navaratri!

"Dadhana Kara Padmabhyamakshamala Kamandalu।

Devi Prasidatu Mayi Brahmacharinyanuttama॥"

Devi who holds Japamala in one hand and Kamandala in the other, Devi whose grace will always bring good fortunes. 

Ma Brahmacharini is the Swarupa of Durga Devi who is worshiped on the second day of Navratri. 

Navratri signifies victory of good over evil, be it Goddess Durga defeating Mahishasura or Lord Rama winning over Ravana. 

Brahmacharini one of the nine avatars of Durga. In this avatar, Durga embodies tapas, she is barefoot, wearing simple clothes, she looks fragile due to the penance. 

The name Brahmacharini is derived from two words –

'Vedastatvam Tapo Brahma' 

“Brahma” here means tapa or penance and “Charini” means an ardent follower.

Brahmacharini is someone who is following an intense penance. 

After she immolated herself in the sacrificial fire of the yagna, Durga took birth as the daughter of the King of the Mountains, Himavanta. She was named as Parvati or Hemavati. 

When Parvati grew up, sage Narada – son of Brahma, paid her a visit. He told her that she did have a chance to marry her husband from her previous birth, Lord Shiva, if she followed a path of penance. Because Shiva after the separation from his beloved 'Sati' had entered samadhi and had denounced all pleasures. 

Determined to marry Shiva in this birth as well, Parvati embarked upon an extremely difficult regime of penance and devotion. For a thousand years, she ate only fruits and flowers. 

Thereafter, for a hundred years she ate only vegetables, followed by three thousand years of eating only fallen leaves. She slept on the floor of the forest under an open sky for years in order to successfully complete her tapa. Thus, she earned name Tapascharini or Brahmacharini which means one who follows the path of Tapa.

Finally, she gave up eating fallen leaves as well, and continued her penance without food and water for many years. Due to this act of giving up eating leaves (parna, means leaves in Sanskrit), she came to be known as Aparna. 

Due to thousands of years of penance, her body became extremely weak and fragile. Her mother, Mainavati, was deeply pained seeing her daughter in such a state and out of sorrow, she cried out “O! Ma!”. Since then Parvati also came to be known as Uma.

The news of such long and hard penance reached everywhere. In the end, Lord Brahma through Asharira vani told her that no one had observed tapa the way she had. He also told her that only she could have undertaken such hardships as her love for Shiva was true and pure. He also blessed her that she would have Lord Shiva as her husband in this birth.

Her devotion and penance had impressed Shiva too. He took a form of small boy and came near Parvathi. He put her to test, realising her true love and devotion, Lord Shiva accepted Parvati as his wife. 

Devotees worship Ma Brahmacharini on the second day of Navratri to provide them with the strength and determination to observe the nine-day fast while abstaining from food and sometimes even water.

If someone comments that observing fast as a method of worship is meaningless, we need to know what importance was given to physical health and what our dharma say about indulging in hardship to worship God. 

When Parvati took up difficult penance, Shiva dressed as a brahmana visited her. Looking at her fragile and debilitated body Shiva asks, 

"Api Kriyartham Sulabham Samitkusham

Jalanyapi snana Vidhikshamani the

Api Swashaktya Tapasi Pravarthathe

Sareeram Adyam Khalu Dharma Sadhanam" 

Oh Parvati, hope you are getting samittu(firewood for yagna), hope there is no problem for food and water. You look debilitated Parvati, penance should only be done according to one's capacity, after all to achieve anything you need your body to be health and in good condition. 

This means Hindu dharma never draws a line and say this must be followed. But it always teaches through example. Brahmacharini observed penance even after facing so much of hardship. She never even once turned her attention away from her goal. 

That's why Ma Brahmacharini is known for bestowing virtue, peace, prosperity, happiness and nobility.