#NavShakti: Brahmacharini

The second day of Navratri is dedicated to Goddess Brahmacharini. The word Brahmacharini means a female who traces sacred religious knowledge.

According to different versions of the story, Brahmacharini is the unmarried form of Maa Parvati. Parvati wanted to marry Shiva in this birth also, she decided to impress him by doing Tapasya and sacrificing everything. Her Tapasya carried on for almost 5000 years! During that period she lived in mountains like Shiva and only ate fruits and flowers, in the next few 100 years she ate only vegetables. For the next few 3000 years, she ate only dried leaves and at last, she gave up eating anything. Seeing this the Gods went to God Kamadeva- the God of love, desire, and affection, and prayed to him to initiate desire in Shiva for Parvati.

Shiva was in a meditation state when Kamadeva shot an arrow of desire at him, which made him angry. He opened his third eye and turned Kamadeva into ashes. But this did not discourage her and she carried on her Tapasya. Finally, Lord Shiva showed interest in her and met her in dissemble form and tried to dishearten Parvati by telling her weaknesses of Shiva, but this did not affect the undying love she had for Shiva. In the end, Shiva accepts her and they get married with the blessings of Lord Brahma.

Maa Parvati got the name Brahmacharini due to her immense sacrifice, solitude, and purtiy she carries. Brahmacharini is remarkably radiant and portrayed as wearing a white saree, holding a rosary in one hand and kamandal in another.