For the nine days – long festival of Navaratri, ParamDham temple of Chinmaya Mission Ahmedabad resonated with the chants of Suktams, Garba and special Pujas.
Sharad Navaratri was celebrated with abundant devotion and love for the Mother Goddess who manifests in three different forms -Maa Durga, Maa Lakshmi, and Maa Saraswati. For first three days of Navaratri, devotees prayed to Maa Durga with the chanting of Durga Suktam, which eliminates all negativities and purifies the mind and intellect. Next three days, with the chanting of Shri Suktam, Maa Lakshmi was invoked to fill our mind and intellect with virtues and positivity.
In the last 3 days of Navaratri, Maa Saraswati was worshiped to bless her devotees with the power of Medha. Every day, the Divine Mother was worshiped with a special puja. On the last day of Navaratri, Chinmaya Balavihar children, parents, and devotees offered their books for Saraswati puja. On the morning of Vijaya Dashami, Vidyarambha Puja was performed and everyone rededicated themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. PramDham Temple’s Dhvaja Puja, Ayudh Puja and Vahan puja was also performed on the auspicious day of Vijayadashami. In the evening a towering effigy of Ravan, made by Members of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, was laid to ashes with the power of Ram Naam sankirtan. Because after all, that’s how we want our negativities to fall too, don’t we?