Every year, as Navratri approaches, our homes transform. The diyas are lit, the idols are adorned, and chants of Jai Mata Di fill the air. For nine nights, we worship the nine forms of the Devi: Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kali, and more, each symbolizing courage, abundance, wisdom, and power.
But here’s a question we rarely ask ourselves: what happens after the nine nights are over?
We are a country that worships female goddesses, yet struggles to respect its women.
We bow before Durga for strength, but silence our daughters when they speak up.
We invite Lakshmi for prosperity, but deny women equal pay and property rights.
We pray to Saraswati for knowledge, but still, in many homes, boys’ education is prioritized over girls’.
We fear Kali, the fierce goddess of justice, but we look away when we see injustice done to women, at home, at work, on the streets.
Our devotion is not in question. But perhaps our practice is.
Navratri is not just a festival of rituals; it is a festival of reflection. The Devi does not just want our flowers and coconuts; she wants our actions. She wants us to live by her values.
Honouring the Devi means raising daughters who know their worth, and sons who respect it.
Honouring the Devi means believing a woman when she speaks up about harassment instead of silencing her.
Honouring the Devi means celebrating women’s choices, whether they choose to marry, not marry, have children, or remain childfree.
Honouring the Devi means creating workplaces where women feel safe and are paid equally.
True worship does not end when the aarti ends. True worship is when we see the goddess in every woman, the vegetable vendor, the house help, the colleague, the friend, and treat her with the dignity she deserves.
Imagine a society where we don’t just sing praises of the goddess but also protect the girl child.
Where we don’t just fear Kali’s wrath but also fear becoming complicit in injustice.
Where we don’t just pray for strength but also stand up for those who need it.
Nine Promises for Nine Nights
This Navratri, let us go beyond devotion and make these nine promises, one for each form of the Devi:
1. Shailputri – Promise Courage
I will speak up for myself and for women who are silenced.
2. Brahmacharini – Promise Integrity
I will respect women’s choices, whether they live traditionally or on their own terms.
3. Chandraghanta – Promise Protection
I will create safe spaces for women — at home, at work, in society.
4. Kushmanda – Promise Nurturing
I will encourage the dreams of the women around me, not clip their wings.
5. Skandamata – Promise Support
I will support mothers in workplaces, in families, and in their journeys.
6. Katyayani – Promise Equality
I will demand and practice equal opportunities and equal pay for women.
7. Kalaratri – Promise Justice
I will not stay silent in the face of injustice or violence against women.
8. Mahagauri – Promise Dignity
I will respect women from all walks of life — house help, co-workers, strangers.
9. Siddhidatri – Promise Empowerment
I will empower the next generation — teaching boys to respect and girls to lead.
This Navratri, Walk the Talk
Navratri is a celebration of the divine feminine, but its true essence lies in how we treat the women around us every day. This year, let’s honour the Devi not just with prayers but with promises we keep all year long.
Because the Devi does not live only in temples, she lives in every woman. And she does not just want your prayers, she wants your courage.
Tell me in the comments: Which of these nine promises will you start with? Please share this post with your friends and family. Let’s turn devotion into action.
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Mads’ Cookhouse.
Spread the love
Your “nine promises” framework makes spiritual devotion feel so much more real and practical. I appreciate how your words go beyond ritual and remind us to practice what we believe.
The whole purpose of religion is to teach us how to live our lives in harmony with nature and each other.iT is unfortunate that we blindly follow rituals without carrying them into our lives. It is time that we make these changes and give more dignity to our women by fulfilling these 9 promises.
Absolutely true, Mayuri. I always say this. We worship our goddesses, but girls and women are still treated like slaves. Achieving pay parity will also take a couple of centuries to become a reality. Isn’t it hypocrisy?
Just read your piece on worship and honour…it’s a powerful call to action. The way you connect the Devi’s values to everyday choices is both thought-provoking and inspiring. Your nine promises are a beautiful blueprint for living our devotion, not just during Navratri, but every day. Thank you for this timely and necessary reflection.
Such a valid question raised. I was reading today that a sleeping woman was molested in her PG by a stranger. The worship of a feminine deity is hollow if we fail to honour the female.
Love the way your post reminds us that true devotion isn’t in rituals alone but in how we treat women every single day.
I agree with your post and would love if people honour such promises. However, we also need to make today’s Instagram-obsessed women to respect themselves and their honour while giving credit to our culture. Might sound wrong, but not every woman is born or behaves like a devi. Large shoes to fill.
This really hit me. Worshipping the Devi isn’t just rituals—it’s how we treat women every day. I want to start with courage and justice: speaking up for women and standing against any injustice I witness.
Such an important post at an opportune time. Well-written and much needed too. Religion generally teaches good but the way we interpret is the problem. Standing up to justice is the real Shakthi.
Spirituality comes from within and as per me know one can put it in our mind. When we embrace it with devotion and respect things turn more real and practical to us.
Such a wholesome blog. Love the meaning each sentence holds and so well explained.
Million dollar question. I am unsure when our situation will change. The patriarchy is really deep rooted.
good point — we need to go beyond the ‘festive’ respect and make respecting women the norm, the new normal. The 9 devi framework is interesting and each so pertinent, how can we choose just one… but to start, id say courage and equality in every action every day can start bringing the change we need in this country.