Navratri puja is dedicated to the worship of nine different forms of Goddess Durga for 9 days. The Chaitra Navratri puja begins in the lunar month of Chaitra, i.e. March- April. The eighth day of the puja begins with worshipping Goddess Mahagauri.

Mahagauri is the 8th avatar of Goddess Durga, worshipped on the 8th day of Chaitra Navratri. She has 4 arms- One of her two right arms is in the abhaymudra (fear dispelling) and one holds a trident. One of her two left arms holds a tambourine and the other is in the varadamudra (blessing).

The items are sometimes changed with drum, lotus and rosary.

Mahagauri when divided into 2 parts, form the words maha and gauri. Maha means great and gauri means white. Put together, the words depict someone with extremely fair complexion, as she was very beautiful. She generally wears white clothes and rides a white bull.

While there are many legends, the most popular one states that after vanquishing the demons in the form of Kaalratri, Parvati was left with skin as dark as the night. This caused her husband Shiva to tease her by calling her Kali (dark- skinned).

However, Parvati didn’t find it funny and underwent a severe penance to please Brahma so that she can get her fair skin back. After several years of weathering the seasons, Brahma was pleased and advised her to take a bath in the Mansarovar Lake.

Parvati took a bath in the lake in the Himalayas and as she did, her dark skin separated from herand took the form of a female called Kaushiki. She went on to slay the demons Shumbh and Nishumbh who were granted the boon that they couldn’t be slayed by man, demon, God or deity. Parvati regained her fair complexioned beauty and came to be known as Mahagauri.

In another legend, it is said that in her quest to gain Shiva as her husband, she underwent severe penance to please Shiva, on the advice of Rishi Narad. She gives up on all worldly comforts, including food and goes on to brave heat, cold, rain and hailstorms by herself for countless years.

In her pursuit, her body gets covered with dirt, soil, leaves and insects that built up on her body. Pleased with her devotion, Shiva relents and bathes her in the ever- flowing waters of Ganga from his locks of hair. Parvati emerges with a complexion as white as a jasmine and clothed and ornamented in white.

Hence, she came to be known as Mahagauri.

Mantra of Mahagauri:

ॐ देवी महागौर्यै नमः॥

Om Devi Mahagauryai Namah॥

Prayer of Mahagauri:

पूर्णन्दु निभां गौरी सोमचक्रस्थितां अष्टमं महागौरी त्रिनेत्राम्।

वराभीतिकरां त्रिशूल डमरूधरां महागौरी भजेम्॥

poornandu nibhaan gauree somachakrasthitaan ashtaman mahaagauree trinetraam।
varaabheetikaraan trishool damaroodharaan mahaagauree bhajem॥

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