Mahagauri Devi is worshipped on the eighth day i.e. the second last day of Navratri celebrations. But, who is Mahagauri Devi? Devi Mahagauri is the eighth form of Maa Durga’s nine forms. She is the form of supreme energy that fulfills all the desires of her devotees and relieves them of sufferings in the world. The appearance of Mahagauri is depicted as the most beautiful form of Maa Durga, pious and pure. As we are heading to the end of Navratri, let us learn more about Goddess Mahagauri story and why is Maa Mahagauri worshipped on eighth day of Navratri.
Who Is Mahagauri Devi?
Mahagauri is the fairer counterpart of Maa Parvati, to say the least. Her name suggests fairness, be it in appearance or the inner conscience. ‘Maha’ means great and ‘Gauri’ means white or fair complexioned, thus giving her the name of Mahagauri, who is the most radiant like a shining full moon, beautiful and fair.
Mahagauri is the wife of Lord Shiva and lives with him in Kailasagiri. The planet Mahagauri Devi rules is Rahu. Her weapons are Trishul (trident) and Damaru (tambourine). Devi Mahagauri rides on a white bull.
Appearance Of Mahagauri Devi
The appearance of Mahagauri Devi is very beautiful and clean, with a fair complexion, unlike her previous form of Kaalratri. She usually wears all-white attire, reflecting and enhancing the serenity of her aura.
Like many other forms of Maa Durga, Devi Mahagauri has four arms as well. In two of them, she holds a trident and tambourine respectively. In the other two hands, one Devi Mahagauri uses to hold a lotus and with the other, she blesses her devotees, kept in Abhaya mudra. She is often shown to be riding a white ox.
Also Read- Are Maa Parvati, Maa Laxmi, Maa Durga And Maa Vaishno Devi Same?
Goddess Mahagauri Story
There are majorly two versions of the goddess Mahagauri story. Her origins have different legends based on different groups of believers. The first one is where Lord Shiva had just lost his wife, Sati, and had been angered and extremely devastated. He went into deep meditation and penance, not caring about worldly affairs. He heard the gods were being troubled by a demon named Tarakasur who had a boon that only Lord Shiva or his child could put an end to his life.
Having learned about this, Narad Rishi went in search of Maa Parvati who was the reincarnation of Sati, Lord Shiva’s wife, and when he found her, he told her everything about her past life and requested her to bring Lord Shiva out of meditation for the sake of world peace. Maa Parvati had then left all the comfort of her palace behind and went into the woods to pray to Lord Shiva.
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Thousand years of suffering in the rain, dirt, storm, hunger, and thirst, she was finally able to win his trust but her body had lost its radiance and had turned black. Seeing this, Lord Shiva asked Ganga, who used to flow from his hair, to wash away the dirt and that’s how Mahagauri came into existence after Maa Parvati was cleansed into a fair and beautiful woman, dressed and ornate in white.
In another goddess Mahagauri story, after her Kaalratri form defeated the demons, she was left with a dark complexion which made Lord Shiva make fun of her. Annoyed Mahagauri, prayed to Lord Brahma, who then suggested that she take a bath in the Ganga river to regain her appearance. While bathing, her darkness took the form of its own and was known as Kaushiki, who went to kill Shumbh and Nishumbh, the two demons. What was left was a bright and beautiful Mahagauri who returned to Lord Shiva.
Also Read- Goddess Kaalratri Story – Why Is Maa Kaalratri Worshipped On Seventh Day Of Navratri?
Why Is Maa Mahagauri Worshipped On Eighth Day Of Navratri?
The reason why is Maa Mahagauri worshipped on eighth day of Navratri is that her devotees hope that she will remove the sufferings from their lives, being the epitome of inner beauty and purity. She is believed to be of 9 years, in the legends and thus the practice of Kanya Pujan came into existence i.e. worshipping girl children. This Navratri, pray to Mahagauri Devi on this auspicious occasion and have a good life ahead with her blessings.
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