Why the Goddess took nine days to defeat Mahishasura, and what Navratri's story teaches

Navratri is the festival of the awakening of nine powers. Over these nine days, the nine forms of the Goddess are worshipped. But why did the Goddess take a full nine days to slay Mahishasura?

Mahishasura was a fearsome demon. His tyranny grew by the day and he became drunk with pride. He had received a boon that no man could kill him. Because of this, he began to torment even the gods, and all the gods grew afraid of him.

In the end, all the gods, including Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, came together. From their combined radiance a Goddess was born, who is Mother Durga. The gods handed over their most powerful weapons to her. The Goddess had ten arms, and each hand held a different weapon.

A battle then broke out between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura. Mahishasura was cunning and kept changing his form. At times he became a buffalo, at times an elephant and at times a human. That is why he was not easy to kill.

The Goddess faced each of his forms. According to the Durga Saptashati, she destroyed his various evil powers over nine days and slew him on the tenth day, Vijayadashami. That is why the day is celebrated as Dussehra. It is regarded as the victory of good over evil. But this was not merely a battle; there is a larger message behind it.

The Goddess fought for nine days because the battle was not an outside one but one within our own minds. Many evils like Mahishasura sit in our minds too, such as ego, greed, anger and envy. Mahishasura's greatest enemy was his own ego, which kept growing. Every blow of the Goddess was meant to break his ego, because ego does not go in a single day.

The nine forms of the Goddess are in fact the nine powers within us. Each form, such as Shailputri, Brahmacharini and Chandraghanta, teaches us to fight the different difficulties of life. Success does not come until we rid ourselves of the ego within. It is this ego that pulls us down, and this is the lesson the Goddess gave through this battle.

Mahishasura stands for the confusion and ignorance of our minds. Just as he kept changing form, different thoughts keep arising in our minds and lead us astray. Knowledge is needed to stop these wandering thoughts. The ten arms of the Goddess symbolise the protection of the ten directions, and her lion symbolises courage. That is, only when we walk the right path with courage can we slay the Mahishasura within.

This is what Navratri teaches. Navratri is not only about fasting and offering prayers. Gaining control over one's anger, greed and ego is the true worship of the Goddess. Keep your thoughts clear and walk the good path; that is real devotion. Navratri, which comes every year, gives the message that we should live as good human beings.