Leading Light | The Right Way To Celebrate Navratri

Last Updated:September 26, 2025, 09:12 IST

Navratri is a special time when the entire world celebrates freedom from impurities, and upliftment of the spirit.

Navratri festivities are an expression of the consciousness, of the spirit. (PTI Photo)

Usually, you celebrate time, right? But I would say it is the other way around: time celebrates the spirit. This is a very unique way to see things. During Navratri, your spirit is being celebrated by time.

Look at nature. In spring, all the blooms come, trees bloom, plants bloom, and then in summer, fruits and flowers come, and then in autumn, the leaves begin to turn colourful, and then they fall. So, the tree is there throughout, but the expression of the tree is very different. In winter, it just goes into itself. In spring, it just blossoms and shows itself.

Like that, Navratri festivities are an expression of the consciousness, of the spirit. The consciousness is there throughout; it’s beyond time. Time has nothing to do with the self, because the self is beyond time. Still, the time celebrates the consciousness. And when we are celebrating, we don’t decorate garbage around us and say, “oh! I’m celebrating.” We clean up everything. Infact, celebration itself means cleaning up everything.

Similarly there are three types of maila (impurities) which overshadows the blissful nature of our being.

The first is called Karmik Maila. Karmik Maila is about cravings, aversions, wants, dislikes, and likes. They overshadow your true nature.

Then there is Maya Maila. Maya Maila means wrong identification; you think you are something which you are not. And also, attachment to ephemeral things, changing things. For example, someone says some derogatory remarks about you. The words came from their mouth and disappeared, but when they reached your ears, you held on to them. You are holding on to something which is not there anymore, and it is causing so much turmoil in you. This creates the Maya or veil in you.

And lastly, Aandva Maila, the inability to hold on to the experience of infinity. You have a glimpse of what bliss is, a glimpse of the vastness of the spirit, but you are unable to stay in that space. You feel so good, but you cannot hold on to it.

So, three types of impurities or mailas that cover the individual spirit become a barrier in recognizing your true nature. Navratri is a special time when the entire world celebrates freedom from impurities, and upliftment of the spirit.

The author is a humanitarian leader, spiritual teacher and an ambassador of peace. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.

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Author: News18