VIZHA

Navaratri Celebration - Day 9 - Goddess Siddhidatri

Goddess Siddhidatri is revered and worshipped on the ninth day of the Navarati. The ninth day of Navaratri falls on a Navami, and it is auspicious. Goddess Siddhidatri blesses her devotees with wisdom, spiritual knowledge and enlightenment. She enables miracles to happen in the lives of her devotees and uplifts their spiritual life. Goddess Siddhidatri is the ruler of the planet Ketu.

Origin and meaning of the name

The name of the divine mother - Siddhidatri, comes from two words. Siddhi - means fulfilment, miracles or supernatural powers, and Datri means the giver, patron or awarder. In Bharath, Siddhi means supernatural powers (There are eight major supernatural powers. They are mastered through Spiritual sadhana and blessings of a Guru - according to the Markandeya Purana). Thus, Goddess Siddhidatri bestows her devotees with abilities to achieve success. She is adored and worshipped by the inhabitants of all three worlds: the Devas, the Demons, and the Humans.

Depiction of the Goddess

Goddess Siddhidatri is a beautiful Goddess with a serene expression on her face. She has four arms. She holds a Chakra ( or a discuss), a conch ( a shankh), Trishul and a mace (a Ghadha). In some images, she holds a lotus flower instead of a Trishul. She sits either on a fully bloomed lotus or sometimes rides a lion.

The story behind the Avatar

Long ago, the universe was one massive void. There was no light, no life, no time nor creation. Suddenly, a beam of light appeared. This beam of light started growing in size. It lit every bit of the void. The light slowly took the form of a Goddess. It was Goddess Maha Shakthi. This Goddess created the Trinity - Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

The Goddess blessed the trinity with abundant powers and instructed them in their duties towards the world. Goddess Maha Shakhi appeared as Goddess Siddidatri and blessed them with respective consorts to assist them in performing their duties. Goddess Siddhidatri bestowed the eight Siddhis to Lord Shiva. They are,

The Siddhis

Anima - the ability to reduce oneself to the size of a tiny atom. Example - Lord Hamunam reduced his size into a miniature being while searching for Sita devi on the island of Lanka.

Mahima - the ability to expand oneself in size. For example - Lord Vishu assumed the Vamana avatar - by taking three steps, he could cover the entire world.

Garima - the ability to become very heavy

Laghima - the ability to become very light in weight.

Prapthi - the ability to acquire and manifest anything in life at will.

Prakamya - the power to perform any impossible task (for a regular person), like walking on water or flying in the air.

Ishitva - Having the ability to control all the elements

Vishitva - Having the power to manipulate natural forces and to control life and death.

Goddess Siddhidatri was pleased with Lord Shiva and his devotion and blessed him by becoming a part of him as - ARDHANARESHWARA. This form is very powerful and unique. It is the symbol of the unification of the masculine and feminine energies of the world.

Devotees who sincerely worship the Goddess are immensely blessed with the ability to realise the Brahman ( the supreme being). They are blessed with miracles and can attain anything that they desire.

Vaishnavi Gurusankar is a passionate educator, a wife and a mother. She has over a decade of experience as an educator and has been closely working with teachers and children of all ages. She is also an active parenting blogger and founder of Magical Unicorn, an exclusive parenting blog founded on Indian ethos, values and stories at its core. She has also authored the book "Bharatyam : Science behind Hindu Practices & Way of Life"