Honoring Mā Kālī Through the Divine Form of Mā Śailaputrī — Daughter of the Mountain
Oct 11, 2026
Jai Ma!
Today we begin the sacred celebration of Navaratri, the Nine Nights of the Divine Mother.
For nine nights, we turn our hearts and minds toward Ma, honoring Her in the many forms through which She reveals Herself. Although Navaratri is celebrated in different ways throughout India, in the tradition shared with us by our teacher, Swamiji, these nine nights unfold through three expressions of the Divine Mother: Kālī, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.
The first three nights are dedicated to Kālī, the Divine Mother whose power removes obstacles, destroys ignorance, and helps us release that which keeps us from recognizing our true nature.
The following three nights are dedicated to Lakshmi, who represents not only material prosperity but the abundance of divine qualities within us: compassion, generosity, contentment, harmony, and the richness of a life lived in alignment with the Divine.
The final three nights are dedicated to Saraswati, the Goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and discernment. Having cleared away what obscures our understanding and cultivated the qualities that nourish our spiritual lives, we turn toward the wisdom through which we may recognize our true nature.
There is something so beautiful about this progression. First, we make space. Then, we cultivate what is sacred. Finally, we turn toward the wisdom that has always been present.
Honoring Kālī — The First Three Nights
In our own tradition, as passed down from Ashoke Babaji to our teacher, Swamiji, the first three nights of Navaratri are dedicated to Mā Kālī.
Kālī is the fierce and compassionate Divine Mother, whose power destroys ignorance, dissolves the ego, and removes that which keeps us from recognizing our true nature. Though Her appearance may seem frightening to those unfamiliar with Her, She is deeply beloved as the Mother who liberates us from fear, attachment, and illusion.
During these first three nights, we turn toward Her with devotion, inviting Her transformative power into our lives. Not simply to remove what no longer serves us, but to help us recognize what has always been present beneath it all.
Throughout India, Navaratri is observed through many beautiful traditions, including the worship of the nine forms of Durga, known as the Navadurga. While our own practice follows the threefold progression of Kālī, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, we will also explore these nine forms of the Divine Mother throughout our celebration.
For those who wish to become more familiar with the individual forms of the Goddess traditionally honored on each day, we begin today with Mā Śailaputrī, the Daughter of the Mountain.
Day One — Mā Śailaputrī
The Daughter of the Mountain
There is something particularly beautiful to me about the way this celebration begins. Not with the Goddess in battle, but with Her birth. With the mountains. With the quiet strength of beginning again.
Her name comes from the Sanskrit words śaila, meaning mountain, and putrī, meaning daughter.
Mā Śailaputrī is Pārvatī, the daughter of Himālaya, the great mountain king, and a manifestation of the Divine Mother.
According to Hindu tradition, in Her previous birth She was Satī, the beloved wife of Lord Śiva. When Her father, Dakṣa, dishonored Śiva during a great sacred sacrifice, Satī relinquished Her body. She was later born again as Pārvatī, daughter of the mountains, and would once more be united with Śiva.
And so we begin with a Goddess who reminds us that an ending is not necessarily the end of the story.
Mā Śailaputrī is traditionally depicted riding Nandī, the sacred bull, holding a trident in one hand and a lotus in the other. A crescent moon adorns Her forehead.
She is both gentle and powerful. Rooted and radiant. The Divine Mother taking form once again.
In some yogic interpretations of the Navadurga, She is associated with the Mūlādhāra, the root chakra, the foundation from which our spiritual journey begins.
How fitting that before we rise, we must first find our ground.
Honoring the Goddess Today
Throughout India, Navaratri is celebrated with fasting, prayer, offerings, devotional singing, and pūjā. Some families observe all nine nights with elaborate rituals, while others honor Ma through simple daily acts of devotion.
On the first day, many households perform Ghatasthāpana, the ceremonial installation of a sacred vessel, marking the beginning of the worship of the Goddess.
But devotion need not be elaborate to be sincere.
If you are new to these traditions, or simply wish to honor the Divine Mother in a quiet way at home, here are a few ways to participate today.
Wear orange. Orange is the color associated with the first day of Navaratri in the widely followed 2026 nine-color sequence, symbolizing warmth and auspicious beginnings.
Prepare a sacred space. Clean a small area of your home, place an image of Ma there, and offer a flower or a lamp.
Make an offering. Fresh fruit, flowers, or a little food prepared with love are beautiful offerings. Ghee is also traditionally associated with the worship of Mā Śailaputrī.
Spend a few moments in devotion. Sit quietly before Ma, offer a prayer, or repeat Her name.
You do not need to do everything. Begin where you are, with what you have.
A Mantra for Today
Om Devī Śailaputryai Namaḥ
ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः॥
Salutations to the Goddess Śailaputrī.
You may repeat this mantra nine, twenty-seven, or 108 times, or simply offer it once with your whole heart.
A Moment of Reflection
As we enter these first three nights dedicated to Kālī, we are invited to consider what may be standing between us and a deeper recognition of the Divine.
Perhaps there are things we have carried for so long that we no longer recognize their weight. Old understandings of ourselves, attachments, fears, or ways of moving through the world that no longer serve our spiritual growth.
We do not need to force anything away. We can begin simply by becoming aware.
And perhaps this is part of the beauty of beginning with Mā Śailaputrī.
She reminds us of the strength of the mountains, of the sacredness of beginning again, and of the foundation upon which our spiritual lives are built.
Not necessarily becoming someone new, but remembering what has always been present beneath all that we have gathered along the way.
May these first three nights of Kālī help us recognize and release what obscures our understanding.
May Mā Śailaputrī bless our beginnings, steady our hearts, and guide us ever closer to the recognition of the Divine Mother within and all around us.
Jai Ma!
