Chant these 3 Most Powerful Mantras during Navratri

Here are the mantras that you may chant on the fifth, seventh, and eighth days of Navratri to invoke the respective forms of Durga and earn their blessings.

Maa Durga is the supreme goddess and is the derivation or principal aspect of Adi Shakti. She is the primordial mother and Shakti that's depicted riding a lion. Maa Durga is known by various names: Mahishasurmardini, Bhavani, Shyama, Vamika, Varuni, Shaila, Girija, Ishi, and many more. Though addressed by various epithets, at the core, she is a divine mother to all of us.

Maa Durga is the chief deity of worship on the eighth day of Navratri. The eighth day is Durga Ashtami. Worshipping Maa Durga on this day will bless you with strength, courage, valor, vigor, vitality, and prosperity. Durga Ashtami is the day when Goddess Durga killed the buffalo demon Mahishasur. The eighth day of Navratri thus marks the victory of good over evil and principles over immorality. Along with the usual rituals that you follow on this day, mantra chanting and a little meditation in the form of Maa Durga will give you the essential power to weed out the demons wedged inside you.

'Om Dumm Durgaye namah' is the beej mantra for Goddess Durga. You may chant this mantra on Ashtami to invoke Maa Durga and get her blessings. Chanting Om Dumm Durgaye Namah with complete surrender and devotion will improve your health, enhance your well-being, give you prosperity and material possessions, promote domestic happiness, and give you opportunities at work. Chanting this mantra is a simple way of asking for Maa Durga's help and guidance. You may chant this beej mantra while you're in a chair, sitting on the floor or while doing your daily chores. Make this Ashtami special by offering your humble salutations to Maa Durga during this Ashtami.

'Om Kalratrye Namah' is the beej mantra for Maa Kalratri. Maa Kalratri is the fierce form of Shakti. Of the Nava Durgas, she is the seventh one, and is thus worshipped on the seventh day of Navratri. She carries fierce weapons, rides a donkey, and is purple in color. Her major weapons are a hooked Vajra and a curved sword. She rules over ghosts, evil spirits, and ghouls. Though she is the fierce manifestation of the Mahadevi, she is also a loving mother and blesses her devotees with success and abundance. She protects her devotees with the abhaya mudra and also grants them health, peace, and contentment.

'Om Kalratrye Namah' is the beej mantra for Maa Kalratri. The fierce mother signifies intuition, inner wisdom, and mysticism. Chanting this mantra will guide you and awaken your dormant potential. Maa Kalratri makes her devotees fearless and revamps their faith. She is also referred to as Maa Kali. Of the three gunas—rajas, tamas, and sattva—she represents the tamas guna. The manifestations-Maa Kalratri/Kali are yoginis and the tantric forms of the Maha Shakti, the consort of Lord Shiva.

Kalaratri literally means the 'Night of destruction' and destroys darkness. If you keep chanting her mantra on the seventh day of Navratri, she is sure to shower her blessings on you. Worshipping her will awaken your intuition and accelerate your spiritual ascent. Chanting this mantra will also help you get rid of the darkness within. The intense form of Shakti gives you the power to fight for what is right, destroy that which is erroneous, and awaken the inherent goodness that you are truly blessed with.

Maa Skandmata is the fifth manifestation of the Nava Durga. This goddess is magnificent and rides on a lion. She carries a bright halo around her face and head. Carrying her son 'Skanda' in her lap, she's rightly called Skandmata. Skandmata is called so after the birth of her son Skanda. Thus, devotees who worship and chant the mantra for Mata Skandmata are blessed by Shri Skanda as well. Skanda is the six-faced Shri Karttikeya and the slayer of the demon Tarkasur. She is fair in colour and with unmatchable beauty; she is the epitome of power and liberation for her devotees.

The abode of Skandmata is Vishuddha Chakra. The fifth chakra, the Vishuddha chakra, is located in the throat. It is a sixteen-petalled lotus and regulates our endocrine system. Presiding over this chakra, Skandmata grants her devotees health, wealth, and spiritual advancement.

Skandmata is a yogini and is seen seated in Padmasana, or the lotus posture. You may chant the mantra (mentioned above) while sitting or doing your daily chores. Chanting and meditating on her form will purify your heart, neutralise your anxieties, and help you concentrate better. Chanting her mantra will give you immense peace and help you get rid of your negative feelings. Carrying her son in her lap, she is the epitome of motherly love and care. Make the fifth day of Navratri auspicious by meditating on her form and chanting her mantra.

Durga is the Maha Shakti and Prakriti herself. The consort of Lord Shiva not only nurtures but also destroys. Navratri is the festival of tapping into the infinite potential of the Prakriti---the source of our lives and creation. Mantras carry a special significance-a power that when channelized correctly can lead to our massive transformation. So let's worship and chant the mantras for Adi Shakti with complete faith, surrender, and love so that she may evolve us from ignorant beings to intellectual and spiritual giants.