Navratri is celebrated with much pomp and show and to mark the third day of the festival, devotees worship Goddess Chandraghanta. She is the third avatar of Nava Durga.
The auspicious festival began this year on April 13 and will last till Ram Navami on April 21 respectively. During these 9 days of festivity, different forms of Maa Durga are worshipped. Devotees throng Devi temples and pray to her for blessings.
There are four types of Navratris in the year, out of which only widely celebrated – the Chaitra Navratri (spring) and Shardiya Navratri (autumn). The other two are Ashada and Magha Gupt Navratri.
The day of Maa Chandraghanta:
On the third day of Navratri, Maa Chandrghanta is worshipped. As the name signifies, Chandraghanta means a half-moon shaped like a bell. She eradicates their worries, sins, physical and mental pain. Seated on a tiger/lion, goddess Chandraghanta is dashabhuja, or the one with ten hands each holding a significant item. One of her hands remains in Abhayamudra or the blessings posture.
She has a third eye on her forehead and stands for bravery. Trishul, Lotus, Gada, Kamandal, Sword, Bow, Arrow, Japa Mala, Abhayamudra, Gyan mudra are her weapons and she mounts on a tiger.
Maa Chandraghanta has a third eye that opens only during times of war. This form of Mother Goddess Durga protects her devotees from evil. Her pictorial depiction shows her with ten hands, and she is mounted on a tiger. She carries a trident (Trishul), a mace (gada), a sword (talwar), a pitcher (kamandal) in the left hands and a lotus, a bow, an arrow and Japa mala in the right. She holds the vara mudra and the Abhaya mudra in the other two hands, respectively.
Chaitra Navratri 2021 Day 3: Maa Chandraghanta Mantra
During the puja chant Om Devi Chandraghantayai Namah. You can even recite a prayer for the goddess- Pindaja Pravararudha Chandakopastrakairyuta Prasadam Tanute Mahyam Chandraghanteti Vishruta
