The Nine Principles of Nav Raatri: Transcending the Material World

From a satsang with Paramacharya of SWAHA, H.H. Pt. Hardeo Persad

Nav Raatri, a sacred festival dedicated to the worship of Devi, is a time for spiritual reflection and awakening. While the nine forms of Devi are often affectionately referred to by devotees as “nine sisters”, they also represent nine fundamental principles that govern existence in this world of energy. These principles—space, time, causation, creation, sustenance, dissolution, and the three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas)—impact every individual without exception.

The Nine Principles and Their Influence

1. Space, Time and Causation
   These three universal forces bind us to the material world. We are subject to their laws, which dictate the conditions of our lives and actions.
2. Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution
    The cycles of birth, life and death affect all beings. Everything we experience arises, exists and eventually dissolves, and the cycle then begins again.
3. The Three Gunas: Sattva, Rajas, Tamas

• Sattva represents purity, steadiness of mind and spiritual aspiration.
• Rajas signifies activity, ambition and material pursuits.
• Tamas embodies lethargy, ignorance and inertia.

At different times, these gunas dominate our thoughts and actions, often in varying combinations, influencing our journey through life.

Transcending the Nine Principles

To achieve spiritual liberation, one must transcend these nine principles and go beyond the constraints of the material world. This involves surpassing the gunas, transcending the limitations of body, mind and consciousness, and moving beyond the boundaries of space, time and causation.

Absorption in the Divine is essential for reaching divine consciousness and freedom from bondage. The soul, like aakash (ether), is unbound by space or time. Yet, we mistakenly identify with the body, which distracts us through attachments, desires and aversions. The illusion of individuality keeps us tied to this world of duality.

True renunciation of the world of duality is not merely abstaining from action but performing actions selflessly, without attachment to their outcomes. It is said, every cause conceals an effect, and every effect its cause. Recognising that interconnection helps us move from tamas to rajas, then to sattva, and ultimately transcend them all.

Nav Raatri offers a unique opportunity to discover our own divinity. Through prayer, sacrifice and reflection during the nine nights, we can awaken to spirituality and develop the strength to face life’s storms without being overwhelmed. Through devotion and self-realisation, we advance towards the eternal, experiencing genuine peace and nonduality.