Shailaputri

1. Shailaputri The first form of Mother Goddess Durga is Shailaputri. “Shaila” means mountain and “Putri” means daughter, hence she is called as Shailaputri – the daughter of the mountain. She is also known by few other names like Sati, Bhavani, Parvati or Hemavati, the daughter of Himavat who was the king of the Himalayas. Shailaputri is an absolute form of Mother Nature and she is worshipped on the first day of the Navratri festival. She is also referred to as Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva and the Mother of Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya. The governing planet of Shailaputri is moon and the chakra her worship balances is Swadishthana. The image of Shailaputri is a divine form of lady, holding a trishul (trident) on her right hand and lotus flower on her left hand. She rides on Nandi, the bull. She is the embodiment of the power of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. On the first day of the auspicious Navratri festival, devotees worship Goddess Shailaputri. Her power helps in beginning the spiritual discipline. Shailaputri fulfills the aspiration of a devotee who aims to reach higher for spiritual evolution and for the attainment of Siddhi, which is associated with Ananda (bliss). Mantra of Shailaputri: ॐदेवीशैलपुत्र्यैनमः॥ Om Devi Shailaputryai Namah॥ Prarthana or Prayer of Shailaputri वन्देवाञ्छितलाभायचन्रार्धकृतशेखराम्। वृषारूढाम्शूलर्राम्शैलपुत्रीम्यशञ्ववनीम्॥ Vande Vanchhitalabhaya Chandrardhakritashekharam। Vrisharudham Shuladharam Shailaputrim Yashasvinim॥