Scientific facts behind the celebration of Navratri twice a year.

There is no doubt that our ancestors must have been really smart to relate various logic and science behind the Hindu festivals. Further they associated these festivals with religion to make sure everyone follows them and the people of the society stays healthy, wealthy and wise.

Goddess Durga

Navratri is celebrated twice a year. Both the times, Navratri is celebrated for nine days in honour of the mother goddess who is also referred to as Durga, Sherawali Maa or Parvati in different parts of India. The Ashwina Navratri starts at the beginning of winter (between September and October) is the more popular Navratri. The Chaitra Navratri that happens during the beginning of summer between March and April.

On all these nine days of Navratri, various forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped with full devotion. Navratri honors the three essential aspects of the Supreme Mother Goddess Durga in the form of Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswati. On the first three days the Goddess is worshipped in the form of Kali who is the destroyer of all our impurities. In the next three days, Mother is adored in the form of Lakshmi who is considered as the giver of inexhaustible wealth. In the last three days, the Goddess is worshipped in the form of Saraswati the giver of knowledge and wisdom. The eighth day of the festival is popularly celebrated as “Ashtami” and the ninth day as “Maha Navmi” and even as “Ram Navmi” on Chaitra Navratri.

Celebration of Navratri

The nine avatars of Goddess Durga are also worshipped during the festival of Navratri. The nine avatars or forms of Mother Durga are known as Mata Shailputri, Mata Brahmacharini, Mata Chandraghanta, Mata Kushmanda, Maa Skanda Mata, Maa Katyayani, Mata Kalratri, Mata Maha Gauri, and Mata Siddhidatri.

scientific reasons for celebrating Navratri twice a year are as follows:

1. Detoxification of the body: You must have notices both the navratari are celebrated during change of season. The health of human's body is directly linked to change of season as the body's immunity is low during this period. Through the medium of this festival people follow certain practices and diet so as to avoid health troubles which gives them power. People avoid non-veg food items, grains, alcohol, onion, garlic etc. which is known as fasting. This helps the body to maintain a perfect balance and well being of not just the body but also the mind.
2. Improving the mental health: Fasting during Navratri ensures that your digestive system is at rest which provides mind with more energy to have more clarity and life force to sort your life and feel the ease of lightness of your system. During this period the old aged people and the people who are emotionally weaker are more prone to mental illness, so during this festive season their mind is also occupied with activities and celebrations which keeps them away from the negative energies.
3. Maintaining cleanliness: This practice of keeping the home and the surroundings clean, is a crucial part of this festival which helps in keeping the seasonal diseases away. During this period, most of the vectors causing vector borne diseases are active. Cleanliness helps as a precaution in controlling the situation.
4. Medical benefits of camphor used in pooja. During this period pooja is done every night. The use of camphor in these poojas has medical benefits. The fumes of burning camphor purify the air and inhaling it can be beneficial. From a scientific viewpoint it can effectively kill germs and keep mosquitoes away. Smelling camphor fumes can be beneficial for people suffering from asthma, typhoid and measles.