Nava Shakti Upasana in Vishnu

Mainstream Nava Shakti is popular as Parvati Durga and to a lesser extent as Lakshmi Nava Durga known to lesser number. Even lesser known and/or perhaps glossed over is the Nava shakti rupa of Vishnu.

Nine Shakti forms Parvati Durga

1. Shailaputri

2. Brahmacharini

3. Chandraghanta

4. Kushmanda

5. Skandamata

6. Katyayani

7. Kalaratri

8. Mahagauri

9. Siddhidhatri

Nine Shakti forms of Lakshmi Durga

1. Durga

2. Arya

3. Bhagavati

4. Kumari

5. Ambika

6. Mahishamardini

7. Chandika

8. Sarasvathi

9. Vagishwari

Finally, nine shakti forms of Vishnu relevant for this discussion

1. Vimala

2. Utkarshini

3. Jnaanaa

4. Kriyaa

5. Yogaa

6. Prahvi

7. Satyaa

8. Ishaanaa

9. Anugrahaa

Nine shakti forms of Lakshmi and Parvati are worshipped with fervor during the nine days in

Navaratri. Nine shakti forms of Vishnu have to be worshipped every day.

Salient Points

• These 9 shakti forms of Vishnu are female forms.

• Clearly these are not the only shakti forms of Vishnu.

• He has many more documented male and female shakti forms in scriptures. He is extolled as Mahaashakti in Vishnu Sahasra Nama.

• Srimad Bhagavatam tells his shakti are group of four, five and sixteen (2-9-16). Sriman

Madhvacharya quotes Bhagavata Tantra in his Bhagavata Tatparya Nirnaya to illustrate

those group of shaktis.

• All these shaktis are intrinsic and inseparable from him

• The shakti in all of us is held (and placed) by him – sanjivayati akhila shaktidhara  svadhaamnaa (Srimad Bhagavatam 4-9-6)

• Neither Brhama, nor Shiva or anybody else has a small fraction of the shakti of God

(Brahma Vaivarta)

Group	Members
Group of 4	Icchaa, Jnaana, Kriyaa, Bala
	Atmaa, Antaraatma, Jnaanaatma, Paramaatma
	Prahvi, Satyaa, Ishaanaa, Anugrahaa
Group of 5	Vimalaa, Utkarshini, Jnaanaa, Kriyaa, Yogaa
	Kruddholka, Maholka, Virolka, Dyulka, Sahasrolka
Group of 8	Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyuna, Aniruddha (4) + Keshavaadi until Damodara (12)
	Mochikaa, Sukshmaa, Sukshmaamrutaa, Jnaanaamrutaa, Apyaayini, Vyaapini, Vyomarupini (8) + Animaa, Mahimaa, Laghimaa, Garimaa, vyaapti, praakaashya, Ishitva, Vashitva, Praakaamya (8)

A group of 5 and a group of 4 are conjoined to form a group of 9. These are the navashakti of Vishnu and very relevant in daily upasana (internal and external).

Benefits of Navashakti Upasana

An interesting correlation can be found in Vishnu’s Nava Shakti citation in Srimad Bhagavatam.

1. It is first referenced in 2-9-16, when Chaturmukha Brahma gets ready to indulge in the

process of creation.

2. The next reference to these same Navashakti is in 6-4-27, when Daksha Prajapati is getting ready to indulge in the process of creation.

There seems to be a link between the strength needed for any kind creation and these navashakti. Perhaps that’s why it is included in Peeta Puja in daily deva puja. Like Brahma and Daksha, we too indulge in creation, albeit in a much smaller scale – be it creation of software, creative work, or create something of value to ourselves and others. Brahma and Daksha, being realized ones know it directly that it is the shakti form of Lord that resides in them, gets the creation done and finally offer it to Lord himself (Nishusida ganapate .. na Rute Tvat kriyate kinchanaare...). We, on the other hand know these through scriptural pramana and we too attempt to hammer that concept into ourselves through our upasana. This is alluded in the commentaries that by the worship of these shakti forms of Lord, such shakti are placed in us by his grace (anugraha) enabling us to accomplish feats – big and small alike. Hence one has to do upasana of these shakti in peeta puja.

Nava Shakti Upasana – How to

Nava shakti upsana is part of the bigger aspect of Bhagavat dhyana (internal) and Bhagavat Puja (external). The former strengthens the latter. And the latter catalyses the former. They are intertwined. Intenal Bhagavat Dhyana is a replica of the external puja but on a grander scale – because the upasana vaibhava by the mind knows no limits. The following technique is arrived at by combining the relevant portions of TantraSara Sangraha (Madhvacharya), Yogadeepika (Narayana Panditacharya) and Bhagavad-dhyana-Prakaranam (Raghavendra Teertha – Mantralaya)

• One does the pranayama first.

• One does the ausandhana of the downward facing hrut-kamala rising up and blooming by

using Pranava and Vayu beeja.

• This hrutkamala is though to be the peeta on which bimarupi is worshipped.

• The peeta in the hrudayakaasha is tiny but is same as the peeta encompassing all of brahmanda. Both held by Vishnu and also occupied by Vishnu similar to the palm length

Vishnu occupying the external deva puja peeta.

• All peeta devatas are thought of in all these places.

• A six petalled lotus (with its devatas) and then a eight petalled lotus is thought of. This eight petalled lotus is the focus for navashakti upasana.

• The eight of the nine forms starting from Vimalaa upto Ishaanaa are thought of to be occupying the eight petals from east clockwise for eight directions. (During puja the east is relative as the intersection between the devotee and the God facing devotee is assigned to east)

• Vaasista Smruti provides further interesting details – Vimala upto Utkarshini hold (or do) these Chatra, Chaamara, Vyajana, Darpana, Geeta, Nrutya, Vaadya Stotra. One finds uncanny similarity with the Rajopachara offerred to Lord in Puja. But in reality, whether we remember to chant it or not, he has his own female forms offerring all those seva in aprakruta form to himself.

• In addition all the eight also hold an additional chaamara – even the ones that perform dance or play vaadya !

• Things get further interesting – The eight are performing various upachara to Lord. But the samarpana of those to Load is done by the ninth form viz. Anugrahaa ! This is a pure leela of Lord that he himself performs his own upachara and uses yet another form of his own (anugrahaa) to offer it to himself. (We can include this include this anusandhana in deva puja – just like lakshmi hastena arghyam samarpayami, rati hastena padyam samarpayami etc.)

• Srimad Bhagavatam 6-4-27 offers further twist to the Nava shaktis. These are not just 9 but are threefold nine i.e. 9 x 3 = 27. The threefold aspect comes with Icchaa, Jnaana and Kriya. So we have Iccha Vimala, Jnana Vimala and Kriya Vimala on the east petal of the lotus upto 3 Ishana and also 3 Anugraha.

Nava Shakti – Simple Meanings

These names themselves may open up in many more ways – but simple word meanings are

provided for these shakti.

• Vimala – The strength of purity (or purity of strength)

• Utkarshini – The abundance (of strength)

• Jnaanaa – The (strength of) knowledge

• Kriyaa – The strength to act and produce results

• Yogaa – The strength to connect with the Lord

• Prahvi – The strength of humility (to negate any downfall caused by ego)

• Satyaa – The strength offered by the very existence of Lord to provide stength

• Ishaana – The strength of mastery

• Anugrahaa – The strength of Lord’s grace

When each of these shakti open up in jnaana-iccha-kriya form, then all feats – big and small are accomplished by Lord himself through us and then get offered to Lord himself. The quintessential 

Naaham Kartaa Hari kartaa !

(This is the reproduction of an article written by Shri Srikanth Shenoy from Udupi on the same topic. All credits goes to the author) 

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