Navratri special: Mantra for happy married life

In India marriage is not merely a sacrament but is sacrosanct. Once a couple ties the knot then it is believed to be a relationship for seven births. Everyone dreams of a happy married life. But, many time small issues can ruin a good and happy relationship.

If you are suffering due to certain issues and you are worried that these silly conflicts can ruin your relationship then, here is a solution for you.

According to astrologers, performing this kriya during Navratri will help you resolved those issues and lead a happy life. You can perform this kriya on any day during Navratri (for best results perform this on Friday)     

How to:

Wake up early in the morning and keep an idol of Goddess Jagdamba on a red cloth after taking bath.

Make two swastik signs with rice and keep an idol of Lord Ganesha on one and Shiv-Gauri rudraksh on the other.     
 Then chant the following mantra 108 times:

Om katyaynye namah
 After this puja, wear that rudraksh around your neck.

Navratri Special: Know how to get all your wishes fulfilled

People worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga during Navratri. These nine forms represent not just the secrets of nature but also carry a message for the human race.

It is believed that offering the right item during Navratri will fetch you the right results. Even our scriptures have mentioned the right rituals and offerings to appease Goddess Durga during Navratris.

According to the scriptures, if anyone is suffering due to hardships in life then he should make sure that he offers the right item during this time. Astrologers say that this is the right time to appease Goddess Durga. 

How to:

Wake up early in the morning and take a bath. Then visit a Devi Temple and offer 1.5kg sugar to the Goddess. Chant the Durga Saptashati.

This Navratras, fast with paneer jalebi, malai poori

Agra: One usually associates Navratra fasts with a test of will and a bland, sparse platter that's supposed to cleanse the body of toxins. But come to Agra and indulge in the fasting treats of paneer ki jalebi and malai ki poori that are finger-licking good.

"No more bland kuttu ke aatey ki pakoris and singhare ke aatey ka halwa for me," said Sudhir Gupta after feasting on a special 'upvas thali' for Rs 200 at Bikanerwala as he hurried to office.

Many office-goers like Gupta are discovering the virtues of the halvais in Agra who are making special preparations for the Navratras -- the nine-day religious festival.

Kuttu, a bean collected from the wild, ground into flour to make pakoris or pooris has normally been the staple food of the 'upvasis'.

For sweets, people conventionally go for 'khoye ki barfi' or 'singhare ke aatey ka halwa' while some even go for 'aloo (potato) ka halwa'.

"But now the scenario has drastically changed," says Bankey Lal Maheshwari, a shop-owner at Johri Bazar.

"The Navratris are now a festival time and we have ample varieties of fruits and juices to make the mood merry. One needs lots of energy to keep awake late nights for the bhajans or dancing to dandia beats," Maheshwari said.

Potato chips have replaced packaged chips at some local halwai shops.

"Fruits, boiled potatoes fried with a dash of 'senda namak' and lime juice no longer satisfy the grown-ups and the kids at home; so we have to come up with new ideas that would motivate everyone to keep the fast," admits Renuka Bansal, a housewife.

Meera, a schoolteacher, says: "Earlier people used to eat only once, but now they keep eating the whole day. More so, they want something different every time."

But those of the old-school order who are sticklers for untouched purity, continue to live on plain water and fruits. "But their number is dwindling," comments Tulika Aryashri, who runs a coaching institute.

Siddharth Mishra, a homeopath, said: "Fast and feasting go together. We celebrate all events, including death. Eating is crucial to celebrations. So I am not surprised if the Navratri fasts are changing into some kind of festivity. Having said that, a fast is generally meant to reduce caloric intake, to cleanse the system of toxins and train or control the mind."

Surendra Sharma, owner of Goverdhan hotel, says: "In our days, elders lived on just bananas and plain water. Of course they just relaxed at home and hardly ventured out as people today have to."

"These days everyone is fasting, many doing more out of fun than with any serious intent to turn spiritual or religious," he added.

At the Bhagat Halwai, the special Upvas thali costs Rs 160. At Suresh Plaza, another outlet is offering one for Rs.100.

"At kitty parties, the new status symbol is 'upvas thali' and the lavish offerings of delicacies like paneer ki jalebi, arbi ki imerti, malai ki poori, kuttu ki sohan papdi," says socialite Padmini.

Anand of Bhagat Halwai says "we have special upvas items like sama ke chawal ki kheer, saboo dane ki khichdi, various kinds of paags, falahari gulab jamuns, kuttu ke aatey ki pakodis, fruit and cream salads and juices."

Shishir at the Suresh Plaza outlet, which sells a special thali for Rs 100, says there's a big demand from office-goers. "They prefer to get it packed for offices."

The delicacies are usually prepared in desi ghee and therefore not cheap. Paneer ki jalebi costs Rs 300 a kilo while the special dry fruit paag is charged Rs 600. Kuttu ke pakode is priced at Rs 260.

But many purists see it as "degeneration of values and perspectives".

Agra's leading activist and gynaecologist Shivani Chaturvedi said: "Outsourcing of food on festivals and special vrats (fasts) was never acceptable in our society. Now it's all commercialised. Our children would never know what is cooked and how.

"These nine days of fasts were observed twice a year -- in the beginning of summer after Holi and before winter, to cleanse the body and prepare for the new season."

Tips to tire out garba, not you

The much awaited fun-filled nights are here and the city has got into a festive mood in anticipation of nine long dazzling nights of fun.

On Wednesday, Navratri began with full fervor and enthusiastic Amdavadis thronged the garba venues to dance to their favourite garba folk songs. Young and old, decked up in bright, colourful attire, swayed to the tunes of thumping music as hundreds of thousands of onlookers watched in admiration panoramic scenes unfurl in front of their eyes.

But all this revelry will surely leave your body completely exhausted.

However delightful the routine may be, getting back to the workplace in the daytime, coupled with the work pressure that builds up each passing day will take its toll on your body.

In fact, you will be completely worn out what with late night outings with friends and family becoming a mandatory thing in this festival.

So what should you do to have fun yet still keep fatigue away? The president of the Satellite Medical Association and general practitioner Dr Suresh Shah shares some tips to beat the stress this Navratri. Here are a few of them:

If you are a non- get an hour's sleep at noon.

If you're a professional, sleep or relax by lying down for half an hour before setting off for the garba.

Apart from regular lunch and dinner, eat light food twice - in the morning and evening.

Drink as much liquids as possible to keep your stamina up.

Also, take vitamin B complex tablets.

If allergic to dust, take an anti-allergic drug before going to bed.

Consume water every hour, at least.

Before sleeping, remove make-up and take a bath with lukewarm water.

Most importantly, have a good sleep after the revelry is over.

Navratri special: Reasons why people fast during this time

New Delhi: Fasting during Navratri doesn't always have a religious meaning. There are many who observe nine-day fast for religious reasons, but others, especially youngsters, do so to abstain from oily food and detoxify their bodies. But experts warn that extreme starvation can play havoc with your system.

Twenty-four-year-old Nitin Mohan is not a religious person, yet he is observing the fast and is restricting his diet to liquids and fruits. The main reason for this is to get his abs in shape.

"My family observes the fast and I also do so. But I am doing so to get rid of the flab around my tummy. Hence outside binging is cut down a lot during these days," said Mohan.

"I am on strict liquid and fruit diet. Also, I will be doing cardio and ab-crunches to get better results," he added.

Noida-based fitness trainer Aamit says his young clients are fasting and asking him for quick results.

"Some of my clients confess that fasting is just a way to detoxify their bodies. But the main aim for most of them is to drop some kilos. They suddenly want you to focus on their problem areas like abs and thighs because they are consuming lesser calories than before," Aamit said.

So far so good. But Mumbai-based clinical wellness specialist Namita Jain says one shouldn't adopt extreme methods as this can lead to adverse results.

"I know a lot many people who observe the fast just to lose weight. But don't misinterpret the word detoxification. It doesn't mean starving or stripping off nutrients from your body. People literally starve aimlessly during these days and as soon as the fast is over, they binge on food like never before and the end result is you pile on double weight," Jain said.

"A real detoxification process involves drinking a lot of liquid to flush out toxins from your system. Eating light food that is easily digestible, eating frequently, sipping herbal teas and coconut water and doing a few breathing exercises is what detoxification is all about," she explained.

During the fast, people are either completely off food, or they gorge on "Navratra special" fried stuff and snacks and unknowingly consume double the number of calories than they would on a regular day.

"If you are having a big bowl of chips as your lunch, then you are playing with your system. It is not going to do any good to your body as chips are very fattening and loaded with cholesterol," nutrition consultant Geetu Amarnani pointed out.

"One has to watch what one is eating during the fast. You can't just keep on eating fasting snacks and potato chips all the time. They are laden with calories - much more than your daily normal intake of food.

So, one shouldn't just blindly eat (these special snacks) just because one is fasting," she added.

Navratri special: Dress according to your sun sign

According to astrology, a person should wear dresses according to their sun sign to get the right results of the rituals and puja they perform during navaratri.

Aries: You should wear red or yellow coloured clothes during these nine days.

Taurus: Wear pink or white during navratras.
 
Gemini: Wear green coloured clothes for these nine days.

Cancer: Cancereans should wear either white or any other light colour.

Leo: People belonging to this sun sign should wear yellow coloured clothes to get rid of all the problems in their life.

Virgo: You can wear green, white or light green clothes.
 
Libra: You should wear white or any other light coloured clothes.

Scorpio: People belonging to this sun sign should wear red or saffron coloured clothes.

Sagittarius: People belonging to this sun sign should wear yellow coloured clothes.

Capricorn: You should wear blue coloured clothes to appease Kalika.

Aquarius: Wear black or dark blue to appease Kalratri and Shani.

Pisces: People belonging to this sun sign should wear saffron, yellow or light coloured dresses.

Navratri Special: The nine forms of Goddess Durga

People worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga during Navratri. These nine forms represent not just the 

secrets of nature but also carry a message for the human race. 

Shelputri is the first form of Goddess Durga. Lord Shiva is the Lord of compassion and Shelputri spreads that compassion among masses. This form of Goddess Durga gives the message of protecting and conserving the nature.

 Brahmacharini is the second form of Goddess Durga. This form represents the high values of a woman. Her third (Chandraghat) and fourth (Kushmanda) forms represent the different faces of woman. The fifth form of Goddess Durga (Skandmata) represents a  mother.

The sixth form is Katyayani. Usually, the son carries forwards the lineage but because of a boon given to Katyayani rishi, Goddess Durga is born as his daughter, Katyayani, who carries his lineage forward. This form depicts the equality between man and woman.

The seventh form is Kalaratri. Goddess Kali rules death. She make Lord Shiva’s work easier.
  
The eighth form is Mahagauri. This form represents the house wives, the home maker. In this form Goddess Durga show that no man can enjoy all pleasure of life without his wife.

The ninth form is Siddhidatri. In this form Goddess Durga says that the not even a leaf can sway without my wish. I am omnipresent.