Navratri: Mahagauri, worshipped on Day 8, rules Crown Chakra

Neha Mangal

Maa Mahagauri is the Goddess worshiped on the eighth day of Navratri festival. Maha means extremely and Gauri means white. She is worshiped by devotees to attain loyalty in relationships and create life-long bonds. The Goddess in the form of Mahagauri has four arms, carries a trident and a damru in two of them and is worshiped as the Goddess of kindness and morality. She rides on a white bull, is said to be nine years old (this being the reason why some parts of the country perform kanya-pujan, worshiping the unmarried girl) and is wearing white clothes.
The story of Mahagauri has many versions. The most popular one goes like this. After killing all demons in the form of Kaalratri, Parvati was left with very dark skin This made her husband Mahadev tease her with the nickname ‘Kali’ (dark-skinned)/black. Agitated, Parvati worshiped Brahma by undergoing a severe tap lasting for many days, to regain her fair complexion. Pleased by her tapasya, Brahma advises her to take a bath in the Mansarovar River in the Himalayas.
Acting on Brahma’s advice, she took bath in the river. As she took bath, her dark skin separated from her and took form of a female. This female was known as Kaushiki who killed demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. Shumbha and Nishumbha had gained a boon from Brahma, according to which they could not be slayed by a man, demon, God or deity. Parvati regains her white complexion and beauty, and comes to be known by the name Mahagauri, which means “extremely fair”.
The Mahagauri Devi rules  the Sahasrara/ crown chakra. The crown is the target chakra of the most important energy channel in the human body – the Sushumna nadi.”
Mahagauri and Maa kaalratri both are governing our Crown Chakra, they are the two sides of a coin.
Mantra: 
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु माँ महागौरी रूपेण संस्थिता।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः॥

Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Maa Mahagauri Rupena Samsthita।
Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namah॥”