In the Vedas, the word “brahmacharini” means a female who pursues or studies sacred religious knowledge. The word is derived from the word “Brahma” or “Brahman” and refers to the Absolute Reality. Devi Brahmacharini is the second aspect of Goddess Durga and is worshipped on the second day of Navratri. A pious ascetic, Devi Brahmacharini is depicted in a figure of sparse simplicity clad in pure white, holding prayer beads in her right hand and a kamandalu in her left.
The legend of Devi Brahmacharini tells us of Parvati in her most severe phase of asceticism when she performed extreme tapas to attain Lord Shiva as her husband. The story goes that Parvati, knowing it was her destiny to be married to Lord Shiva, decided to perform penance to make herself worthy to be his wife.
At the time, the demon Tarakasura was wreaking havoc and ran the devas out of their abode. He had been granted a boon by Lord Brahma that he would only be killed by Shiva’s son. After the death of his first wife, Sati, Lord Shiva had retreated deep into Mount Kailasha and refused to see anyone or take another wife. It was because of this that Tarakasura was certain that Shiva would never have a son.
In her tapas, Goddess Parvati consumed only bilwa leaves and water. Even after she had performed such strict penance for thousands of years, Shiva remained unconvinced that she was indeed his true consort. Desperate for Tarakasura to be defeated, the devas approached Kamadeva, the god of love and lust, to generate desire for Parvati in Lord Shiva. However, when Kamadeva shot his arrow at Shiva, he was burned to ashes by the fire that shot out of Shiva’s third eye.
Remaining unwavering in her resolve to win over Lord Shiva, Parvati lived in the mountains like Shiva himself did – as an ascetic yogini who spent her days immersed in tapas. It is this state of hers, the pure Brahmacharini Devi that we worship on the second day of Navratri. Donned in simple white, signifying untouched purity, Devi Brahmacharini with her austere self-denial catches the attention of Lord Shiva who finally concedes that her intense tapas was indeed worthy of his attention.
Still hesitant to place his trust in Parvati, Lord Shiva, wearing a disguise of a Brahmachari, then approached her as she performed penance in the mountains. He tested her devotion with a series of riddles and insulted Shiva’s name and weaknesses, all of which Goddess Parvati responded to with wisdom and unflinching loyalty to her chosen husband.
In Devi Brahmacharini’s pious simplicity and painful austerity, Lord Shiva finally saw ultimate truth and reality. Convinced of her devotion and love, as well as seeing her intelligence and beauty, Lord Shiva assumes his true form and asks Devi Parvati to marry him.
