Manifest your intentions this NAVRATRI

The nine days of Navratri are a wonderful opportunity to rejoice and transcend the three primordial qualities that make up the universe. The first three days of Navratri are attributed to tamo guna or the dark, dense, heavy aspect of existence, the following three days are related to rajo guna representing activity or restlessness and the last three days pertain to sattva guna or purity.

Though the three gunas govern our lives, we never take the time to recognize and reflect on them. The three primordial gunas are considered as part of Shakti or the Divine Mother in this creation. When we worship the Mother Divine during Navratri, we harmonize these three gunas and raise sattva in the atmosphere. Our consciousness moves through the tamo and rajo gunas and blossoms in the sattva guna in the last three days.

The simple way to manifest your goal is to have a clear intention; release it in the universe and then continue to work towards it without attachment. Navratri is a particularly powerful time to manifest one’s intention or sankalpas.

Our intention has a lot of power and it drives every action of ours. Before our hand moves, our mind forms the intent. A weak mind translates to weak intentions. But when we spend time in knowledge and meditation, our intentions become stronger and materialize sooner.

When we take a journey during these nine days and nights of Navratri through fasting, prayer, silence and meditation, we get back to our true nature; which is love, joy and peace. Whenever sattva dominates in life, victory is sure to follow. Our intentions manifest and we achieve our goals effortlessly when our sattva guna is high.

Some people, every time they try to meditate, keep thinking about everything wrong around them that needs fixing. The doership remains strong here. When going inward, we should have acceptance – everything is fine as it is. Sometimes, a desire becomes an obsession which becomes an obstacle to reaching your goal. Along with a desire free from feverishness, you must trust that whatever is good for you will naturally come to you. Even if it seems that something isn’t the best for you in the short term, in the long term, the best will unfold for you.

For 9 days, keep aside the trivial issues, desires and challenges, go within. Pray to the Divine Mother, ‘I am yours, may your will for me be fulfilled.’ With this strong faith, when you move forward in your spiritual practices, you will lack nothing. Everything you need will come to you naturally.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR The writer is an Indian yoga guru, a spiritual leader, founder of The Art of Living