Goddess Jagatdhatri, whose name means, the Protector of the Universe, is an aspect of the Hindu goddess Parvati, worshipped in the Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha.

Her worship and rituals are directly derived from Tantra, where She is a symbol of Sattva while Durga and Kali, are respectively symbols of Rajas and Tamas. According to the Puranas, Jagadhatri is the incarnation of Goddess Siddhidhatri, who is also said to be the combination of Sri Bhuvaneshwari and Maa Durga.

Jagadhatri Puja is an important festival celebrated after Durga Puja, Laxmi Puja and Kali Puja in the month of Kartik.

Jagadhatri, ‘the Protector of the Universe,’ is an aspect of the Hindu goddess Durga, and Her festival is referred to as another Durga Puja as it also starts on Asthami tithi and ends on Dashami tithi. 5-days of celebration begins today on the 1st – 5th November 2022 with puja tithi (auspicious timing) starting from 11:04 PM on Nov 01, 2022 and ends at 9:09 PM on Nov 02, 2022.

Jagaddhatri is depicted as being the colour of the morning sun, three-eyed and four-armed, holding a chakra, conch, bow and arrows, clothed in red, bright jewels and nagajangopaveeta (a serpent as the sacred thread), a symbol of yoga and the Brahman. She rides a lion standing on the dead Karindrasura, the Elephant Demon.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama in its 173 verse speaks of Goddess Tripurasundari as Jagaddhatri:

On the first day of the Puja, (Saptami), She is worshipped as a symbol of Yoga and the Brahman both depicting spiritual upliftment. Actual puja rituals are done on the 3 days of Ashtami, Navami and Dashami similar to that of Durga Puja On Ashtami, i.e. the eigth day of devipaksh, Devi is worshipped as the giver / provider of Wealth, Sustenance, Good luck as well as prosperity. On Navami, considered to be the major part of the festival, She is considered to be conceived and sent to the earth to banish impurities and evil and finally on Dashami, the 10th day, She is celebrated for Her victory over Her battle with the elephant-demon – the victory of good over evil.

Jagatdhatri puja is about the victory of our own darkness through the purity of our hearts. All aspects of Devi puja inculcates the wisdom of the silent victor within, lying dormant in the abyss of our Beings. We feel overcome by our challenges, Devi shows us that within Her image of grace, beauty and gentleness, there is a power within that can eradicate misery – we only need to ask ourselves, how much we want to stop suffering?

We need not rely on Her to bring us out of our suffering, instead, we need to merge with Her to become that fearless strength and overcome ourselves first before we conquer our outer battles.

It is when we live in acceptance and surrender of what is happening to us, is when we have the capacity to merge with the Devi.

May you rise in the fire of your alchemy!