II Om Devi Skandamatayai Namah ll ll Simhasanagata Nityam Padmanchita Karadvaya। Shubhadastu Sada Devi Skandamata Yashasvini ll
The fifth day of Shardiya Navratri is dedicated to the worship of fifth form of Goddess Durga that is Goddess Skandamata. This form of Goddess Durga is known as Skandamata as she is represented along with her child Skanda (Kartikeya) seated on her lap. It is believed that by worshipping her, all the desires of the devotees are fulfilled, they get peace and happiness and easily attain salvation. Skandamata is considered to be a powerful Goddess that blesses her devotees.
Lord Kartikeya was chosen by gods as their chief in the war against the demons. So being the mother of Skanda, Goddess Durga is called as Skanda Mata..
Goddess Skanda Mata rides on a lion accompanied by her son Lord Skanda seated in her lap, having four arms and three eyes. She holds a lotus in her two upper hands, lower-left-arm is in a mudra symbolizing benediction, at the same time raised fingers holds a lotus and lower-right-arms holds Skanda.
According to pandits this deity is known as Goddess Vageshwari (Ashwarooda) who is allowed to worship only on 2 days annually and on all other days the door remains closed and devotees worship the closed doors only.
There is some confusion here. Some locals term Skanda Mata as Vageshwari , but according to learned Pandits, Vageshwari is Ashwarooda who is located inside the closed doors on the ground level but Goddess Skanda Mata is located in upper storey of the same temple, located at Jaitpura, Varanasi.
“Ashwa + Arooda”, “Horse + Mount” i.e. Goddess Vageshwari mounted on a horse back who is the captain of Cavalry of Horses, in the army of Supreme Goddess Sri Raja Rajeshwari.The horse which carries Goddess Vageshwari is called APARAJITA which means Insurmountable and unconquerable.
The idol of the goddess Durga appears with four hands. She has the lotus flower in each of the upper hand. The posture of giving blessings from her left hand. Her form is auspicious and she sits on a lotus flower. So she is named as goddess Padmasana Devi. She used lion as her vehicle. The devotees of her get all their desires wishes, they get life with more peace and happiness and their way to salvation becomes easy. Since she guards the Sun’s orbit, her devotees get a radiating light which surround them as an aura.
According to the legend demon Tarakasura, once pleased Lord Brahma with his extremely tough penance. When Lord Brahma asked him to make a wish Tarakasura asked Lord Brahma to make him immortal. Lord Brahma denied him this blessing, saying none can escape death. Tarakasura acted smart and asked for the death by the son of Lord Shiva, since he thought Lord Shiva would never get married. Tarakasura started torturing the people on the earth. Fearing his strength would cause destructions, the devatas requested Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati to send their son Kartikeya to fight with Tarakasura. Lord Kartikeya/ Skand Kumara, demolished Tarakasura. Since then Devi Skand Mata is a symbol of the mother-son relationship.
Navratri is time to offer reverence to the Goddess of Shakti Maa Durga.
