This form of the goddess is associated with fear (bhayaanaka rasa). In this story, Parvati was to get married to Shiva. It was the wedding day and her parents were looking forward to receiving the groom. Her parents had made the best of arrangements but to their dismay, they were shocked to see Shiva. So much so that Parvati’s mother fainted. Shiva was dressed up as an ascetic - he was accompanied by his followers of ghouls. Parvati had not expected Shiva to show up like this especially on their wedding day. Angry, she took the form of Chandraghanta. She summoned her tiger, Dawon, and sat on her adorning an angry form with a moon-shaped bell on her head. The bell made a sharp and shrill menacing noise that hurt the ears of the ghouls. At last, she had the attention of Shiva who understood that she was upset at his appearance. She asked him to dress more appropriately. Shiva accepted her request and made his appearance more presentable. His followers changed their appearance too and at last, the wedding took place, amidst much galore. This form of the goddess is called Chandraghanta, where Chandra means moon and ghanta means bell. She is worshipped on Day 3 of Navratri.
Rohini Vij is an early-years educator, professional storyteller, teacher trainer, curriculum developer, drama coach, voice artist, author, and Founder of NutSpace Edtech Pvt. Ltd. She has recorded audiobooks for various renowned publishers.
Follow Rohini on: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
NutSpace builds life skills and 21st-century skills in children using stories for kids. We deliver our lesson plans via live classes, online classes, self-paced courses.www.nutspace.in