To Do or Not to Do: What Should We Follow This Navratri?

The Sharad Navratri has begun. 9 days of being with the Supreme Feminine Energy. It is natural to look into ways to get close to Devi. We all have our own ways of praying and doing rituals. Some rituals have been passed down for generations, some rituals we adopted because it worked for us.

But something else is going on right now. There is a barrage of instructions on social media about what to do and what not to do. Many of these instructions contradict each other. Some saying it comes from the scriptures others saying they channeled this information. How do you figure out what is the right thing to do. Or what is the wrong thing not to do.

I do have a few practices of my own that I follow. Every year I do make some changes in this as my knowledge and experience grows. But do I follow what is said on the social media? Answer is quite contradictory. I do follow some and reject most. You may ask, ‘What criteria do I use to choose which rituals and practices to follow? “and the answer is not so straight forward.

A lot has to do with our understanding of the scriptures, Devi herself and more importantly understanding of our own selves. It helps to understand why it is performed and what it signifies. Is it a tradition passed down through generations? Is there a scriptural basis for it? Is it a regional custom or a practice someone has shared through their personal experience? Knowing the context allows us to approach it with greater clarity rather than simply accepting everything we hear.

We also need to be realistic about the practices we choose. Can we sustain them for the intended period? Can we make room for them in our daily lives without turning them into another source of stress? A practice we choose deserves our sincerity and involvement, rather than being something we begin enthusiastically and abandon when it becomes inconvenient.

For me, this is where self-study becomes an important part of spiritual practice. The more we learn about a tradition, the more questions may arise. And the more honestly we observe ourselves, the better we may understand why certain practices resonate with us while others do not.

I feel the intention is not to collect as many rituals as possible, but to approach the ones we choose with understanding, faith, and awareness.

It is a journey that calls for patience, self-study, and awareness. We may not always know the right answers, and our understanding of a practice may change as we learn and grow. And that is perfectly alright.

Spirituality is not about knowing every rule or performing every ritual perfectly. I think it is about approaching our path with sincerity, remaining curious enough to learn, and becoming aware enough to make conscious choices.

This Navratri, instead of worrying about everything we should or should not do, maybe this is a good place to begin—not with the fear of doing something wrong, but with the willingness to understand, learn, and grow in our own way.