This is the Celebration of Mother's Final Victory in the Epic War

Today is the concluding day of Navaratri.

This is the celebration of Mother's final victory in the epic war. This ancient story is told in many lands and in many ways. The story tells how the best of the best gave their all to endow Mother Divine with weapons and tools for the grand battle. Her Bow and Arrow, Discus, Thunderbolt, and Trident were manifested from the collective and universal good, intelligence, right duty, and vigilance. These weapons were forged in the fire of faith and courage. 

Mother Divine battled for nine days and nights against myriad demons. Every demon she smote sprang back up ten-fold, hundred-fold, thousand-fold! Still, she battled on from deeper and deeper levels of her own inexhaustible force of Everything until there was stillness, calm, and peace. 

Who were those demons? Mother Divine fought against the demons who are our very own weaknesses, greed, egoisms, and ignorances. She won over the legions of our fear, disgrace, and our every ineptitude  and sin. When was this battle waged? It was waged long ago, it is waged now, and forevermore, and whenever it needs to be fought. There will always be victory over ignorance and there will always be Divine Mother's valiant grace and protection. 

...among deep thunder sounds,
you sit above kings and queens,  
having no fear, champion over all,
     you are fate, and the fiery mother of destiny,
never born or dying, you are continuous life
     and know what comes.
You are the Great Plenum, and you alone give birth.
Holy Mother, we pray you in this season lead us
onto peace and health and increase of good things.  

--Orphic Hymn from The Soul is Here for its Own Joy: Sacred Poems from Many Cultures (Robert Bly)