Commencement of Nav-Ratras (Significance of number 9 in Hinduism)

       In these nine days, the whole ambience is filled with air of festivity and positivity but I am sure many young minds would stick to ponder over, why performing the prayers for just nine days? There is great significance of number nine in our Hinduism.  Though many would relate this significance to numerology but it’s much more than that. Now let’s take a look at all the significant things that include number nine:

Numerology:
According to Indian mythology, there are 4 Yugas.

• Satyug – consists of 172,800 years (1 7 2 8) = 18 =(1 8 = 9)
• TretaYug consists of 1296000 years (1 2 9 6) = 18 =(1 8 = 9)
• DwaparYug consists of 864000 years (8 4 6) = 18 =(1 8 = 9)
• Kalyug consists of 432000 years (4 3 2) = 9

Religion:

• Navratas are celebrated to celebrate the victory of Maa Durga over evils with battle lasting for nine days and is thus her nine avatars are worshipped as nine devisthals depicting the different form of the goddess.
•  Rishi Ved Vyas created nine Puranas and 108(1+8=9) MahaPuranas (Upanishads)
• Ravan also had 9 heads excluding one his real head that were all attached too. His all the nine heads depicting evil human emotions like ego, anger, etc.

Universe:

• Total number of planets 9 (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto)
• There are 216 galaxies that again amounts to 2+1+6=9
• 9 is treated as number of the ultimate completion as the circle complete 360 degree which amounts to 3+6=9

 Human Body:

• A human body breathes 21600 times in a day which again sums up to 2+1+6=9
• There are nine openings in a man to realise the physical world (2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 Nostrils, tongue, reproductory organs).
• The number also signifies the gestation period for the human birth which is also of nine months and is course common to all human beings!

Art & Culture:

• It is also believed that there are nine nine moods or ‘navarasa‘ associated with artistic expression in ancient Indian dance, music, drama, sculpture, painting and any mode of expression in art.
• It is also believed that there used  to nine talented people known as Navratan in the courtyard of Akbar (Todarmal, Beerbal, Abdul Afzal, Tansen, Mansingh, Abdurahim Khankhana, mulla do Pazza, Hakim humam, Fazi)