Brahmacharini - Day 2 of Navaratri

BY Indu Arora3 min read • October 11, 2026

The day is celebrated by concentrating on what you are ready to leave in order to rise and move ahead with clarity, courage and determination.

The day of Ma Brahmacharini: Goddess of Sacred Devotion

Meaning: Brahmachara is the virtue of austerity, moderation, and dedication. Charini means the follower. 

The Goddess/Devi today symbolizes the path of dedication, detachment, and sankalpa with complete surrender.

Symbology: Ma Brahmacharini is often depicted barefoot, holding a pot of water in one hand, and a Japa Mala in the other. This pot of water symbolizes the purity of her sankalpa. The Japa mala is the remembrance of her sacred vow. Her bare foot pilgrimage symbolizes detachment from all comforts.

Takeaway: One has to let go of the old self to create space for new becoming. In order to move ahead, we have to leave the ground right beneath us one step at a time (like the Shailaputri, read the post here). As long as we cling to our limited knowledge, attachments, desires, accomplishments, sorrows, fears, victories, and comforts, we cannot move ahead. Drop the attachments one at a time.

The day is celebrated by concentrating on what you are ready to leave in order to rise and move ahead with clarity, courage and determination.

Practices to Invoke Ma Brahmacharini

• Japa: With Japa Mala, chant the mantra 108 times (or as many repetitions as feels right) "Om Dum Brahmacharini Hreem Namaha"
• Asana: Practice asanas with the Sankalpa of vairagya - detachment from experiences both pleasant and unpleasant, desirable and undesirable, of attachments and aversions. Mentally say "Idam Na Mama/This is not mine" during and after the practice.
• Meditation: Practice Kundalini pranayama in Kundalini Meditation. 
• Mudra: Hold the Pushpa Anjali Mudra, as seen in the image (📖 read more in my book, Mudra: The Sacred Secret) with flowers or an offering in your hands and resolve to let go of that one thing which is becoming a limitation.