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“सर्वमङ्गलमङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते॥”
India is by large a patriarchal society. Today we don’t even let the women in our armed forces carry weapons. But once upon a time in primordial India, Mahishasura (the king of demons) gained a tricky boon from lord Shiva. He could neither be killed by a human or a deity. His reign of terror brought even the mightiest gods to their knees. And at last it was brought before the destroyer, creator and preserver. They blazed forth a triadic force which emerged as Goddess Durga. She received features from each and every god. Her face from Shiva, her ten arms from lord Vishnu, her feet from Lord Brahma and so on. They also gave her the weapons such as trident, conch, thunderbolt, sword, and spear and decked her up in warrior amour and jewels. The god of the mighty mountains gave her the lion to ride with a thunderous roar, the misfortunes of Mahishasura had begun. The goddess slayed him despite his tricks and numerous form changes (buffalo, lion and elephant). This is the story behind the creation of supreme powerful god by the name of durga. This is also the reason behind the name Mahishasura Mardini. Goddess Durga is nothing but the forms of Shakti like Kali, Bagavati, Gauri, Rajeshwari; Lalita. Across India Durga is referred to by several names and worshipped with great fear and reverence. The mighty durga devi is the protector of the universe, by killing evil forces. Durga or “Durgatinashini” literally translates to durgati – woes and miseries and nashini- eradicator.
Goddess Durga Iconography
There are certain distinct features of durga that make her the supreme Shakti. Her 8 hands symbolize the eight directions in which she protects her devotees. She also possesses three eyes giving her the name triyambake. Which represent Agni, surya and Chandra. Apart from her several weapons which further add to her multitudes of strength. The conch resonating the pranava mantra, the bow for strides of energy, firmness like a thunderbolt, the unfailable sudharshana chakram, the sharp sword of wisdom and to remove all miseries a trishulam. Atop of a majestic mountain lion, Goddess Durga sits with magnificence. The lion symbolizes raw animalistic characters such as greed, anger and jealousy.durga sitting on them symbolize that one must control such tendencies and not be controlled by them. The goddess holds the abhaya mudra which reassures the faith of peace and wellness in all her devotees. In a world full of unexpected miseries the only thing constant is hope of well-being and happiness and that is what the abhaya mudra signifies. This pose is famously associated with Gautama Buddha. It can be practiced by anyone in search of courage and reassurance.
What does Durga Represent?
Goddess Durga is the symbol of supreme woman power or Nari shakthi. She represents everything the ideal women should be. Bold, courageous and fights against evil. In all her different forms, Durga vanquished demons plaguing the universe. In honor of all the goodness Durga Devi propagated, Durga puja is celebrated for 10 whole days. Variations of this event are found across various sects of the Hindu society not just in India but also in Bangladesh. 10 days symbolizes the 10 days over which the battle takes place and finally on Vijayadashami (victory on the tenth day) mahishasura was defeated. Huge ceremonies are organized to burn effigies of the demon and celebrate the victory of good over evil. Vijayadashami also signifies the victory of lord Rama over Ravana. In parts of north India especially in the ram Lila maidan at Delhi, it is celebrated with much pomp and grandeur as a part of the Dussehra festival. In almost every state of India, there is a form of Durga Devi. For example Mysore derives its name from Mahishasooru and has Chamundeshwari as the patron goddess.
The entire Navaratri celebrations are to honor the mother goddesses. People invite women of all other households to take part in special pujas, bhajans and in Tamilnadu the tradition of golu is very important. Golu is simply the decking up of dolls and statues of deities to appease the Shakti. It isn’t just about the physical evils that need to be destroyed. It is the nature of man to accumulate all sort of ill thoughts and deeds in his mind. In course of spiritual rejuvenation through prayer and worship, man’s mind is cleared of all evil and he regains hope and happiness.
In Bengal, Durga puja is very very special. The entire city is painted red and white. Every Bengali woman performs pujas and visits the famous Durga temple in Dakshineshwar and prays for all evils to be vanquished and for goodness to prevail over the world. The relation of Durga to contemporary society is also extremely significant. The safety of women today remains a big question for us one can almost see how low the Shakti (women) have fallen. Once veneered as gods today have to picket for humanity and respect. There are hoards of brilliant minds that blatantly criticize religion on the basis that it brings separation in the society. But the Hindu culture is full of values and always paved way for a free radical society. A society where women were warriors, worshipped as goddesses. Till today we follow such tradition of worshipping Shakti during Navaratri but the problem is what was once part of the value system has now reduced to mere name sake tradition and that is point where all conflicts arise.
The basic notion of Durga is to lead us from darkness unto light. The darkness can be ignorance, violence or any other ill fate. Of course Durga can’t be physically present for all of us. But she has a strong mental presence; she empowers one to fight against evil with courage and confidence. Much like a modern day superhero.
