About Goddess Durga

Eons after Sati, Adi Shakti manifested again in Sagun Roop, in form, as Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya. 

As Parvati, Adi-Shakti once again marries with Mahadev, and becomes eternal consort of Mahadev.  The eternal union of Mahadev and Parvati are worshipped as Shiva and Shakti, in the form of immutable, non-dual supreme primeval absolute Supreme Being represented by Shiva Lingam, the formless aspect of the cosmos. 

In Parvati complete cosmic energies of Adi-Shakti are converged.  Parvati is the complete incarnation of Adi-Shakti, and she is Goddess Durga.  In Goddess Durga, the other two primary manifestations of Adi-Shakti, the Laximi and Saraswati, and all other feminine divinities of past and future of Hindu theology are converged. 

Goddess Durga is Para Brahmn, the embodiment of Atma-Jnana, the knowledge of self, and Yoga Sadhana –the skillful means to realize Atma-Jnana. 

It is with Sati and Parvati begins the evolution of Yoga Sadhana.  With Yoga Sadhana the divine powers and pure perceptions are realized.  Yoga Sadhana is a skillful mean for transcending the imperfections and impurities of human nature and ascending upward into and partaking of the divine nature, the pure consciousness.

Devi Mahaatmya, known as the Durga Saptashati is the supreme scripture glorifying the Goddess Durga.  It is known by the name Saptashati because it is a book of 700 verses.  It is a part of the Markandeya Puran.  It is also popularly known as Chandi, since it narrates the glory of the Goddess Chandi, one of the manifestations of the Primeval Adi-shakti.  Devi-Bhagavata Purana is another supreme scripture that retells the glory of the Goddess.

It is in Chandi, the origin of the name Durga in writing is found where it has been described; “She, who saves us from all that is calamitous; She who saves us from danger and trouble, is Durga.  Because She saves Her devotees from all sorrows, dangers and calamities, She is Devi Durga.  Devi Durga is Dur-Gati Nashini; She who destroys all that is undesirable.” 

In Chandi, Rishi Medha gives his wondrous exposition of the greatness of Divine Mother.  He says; “A mysterious delusion dwells in the mind of man, by which his pure perception is blinded, by which he is again and again made to cling and go back to those very objects from which he is subject to so much pain and suffering.” 

Rishi Medha upon expounding the mystery and secret of the supreme nature of the Divine Mother, tells us to worship the Divine Mother, pray to Her and meditate upon Her and propitiate Her.  Thus propitiated Devi Durga becomes manifest to them and bestows Her Grace and liberate them from the cosmic illusion and grant pristine transcendental state of Pure Being.

Goddess Durga manifests in us in the form of pure perception, will power, a Guru, an aspirant aspiring to rise to a higher plane, and self-examination revealing the lower instinctive egoistic self.  To root out the evil tendencies of ordinary human nature determined by its ego, and reach out to the pure perception, we invoke Goddess Durga by resolute determination with Yoga Sadhana and make progress with the blessings of Goddess Durga.

We live our lives with a host of defects, misperceptions, misconception and we are not aware of them.  With Yoga Sadhana we can be aware of our defects and have right perception and develop irrevocable determination to completely root out defects we live with.  It in our determination Goddess Durga manifests Herself in the form of pure perception and will power and enables us fight evil tendencies in every moment of our life; in our thoughts, dealings with others, attitudes and behavior. 

In us there co-exist negative Karmic forces as demons, also reside in us and manifest in our thought, speech and action.  In us lives the demons as adverse negative Karmic forces thriving, colliding and creating disorder and suffering. 

In us there co-exist positive Karmic forces.  Goddess Durga, embodied as undivided energy of self awareness and mindfulness, resides in our inner consciousness, as positive Karmic forces.  Goddess Durga continuously destroy our impurities and negative Karmic forces, and bestow spiritual wealth.  She protects us and guides us in our spiritual journey on self-purification, self-transformation, and self-realization. 

Goddess Durga is the Citta Shakti, pure blissful consciousness, the Mother Nature.  She is the Nature itself, the supreme power of eternity and perfection underlying the whole existence.  She is the supreme source of all energies, the Being in every action.  She is the dynamic active Being and her manifestations are infinite. 

According to Hindu theology, the ultimate goal of life is Moktsa –liberation from Samsara, being free from negative Karmic forces that drive a man from birth to death.  The negative Karmic forces as demons are nothing external but inherent within us, in our mind, in our thoughts, in our perception, speech, behavior and action.  Being in us embodied as demons the negative Karmic forces haunt us throughout our life and keep us bound to Samsara, being dissatisfied even when the desires are fulfilled. 

Devi Mahatmaya narrates the battles between the Goddess and the demons and describes the obstacles that a human soul encounters in its journey towards Moktsa.  It glorifies the triumph of Goddess Durga over the most potent demons: (1) Madhu and Kaitabha, (2) Chiksura and Chamara, (3) Mahishaasura, (4) Sumbha and Nisumbha (5) Dhoomra Lochna, (6) Chanda and Munda, and (7) Raktabeeja.  These demons manifest in our thought, speech, and behavior in the form of: (i) Delusion and irrationality, (ii) Pride and vanity, and aggressiveness and defensiveness, (iii) Greediness and possessiveness, and envy and betrayal, (iv) Attraction and aversion, lustfulness and unclear vision, and (v) Fleeting thoughts and desires. 

The benevolence of the Goddess Durga in destroying the evil forces narrated in Devi Mahatmaya is excerpted as: 

1…Delusion and Irrationality 

Delusion and irrationality are embodied as demons Madhu and Kaitabha.  They are Tamasic, the demoniac aspect, who creates obstacles to orderly process of creation and creativity. 

Goddess Durga is Satvic Shakti -the divine Shakti, the embodiment of knowledge, intellect, sustenance, righteousness, harmony, peace, tranquility, refinement, and victory over evils. 

Goddess Durga, the power of pure consciousness is invoked to destroy the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, the embodiment of delusion and irrationality, the first ever obstacle for right understanding for having right perception. 

2…Pride and Vanity –the Ego 

We are ruled by our Ego –Ahangkar, the Rajasik aspect of Shakti.  Our Ego has been depicted as demon Mahishasura –the embodiment of self pride and ignorance, passion, ever deficient and dissatisfied, which constantly changes its masks in order to foster its own security, superiority and sensual pleasures. 

Mahishaasura denotes our fickle mind and desires that manifest in all possible manners.  That is why while Goddess Durga is combating Mahishaasura, it instantaneously changes its forms from its original form of buffalo. 

The demons relentlessly attacks gods -the positive energies of natural balance, welfare and harmony, to take over the control of worldly affairs and create an unbalanced chaotic world design.   When Ego defies the forces of nature and misappropriates nature for its selfish pursuits of pleasures instead of universal welfare, peace and harmony, the imbalance in nature occurs. 

In Navaratri Durga Puja, Goddess Durga, the absolute combined energy, the Supreme Satvic Power, the pure consciousness, is invoked to vanquish the demon Mahishasura.  To defeat Mahishasura, Goddess Durga first eliminates the generals of Mahishasura, the Chiksura and Chamara, the embodiments of pride and prejudice.  Then, the root cause of all evils, Mahishasura, the Ego, is subdued by Goddess Durga with her sword of spiritual wisdom.  

The rationale for presenting Ego as buffalo is the fact that the base animal instinct is imbedded in our Ego and buffalo represent anger, the primary negative Karmic force.  

3…Greediness and Possessiveness

Greediness and possessiveness are the two brothers embodied as demons Shumbha and Nishumbha.  The two brothers once overpowered the gods, the harmonious order of universal welfare, and made them slaves of destructive forces. 

To destroy Sumbha and Nisumbha, Goddess Durga manifested as Ambika, the embodiment of the light of pure consciousness, the Citta Shakti.  Goddess Ambika with all grandeur of her power destroyed the demons Sumbha and Nisumbha. 

In us, the Citta Shakti, the light of pure consciousness, is eternally present.  It is the divine light of pure consciousness that emanates from complete stillness and silence of the attentive mind.  It is with Citta-Shakti we are able to defeat the demons Sumbha and Nisumbha, the embodiment of vanity and possessiveness. 

4…Attraction and Aversion, and Lustfulness and Unclear Vision

The evil forces of attraction, aversion, lustfulness and unclear vision have been embodied as demons Chanda and Munda.  Once, Chanda and Munda attempted to appropriate the Goddess in her most beautiful divine form for self-gratification of their Ego’s vanity and possessiveness.

Goddess imposed a condition that the one, who would conquer and humble her in the battle and becomes her match in strength, shall be her master and lord.

The demons, Chanda and Munda were crude psychic energies, and they tried to overpower the Goddess by force and thus engaged in a war.  In the battle the demon leader Dhumralochana, the one with smoke in the eyes, who was the embodiment of veiled and unclear vision of limited selfish consciousness, was destroyed first.  Then the demons Chanda and Munda, dwelling in limited selfish consciousness were destroyed. 

As destroyer of Chand and Munda, the Goddess is revered as Goddess Chamunda or Chamundeswary.  In Navaratri Durga Puja, Goddess Chamudeswari is invoked to remove the veil of our unclear vision and selfish consciousness. 

5…Fleeting Thoughts and Desires

The demon Raktabija is the embodiment of fleeting thought and desire.  As the embodiment of fleeting thoughts and desires, Raktabij has the capacity to multiply itself endlessly in the egoic mind.  In physical form, Ratkabija has the capacity of multiplying himself from every drop of his blood falling on the ground, which means it multiplies as it faces mortal danger.

To defeat the formidable demon Raktabija, the Goddess gathers all her denominations –Matris.  In the war, Raktabija is injured by Matris Kalika -the dark space of meditative attention.  Matris Kalika then absorbs all the blood dripping from the wound of Raktabija and debars him of the possibility of multiplication.  Finally, Matris Kaushiki -the light of pure awareness burns Raktabija to death.

In our ordinary mundane life we can generate and sustain divine awareness through Yoga Sadhana.  With Yoga Sadhana the thinking process of the reflective mind is absorbed by spiritual absorption into divine awareness by which the demon Raktabija, embodied as fleeting thought and desire can be subdued.

We experience sorrow when these demons rules on us.  To exterminate these demons, we need to accumulate the disaggregated and dissipated positive Karmic energies.  We need un-fragmented, single-pointed attention with a strong resolve and decisiveness in our thought, attitude and behavior. 

Goddess Durga is worshipped with Vedic rituals for nine days twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn.  The period of worship is called Navaratri.  From spiritual point, Navaratri means living in divine consciousness for nine days and experiencing the loving kindness and compassion of Goddess Durga.  During Navaratri, Goddess Durga is worshipped for her benevolence in destroying the demons inherently present in our being and realize mutual prosperity, harmony and happiness.  For her blessing the devotees embrace righteousness and exercise self discipline, self-control and sacrifice.

The autumn Navaratri is observed with festivities and the tenth day is celebrated as Vijaya Dashami, Dassera or Dassain to mark the victory of Goddess Durga over demons, the embodiment of evils; the negative Karmic forces.