Various Forms of Goddess Durga
Goddess Durga is propitiated as various forms,
as have been mentioned in various holy Hindu texts. Some of these
sets of forms overlap partially. All of these forms however mark
an independent Goddess who is intricately involved in the protection
of nature and cosmic order and in destruction of evil forces
who try to overturn this balance.
The Markandeya Purana places the ten forms
of Durga in the following order:
Durga: The Goddess who first received
and showed her beautiful face to entice the demons.
Dashabhooja: In this fierce ten-armed
form of hers, she destroyed a part of the army of demons.
Singha-Vahini: In this form atop a
lion, she fought with Raktabeeja, the general of Shumbha and
Nishumbha whose drops of blood created thousands of demons.
Mahisha-Mardini: In this form she slew
Shumbha, the demon, who had taken the form of a buffalo.
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CHHINNAMASTA
ONE OF THE FORMS OF
GODDESS DURGA
Courtesy Exotic India |
Jagadhatri: In this form she overcame
the army of demons.
Kali: In this form she destroyed Raktabeeja
by drinking his drops of blood and not allowing them to fall
on the ground thus disallowing the further creation of demons
from his blood.
Muktakeshi: In this form with flowing
hair she overcame another army of demons.
Tara: In this form she killed Sambhu.
Chinnamastika: In this form she killed
Nishumbha.
Jagadguree: In this form she was worshipped
by all the gods on their salvation from the demons.
Goddess Durga is also intricately associated
with three distinct aspects of the cosmos as seen in the Hindu
thought process. Durga is said to be associated with Shakti,
Maya and Prakriti.
Shakti
Shakti, the Basis, is the underlying power
of the divine, the aspects of the divine that permits and provokes
creative activity, a creative force, personified as goddess.
Goddess as Shakti: the male gods contribute
their strength and vigor to the goddess, who epitomizes power,
action and strength in the battle with demons. Durga is action
and power personified and as such is a fitting representation
of the idea of Shakti.
Maya
Maya, the Delusion, is the power that deludes
an individual into thinking oneself to be the center of the world,
the power that prevents an individual from experiencing the ultimate
truth. It impels individuals into self-centered, egotistical
actions and thus hides the underlying unity of reality and masks
one's essential identity with Brahman. Maya can be as either
a positive or a negative energy.
Goddess as Maya : In the battle with Madhu
and Kaitabha, she deludes the demons so that Vishnu can slay
them. In the battle with Mahishasura, she enters into the battle
more of leela (divine play), fighting with the demons because
it pleases her, not out of sense of compulsion.
Prakriti
Prakriti is the physical world as well as
the inherent rhythms within this world that impel nature to gratify
and provide itself in its manifold species. She is both primordial
matter, from which all material things come, and the living instincts
and patterns, that imbue the material world with its proclivities
to sustain and recreate itself in individual beings.
Goddess as Prakriti: In Devi Mahatmaya - a
Hindu text on goddess Durga - it is stated that Durga is the
world, and as the earth itself, she conveys cosmic stability.
She is Sakambhari (she who provides the world with food from
her own body). She is the foundation of all creatures and that,
which nourishes all creatures. In her role as the cosmic queen,
warrior goddess and demon slayer, Durga in effect protects herself
in her aspect as the earth itself.
Hindu religious texts also talk about the
existence of the Ten Great Feminine Cosmic Powers (Dasha Mahavidyas)
which basically can be thought to be the ten fundamental aspects
of the Supreme Cosmic Mother's personality. Nevertheless, each
Goddess has a specific cosmic function in the universal harmony.
The traditional sequence of the ten Goddesses is:
Kali : The Power of Time and The Night
of Eternity
Tara : The Power of Void and The Night
of Anger
Tripura Sundari : The Power of Absolute
Splendor
Bhuvaneshwari : The Power of Space
and The Night of Perfect Realization
Tripura Bhairavi : The Power of Death
and The Night of Destiny
Chhinnamasta : The Power of Sacrifice
and The Night of Courage
Dhumavati : The Power of Deprivation
and The Night of Frustration
Bagalamukhi : The Power of Instantaneous
Stopping
Matangi : The Power of Domination and
The Night of Illusion
Kamalatmika : The Power of Perfect
Happiness and The Night of Paradise
Another such classification of the mother
Goddess based on the various functions in protecting the cosmos
and keeping the divine cosmic cycle running is the basis of the
Nava Durga or the Nine Durgas. These nine goddesses, who actually
are forms of Goddess Durga are propitiated on each day of a popular
Hindu festival called the Navaratri.
Shailputri: As daughter (putri) of
the Himalaya mountains (Shail), Parvati or Hemvati represents
the first of the nine Durgas. She is depicted as holding a trident
and a lotus in each of her two hands and is shown mounted on
a bull.
Brahmacharini: The name indicates the
phase of Parvati's life when she was indulging in severe austerities
to appease Lord Shiva into marrying her. She had pledged that
she would remain unmarried (Brahmacharini) till Lord Shiva gives
his consent to marrying Parvati. She is shown as holding a water
pot (Kumbha) in one hand and a rosary in the other. She is considered
as a holder of knowledge and wisdom. Rudrakhsa (rosary beads)
form her favorite ornamentation.
Chandraghanta: As Chadraghanta, the
goddess is depicted as having golden skin and with a moon-crescent
near her forehead. She is shown as having three eyes and ten
hands, eight of which carry weapons and two of which form gestures
of giving boons and stopping harms. She is shown as sitting on
a tiger. She is usually associated with the giver of knowledge,
bliss and serenity.
Kushmanda: The fourth Durga is known
as Kushmanda. She is depicted as emanating a cosmic aura and
is depicted as having eight hands, seven of which carry weapons
while the eighth carries a rosary.
Skanda Mata: Skanda Mata literally
means the mother of Skanda. Skanda was the son of Lord Shiva
and Parvati and was the leader of the army of gods.The goddess
is shown as having four hands, two of which carry lotuses while
two are in defending and granting gestures. She is shown sitting
on a lion with her son Skanda in her lap.
Katyayani: Katyaynai is so named because
of her stay at the hermitage of sage Katyayan for the purpose
of penance. She is sometimes also said to be the daughter of
sage Katyayan. She also is shown astride a lion and has three
eyes and four arms. In one hand she holds a lotus and in another
a weapon. The third and fourth hands show defending and granting
gestures.
Kaalratri: The seventh Durga, Kaalratri,
is depicted as having black skin with bountiful hair, four arms
and astride a donkey. In one hand she holds a cleaver and in
another a burning torch. With the other two hands she forms gestures
of granting and defending. She represents the enemy of darkness
and ignorance.
Maha Gauri: Maha Gauri is depicted
as the fairest of the nine Durgas and is often dressed in white
or green. She emanates peace and compassion and is shown with
three eyes and as riding a bull. She also has four arms, one
of which carries a tambourine and another a trident. The other
two form defending and granting gestures. It is said that when
Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva, became dirty while observing
penance, Lord Shiva bathed her with the holy waters of river
Ganga. Parvati's body turned lightning bright and thus she came
to be known as Maha Gauri (Gauri means fair).
Siddhidatri: Siddhidatri means
the giver of siddhis (magical or spiritual powers for the control
of self, others and the forces of nature). It is said in Devipuran
that the Supreme God, Lord Shiva received all of these powers
by propitiating the Maha Shakti. The Goddess is sometimes shown
atop a lion and sometimes atop a lotus. She is shown as having
four arms, which hold a club, a conch shell and a lotus. The
fourth hand forms a gesture of granting. Siddhidatri is considered
to be the most powerful of all the nine forms of Durga.
Durga is said to be extraordinarily beautiful;
she does not use her beauty for seduction, but rather entrapment.
She entices her victims and then defeats them. She rides a lion,
and it appears whenever her strengths are needed. Her role is
not that of creator, but rather that of a maintainer: she maintains
cosmic order by defeating demons that plague the universe.
Durga is not only a powerful force for cosmic
order but also a protector of her devotees. She listens to her
devotees and attends to their needs. The Devi Mahatmya describes
her as a personal savior who will save her devotees from forest
fires, wild animals, robbers, imprisonment, execution, and battle.
Goddess Durga keeps up the play of the divine
universal God through the three attributes of Nature, namely,
Satva (equilibrium and serenity), Rajas (dynamism and kinesis)
and Tamas (ignorance and inertia). Knowledge, peace, lust, anger,
greed, egoism and pride, all are Her forms. Maha Saraswati is
Her Sattviki Shakti or power of equilibrium. Maha Lakshmi is
Her Rajasik Shakti or power of activity. And Maha Kali is Her
Tamsik Shakti the power of destruction. All these are feminine
forms.
Shiva's power is Shakti, the dynamic creative
mother aspect of the Godhead. It is she who creates and at the
time of dissolution, it is she who swallows her own creation.
Shakti cannot exist without Shiva and Shiva cannot personify
without Shakti.
Therefore Hinduism proclaims the highest personification
of God, the supreme energy, to be feminine. Hinduism is the only
religion in the world, which conceptualizes the supreme form
of Divinity to be a woman. This demonstrates the elevated status
of women in Hinduism as a religion.
Festivals associated with Goddess Durga
An important festival of the Hindus associated
with goddess Durga is that of Durga Puja, which has been celebrated
for ages by Hindus. In the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana
there are various references to goddess Durga. When the Pandavas
entered the capital of Virata for their period of one year in
disguise they propitiated Durga who appeared before them and
granted them boons. Again, at the commencement of the great war
of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to worship Goddess
Durga to ensure victory in battle.
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COURT
OF LORD RAMA ALONG WITH
WIFE SITE, BROTHER LAKSHMANA
AND DEVOTEE - MONKEY GOD, HANUMAN
AFTER DEFEATING DEMON KING RAVANA |
The festival of Durga Puja is popularly attributed
to a tale from the Hindu epic, Ramayana. Lord Rama went to Lanka,
the kingdom of Ravana - the demon king, to rescue his abducted
wife, Sita. Before starting for his battle with Ravana, Rama
wanted the blessings of goddess Durga. He came to know that the
goddess would be pleased only if she is worshipped with one hundred
eight 'Neel Kamal' or blue lotuses. Rama, after travelling the
whole world, could gather only one hundred seven of them. He
finally decided to offer one of his eyes, which resembled a blue
lotus. Durga, being pleased with the devotion of Rama, appeared
before him and blessed him. The battle with Ravana started on
the 'Saptami' (the seventh day after the new moon night just
prior to the Autumn festival of Durga Puja) and Ravana was finally
killed on the 'Sandhikshan' i.e. the crossover period between
Ashtami (the eighth day after new moon) and Navami (the ninth
day after new moon). Ravana was cremated on Dashami (the tenth
day after new moon). Since the period of this worship was different
from the conventional period of worship of Durga (during the
spring - 'Basanta'), this puja is also known as 'Akal-Bodhan'
or worship (Bodhan) at an unconventional time.
Durga Puja is a Hindu festival observed in
Ashwin Navaratri (month of October) and is celebrated all over
India with great joy especially in West Bengal. The festival
is also popular by other names like Dusshera and Navaratri. The
ten days of festivity are dedicated to the supreme mother goddess
Durga.
Worship of goddess Durga signifies the process
by which the divine potential within every being removes its
layers of ignorance and achieves the state of self-realization.
Hindus celebrate this occasion at an auspicious time every year
to constantly remind themselves of the significance of this very
process. They contemplate the progress made on their spiritual
journey and celebrate with great joy the victory of the supreme
consciousness over the demons of ignorance. The festival is also
a reminder that evil can never triumph over the power of truth.
Durga Puja is the greatest Hindu festival
in which God is adored as Mother. Hinduism is the only religion
in the world, which has emphasized to such an extent the motherhood
of God. Perhaps the greatest testament to the power of Durga
Puja is that even today the Mother is worshipped by billions
of Hindus world wide in exactly the same manner as she was thousands
of years ago.
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DEVI
DURGA WITH HER
DIVINE THIRD EYE |
Images of Durga usually have an extra divine
eye in the middle of the forehead. There can be four, eight,
ten, eighteen, or twenty arms. The most common objects held in
the hands are a conch, discus, trident, bow, arrow, sword, dagger,
shield, rosary, wine cup, and bell. Her hair is in Karandamukuta,
a crown style of hairdo. She wears gorgeous red clothes and several
ornaments, and stands on a lotus or the head of a buffalo or
rides a lion. There are endless aspects of Durga described in
the Puranas and Agamas (ancient Hindu texts) and the iconography
is consequently varied.
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FESTIVAL
OF DURGA PUJA
DURGA, SARASWATI, LAKSHMI,
GANESHA AND KARTIKEYA |
The most important form of Durga is as Mahishasuramardini
or the slayer of Mahishasura (the demon king). The image is of
the Goddess cutting off the head of the buffalo-demon. This image
usually most commonly is shown with eight or ten arms, and the
hands hold weapons and a lotus. Mahishasura, the demon, may be
shown half emerging in his human form from the carcass of his
former buffalo form.
At the Durga Puja, the most important festival
of Durga, she is shown with four other deities - usually smaller
in size than that of goddess Durga. Two deities are placed on
each side of the main idol of goddess Durga. These deities are
Kartikeya, Ganesha, Saraswati, and Lakshmi, who are commonly
identified as her children. The festival of Durga Puja usually
involves beautiful and larger than life clay idols of Durga and
her accompanying deities.
In eastern India Durga Puja is celebrated
with enormous vigor. Enormous tents spring up in practically
every locality and an amazing array of idols of Durga, crafted
from the special clay of river Ganga, are installed. These idols
are crafted by skilful idol makers using a wide array of alternative
materials, the range limited only by imaginative creativity.
The most common of these of course is clay. However, other innovative
media like shola pith, coconut husk, cloth, and flowers, amongst
others are popularly used. Legend has it that the idol of the
goddess is incomplete without a pinch of clay from a prostitute's
courtyard. This probably was society's attempt to include and
accord status to its most alienated beings.
The four days (beginning with the sixth day
after the last new moon before the festival) of the festival
is actually representative of the home-coming of goddess Durga
along with Kartik, Ganesha, Saraswati and Lakshmi. These four
days are marked by celebration and merry-making. The deities
are presented with offerings throughout the festivities. On Vijayadasami,
the "Victorious Tenth Day," the idols are taken in
a parade to a river or tank and immersed as a representation
of bidding a tearful goodbye to the deities. This is usually
a very emotional time for devout Hindus who accompany the idols
to the immersion spot.
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LORD
RAMA BATTLES AND SLAYS
DEMON KING RAVANA
Courtesy Exotic India |
The same day sees millions of Hindus also
celebrate the festival of Dusshera which marks the end of evil,
as depicted by the burning of huge effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna
and Meghnad - the three demon brothers, Ravana being the king
of demons. All three were defeated by Lord Rama on this day.
Other forms of festivities during the period
preceding Dussehra or Vijayadashami also exist, the most popular
being that of the Navaratri festival, which involves the propitiation
of Goddess Durga in nine different forms called the Nava-Durga
(explained in an earlier section), over the nine days preceding
Dussehra and starting on the first day after the last new moon
preceding Dusshera. During Navaratri, one of each of these nine
forms of goddess Durga is worshipped on a particular night for
the destruction of evil and for the preservation of Dharma (religion).
Conclusion
The Devi Mahatmya indicated that Durga, in
the form of Mahamaya or Mahashakti, pervades the universe in
both its forms as material and thought. She creates, maintains,
and periodically destroys it. When the balance of the universe
is disturbed, Durga assumes various forms to restore order and
balance. She is thus also, the guardian of dharma or cosmic order.
This nature of hers makes her akin to a female form of Lord Vishnu
since the concept of a deity assuming a separate form for maintaining
the cosmic order is central to Vaishnavism - the Hindu sect which
follows Lord Vishnu as the sole universal power.
The Devi Mahatmya talks about three such cosmic
interventions by Durga on behalf of the gods: the battle with
Madhu and Kaitabha, the battle with Mahishasura - the buffalo-demon,
and the battle with Shumbha and Nisumbha.
The Devimahatmya states that Durga is the
universe. "As immanent in the world Durga is equated with
the earth. As transcendent, she is the heavenly queen who descends
from time to time to maintain harmony on earth." (Kinsley
1986, 105)
The Divine Mother is beyond all material attributes,
eternal and ever omniscient. She is beyond any change, immutable
and unattainable but by yoga. She is the refuge of the universe
and her nature is of pure consciousness.
Durga, the Mother Goddess is the symbol of
all the auspicious and true qualities which define the Supreme
Being. Of all her forms, Devi Durga is the ultimate representation
of infinite power, purity and strength of purpose, which resides
within the divine essence of every being.
Om. She Who Conquers Over All,
All-Auspicious, the remover of Darkness,
the Excellent One Beyond Time,
the bearer of the Skulls of Impure thought,
the reliever of difficulties, loving, forgiving,
supporter of the Universe,
accept the oblations of the devotee who is one with you,
accept the oblations of ancestral praise,
We bow to you.
This article was written by:
Madhuri Guin Our efforts have been directed at making this article informative and refreshing for you. We will truly appreciate all forms of feedback. Please send your feedback to newsletter@dollsofindia.com.
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