DURGĀ (Durga)

DURGĀ  (Durga)

One of the most popular forms of the Goddess who is worshipped alone and has many temples and shrines dedicated to her is Durgā.

Durgā's feminine power contains the combined energies of all the gods. Each of her weapons was given to her by the various gods: Rudra's trident, Vishnu's discus, Indra's thunderbolt, Brahma's Kamaṇḍalu, etc. etc.

According to a narrative in the Devi Māhātmya, Durgā appeared as a warrior goddess to fight an Asura (an anti- god) named Mahiṣāsura or ’buffalo-demon’.

He had unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether worlds, and he could not be defeated by any man or god, according to a boon given him by Brahmā.

The gods went to entreat the aid of Lord Viṣṇu. Hearing of Mahiṣāsura’s atrocities, Vishnu, Shiva and all of the gods became very angry and beams of fierce light emerged from their bodies.

The blinding sea of light met at the Ashram of a sage named Kātyāyana and Durgā emerged from this coalesced pool of light. The goddess Durgā took the name Kātyāyanī from the priest and emerged from the sea of light.

She introduced herself in the language of the Rig-Veda, saying she was the form of the supreme Brahman who had created all the gods. Now she had come to fight the demon to save the gods.

They did not create her; it was her divine Līlā she emerged from their combined energy — she represents the totality of our higher potential for Self-realization.

Mahiṣāsura or the buffalo-demon represents the gross negative aspect of Tamas which obstructs and thwarts spiritual progress. As the personification of the Tāmasic Ahaṁkāra — he constantly and adroitly changes shape whenever he is confronted by Durgā.

We have the incredible capacity for self-delusion and whenever we are confronted we always manage to work our way out and somehow or other justify our actions both to ourselves and to others.

But finally, once we have exhausted all our excuses and self-delusions we are finally vanquished by our higher nature and experience the bliss of Ātma-bodha — self-realization.