Maa Durga: Things You Should Know Before Durga Puja 2020 Celebration
Goddess Durga aka Maa Durga is the supreme form of pure energy and power and is also supreme to all the gods, even the Trimurtis (Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma).
Well, as much as Shaktism is concerned it is so. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the whole world. So no doubt it had its fair amount of time to spread out its
stems into cults and its believers. Hinduism is a whole new complex chapter to be understood. We all can google out the founder of all the Major religions this world is
having today but Hinduism is certainly not one of them.
Given the facts of so, Hinduism has 3 main cults that Hindus and believers all over the world follow.
Following are the 3 major denominations of Hinduism-
- Vaishnavism (followers of Lord Vishnu)
- Shaivism (followers of Lord Shiva)
- Shaktism (followers of Devi)
- Smartism (five deities treated as same)
Maa Durga/Durga Mata/Durga Maa is the metaphorical figure of Devi Shakti (the power of Devi). Given the name “Durga” which literally means “Unpassable”,
Maa Durga’s name literally derived from the Sanskrit word “Durg” which means fortress that metaphorically depicts that Maa Durga/ Durga Maa/ Durga Mata is invincible just like the name.
She is the ultimate witnessing power and is an invincible form of shakti (power) and the Epic Saga of Mahishashur Mordini is the living proof of that. According to the 2nd Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, Sir Monier Monier-Williams, the name “Durga” of the Hindu deity, Maa Durga derived from the Sanskrit word “Durgam” which means “Difficult path to go through) and according to the famous French Historian and Intellect, Alain Daniélou the word “Durga” means “the one who cannot be defeated”.
As per Ancient Indian Hindu texts, Maa Durga/ Durga Mata/ Durga is the goddess of destruction of all evils and we precisely aim to give our readers a brief tour of this great Indian goddess of War.
Origin of Maa Durga
If we talk about the origin of the great Hindu deity, the woman embodiment of pure power and justice — Maa Durga/ Durga Mata/ Durga Maa, then we should keep our minds open, since there are 2 aspects of her Origin story-
- The Historical Aspect
- The Mythological Aspect
The Historical Aspect of Origin of Maa Durga
The 19th century is a remarkable era where humankind witnessed great changes that have potentially changed the world as we know it today. Historian Ramaprasad Chanda is one of the boons the 19th century offered humanity in terms of historic enlightenment. In 1916 this great Historian stated clearly that the concept of Durga Maa/ Durga Mata/ Maa Durga changed over time in terms of evolution in the great subcontinent of India.
According to Ramaprasad Chandra, the primitive form of Maa Durga aka Durga Mata is the result of syncretism of a Goddess residing on the top of Himalaya and worshipped by the dwellers of Himalayan and Vindhyas mountain range.
Then over time, the concept of Durga Maa aka Durga Mata transformed into Goddess Kali, a personification of the all destructing feared Goddess in all 3 realms ( referred to Earth Heavens and Hell). Thus proving the very basic concept of reincarnation of Adya Shakti through different avatars of Durga Maa. This whole concept of the “rebirth cycle” is based on Ancient Vedic religion, Mythology, and philosophy. [ Adya Shakti is referred to as “the ancient power” which is basically cosmic energy representing dynamic forces that flows through the universe, a center of creation to be precise as per as Shaktism ].
Apart from that, let us travel a bit primitive in time, The 6th-century CE inscriptions in the caves of Nagarjuna Hills (located in Modern India) suggestively indicates that Maa Durga is indeed an Ancient Goddess as her famous battle with Mahisaura (Buffalo hybrid demon) can be found inscribed in the caves of Nagarjuna Hills.
The European reference to Maa Durga/ Durga Mata/ Durga Maa is very interesting as the early Europeans used to worship a deity known as Deumus or Demus. While traveling some Portuguese Sailors came across an idol of Maa Durga at Calicut and they referred it as the Deumus of Calicut. So the big question is can we all connect the dots and say Deumus and Durga are essentially the same deities worshipped by different countries under different names? Yes, we can as ever since then, in the history of European deities Deumus is interpreted as an aspect of Durga in Hindu mythology.
The Mythological Aspect of Origin of Durga Maa
According to the legends of Indian Mythology, Durga was created by the supreme Trimurti deities (referred to Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva , and Lord Brahma) and other subordinate gods to slay the Buffalo demon Mahishasura. The saga goes as follows — The evil buffalo demon prayed and meditated to Lord Brahma for centuries under adverse conditions passing all the tests thrown before him to test his devotion.
So satisfied by his devotion when Lord Brahma finally appeared before him, Mahishasura prayed for the boon of immortality. Being the creator of the Universe, Lord Brahma could not grant him Immortality as it goes against the laws of the Universe.
So, Mahishasura had to reframe his prayer very wittily and requested Lord Brahma to give him the Boon that he cannot be killed or defeated by any man, god, or animal under no circumstance, and unfortunately this time he was granted with his request as a boon to his prayers. There came the twist to the story as the next we know, Mahishasura attacked mother earth and the gods in heaven, thus taking full advantage of his boon defeating every God coming in his way to stop his madness.
Being powerless and to overcome his tyranny, the Trimurtis decided to create a Woman who would kill the shape-shifting demon without breaking the boon. Hence Maa Durga/ Durga Maa/ Durga Mata was created by the collective powers of all gods in heaven. Each god gave her their prime weapon so that she can kill the demon and she did so through an epic battle that shook all the three realms as the tyrannical horror of Mahishasura ended with Durga Maa putting her Trishul/ Trident through the buffalo demon’s chest.
What are the ten weapons of Goddess Durga? Who gave Durga her weapons?
The making of Maa Durga was an awestruck beautiful event believed to be praised by all gods as Lord Shiva gave Durga Mata his powerful trident, Lord Vishnu contributed to the event by giving her his famous Sudarshan Chakra while Brahma gave her his kamandulam (a type of container) of holy water and wisdom. Now coming to the contribution of the lesser gods, Indra gave her his Vajra, Varuna gave her his Conch, Agni gave her his spear, Vayu gave her a bow and arrows, Vishwakarma gave her his Axe and armor, and the lord of the mountains gave her the most ferocious lion to ride on.
According to ancient Hindu Mythology, the iconic avatar of goddess Durga has 10 arms each carrying unique weapons justifying the usage of so. Following is a brief list of weapons and its symbolizations that Durga Mata / Durga Maa carries in her each arm -
1. Trident or Trishul: The three-headed sharp weapon symbolizes the three core qualities humankind is made of namely Satvaa (goodness and purity), tamas (dullness) and rajas (passion)
2. Discus or Sudarshan Chakra: According to Ancient Indian Mythology this infamous weapon has slain many demons across ages by different avatars of Lord Vishnu. To this context, Vishnu’s gift of Sudarshan Chakra symbolizes the center of all creation.
3. Thunderbolt or vajra: Indra’s gift symbolizes the compactness of Durga Maa, her determination of defeating all evils no matter how negative energy it carries and her supreme power and control over the universe.
4. Conch: The conch is the symbol of the cosmic sound of creation, Aum.
5. Spear: The fearsome spear symbolizes auspiciousness, purity, fiery power, Durga Mata possesses.
6. Sword: Symbolizes the intellect and wisdom of separating and judging the rights from the wrongs.
7. Bow and arrows: This unique weapon set is the combination of potential and kinetic energy and to this context, they very much symbolize the endless energy Durga Mata possesses.
8. Club or ax: The club is the realistic representation of Durga Mata’s alternative forms. It is the representation of what we call the flip side of every coin referring to the dark side of Durga Maa, which means she can destroy what she created.
9. Lotus: The lotus of Brahma is the metaphorical representation of wisdom, as well as liberation through Knowledge and Witt.
10. Snake: This might interest you all as we can all witness at many places the presentations of Durga Mata’s idols, they show one empty hand symbolizing her blessings to humankind, or one can find her idol just holding the Trishul/ Trident to kill Mahishasura but originally, the tenth hand is actually supposed to be holding the snake of Lord Shiva. It symbolizes consciousness and the masculine almighty energy of Lord Shiva.
What is Durga the god of? Why is Durga worshipped?
Ironically, much like her weapon Club, Durga Mata represents both creation and destruction. In some context of Indian Mythology, Durga Maa is known as the Goddess of War whereas in other contexts she has been referred to as the goddess of the demolition of all evils. Many hats of this Hindu Goddess as she is worshipped thoroughly by Hindus of different casts across the globe. Two of the most celebrated famous ceremony of this unique Hindu deity are-
- Navaratri
- Durga Puja
What is Navarati? What is Navadurga? What are the different avatars of Durga?
Navadurga aka Nabadurga is referred to as the 9 forms of Maa Durga that are worshipped by Hindus across the globe during the holy ceremony of Navaratri. This whole incident of this holy ceremony lasts for 9 days. During this period, each form of Durga Maa is worshipped each night, and devotees offer their prayers, offerings, and prasad to show their homage and devotion to the almighty goddess of shakti.
The 9 forms of Durga Mata are as follows-
- Shailaputri
- Brahmacharini
- Chandraghanta
- Kushmanda
- Skandamata
- Katyayani
- Kaalratri
- Mahagauri
- Siddhidhatri
Shailaputri :
Shailaputri (referred to the daughter of the Shayla mountains) is an avatar of the Hindu deity, Durga Mata. It is one of the 9 Navadurga’s avatars that is worshipped first during the first day of Navratri. She is also famously known as Sati, Bhavani, Parvati, or Hemavati.
Brahmacharini :
The Sanskrit word Brahmacharini basically means a female individual who lives a life of Brahmacharya, ie, lives in an ashram with her guru, gurumata (wife of the guru) and
fellow students to learn lessons of life. In this context, Brahmacharini is referred to the avatar of Durga Maa that is worshipped on the 2nd day of the whole ceremony, Navaratri.
Chandraghanta :
The Sanskrit word Chandraghanta is derived from another set of Sanskrit words “Chandra” which means “moon” and “ghanta” which means “bell”. So the word Chandraghanta literally means the one who possesses the moon in the shape of a bell. In this Context, Chandraghanta is referred to the 3rd avatar of Maa Durga and is worshipped on the 3rd day of the holy ceremony of Navaratri. It is believed the 3rd eye of this form of Goddess Durga is always open as a protector of humankind always ready to go to war with the evil energy.
Kushmanda :
The word Kushmanda literally means “a little warmth of cosmic energy” and to this context, Kushmanda is referred to as the 4th avatar of the Hindu deity of Shakti, Durga Maa. It is believed by the followers of Shaktism, Goddess Kushmanda created this world with her divine smile, indicating the unimaginable power of her energy when she is pleased and smiling.
Skandamata :
Skandamata is the 5th avatar of the Hindu deity Durga Mata and is worshipped on the 5th day of the Holy Ceremony Navaratri. The reason for worshipping Skandamata literally defines her name as she is worshipped for being the mother of Skanda (another name of war god).
Katyayani :
Katyayani is the 6th avatar of Maa Durga and is worshipped worldwide by Hindus on the 6th day of Navaratri. She is known to be the daughter of the great sage Katya who she gave the boon to be blessed enough to have her as his daughter by being impressed by his devotion towards her. This avatar of Durga is well known for her kindness.
Kaalratri :
Kaalratri is the 7th form of Durga Maa and she is worshipped on the 7th day of Navaratri. This form of Durga is feared and worshipped to be the destructive form of Durga. It is believed that she is feared by all negative entities and praying to her keeps negativity away from a man’s life. This form of Durga is also known as Kali maa.
Mahagauri :
Mahagauri is the 8th Avatar of Maa Durga and she is worshipped worldwide on the 8th Day of Navaratri. According to ancient Hindu Mythology, Mahagauri is the ocean of kindness who is known for fulfilling all the wishes of her devotees who call to her with pure devotion.
Siddhidhatri :
Siddhidhatri is the 9th and final avatar of Maa Durga who is worshipped on the last day i,e the 9th day of Navaratri. This form of Durga is well known for being a giver and is said to be worshipped by all men, demons, and even the gods for she bestows boons and strength upon all her followers.
Durga Puja
Durga Puja is a phenomenal event that is celebrated by Indians worldwide, especially the Bengalis. It is the prime holy ceremony of West Bengal which carries a huge sentiment of all Bengalis as each and every Bengalis irrespective of their age or cast waits for this event to come throughout the year. The celebration of this grand event is more conceptual and sentimental than religious to the Bengalis.
But the basic concept of celebration to this event is celebrating the arrival of Durga Mata to earth with her children- Lord Kartikeya, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati. During this ceremonial event, eyes are drawn upon the idols so that Durga Mata and her children can see the devotions of their devotees and answer to their prayers.
Originally published at https://world-tomorrow.com on May 14, 2020.
