Durga

Durga

दुर्गा, durgā

Durgā [durˈga:] is one of the hypostases of the Mother Goddess, whose veneration is widespread throughout India.

There are several interpretations of Her name: "difficult to reach", "invincible", "the destroyer of misfortunes", "red as fire" and "the killer of Durga" (Durga [ˈdurga] – according to “Skanda purana”, is an asura-demon killed by the Goddess). Goddess Durga is usually depicted with ten hands, in each of which she holds a weapon bestowed by one or another God (trishul – from Shiva, sudarshana-chakra – from Vishnu, vajra – from Indra, etc.).

According to the legend described in the Puranas (“Markandeya purana”, “Devibhagavata purana”, “Chandi purana” and others), gods called Durgā and gave her their weapons to save the Universe from demons and restore harmony in the world. Therefore, Durgā is revered both for protection and for the elimination of everything that hinders spiritual development. Durga’s vahana (sled animal) is a lion or a tiger.

Meaning of the word Durga

This word is a form of mantra composed of the Sanskrit letters "da", "u", "ra", "ga" and "a". This is explained as following:

daityanāśārthavacano dakāraḥ parikīrtitaḥ ।
ukāro vighnanāśasya vācako vedasammataḥ ॥
repho rogaghnavacano gaśca pāpaghna vācakaḥ ।
bhaya śatrughnavacanaścākāraḥ parikīrtitaḥ ॥

The letter "da" denotes the death of demons, and "u" was recognized by the Vedas as destroying obstructions. "Ra" destroys diseases, and "ga" – sins, "a" dispels fear and annihilates enemies. This is how the exact meaning of Durga's name is expressed.

Accordingly, the Devi Upanishad says:

tāmāgnivarṇāṃ tapasā jvalantīṃ vairocanīṃ karmaphaleṣu juṣṭām। 
durgā devīṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadyāmahe'surānāśayitryai tе namaḥ ॥

We bow before the demon-slayer, who is like fire and diamond, who possesses knowledge and who is especially revered by devotees who want to achieve success in matters. Greetings to  Durga Devi in the form of Vairochani (Chinnamasta) as a special power of Agni-tattva!

Durga veneration

The worship of Durga has been widespread since ancient times. Lord Rama prayed to Mother Durga to achieve victory in the battle with the demon king Ravana. In “Mahabharata”, Krishna turns to Durga for help in the fight against the Kauravas.

Vaishnavas worship Durga as the yoga-maya (illusory energy) of Vishnu, and shaivas revere her as Shiva’s consort. Vaishnavas and shaktas also call her Uma or Parvati. Shaktas believe that she is the root cause of the world of names and forms. The texts give her 108 names; this means that she represents all forms of Divine Mother, that is, the Divine Mother herself.

The navarna mantra given below says that Durga is the personification of the three main Shaktis – Lakshmi, Kali and Sarasvati.

aiṁ hrīṁ klīṁ cāmuṇḍāyai vicce 

The most famous text describing the nature of Durga Goddess, her manifestations and qualities, ways of worship, is “Devi Mahatmya” (Greatness of Goddess), also called “Durga Saptashati” (Seven Hundred shlokas dedicated to Durga), which is part of “Markandeya purana”. “Devi Mahatmya” describes in detail the meaning and symbolism of Navaratri festival (9 nights dedicated to Divine Mother Durga), which is widely celebrated throughout India in spring and autumn.