ALL ABOUT MATA DEVI DURGA

Mata Devi Durga:  ( by - Lokanath Mishra)  —-////———-//————/////  Mata Devi Durga is an incarnation of Devi Mata Parvati. She took the avatar of Devi Durga to destroy Mahishasura. Devi Mata Durga was created for the slaying of the buffalo demon Mahishasura by Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and the lesser gods, who were otherwise powerless to overcome him. Embodying their collective energy (shakti), she is both derivative from the male divinities and the true source of their inner power. She is also greater than any of them. Born fully grown and beautiful, Durga presents a fierce menacing form to her enemies. She is usually depicted riding a 🦁 lion or tiger 🐅 and with 8 or 10 arms, each holding the special weapon of one of the gods, who gave them to her for her battle against the buffalo demon. Devi Mata Durga is one of the most prominent and highly respected Indian divinities, venerated as one of the mother goddess Mahadevi’s main attributes. Protection, strength, motherhood, devastation, and conflicts are all linked with her. She is one of Goddess Bhuvaneshvari’s five forms, according to the Devi-Bhagavata Purana. Her tale is about battling evils and demonic powers that threaten peace, prosperity, and Dharma, or good triumphing over evil. Devi mata Durga is said to unleash her divine anger on the wicked in order to free the downtrodden, and this includes destruction in order to empower creation. She is revered by adherents of Shaktism, a goddess-centered cult, and is revered by other faiths like as Shaivism and Vaishnavism. Devi Mata Durga is revered throughout India (especially in the eastern provinces of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, and Bihar), Bangladesh, and Nepal ( at present by Hindus residing in USA & UK. Devi Mata Durga is worshipped through out the year but specially in a grand manner during the Ashwin’s Navratri & Chaitra’s Navratri. Devi Mata Durga was formed to fight Mahishasura, an evil demon. Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar combined their powers to construct a formidable female form with ten arms. All the gods combined gave Durga a bodily form when she arose as a spirit from the sacred Ganga’s waters. Lord Shiva sculpted her face, while Indra sculpted her torso. Chandra created her breasts, while Brahma created her teeth. Bhudevi moulded her lower torso, Varuna sculpted her thighs and knees, and Agni sculpted the Goddess’s eyes. As a result, she was an ultimate force produced by combining the abilities of all the other gods. Devi Mata Durga, also known as ‘Mahamaya,’ is the Great Mother of the Cosmos, who is responsible for the creation, preservation, and eradication of evil forces throughout the universe. The gods then bestowed their blessings and weapons on her individually. The goddess rode into combat on a lion, armed like a warrior. Durga ultimately slew the demon king with her trident after a hard battle. Heaven and earth celebrated at her victory, and the three planets were once again in peace. Mata Ambika was an avatar of Devi Mata Durga and she had shattered the great Asura king Shumbha’s pride when she turned down his invitation to be his queen. She then vanquished his army twice more. Finally, Shumbha marched against her, leading an army of tens of thousands. Ambika, with the assistance of Kaali ( another avatar of Mata Devi Durga) and the Shaktis (divine powers of various devas), defeated the invader and inflicted great losses on him. Shumbha lost not only his most capable troops, but also his brother, Nishumbha, who had assisted him in driving the Devas from their heavenly dominion. He screamed out like a wounded lion now, alone on the battlefield. He yelled, “You’ve triumphed because the Shaktis, the goddesses, assisted you.” “It’s not fair that there were so many of them.” That’s not the way to win a fight!” Ambika teased, “Are you sure there were so many goddesses?” The numerous Shaktis then rushed forward and vanished into her body, much to his surprise. “I’m on my own now.” “You can fight me,” the Goddess said. A Goddess of virtue and a power-hungry Asura marched towards each other, firing and dodging arrows and hurling spears in front of the Devas and Asuras. Shumbha raced forward, brandishing his legendary blade, which gleamed like a thousand suns. Ambika retaliated with a hail of arrows, destroying first the big shield and then the sword in his other hand. Shumbha drew a large mace from his belt and swung it at her. She skilfully evaded the blow and, stepping forward, slammed her clenched fist into his chest. He was taken aback and collapsed as a result of his astonishment. Then, jumping to his feet, he seized her by the waist and sprang into the air. Ambika sprang into the air, caught Shumbha by the leg and spinning him around before flinging him to the ground. Shumbha sprang up, shaken but unharmed, and moved forward, intending to strangle her with his bare hands. Ambika snatched a spear from the ground and hurled it at him. The spear pierced his chest, knocking him unconscious and pinning him to the ground. For him, it was all over. When they saw their lord dead, his army disbanded, and the troops ran till they reached Pataal-lok, their underworld home. The inhabitants of the earth and the Devas were relieved when peace returned to the three planets. This tranquilly would linger for a long time. Everyone saluted Ambika with their hands in the air and sung her accolades. Chandika ( another avatar of Mata Devi Durga Triumphs Over Asuras- Shumbha, the Asura Lord, had proposed to Goddess Ambika. She baited him to show that he, as an avatar of goddess Durga, was stronger than she. To destroy Ambika, Shumbha dispatched an army led by capable leaders. However, she and Kaali Ma killed the entire army. It was a slap in the face to the strong Asura, who had ascended to the throne of the three realms by driving the devas from Svarg-lok and expanding his dominion over the world of mortals. He concluded that Ambika needed to be humbled.He’d beat her down and bring her to her knees. As a result, he marched out in front of his large army. With a twang of her bow, Ambika greeted the Asura horde. The goddess Kaali Ma shouted in approval as the sound reverberated across the earth and skies. This enraged the Asura even more. On her, he unleashed the whole power of his army. It was a magnificent demonstration of strength. Each of the three major gods — Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva – dispatched assistance through his Shakti (divine power), but Shumbha was unconcerned. Wasn’t it true that he’d already beaten the Devas? What may the Shaktis be capable of? Ambika gave birth to a new Goddess. Devi Chandika was her name. “Withdraw into the nether realm where you belong, or perish!” Chandika said to the Asura king. Shumbha retaliated by surrounding Chandika with many army units. The Shaktis came to her rescue: Vaishnavi came in on Garuda, the eagle, and flung her disc at them. Brahmini, who had arrived in a chariot driven by swans, performed a spell on the Asuras by sprinkling water from her kamandalu, rendering them weak and susceptible. Maheshwari flung her trident at them while riding Nandi, the bull. Aindri, Indra’s Shakti, was riding the elephant Airavat. Her thunderbolt landed on the besieging troops. Varaahi, the Shakti of Varaha and a Vishnu manifestation, had appeared as a female boar. She and Narasimhi, the Shakti of Narasimha, a half-lion, half-human incarnation of Vishnu, tore through the Asura ranks, causing terror and destruction. The Asuras appeared to be on the point of defeat after being attacked by the Devis. Then Shumbha released Rakta-Bheej, his hidden weapon. Rakta-Bheej had a boon that made him unstoppable. If even a drop of blood from his body fell to the ground, another Rakta-Bheej would emerge, fully formed and ready to battle. That is why no one has been able to vanquish him thus far. The clones’ blood also generated more clones. Chandika used a variety of weapons to try to stop the savage Asura from fighting. Blood streamed from his wounds, yet every drop that reached the ground spawned a Rakta-Bheej clone. Thousands of these clones were soon swarming the battlefield. The battle’s tide began to shift in the Asuras’ favour. “Not even a drop of his blood should fall on the ground!” Chandika said Kaali Maa. Kaali’s tongue was extended out and raced over the battlefield at breakneck speed, capturing every drop of blood that dropped from Rakta-or Bheej’s his clones’ corpses. Rakta-Bheej, unable to expand any longer, charged towards Chandika in despair, only to die at her hands. Nishumbha, Shumbha’s brother, was the next to die. The Asuras were defeated. The Asura Mahisha was the monarch of Pataal-lok, the Asuras’ underworld and country. But Mahisha was a power-hungry woman. He desired to conquer both Bhu-lok, the human realm, and Svarg-lok, the Devas’ celestial home. The devas were formidable foes, impossible to defeat. Mahisha, on the other hand, was not one to give up quickly. He went to the bush to perform tapas, or penance. He didn’t move out of his chair to eat or drink. He pondered on Brahma, the Lord of Creation, with his eyes closed. He sat in tapas for how long? It must have been a long time ago. Finally, his penance paid off. He was visited by Lord Brahma. “Ask for a boon,” Brahma advised. “Make me invincible.” “Deathless,” Mahisha said. Giving such a gift to someone who was intent to rule the three realms was extremely perilous, as Brahma understood. Asuras were as much Brahma’s progeny as Devas and mankind were to him, Lord of Creation. Any of his offspring who put forth a lot of effort had to be rewarded, and Mahisha’s rigorous penance was no exception. He had no choice but to grant Mahisha’s boon, at least in part. “All who are born must die,” the Lord stated hesitantly. “I can’t make you eternal, but I can give you a say in how you die.” “You get to decide how you want to die.” Mahisha pondered for a moment. Then his face became brighter. “If I have to die, let it be at the hands of a lady,” he replied, slyly eyeing the Lord. Mahisha was certain that no woman could ever beat him. A dude, perhaps. But a lady? Never! “So be it,” Brahma remarked as he walked away. Mahisha marched upon Svarg- lok, bolstered by the boon. His onslaught was so fierce that Indra, Lord of the Devas, had to flee. Along with the other heavenly beings, he escaped. Mahisha swelled with pride as he held Svarg-lok in his hands. He boasted, “I’m the lord of the universe.” “Everyone on this planet should be aware of my power. I’m going to make them beg for their very breath!” He used his tremendous abilities to alter the paths of the moon, sun, and winds, inflicting havoc on the world. Nobody knew when or where the sun would rise or set, if the moon would emerge in the sky, or if there would be enough rain to produce grain. The Devas were worried by the earth’s cries of despair. Indra approached Brahma, who was meeting with Lords Shiva and Vishnu at the moment. When the Gods of Creation (Brahma), Preservation (Vishnu), and Destruction (Shiva) learned of Mahisha’s transgressions, they had only one thought: Mahisha had to be stopped. Mahisha could only die at the hands of a woman, they realised. They needed to build a lady capable of defeating him. Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma, as well as all the other Devas present, emitted a swarm of light. The lights blended into a ball of energy that took on the shape of a divine-looking woman. Durga, the Invincible One, was her name. Durga was given the trishul, a three-pronged weapon by Shiva. Other gods also bestowed upon her a weapon that was unique to them. Durga was given a disc by Vishnu. Indra bestowed to her a lightning rod. Durga stood on a formidable lion, which was now armed to the fangs. She marched to fulfil her destiny, the screams of ‘Jai Durga’ resounding in her ears. The goddess rode like the wind, her eyes flaming with rage, to punish Mahisha, the tormentor of mortals and gods. The earth shook, the waters boiled, and massive rocks tumbled from the peaks of mountains, splintering the plains below. Mahisha sprang from his bed, gathered his weapons, and hurried outside the castle with a bloodcurdling shout, sensing impending disaster. He yelled, “Who comes! Who comes!” “A terrible warrior, perched on a lion, spewing fire!” said a guard, terrified pointing into the distance. “Spitting fire?” Mahisha said, stunned. He moved in closer to see what was going on. He got closer and closer till he saw her, the terrifying avenger! Like a blaze of fire, his eyes were ablaze. Her dark hair trailed behind her like a cloud. He screamed, “A lady!” “She’s a lady!” Those treacherous Devas have cloaked themselves behind a lady!” He told his men, “Go get her!” “Bring her to me in shackles!” Durga’s progress was slowed by a portion of the Asura army, but she was just unstoppable. She made terrible use of the weapons she had, killing thousands of people. Durga took a deep breath as Mahisha unleashed the remainder of his army on her, and as she exhaled, hordes of troops erupted from the expelled air. The newcomers dispersed Mahisha’s forces by spreading out in all directions. When Mahisha saw the conflict was spiralling out of his control, he transformed into a massive and frightening buffalo and rushed towards Durga. She yanked with a lasso around his neck. Mahisha took on the appearance of a lion as he tumbled forward. Mahisha, the lion, was unable to penetrate Durga’s defences, so he transformed into an elephant. He turned back into a buffalo when he couldn’t make much progress in that shape either. Durga, on the other hand, has had enough. She hurled her trishul, or trident, at the rushing buffalo, who fell dead at her feet. The Asuras returned to Pataal-lok, shocked by the demise of their formidable leader. “My Lord, Mahisha, you have not died in vain,” an Asura Chief Shumbha vowed as they walked away. “One day, I’ll avenge myself.” However, for the time being, all of the Asuras were back where they belonged, much to the delight of the Devas and the inhabitants of Earth. In a homage to Durga, the Devas and mortals linked their hands. The manifestation of Maa Durga worshipped on the first day of Navratri Mata hailaputri is the goddess who is worshipped on the first day of the Hindu festival of Navratri, which lasts nine days. Shailaputri translates to “mountain daughter.” She was born as Sati before becoming Shailaputri. Daksha Prajapati, one of Lord Brahma’s sons, has a daughter. Sati adored Lord Shiva and wished to marry him, but her father, Daksa Prajapati, was adamantly opposed to the union. Shiva, according to him, was a filthy ascetic unfit for marrying respectable females, but this did not deter Sati’s love for Shiva, and she married him over her father’s opposition, and she began living with Lord Shiva in Kailash Parvat. She learned after a few years of marriage that her father, Daksa Prajapati, was planning a massive yajna to which all gods and goddesses were invited. She was ecstatic since she missed her parents and wanted to see them, but they had not received an invitation. Sati couldn’t believe it and assumed there had been a blunder. Perhaps it was self-evident; after all, daughters are always welcome in their homes, right? So she went to see her parents, despite Shiva’s best efforts to persuade her that, “No, if we haven’t received an invitation, perhaps we aren’t expected there and we shouldn’t be coming there.” Sati, on the other hand, was deafeningly deafeningly. Shiva’s words had little effect on her, and she returned home. She was looking forward to meeting her parents after so many months of marriage, but when she arrived, she was given the cold shoulder not just by her father, but also by all of the family who had gathered there. Sati was sad because she couldn’t take the notion of being unwelcome in her own home, and her mother was the only one who greeted her and embraced her. Her own father, whom she adored, embarrassed her, humiliating her choice of marriage, in the same house where she grew up, in the same house where she had those great memories. Sati couldn’t take it any longer and jumped into the raging flames, where she self-immolated. Shiva was furious when he heard the news and rushed to the location. He was so furious that he dragged his wife’s half-burning body from the flames. He became so outraged that he assumed the appearance of the angry deity Veerabhadra and wreaked havoc on the land, to the point of beheading Daksha Prajapati. He dragged his wife’s half-burning corpse behind him, furious and enraged. Sati’s various bodily parts dropped on various locations along the road, and these locations are known as Shakti Peethas. In India, there are 52 Shakti Peethas. Because to Lord Vishnu’s intervention, Daksa Prajapati was subsequently pardoned and granted the head of a ram. He even completed his Yajna in the presence of all the gods. Sati was born a second time, this time as a Himalayan daughter. Shailaputri, which means “daughter of the Himalayas,” became her name. She had two different names in this incarnation: Parvati and Hemavati, and she was wedded to Lord Shiva again. On the first day of the Navratri celebration, we worship to Shailaputri, who is considered one of Durga’s most powerful incarnations. She is extremely powerful, riding a bull named Nandi while wielding a trident and a lotus. She is well-known for her numerous accomplishments. Devi Brahmacharini reincarnated as Sati after self-immolating in her previous life, and this time she was born to the Himalayas, the ruler of the mountains. She was given the name Parvati in this birth, while Bhramacharini was given the name Parvati in this birth. ‘Bhram’ in this context refers to tapasya, while ‘charini’ refers to a female devotee — particularly an intense female devotee. Narada Muni-ji came to see Parvati one day. ‘You can get married to Lord Shiva in this incarnation as well,’ Narada Muni-ji assured her, ‘but you would have to undergo terrible penance for that.’ Parvati made the decision right once that she was willing to do any form of penance. She embarked on a strict penance. Parvati made the decision right once that she was willing to do any form of penance. She embarked on a strict penance. It wasn’t just any tapasya; her tapasya had been going on for thousands of years. She only ate fruits and flowers for the first thousand years, vegetables for the following hundred years, and dry leaves for the next three thousand years. This type of tapasya, or penance, was unique. Nobody had ever seen such a tapasya, and after 3000 years of eating just leaves, she stopped eating altogether. She gave up water, food, and her life’s goal became harsh penance. She became quite frail and malnourished. When her mother came to see her, she was shocked to see her and said, ‘Oh! mum.’ Parvati is sometimes referred to as Uma as a result of this comment. When she stopped eating leaves, she was given a new name: Aparna, which means “one who survives without leaves.” Lord Brahma was delighted after so many years of penance, and he came to see her and bless her, saying that Lord Shiva was happy as well because of her penance, and they both received Lord Brahma’s blessings, and they could marry in this incarnation. Bhramacharini represents great sacrifice, penance, seclusion, and purity. On the second day of Navratri, we pray to her for enough strength so that we may devote our entire attention to penance toward God, what we love, sacrifice, and isolation. She holds a rosary in one hand and a commandal in the other in this way. Peace, wealth, and happiness are all things that people pray to her for. Many individuals who observe Navratri also fast for the entire nine days. They go without food and drink at times. They pray to goddess Bhramacharini for strength on those days so that they may stay focused and deal with anything they choose. ‘Skanda’ refers to Kartikeya, Shiva and Parvati’s eldest child, and’mata’ refers to mother, hence Skandamata is primarily the narrative of goddess Parvati. We all know that when Sati immolated herself, Shiva remained utterly cut off from the world, living deep in tapasya and completely unconcerned with what was going on. He lived as a hermit. Surahpadman and Tarakasura, two demons at the time, had received a blessing that they could not be destroyed. In reality, only Shiva and Parvati’s kids were capable of killing them. ‘What if they never manage to get rid of the two demons Tarakasura and Surahpadman?’ all the gods and goddesses fretted as Shiva entirely withdrew himself from the universe. They all rushed to Lord Vishnu and pleaded with him to find a solution. Lord Vishnu informed them that they had made a grave error. This would never have happened if they had not gone to Daksha Prajapati’s Yajna without Shiva and Sati. Sati would never have self-immolated, and Shiva would never have been cut off from the rest of the world. As a result, Vishnu was at a loss on what to do. That’s when Narad Muniji went to tell Parvati, who had reincarnated, that she was another incarnation of Sati, born to the deity of the mountains this time. Parvati was visited by Narad Muniji, who told her that she may marry the love of her life, Shiva, in this incarnation as well, but that it would necessitate tremendous penance and tapasya. Parvati aspired to marry Shiva and endured thousands upon thousands of years of tapasya – extreme penance, after which Shiva was eventually satisfied and yielded. They later married each other. A blazing seed – a tremendous seed – was born as a result of their marriage. This seed was so beautiful that Lord Agni was tasked with caring for it since the child of Shiva and Parvati would be born from its brilliance. However, Agni was unable to tolerate the seed’s brilliance and sought assistance from Ganga. Ganga took care of the seed, while Parvati herself took on the shape of water, knowing that only she could carry the seed that was born of her marriage with Shiva. Then came the birth of Kartikeya. He had six faces and was cared for by six mothers known as ‘Krittikas,’ which is how he was given the name Kartikeya. Shubhankari is another name for her. Devi Durga’s deadliest form is Kaalratri. She is the antidote to evil. Maa Kaalratri has three dazzling eyes and is as dark as night. She takes a deep breath and exhales fire. She has four hands, one of which is holding a thunderbolt and the other a sword. Her other two hands were said to be in mudras, one in ‘abhay,’ symbolising her courage, and the other in ‘varada,’ symbolising her compassion, according to legend. Some claim she holds one hand and protects with the other. The devas were rendered impotent after the asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha invaded Devlok and devastated Indra’s realm. These two asuras possessed a boon that no man or deity could kill them. Indra went to Parvati and informed her of the situation in order to spare the devas from the dread. Chandi, also known as Kaali, was dispatched by Parvati to deal with the demons. However, Shumbha and Nishumbha had already dispatched two more demons, Chanda and Munda, to the combat. Chandi was given the name Chamunda after killing the demons. She was then confronted by Rakhtabeej, another demon. Rakhtabeej was endowed with a strange and strong gift. He could never be taken out. A new Rakhtabeej would arise whenever Rakhtabeej’s blood was spilt and came into contact with the earth. Maa Kaalratri was enraged, and when she struck him, she knelt down and sucked his blood before it could hit the ground. Rakhtabeej has come to an end. Maa Kaalratri then killed Shumbha and Nishumbha, bringing Devlok back to peace. The words ‘Maha’ and ‘Gauri’ signify ‘very’ and ‘fairly.’ This is the account of Parvati-ji, who once fought all the demons in the shape of Kaalratri, and when she returned, her skin had gone completely dark, and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t get rid of it. Her spouse, Lord Shiva, teased her a little. He taunted her and referred to her as ‘kali.’ However, this enraged her so much that she went to Lord Brahma. She pleaded to him again and over, telling him, “I want to get rid of this black skin.” Make me even once more.’ Lord Brahma was delighted with Parvati’s penance and blessed her. He advised her to take a plunge in the Himalayan Mansarovar Lake. Parvati’s black skin split from her and miraculously adopted the form of a girl the instant she walked into the Mansarovar Lake in the Himalayas. Kaushiki was the name of this girl. Shumbha and Nishumbha, two deadly demons, were defeated by Kaushiki. Lord Bhrama had given Shumbha and Nishumbha a blessing that they would not be murdered by any man, god, demon, or divinity. That’s how Kaushiki dispatched them. Parvati came from the water looking incredibly gorgeous. Her complexion was suddenly beautiful and dazzling, and she was once again known as Maa Mahagauri, the fair-skinned one. Maa Mahagauri is a four-armed goddess. In one hand, she wields a trident, while in the other, she wields a damaru. She is mounted on a white bull. She is a symbol of virtue and charity