The Hindu beliefs say that goddess Durga is the reason behind creation, preservation and destruction of the universe, therefore mother to all beings. In Bengali her name comes from the term which means ‘the unbeatable’ and in Sanskrit ‘the inaccessible’ and devotees refer o her as ‘Maa’. She has both destructive and creative force in her. There are numerous aspects by which she can be identified. Patience and fearlessness are the two integral qualities of devi Durga. At times she is shown as mother of Kartik, Ganesha, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
Goddess Durga, being the personification of courage formed from Shakti, was born to defeat and kill the demon king Mahishasura. Mahishasura was terrorizing the heavens, the Earth and also the nether worlds. His boon from Brahma, saying he can not be killed by any man on Earth, made him fearless. In their desperation they approached the gods Lord Vishnu and Shiva who then created goddess Durga, a female fighter out of the energy that they radiated in their anger.
Soon after the creation, she went straight to fight Mahishasura. Upon fighting with her for the first time Mahishasura undervalued her because of the thought that it was impossible for a woman to kill him. After battling him for ten days and in his several mortal forms, the goddess finally beheaded him. That’s how victory of goodness over evil was achieved. A huge army was created by Durga to kill the evil forces used by the Mahishasura, the demon king. Durga gave them the knowledge to craft ornaments in gold for the services offered by the army during the battle.
Durga is often pictured with 10 arms, with different weapon in each of them. One hand is used to hold a lotus which is the symbol of source of creation. Usually she is depicted to be riding on a tiger or a lion, the symbol of fearlessness. She is also known to manifest herself in various forms, each with their own divine quality. Kali, the goddess of destruction and violence and a consort of Lord Shiva is one of her forms.
The festival of Durga puja is celebrated with fervour among the states like Bihar, Assam, Orissa and Bengal. Durga puja is known as Dashain in Nepal. Devotees celebrate this important festival with at most joy and grandeur. The last day or the day of triumph on which goddess Durga beheaded Mahishasura is called as Dussehra and Vijayadashami.
Hinduism and the Powerful Devi Durga by Rama Menon. About the Author: To learn more about Hanuman chalisa hindi and read about Hindu Gods like Lakshmi , go to Prabhubhakti.
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