The Indian spiritual tradition is polytheistic, that is, based on the worship of many gods and goddesses. We will talk about one of them, Durg, in this article.
Meaning of the name
The name that the Indian goddess Durga bears means "invincible." However, much more information is hidden in it than it might seem at first glance. Thus, the syllable "do" means the four great demons called asuras. These demons are the personification of hunger, poverty, suffering and bad habits. "P" in the name of this goddess means disease. And the final syllable “ha” is cruelty, unbelief, sins and other things that are evil. The goddess Durga is opposed to all this. The meaning of her name is victory and overcoming all this.
In addition, the sacred scripture of Durga's admirers “Durga-saptshati” contains a list of one hundred and eight of its names. This suggests that the goddess Durga, the photo of the image of which is given above, is not just a goddess, but represents the fullness of femininity in the deity. In other words, she is the Great Mother Goddess, the highest manifestation of divine power in her feminine aspect.
Veneration and worship
Among adherents of Hinduism, the goddess Durga is one of the most revered female deities. Myths tell that with its help the legendary Rama defeated the demon lord named Ravana. Krishna, as well as a number of other mythical characters, prayed to her.
The worshipers of the god Vishnu widely worship Durga. In Shaivism, the goddess Durga is considered the wife of the lords of Shiva. Adherents of Shaktism consider her Parvati, thus expressing their belief that the root cause of our world, the world of illusion, matter, forms and names, is concentrated in the person of Durga.
The Appearance of Durga
One of the myths telling about how the goddess Durga appeared is contained in the Markandeya Purana. According to this narrative, from the mouth of the Hindu Trinity-Trimurti (Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu) during the anger the fiery sphere came out. Then the same realms emerged from all other gods and demigods. Slowly they merged into one huge ball of fire and light, which gradually transformed into a radiant and beautiful goddess. Her face is created from the light of Shiva. By the radiance of Rama her hair is woven. And the radiance of Vishnu, the goddess Durga owes her own hands. The light of the moon gave her a pair of breasts, and the light of the sun (Indra) - the torso. The water deity Varuna awarded her hips, and from the energy of the goddess of the land Prithvi her buttocks arose. The feet of Durga appeared from the light of Brahma, and the rays of the sun turned into her toes. The keepers of eight cardinal points awarded her with fingers. The light of Kubera - the god of wealth - gave Durga a nose, and the eyes of the goddess Durga, who are exactly three, appeared from the radiance of the three-headed fire god Agni. Ears came from the splendor of the air deity Marut. Similarly, other parts of Durga's body sprang from the light and radiance of various deities.
Further, the legend tells how all the gods presented Durga with a weapon. For example, Shiva gave her a trident, exactly the same as he owns. From Vishnu she got a disk, from Varuna - a shell, from Marut - a bow and arrow. From other gods, she received an ax, sword, shield and many other means of defense and attack.
This whole story shows that the goddess Durga is a collective image that combines all aspects of divinity mobilized in opposing evil. This goddess carries the essence of each of the gods and unites them in a common struggle with darkness, affirming the law of Dharma.
There are other myths telling about her appearance. They differ in details, but the general concept remains the same - in Durg all divine powers are compared. Therefore, in some texts it is even identified with the Absolute.
Durga in Mythology
Many more or less similar stories about Durga create her image as a generalization of all divine forces - such is the nature of the mother goddess. According to Indian mythology, a great mother can be embodied in various forms, so that balance and harmony can be established on earth. One way or another, all the stories about Durga have a common leitmotif - the struggle with the forces of darkness personified in demons. This struggle is natural for our world of names and forms, existing through the struggle and interaction of opposites. The forces of evil in the world are very powerful, strong, but ultimately they lead to self-destruction. The bright side, however, embodies creation and progress, but its strength is somewhat slow and takes time.
The initial advantage, as a rule, is on the side of evil, whose forces quickly unite and begin to act, upsetting the balance. However, then, when the forces of light, personified in the image of a god or goddess, gradually consolidate, evil is defeated and the lost balance is restored. The forces of evil are based on such qualities as envy, selfishness, self-interest, thirst for power, hatred and violence. Good is invariably nonviolence, self-sacrifice, repentance, love, sacrificial service, and so on.
The spiritual meaning of the myths about Durga
The opposition of good and evil, according to Hinduism, proceeds continuously, first of all, within each person. Evil is activated whenever anger arises, hatred, pride, greed manifest, and affection is demonstrated. Their opposite is devotion, mercy, compassion, non-violence, willingness to sacrifice their interests for the sake of others. The image of precisely this struggle within each person represents all the myths about Durga. Thus, they have an important psychological and spiritual dimension and significance, allowing a person to strive upward and develop, overcoming his evil sides and inclinations.
Durga herself, whose photo of the icon is located below, is a personification of all the good, right and positive in a person. Therefore, her veneration and strengthening of the prayer-spiritual connection with her allows a person to take root in truth, goodness and justice and develop in the right direction.
Theological significance of Durga
Passing from the subjective-psychological field to the theological description of this goddess, it must first be noted that she is a symbol of the non-dual existence of consciousness, full of energy. As a great mother, Durga overcomes disharmony, which violates the natural order of things and the course of history. She always wishes everyone well. This fully applies to the demons with whom she fights. The nature of her struggle is such that it does not lead to the destruction of vice and not to the punishment of evil entities, but to their internal fundamental transformation. This is illustrated in one of the myths, where Durga explains that if she simply destroyed the demons with her divine power, they would go to hell, where, tormented, they would end their evolution. But the battle with them on an equal footing led them to the opportunity to inherit a higher rebirth and eventually turn into good beings. Such is the transforming energy of the goddess Durga.
Images of Durga
Iconographically, Durga is portrayed as a beautiful woman with eight arms. However, the number of hands can vary and reach even twenty. In them she holds her weapons and various religious symbols. The throne or lion most often acts as a throne for her. In general, there is a fairly large variety in the images of Durga. This applies to both the details and the general concept of the icon.
Mantra
The main mantra to the goddess Durga is: "Om dum Durgaye namaha." There are, however, others. For example, nine different manifestations of Durga in the image of the nine goddesses of Navaratri are known. Each of them also has its own mantra.
Honoring Outside India
The cult of Durga began to spread outside the borders of Hindustan due to the flow of cultural processes in the XX-XXI centuries. Firstly, this is due to the interest in the East and exotic spirituality that arose in the West. Its consequence was a huge stream of pilgrims who eagerly absorbed all forms of Indian religiosity.
The second reason was the flow in the opposite direction, when many Eastern, and Indian, including religious teachers and gurus inundated the countries of the West, organizing their schools there and affirming the cults of Indian deities. The popularity of yoga is another factor that has played an important role in spreading the veneration of Durga. Finally, the interest of Western musicians in Indian music and mantras also had an impact. A domestic example of this can be, for example, the track RZHB - the eyes of the goddess Durga, or the composition Calm Gothic - Durga.