Who Is Goddess Durga & Birth of Durga Mata?
The birth Of Goddess Maha Devi maa Durga Mata
Goddess Durga As per Hindu mythology, Once there was a fierce demon named Rambhasur. He took a liking to a lady buffalo and decided to marry her. And soon a son was born to them. He was named Mahishasur, which meant son of a buffalo.
Mahishasur was born with superhuman powers. Soon Mahishasur became the king of the demons and wished for an immortal status for his life. With this purpose, he began a long penance to please Brahma Ji.
He began to pray to Brahma, the creator, standing on one foot under a tree, without eating anything anymore. Many years passed and Mahishasur grew stronger and stronger due to the power of his penance. The longer he stood, the more strength he gained.
Soon the power of his penance was felt through all three worlds. Even Brahma the creator felt its presence and decided to reward him. He appeared in front of Mahishasur and spoke, “what is it, for which you are doing such a hard penance, Mahesh?”
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Birth of Goddess Durga Mata
Mahishasur asked Brahma, ‘Lord, grant me the boon that I cannot be killed by either a man or a god. If I have to die, it should only be at the hands of a woman.’Being such a gigantic demon, he was confident that no woman would be strong enough to kill him.
‘It shall be as you ask,’ Brahma said. ‘You will meet your death only at the hands of a woman.’
Mahishasur was pleased and became arrogant. His terrible laughter rang through the earth. And Mahishasur lost no time in unleashing a reign of terror. Soon, all the inhabitants of the earth were living in fear of the demons. Mahishasur then decided to challenge the Gods. The gods had heard about the coming attack and were quite worried.
Mahishasur came to the battleground in the form of a huge buffalo and was leading the demons. All the divine weapons of the gods proved useless before his strength and the gods began to flee in despair now.
With shouts and whoops of delight, the asura army drove the gods out of heaven. They occupied Indra’s palace and poured into the streets of Amravati, singing their frightful songs of victory.
‘Now I am the lord of the three worlds!’ Mahishasur yelled as he sat down on Indra’s throne.
There was no one left to check Mahishasur’s oppression now. He did what he wanted and the people of the earth suffered terribly.
All the Gods including Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva gathered and thought about the ways to kill Mahishasur. Brahma Ji told them he had granted him aboon that he be killed by a woman only. So, all the Gods evinced their divine powers collectively and it took the form of a woman! All the Gods presented her with divine clothing, ornaments, and most importantly their lethal weapons to that woman.
Her face was created by Lord Shiva and her torso was crafted by Indra. Her breasts were made by Chandra and her teeth by Brahma. The lower part of her body was made by Bhudevi, Varuna sculpted her thighs and knees, and Agni created the Goddess’s eyes.
Thus she was a supreme power created with a combination of the powers of all the other gods. So was born Goddess Durga or ‘Mahamaya’, the Great Mother of the Universe, who ensures the creation, preservation, and destruction of evil forces in the universe.
They all named her Devi Durga Mata and worshipped her. She appeared fierce and ready to kill Mahishasur. Gods were pleased. With their blessings, Durga Mata mounted the tiger, her ride presented by the Himalaya, and set out to destroy Mahishasur.
As she approached Amravati, she let out a mighty roar that shook the mountains and created huge waves in the seas. Mahishasur asked his soldiers to find out what was happening.
When he heard that a woman was challenging him, he laughed and said, ‘Tell her that I will be happy to marry her.’
“I am Mahadevi and my husband is Mahadeva. I have come to ask Mahishasur to leave Amravati and return to his place below the world. If he doesn’t go, I will destroy him!’ replied Durga Devi.
When he heard this reply, Mahishasur flew into a rage. He sent his leading warriors to destroy Durga, but to their astonishment and horror, one after the other the boastful warriors were finished off.
The demon king got the news and became even more furious. Mahishasur attacked the goddess along with an army of asuras. But Durga immediately created a huge troop of soldiers from her breath to fight back. Mahishasur tried all the tricks he knew. He kept changing shapes to confuse the goddess. From a man he became a lion, then an elephant. But each time, Mahadevi wounded him severely with her weapons.
The battle raged for nine days. Finally, the goddess Durga killed the asura, who had taken the form of a huge buffalo again. Durga Mata beheaded him with the chakra which Vishnu had given her.
Thus Durga maa freed the world from Mahishasur’s tyranny. Indra and the other gods returned to the heavens again, and all was well. Since then, Maa Durga is worshipped during the Navratras and is addressed as Mahishasur Mardini.
How did Goddess Durga (Shakti) originate?
The origin of this divine female energy (Durga) is mentioned in the Shiva Purana. Before the cosmic creations, Shiva invoked Her from His left Half and created Shivloka with Her help. It further states the demonic son of Rambha named Mahishasura once created havoc on Bhuloka (earth) and defeated all the gods of heaven, endangering their existence.
After hearing such events, Lord Vishnu discharged a huge mass of light from His mouth that merged into the similar rays emitted from the mouths of those gods. This powerful light morphed into a powerful female deity called Durga who challenged Mahishasura for a battle.
Goddess Durga Maa
Mahishasura’s entire army packed with evil-minded soldiers such as Chikshur, Chamar, Asiloma, Vidalaksha, Durdhara, Mahahanu, and others assaulted Durga at once. Armed with the celestial weapons, Goddess Durga took on all of them with her matchless brutality and beheaded Mahishasura who tried to kill her in various animal forms.
Durga is honored with devotion during the festival of Durga Puja in her ten divine forms kushmanda, chandraghanta, brahmacharini, shailaputri, skandamata, Katyayani, Kala Ratri, mahagauri, Mahakali, and maa Durga).
What are the divine weapons of Goddess Durga?
Durga with Her super-charged weapons slays all the demons torturing Bhumi (Earth) and liberates the humble minds from the clutches of evil forces. She is the Fire energy of creation and life, and the power of Lord Shiva. Goddess Durga has divine weapons that carry special meanings.
Trishul: The Trident of Lord Shiva is the chief weapon of Duga which no enemy can escape, how much power they may be. Her Trident symbolizes the three Gunas – Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. It is considered to be one of the most powerful weapons by the Vedas.
Sudarshan Chakra: It signifies the power of the Goddess Durga over the entire Universe. It was given to Her by Lord Vishnu.
Conch Shell (Shankha): Gifted to Goddess Durga by the aquatic god Varuna, It is the emblem of the sacred sound of Om being the most embryonic sound of the cosmos.
Bow and Arrow: They signify both potential (bow) and kinetic (arrow) energies of Durga. It points to the fact that Maa Durga is in control of all energies of the cosmos.
Thunderbolt: The Thunderbolt is possessed by the King of Heaven Lord Indra who gifted a thunderbolt that had all the powers of the original Thunderbolt. Thunder personifies the rage and anger that Durga manifests during her battle with hostile forces.
Sword: The shrill blade of this sword indicates divine knowledge that gleams through all the darkness.
Half-bloomed lotus: It is a sign of humility and triumph. It symbolizes the lotus growing amidst mud and the human mind that must develop spiritually amidst the mud of worldly pleasures.
What are the nine forms of Devi Durga Maa? / Durga Mata ke nau roop
According to Vedas, Goddess Durga Mata is a divine symbol of power, worshipped in nine different forms. All those nine manifestations of Goddess Durga are worshipped by Her devotees during Navaratri.
durga mata ke nau roop
Following are the nine forms of Durga Mata:
- Sailaputri (Daughter of the Himalayas)
- Brahmacharini (following celibacy)
- Chandraghanta (Having the moon in her necklace )
- Kushmanda (Being the creator of the universe)
- Skanda-Mata (The mother of Skanda, Karttikeya, born out of her powers)
- Katyayani (The daughter of sage Katyayana)
- Kalaratri (destroyer of Kali)
- Mahagauri (the wife of Lord Shiva)
- Siddhidatri (Blessing Siddhis and mystic powers)
The Glory of Durga in Durga Chalisa:
Goddess Durga has always been a divine object for meditation, Bhakti, prayers, and guidance for ages. She has deeply gloried in the Durga Chalisa, a Forty-hymn treatise that vividly praises Her presence, the conquest of enemies, Vedic wisdom, and mercy on the conditioned souls living on Earth.
Shiv Yogi Tumhre Guna Gaven | Brahma Vishnu Tumhen Nit Dhyaven says the Durga Chalisa meaning Lord Shiva and all yogis always chant her praise. Even the creator Brahma, the preserver Vishnu and all other gods of the heavens ever meditate on her.
She also appears in the form of Goddess Saraswati to grant wisdom to the sages and thus ensure their welfare. She is also Mother Amba who once accompanied, as the female energy, Lord Vishnu in His divine form of Narasimha to save Maharaja Prahlaad from the cruel hands of Demon Hiranyakashyap who attained liberation because he was killed by the death personified Vishnu accompanied by Goddess Durga.
Durga Mantra 1
॥ सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके । शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
“Sarva Mangala Mangalye Sive Sarvartha Sadhike Saranye Trayambike Gauri Narayani Namostute”Meaning:
” She is the one being most auspicious and blesses the world with divine auspiciousness. Being the purest and the holiest, She protects the surrendered souls and is called the Divine Mother of the three worlds. She is Gauri, daughter of the mountain king. We offer our obeisance to Durga again and again. We worship Her ”
Durga Mantra 2
॥ या देवी सर्वभुतेषु क्षान्तिरूपेण संस्थिता । या देवी सर्वभुतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता । या देवी सर्वभुतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता । या देवी सर्वभुतेषु बुद्धिरूपेण संस्थिता । नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥
“Ya devi sarva bhuteshu, shanti rupena sangsthita Ya devi sarva bhuteshu, shakti rupena sangsthita Ya devi sarva bhuteshu, matri rupena sangsthita Yaa devi sarva bhuteshu, buddhi rupena sangsthita Namastasyai, namastasyai, namastasyai, namo namaha”Meaning:
” The omnipresent goddess who is the universal mother, the omnipresent goddess who embodies power, the omnipresent goddess who is peace personified. O Devi who resides in all the living beings in the form of Buddhi (Intelligence) and Rupena (Beauty), I bow down to Her over and over ”
Durga Mantra 3
॥ ॐ जटा जूट समायुक्तमर्धेंन्दु कृत लक्षणाम, लोचनत्रय संयुक्तां पद्मेन्दुसद्यशाननाम ॥
“Om Jataa Jut Samaayuktamardhendu Krit Lakshnam | Lochanyatra Sanyuktam Padmendu Sadya Shan Naam”Meaning:
” A powerful mantra chanted before other Durga Mantras. Best for better concentration on one’s work. A student who lacks concentration on studies can refer to this mantra ”
Durga Mantra 4
॥ ॐ सर्वाबाधा विनिर्मुक्तो, धन धान्यः सुतान्वितः। मनुष्यो मत्प्रसादेन भविष्यति न संशयः ॐ ॥
“Om Sarvabaadhaa Vinirmukto, Dhan Dhaanyah Sutaanvitah | Manushyo Matprasaaden Bhavishyati Na Sanshayah Om”Meaning:
” OM! May we be released from all miseries in life and gain riches, wealth and prosperity and tread the righteous path free of doubts ”
Durga Mantra 5
॥ शान्तिकर्मणि सर्वत्र तथा दु:स्वप्नदर्शने , ग्रहपीडासु चोग्रासु माहात्म्यं श्रृणुयान्मम ॥
“Shanti Karmani Swapna Darshane Grah Pidaasu Chograsu Maahaatmyam Srinu Yaanmam”Meaning:
” Hearing this mantra, may we achieve peace in every difficult phase of life and be forever free from nightmares. We pray to Durga for liberation from every kind of negative, fearful dream & thought ”Mantra 6
॥बालग्रहभिभूतानां बालानां शांतिकारकं, सङ्घातभेदे च नृणाम मैत्रीकरणमुतमम ॥
“Baal Grah Bhibhutaanaam Baalaanam Shantikaarkam, Sanghatbhede Ch Nrinaam Maetri Karan Mutmam”Meaning:
” May Divine Mother Durga pacify the child suffering from spectral problems and haunted by spirits. May the child be blessed by Durga Devi who is ever compassionate and eliminates negative energy that is haunting him “
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