Durga is the Indian Hindu Warrior Goddess. In Hinduism she is known as Bhavani, Maha Kali, Adi Parashakti, Shakti and Devi – the principal form of the Goddess. In Sanskrit – Durga means ‘the Inaccessible’. This female deity is extremely skilled at killing demons. She wears many armaments and arms, including flares, drums, discuses, snakes, swords, thunderbolts and skulls. At heart she is a true goodie. However if anyone messes around then she can take on even 120 million elephant mounted demons, all at one time. In addition she has 9 manifestations called as the Navadurgas.
Legends indicate that that Durga was created by Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma as well as the lesser gods (who were powerless to overcome the buffalo demon) after she killed Mahisasura – the buffalo demon.
Durga embodies shakti (the collective energy) of the 3 gods. She is also derived from the true inner power source of the male divinities. The beautiful and fully grown Durga Goddess presents herself before her enemies in a ferocious menacing form. She is generally seen with 8 to 10 arms, riding a lion. She holds a special sacred weapon in each of the arms which were given to her by the gods to fight the battle against the buffalo demon. In northeastern India, the Durga Pooja is celebrated in the honor of Durga each year.
Durga is Mother Nature or Prakriti. She is Shiva’s consort. She represents Energy, Shakti or Power of the Universe. She has been depicted as Jagdamba, or the Mother of the entire Universe, as a female as she has given birth to her children and plays a mother’s role. Durga is also known as the female half of Shiva. Her vehicle or vaahan is the Lion (representing beastly desires) and the Tiger (representing unlimited power). In every human, lies a dormant energy called the Kundalini, behind which she is the energy/force.
