DURGA

‘Durga’ by Victoria Shukra. celebration of the divine feminine.  Durga… by Prema Lee Gurerri Durga is probably the most kickass lady around! She slays demons, rides a lion, and has a bunch of weapons. A little intimidating, but hey- if you can’t take a strong woman, then get out of her way. Durga is very important to Indian philosophy and Hinduism, and just about everyone finds her interesting.

* Durga has 8 to 10 arms. These represent the 8 quadrants or directions in Hinduism. This suggests she protects her devotees from all directions.

* She’s depicted as riding a lion, which symbolises unlimited power. Durga riding a lion indicates that she possesses unlimited power and uses it to protect virtue and destroy evil.

* She is the incarnated power of all beings- talk about some serious butt-kicking for the bad guys!

* Durga is the other half of Shiva; he is the form, she is the expression.

* She’s presented as “shakti”, or the female principle of divine energy, but she assumes the power of male gods to save the universe.

* Shakti (Durga) is considered to be the mother of the universe, while Purusha (Shiva) is the father.

* The trishul or trident she holds is symbolic of the three human qualities– Satwa (Inactivity or the ideal state of mind characterised by awareness and purity of thought), Rajas (activity or energy associated with desires, wishes and ambitions) and Tamas (lethargy and stress).In order to attain peace and happiness, there needs to be balance between these three qualities.

* Other weapons in the hands of Durga such as a mace, sword, disc, and arrow, convey the idea that one weapon cannot destroy all different kinds of enemies. Different weapons must be used to fight enemies depending upon the circumstances. For example, selfishness must be destroyed by detachment, jealousy by desirelessness, prejudice by self-knowledge, and ego by discrimination.

*One hand she makes a mudra of peace and compassion. Once we are free of the ego and false programing we are at peace. 

What are you calling Durga to help you clear away?