THE STORY AND MYTH OF THE GODDESS
Goddess Durga
The Hindu Goddess Durga is worshipped as one of the critical aspects of the “mother goddess” known as Devi. Devi is the primordial goddess, also known as the creator of the universe. She is the supreme energy from where all other energy branches begin. Therefore, Durga’s energy is an aspect of Devi. She is associated with protection, motherhood, and strength, but sometimes with destruction and war. She is one of the most widely favored divinities within the Hindu religion and is celebrated four times a year. According to Hindu legend, Durga was created to defeat the demon Mahishasura. Only a woman had the power to beat him. This is how she came to be associated with both war and destruction. She is often depicted as a beautiful woman with many arms, each wielding weapons gifted by the gods while riding on a lion or a tiger. In these depictions, she is usually fighting a demon. Durga is considered to be one of the more powerful and protective deities.
The Myth
The myth teaches us that people living in Heaven are believed to be Devas (divine/God's servants), and the people living in hell or "the world beneath"(Patala) are called Asuras(demons), most known for their natural aptitude for selfishness and vices. Ramba and Karamba were the sons of the Asura called Dhanu. Once, both Ramba and Karamba undertook severe penance. Karamba immersed himself neck-deep in water, and Ramba remained in the blazing fire to propitiate Agni (the fire deity). By doing this, they gained considerable power.
The king of the Devas, Indra, became extremely troubled, foreseeing that his position on the throne was in danger. So, he decided to turn into a crocodile and kill Karamba, who was in deep meditation. When Ramba realized that his brother was dead, he became frightened and decided to commit suicide. Lord Agni saw that Ramba, whom he considered his most devout disciple, was preparing to kill himself. So, Agni appeared before his distressed disciple and offered him a boon (a favor or request) of anything he desired. Ramba thought momentarily and then asked for a son whom any living male Devas, Asuras, or humans could not kill. Agni paused and then was pleased to grant this boon.
(Please note that some Asuras had the head that of a buffalo. The male buffalo-Asura is known as Mahishan, and the female buffalo-Asura is known as Mahishi.)
On his way home, Ramba met a beautiful female buffalo. He instantly fell in love with this Mahishi at first sight and decided to take her home. On their journey home, they rested for a night in a jungle, and at midnight, they began to make love. Suddenly, without warning, a wild male buffalo intervened and killed Ramba. The Mahishi, overflowing with grief, decided to give up her life by jumping into her love Ramba’s funeral pyre. But every boon is absolute, and it must come to be once bestowed. Thus, a baby boy was born from the funeral fire and later named ‘Mahishasura.’ Ramba’s relatives brought him up. Recognizing his power and strength, they trained him to be their king. Mahishasura, hungry for more power, worshipped Lord Brahma and performed severe penance to please him. Brahma was so pleased with Mahishasura that he appeared before him and granted him a boon that no man could kill him again. After receiving this boon, Mahishasura began rapidly expanding his kingdom with actual blood lust.
Once all he saw was his, he took to the heavens and conquered Indra, exiling him from heaven and bringing upon the future he foresaw. Thrown from heaven, the Devas pleaded for help from the Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. They were also known as the three predominating deities. They consulted their wives (Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati). The Trimurti stood in a circle and pinned their palms to the center of it. A light came from the center of the tissue palms, causing light to form in the middle of the circle. Together, all six deities created the fully grown, ten-armed female Goddess named Durga. She possesses the combined powers of the Trimurti and the combined beauty of their consorts.
The deities bestowed upon her their very own weapons. Krishna gave her his disc (Sudarshan Chakra), Varuna a conch, Agni gave a missile, Vayu the Wind and Sun God gave her the bow and arrows, Indra, the king of the gods, gave her a thunder-bolt (Vajra), and his white-skinned elephant, Airavata gave a bell, Shiva gave her a snake, divine nectar from Kuvera (considered the treasurer of the Devas), Yama god of death gifted her a rod, from the God of Waters she received a noose, Heaven’s architect Vishvakarma gave her a shining axe and magic armor, and Haimavat, god of the mountains presented her with jewelry and a lion on which to ride into battle. She graciously received many other precious and magical gifts, such as jewels, new clothing, and a garland of never-decaying lotuses.
Now ready for battle, Durga provoked Mahishasura with her laughter at him, and Mahishasura angrily accepted the challenge and charged onto the battlefield. He ran wildly at Durga’s divine soldiers, goring many, biting others, and thrashing soldiers with his long, whip-like tail. Durga’s lion, angered by the demon buffalo, attacked him, and Durga threw her noose around his neck. To escape, he assumed the form of a lion, which Durga prepared to behead. Then, the demon escaped by transforming into a man, and Durga dispatched a flight of sharp arrows at him. But the demon escaped again and, this time assumed the formidable shape of a giant elephant. He battered Durga’s lion with its tusks. Durga quickly responded by hacking the beast’s tusks until they shattered. Severely weakened, the demon reverted once more to his original form as a wild buffalo and retreated to the mountains, where he hurled boulders at Durga with his horns. So the goddess decided to drink the divine nectar gifted to her, and then she leaped at the demon bull, pushing him to the ground with her left leg. Grasping his head in one hand, she pierced him with her spear held in her other hand, and finally, with another of her ten hands, she swung her sword. It sliced through the air and lopped off the demon’s head with one strike. The scattered remains of his once invincible army fled in terror.
In honor of this week's great ten-day battle that ultimately sealed Mahishasura’s demise, it is ritually performed in Kerala as ‘Mahishasura Vadham’ and can be seen even today. It is celebrated four times a year when the seasons change. The nine days of battle became what we celebrate today as Navaratri, and the tenth day (the day of victory) is Vijaya Dashami.