While I grasped that my name, Anjali, drew inspiration from Tagore’s poetry, I couldn’t help but ponder: how did Ma Durga come to be revered throughout the Indian subcontinent? “Durga” means the “invincible one.” She rode majestic tigers and lions, wielding many weapons to vanquish the darkness that plagues our world. Tigers roamed the Bengali Sundarbans, and the Asiatic lions prowled Gujarat. How did Ma Durga make these magnificent creatures her chosen companions? These inquiries invite exploring what Durga truly represents in Sanatan philosophy.
Durga, celebrated in verses and hymns for her triumph over the buffalo demon Mahisashaura, is a prominent incarnation of Goddess Shakti in Hinduism. She is the primary deity in the Shaktism tradition, embodying the Ultimate Reality, often referred to as Brahman. Durga is the fierce aspect of Parvati, Lord Shiva’s consort. She is associated with narratives of battling evil forces to uphold moral righteousness and dharma. But what does all this rich symbolism mean for us? It leads us to the essence of Navratri – the nine nights dedicated to Shakti’s feminine energy and life force.
The Nine Days of Navratri
Navratri, an auspicious period spanning nine days during the fall season, is dedicated to the feminine, while the rest of the month’s days are considered masculine. This balance reflects the interplay of Prakriti, the natural and feminine aspects, with Purusha, the masculine and engaging elements, in Indian philosophy. Within these nine days, three primary qualities of Shakti, or Devi, are venerated: birth (tamas), well-being and maintenance (rajas), and transcendence (sattva). These qualities constitute Prakriti, the feminine life force within the universal existence, including the human body. Purusha, when united with Prakriti, gives rise to creation. This harmony of the masculine and feminine is depicted as follows:
Creation: Brahma (M) – Saraswati (F); Maintenance: Vishnu (M) – Lakshmi (F); Annihilation: Shiva (M) – Parvati (F). Each duo is responsible for creating, sustaining, and transforming existence. For those inclined towards devotion (Bhakti), each element can be worshipped individually or collectively as creation, maintenance, and annihilation, with the goal of moksha, known and revered as Ultimate Consciousness, the One Reality, or God. The nine days of Navratri are devoted to Devi, and her different aspects are worshipped during this period. The first day symbolizes tamas, the second rajas, the third sattva, and the cycle of three repeats until the ninth day, Navami.
The feminine Nature of the Divine, embodied by Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, is celebrated during Navratri. Each represents the three qualities of existence: Durga embodies tamas (birth, inertia), Lakshmi represents rajas (drive, well-being), and Saraswati signifies sattva (purity, transcendence). These qualities exist within us and in Nature, including the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth. Earth embodies inertia or tamas. The Sun radiates assertive rajas, while the Moon is associated with calming and healing sattva.
Sometimes interchangeable with Kali, Durga symbolizes the Earth and hibernation associated with the ground. The initial inertia in the soil leads to birth. Navratri’s first, fourth, and seventh days are dedicated to Durga. In Hindu tradition, the tamasic state is filled with inertia and non-action. However, rajasic activities can emerge once action, or “kri” (Sanskrit for ‘action’ or ‘doing’), is introduced to this tamasic state. Goddess Lakshmi represents the rajas guna, linked to maintenance and materialism for survival. She symbolizes the well-being of households and life, including pursuing wealth for survival. Therefore Navratri’s second, fifth, and eighth days are dedicated to Lakshmi. When rajas, with the element of drive and ambition, are combined with the concept of sacrifice (tyaga), it leads to pure desires for well-being, transcending to a sattvic or pristine state. The sattva guna is associated with knowledge, creative powers, and wisdom, all represented by Goddess Saraswati. Thus, Navratri’s third, sixth, and ninth days are dedicated to Ma Saraswati.
Tamas is the Nature of our birth, the Earth, and Durga. Those seeking power, strength, and grounding gravitate towards worshipping Durga, sometimes alongside her counterpart, Shiva, in his various forms. Those inclined towards passion, material wealth, and aspirations lean towards worshipping Lakshmi, her partner Vishnu, their avatars, and the Sun. Those striving for knowledge and transcendence from mortal existence worship Saraswati or the Moon aspect. Most of us oscillate between the Durga-Lakshmi, Earth-Sun, or tamas-rajas phases. However, Saraswati and sattva represent extraordinary possibilities during Navratri. Durga embodies the divine potential to attain the goal of existence, which is sattva. Although we are composed of the five great elements – Fire, Air, Soil, and Water and Ether – the ultimate purpose is to transcend our impermanent human bodies. Union with the Ultimate Reality is the objective, and Ma Durga paves the way for this potential attainment.
In Indian philosophical system, the goal of existence isn’t simply debating the myriad forms the divine can assume, but it’s about liberation and transcendence. Durga makes this possible by guiding us to be born of Earth, relishing the offerings of the land to sustain our bodies, yet actively engaging in actions that fuel our rajasic desires for well-being. When the rajas guna, combined with the noble intention of sacrifice (tyaga), converges, it opens the door to a sattvic or pure state of existence. This is where Saraswati and sattva come into play. While Saraswati may seem elusive, Durga makes it possible for us to be touched by Saraswati and the sattva guna. Symbolically, what Durga annihilates as the Mahisashaura in battle is nothing other than our own negative, tamasic, and lethargic tendencies being destroyed. The feminine Shakti, Durga, empowers us to look beyond the ego, the “I” sense, and the transient body. She prepares us to transcend the impermanent aspects of the universe.
With her arsenal of sharp weapons, Ma Durga calls us to dismantle tamasic attachments, including internal and external demons, so we can actively take responsibility for our life’s journey. In the dharmic culture, human existence is considered the most significant possibility. Our ability to discern through wisdom and learning sets us apart from the animal kingdom. Existence grants us the power to utilize discrimination to distinguish the Real from the Unreal, a concept symbolized by Mahisashaura’s demise. Applying this learning to differentiate between lower and higher aspects of life is what Durga beautifully represents.
Without Durga, the journey from Lakshmi to Saraswati and transcendence would remain elusive. Hence, Navratri becomes a celebration of the feminine Shakti that empowers us to transcend. A few years ago, my then six-year-old niece confessed her enthusiastic aspiration to emulate Ma Durga, despite feeling that she lacked Ma’s cool weapons. Durga teaches us that the tools we need are already within us. Moreover, my grandfather was named Durgadas, despite limited Bengali influence in his name. Though many in my family received Bengali-inspired names for a couple of generations, thanks to one of my great mamas who fought for independence alongside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He drew inspiration from Bengali writers and fighters, igniting a similar flame of influence within the rest of our family.
Irrespective of our given names, let Ma Durga guide us, whether in worship or celebration during this Navratri season and beyond, inspiring us to be actively involved in our lives with the aim to achieve the Highest. When Navratri ends, the tenth day is known as Vijayadashami. This day celebrates destroying the figurative demons within and is associated with transcendence ushered in by Ma Saraswati. Vijayadashami symbolizes being victorious over our limitations. Only then will we experience the magnificence of Life and Creation.
Source: Sadhguru discourses
Image: Vik Chohan