Durga Mata Murti

Goddess Durga (Ambe Mata) is one of the female energies of the Supreme Absolute who is known as Devi, Shakti, the unconquerable force, the highest personification of God, the supreme energy, to be feminine. Durga, the Mother Goddess is the symbol of all the auspicious and true qualities which define the Supreme Being. Of all her forms, Devi Durga is the ultimate representation of infinite power, purity and strength of purpose, which resides within the divine essence of every being. Durga Mata is also equated with two other popular Indian goddesses - Sati and Parvati. Durga Maa (Ambica) is said to be associated with Shakti, Maya and Prakriti. Durga is said to be extraordinarily beautiful, She wears gorgeous clothes and several ornaments, and rides a lion. Goddess Durga represents the power of the Supreme Being that preserves moral order and righteousness in the universe. She is the energy aspect of the Lord Shiva. Without Durga Mata, Lord Shiva has no expression and without Shiva, Durga has no existence.

There are numerous incarnations of Durga including Kali, Bhagvati, Bhavani, Ambika, Lalita, Gauri, Kandalini, Java, Meenakshi and Kamakshi, among others. Durga Mata (Ambe Mata) is the incarnation as the all-powerful one with the combined power of all the divine beings.

Goddess Durga was created to combat the evil demon Mahishasura.  She was a supreme power created with a combination of the powers of all the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva the other gods to create a powerful female form with ten arms. So was born Goddess Durga or ‘Mahamaya’, the Great Mother of the Universe, who ensures creation, preservation and destruction of evil forces in the universe. Durga is depicted as having ten arms. These represent the ten directions in Hinduism; she protects her devotees in all directions. In each of her hands, the goddess wields a different weapon gifted by the gods for her to fight against evil beings such as Mahishasura.

The gods gifted the goddess with their weapons and other divine objects to help her in her battle with the demon, Mahishasura. Lord Shiva gave her a trident while Lord Vishnu gave her a disc. Varuna, gave her a conch and noose, and Agni gave her a spear. From Vayu, she received arrows. Indra, gave her a thunderbolt, and the gift of his white-skinned elephant Airavata was a bell. From Yama, she received a sword and shield and from Vishwakarma (god of Architecture), an axe and armor. The god of mountains, Himavat gifted her with jewels and a lion to ride on. Durga was also given many other precious and magical gifts, new clothing, and a garland of immortal lotuses for her head. Armed like a warrior, the goddess rode into battle on a lion. After a fierce combat, Durga finally slew the demon king with her trident. Heaven and earth rejoiced at her victory and peace was once again restored to the three worlds. 

Navdurga which means Nine Durga is the manifestation of Durga in nine different forms. The concept of Navdurga originates from Goddess Parvati. Conceptually Navdurga is the life phase of Goddess Parvati who is considered supreme power among all Goddesses. Navdurga are worshipped during all Four Navrati in the year. The nine forms of Goddess Durga are: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidhatri.

Another name for Durga is Durgatinashini which means ‘the one who eliminates suffering’. Her name thus indicates her role as the one who protects her devotees and removes evil from the world. Durga is not only a powerful force for cosmic order but also a protector of her devotees. She listens to her devotees and attends to their needs, protects mankind from evil and misery by destroying evil forces such as selfishness, jealousy, prejudice, hatred, anger, and ego. Bring this beautiful Durgamata Murti in your home today, you can place Durga Maa Statue in your home temple, living room or hallway.