Unique Attributes : Power, vengeance,
protector, morality, warrior
Other Names : Shakti, Devi, Bhagwati, Jagdamba, Mangalya,
Chaturbhuja, Prasanna
Vahan (vehicle) : Tiger
Abode : Trikuta Mountain
Weapon : Trident, long sword, mace, thunderbolt, conch shell,
chakra, snake
Primary Scriptures : Markendaya Purana
Mula Mantra : Om Sri Durgayah Namah
Goddess Durga is known by 108 names which her followers utter to please
the goddess of victory and vengeance. She is considered to be the
supreme reality among the Hindu Gods; the one who as the head of the
cosmic world sustains what is right and finishes the evil and the
demons. Durga in Sanskrit means the one who is invincible and
indomitable. Goddess Durga is believed to be the incarnation of Devi,
the integrated character of all the divine forces. The birth of Goddess
Durga is dedicated to the threat of the demons to the very existence of
the gods. All the Hindu gods are believed to have given some of their
divine powers to result in the birth of the powerful and radiant
goddess.
As the mother of the Universe the goddess is believed to be complete in
herself. In many religious texts she is referred to as the wife of Lord
Shiva. She is Mahishasura-Mardini Durga for assassinating the ferocious
demon Mahishasura. On her birth she was mounted on a fierce tiger and
looked immensely beautiful as well as brutal. The goddess is depicted in
Hindu texts as having ten powerful hands all full with different
weapons. She has Shiva's trident, Vishnu's chakra, Kuber's mace and
Indra's thunderbolt as her weapons. Goddess Durga is a symbol of female
dynamism and is believed to be the force behind the power and energy of
Lord Shiva.
The Durga form of Devi is the most worshipped incarnation of Shakti.
Goddess Durga's love for her children as the mother of universe is ever
enduring. She is worshipped both for her ferocious and motherly form.
There are numerous shrines in India which are dedicated to Goddess
Durga. The most popular of Hindu festivals the nine day long Navratras
and Durga Puja are dedicated to Goddess Durga and are celebrated in
great fervor and spirit across North India and West Bengal. In common
Hindu belief when ever there is a rise of the demonic forces and
inequity is created then the gods unite in one single form of Shakti or
Durga.