Saturday, December 22, 2007

Durga Avatar


The buffalo demon, Mahishasur stomped across the three worlds, kicking up dust, polluting the earth and sea. Neither Indra, king of gods, nor Kumara, commander of the celestial armies could stop him. In despair the gods called on Vishnu for help. Vishnu confronted the demon Mahisha first as Narasimha the man lion and then as Varaha, the boar, but each time he failed to subdue the demon. Shiva, the supreme ascetic, disturbed by the violence opened his third eye unleashing the fire of doom. Even the power of Shiva's third eye capable of destroying the three worlds could not arrest Mahisha's march.

"Nature can never be conquered," said Brahma as his divine strength, his Shakti, emerged from his body in the form of the goddess Brahmi. She rode a swan and held books of wisdom in her hands. Simultaneously, the Shaktis of the other gods emerged taking female forms. From Indra, rose Indrani bearing a thunderbolt, riding an elephant, from Kumara rose Kaumari holding a lance and riding a peacock, from Vishnu rose Vaishanavi on an eagle with a discus whirling on her finger, from Varaha came the sharp tusk sow Varahi, from Shiva came Shaivani riding a bull bearing a trident.

The seven shaktis, unrestrained by the bodies of the gods, were fearsome beings – unbridled, untamed, restless energies of the cosmos. They rose to the sky and merged with each other in a blinding light. The sounds of the conchs, drums and bells filled the air. With bated breath, the gods watched the light. From the heavenly light arose a beautiful goddess.

"Who are you?" asked the gods.

"I am Durga, the inaccessible one," replied the goddess. "I am Prakriti, the substance that gives form and identity to all things. I am Shakti, the power that enables all creatures to exist, to feel, think, act and react. I am Maya, the delusion that makes life alluring yet elusive."

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i thoroughly enjoyed your posts my friend. I am a devotee of Kali

12:30 AM  

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