This is the sixth of a series of short articles on various deities. As I am not a Hindu myself, I would appreciate any feedback from Hindus.
Durga: A fearsome goddess
One of Durga’s most familiar, and feared, names is Kali, ‘the black one’. She was both a creative and destructive goddess but it is the latter qualities that she is most often identified with. Riding a lion and with a weapon in each of her eight arms, Durga loves battle and bloodshed. She feeds on raw meat and protects those who hunt for a living.
She is known as the future, destiny and power of death at the end of the world
Durga’s court was also a fearful place, attended by yogini (evil spirits and wizards), vetila (vampires) and bhuta (the ghosts of those who died violently).
To receive gifts from this most impetuous of deities, the Koli and Cabara sects offered her blood and intoxicating drinks as sacrifice; others sacrificed goats or even their own lives on her altar.
Durga’s family
Durga, daughter of Savitri (Savitar), became Shiva‘s wife. She is his power of desire, action and knowledge. Her other names (besides Kali) are: Sati, Devi (The Goddess), Mahadevi (The Great Goddess), Uma (The Peaceful One) and Parvati (The Chaste Wife). She is the mother of the gods and brought Yoga to the people.
Durga and Shiva had two sons, Skanda (below left), whose life purpose was to fight the demon Taraka, and Ganesha, leader of the heavenly armies and destined to receive an elephant’s head (see Shiva‘s entry for the reason why).
Mahisa claims the world
Durga’s defining moment came when the demon Mahisa, possessing a buffalo, seized control of the world. She took all of the great gods’ powers into herself and battled for nine nights. After this time, with the help of Shiva‘s trident, Vishnu‘s discus and Indra’s thunderbolts, Durga claimed victory.
This is just a brief introduction to the attributes of and stories featuring Durga. I may add more detail at a later stage.
Do you have any personal experience of or interest in Durga/Kali or Hinduism that you would like to share? If so, please leave a comment below.
References/Sources used (please use my bookstore if you want to order the books):
Comte, F. (1991) ‘The Wordsworth Dictionary of Mythology’, Wordsworth, Kent
Image attributions
Both images in public domain.
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Coming next: The Hindu Deities: Lakhsmi
[...] was Shiva’s and Parvati’s son, created from the dirt of ablations left for his mother. He was well-developed and a [...]