Goddess Durga: A timeless manifestation of feminine power

 Every year, after the scorching heat of summer and the monsoon’s downpour, when Autumn comes and envelops the earth in golden sunlight, white clouds start sailing through the blue sky. Indians all over the world are excited to celebrate Durga Puja through devotional practices and varied community activities.

  In ancient Indian mythology, the concept of the Divine Mother Durga is described as the protector of righteousness and the destroyer of evil, and one who brings back harmony and peace to heaven and earth.
“ Durga “was created with the combined spiritual power and light of all Gods to defeat “Mahishasura,” the demon, who was the epitome of all evil. As Durga restored peace and harmony in heaven and earth, all the Gods adorned her with ten hands holding ten symbolic objects. They are the conch shell, which signifies creation through the “Aum “sound. “Chakra “shows the eternal wheel of time.” Bow “points out the ability to focus, and “Arrow“points to righteousness. “Lotus “ stands for spiritual power. “Gada” and Javelin, for crushing ignorance and the ability to penetrate through illusions. “Shield “is for protection from negativity, and her one hand is up in Abaya mudra, bestowing blessings to all. Interestingly, the snake she holds points to the transformation of consciousness from a lower to a higher state - a reference to the practice of 'kundalini or the coiled serpent representing elevated states of consciousness accessible through spinal breath movement.
Every year, Ma Durga’s homecoming to the earth, with her four children (Laxmi, goddess of wealth, Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, Kartik, and Ganesh, who stand for handsomeness, wisdom, and success),  is celebrated all over India, through the celebration of Navratri and Durga Puja.

Durga Puja is celebrated mainly in the eastern part of India - Bengal, Orissa, Assam, with devotion but also as a high point in the year for cultural and community activities, and at the end of five days, it culminates in the immersion of the Durga idol in a flowing river - symbolically and literally a source of life. Durga, as the all-powerful manifestation of feminine power, holds some very relevant messages for the modern world, which has largely represented strength and power in masculine forms. Over a hundred years ago, the great saint of Bengal  Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa said, “ Women are, all of them, the veritable images of Shakti (power)". The earth, our mother, is feminine, as is the source of all creation, per nature's law. A world that understood and respected that was a better one than the one we've created today.