DURGA

Durga is an incarnation of Devi, the Mother Goddess. Durga is the nucleus of all divine forces. The presence of Durga in the universe is interpreted in different ways. Shaivas (a community) consider Durga as the wife of Shiva while Vaishnavas and Shaktas (two different communities) consider Durga as Uma or Parvati.

Once evil demons threatened to wipe out the gods. Durga manifested at this time. To have more powers to Durga the gods volunteered their radiance. She also got Vishnu and Shiva’s powerful weapons, Sri Chakra and Trident respectively. With all this she easily wiped out the evil demons and saved the gods.

“Invincible” is the meaning of word Durga in Sanskrit. The syllable “du” represents 4 devils of poverty, sufferings, famine and evil habits. The “r” represents diseases while “ga” stands for sins, injustice, irreligious, cruelty and laziness.