Devi Durga - The life force

Navratri’s are auspicious days after a fortnight long hot, humid Pitrapaksh. These are the days when our energy battery starts charging and immunity builds up. These 9 days are very important for our wellbeing, hence there were lots of questions in my mind about significance of these 9 nights called Navratris.

There has been lot of deliberations on the spiritual aspects of Navratris but to my scientific mind which is trained in the modern education system. It becomes difficult to adjust these facts. I am Aayush and was curious on many such facts like,

   Why these are for only 9 nights and not a week or 15 days after 15 days long Pitrapaksh?

   Why there are only 9 forms of Durga?

   Why Durgas are 9 when Mahavidyas are 10?

    Is there any secret behind her different forms having three eyes and different number of hands? I have seen her idols with 8 hands, sometimes with 10 hands and even 16 hands. Why and how she could have so many different forms?

   What does she do that nourishes us?

   When she nourishes us, so could we seek her blessings for our other requirements like winning over the enemies or getting rid of diseases, etc.

I have read most of the articles of my father and hence had planned to ask these questions to him with a hope to get some insights.

My expectation was for a more logical explanation similar to the way he shares insights on other topics in his articles. I kept looking for a suitable time and it was during this Navratri that I could find a situation when he was sitting in his room in a different mood. I could make out that he was happy and available, so I shared my desire to check on few points on mysteries related to Durga and shared my doubts. He looked deep into my eyes and then looked up into sky. His face was expression less though his eyes were in peace, so I was wondering why he did not respond. More than a minute passed and then he reverted while looking to the roof. He said, sure let’s discuss this in the evening on third day of this Navratri. I was happy, thanked him and came back to my room. I planned for my questions, put them into a sequence and listed these questions. I was happy that atleast some of my queries will be handled in a scientific way.

On the third day of Navratri, we had a chance to discuss and he sat in his usual style after the evening Devi Pujan. The best was that he was happy to hear my queries on such a subject.

I said, I have read lot of your articles on Durga and the mysteries associated but every time I read them, it further fueled my imagination and raised more queries. This lead to eager desire for more clarity on many related points but before proceeding would request if you could simplify and share what is Durga?

(You may also be interested to read more at: Nav Durga - Secrets of Nav Ratri )

He said, you know Durg in Sanskrit is called Fort.

Right.

So, the fortress in Sanskrit will be called Durga. This fortress will be in this fort and guarding it like the princess of some dynasty will do.

Similarly, Durga saves her Durg. This Durg in our case is this body, accordingly she is the princess of this durg and hence she is Durga.

Oh! That simple.

Yes, she is the one that saves us from Durgati – a sad and undesirable state. She is the one that gives us the energy and direction required to ensure sustenance of life.

The technical challenges surfaces, when we attempt to understand her at a deeper level especially when we try to understand her through Tantra. She is the combined energy of Gods including Tridev. Tridev are the three gods of all our life foundation and handles Generation, Operation and Destruction. There is another side to this challenge, it becomes a helping hand on the other side and gives us a map to find her in our selves.

She is the combined energy of all the gods and even Tridev. So, where could we find her in our body.

Don’t know. Pls. elaborate, I asked.

There is only one point in our body as per Yog, where 72684 nadis (energy vessels) are connected. This place is called ‘Kand’. This is the place where energy of all the vessels assimilate into one and depending on the body/ mind requirement energy keeps flowing from here to different parts to address those needs. These energy points combine at Kand and glows. This egg like illumination is our life energy. Do you agree there could be a glow like bulb due to the energy at this connecting point?

Yes, it could be, I confirmed basis my scientific learnings.

Ok, we have heart full of emotions that connects us with rest of the world. Its heart that gives us the basis to relate… you know we are able to connect best with human forms like us and therefore, best possible connection could be with energy in a form similar to us. So, when we see this glow through heart, it starts finding an image in this illumination. This image formation happens due to different energy vibrations in the glow. The form starts becoming clearer to us. This appearance is identified as Durga by our great sages.

Oh I see! I was happy, atleast am able to understand and link with it in my body.

Now, my second question is about these Navratris and the nine forms of Durga. Why there are only 9 forms of Durga?

Durga is Anant (infinite), she has infinite forms possible and it’s not possible for us to associate with infinite forms due to our limitations. So, our sages worked through Samadhi and have found out that there are key 9 forms that are critical for our existence. So, there are 9 forms of Durga, which are popularly known.

(You may also be interested to read more at: Secret Of Nine forms of Durga)

He continued, so now your question will be why 9 and why not 8 or 10?

So, let me ask you how many elements are mentioned in our texts?

I replied, there are five elements viz earth, water, fire, air and sky.

Wonderful so these are 5 critical elements for us to exist. You know these are present in almost everything in this world but everything is not living. Therefore, there will be some more elements or Tatva that will differentiate living with non-living. What are these differentiators?

These are called Antahkaran Chatustya in Yog. In simple words four critical internal parts of our being.  Could you guess some such internal matter that is not covered in these five elements?

Yes, I could mention about my mind. Mind is beyond these 5 elements.

Wonderful, he said.

You know Mind is full of thoughts and there are millions of thoughts that come and hit this antenna of ours.

Tell me how do you decide?

I think on pros and cons of my idea or of the dream of the alternates and plan for action. Decide basis my choice from the alternatives.

Great, so in Sanskrit this faculty is called Budhi. This is the 7th key factor.

Humans are emotional, else we will become robots. Do you agree with this?

Yes, I replied.

Then you know that this emotional part has eternal memory of my being stored in it. This faculty is called Chitt. We are misled from here and could realise us or forget us and create a pseudo-self for identification. Therefore, from here we could jump back into myself as true self termed as Aham or false self-called Ahankar or ego.

So, you see these are the four internal faculties that differentiates us from all other matter formed with elemental combinations. They bring differentiation to us.

Now, these 5 elements and these 4 critical faculties forms part of this fort called Durg, hence they are forms of Durga at the elemental level. These all are unique and independent in themselves, hence they were identified as 9.

Pls elaborate a bit more, I asked.

You agree that 5 elements and Antahkaran Chatushtaya are critical for our existence. So Durga the princess of this Durg (Body) holds these 9 separately at the elemental level to ensure a total symphony called life.

Let me simplify it further, Durga of earth element is called Shailputri, Durga of Water element is called Brahmcharini, and so on….

This will help you understanding the wisdom of this life shared by these Durga forms, like Shailputri guides us for 100% acceptance. We should be like a stone in this world – accept everything like a stone and don’t get turned. It doesn’t mean we should not act, we can’t escape that, so we should accept everything and then act rather than reacting.

Direct the flow of water to Brahmlok and walk over there so Brahmcharini, be part of the nectar produced from water by sound so Chandraghanta, be small hot point of our universe (body) radiating energy for life. It’s Kushmanda and is like pace maker in heart. Be one with the vowels and consonant born to earlier internal sound so Skandmata, Be the glow of desires so katyayini, Be the destroyer of our inner path to ego so Kalratri. Now you are free of all bondage so be clear illuminated like MahaGauri, Reverse the flow now so be Siddhidatri… so give back out of your compassion. 

Hope you are now clear on these 9 stages of our realisation of true self. These 9 forms of Durga hold keys to these 9 critical parts of our existence. So, if we are able to realize them then we have won over all our issues. We are one with self and hence no more rebirths required.

Its amazing world of Durga. Could you pls simplify it further for me to grasp easily, I asked.

Sure, let me make you understand it differently. Remember the definition of Durga and then tell me could there be a Durga of Earth element?

Yes, it could be, I replied.

Then there could be a form of Durga – owner of Water element’s Durg formed due to its presence across our body. She is termed as Brahmcharini. Do you agree with this?

Yes, he replied.

Sure, then go on for next 7 forms also and you will find that respective forms of Durga holds Durg of that element in our existence (body-mind-soul).  

Agreed, I said. So this is how there are 9 forms of Durga otherwise there could be infinite forms of Durga.

He said, on the lighter side just add the number of energy vessels to arrive at a unitary number.

I said, you told me 72684 energy vessels emanating from Kand - a part in our body. So, 7+2+6+8+4 = 27. Adding once again to arrive at the single number 2+7 = 9.

Wow! It’s amazing. It was now time for dinner. So he stopped this discussion and for continuing at a time later but I was happy because it was very clear to me now and was determined to worship Durga for my wellbeing. Am grateful for such amazing stuff from our Rishi Munis (sages). They were really visionary and as I had studied in my Social studies that lots of our books containing these secrets were burned in attacks on India and hence have missed out on lot of this research from them…but now, it seems that this way we will be really able to connect back with that lost legacy of ours.

Shri Guruve Namah!

     (Rights of the images are of there owner , here it is Gitapress)