प्रथमं शैलपुत्री च द्वितीयं ब्रह्मचारिणी।
तृतीयं चन्द्रघंटेति कूष्माण्डेति चतुर्थकम् ।।
पंचमं स्क्न्दमातेति षष्ठं कात्यायनीति च ।
सप्तमं कालरात्रीति महागौरीति चाष्टमम् ।।
नवमं सिद्धिदात्री च नवदुर्गाः प्रकीर्तिताः ।।
I have grown up listening to and chanting this Navdurga mantra. Especially during the Navratri days. This mantra states the 9 forms of goddess Durga / Parvati that are worshipped by millions of Hindu’s worldwide.Not sure how these 9 forms became the “to-be worshiped” form of god during these particular 9 days but to me there is a Durga in each and every woman that I know !
Today’s woman is a true “दशभुजा” ( The one with 10 hands).She can cook delicious meal, serve to the family, clean up , load the laundry etc. all while discussing the business strategy on a conference call
She is the “Shailaputri” when she stands up for the honor and pride of her children, husband and house.
She is “Brahmacharini” when she devotes herself to whatever she does be it being a mom or being a corporate person.
She is “Chandraghanta” when she can do anything to protect her loved ones .She does it everyday by keeping everything around them neat, clean,sanitized, fresh and away from any danger.
She is “Kushmanda” when she bares the pain of giving birth to the new life and nurtures that life selflessly until her last breath.
She is “Skandamata” when she showers her love,affection and care on each & every person in the family.
She is “Katyayani” when she stands up to protect herself from those who emotionally or physically try to demoralize her.
She is “Kalratri” when she becomes a “kaal” for those who have evil eye on her nest that she calls home.
She is “Mahagauri” when she becomes the beautiful soulmate of her spouse, a loving mom for her children, a caring daughter/daugther-in-law for her parents/in-laws and a best friend for her cousins.
She is “Siddhadatri” when the she converts the house into the “home” for her family.
These durga’s are all around us in form of our moms , wives, sisters, co-workers , house helpers but have you seen any of them being worshiped ? What is the meaning of Pooja (worship)? It is the form of appreciating the goodness and recognizing the person’s worth.
I would like to worship all these forms of Durga’s in my life .. My mom to start with , my sisters, my friends, my aunts ,my cousins, my female co-workers and all those who blessed me in numerous ways.
I think worshiping these real life Durga’s, is equivalent to worshiping those idols in the temples. The real durga lies in each and every woman. It is important for her loved ones to recognize her worth and worship her by appreciating her efforts. She just wants those few caring words for herself. Not on a special day or few special days but every day.
It is also important for each one of us ladies to believe in ourselves so that the world around us starts believing in us. We should all stand for each other at all times because in my opinion no durga should remain un-worshiped !
