Durga is beautiful and untamable! Her 18 arms hold a myriad of weapons and symbols including a conch, discus, two weapons mainly associated with Vishnu. Behind her is her vahana or vehicle a lion. On the base is the head of the Buffalo demon Mahisha whom no God could conquer. However a goddess could. Durga!
Goddess Durga symbolizes the divine forces (positive energy) known as divine shakti (feminine energy/ power) that is used against the negative forces of evil and wickedness. She protects her devotees from evil powers and safeguards them. It is believed that Goddess Durga is the combined form of powers of Goddesses Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati. Durga is often pictured as a beautiful woman in red cloth. She has either four, eight, ten, eighteen or twenty hands and three eyes. Items in her hands can include a conch, disc, trident, bow, arrow, sword, dagger, shield, rosary, wine cup, and bell, all of which represent her various powers.
It is also believed that Goddess Durga was created by Lord Vishnu as a warrior goddess to protect good people (devas) for fighting the demon, Mahishasur.. Her divine shakti contains the combined energies of all the gods in the form of weapons and emblems (mudras).
Story of Durga and Mahisha: The buffalo demon, Mahisha stomped across the three worlds, kicking up dust, polluting the earth and sea. Neither Indra, king of gods, nor Kumara, commander of the celestial armies could stop him. In despair the gods called on Vishnu for help. Vishnu confronted the demon Mahisha first as Narasimha the man lion and then as Varaha, the boar, but each time he failed to subdue the demon. Shiva, the supreme ascetic, disturbed by the violence opened his third eye unleashing the fire of doom. Even the power of Shiva's third eye capable of destroying the three worlds could not arrest Mahisha's march. "Nothing can stop Mahisha now: he will soon control the universe and make Nature dance to his tunes," said Brahma the creator. "It will never be so, Nature can never be conquered,"; said Brahma as his divine strength, his shakti, emerged from his body in the form of the goddess Brahmi. She rode a swan and held books of wisdom in her hands. Simultaneously, the shaktis of the other gods emerged taking female forms. From Indra, rose Indrani bearing a thunderbolt, riding an elephant, from Kumara rose Kaumari holding a lance and riding a peacock, from Vishnu rose Vaishanavi on an eagle with a discus whirling on her finger, from Varaha came the sharp tusk sow Varahi, from Shiva came Shiavani riding a bull bearing a trident.
Jai Ma! Kali Durga Ma, Kali Ma!
Jai Ma! Kali Durga Ma. Jai Ma-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Kali Ma! Jai Ma-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Durga Ma!"
