Durga Devi - The Story Of Durga Devi As Mahishasuramardini

Over the three worlds, Mahishasura ruled,

The Devas were banished, their laws overruled.

A buffalo headed demon he was,

Evil, lethargic but blessed with invincibility he was.

No man, no beast, no God could him kill,

This wish of his, Lord Brahma had fulfilled.

The Devas invoked Lord Brahma and pleaded,

His help to destroy Mahishasura, they needed.

To Lord Shiva in Kailash, they appealed,

To Lord Vishnu in Vaikuntha, their woes they revealed.

The divine three began to meditate,

Swirling energy from their bodies did emanate,

Like a cloud of billowing smoke, it began to permeate,

A mighty feminine power they were about to create...

A medley of sounds reached a crescendo,

A choir of voices, the bass, the soprano...

'Ma Amba Lalita Devi,

Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati,

Namasthasye, Namasthasye, Namasthasye Namo Namaha...'

'To The Mother Goddess, Salutations,

The One Who Plays With Creation, Manifestation, Dissolution.

Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, The Three Aspects Of Energy She Is,

The Holy Divine Trinity She Is...'

The haze dispelled, a light effulgent,

Ma Durga Devi rose resplendent.

Flowing tresses with the darkness of night,

Scorching eyes, fiery bright.

Heaving chest, rising, falling,

Ten arms, radiating, spinning.

Sitting astride on a lion ferocious,

A flick of its mane, a roar acrimonious.

Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined their mighty forces,

Dipped into their vast resources.

The' trishul', the sword whizzed by from Lord Shiva's clasp,

The disc, the conch, spun from Lord Vishnu's grasp.

At a dizzying speed, all flew in a row,

The mace, the shield, the bow, the arrow.

Fists coiled round the weapons tight,

The 'Warrior Goddess', clad in blazing light.

Devastating it was when the assault began,

He wriggled, he slid, he ducked, he ran.

She unleashed her sizzling, raw energy,

A trembling,shaking demon became he.

Wily tactics, he tried to employ,

To field, to dodge the weapons she deployed.

From a beast to a man, he changed form,

 She controlled with disdain and with utmost scorn.

His boons, his powers and all else failed,

She pinned him down, she had him nailed.

A wild tornado,storming, raging,

A hapless victim, writhing, squirming.

The peace, the balance, he had disrupted,

Like a spitting volcano, her anger erupted.

Filled with 'Shakti', with intense energy, she vibrated,

Time for demonic tendencies to be annihilated.

She let fly the' trishul', it ripped across the sky,

She caught it deftly, her hand held high.
Clashing weapons, anklets jangling,

Clanging, piercing,deafening.

The trident pierced, the demon in anguish,

Evil from the seed, from the roots, the Goddess vanquished...

Darkness, ignorance needed to be erased,

Mankind becomes deluded when in 'inertia' encased.
 This' Mahishasura', this 'tamas Guna'. this inertia is in each of us,

With the Devi's grace, it can be transcended thus...

The Gods, the Devas, sang in praise,

Surrender and hope , their notes raised...

'Jaya Jaya He Mahishasura Mardini Ramyaka Pardini Shaila Sute.'

'Destroyer Of Mahishasura, Victory To Thee!

Cascading Hair, Wild, Free.

Daughter Of The Mountain, Thou Art,

Joy You Fill In All The World, In Every Heart.'

Footnotes

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Mahishasura - Name of a demon, A symbol of lethargy, inertia

Devas - Demi Gods
Kailash - The abode of Lord Shiva
Vaikuntha - The abode of Lord Vishnu

Shakti - Energy

Trishul - The trident

Tamas - Lethargy, inertia

Guna - quality.