Durga Conquers the Demons Within
Children, the Puranas depict Durga and her shaktis killing many demons. Devi’s sword is the sword of knowledge. It severs our selfish ego and its six heads: desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy. Thus, Devi’s sword is like the scalpel of a surgeon. It saves lives, never takes them. When the light of self-knowledge shines, the darkness of ignorance naturally fades away. Darkness cannot be destroyed with more darkness; only through light. So too, ignorance can only be destroyed through knowledge.
Thus, the demons that Devi kills represent our negative tendencies. To help vanquish these demonic forces from within us, we need divine intervention. It is said that Durga manifested from the combined energy of the divine powers of all the devas. The meaning here is that we will be able to defeat our deep-rooted negative tendencies and overcome their source, self-ignorance, only when we unify all of our positive qualities and fight with concentration and focus.
To bring God’s grace into our lives, we need to awaken the attitude of taking only what we need and giving back to society. If we fail to do that, no matter how much we may gain materially, in reality the balance sheet of our life will show nothing but a huge loss. In the end, we will leave the body full of sorrow and disappointment. So, we must awaken the attitude of seeing God in all and compassionately serving others.
Once, a mother went to the supermarket to buy groceries with her son and daughter. In order to occupy them, she gave them both a few rupees and told them they could use the money however they liked. In this way, the mother knew they would be kept busy, and she would be able to do the household shopping in peace.
The son immediately bought a single chocolate bar and quickly sat down to eat it. The daughter thought for a bit and then bought a sapling to plant at home and a packet of biscuits. She then sat down next to her brother, who had already finished his chocolate bar, and shared her biscuits with him. The brother not only ate the biscuits his sister gave him, but also grabbed her share as well.
Here, the daughter did her part for Nature, took care of her own needs, and also fulfilled her duty to her sibling. This is the right attitude. However, currently the majority of us are living like the brother. All we know is how to take. We have to think carefully and decide what we should do with this precious human birth with which we have been blessed.
In God’s creation, everything has a beneficial purpose. It is when we misuse objects that they bring destruction. For example, a car is useful, but when we speed, it can become a source of destruction. Nuclear power can also be used to help society through efficiently generating electricity. However, it can also be used to destroy entire nations. The freedom of choice — to engage in service or destruction – lies in each of our hands.
In order for all living beings to be able to coexist peacefully and for the world to progress, it is crucial that each of us, both women and men, invoke and awaken the principle of visvamatrtvam — Universal Motherhood. It resides in every human heart. The awakening of that unconditional love, compassion, and selflessness is the true meaning of Navaratri.
Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known simply as Amma, is a spiritual master and humanitarian who has given her darshan in the form of a motherly embrace to more than 4 crore people. Listening to the cries of the suffering, Amma leads the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, an NGO that reaches across more than 50 countries, working in healthcare, disaster relief, education, gender equality, and environmental restoration; Views presented are personal.
