MOTHER KALI The Destroyer of Demoniac Attributes

Devi worship is, therefore, worship of God’s glory, of God’s greatness and supremacy. It is
adoration of the Almighty. It is unfortunate that Devi is ignorantly understood by many as a mere
blood-thirsty Hindu Goddess. No! Devi is not a vicious demoness nor is She the property of the
Hindus alone. Devi does not belong to any religion. Devi is that conscious power of God. The words
Devi, Shakti, etc., and the ideas of different forms connected with these names are concessions
granted by the sages due to the limitations of the human intellect; they are by no means the ultimate
definitions of Shakti.
The original or Adi Shakti is beyond human comprehension. Bhagavan Krishna says in the
Gita: “This is only My lower nature. Beyond this is My higher nature, the life-principle which
sustains the universe”.
The Upanishad also says: “The supreme power of God is manifested in various ways. This
power is of the nature of God, manifesting as knowledge, strength and activity”.
7
HINDU FASTS & FESTIVALS
Truly speaking, all beings in the universe are Shakti-worshippers, whether they are aware of
it or not, for there is no one who does not love and long for power in some form or other. Physicists
and scientists have now proved that everything is pure, imperishable energy. This energy is only a
form of divine Shakti which exists in every form.
A child is more familiar with the mother than with the father, because the mother is very
kind, loving, tender and affectionate and looks after the needs of the child. In the spiritual field also,
the aspirant or the devotee—the spiritual child—has an intimate relationship with the Mother
Durga, more than with the Father Shiva. Therefore, it behoves the aspirant to approach the Mother
first, who then introduces Her spiritual child to the Father for his illumination.
The Mother’s Grace is boundless. Her mercy is illimitable; Her knowledge infinite; Her
power immeasurable; Her glory ineffable; and Her splendour indescribable. She gives you material
prosperity as well as spiritual freedom.
Approach Her with an open heart. Lay bare your heart to Her with frankness and humility.
Be as simple as a child. Kill ruthlessly the enemies of egoism, cunningness, selfishness and
crookedness. Make a total, unreserved, and ungrudging self-surrender to Her. Sing Her praise.
Repeat Her Name. Worship Her with faith and unflinching devotion. Perform special worship on
the Navaratri days. Navaratri is the most suitable occasion for doing intense spiritual practices.
These nine days are very sacred to the Divine Mother. Plunge yourself in Her worship. Practise
intense repetition of the Divine Name, having a regular “quota” of repetitions per day, and the
number of hours spent on it.
Devi fought with Bhandasura and his forces for nine days and nine nights. This Bhandasura
had a wonderful birth and life. When Lord Shiva burnt Cupid with the fire of His “third eye”, Sri
Ganesha playfully moulded a figure out of the ashes, and the Lord breathed life into it! This was the
terrible demon Bhandasura. He engaged himself in great penance and on account of it obtained a
boon from Lord Shiva. With the help of that boon, he began harassing the worlds. The Divine
Mother fought with him for nine nights (the demons have extraordinary strength during the night),
and killed him on the evening of the tenth day, known as the Vijaya Dasami. The learning of any
science is begun on this highly auspicious day. It was on this day that Arjuna worshipped Devi,
before starting the battle against the Kauravas on the field of Kurukshetra.
Sri Rama worshipped Durga at the time of the fight with Ravana, to invoke Her aid in the
war. This was on the days preceding the Vijaya Dasami day. He fought and won through Her Grace.
In days of yore, kings used to undertake ambitious expeditions on the day of the Vijaya
Dasami. Those kings who did not go on such expeditions used to go out hunting in the deep forests.
In Rajputana, India, even up to this date, people arrange mock attacks on some fort on Vijaya
Dasami.
This day, however, has much to do with the life of Sri Rama. Nowhere in the history of the
world can we find a parallel to the character of Sri Rama as a man, son, brother, husband, father or
king. Maharishi Valmiki has exhausted the entire language in describing the glory of Sri Rama.
And, we shall be rightly celebrating the Dussera if we make honest efforts to destroy the demon of
8
DURGA PUJA OR NAVARATRI
our ego, and radiate peace and love wherever we go. Let us all resolve to become men of sterling
character. Let us resolve and act. The story of Sri Rama is known in almost all parts of the globe,
and if we but succeed in following even a hundredth part of His teachings, we shall make our lives
more fragrant than the rose and more lustrous than gold!
Dussera can also be interpreted as “Dasa-Hara”, which means the cutting of the ten heads of
Ravana. So, let us resolve today to cut the ten heads—passion, pride, anger, greed, infatuation, lust,
hatred, jealousy, selfishness and crookedness—of the demon, Ego, and thus justify the celebration
of Dussera.
Religious observances, traditional worship and observances at times have more than one
significance. Apart from being the adoration of the Divine, they commemorate stirring events in
history, they are allegoric when interpreted from the occult standpoint and, lastly, they are deeply
significant pointers and revealing guides to the individual on his path to God-realisation.
Outwardly, the nine-day worship of Devi is a celebration of triumph. This nine days’
celebration is offered to the Mother for Her successful struggle with the formidable demons led by
Mahishasura. But, to the sincere spiritual aspirant, the particular division of the Navaratri into sets
of three days to adore different aspects of the Supreme Goddess has a very sublime, yet thoroughly
practical truth to reveal. In its cosmic aspect, it epitomises the stages of the evolution of man into
God, from Jivahood (the state of individualisation) to Shivahood (the state of Self-realisation). In
its individual import, it shows the course that his spiritual practice should take.
Let us, therefore, examine in detail the spiritual significance of Navaratri.
The central purpose of existence is to recognise your eternal identity with the supreme
Spirit. It is to grow into the image of the Divine. The supreme One embodies the highest perfection.
It is spotless purity. To recognise your identity with That, to attain union with That, is verily to grow
into the very likeness of the Divine. The aspirant, therefore, as his initial step, has to get rid of all the
countless impurities, and the demoniacal elements that have come to cling to him in his embodied
state. Then he has to acquire lofty virtues and auspicious, divine qualities. Thus purified,
knowledge flashes upon him like the brilliant rays of the sun upon the crystal waters of a perfectly
calm lake.
This process demands a resolute will, determined effort, and arduous struggle. In other
words, strength and infinite power are the prime necessity. Thus it is the Divine Mother who has to
operate through the aspirant.
Let us now consider how, on the first three days, the Mother is adored as supreme power and
force, as Durga the Terrible. You pray to Mother Durga to destroy all your impurities, your vices,
your defects. She is to fight with and annihilate the baser animal qualities in the spiritual aspirant,
the lower, diabolical nature in him. Also, She is the power that protects your spiritual practice from
its many dangers and pitfalls. Thus the first three days, which mark the first stage or the destruction
of impurity and determined effort and struggle to root out the evil tendencies in your mind, are set
apart for the worship of the destructive aspect of the Mother.
9