Navrathri or Dusshera is perhaps my most favorite festival now as i fell in love with it as an adult. In the south, the 9 days of the festival are split into 3 days each for the three goddesses - Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati(Durga) and we revere them each day in different forms.
While there are numerous myths surrounding the festival and why we celebrate it with so much ado, I choose the stick to the story of Mahishasuramardini - the goddess who killed a demon no God could.
The myth :
The story goes that once there was a powerful demon called Mahisha who was half human and half buffalo. He had performed severe penance and Brahma had granted him a boon - he could not be vanquished by mortals or gods and for every drop of his blood split, he could give birth to another asura as powerful. Needless to say, after getting this boon, the man was uncontrollable. He wrecked havoc in heaven and earth and the gods hoped for deliverance. Shiva and Vishnu decided to go to a battle with the demon and they managed to destroy his forces. However, for every drop of his blood split, there were new Mahishas cropping up and for every drop of their blood, other Mahishas and so on. The battle went on for days and they finally prayed to the Mother for deliverance. Durga comes into the picture now, riding a lion. She fights with Mahisha and is able to kill him but she is not able to prevent the rebirth of the others through his blood. She calls for Kali who drinks every drop of blood that spills and Durga finally vanquishes the asura, the one who had underestimated the power of the mother goddess.
The philosophy :
This is one of my favorite stories as it shows the power of a woman who did what men couldn't. I also love it for she goes to a war, a man's war and still battles it out with wit and spirit. The physical prowess which women are not credited with, is what this goddess possesses. She doesn't charm him to death - she kills him in a battle.
Mahisha like a lot of men, so easily underestimated women - he sought for protection from men and gods but still conveniently ignored women. Gender bias aside, i think this story tells us never to underestimate the power of those we consider weak and never to think we are invincible - we are but human and we are mortal. A common cold can hurt us and make us take to our beds, no matter how allergy proof our houses are and how much we draw each month.
Another beautiful philosophy in this story is the role Kali plays. She does what ought to be done to stop him, even if it means stooping down to drink his blood. Gore aside, that deserves an applause.
While there are numerous myths surrounding the festival and why we celebrate it with so much ado, I choose the stick to the story of Mahishasuramardini - the goddess who killed a demon no God could.
The myth :
The story goes that once there was a powerful demon called Mahisha who was half human and half buffalo. He had performed severe penance and Brahma had granted him a boon - he could not be vanquished by mortals or gods and for every drop of his blood split, he could give birth to another asura as powerful. Needless to say, after getting this boon, the man was uncontrollable. He wrecked havoc in heaven and earth and the gods hoped for deliverance. Shiva and Vishnu decided to go to a battle with the demon and they managed to destroy his forces. However, for every drop of his blood split, there were new Mahishas cropping up and for every drop of their blood, other Mahishas and so on. The battle went on for days and they finally prayed to the Mother for deliverance. Durga comes into the picture now, riding a lion. She fights with Mahisha and is able to kill him but she is not able to prevent the rebirth of the others through his blood. She calls for Kali who drinks every drop of blood that spills and Durga finally vanquishes the asura, the one who had underestimated the power of the mother goddess.
The philosophy :
This is one of my favorite stories as it shows the power of a woman who did what men couldn't. I also love it for she goes to a war, a man's war and still battles it out with wit and spirit. The physical prowess which women are not credited with, is what this goddess possesses. She doesn't charm him to death - she kills him in a battle.
Mahisha like a lot of men, so easily underestimated women - he sought for protection from men and gods but still conveniently ignored women. Gender bias aside, i think this story tells us never to underestimate the power of those we consider weak and never to think we are invincible - we are but human and we are mortal. A common cold can hurt us and make us take to our beds, no matter how allergy proof our houses are and how much we draw each month.
Another beautiful philosophy in this story is the role Kali plays. She does what ought to be done to stop him, even if it means stooping down to drink his blood. Gore aside, that deserves an applause.
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