Tales of the Mother Goddess

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This Amar Chitra Katha narrates some tales of the mighty Goddess Durga. She is as widely worshipped as Vishnu and Shiva. She is the fierce form of Devi, who, as Shakti, is considered the personification of universal energy. Shakti, the female principle, activates Shiva and is therefore worshipped as Durga. The worship of Durga can he traced to the mother worship of the ancient pre-Aryan cults, over 4,000 years old. The names of Uma and Parvati occur in the Taittiriya Aranyaka and the Kena Upanishad. Some Indologists are of the opinion that the Figure seated on a lion in the coins of Azes I, the Shaka ruler (C. 5B.C. to A.D. 30), represents Ambika or Durga. According to the Devi Bhagvata, the Universe is but Her manifestation - and even Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva worship her. Durga is worshipped in sixty-four forms. In essence, Parvati, Durga, Devi, Uma, Ambika and kali or Chamundi are all powerful manifestations of the supreme female Shakti. The great Goddess Durga is created from the powerful rays of lights that emanated from the faces of all the Gods. Her thousand arms carry the greatest of all the Gods' weapons - Shiva's trident, Vishnu's discus and Indra's thunderbolt, among others.