How many arms does maa Durga have and why?

Question: Durga ke kitne hath(hands) hai or kyu?- Mohammad Shahnawaz, Muzaffarnagar

A: Before coming to the question, let me explain some basics. 

According to Sanatan Dharma, Durga(Shakthi) is known as the Mother of the Cosmos with infinite power to protect her devotees from all kinds of destructive forces. Actually, Shiva and Shakti are one and the same - both are manifestations of the all-in-one divine consciousness. SHIVA symbolises consciousness. SHAKTI symbolizes the activating power and energy.

Shiva - Shakthi

Whenever a power becomes active, and wherever energy exists, Shakti is working. Other terms for these primal principles are PURUSHA and PRAKRITI; Purusha is consciousness and Prakriti is nature. Īshwara is the omnipresent, eternal, formless divine principle; Purusha is the Ātmā and Prakriti is the manifestation, nature. 

Analogy:An electric light can be used to explain their relationship. The electric current, which is the source of the light, is Īshwara; the light is Purusha, and the object that is illuminated is Prakriti.

Maa Durga has many names like Sati, Parvati, Gauri, Ambika, Amba, Shakti, Bhavani, Bhadrakali and Kalika and symbolises  Mahamaya, Maha meaning Great and Maya meaning 'that which is not absolute truth'.  The Cosmic manifestation is interpreted as Maya or illusion of the entire universe or all that is created and that is not easily understood by mortals. The combined creative energies of Consciousness (Shiva) with the supreme truth praised as Shakti (Power) Devi Durga, in Sanatan Dharma, have been given a feminine attribute due to its creative aspect and is extended to it and hence the power or energy is worshipped in a female form, a Mother who is responsible for the entire Srishthi or Cosmic creation.

The Meaning of "Durga"

The word "Durga" in Sanskrit means "Durgatinashini," 'She who is the remover of all Tamasic tendencies & one who destroys all evils & is invincible' & therefore Goddess Durga is popularly known as Mahishasura Mardini, the destroyer of Mahish Asura the Buffalo Demon(buffalo being symbol of Tamas).

Durga's Many Arms

Durga is shown with multiple arms to carry multiple weapons. See their meaning below:

Durga's Many Weapons

• The conch shell in Durga's hand symbolizes the 'Pranava' or the mystic word 'Om', which indicates her holding on to God in the form of sound.
• The bow and arrows represent energy. By holding both the bow and arrows in one hand "Mother Durga" is indicating her control over both aspects of energy - potential and kinetic.
  
• The thunderbolt signifies firmness. The devotee of Durga must be firm like thunderbolt in one's convictions. Like the thunderbolt that can break anything against which it strikes, without being affected itself, the devotee needs to attack a challenge without losing his confidence.
• The lotus in Durga's hand is not in fully bloomed, It symbolizing certainty of success but not finality. The lotus in Sanskrit is called "pankaja" which means born of mud. Thus, lotus stands for the continuous evolution of the spiritual quality of devotees amidst the worldly mud of lust and greed.
• The "Sudarshan-Chakra" or beautiful discus, which spins around the index finger of the Goddess, while not touching it, signifies that the entire world is subservient to the will of Durga and is at her command. She uses this unfailing weapon to destroy evil and produce an environment conducive to the growth of righteousness.
• The sword that Durga holds in one of her hands symbolizes knowledge, which has the sharpness of a sword. Knowledge which is free from all doubts, is symbolized by the shine of the sword.
• Durga's trident or "trishul" is a symbol of three qualities - Satwa (inactivity), Rajas (activity) and Tamas (non-activity) - and she is remover of all the three types of miseries - physical, mental and spiritual.

Devi Durga stands on a lion in a fearless pose of "Abhay Mudra", signifying assurance of freedom from fear. The universal mother seems to be saying to all her devotees: "Surrender all actions and duties onto me and I shall release thee from all fears".

Durga's Three Eyes

Like Shiva, Mother Durga is also referred to as "Triyambake" meaning the three eyed Goddess. The left eye represents desire (the moon), the right eye represents action (the sun), and the central eye knowledge (fire).

Durga's Vehicle - the Lion

The lion represents power, will and determination. Mother Durga riding the lion symbolises her mastery over all these qualities. This suggests to the devotee that one has to possess all these qualities to get over the demon of ego.

Read More

Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?

Contrary to prevailing misconceptions, Hindus or rather Sanatan Dharma does not have a concept of 'God' at all! Ishwara, as understood in our tradition, is not an entity that sits in heaven and does supervision business. Hence even though we use the term God to refer to Ishwara - the idea behind it is completely different from organized religions. In Hindu culture, the primordial factor has always been karma and goal has always been Moksha - from the cycle of births and deaths - not heaven! This is where comparative religion theory fails completely when applied to Hinduism along with Semitic religions. Peoples of India with different languages and cultures have understood the one Consciousness in their own distinct way. This is signified by the Ishta Devta concept - where every person is free to choose his deity of worship.

Through history there arose four principal Hindu denominations— Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism. For Saivites, God is Siva. For Shaktas, Goddess  Shakti is supreme. For Vaishnavites, Lord Vishnu is God. For  Smartas—who see all Deities as reflections of the One God—the choice of  Deity is left to the devotee.

This liberal Smarta perspective is well known, but it is not the prevailing Hindu view. Due to this  diversity, Hindus are profoundly tolerant of other religions, respecting the fact that each person has his/her own  pathway to moksha. One of the unique understandings in Hinduism is as mentioned earlier - life is not about a God in remote heaven but is inside each and every jIvAtma, in the heart and consciousness, waiting to be discovered.

There is much confusion about this subject, even among Hindus. Learn the right terms and the subtle differences in them, and you can explain the profound ways Hindus look at Divinity. Others will be delighted with the richness of the Indian concepts of the divine. You may wish to mention that some Hindus believe only in the formless Absolute Reality as God; others believe in God as personal devta. This freedom makes the understanding of divine the richest in all of Earth’s existing faiths.

Read More

What is the meaning of the Om symbol ?

* OM is the single most ubiquitous symbol in all of Hinduism

The symbol Om, Ohm or Aum is believed to be the primordial sound that emanated during the creation of the Universe

* It is made up of three separate sounds, and saying these together makes Om the ultimate mantra.

* Saying the three sounds together in the right way helps to awaken the inner self, the atman, which is a spark from the divine Brahman. When said in this way, Om is called Pranava, the sacred sound (sacred humming).

* It is the representation of Brahman, who is unreachable and unknowable. By using the symbol (or saying the word), Hindus can approach Brahman in both the mystical and earth-bound planes.

* The symbol has enormous significance in Hindu life, appearing everywhere – on temples, on amulets worn by almost everyone and even painted onto the tongue of newborns using honey, to welcome them into life.

=> The Mandukya Upanishad has an excellent discussion on the significance of the Om sound. 

Om ityetadaksharam idam sarvam, tasyopavyakhyanam bhutam bhavat bhavishyaditi sarvam omkara eva.

The Imperishable is OM, and it is 'all this'. Everything else, whatever be of the past, present or future, is like an exposition, explanation or commentary on the meaning of this great Truth – the Imperishable Om. Sarvam Omkara eva: Everything is Om, indeed. This is how the Upanishad begins. Om itiyetadaksharam idam sarvam: All this, whatever is visible, whatever is cognizable, whatever can come within the purview of sense-perception, inference or verbal testimony, whatever can be comprehended under the single term, creation – all this is Om.

Read More

Question on Symbolism

1. What is the significance of OM(AUM) symbol?
2. What is meant by representing Hindu gods as married?
3. What is the significance of multiple gods?
4. How many arms does Maa Durga have and why?

Read More