The Devi Shakti in us

Nikita Mukherjee explains the significance of Navratri, Dussehra, and Maa Durga. The Divine Mother is not only symbolic of the multifaceted nature of every woman but is also present in all of us as knowledge and divinity

- Nikita Mukherjee

Ya devi sarva bhuteshu, shanti rupena samsthita

Ya devi sarva bhuteshu, shakti rupena samsthita

Ya devi sarva bhuteshu, matri rupena samsthita

Ya devi sarva bhuteshu, buddhi rupena samsthita

Namastasyai, namastasyai, namastasyai, namo namaha

O omnipresent goddess who is the Universal Mother, the omnipresent goddess who embodies power, the omnipresent goddess who is peace personified, O Devi, who resides in all the living beings in the form of Buddhi (Intelligence) and Rupena (Beauty), I bow down to you over and over.

The months of October and November in India are full of celebration. With beautifully tinted skies, lit houses, and people looking their best in gorgeous ethnic attires, the entire country gets into a festive mood to celebrate Dussehra and Diwali. However, they are both preceded by Navratri: nine days of fasting and worshipping of goddess Durga and her nine divine manifestations. “The Navratri season is a time when Maa Durga pays a visit to her parents on Earth, along with her children, and relaxes at her Maayka (maternal home). She brings hope, prosperity, happiness, and strength, and blesses us with her presence,” my grandfather used to tell me when I was a little kid.

Being a Bengali (the Durga Pujo tradition is very prominent in Bengal), I have always wondered about the significance of Devi Shakti (divine feminine energy), also called Maa Shakti (Divine Mother), who is worshipped in the form of Goddess Durga in the Hindu tradition. I have always felt that Maa Durga is not just some deity or a god-like entity but divine energy that resides in all of us. This divine energy makes us fight our battles and live a righteous life.