The Almighty Shri Durga

Shri Durga is the Mother-creatrix. She is revered as Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, Maha Saraswati in the Durga Sapta Shati. She is the cause of that is inferred from, perceived through and intuited upon to understand the higher realms of Moola - Trigunamayi- Prakriti. There are thousands of names of Durga, but She is popularly revered as Devi/Shakti/ Durga/ Amba. A Shloka of the Devi Suktam supports this view, which reads as:

“Yaa Devi Sarva Bhuteshi Shakti Roopena Samasthita
Namastasyai- Namastasyai -Namastasya -Namo Namah”

The translation runs as:
My Namaskar to that Devi who abides as "Shakti/Energy" in all the embodied souls. My Namaskar be to that Shakti, Namaskar to that Shakti Namaskar- Namo- Namah to that Shakti.

Atharva Veda says the Devatas (Gods) could not understand the quintessential of Shri Durga therefore all the Devatas submitted before Devi and asked: "O Maha Devi! Who you are and what are you?"

Durga Ma said: I am Absolute Brahman. It is because of Me that Purusha and Prakriti has evolved forth, which is void and non-void. I am bliss and non-bliss. I am physical as well as transcendental understanding. I am both Brahman and what is not Brahman. I am of the five cosmic elements and different from that five elements of Earth-Water-Fire-Air-Space. I am whole universe. I am the Vedas and Agamas. I am vidya/ knowledge and avidya/ignorance. I alone abide in the Rudras-Shiva incarnation and the eight Vasus. I move in the Twelve Adityas and the Vishva Devas I raise all the Mitra -Varuna-Indra -Agni and Ashvini Kumars. I hold Soma-tvashtaa, Pushaa and Bhag. The Three Potentials-Brahma Vishnu and Maheshvara function because of my will alone. I hold the Soma and Havi for the Yajmana, who makes the Anushtthana for Homa/Puja/Archana/ Samkirtana/ Naam Smirana. Iam Ishvari - the Supreme Sovereign of this whole existence. I have created the whole space. This is all, what Vedas stand for.

After giving a thought in the Atharva Vedic saying, it is concluded that Devi is the Supreme Mother. She is All that is to be seen, visualized and understood. She is the primal cause of this universal flux. Durga is revered with Bhakti, with Puja and Archana and through the specific Anushtthanas. A fine exposition of Shri Durga is seen in the Markandeya Purana, Devi Bhagwatam and the Tantra Shastras.

To conclude, Durga is the beauty of Vishnu, creativity of Brahma and the Tandava of Rudra Sri Aurobindo has said in his famous epic Savitri about the Divine Mother Durga:

“I wear the face of Kali when I kill
I am charged by God to do his mighty work
I reason not of virtue and of sin
But do the deed he has put into my heart.”