Devi Sakti and Durga in her two forms: Katyayani and

Mahishasuramardini

Listen, O Devi, I will speak concisely of the essence of yoga. The body
resembles a tree, with the root above and the branches below. In the
macrocosm there are tirthas (bathing places) which also exist in the
body. The macrocosm is like the microcosm. ~ Todala Tantra, II

Within the realms of Hinduism, the concept of god (Brahman, or the

Paramatma-Supreme Soul) comes as both saguna (with attributes,
where there is a form and gender) and nirguna (where god is formless
and infinite). The nirguna concept, which is based on higher level
philosophical thoughts is difficult to comprehend or even visualise. It
has always been easier for the common people to follow
the saguna form of worship, where their revered god takes an
anthropomorphic form. This need to see the revered deity in front led
to the development of murtis and their worship. Thus, we see the
Shaivites worship Shiva as their supreme god, and the Vaishnavites
worship Vishnu as their supreme god. There is a third group that
worship the female Energy or Sakti as their supreme god, the Devi.
This group of worshippers is known as the Saktas, and they worship
the feminine power as the main god. Here the Devi is not limited to
being just a consort of a male devta (as we see in Shaivism and
Vaishnavism), but she is the one in focus as the main deity.
Worshipping the female energy or principal goes long back into Indian
history, and like in other parts of the ancient world, its worship started
in the remote pre-proto historic era. Many artefacts from the Harappan
civilisation show the presence of the Mother goddess form of worship.
The most commonly obtained artefact from the various IVC (Indus-
Saraswati or Harappan civilisation) sites are pottery remains with a
female figure wearing a girdle and a skirt. As Mackay would write
“these pottery images of the goddess whose name is unknown were kept
almost in every house in the ancient Indus cities, probably in a recess
or on a bracket on the wall.” Aniconic form of worship was also
prevalent as seen in the ring-stones available from various sites of the
IVC. Similarly the seal from Harrappa, which depicts a goddess with
a tree emerging from her womb, is comparable with the later period
lajja gauris (as seen in the image given below); and this association of
the devi with vegetation matches the Shakamabhari concept found
in Devi-Mahatmya, where the devi provides nourishment for the
famine afflicted people from her own body.

While the Rigveda doesn’t mention the devis that later came to
represent the Sakta cult, they however start appearing in the later
Vedas. Thus, we find that Ambika first appears as a devi and Rudra’s
sister in Vajasaneyi Samhita and Taittiriya Brahmana; while
in Taittiriya Aranyaka she is mentioned as Rudra’s consort. Durga
Vairocani is mentioned in Taittiriya Aranyaka (10th book), where she
is described as Katyayani and Kanyakumari (in Durga-
gayatri). Shri first makes an appearance as a devi in Shatapatha
Brahmana; while the devi is named variously as Bhavani, Bhadrakali,
and Durgi in later Vedic works such as Griha-sutras and
Sankhayana. Thus, it is clearly evident that the devi concept as we see
in the Puranas and the Epics, take a firmer shape and form in the later
Vedic period.

Interestingly, while the Rigveda at a superfluous glance gives little

importance to the female energy, a closer study will reveal that the
devis present in it are quite striking in their concepts. When one reads
the verses attributed to Usha (goddess of dawn), Ratri (goddess
representing a starlit night), Vac (the goddess of
speech), Saraswati (the river goddess), Ila (goddess of
abundance), Aditi (the divine mother), Prithvi (the earth goddess), etc.,
one cannot ignore the feeling of an underlying importance given to
these devis that were seen as a manifestation of the great female
energy. Of these devis, Vac or the goddess of speech, occupies an
important position, as she comes to exemplify the divine Energy or
Sakti, omnipresent in all living organisms. This is what is seen
expressed in a sublime manner in the 8th verse of the Devi-sukta, and
this later becomes a part of the central theme of Shakta puja followed
in the later eras.

Developing an image of Devi Durga for the saguna worship

The two well-known Durga stotras in Mahabharata (Viratparva)

and Aryastav in Harivamsha gives us a clear picture of the various
images or aspects associated with the Devi. From being a mother, a
daughter, and a sister, to a deity who is highly revered and worshipped,
the characteristics attributed to her combine many aspects that weaved
together the Vedic and non-Vedic worship practices. From being
worshipped by the Kushikas and Katyas (Vedic rishi clans), the devi is
also worshipped by the Shavaras, Pulindas and Barbaras
(Shavarairbarbaraishcaiva pulindaishca supujita). Devi Durga is also
referred to as Aparna, Nagna- Shavari, and Parna-Shavari.

While the interpolations (khilas) in the Mahabharata shows the devi’s

significance, the other epic Ramayana, doesn’t give much insight on
the worship of the devi or Sakti. The part where Rama invokes devi
Durga and worships her while facing difficulties in the war with
Ravana is found only in the Bengali Ramayan written by Krittibash. In
the original Ramayan in Sanskrit we find that muni Agastya tells Rama
to worship Surya and ask for his help to fight Ravana (Yuddhakanda).

However, unlike the Ramayana, the Puranas are full of devi-stutis that
help us in understanding the characterization of devi from various
composite strands. Among the various stutis the most important ones
are found in the Devi-mahatmya section within
the Markendeyapurana that contain the Narayani stuti, Brahma stuti,
and Shakradi stuti. In the last few verses where the devi speaks, she
tells of reincarnation, the various forms that she takes in different births
in order to protect the three worlds (trailokyasya hitharthya) and kill
the evil forces (danavas).
इत्थं यदा यदा बाधा दानवोत्था भववष्यवि ।
िदा िदाऽविीयाा हं करिष्याम्यरिसंक्षयम् ।।ॐ।।
“Whenever trouble arises due to the advent of the demons, I shall
incarnate and destroy the foes.”
(Markandeypurana, 91.51: Eleventh Chapter of the Devi Mahatmya:
last couplet of Narayani stuti).

Thus, the Vedic verses in Devi sukta and Ratri sukta that subtly define
the female energy, find a complete expression in the Durga
strotra (Mahabharata) and the Puranas, where the Vedic and non-
Vedic elements are brought together to create a complete and
unequivocal concept of the devi shakti .

Sakta Worship

While for the Saktas the Devi stands as the Supreme Power in both the
macrocosm and microcosm entities, Saktism as a form of worship tends
to be aligned with Shaivism in many aspects. The Sakta and Shaiva
forms of the Devi are many, and her Sakta forms are also linked to
Shaivism in most cases. The Samkhya theory is one such link between
Shaivism and Sakta, which expounds the union of Purusha (passive
energy) and Prakriti (dynamic energy), where Shiva is the purusha and
the Devi is prakriti. Kundalini sakti forms a basic concept of the Sakta
worship, which can be awakened through various yogic practices and
raised from the lowermost Muladhara chakra to the
highest Sahasrara chakra. The process of awakening the chakras from
the lowest to the highest is known as Satcakrabheda, and when one
successfully awakens all the 7 chakras, he or she can view the Devi in
her full glory, and attain moksha.

While there are many forms and images of the Devi within Sakta
worship, the focus here will be only on her major forms: Durga and her
Katyayani-Mahishasuramardini aspects. Durga being an important
form of the devi finds a connection to both Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
Durga and her two most popular forms: Katyayani and
Mahishasurmardini

Durga
Devi Durga, the sister of Vishnu (Surabhedagama), a part of Adi Sakti,
can be shown with four or more arms, three eyes, and should be of a
dark complexion. She should be made beautiful with a voluptuous
body, dressed in yellow clothes, bejewelled, and shown wearing a
karanda mukuta. When shown with four hands, her front left hand
should be on the hips in a katyavalambita/katisamsthita-hasta pose,
while the back left hand should carry the sankha. The right front hand
should be in abhaya pose and the back right hand should carry the
chakra. The devi should be standing on a lotus seat, or on the head of a
buffalo, or should be seated on a lion. A snake should form her breast
band, and a red drape should be on the upper part of her body. When
depicted with 8 arms, besides carrying the sankha and the chakra, the
devi is shown with weapons, such as, sula, khetaka, khadga, pasa, a
bow, and an arrow.

Katyayani
The devi is shown with ten arms (which can go up to 18 arms, but that
is a rare occurrence), possessing the aspects of Brahma, Vishnu, and
Shiva. Like Durga she is also associated with the colour red, and wears
a jatamukuta with a crescent moon in it, is youthful, bejewelled, and
has beautiful eyes. She is shown with 10 hands carrying pasa, khetaka,
ghanta, parasu, and ankusa in her 5 left hands, and bana, trisula, khadga,
chakra, and saktyayudha in her five right hands. Below her is shown
the Mahishasura, and the devi is shown in the act of killing him. Often
Mahishasura is depicted as just a buffalo; sometimes he is shown with a
human body and a buffalo head, and sometimes he is shown as
emerging from the dead body of the buffalo. Once Katyayani kills
Mahisasura, thereafter she is known by the name
Mahishasuramardini.
Slaying the Buffalo. Cave 21, Ellora. Katyayani pulls up the head of
the buffalo demon, just before delivering her killing blow. Here the
asura is depicted as a buffalo. 6-7th c. CE Photo from Wikipedia.
Katyayani in a battle with Mahishasura who is shown as with a human
body and a buffalo head, Mahabalipuram, 7th -8th c. CE

Devi Katyayani is worshipped on the 6th day of the Navratri as part of

the navadurgas (9 manifestations of Durga) that takes during Durga
puja. She is associated with awakening of the sixth chakra, which is the
Ajna Chakra or the Third Eye, and she is invoked by focusing on this
point.

Mahishasuramardini
Devi is generally depicted with ten hands, three eyes, a jata mukuta
with a chandra-kala in it, her eyes are like the blue lotus, and her skin
is like that of an atasi flower. In her right hands she carries khadga,
chakra, saktyayudha (a spear), bow, and trisula. In her left hands are
seen ghanta, pasarau, khetaka, pasa, and ankusa. At her feet would be
the cut head of a just killed buffalo or the Mahishasura should be seen
coming out of the body of the buffalo with a sword in hand and her
trisula plunged deep inside his neck. Devi’s right leg should be on the
lion and her left leg placed firmly on the Mahishasura.

Mahishasura-vadh according to different Puranas

Varaha Purana– while devi Vaishnavi was doing tapasya on the

Mandara mountain surrounded by her female attendants, Narada muni
passed the place and saw the beautiful devi. He described her beauty to
Mahishasura and the asura decided to marry her. With courtship and
marriage in mind he sent the devi a messenger, who spoke of
Mahishasura’s greatness, power, intelligence, bravery, story of his
birth, and lineage. Jaya, an attendant of the devi, however sent the
messenger back saying neither the devi nor her attendants were
interested in marriage. Mahishasura took offence at the blunt refusal,
and arrived with a large army to attack the devi. The devi and her
attendants met them head on, and destroyed the entire army of the
asuras.
Vamana Purana – the powerful asura king Mahishasura defeated all
the gods, who then led by Brahma went to Vishnu and Shiva for
protection and help. After hearing the tribulations faced by the gods,
flames of anger emitted from the eyes of Shiva and Vishnu and other
gods and a large luminescence was created, from which emerged the
trinayani devi Katyayani, shinning with the glory of a thousand suns,
hair as black as night, and with 18 hands. The gods armed her with their
own weapons, and presented her with various ornaments and a lion.
The devi then moved to the Vindhya mountains. Two asuras Chanda
and Munda who saw her when she arrived, informed their king
Mahishasura about the arrival of a beautiful devi. The king after hearing
of her beauty wanted to marry her, and sent Dundubhi, the son of
Maya, to speak to the devi. Katyayani agreed to hear the message
brought forth by Dundubhi, who then went on to praise Mahishasura,
heaping the highest accolades on him. Katyayani agreed to marry
Mahishasura, but on the condition that he do battle with her as a form
of wooing, and if he could defeat Katyayani she would marry him.
Mahishasura agreed to this condition, and came ready for a battle. Just
prior to the battle the devi was given a shield by Vishnu to protect
herself, as Mahishasura was deemed invincible owing to a boon by
Shiva. When the battle started, the devi attacked the asuras with a
barrage of arrows, and having caused havoc among their ranks she took
up a vina and damaru and played them gleefuly. As the devi moved
around playing the music, the bhootas and pretas accompanying her
responded with shouts of joy and danced around her, while the lion
tossed around the bodies of dead asuras. Seeing this, an enraged
Mahishasura decided to go into a direct combat with the devi; and thus
started a fierce war that carried on for a long time with both the devi
and the asura king not showing any signs of defeat. Finally, tired of it
all, the devi jumped down from her lion and sprang up on the back of
the mahisha, put her feet on his head, and cut it off in one stroke.

Vishnudharmottara– refers to the devi as Nanda. Here she is the

daughter of Bharadvaja, is four armed, white skinned, and seated on an
elephant. Of the four hands, the front two are in varada and abhaya
poses, and the two back arms carry a padma and and an ankusa, or
alternatively they may be holding a khetaka and a khadga. Varaha
Purana also refers to Nanda, and here the devi appears as eight armed,
wearing a kirita, and carrying sankha, chakra, gada, khadga, dhanus,
pasa, bana, and ghanta. She kills Vetrasura, an asura who was
disturbing the gods, after which the gods praised her and then made a
prophesy that she will be called again in the future to kill Mahishasura.
In most of the other texts the stories of Mahishasura-vadh are similar
to the one we find in Vamana Purana, with slight variations. The killing
of Mahishasura is often seen as metaphorical; wherein the asura is an
imagery representation of ignorance who is killed by knowledge or
Jyana-sakti.

References
A. Coomaraswamy, Early Indian Iconography.
J. Banerjea, Development of Hindu Iconography.
Mackay, Early Indus civilisation, p.54.
TNG. Rao, Elements of Hindu Iconography, Vol 1-part II.
S. Kramrisch, The Hindu Temple, Vol II.