In the Hindu mythology, Goddess Durga is considered as one of the popular sacred figures. The prowess of Durga is depicted with her 10 hands holding different weapons and symbolizing various shaktis that human possess. Her three eyes and the ride of Lion showcase her strength further. A women is often referred to have taken the form of Durga when she is ate her best spirit to fight against the evil.
The word Durga refers to as the one who is indomitable and the one who has the power to fight with all the sufferings and miseries of human race. The most noteworthy part of the Goddess Durga is her ten hands that is, always depicted holding different weapons. The Symbolism of ten hands of Goddess Durga and their meaning has always been a matter of curiosity for people. Children are particularly very curious about the various meanings of these ten hands
1. Conch Shell (Shankh)The sound emanated from conch shell is believed to be the most pure and sacred of all the sounds in the Universe. The conch emanates the sound of "OM" and it symbolises that the echo of God's sound is dominant among all the sounds of the Universe.
"Energy", that is what is the meaning of the bows and arrow in the hands of Goddess Durga. The presence of Bows & arrow in the hands of Goddess Durga showcases that she holds all the energy of the Universe and she is the one who controls the entire Universe with this energy.
"Firmness", that is what the presence of thunderbolt in the hands of Goddess Durga symbolises. It articulates to the human race that however hard the situation may be one must be firm enough with high dose of conviction to win over the adversities of the situation.
The presence of half bloomed lotus in the hands of Goddess Durga means that, however success is always confirmed but that success in no case is final. It also explains to the hilt that same as a lotus grows keeping its beauty alive even in the mud, human needs to learn to evolve his/her mind spiritually even in the mud of the materialist pleasure of the Universe.
Sword symbolises "knowledge"!! The glittering and shining power of the sword represents that, it is knowledge which is the most potent part of a human existence and the great thing is that this knowledge will never get rusted. You can win over all battles of the Universe with the sword called "knowledge".
The hearty and pure Sudarshan Chakra in showcased in the index finger of Goddess Durga symbolises that she is the one who control all the activities in the Universe and who has the solution for problems of the entire Universe. It is believed that she uses this weapon to destroy evil from the world whenever there is any occurrence of an event which is threat to the human race.
Trishul is symbolic of three human qualities that include Rajas, Tamas and Satva. The presence of Trishul in the hands of Goddess Durga symbolises that to attain peace, serenity and salavation, it is very important to possess a balance dose of all these three qualities.
Abhaya Mudra means that one of the ten hands of Godess Durga ia always in the position of blessing her devotees. It underscores the fact that she will always keep her eyes on her devotees and never let them get trapped in any type of fear.
It symbolises that humans should be loyal to the devotion of Goddess Durga and should keep love, loyalty and devotion the touchstone of their lives.
Snake is symbolic of the fact of moving from the lower state of consciousness to the higher state with an urge to experiencing bliss. So, these are the meaning and symbolism of the ten hands of the Goddess Durga. Her depiction in itself is the explanation of how the humans should act in their lives in every situation. The presence of various weapons in her hands teaches us the way of life. From knowledge, to wisdom, to love and loyalty, she provides her benevolent assistance in every aspect of life. The celebration of Durga Pooja is not merely limited to the gigantic stalls and staues of Goddess Durga, but one need to understand and implement the path that she urges to follow in the walk of life.
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