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Default Hindu Goddesses of War

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In article >,
arah > posted:
[
[ Hindu Goddesses of War
[
[ One of the astonishing phenomena in ancient mythology is the existence
[ of goddesses of war, which contrasts with the absence of women from
[ the actual scene of war. For hundreds or even thousands of years of
[ wars between rival tribes, peoples and countries, women have been
[ excluded from one of the central occupations of human beings; but the
[ appearance of goddesses of war persisted as long as there were any
[ goddesses left in any pagan pantheon all round the globe, from America
[ to the Far East to the Near East and Europe.
[
[ A Great Mother goddess of war is also the Hindu Kali, known both for
[ her cruelty and for her motherly care for all creation. Kali is
[ sometimes considered an aspect of another Hindu war goddess, Durga,
[ about whom the following story is told on the site =91Goddesses of War=92:
[
[ Durga, a fierce warrior, was born during a lengthy battle between the
[ Hindu gods and an army of demons. In desperation, the gods gathered
[ together and breathed in unison. A ferocious fire blazed forth from
[ their mouths, out of which Durga was born =97 a fully grown warrior,
[ ready to fight.
[
[ The gods quickly gave her a lion (or, some say, a tiger), to mount,
[ and a weapon for each of her ten hands. Durga advanced toward the
[ demons =97 one of them in the form of a buffalo, which is reminiscent of
[ the Chinese story cited above. As her arms flashed with their weapons,
[ within moments she had slaughtered all the demons.
[
[ On a site dedicated to her particularly, Durga is said to represent
[ the power of the Supreme Being Shiva, to whom she was married, who
[ preserves moral order and righteousness in creation. She is called
[ =93Divine Mother=94, and one of her epithets is Maha, which means =93Great=
[ =94
[ or =93Terrific.=94 She had three divine children, two sons and a daughter.
[
[ Durga=92s festival is celebrated in the autumn, in the months
[ corresponding to September/October; and the Wikipedia comments that
[ =93The worship of Durga in the autumn is the year=92s most major festival
[ in East India.=94 These autumn months are when the monsoon=92s torrential
[ rains hit India. These rains are both punishing in their destructive
[ force and the killing of many people and beneficial by being India=92s
[ main source of fertility.
[
[ Taking Durga as an example of an all-around war goddess, it has been
[ said that she =93protects mankind from evil and misery by destroying
[ evil forces such as selfishness, jealousy, prejudice, hatred, anger,
[ and ego.=94; At another website it is said that she =93symbolizes triumph
[ over evil.=94 But the idea of evil has no place in the pagan, natural
[ scheme of things; it is an artificial idea, that fits more into the
[ late Hindu religion of ideas than into the natural world, to which the
[ Great Mother (as Durga is said to be) would belong. The Great Mother,
[ as a ruler of the Underworld besides being the ruler of Earth and
[ Heaven, is also a goddess of wisdom and judgment. On the whole, she is
[ both beneficial and punishing, as any good mother should be.

Jai Durga Devi!

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

In article [,
uNmaivirumbi [ posted:
[
[ Jai Jagadambe!
[
[ Please destroy all evil
[
[ Protect the good people!

Jai Jai Jagadambe Mata!

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti