 The sixth form of Mother Durga is known as ‘Katyayani’, who is worshipped on the six day of Navaratri. The legend behind her name goes thus: Once upon a time, there was a great sage called Kata, who had a son named Katya. Kata was very famous and renowned in the lineage of saints. He underwent long austerities and penance in order to receive the grace of the Mother Goddess. He wished to have a daughter in the form of a goddess. According to his wish and desire the Mother Goddess granted his request. Katyayani was born to Kata as an avatar of Durga. The world meanwhile was reeling under the cruelties of the demon Mahishasur. The great Goddess was appealed to by the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv. Born on the fourth Navratra, the goddess accepted the ritual worship of the sage Katyayan for three days and on the tenth day Durga killed the demon Mahishasur. She is the harbinger of blessings and fulfiller of desires. She is depicted as a four armed goddess astride a lion. She holds a sword in one hand, a lotus in another and the remaining two hands are composed in mudras of blessing and the mudra of fearlessness, the blessing extended to all of Katyayani's devotees. She is the form that gives shape to the wild and unruly energy that the Goddess Durga will release in another guise to defeat her enemy. Katyayani is the gathering and focusing of that Adi Shakti in a form that is comprehensible to mortals. As a potent force and facet of the female energy, Katyayani claims as her own the Ajna or Agya Chakra. Symbolised by a lotus with two petals, this chakra is also known as the third eye chakra. As is implicit from the name the third eye is focal point of a concentration of energy that is traditionally released with terrible impact. But in times of lesser peril, the third eye is a concentration point of tremendous power and energy. |
Posted By : Vinod Jindal on Mar 17, 2014 |
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