Anusara Moment – the Durga within!
After the beginning darkness of Kali last week, our next three goddesses get increasingly lovely and light. For this week, Durga, goddess of fearless compassion, clothed in red, is a great looking babe with 8 arms, each hand holding a different weapon.
Durga is sometimes depicted with her steed, the lion that represents the ego, or at other times a tiger that represents personal power. The idea is to harness the ego and one's own power for the greater good. We'll get crackin' on that small task too!
She is the warrior, the “mother bear”, protecting all from poverty, sufferings, famine and evil habits. She is the destroyer of injustice, cruelty, irreverence, and laziness. Can’t think of anything not covered there!
Despite this tall order that gets her into some tight spots, Durga is known for maintaining a sense of humor. To defeat her most fearsome foe, the demon Mahish, she sips divine wine, and then laughing, emits a paralyzingly beautiful light. Immobilized, the tough guy is easily slayed.
I wish I could say that I always laugh in the face of difficulties, check in for divine guidance, then produce so much enlightened behavior that the problem is solved. But I think it’s a good idea!
And as the stories of gods and goddesses in the yoga tradition show us aspects of ourselves, anything is possible!
PS. Many thanks to Margaret Pitkin and Amy Reed for their Heart of the Goddess Workshop which inspired this series.