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Thread: can someone explain this please?

  1. #1
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    can someone explain this please?

    I am doing some research into the many forms of Devi, and I have come across something that is interesting, which is the relationship between Parvati, Kali, Durga. They way I have understood it is that it goes from the lighter, gentler aspect of Devi, Parvati, through to Durga, who is motherly yet defends with force, and kali, who is desruction. But in other places I have read that Kali and Parvati are manifestations of Durga, and in others that Durga and parvati are manifestations of Kali and so on. So, can someone please exlain the relationship these godesses have with each other?

    Thanks,

    Wilfred.

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Quote Originally Posted by wcrow View Post
    They way I have understood it is that it goes from the lighter, gentler aspect of Devi, Parvati, through to Durga, who is motherly yet defends with force, and kali, who is desruction. But in other places I have read that Kali and Parvati are manifestations of Durga, and in others that Durga and parvati are manifestations of Kali and so on. So, can someone please exlain the relationship these godesses have with each other?

    Thanks,

    Wilfred.
    Namaste wcrow: Of course, of course. There is no single explanation. There are always many. This is part of the religions of Hinduism. (I use the term religions because I believe it better reflects reality.)

    If someone 'explains' what you are wishing them to do, it will be their interpretation, not necessarily.

    From my point of view, they are all one and the same, with each highlighting an aspect. But that's just my point of view.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Quote Originally Posted by wcrow View Post
    I am doing some research into the many forms of Devi, and I have come across something that is interesting, which is the relationship between Parvati, Kali, Durga. They way I have understood it is that it goes from the lighter, gentler aspect of Devi, Parvati, through to Durga, who is motherly yet defends with force, and kali, who is desruction. But in other places I have read that Kali and Parvati are manifestations of Durga, and in others that Durga and parvati are manifestations of Kali and so on. So, can someone please exlain the relationship these godesses have with each other?

    Thanks,

    Wilfred.
    Contrary to EM´s opinion the roles of the devis are generallly quite well definend in traditional Hinduism. There is not much room for ambiguity or interpretations in the tradition. But i admit there is a lack of knowledge. A lot of confusion is caused by indologists and new age or other western appropriations and deformations of Shakta related subjects, often due to a sociological, psychological or comparative religious, folkloristic, or ethnological approach. These confusing elements are absent in the traditional shakta religion.

    Since all devis are a manifestation of one primal Shakti each of the more important aspects can be worshipped as being the central shakti, that is giving rise to all the others, for the devotee of Kali she will give rise to Parvati and Durga and for the devotee of Durga she will give rise to Parvati and Kali etc. That is the common way a tantric will gain access to all other devata without the need to sway around and worship different devas, and that way stay one pointed and dedicated to one devata even when worshipping another.

    Since in agamic philosophy the supreme power is contained in every distinct element everything can become an aspect of everything else, even if it is only a heap of ash it can become the center of attention, the ultimate, the brahman. My gurus guru used to say "we can turn ashes into gods and gods into ashes"

    Parvati is Gauri which means the golden or light one and Kali is Gauri turned into her opposite a dark (kali) color. This is a duality of the two aspects of devi the protective and fierce warrior and the nourishing mother and dedicated wife. The light full moon and the dark new moon.

    Durga is the form of Devi, that combines all shaktis of the diverse devata, this is shown by their weapons which she carries, representing the destructive power of all devas, she was manifested as a warrior with a special misson, to destroy the rule of Mahisa a powerful asura. Kali aided her in this battle.

    Parvati is mostly depicted together with Shiva as his loving wife. She is the reincarnation of Sati, that incarnation of Devi that was able by her dedication and tapas to move Shiva to marry and procreate, as the greatest Mahayogi he was disinclined to marry, thats why only the creatrix of all the worlds was able to infatuate him and no other woman. Other names of her in this aspect are Uma and Gauri. Parvati is rarely if ever, an aspect of devi employed for spiritual sadhana or upasana, because she is solely dedicated to Shiva.

    Kali and Tripurasundari are the aspects of Devi that are the foremost amongst the Mahavidyas employed for tantrik sadhana or upasana and are specially suited to grant all achievements, material as well as spiritual. They are representing the dual forces of creation and dissolution, the peaceful and the fierce. Desire and Anger. Devi relates to her devotees either in peaceful or fierce mood, in the relationship of a daughter, sister, wife or mother, and in the forms of a young virgin girl, a 16 year old woman, and an old woman.
    Last edited by MahaHrada; 13 February 2010 at 05:47 PM.

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Hi WCrow
    I have come across this on a site which I felt gave an interesting explanation, part of which I quote below. I would like to learn more about Goddesses:

    Manifestations Of The Divine Mother

    The Supreme Lord is represented as Siva and His power is represented as His consort—Sakti, Durga or Kali. Just as the husband and wife look after the well-being of the family, so also Lord Siva and His Sakti are engaged in looking after the affairs of this world.

    Divine Mother is everywhere triple. She is endowed with the three Gunas, viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. She manifests Herself as Will (Ichha Sakti), Action (Kriya Sakti) and Knowledge (Jnana Sakti). She is Brahma-Sakti (Sarasvati) in conjunction with Brahma, Vishnu-Sakti (Lakshmi) in conjunction with Vishnu and Siva-Sakti (Gauri) in conjunction with Siva. Hence She is called Tripurasundari.

    Radha, Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Savitri are the five primary forms of Prakriti or Devi. Durga destroyed Madhu and Kaitabha through Vishnu. As Mahalakshmi, She destroyed the Asura Mahisha; and as Sarasvati, she destroyed Sumbha and Nisumbha with their companions Dhumralochana, Chanda, Munda and Raktabija.

  5. #5

    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Quote Originally Posted by wcrow View Post
    I am doing some research into the many forms of Devi, and I have come across something that is interesting, which is the relationship between Parvati, Kali, Durga. They way I have understood it is that it goes from the lighter, gentler aspect of Devi, Parvati, through to Durga, who is motherly yet defends with force, and kali, who is desruction. But in other places I have read that Kali and Parvati are manifestations of Durga, and in others that Durga and parvati are manifestations of Kali and so on. So, can someone please exlain the relationship these godesses have with each other?

    Thanks,

    Wilfred.
    Namaste Wilfred

    Please look forward to detail authentic explanations from a Shakta or Shaiva here, but here is a view.

    -----------------
    They are all aspects and forms of Shakti , so all under the Umbrella of Shakti for me.

    Shakti = Supreme Lord's energy , potency

    DurgA-PArvati(UmA)-KAli are the Sat energy - existential potency of God.

    The other two are chit and ananda

    Sat = existential energy = DurgA , PArvati et all in various forms and moods as you can see , represent prakrti , creative power.

    Chit = knowledge energy = Saraswati (VANI)

    Ananda (HlAdini) = bliss energy/aspect = Lakshmi( RamA ) (RAdhA, SitA, Rukmini are Lakshmi )


    Not to confuse you, but if this does , I am sorry , please ignore, and wait for the Shakta/Shaiva answers.

    praNAm

    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Looks like MahAhrda , Snip and smaranam posted all at once !
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Thankyou everybody for your answers. I had an idea that there would be a variety of opinions! It is so refreshing to hear this, because I am brought up in a society that views any differing opinions as the work of the devil.

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Vannakkam all: Thanks for all the information. I am an idiot on Shaktism, as I'm not a Shaktite, so thanks for all the clarifictions/viewpoints. My answer was just from my own limited knowledge of other sampradayas/sects I've gleaned over the years from observation into the vastness of what is coined Hinduism. So I have another question. Who is Rajarajeshwari, and which of the above three would she be, if any? Thanks.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    Vannakkam all: Thanks for all the information. I am an idiot on Shaktism, as I'm not a Shaktite, so thanks for all the clarifictions/viewpoints. My answer was just from my own limited knowledge of other sampradayas/sects I've gleaned over the years from observation into the vastness of what is coined Hinduism. So I have another question. Who is Rajarajeshwari, and which of the above three would she be, if any? Thanks.

    Aum Namasivaya
    Rajarajeswari is Sri Lalita Mahatripurasundari Parabhattarika.

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    Re: can someone explain this please?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    My answer was just from my own limited knowledge of other sampradayas/sects I've gleaned over the years from observation into the vastness of what is coined Hinduism.

    Aum Namasivaya
    Hinduism is certainly vast and contains countless approaches, but i have the impressions that the functions and role of all the Devas, are quite well definend and more or less similar in all traditions.
    An exception are the devas that express advanced generic concepts like Parashakti or Adishakti or Adinath, and on the opposite end those Devas that are very specialized and peculiar to communities, families, sacred places, villages or tribes, there is of course a lot of ambiguity there. The prevailing confusion is rather due to diverse false academic interpretations that originated from the western studies and undue appropriations by those though genuinely interested but that have been mislead, sadly there are even reimports into india of very shallow new age thought that begins to distort the traditional clarity of thought.

    Tantra, Shaktism and Yoga has suffered the most, a lot of the westerners that have appropriated some ideas from shakta sources come to india with a demand for something they think is tantra or aghor that never existed, except in their confused mind, and that of some authors, and this demand is met by fake tantrics, who deliver what the tourists look for, these "Gurus" ,once successful, in turn spread the misinformation to indians as well.
    Last edited by MahaHrada; 14 February 2010 at 10:40 AM.

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