r/Shaktism

May Maa bless us all and give strength, intelligence and prosperity to progress rightfully in the best way she chooses for us.

Jai Mata Di 🙏🏻

Have you ever wondered about the meaning of the name Durgā? Sanskrit texts offer several beautiful interpretations, revealing different aspects of the Goddess — from Her unfathomable nature to Her role as the one who protects us from suffering.

One traditional interpretation connects the name with dur-gamā — that which is difficult to approach, attain, or comprehend. The Goddess is not easily fathomed, even by the gods themselves.

The Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Ch 26 Verse 60) expresses this beautifully:

दुर्गात्त्रायति भक्तं या सदा दुर्गार्तिनाशिनी ।

दुर्ज्ञेया सर्वदेवानां तां दुर्गां पूजयाम्यहम् ॥

durgāt-trāyati bhaktaṃ yā sadā durgārti-nāśinī,

durjñeyā sarva-devānāṃ tāṃ Durgāṃ pūjayāmyaham.

“She who protects Her devotee from distress and destroys suffering, whose true nature is difficult to comprehend even for the gods — that Goddess Durgā, I worship.”

I find the contrast in this verse particularly striking. She is durjñeyā — difficult to know, even for the gods — yet She is also the refuge of the devotee. Her unfathomable nature and Her compassion are two dimensions of the same Goddess.

Another traditional interpretation appears in the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, Prakṛti-khaṇḍa, Chapter 57.

दुर्गो दैत्ये महाविघ्ने भवबन्धे कुकर्म्मणि । शोके दुःखे च नरके यमदण्डे च जन्मनि ॥

महाभयेऽतिरोगे चाप्याशब्दो हन्तृवाचकः । एतान् हन्त्येव या देवी सा दुर्गा परिकीर्त्तिता

"The word Durga signifies a demon, great obstacles, worldly bondage, sinful deeds, grief, pain, hell, the punishment of Yama, birth (rebirth), great fear, and severe disease.

And the sound/letter ‘Ā’ signifies the slayer or destroyer.

Therefore, that Goddess who destroys all these miseries is truly proclaimed as ‘Durgā’."

The Devī Atharvaśīrṣa takes this understanding into the realm of personal prayer:

तां दुर्गां दुर्गमां देवीं दुराचारविघातिनीम् ।

नमामि भवभीतोऽहं संसारार्णवतारिणीम् ॥

tāṃ durgāṃ durgamāṃ devīṃ durācāra-vighātinīm,

namāmi bhava-bhīto'haṃ saṃsārārṇava-tāriṇīm.

“I bow to that Goddess Durgā, who is difficult to fathom, who destroys evil conduct. Terrified by worldly existence, I bow to Her who carries us across the vast ocean of saṃsāra.”

The expression saṃsārārṇava-tāriṇī is especially evocative: She is the one who carries us across the ocean of transmigratory existence.

Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful ways to understand the name Durgā. She is the unfathomable reality that even the gods struggle to comprehend, the power that destroys the many forms of adversity, and the compassionate Mother to whom we turn when the passage ahead seems impossible.

Jai Mā Durgā! 🙏

My flex : in 2005/8oct i was born on 5th day (पंचमी) of Navratri...

These are my beloved days of year...

Behind every dive back into ego, is a lesson in humility. Behind every action that goes against the truth, is a reverberation that brings me back to.

The past weeks have given me stress that turns into relief, into deeper realization of that which I could not, (more like would not), accept. What is and what is to be is decided, and is there for the purpose of our awakening. To have and accommodate experiences that let the "I" dissolve.

All goes back to a great void, persistent in its action and execution. Crafted with beyond expert precision, to dissolve or concrete my own ignorance.

Jai Maa, Jai Sri Gurudev Jai Aghor

May the blessings of Maa continue to bless us and push us deeper into reality.

Of what justice can words do to something profound beyond the profound?

Here is the link to the post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DeOZufUlGyB/?mdxt=MWU2dGF2aXQyMHQ5dQ==

I recommend getting their pdf, it contains a lot of information and stotras you can recite.

Here's the post on Instagram

They release a publication every Navaratri of the year with a guide on doing puja and the stotras you can recite as well. I followed it for all of Lalitambika Navaratri earlier this year and I absolutely recommend following their guide if you want to do something at home but don't know what to do.

Sri Matre Namaha 🙏🏼

I visited pavagadh yesterday and I think it's time to stop addressing pavagadh as shaktipeeth and mention it as a tourist spot where one can openly do gutka,khaini,beedi, cigarettes etc.

Where people are openly abusing, multiple people are having pret savaris( claiming to be maa itself) even inside the temple to get ahead in line( i saw more than 6 people myself)

Where the water body is entirely polluted and people are bathing naked in public.

Where you will find donkey's poop on every other step of a climb and even on the steps to mandir.

Where you will find the Pir of a Muslim just behind the main mandir and sanatani people going to pray over there.

Where you will find no proper puja as far as I have seen in the mangala aarti, even though I could be wrong in this.

After this, what aastha remained in me for this particular shaktipeeth has vanished, i was not able to feel the presence of divinity as I have been able to in Ambaji or other temples.

How could the place bearing one of the early inscription regarding lakulisha( pashupata shaivism)be reduced to this.

I agree this is more of a rant but this is my experience regarding this, it's much better to not visit this shaktipeeth as I will advise.

If anyone of the sub members have visited and have had an experience regarding this shaktipeeth similar or opposing mine, do share.

made a simple app that blocks social media until you do your daily prayers.

idea was just to force a small pause so people actually focus on prayer instead of opening insta/twitter first thing and losing half an hour.

it locks the apps and only unlocks after you hit the pray button. nothing complicated.

been testing it myself and it does stop the mindless scrolling a bit. figured some people here might find it useful too.

The name is Antrik and is published in both playstore and appstore.