Devi Durga, a Doll?

Somewhere, in some blog, Goddess Durga was mentioned under the title “dolls of India”.

No, I certrainly do not find this idea being a lucid dilution of our culture, or an intention for mockery, but an apt description of our inheritance.

I am sure to conclude without sighting you any source that the idea of Durga became popular in Kushana period when Sage Markandya penned down Markandya Purana, most likely under king’s patronage or for serving some serious popular demand. However if we stick to the idea that Mahabharata was written in between 250BC to 250AD then we may find that Goddess Durga was mentioned during the period of Mahabharata even before Kushanas, where Arjun was praying to a tribal goddess of war, living in mountains, under the suggestion from Lord Krishna, who mostly simulated the idea of Goddess Durga.

No matter of it’s earliest inscription, Goddess Durga is inseparable from the idea of a bull and War.

Now, if we trade even deeper then we might stumble upon the fact that the idea of bull bore a huge cultural significance in Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations.

Later, about 1000BC, Egypt came under the huge influence from Greece—a distinct civilization with respect to Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures—both of which had trade relations between themselves and with Greece and were almost contemporary, even with the later, rather earlier.

Interestingly enough, we find a Queen Mother Goddess in Greco-Roman civilization who rode on lions and lived in a mountain palace—Rhea-Cybele. Orphic hymn 27 describes these lions being “bull destroying lions”.

Here I unapologetically try to draw a string between this Greco-Roman Goddess-Rhea-Cybele and our Goddess Durga—both mountain ladies, both of grand stature—Cybele the queen, Durga (Parvati) the princess—both riding on lions and are associated with killing bulls.

Speaking of bulls, what does it signify? Bulls were an important symbol for non-Greek people (barbarians). Therefore when a Greco-Roman Goddess is associated with the blood-bath of a bull—possibly an important/ sacred bull—it necessarily speaks of Greco-Roman people overpowering non-Greek people—exactly in the same way we find a lion topples an elephant in many Hindu Temple Gateways—signifying Hinduism overpowering Buddhism.

When I speak of Devi Durga being a Tribal Goddess, you may ask me how? If you look at the spread of 10Mahajanapadas you will find them expanding from west to east through central India, and not or rarely reaching Himalayas. Hence the Devi for which Mahabharata’s Arjun is venerating, she cannot live in some incognigible Himalayan Mountain but in the mountains of central India—the land of Tribes. Now you may ask, what was a Greco-Roman Goddess doing in the land of Tribes? Is it—rather it is possible that Greeks reached India before IVC (Indus Valley Civilization), got dispersed, and receded with their individual tribe cultures toward central India, and it was only later, when insurgence happened from the land of Non-Greeks along with their auspicious symbol of Bull as there are many relics of bulls from IVC, and they developed IVC eventually! Now you may wonder then why again Indians started excavating the Idea of Durga from the land of Tribes, embracing a Greco-Roman content? The answer is quite simple, because Kushanas were Greek and they were ardent followers of Greek supremacy. They possibly made the sage wrote the saga of Devi Durga in Markandya Purana and had popularised the idea of Devi Durga in order to dominate the remaining presence of IVC. Going by this line of thinking, we may conclude that the part when Arjuna asking for the grace of the Tribal Goddess of War in Mahabharata that was added in that Epic; either during or after Kushana period.

Now when we have our Goddess Durga, well established within Hinduism, we may try to assess how we initially conceived the image of this ‘feminine power at war’―the shortest possible answer would be ‘a non-conformist’—fighting against the male dominance (Ahankar). We have conceived her as the primordial female power that is unimaginable, hence no Idol is at all possible for Devi Durga. She is the wife of Time. Tridev (Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara) are her children from that marriage and she created their wives too—yes several instances of insets are present in Hindu Mythology. She rides on Lion which is essentially the ray of the Sun, again reference for overpowering the Sun God from IVC (possibly the Egyptian Ra), and she finishes Ahankar—the bull (you may read evil instead of Ahankar or please read Mahisashura)—a bull was no doubt a very very important offering in early Egyptian civilization—it had to be Sarvagunasampanna in order to be mummified as a symbol of purity. Remember that Agni, Indra, Surya and all other IVC Gods were present by then, during Kushana Period, before Tridev, and were already immortal. Hence Devi is creating her own line of Gods in her own Universe by constantly creating progeny—as mentioned in Puranas, probably with an intent for replacing IVC Gods. There are several instances of Tridev inquiring on their own status to Devi in comparison with IVC gods in Markandya Purana itself. Later, as we find in our contemporary culture, Devi’s own line would overpower IVC Gods in terms of importance. Now you may ask whether IVC Pashupati was Maheswara from Tridev, it may not be, but it may be a link in between these two cultures, namely IVC (Barbarian colony) and Indian Greeco-Roman colony.

In Sanatana (original) idea of Devi—Durga is is at war and is constantly copulating with her husband to create soldiers in order to protect her Universe. Hence there exists no question of any Child Avatar of Devi. This contemporary Kumari Puja is definitely not associated with the original Idea of Devi, even the Nepali Goddess Kumari must be thousands and thousands years younger to Devi. It is wonderful to realize how we have neutralized an “unhitched and out-spanned female power” that is Devi Durga, with attributes of children, motherhood, marriage etc. none of which are any threatening to the Male identity in our society. We feel pretty safe with the the current image of Goddess Durga—an idea of a daughter visiting her parental adobe with her children once a year, who at some point of time managed to kill an Asura! And we never forget to sprinkle some amount of independence upon that character, as a consolation prize, by leaving her husband behind, at her home. After all India is still not Iran, women can drive in this land! In today's construct of Devi here is no question of celebrating killing and war which was the actual embankment of Devi Durga—we have learned to comfortably ignore that! No question of going deeper into the Rituals, even into mantras. In contemporary mass mind there is question of taking bath in the blood of the enemy symbolizing Durga Puja—no question of unharnessed female power!

Instead, we women of 2021 opt for Sringar to celebrate Devi Durga--usually translated as erotic love, romantic love, or as attraction or beauty. Who on earth wears that much jewelries as we do throughout the Pujas in War, while stamping upon bodies in blurred vision under Vikata (gross) sound that is symbolized in fume and drum beats? Who tries to look sexually attractive, either to self or to others, while dipping into the blood of the enemy which is symbolized in Sindurkhela in the final day of judgement when this Warrior Princess Durga finally wins the war? Who? Who actually takes refuge to a child in time of war—as in Kumari Puja? We! We the foolish women who will never learn or wear or create their own identities surpassing some male dominated, culturally sanctioned ways, possibly at best—an employment. What is your job if you are nothing but one ignorant who have failed to carve her identity beyond the post she is posted in, and when you are celebrating your own sex in the most ignominious way possible? In that case, you are nothing beyond the techniques that you have learned for this job, and sex, and possibly motherhood—an advanced Robot would have comfortably replaced you—a good fit for reducing womanhood into your back open tailor-made blouse supporting an attractive woman figure, sometimes with immense attraction of extra flab cleverly put inside the tightest dress possible—half hidden, half revealed—embellished with bedazzling jewelries, throughout the Puja, and pictures of which—as you have effortlessly proven yourself as a bundle of products, are uploaded in social media in the most committed manner! You are either interested to have sex with yourself (Narcissist) or with someone else (Freud would say you have a Wandering womb), go have a room to satisfy your own hysteria, but please do not do it in name of Durgapuja. What you are doing, and what you adhere to in name of Durga Puja, is just the exact antithesis to the idea of Devi Durga.

Yes you, my kind, my sex, have reduced this idea of Devi into a Doll—an object with a subtext for manipulation, yes, through ages, by trying to replace Devi for a self!