The Material Motives for Worshiping Durgā
Śrīla Prabhupāda thoroughly analyzes the practice of worshiping Goddess Durgā, revealing that it is predominantly driven by material desires and philosophical misconceptions. By studying his instructions, we can distinguish between the ignorant approach of materialistic worshipers, the speculative theories of the impersonalists, and the respectful, transcendental understanding maintained by the pure Vaiṣṇavas.
The Illusion of Material Boons
The material energy bewilders the conditioned soul into seeking temporary happiness within this world. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that foolish people, driven by deep-rooted material lust, approach Goddess Durgā with the sole intention of extracting mundane benefits such as riches, fame, and a beautiful spouse.
- If one wants a beautiful wife, he is advised to worship Uma, or goddess Durga. If one wants to be cured of a disease, he is advised to worship the sun-god. All requests for benedictions from the demigods, however, are due to material lust.
- People do not know what they are doing when they worship the material energy in the form of goddess Kali or Durga for material boons. They ask, "Mother, give me great riches, give me a good wife, give me fame, give me victory.
- One can discover how a person worshiping the goddess Durga begs her for different varieties of material profit. Such activities are very popular among people in general, but they are the attempts of foolish, blind people.
The Demoniac and Ignorant Worshipers
When the mode of passion is heavily mixed with ignorance, religious practices become degraded. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that asuras, meat-eaters, and tantric followers often worship Goddess Durgā or Bhavānī through abominable rituals in pursuit of dark, materialistic power.
- Asuras try to pacify the goddess Kali, or Durga, by worshiping her in material opulence, but when the asuras become too intolerable, goddess Kali does not discriminate in killing them wholesale.
- Generally Bengalis, especially those who are meat-eaters and drunkards, are very much attached to worshiping the goddesses Durga, Kali, Sitala and Candi.
- There are many tantric followers who, wishing to eat meat and drink wine, practice the black art of worshiping the goddess Bhavani in a crematorium. Such fools also consider this bhavani-puja to be as good as worship of Lord Krsna in devotional service.
The Impersonalist Misconception
Impersonalist philosophy dangerously equalizes all forms of worship. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Māyāvādīs falsely conclude that worshiping Goddess Durgā is the same as worshiping Lord Viṣṇu. They engage in pañcopāsanā (worship of five deities) with the ultimate, mistaken goal of merging into a formless void.
- Mayavadi sannyasis do not worship the Deity, or if they do so they generally worship the deity of Lord Siva or the pancopasana - Lord Visnu, Lord Siva, Durga-devi, Ganesa and Surya.
- Love for Krsna cannot be compared to material love for different demigods. Because Mayavadis are on the material platform, they recommend the worship of Siva or Durga and say that worship of Kali and Krsna are the same.
- Only those whose knowledge has been bewildered suggest that one may worship either Lord Visnu, the goddess Kali (Durga) or whomever one likes and achieve the same result.
The Transcendental Worship by the Gopīs
There is one unique, completely pure instance of worshiping Goddess Durgā found in the scriptures. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that the young gopīs of Vṛndāvana worshiped Goddess Kātyāyanī (Durgā) not for material wealth or sense gratification, but exclusively to attain Lord Kṛṣṇa as their husband.
- The unmarried girls of Vrndavana were already attracted by the beauty of Krsna. They were, however, engaged in the worship of goddess Durga in the beginning of the Hemanta season (just prior to the winter season).
- The gopis worshiped goddess Durga, or Katyayani, but their inner desire was to get Lord Krsna as their husband. Krsna, as Paramatma, could realize the ardent desire of the gopis, and therefore He enjoyed the pastime of vastra-harana.
- The unmarried gopis used to prepare the deity of goddess Durga and worship it with candana pulp, garlands, incense, lamps and all kinds of presentations - fruits, grain and twigs of plants.
The Proper Vaiṣṇava Perspective
A genuine devotee is never disrespectful to the demigods, nor are they bewildered by their power. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that under the guidance of a bona fide guru, a Vaiṣṇava honors Goddess Durgā strictly according to the Brahma-saṁhitā—recognizing her as the powerful shadow energy (māyā-śakti) who faithfully executes the supreme will of Lord Govinda.
- A devotee also respects the demigods because he knows their position in relation to Krsna. In Brahma-samhita (5.44), the Goddess Durga is worshiped as the external energy, or potency, of Krsna.
- We do not say that we do not believe in the demigods. No, we believe in. But they are servants. We cannot make the servant & master on the equal footing. We worship Durga. Now, what is the function? She is acting by the desire of the Supreme Lord, Govinda.
- Vaisnavas can also worship all these demigods (Lord Siva, the sun-god, goddess Durga and Lord Brahma), but only on the principles of the Brahma-samhita, which is recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously deconstructs the various motivations behind the worship of Goddess Durgā. The vast majority of her worshipers approach her blindly, driven by intense material lust for wealth and fame, or they engage in dark, ignorant practices for mundane power. Furthermore, impersonalists foolishly equalize her with the Supreme Lord to support their monistic philosophies. However, the true Vaiṣṇava understands the absolute hierarchy of the universe. Properly guided, devotees offer profound respect to Goddess Durgā as the powerful superintendent of the material world and a pure, faithful servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa. By directing all ultimate devotion to Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one automatically satisfies Goddess Durgā and safely transcends the bewildering influence of her material energy.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Worshiping Durga. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.