The
Goddess Durga is one of the most magnificient of all personifications of Cosmic
Energy. She represents the power of the Supreme Being that preserves moral order
and truth in the universe. The name Durga literally means "The Unfathomable".
She is also known by many other names such as Parvati, Ambika, and Kali; in the
form of Parvati, she is the spouse of Lord Shiva, and is the mother of Ganesha
and Karttikeya, and daughters Saraswati and Lakshmi. The Devi Goddess is venerated
as our Divine Mother who protects mankind from evil and misery by destroying evil
forces.
As
depicted here in one of the most invoked forms of the Great Goddess, this antique
South Indian bronze portrays Durga in her manifestation as the youthful, multi-armed
deity in a compassionate countenance. The omnipotence three-eyed Goddess was adorned
with eight arms, each held an auspicious emblems or weapons, she wore garlands
and rosaries of beads, jewels and ornaments offered by the gods. With the radian
sun as her halo, her body blazing with the splendor of gold, seated on her tiger
vehicle, in her main her right hand the goddess exhibits a protective mudra abhayaprada,
and in left she holds a conch that signifies the ultimate victory of virtue over
evil.
