Mother Katyani
The sixth form of mother Durga is known as Katyayani. The legend about her name runs as follows-There was a great sage named Kata. His son was Katya. In his lineage Katyayana became a sage of worldwide repute. He practiced austere penance for several years in order to get the mother goddess propitiated. He cherished a keen desire in his heart to have the goddess in the form of his daughter. The mother was pleased to accede to his request.After sometime when high-handedness of Mahisasura, the demon, crossed every limit, the trinity of Gods-Brahma, Visnu and Siva, got infuriated and they created a goddess by apportioning some part of their splendor, in order to destroy the demon. The sage Katyayana had the first privilege to worship her, so she was called Katyayani.Another story tells that she did take birth as his daughter. She was born on the 14th dark of the month Asvina. Accepted the worship of Katyayana for three days-e.g. on 7th, 8th and 9th of the bright fortnight in the same month and killed the demon on Vijayadasami.
She is ever unfailing in granting the wishes of the devotees. The Braja damsels worshipped this very goddess with a desire to have Sri Krsna as their husband. She is an established presiding deity of Braja area. Her form is extremely divine and radiant. Her complexion is golden bright and radiant. She has to use arms. Her right upper hand is in a pose of allaying all fears and the lower one is in a pose of granting boon. In her left upper hand she holds a sword and a lotus flower adorns her lower left hand. Her vehicle is lion.On sixth day of Navaratra it is her Katyayani form that is worshipped. That day the mind of the striver stays in Ajna Cakra. In the Yogic discipline Ajna Cakra is of greatest importance. His mind staying in Ajna Cakra the striver makes a complete surrender and offers himself to the goddess and then such a devotee very easily gets the direct vision of the mother Katyayani. All the four objects-Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksa are in easy reach of a Sadhaka who worships mother Katyayani with devotion and faith. Even though living on a mundane plane the devotee is equipped with an unearthly splendor and influence. He becomes immune from all diseases, sorrows and fears etc. There is no better and easier way than the worship of mother Katyayani for the destruction of sins accumulated in the previous lives. Her worshipper always remains in close company and becomes fit for the supreme abode.
Eulogy on Katyani
You always destroy the cunning demons, You entice the cunnings (using Maya), and You are indeed the absolver of grief. O the one Who is the abode of the universe and Whose forms are beyond the scope of thoughts! Those who indulge in Your devotion, never face difficulties and hurdles.||2||Having risen from You, Brahma creates the universe, Vishnu maintains it, and Shambhu destroys it (in other words, You create them for various reasons). O Mother! You create, maintain, and destroy them along with Kaal. This is just Your sportive play and You never get destroyed.||3||O the one Who absolves the pain and Who is the best among warriors! Those, by whom You are remembered, never get pervaded by the arrows of enemies. And their arrows, which sink in the limbs of the enemy, suck away the life away from the body, O the destroyer of the king of demons!||4||
O Beautiful Durga! That who chants Your name in the battle is seens as the all-destroying Kaal by his enemies. And indeed You decide that person as the victorious, who is chanting Your Omkar-form name continuously².||5||
O Supreme Goddess! Those who take refuge in you, are not bothered by these fears, either right now or in the future. And there (in the battle) by the fear of those, the cunning are troubled and made to leave away from the war in all the directions.||6||
In the past, during the fight between demons and demi-gods, the leader of demi-gods Indra had requested victory from You; and he killed the armies of demons successfully. Raam too, destroyed the armies of demons after praying You. And here we don’t see our victory without praying You either.||7||
We surrender to You, the One Who gives victory, Who is the only One reverred by the universe (due to polymorphism of a single deity), Who is the refuge or support of the universe, and Whose feet are reverred and serviced by Vishnu and Brahma as well. You bless us with a victory. With Your mercy, we can win the victory after overpowering our enemies.||8||
Notes:
¹ The thirty-three Deva or demi-gods are as follows — Twelve Aditya, Nine Vasu, Eleven Rudra, and Two Ashvini Kumar.
² This stuti or eulogy appears when Pandavas are about to fight a battle in Kurukshetra. Thus, there is a lot of war-like-theme in the stuti.
Poet: Pandava Brothers
Source: Kalyan — Shakti Peeth Issue [Jan 2005]
