Navaratri is not just a festival of devotion but also a reminder of the timeless power of the divine Mother. At the heart of Navaratri is our Durga Matha, whose presence embodies the balance of strength and grace. She is the warrior who rises to protect the world from forces that even the gods could not defeat, yet she is also the compassionate mother who nurtures creation. This duality, fierce yet kind, unyielding yet gentle, makes her a central figure of worship during Navaratri. By turning to Durga Matha, devotees see both the external victory of good over evil and the internal call to awaken courage, discipline, and spiritual clarity within themselves.
Our Guru Maharaj, HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, beautifully sings about Durga Matha in one of his Madhurageethams. Let us now journey together to explore the many layers of meaning embedded in this song on our beloved Durga Matha.
durgA thuNai iruppAL namakku
engum eppozhudum
kaNNanin kaTTaLaiyai shiramERkoNDu
rOhiNi vayiTril balarAmanai sErttha || durgA ||
kaNNanai anusaritthu thAnum anDru
gOkulatthil yashOdai vayiTril avatharittha || durgA ||
kanniyarin pAvai nOnbai ETru
akkaNamE adan palanai nalgiya || durgA ||
vazhipaTTa rukmiNikku shishupAlanai viDutthu
kaNNanai anDru maNam muDittha anda || durgA ||
kaNNanaik kIrtthanam seyyum bhakthargaLukku
gAna sAmartthiyam nalgiDum anda || durgA ||
kaNNanin bhakthargaLukku varum dukkhangaLai
durithatthil dUra kaLaindiDum anda || durgA ||
One of the striking features of our Guru Maharaj’s kirtans and words is that they are always deeply rooted in Srimad Bhagavatam. This kirtan is no exception. It begins with the name “Durga.” In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavan Sri Krishna himself performs an archana to Devi, joyfully invoking her with a list of names (SB 10.2.11-12):
नामधेयानि कुर्वन्ति स्थानानि च नरा भुवि ।
दुर्गेति भद्रकालीति विजया वैष्णवीति च ॥
कुमुदा चण्डिका कृष्णा माधवी कन्यकेति च ।
माया नारायणीशानी शारदेत्यम्बिकेति च ॥
nAmadhEyAni kurvanti sthAnAni cha narA bhuvi |
durgEti bhadrakALIti vijayA vaishNavIti cha ||
kumudA chaNDikA krishNA mAdhavI kanyakEti cha |
mAyA nArAyaNIshAnī shAradEty ambikEti cha ||
Our Guru Maharaj highlights that Krishna begins with “Durga,” and therefore he too chooses to start his kirtan with this name.
In the Devi Mahatmyam, it is said: “sarva upakAra karaNAya sadA Ardhra chittAya.” Durga Matha’s heart is ever tender and always eager to protect devotees. For this, she wields her bow, arrows, sword, shield, conch, and discus in her seven hands, while her eighth hand is raised in Abhaya Hastham, granting fearlessness and reassurance.
Srimad Bhagavatam also describes how Krishna commanded Durga Matha to take up the sacred task of transferring Balarama from Devaki’s womb to Rohini’s. She fulfilled this with utmost love and reverence, guided and supported by Bhagavan. Just as he was born to Devaki Matha, Krishna commanded that she too should be born to Yashoda. Guru Maharaj uses the word “anusarithu” to capture this act, Durga Matha following Bhagavan, both in word and in deed. The very moment Bhagavan Sri Krishna appeared in Mathura, she too appeared in Gokulam.
Later, the young gopis performed a vratam for thirty days, worshipping Katyayani Devi and praying for Krishna’s presence and service. The instant they turned to her, Durga Matha fulfilled their prayer. Guru Maharaj points out that this immediacy (“akkaNamE”) preserved Krishna’s causeless grace (avyAja krupa). Their wish was granted not as a result of their effort, but as an act of divine compassion.
Even Rukmini Devi turned to Durga Matha before her marriage to Krishna. She offered water, sandal paste, rice, incense, garments, garlands, ornaments, and many other upacharas. She performed a lovely and beautiful Deepotsavam and prayed for a marriage without obstacles. Durga Matha enabled this in both ways – creating obstacles for the connection with Shishupala as well as clearing every obstacle for her union with Sri Krishna.
Durga Devi is not only the fierce Ugra Shakti of Bhagavan but also the gentle nurturer and a repository of fine arts, singing, dancing, and playing divine instruments, all of which elevate the heart toward devotion. As Saint Tyagaraja says, “sangIta jnAnamu bhakti vinA,” musical knowledge blossoms and is fruitful only when rooted in bhakti. Durga Matha grants this inner refinement naturally, without even being asked.
In the opening of this kirtan, Guru Maharaj says Durga Matha protects “bhaktas.” In its closing lines, he defines clearly who these bhaktas are. They are the devotees of Sri Krishna. Whenever danger approaches them, Durga Matha acts instantly, casting those troubles far away.
The essence of this song is that Durga Matha is inseparably bound to Bhagavan, and her very nature is to protect and uplift his devotees. She responds immediately to the call of her bhaktas, not because of their effort, but out of her own compassion and eagerness to serve. Through this kirtan, Guru Maharaj reveals that Durga Matha is not only the fierce destroyer of obstacles but also the gentle nurturer who guides us toward bhakti, even blessing us with growing intellect in music and the arts as they help us on our journey of devotion. For us, the lesson is clear: when we surrender to Sri Krishna, we are never alone. Durga Matha stands with us, ever ready to shield us, guide us, and carry us closer to Him. Her protection is constant, her grace is immediate, and her role in our spiritual journey is indispensable.
Akkshay, Toronto, Canada
Based on Sri Ramanujamji’s explanation of this Madhurageetham in the Madhuram Aho Madhuram series
Illustration: Radharani Narayanan, Atlanta GA
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