Origins of Durga Chalisa
Yes, you read the title correct. Durga Chalisa is a powerful prayer dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Durga Devi.
The Durga Chalisa is a relatively unknown prayer while the Hanuman Chalisa is famous in every Indian household.
The origin of this powerful 40 verses is still unknown; however, some devotees claim that either Sage Markandeya or Sage Devidasa wrote this.
Sage Markandeya is revered for the Powerful Devi Mahatmyam also famously known as the Durga Saptashati.
Sage Devidasa has written quite a few sanskrit poems on Shiva and Shakti.
Who is Maa Durga?
Durga Devi was created from the combined powers of Bhramha, Vishnu and Mahesh; The Holy Trinity of Hinduism. Imagine the power she holds. Devotees of Durga are very special such that they receive combined blessing of all the 3 Gods.
Design of Durga Chalisa
The design of this beautiful prayer is similar to the Hanuman Chalisa. The term ‘Chalisa’ translates to 40 verses. Hence, both the Durga Chalisa and the Hanuman Chalisa have 40 verses in them which glorify the respective deities and their qualities.
Durga Chalisa on Durga Puja
Durga Puja or the Navaratri is a Hindu festival where goddess Durga is worshipped for 9 days in her 9 forms known as the NavaDurga. During these 9 days, devotes perform a lot of prayers, rituals in devotion to Maa Durga. Reading the Durga Chalisa during these 9 days are considered to be auspicious. If you are a devotee of Maa Durga, then the upcoming Durga Puja is the right time to start reading the Durga Chalisa.
What will I get if I chant Durga Chalisa?
The internet will provide you with thousands of articles mentioning all the benefits that a devotee gets after reading the Durga Chalisa. Benefits are guaranteed. I would like to ask such people a different question.
Would you read the Durga Chalisa regardless of the benefits?
I lose a lot of people here. It seems like unless and until people get any sort of benefit, they won’t read or worship their favourite deity. Unfortunately, a lot of people have reduced a prayer to a mere transaction. A transaction happens when you give something in return of something. But that’s called a business. A business cannot be considered as a prayer. Businesses measure loss and gain. So instead of asking what are the benefits, I would request you to start reading this beautiful prayer out of pure love and devotion for Devi Maa.
The Secret to Courageousness.
Tough times make us lose faith in Gods easily. Undesirable situations in our lives make us question everything. We all have faced situations in our life where fear, sadness, apathy hijacked our minds and stopped us from taking action.
Let’s take an example where a goon in your neighborhood is threatening you. Out of fear for your life, you stop getting out of your house. How long can you continue doing so?
The right thing to do would be to go a police station and give a petition i.e request the police for assistance. The efforts have to be taken from your side. Then and only then will the police be able to protect you from anti-social elements.
Similarly, imagine that a fierce power comes for your help during such times. How would you feel? Maa Durga is depicted riding a lion. If you visualise this, you will realise that she is the epitome of courage. How would you feel if Maa Durga acts as your protector? Would you still feel scared? Would you be able to walk confidently in the world?
If you read the stories about Durga, you will discover that she literally fights and kills demons. The 3 Gods requested Maa Durga to fight the demon Mahishasura. The secret is in the word ‘requested’. So, if you want protection from tough times and evil powers, you will have to request Maa Durga to protect you. The efforts have to be taken from your side. This can be done by reciting various hymns dedicated to Maa Durga. The Durga Chalisa is one such powerful prayer that will give you instant courage to face your fears. It’s a form of Divine protection one receives from Goddess Durga.
Is Maa Durga approachable?
Devotees of Durga call her ‘Maa’ i.e Mother. Human beings have a unique bond with their mothers. Historically, mothers have maintained the role of the primary caregiver. During the initial stages of a child’s development, I believe that a child gets attached to its mother as a result of the basic caregiving task like breast feeding. This role continues for a long time where a mother takes care of the family’s cooking. The habit of going to our moms looking for comfort reinforces this bond.
Now imagine having a universal mother. The mother of all mothers who can be your nurturer, caretaker and nourisher. Maa Durga is considered as the Divine mother of all the living and non-living beings present in our universe. How can the mother of all mothers be unapproachable? For you to approach Maa Durga, you will have to start looking at her as ‘Your mother’. The Durga Chalisa helps you develop those feelings. Reciting the Chalisa strengthens your bond with Maa Durga that can be likened to the bond shared between your biological mother and you.
Is Durga Chalisa the only prayer or are there many prayers for Maa Durga?
Every deity in Hinduism has thousands of mantras, hymns, prayers dedicated to them. A devotee will never be bored and will always have something new to learn from the large collection of prayers created for their favourite deity. Likewise, Maa Durga also has multiple prayers, mantras and hymns dedicated to her worship which devotees have been using for their spiritual growth. If you are curious to learn about various hymns for Maa Durga, click here.
The Power of sticking to One
Some people get into the habit of doing spiritual shopping. Out of the fear of missing out, they learn all the mantras, bhajans, prayers, practice different techniques, asanas, go to every guru and follow everyone’s advise which at times are conflicting in nature. This results in absolute confusion in a devotee’s mind. There is no spiritual growth in this approach.
The right approach would be to focus on one mantra, bhajans of one deity, one prayer, one breathing technique, one meditation technique , one system of yogasanas that when practiced consistently over a long period of time will improve your chances of enlightenment in this lifetime. For eg: It’s better to read the Bhagavad Gita a thousand times than reading 1000 mediocre books.
Make a habit of reading the Durga Chalisa (or any hymn of your choice) every day. With time, this will set you up for spiritual success.
Conclusion
If the above article has spiked your interest in knowing more about the Durga Chalisa, click here.
Jay Maa Durga
Regards
Nived
