“The external potency, māyā, who is of the nature
of the shadow of the cit [spiritual] potency, is
Durga-puja
2017 Sep 26th
NILA-MADHAVA DHAMA
Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace Srila A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
\ Durgā, the sun-god and Gaṇeśa, as described in
The child, Yoga-māyā-devī, the younger sister of
Lord Viṣṇu, slipped upward from Kaṁsa’s hands
and appeared in the sky as Devī, the goddess Durgā,
with eight arms, completely equipped with
weapons. (SB 10.4.9)
kātyāyani mahā-māye
 mahā-yoginy adhīśvari
nanda-gopa-sutaṁ devi
 patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ
iti mantraṁ japantyas tāḥ
 pūjāṁ cakruḥ kumārikāḥ
Each of the young unmarried girls performed her
worship while chanting the following mantra. “O
goddess Kātyāyanī, O great potency of the Lord, O
possessor of great mystic power and mighty
controller of all, please make the son of Nanda
Mahārāja my husband. I offer my obeisances unto
you.” (SB 10.22.4)
sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
 chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā
 govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
worshiped by all people as Durgā, the creating,
preserving and destroying agency of this mundane
world. I adore the primeval Lord, Govinda, in
accordance with whose will Durgā conducts
herself.” (Bs. 5.44)
References:
 Krsna, Chapter 2, “Yogamāyā is the principal
potency of the Personality of Godhead…”
 Krsna, Chapter 4, “Kaṁsa was so cruel that he
did not listen to the pitiful prayers of his sister
Devakī.”
 Krsna, Chapter 53, “Rukmiṇī further thought
that demigods such as . . . Durga…”
 Krsna, Chapter 22, “According to Vedic
civilization …. Every day they prayed for
Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, to become
their husband.”
 CC Ādi 7.157, Entire verse and purport, “We
may note in this connection the mantras for
worshiping Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā, goddess
the Brahma-saṁhitā.”
 CC Madhya 9.360, Entire verse and purport,
“Everyone should follow in the footsteps of Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu and visit all temples.”
 SB 4.1.65+,” The sixteenth daughter, whose
name was Satī, was the wife of Lord Śiva. She
could not produce a child, although she always
faithfully engaged in the service of her
husband.”
 SB 5.9.12+ — “At this time, being desirous of
obtaining a son, a leader of dacoits who came
from a śūdra family wanted to worship the
goddess Bhadra Kālī by offering her in sacrifice
a dull man…”
 SB 6.17.4-5+ — One time while King Citraketu
was traveling in outer space … he saw Lord
Śiva. . . embracing Pārvatī on his lap with his
arm. Citraketu laughed loudly and spoke,
within the hearing of Pārvatī.”