Do we see Maa Durga In the 21st century?

NewsBharati    20-Oct-2020
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 - Shivani Shinde
 
या देवी सर्वभुतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु बुद्धिरुपेण संस्थिता।
या देवी सर्वभुतेषु क्षान्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ।
 
Maa Durga is often described in these shlokas as the influential diety, who won her fight of good over evil, and ensured that the spirit of ‘righteousness’ prevails. She is the ultimate iconic form, present in every expression, movement, mood, natural and supernatural. She is the embodiment of purity, knowledge, truth, and self-realization. She doesn’t even take the help of males in vanquishing the demon; she creates her female supporters to aid her in the battle. 

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Durga’s fierceness, however, is different from that of Kaali! While Kaali is Shakti in Her raw and purely destructive form of Durga while on the other hand, Durga is an invincible, unassailable Shakti that enables Shiva to manifest himself. In this sense, she is on par with Shiva.
 
Just like Durga Maa, women from all over the world and especially in India are powerful, courageous, and incredible. Every woman is Shakti (energy), Bhakti (devotion), and Mukti (Liberation), and should be treated as such. As the Goddess Durga transformed herself into many different avatars depending on the necessity and situation, today's women feature this in everyday life, smoothly transitioning from wife to mother to employee to sister to a friend and many more rolls.
 

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In one newspaper advertisement, they portrayed ordinary women with ten hands similar to Maa Durga. However, instead of weapons, these hands not only hold kitchen utensils but also technological gadgets. The modern woman handles her home and her office, both of them so skillfully that she probably does have ten hands to deal with all of it. She not only faces the daily battles but also resolves the most difficult tasks at the office & home. Though she is working in the office to achieve her dream, yet she never forgets to do her regular duties for her family. Even sometimes, she never thinks a bit while sacrificing her dreams when the family is the priority.
 
However, still Why is it that women are still not accepted as equals although so many women are educated and entering the workforce in larger numbers? What are the significant forces that hinder our progress towards gender parity? Why honor and pride of being a woman are challenged each day be it on roads, and at the workplace, or home?
 
In the working place, working women are paid less than working men. The majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women. According to a survey, Women work more than their male colleagues, however, they are Still Paid Less than their male colleagues. Why this gender-bias-ness?
 
Even if she is working as hard as a man of his age and she is earning well, maybe not more, but enough to fulfill her expenses, though women are not supposed to make decisions they only are supposed to follow.
And if she not she soon becomes the victim of domestic violence. Women were victims not only of the everyday forms of violence in the household but they were also denied equal political rights in the public sphere. She is working hard, she is earning, she is not dependent on anyone then why society thinks that she is not capable of taking the decision without men.
 
However, when women tried to include the subaltern in their literature as well as their movements and are continuously making an effort to bring forward the voices that were repressed through centuries, then they are often called her as feminists.
 
It is all because of society's 'stereotypical thinking' towards women! This we have to change. Women are trying hard to par with men in today's world. But we need the same effort from the other gender as well. Gender roles in society are codependent. So without men supporting and practicing absolute equality, the dream we wish to achieve cannot be achieved. Durga was born when all the gods had come together to empower her against evil. After empowering her, she fought her battle valiantly by herself. But why are we lacking behind to strengthen the women around us?
 
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She was always Durga we just need her to treat her equally and also respect her work and give her support which she wants. Just like the god Shiva who gave his wife Parvathih great love and respect. He did not only treat Parvati equally but he also supports her work with the same heart. He not only made her an inseparable part of him but also ensured that she would receive an equal honor, by giving her a place to sit by his side.