DURGA IS WAITING TO HEAR FROM US

She's not amused, and neither should we be

Surajit Das

Years ago I saw an underwater photograph of an iceberg. As many times as we hear the phrase “tip of the iceberg,” nothing prepares you for that visual. What we see above the surface is literally just a tip rising up from the sea, while beneath the waterline lies a mass of ice scores of times bigger than that which lies above.

What we see with our naked eye is only what’s above the surface of things, not only in regards to icebergs but to life itself. What is evidenced by the physical senses is only a tiny portion of a larger reality, a world hidden by the veil of the material world. In order to understand the reality of life we must peer beneath its surface, where huge emotional, psychological and spiritual factors dwarf in significance the realm of the physical senses. For the powers underneath the surface cause what occurs above. We ignore those factors out of ignorance or out of negligence, but we ignore them at our peril. If we only try to change things on the surface then the change will be neither permanent nor stable.

In order to change the world we must peer beneath the surface of life. Only there can things be fundamentally changed.

We can focus on nuclear bombs, AI, biomedical hazards, the clash of civilizations and so forth. But the problems of the world are like a many headed monster, and any time we cut off one head then another will appear. Understanding why this is so is essential to humanity’s ability to get a grip on what’s going on today. In the final analysis, the story of Durga is more powerful than the United Nations.

Durga is an incarnation of the supreme Mother/Protector energy in the Hindu religion. She is the destroyer of all demons such as jealousy, hatred, ego and selfishness. Take a moment to think about nuclear bombs, AI, biomedical hazards, the clash of civilizations and so forth, and you realize such manifestations are but the effects of those underlying demons. Demons are loveless thoughts, and until we evolve as a species beyond them then the many headed manifestations of worldly destruction will never cease to exist.

Human laws, agreements, negotiations and legislation — all are important to guarantee short term survival of the species. But none of them address underlying causes, and until we do then the heads of the many headed monster will only grow larger and more dangerous.

That’s where Durga comes in.

As humanity grew terrified by all the monsters in their midst, people began begging Durga to save them. Durga had no interest in doing so, as the results of offending her had been predictable. Had humanity shown courage and righteousness? Had we protected the weak? Had we lived lives of ultimate truth? Hey, don’t go offending the gods - inviting karmic blowback from the universe - then begging them to protect you from what you yourself have set in motion.

According to Hindu scripture, Durga did finally descend into the regions of the world. Casually strolling down from the clouds, she used her extraordinary power to destroy all evil. Then she ascended back up to the abode of light, a realm untouched by the darkness of the world.

We’re at a point where it would be wise to pray for Durga to return.

This is the thing, whether you’re talking about one God or many gods: They shall not be mocked. What that means is, they are not. The arrogance of the modern mind is the audacious presumption that righteousness does not matter. Compassion does not matter. What we do or think does not matter.

And that’s where we’ve gone wrong.

Morally neutral systems like unfettered capitalism, competitive geo-politics, etc. take no stand for the proactive betterment of the world or protection of the weak. In our spiritual ignorance, we thought that would not matter. We assumed powers that lay above the waterline - from money to business to governments to military - would be capable of handling whatever problems might arise.

What a childish, immature level of spiritual evolution we’ve been stuck at. Now, we will evolve or the monsters will overwhelm us.

“But Marianne,” you ask, ‘Can we invite Durga to come down here now?” Yes we can, but she will not be patronized. She will not be toyed with. She will not be mocked.

When we are ready for the most serious purification of our hearts, individually and collectively, then we will download the powers of Durga. Like all spiritual power, she cannot descend for us unless she descends through us. We must slay the monsters within ourselves. As we face and surrender our own jealousy, selfishness, hatred and ego - all such demonic thoughts - then we will begin to see her appear. She will not come from the top down but from the bottom up, for she appears not through external systems but through higher consciousness. It is our job to change the external systems. Her job is to change our hearts.

Whether we relate to Durga, the Holy Spirit, or the Fairy Godmother, the archetypes are the same. They exist beneath the surface, but our connection or disconnection from them determines what happens in our world. This is an inviolable truth, as there are objective, discernible laws of the internal as well as external world. For every action there is a reaction. For every thought there is the manifestation of form.

Spirit is merciful, but it isn’t kidding either. Humanity has done all this to ourselves. The dangers that beset us now are all dangers of our own making. The demons have emerged from the caverns of our own minds, and it is there that we must slay them.

When we are ready to own this, and to atone for what we have made of the world; when we are willing to evolve beyond competition to collaboration, beyond fear to love, beyond domination to brotherhood, then the world will self-correct. God in whatever guise will make sure of it. Until then, however, we will suffer on the cross of our own making. We did this, and only we can undo it. As it’s written in A Course in Miracles, “Miracles are everyone’s right, but purification is necessary first.”

The choice is ours.