DURGA 108 . 11 & 12

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11. OM shUladhAriNyai namaH – shUlAyudha.m dadhAti tasmAt

shUladhAriNI.

 

Salutations to the bearer of trident.

 

When Durga manifests as the communion potency of all the celestials,

each one of them bring fourth a weapon from their own and present it

to her.

 

shUla.n shUlAdviniShkR^iShya dadau tasyai pinAkadhR^ik.h |

The bearer of PinAka bow (Siva) drawing forth a trident from his own

trident presented it to her.

In general all celestial weapons are an indication of the different

potencies of deities. There are different categories of weapons like

sAmAnyAyudhAni, viseshAyudha etc for every deity. pAsha is a

viseshAyudha for varuNa and a sAmAnyAyudha for other deities. But

Durga bears all such weapons. She is the potency behind all

celestial weapons. She is shoDashabhujA with 16 weapons or even

sahasrabhujA with thousands of weapons.

All her weapons are signs to instill fearlessness in the heart of

her devotees.

jvAlAkarAlamatyugramasheShAsurasUdanam.h |

trishUlaM pAtu no bhIterbhadrakAli namo.astu te ||

 

Terrible with flames and fierce, your trident that destroys all the

asuras, guard us from fear. Salutation to you, O Bhadrakali!

 

 

 

12. OM pinAkadhAriNyai namaH – pinAka.m nAma dhanuH dadhati, tasmAt

sA pinAkadhAriNI.

 

Salutations to the bearer of the pinAka bow.

 

pinAka is the name of Parameshvara's bow. (Vishnu's bow is

shAra~nga, Rama's kodaNDa, Arjuna's gANDIva etc..).

 

 

The bow is a fascinating weapon, it symbolically represents the ego

or aha~nkAra faculty. Rudra is the adhishTAna devatA who represents

the cosmic ego, hence is the presiding deity of aha~nkAra. This is

why you see Rudra with a bow and arrow all through the hymns of Sri

Rudram.

 

krittimvasAna Achara pinAkam bibhradAgahi – O KrithivAsa, Come

bearing your Pinaka bow.

 

namaste astvAyudhAyAnAtatAya dhR^ishhNave |

ubhAbhyAmuta te namo bAhubhyAM tava dhanvane ||

 

Salutations to your bow and arrow.

 

Durga is sarvashakti mayI and hence bears pinAka bow as well. She is

the aha~nkAra shakti of rudra devatA.

 

Aravind