SRI DURGAA DVAATRIMSHANNAAMAMAALAA
Jai Shankar.
These are the list of 32 Names of Mother Durgaa signed by Poojya Swami Parijnanashram-III with His blessings. Obviously, HE wanted all of us to chant this Naama-maalaa with devotion. It is likely HE explained these names too, but, we have no record. Hence my humble attempt to give their meanings.
How did this Dvaatrimshat (32) Naamamaalaa come about? Thereby hangs a tale.
The story goes that once all the gods and goddesses,led by Brahmaa, propitiated Mother Durgaa with all the ceremonial courtesies (upachaar) and She was very pleased and said: ” I am touched by your devotion. Please seek whatever you want
and I promise to fulfill all your wishes.”
The gods and goddesses said: “By Your grace, the world is now safe. You have wiped out the scourge of demons like Mahishaasura. The demons had dispossessed us and we have regained our positions. We don’t want anything for ourselves, but, we beseech You, O Mother, to reveal to us an easy remedy for mankind to overcome all sorts of difficulties.”
Mother Durgaa said: “I will give you my 32 Names, easy to chant. This is a sacred lore and a secret too, but, for the welfare of humanity, I am revealing them. These Names will overcome all trials and tribulations. There is no other chant comparable to these names in all the three worlds.”
Thus, we are blessed with this garland (maalaa) of 32 Names, all beginning with Durg.
A reverential study of these Names will be our fitting homage to both Mother Durgaa Parameshwari and our Parama Poojya
Parama Guru.
As always, dear Satish Kulkarni has created a webpage for this series too. Our heartfelt thanks to him.
https://bhanapcorner.online/sdas/
V.RAJAGOPAL BHAT
14-12-2020
ATTACHMENT: Audio of the 32 Names.
32 Names of Durgaa (all beginning with the word Durga), P. P. Swami Parijnanashram
32 Names of Durgaa SRI DURGAA DVAATRIMSHANNAAMAMAALAA
| 1. | दुर्गा | Durgā |
|
| 2. | दुर्गातिशमनी | Durgātirśaminī | |
| 3. | दुर्गापद्धिनिवारिणी | Durgāpadvinivāriṇī | |
| 4. | दुर्गमच्छेदनी | Durgamacchedinī, | |
| 5. | दुर्गसाधिनी | Durgasādhinī | |
| 6. | दुर्गनाशिनी | Durganāśinī | |
| 7. | दुर्गतोद्धारिणी | Durgatoddhāriṇī | |
| 8. | दुर्गनिहन्त्री | Durgenihantrī, | |
| 9. | दुर्गमापहा | Durgamāpahā | |
| 10. | दुर्गमज्ञानदा | Durgamaj�ānadā | |
| 11. | दुर्गदैत्यलोकदवानला | Durgadaityalokadavānalā | |
| 12. | दुर्गमा | Durgamā | |
| 13. | दुर्गमालोका | Durgamālokā | |
| 14. | दुर्गमात्मस्वरूपिणी | Durgamātmasvarūpiṇī | |
| 15. | दुर्गमार्गप्रदा | Durgamārgapradā | |
| 16. | दुर्गमविद्या | Durgamavidyā |
| 17. | दुर्गमाश्रिता | Durgamāśritā | |
| 18. | दुर्गमज्ञानसंस्थाना | Durgamaj�ānasaḿsthānā |
|
| 19. | दुर्गमध्यानभासिनी | Durgamadhyānabhāsinī | |
| 20. | दुर्गमोहा | Durgamohā | |
| 21. | दुर्गमगा | Durgamagā | |
| 22. | दुर्गमार्थस्वरूपिणी | Durgamārthasvarūpiṇī | |
| 23. | दुर्गमासुरसंहन्त्रि | Durgamāsurasanhantrī | |
| 24. | दुर्गमायुधधारिणी | Durgamāyudhadhāriṇī | |
| 25. | दुर्गमांगी | Durgamāńgī | |
| 26. | दुर्गमता | Durgamatā | |
| 27. | दुर्गम्या | Durgamyā | |
| 28. | दुर्गमेश्वरी | Durgameśvarī | |
| 29. | दुर्गभीमा | Durgabhīmā | |
| 30. | दुर्गभामा | Durgabhāmā | |
| 31. | दुर्गभा | Durgabhā |
|
| 32. | दुर्गदारिणी | Durgadāriṇī |
DURGAA DVAATRIMSHAT NAAMAMAALAA (DURGAA DNM)-2
Why 32 Names?
The Gita Press edition of Durgaa Saptashati gives the story I narrated yesterday, but, is silent on the significance of this number. If it was 33, we could have said it corresponds to 33 gods:
12 Aadityaas
11 Rudraas
8 Vasus
2 Ashwani Kumaars
The Numerologists call 32 as an Angel Number and have a lot of good things to say
about it.
दुर्गा दुर्गार्तिशमनि दुर्गापद् विनिवारिणी।
दुर्गमच्छेदिनी दुर्गसाधिनी दुर्गनाशिनी।।
1) दुर्गा DURGAA
Vide no.20 in Durga ASN, this word has been
explained. I am repeating same herebelow:
She saves us from durgati (sure downfall and ruin).
She can be approached (gantum) and
understood (avagantum) with strenuous effort (dukhena gantum avagantum shakyaa).
Life becomes durgama (difficult) to go through without Her.
We are safe and secure with Her beside us because She affords us the security of a fort (durga).
The popular Devi Aarati says: O Devi, without You, samsaara is too difficult (Durge durghaTa bhaari tuzaviNa samsaari).
2) दुर्गातिशमनी
DURGAA AARTI-SHAMANI
Durga is aartishamanee.
Shamana means to put off, to extinguish as we say agni-shamana. Aarti means distress, helplessness. In the Gita, the Lord speaks of four kinds of devotees. Aarta bhakta is at the bottom of the scale. In Kannada we say: sankaTa bandaaga VenkaTaramaNa(ಸಂಕಟ
ಬಂದಾಗ ವೆಂಕಟರಮಣ)(We turn to Tirupati VenkaTaramaNa when a calamity befalls us).
Durgaa puts off(shamani) the flame of distress that is scorching the devotee.
We can also construe Durgaa as an adjective of aarti. Then it means unbearable, immense
suffering.Durgaa has several meanings.
3.दुर्गापद्धिनिवारिणी DURGAA AAPAD VINIVAARINEE
Durgaa wards off (vinivaarayati) crisis and
calamity (aapad) of Her devotees.
Here again, as in the above case, we can construe Durgaa as an adjective of aapad.
4.दुर्गमच्छेदनी
DURGAMA CHEDINEE
Vide no.20 in Durga ASN, this word has been
explained. I am repeating same herebelow:
She saves us from durgati (sure downfall and ruin).
She can be approached (gantum) and
understood (avagantum) with strenuous effort (dukhena gantum avagantum shakyaa).
Life becomes durgama (difficult) to go through without Her.
We are safe and secure with Her beside us because She affords us the security of a fort (durga).
The popular Devi Aarati says: O Devi, without You, samsaara is too difficult (Durge durghaTa bhaari tuzaviNa samsaari).
5.दुर्गसाधिनी
DURGA SAADHINEE
Nothing is impossible for Her. With Her grace we, too,can accomplish (saadhinee) tasks that are difficult (durga).
6.दुर्गनाशिनी
DURGA NAASHINEE
Durgaa clears (‘destroys’, naashinee) all obstacles (durga).
The meanings in this series are often repetitive. There will be slight change in the texture of the name only. Readers may kindly bear this in mind as they go forward in this series.
7) दुर्गतोद्धारिणी DurgatoddhaariNee
Durgaa lifts up (uddhaara) those who are in
crisis and calamity (durgata).
8) दुर्गनिहन्त्री Durganihantree
Durgaa puts an end to (“kills” nihantree) all
crises (durga).
9) दुर्गमापहा Durgamaapahaa
Durgaa wards off(apahaa) all critical situations that tend to make our journey of life impassable(durgama).
10) दुर्गमापहा
Durgama-jnaana-daa
Durgaa gives (daa) us that Knowledge (jnaanam) which is very difficult to attain (dukkhena avaaptum shakyam).
The reference is to Brahmavidyaa. Devi, as we have seen in earlier series, is Brahmavidyaa-swaroopiNee. In the Gitaa, the
Lord says (10-32) that of all streams of learning, He is Adhyaatma Vidyaa (Knowledge of the Self). This Vidyaa is difficult to master (durgama), but, one can acquire it if Devi graciously blesses the devotee.
11)दुर्गदैत्यलोकदवानला
Durga-daityaloka-davaanalaa
Durgaa is like the wild forest conflagration
(davaanalaa) that consumes the hordes of
demons (daityaloka).
12) दुर्गमा
Durgama
To go to Her – to realise Her – is not easy
(dukkhena gantum avagantum shakyaa yaa saa). Unwavering devotion is necessary..
13) दुर्गमालोका
Durgamaalokaa
Aaloka means sight, vision. It is not easy
(durgama) to be blessed with Her vision(aaloka).
14) दुर्गमात्मस्वरूपिणी
DurgamaatmasvaroopiNee
She is the Self (aatma svaroopiNee) in all.
Due to the veil of Maayaa and the resultant ignorance, Self-realisation becomes difficult (durgama).
Aatman is durgama, not easy to realise. In Gita, Shri KrishNa says “Someone looks at Aatman with wonder (aascharya), someone
speaks about Aatman with wonder and someone listens about Him with wonder and, even after listening, none knows Him.”(2-29).
15) दुर्गमार्गप्रदा
Durga-maarga-pradaa
Devi is the giver(pradaa) of the difficult (durga) path (maarga).
Self -realisation, as stated in no.14 above, is difficult. The KaTha Upanishad compares it
to a razor’s edge(kshurasya dhaaraa nishitaa
duratyayaa). But, if Devi showers Her grace, the path becomes easy to tread upon.
Yama tells Nachiketa: “the wise say that the path to Him is difficult”(durgam pathah tat kavayo vadanti”(1-3-14). Mark the word ‘durga’ employed by Yama.
16) दुर्गमार्गप्रदा
Durgama Vidyaa
Devi Durgaa represents the difficult(durgama) Adhyaatma Vidyaa.
How difficult is this Adhyaatma Vidyaa?
Yama tells Nachiketa in KaThopanishad:
“Of that Self, which is not available for the mere hearing to many, and which many do not understand even upon hearing, the expounder is wonderful(aascharyo vaktaa),
the receiver is wonderful, wonderful, indeed, is he who knows, under the instruction of an adept”(2-2-7)(Trs by Swami Gambhiranandaji
of R.K.Mission).
But, if Devi Durgaa showers Her grace, durgama will become sugama. A story tells how a simple rural lad bloomed into a Kaalidaasa with Her grace. She inscribed on his tongue “asti kaschd vaagarthah”(he has some literary merit) and Kaalidaasa later composed three epics – Kumaara Sambhava,
Meghadoota and Raghuvamsha – the starting verse in each began with the above three words respectively.
17) दुर्गमाश्रिता Durgamaashritaa
Devi is the shelter (aashritaa) for those who are trapped in a difficult, critical situation
(durgama).
Our beloved Parama Guru, in His letter dated
16-2-1991, copied to you all by me on 13th Dec 2020, prays to Mother Durgaa to solve ‘jaagatika samasyaa’ ( जागतिक समस्या). How relevant is this prayer today! Covid pandemic is our current jaagatik samasyaa. We are in a durgama situation and our sole aashraya is Devi Durgaa indeed.
18) दुर्गमज्ञानसंस्थाना Durgama jnaanasamsthaanaa
Durgaa is the abode (samsthaana) of the
difficult (durgama) knowledge (jnaana).
In the earlier names we have already seen that Devi represents Brahma Vidyaa. Brahma Vidyaa is durgama because it calls for certain eligibility, (adhikaara) on the part of
the seeker of knowledge (jijnaasu). The first Sootra in Brahma Sootra – athaato brahma
jijnaasaa – deals with this topic.
19) दुर्गमध्यानभासिनी Durgama dhyaana bhaasinee
Devi will appear (bhaasinee) and give vision to a devotee who has gone through the drill of systematic meditation (dhyaana) which is far from easy (durgama).
20) दुर्गमोहा Durga mohaa
As stated at length in Durgaa Saptashati, Devi is Mahaa-maayaa and mahaa-mohaa.
All the ignorant as well as the learned, are reeling under Her moha (delusion).
As Aparaajitaa Stotra says: “yaa devi sarvabhooteshu BHRAANTI roopeNa samsthitaa….”.
21. दुर्गमगा
Durgama-gaa
Devi loves challenges. She is not daunted by
dangerous situations. In fact, She tackles
them playfully. Where other gods fear to tread, Devi will venture to go(gaa). No path is impassable(durgama) to Her. No problem is insoluble to Her.
22) दुर्गमार्थस्वरूपिणी Durgamaartha svaroopiNee
Durgaa personifies (svaroopiNee) the difficult (durgama) goal (artha) of life.
Of the four objectives of human existence- dharma, artha, kaama and moksha, collectively called Purushaarthaas -. the last one (charama) is most difficult (durgama).
As the Lord says ruefully in Gita, “hardly someone realises Me truly as I am “. (kascht maam vetti tatvataha). “Many are called, but few are chosen” goes the saying. Devi personifies Liberation.
23) दुर्गमासुरसंहन्त्रि Durgamaasura samhantree
The slayer (samhantree) of the demon (asura) called Durgama.
In the 11th chapter of Durgaa Saptashati we
learn that Devi assumed the name and form of Shakambhari. She brought about rainfall on the earth plagued by severe drought and made the earth flush with all kinds of vegetables (shaaka). In that incarnation, She also killed the deadly demon Durgama.
Consequently Her name as Durgaa, says DS
(XI-48, 49, 50).
शाकम्भरीति विख्यातिं तदा यास्याम्यहं भुवि।
तत्रैव च वधिष्यामि दुर्गमाख्यं महासुरम्।।
दुर्गा देवीति विख्यातं तन्मे नाम भविष्यति।
24) दुर्गमायुधधारिणी Durgamaayudha dhaariNee
Devi is the wielder (dhaariNee) of very powerful and deadly (durgama) weapons (aayudha).
All the gods had given to Devi their weapons to make Her invincible, says DS. She had Her own weapons too, but the gods also
contributed their mite to strengthen Her hands. “Unity is strength” holds good in the
celestial world too.
25) दुर्गमांगी Durgamaangee
Devi’s swaroopa (angee) is difficult (durgama)
to know.
We use words like komalaangee (delicate build), krishaangee (slender build), lataangee
(slender like a creeper). So, angee refers to Her swaroopa which is beyond the reach of senses and the mind (yato vaacho nivartante apraapya manasaa saha – Taittiriya Upanishad 2-4). Hence Her inscrutable (durgama) nature.
26) दुर्गमता Durgamataa
Unknowability, inscrutability, being out of reach of our pitifully inadequate senses and mind – durgamataa – is Her hallmark.
27) दुर्गम्या
Durgamyaa
This is a repetition. She is difficult to go to
(dukkhena gantum avagantum cha shakyaa).
She is inaccessible to us if we venture to
fathom Her nature with the help of tools – senses, mind, intellect – which She only has
given us. She is surely accessible to us through love and devotion. Heart, not mere head, is the doorway to Her presence.
28) दुर्गमेश्वरी Durgameshvari
She is the Ruler(eeshvaree) of all that is difficult (durgama). We hail Ganesha as Vighneshvara, Ruler of Impediments (vighna). Likewise, Durgaa is Ruler of all sorts of
impediments, crises and calamities. They don’t rule Her, She rules over them. They are under Her sway and not the other way around.
29) दुर्गभीमा
Durga Bheemaa
In chapter 11 of DS, Devi says that after slaying the demon Durgama, She will proceed to Himaalayaa and slay many demons who are tormenting the ascetics there. She assumes a formidable (bheema) form and wipes out the scourge of demons harassing the sages.
They gratefully extol Her in utter humility
(aanamra moortayah) and hail Her as Bheemaa Devi(XI-50, 51,52).
30) दुर्गभामा
Durga bhaamaa
Her splendour (bhaama) is dazzling and difficult (durg) to gaze upon. We can gaze at the moon as long as we wish. It is a pleasant experience, but, we can’t gaze at the sun. He
is durga-bhaama. When Devi is Shaantaa-durgaa, She is not Durg-bhaamaa.
This epithet applies to Her when She looks formidable and ferocious.
31) दुर्गभा
Durgabhaa
This has same meaning as no.30. Bhaa and
bhaama have same meaning: lustre, brightness, splendour.
32) दुर्गदारिणी
Durga-daariNee
Durgaa tears asunder (daariNee) all obstacles (durga) and makes our journey of life smooth-going.
PHALASHRUTI
Devi Durgaa says:
Whosoever recites this string of my (Durgaa’s) Names, will be free from all sorts of fears. There is no doubt about it at all.
AUM HREEM DUM DURGAAYAI NAMAHA
An audio of a Bhajan of Devi Kaali-maa by Vidushi VeeNaa Sahasrabuddhe.
काली कपालीनी माता भवानी|
संगीत: अभिनव कुमार उपाध्याय
स्वर: वीणा सहस्त्रबुध्दे
|| श्री दुर्गा द्वात्रिंशन्नाममाला ||
In the heart of the cosmos resides Goddess Durga, the eternal Mother of the Universe. She is the primordial Shakti, the divine power that orchestrates the cosmic dance of creation, preservation, and dissolution.
Since time immemorial, sages and seekers have revered Her as the supreme force of the Absolute Being.
With infinite compassion, the Divine Mother casts Her protective gaze upon Her devotees, shielding them from the evils of the world and lovingly dissolving their deepest miseries.
From this boundless grace emerged a sacred treasure: “Shree Durga Dwaatrinsha Naamamala” – the 32 supremely pious and powerful names of the Goddess.
This is no ordinary mantra, but a profound secret revealed by Goddess Durga Herself to the celestial Gods and Demi-gods. She bestowed upon them this celestial shield for times of peril, assuring them that in any moment of fear, distress, or conflict, the simple and heartfelt recitation of these divine names would invoke Her immediate presence. Through this sacred chant, fear would be vanquished, and Her divine help would be assured.
This powerful stotra, a beacon of hope and courage, is beautifully inscribed within the holy verses of the Durga Saptashati, as chronicled by the great sage, Rishi Markandeya. To chant these 32 names is to call upon the Mother of all, to find refuge in Her invincible might, and to walk fearlessly under Her eternal protection.
Sung by : Aparna Nagarkatti Ullal
Sound Designing, Mixing and Mastering, Video Editing : Yatin Ullal