These are the stories from millennia ago, when the humans had first settled in the land of the Seven Rivers, when the strife between the Devas and Asuras built up and gods and goddesses descended to the earth in various forms to restore harmony.
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Mahisha, in the form of a huge tiger had cornered Durga, his enormous fangs exposed and ready to rip her throat off.
Durga hadn't expected his move. She threw herself out of his path right before he struck at her. Though he couldn't strike his aim, he managed to bite her arm.
A burning pain seared through Durga's entire arm as she dropped her spear. As Mahisha steadied himself, she snatched the heavy golden crown from her head and with all her might, threw it at Mahisha's face. The sharp tip of the crown pierced the sensitive skin near his right eye and he roared in pain.
Suddenly his features shifted again and in a moment, he turned into a giant bird. As he did, she noticed that the wound near his eye healed with his other wounds as he became whole again. Durga was outraged. It wasn't fair. But she knew better than to say it out loud. Mahisha flew in the air, flapping his giant wings which blocked the morning sun. With his long and sharp beak, he attacked Durga from the sky while she stood her ground and deflected his attack with her shield. But before she knew it, Mahisha grabbed Durga's hair with his claws and lifted her off her feet.
As Durga screamed with pain, the Devas panicked. Indra gathered up the rest of his soldiers and ordered them to stand in formation to attack the Asura army to rescue Durga. "No, Indra!" Shiva called, still not looking away from the duel, "I forbid you to go there and lose even more soldiers!" His eyes were filled with an icy rage, as brutally cold and unforgiving as the mountain he lived in. His whole body itched to go there by himself and tear Mahisha apart with his bare hands. If something happened to my Parvati...
Before he could finish his thought, felt someone placed a reassuring but cautious hand on his shoulder. "Control yourself, Lord of Kailash," Vishnu said, choosing his words carefully, "This isn't going to be like the last time." Shiva snapped his eyes towards Vishnu's. "Of course, not," he said, seeing Durga struggle against Mahisha, "I know she will defeat him." "But you still look like you want to go there and impale him with your trident." Vishnu said, with the tiniest hint of a smirk on his face. "After Durga is done with him, I might just do that," Shiva replied wryly.
Mahisha knew he had the upper hand now. As he planned to go higher and fling the goddess to the ground, a mighty roar shattered his thoughts, a searing pain racking his body. Durga's lion had pounced upon his body and as an attempt to save his mistress, dug his claws in Mahisha's neck and chewed at his wings.
The attempt worked. Mahisha fell to the ground along with Durga and her lion. Her arm bloody, hair dishevelled and sari torn, Durga still rose and stood tall with pride. Heat and energy emanated from her as three more arms materialized from either sides of her shoulders, fully armed with the weapons of different gods. She sat on her lion, like it was a golden throne.
"You have displayed your powers, Asura. Now, it is time to show you mine."
Saying this, Durga gave a battle cry and with a sword and Vishnu's serrated discus, cut both Mahisha's wings off. He screamed in agony and shifted into an untamed horse. Durga used her mace to tackle the beast's jaw while simultaneously piercing its belly with the powerful Vajra. Electricity coursed through Mahisha's body as he whined in pain and shifted again, this time, into a wild buffalo.
Why doesn't he die? Definitely, he should have been dead with all my attacks by now, Durga thought as Mahisha aimed his enormous horns at her and broke into a run. Whenever he transforms, he becomes whole again. She caught hold of the buffalo's horns and wrestled him. Who was the true Mahisha then? She sent a prayer to Saraswati, the goddess of intellect, to guide her and for just a moment, glanced at her husband, Shiva's ruggedly handsome face, at the hope in his eyes.
The answer struck her.
With a swift and mighty stroke, she sliced off both of his horns with her sword. Dealing a death blow with her mace, she sent an arrow straight to his neck. And when Mahisha tried to transform again, she was ready.
Durga saw everything in a slow motion. Mahisha's features started turning humanoid again. His front legs had turned into hands but his hind legs and half of his torso remained a buffalo's. He twisted to look at her, a sneer forming in his hideous face.
As quick as a flash of lightning, Durga drove the trident, her consort's weapon, right into his heart.
Blood splattered over her. Mahisha stopped transforming halfway as he let out a scream so loud, it drowned the gasps of the hordes of both Devas and Asuras.
Durga looked at the dying Mahisha, still struggling uselessly with the trident.
"I am a woman, Mahisha," she said, "And I fight like one."
With a jerk, she removed the trident from his bloodied chest. Mahisha gave one last moan of pain before breathing his last.
For a moment, silence filled the air. Then the Devas started cheering and yelling in delight, chasing the Asuras who disappeared with swirls of dust back to their underground kingdom. Without a powerful leader to lead them, they were too scared to face the wrath of the Devas.
Women garlanded Durga with flowers and sang songs praising her. The lesser gods fell on her feet, proclaiming her to be their saviour. Brahma and Vishnu smiled as Indra expressed his gratefulness and delight by showering more flowers on her. The Ashwini twins, the healer gods, fussed over her many wounds. "But let her turn back into Parvati first," Indra said.
Durga was exhausted. Her body ached and the wounds were throbbing dully.But the pain disappeared as she saw Shiva. He had tears in his eyes and a small smile in his face. Pride, concern and profound love mingled in his expression.
And amidst the utter chaos, Durga only heard the silence of love as she blew the conch, signalling the end of the duel and her mission, gazing at the eyes of her soulmate who had believed in her from the very beginning.
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This is the story of Durga. The nine nights she fought against Mahisha is celebrated as the 'Navratri' festival in India. The tenth and final day, in which she destroyed him is called 'Dusshera' which is the most important day of the festival. The festival celebrates a woman's power and the triumph of good over evil.
