Navaratri is a time of celebration, festivity and reverence to Mother Durga, a Hindu goddess who is worshipped joyously in the best parts of India. Navaratri or the Nine Divine Nights of Durga is also known as Durgotsava in some part of India.
Durga Pooja/Navaratri marks the nine days of worshipping and paying homage to nine different forms of Mother Durga with each one teaching different lessons for a better balance in leading a healthy life. Navaratri also incepts the extended festival season and marks the sparkly celebrations in households as well as public gathering. With Durga Pooja in its glorious run, here is a twisty attempt of giving it a whirl to blend this illustrious Indian cultural festival with Japanese anime.
All the nine divine forms of Durga come with a particular set of characteristics that can also be evidently seen in some of the popular anime characters that we have watched and cherished all these years. Some of the similarities are handpicked by us to shape up this exciting article for you.
Shailputri/Parvati - Mokuren of Please Save My Earth
Shailputri is one of the most prominent forms of Mother Durga who is worshipped on the very first day of Navaratri. Going by the names of Sati, Bhavani or Parvati, Shailputri is extensively popular among Hindu devotees for being the absolute form of Mother Nature. Sati can heal any wounds of nature with her divine powers and loves earth as her own child.
Mokuren also carries the powers of healing and aiding the growth for all kind of creatures on earth. Mokukaren also tries everything in her power for having harmony prevail over all worlds wherever she can. Even while dying in the anime she, she requests the surviving characters to do everything to protect the earth and keep its natural treasury unblemished.
Brahmacharini - Sōji Okita of Peacemaker Kurogane
Brahamacharini is the second form of Maa Durga and hence is worshipped of the second day of Navaratri or Navadurga. Brahmmacharini is the tamest form of Mother Durga who is characterized by her fierceness and tendency of the destruction of all evil in the Hindu mythology. Brahmacharini is a woman or a maiden who typically wears white clothes wrapped around like a shawl and lives with her Guru in his hermitage.
Sōji Okita is quintessential for being the animated counterpart for the second incarnation of Durga, Brahmacharini. Soji is delicate looking with nothing on the show which also provides the viewers with a childish picture in their eyes resembling the childishness of a Brahmacharini of her early days. She is also quite often seen cherishing her time with other children and has a piglet as her pet, characterizing her traits with that of a Brahmacharini who follows celibacy and lives with her Guru in his/her ashrama.
Chandraghanta - Mikasa Ackerman of Attack On Titan
The third incarnation of Mother Durga, Chandraghanta holds a bell-shaped like a half-moon. Thus, giving the literal meaning to her name. Chndraghanta is known for her prompt sense of fighting against all evil and those who practice atrocities on land, sky or netherworld. She always has her third eye on her forehead opened for wedging destructions on all such monsters.
Mikasa is a serious badass of the anime Attack On Titan, who initially never watched to fight and had wished for a peaceful life. However, as time progressed, she joined in the military and went on to become the best soldier with the most efficient combat skills set among all the soldiers in the country. On the similar not as Chandraghanta, Mikasa is always in the fasten belts for fighting against the ill-doers and serving for the greater good. Mikasa also holds the appearance resembling to that of the third divine form of Maa Durga; tall, erect, toned and fit physique for fighting against all types of enemies.
Kushmmanda - Shinobu Kocho of Demon Slayer
Kushmanda is described as the ultimate personification of love, warmth and smile in the world that she bestows upon all her devotees and worshippers. Legend has it that this Hindu goddess created this whole world just by her divine smile. In the original Sanskrit language, the pieces of her name suggest the words, ‘Little’, ‘Energy’ and ‘Care/Love’.
Shinobu Kocho is a character that goes by the typical image of a woman who is caring, loving and benevolent; who thrives only to diffuse happiness and joy all around her with as many people as she can set her eyes on. Large purple eyeballs and an infectious smile with butterflies circumambulating around her all day long directly draws her character closer to that of Kushmanda.
Skandamata - Trisha Elric of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Skandamata is the fifth form of Hindu Goddess Durga who is correspondingly worshipped on the fifth day of Navadurga. The name Skandamata is given to her as it is the accord of two words – Skanda (Son Of War) and Mata (Mother), meaning she is the mother of an ultimate warlord.
Trisha Elric shares the sentiments of being a mother to strong, ferocious and brawling children with the fifth goddess form of Mother Durga. Just as Skandamata, Trisha adores and cares for her children but the highlighting parallels between Trisha and Skandamata is for the itinerary that their children follow in their future; fighting against their adversaries who serve to the evils of the world. The tendency of Skanda and Elric brothers of exterminating the ill doers is what makes Trisha appear more and more similar to the fifth Durga form.
Katyayani - Riza Hawkeye of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Katyayani is one of the most dangerous forms that Hindu Devi Durga ever took, and is prominently known as the slayer of the tyrannical demon Mahishasuura. Katyayani displays the vicious side of goddess Durga for those who try and oppress the weak people and other creatures by their strengths and supernatural abilities. When these demons have done enough damage to mankind, Durga forms up as Katyayani and slaughter all those monstrous asuras.
If anybody knows how to defeat enemies with mere power and skills, it has to be the Amestrian State Military Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Alongside being adjutant to Colonel Roy Mustang, she is also a warrior herself who doesn’t miss out on any opportunity she gets to free this world off of one or two criminal monsters of society herself. Riza Hawkeye is true to type example of a woman being the right choice to portray Katyayani if ever presented with a chance.
Kaalratri - Lucy Nyu of Elfen Lied
Kaalratri is known to be the fiercest of all the nine forms of goddess Durga known as Navadurga. Kaalratri is worshipped on the seventh day of Navaratri or the nine divine nights of Goddess Durga as she is the seventh form of Navadurga. Kaalratri is a stereotypical role model for the ferocious tendencies of women that are required of them in today’s world. She can also be seen as the darkest form of Durga who just wishes to slay everyone who poses any threats or disliking to her. Kaalratri is shaped such that her appearance itself invokes fear.
Lucy is the kind of characters that are majorly known for their proclivity of splashing people’s blood on their hands. Lucy Nyu is an assassin who would not hang back killing off anyone she sets her eyes on, unless the person or creature is at its utmost innocence putting her in contrast with Kaalratri. In the series Elfen Lied, at times, Lucy gives into serious murderous urges that she believes are voices of her DNA. Watching Lucy in action often gives vibes of having been fortunate enough to be witnessing a new era Kaalratri.
Mahagauri - Alluka Zoldyck of Hunter x Hunter
Mahagauri also referred to as ‘Gauri’ is the eighth manifestation of Maa Durga and is revered by her devotees on the eighth day of Navaratri. Mahagauri is also the most prominent form of Mother Durga of all other forms she had incarnated into and is worshipped the most across different parts of the country. Mahagauri is believed to be the ultimate fulfiller of wishes of her devotees who manage to impress her with their devotion and meditating deliberation toward her. According to Hindu mythology, Mahagaui can fulfil all the desires.
Alluka Zoldyck is no one but just a little girl who wants to live ordinarily with her family and most significantly her brother. Although what brings her in the place of standing on the other side of the river to Mahagauri is her abilities to grant wishes to those people who please her. Extensiveness to her wish-granting prowess is not known, but the healing powers that she carries in her touch are simply something not less than godly.
Siddhidatri - Belldandy of Ah My Goddess
Siddhidatri is the final form of Goddess Durga following the Hindu legends and holy books. She is worshipped on the concluding day of Navaratri being the ninth form of Navadurga. Siddhidatri is the embodiment of perfection and is considered as the goddess of accomplishment who blesses her devotees with knowledge and wisdom and to attain happiness and purity of heart and character. Her name literally means ‘the awarder of wisdom’.
Just the fact that Belldandy herself is a goddess in the first place makes her position in this list more reasonable. Belldandy from Oh My Goddess is characterized by her affection and care for the people she likes. Contradicting her personality, she isn’t an actual mother albeit, that doesn’t stop her in any way from showing her motherly affection to her subjects. She is warm, cheerful and exceptionally kindhearted and above all else, Belldandy values the accomplishments and well being of her friends and people around her much more than her own. She is also known as the goddess who provides wisdom to her subjects and friends who are in efforts of accomplishing something or fulfilling their desires.
What do you think of our choices? Feel free to suggest any other names for any of the form of Goddess Durga if you think fits better.
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