Every year, as autumn fills the air with the fragrance of shiuli flowers and the rhythm of dhak drums, Bengalis eagerly await Durga Maa’s arrival. For the world, she is the mighty goddess Durga the destroyer of evil. But for Bengal, she is also a daughter, returning to her parents’ home with her four children. This emotional perspective makes Durga Puja more than worship it becomes love, longing, and homecoming.
1. Durga as a Daughter, Not Just a Goddess
Durga welcomed as a daughter in Bengal
In much of India, Goddess Durga is seen as a fierce warrior, the destroyer of evil. But in Bengal, her story takes on a softer, deeply emotional form she is worshipped as a daughter returning home. Married to Lord Shiva, she resides at Mount Kailash, far away from her parents. Yet once a year, during the month of Ashwin, Durga leaves her divine abode and comes back to her maayka her maternal home. This homecoming is celebrated with love, rituals, and grandeur, but at its core, it is a story of belonging. The goddess who embodies unmatched power also embodies tenderness, reminding us that strength and vulnerability can coexist. Durga Puja, therefore, is not just about the victory of good over evil it is about family, love, and the eternal bond between a daughter and her parents. It tells us that even divinity seeks the warmth of home.
2. Why Her Children Come Along
Durga Maa’s four children join her visit
Durga Puja is not just the arrival of a goddess; it is a celebration of family, love, and belonging. When Durga returns to her parental home, she never comes alone she brings her four children with her: Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik, and Ganesh. This makes the festival feel like a full family reunion, echoing the warmth and excitement of childhood visits to grandparents during vacations. For Bengalis, this divine return symbolizes every daughter coming back home, bringing her loved ones with her. It is a time when devotion and affection intertwine, making worship not just a ritual but an experience of love, care, and togetherness. Seeing Durga with her children reminds devotees that the divine also honors relationships, home, and family bonds. In every idol, every decoration, and every prayer, the festival beautifully merges the spiritual and the everyday, celebrating the sacredness of love, family, and homecoming.
3. The Hidden Presence of Shiva
Shiva appears silently with Durga
In many Durga Puja celebrations, while the spotlight shines brightly on Goddess Durga and her children Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshmi, and Saraswati there is often a subtle presence that goes unnoticed: Lord Shiva. Some idols include him as a small figure in the background, others as a gentle shadow, quietly witnessing the festivities. This artistic choice is far from accidental. It reflects a profound cultural belief: even as a son-in-law, Shiva respectfully visits his in-laws’ home, honoring familial bonds and traditions. This subtlety carries a deep spiritual lesson. It reminds devotees that relationships, respect, and togetherness are as divine as the gods themselves. Indian traditions often intertwine sacred stories with everyday family values, teaching humility, patience, and love. Durga Puja, therefore, is not just a celebration of power and victory, but also a reflection of devotion, duty, and the quiet strength found in nurturing relationships, both divine and human.
4. Four Days of Joy, One Day of Farewell
Durga’s farewell brings tears and hope
For four days Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami Durga is celebrated with joy, rituals, and love. But on Dashami (Vijaya Dashami), the atmosphere turns emotional. The immersion (visarjan) is not just a ritual it feels like a daughter leaving her parents’ home after a short stay. Tears mix with devotion, reminding us that love is always accompanied by longing.
5. The Spiritual Truth of Durga’s Return
Durga’s return symbolizes divine homecoming
Spiritually, Durga’s return each year is a celebration of the eternal triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. Her arrival from Kailash to her parental home symbolizes the victory of divine energy, righteousness, and the protective Shakti that guards the universe. Yet beyond this cosmic significance lies a deeply emotional truth: even the Goddess, a symbol of power and strength, longs for love, family, and belonging. In Bengali tradition, Durga is welcomed not just as a fierce warrior but as a beloved daughter returning home, bringing her children Ganesha, Kartik, Lakshmi, and Saraswati alongside her. This homecoming teaches us that tenderness, care, and familial bonds are sacred, just like devotion and worship. It reminds humanity that relationships and togetherness are divine expressions of life’s energy. Celebrating Durga Puja is thus a spiritual and emotional journey, honoring both the fierce and nurturing aspects of divinity, blending power with love, and victory with heartfelt connection.
The Spiritual Meaning of Goddess Durga’s HomecomingDurga Puja is not just a festival of victory; it is a festival of love, longing, and reunion. When Durga comes, she does not only destroy demons she heals hearts. She reminds us that divinity is not distant it is as close as a mother’s embrace, a daughter’s laughter, or a family’s reunion. So the next time you see Durga’s idol, remember: she is not only the goddess of power she is also the daughter coming home. And that is why Durga Puja feels less like worship and more like love written in divine colors.
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