Those who are in control of the external energy of the Lord, or in other words those who are in the material world, must first of all know how the external energy of the Lord is working under the direction of the Supreme Personality, and afterwards one may try to enter into the activities of His internal energy. The mundaners are mostly worshipers ofDurgā-devī, the external energy of Kṛṣṇa, but they do not know that Durgā-devī is but the shadow energy of the Lord. Behind her astonishing display of material workings is the direction of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10). The Brahma-saṁhitā affirms that Durgā-śakti is working by the direction of Govinda, and without His sanction the powerful Durgā-śakti cannot move even a blade of grass.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----2:4:6----purport).
Lord Śiva is so great that he does not care for the material prosperity for which every one of us is so eager. Pārvatī, who is the powerful material nature personified, is under his full control as his wife, yet he does not use her even to build a residential house. He prefers to remain without shelter, and his great wife also agrees to live with him humbly. People in general worship goddess Durgā, the wife of Lord Śiva, for material prosperity, but Lord Śiva engages her in his service without material desire. He simply advises his great wife that of all kinds of worship, the worship of Viṣṇu is the highest, and greater than that is the worship of a great devotee or anything in relation with Viṣṇu.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----3:14:26----purport).
Lord Śiva is the husband of Durgā, the controller of the material energy. Durgā is personified material energy, and Lord Śiva, being her husband, is the controller of the material energy.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----3:14:29----purport).
According to a verse of the Vedic mantras, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate: (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport) the Supreme Personality of Godhead has different varieties of energies. Sakti is feminine, and the Lord is puruṣa, masculine. It is the duty of the female to serve under the supreme puruṣa. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, all living entities are marginal energies of the Supreme Lord. Therefore it is the duty of all living entities to serve this Supreme Person. Durgā is the representation in the material world of both the marginal and external energies, and Lord Śiva is the representation of the Supreme Person. The connection of Lord Śiva and Ambikā, or Durgā, is eternal. Satī could not accept any husband but Lord Śiva. How Lord Śiva remarried Durgā as Himavatī, the daughter of the Himalayas, and how Kārttikeya was born, is a great story in itself.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----4:7:59----purport).
Herein it is mentioned that Lord Śiva is always accompanied by his material energy (śaktyā ghorayā). Material energy—goddess Durgā, or goddess Kālī—is always under his control.Goddess Kālī and Durgā serve him by killing all the asuras, or demons. Sometimes Kālī becomes so infuriated that she indiscriminately kills all kinds of asuras. There is a popular picture ofgoddess Kālī in which she wears a garland composed of the heads of the asuras and holds in her left hand a captured head and in her right hand a great khaḍga, or chopper, for killing asuras. Great wars are symbolic representations of Kālī's devastation of the asuras and are actually conducted by the goddess Kālī.
sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
(Bs. 5.44)
Asuras try to pacify the goddess Kālī, or Durgā, by worshiping her in material opulence, but when the asuras become too intolerable, goddess Kālī does not discriminate in killing them wholesale. Asuras do not know the secret of the energy of Lord Śiva, and they prefer to worship goddess Kālī or Durgā or Lord Śiva for material benefit. Due to their demoniac character, they are reluctant to surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa, as indicated by Bhagavad-gītā (7.15):
na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
Lord Śiva's duty is very dangerous because he has to employ the energy of goddess Kālī (or Durgā). In another popular picture the goddess Kālī is sometimes seen standing on the prostrate body of Lord Śiva, which indicates that sometimes Lord Śiva has to fall down flat in order to stop goddess Kālī from killing the asuras. Since Lord Śiva controls the great material energy (goddess Durgā), worshipers of Lord Śiva attain very opulent positions within this material world.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----4:24:18----purport).
The question of how the planets and stars are floating is also answered in this verse. It is not because of the laws of gravity. Rather, the planets and stars are enabled to float by manipulations of the air. It is due to such manipulations that big, heavy clouds float and big eagles fly in the sky. Modern airplanes like the 747 jet aircraft work in a similar way: by controlling the air, they float high in the sky, resisting the tendency to fall to earth. Such adjustments of the air are all made possible by the cooperation of the principles of puruṣa (male) and prakṛti (female). By the cooperation of material nature, which is considered to be prakṛti, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is considered the puruṣa, all the affairs of the universe are going on nicely in their proper order. prakṛti, material nature, is also described in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.44) as follows:
sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"The external potency, māyā, who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit (spiritual) potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself." Material nature, the external energy of the Supreme Lord, is also known asDurgā, or the female energy that protects the great fort of this universe. The word Durgā also means fort. This universe is just like a great fort in which all the conditioned souls are kept, and they cannot leave it unless they are liberated by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----5:23:3----purport).
Because Citraketu was undoubtedly a Vaiṣṇava, he might have been surprised that Pārvatī had cursed him. Therefore the goddess Pārvatī addressed him as putra, or son. Everyone is the son of mother Durgā, but she is not an ordinary mother. As soon as there is a small discrepancy in a demon's behavior, mother Durgā immediately punishes the demon so that he may come to his senses. This is explained by Lord Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (7.14):
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it." To surrender to Kṛṣṇa means to surrender to His devotees also, for no one can be a proper servant of Kṛṣṇa unless he is a proper servant of a devotee. Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: without serving a servant of Kṛṣṇa, one cannot be elevated to being a servant of Kṛṣṇa Himself. Therefore mother Pārvatī spoke to Citraketu exactly like a mother who says to her naughty child, "My dear child, I am punishing you so that you won't do anything like this again." This tendency of a mother to punish her child is found even in mother Yaśodā, who became the mother of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mother Yaśodā punished Kṛṣṇa by binding Him and showing Him a stick. Thus it is the duty of a mother to chastise her beloved son, even in the case of the Supreme Lord. It is to be understood that mother Durgā was justified in punishing Citraketu. This punishment was a boon to Citraketu because after taking birth as the demon Vṛtrāsura, he was promoted directly to Vaikuṇṭha.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----6:17:15----purport).
The names by which Māyādevī is known in different places have been listed by Vallabhācārya as follows. In Vārāṇasī she is known as Durgā, in Avantī she is known as Bhadrakālī, in Orissa she is known as Vijayā, and in Kulahāpura she is known as Vaiṣṇavī or Mahālakṣmī. (The representatives of Mahālakṣmī and Ambikā are present in Bombay.) In the country known as Kāmarūpa she is known as Caṇḍikā, in Northern India as Śāradā, and in Cape Comorin as Kanyakā. Thus she is distributed according to various names in various places.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----10:2:11-12----purport).
Śrīla Vijayadhvaja Tīrthapāda, in his Pada-ratnāvalī-ṭīkā, has explained the meanings of the different representations. Māyā is known as Durgā because she is approached with great difficulty, as Bhadrā because she is auspicious, and as Kālī because she is deep blue. Because she is the most powerful energy, she is known as Vijayā; because she is one of the different energies of Viṣṇu, she is known as Vaiṣṇavī; and because she enjoys in this material world and gives facilities for material enjoyment, she is known as Kumudā. Because she is very severe to her enemies, the asuras, she is known as Caṇḍikā, and because she gives all sorts of material facilities, she is called Kṛṣṇā. In this way the material energy is differently named and situated in different places on the surface of the globe.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----10:2:11-12----purport).
Kaṁsa was astonished because the goddess Durgā had become the daughter of Devakī. Since Devakī was a human being, how could the goddess Durgā become her daughter? This was one cause of his astonishment. Also, how is it that the eighth child of Devakī was a female? This also astonished him. Asuras are generally devotees of mother Durgā, Śakti, or of demigods, especially Lord Śiva. The appearance of Durgā in her original eight-armed feature, holding various weapons, immediately changed Kaṁsa's mind about Devakī's being an ordinary human. Devakī must have had some transcendental qualities; otherwise why would the goddess Durgā have taken birth from her womb? Under the circumstances, Kaṁsa, struck with wonder, wanted to compensate for his atrocities against his sister Devakī.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----10:4:14----purport).
After speaking to Kaṁsa in this way, the goddess Durgā, Yogamāyā, appeared in different places, such as Vārāṇasī, and became celebrated by different names, such as Annapūrṇā, Durgā, Kālī and Bhadrā.
The goddess Durgā is celebrated in Calcutta as Kālī, in Bombay as Mumbādevī, in Vārāṇasī as Annapūrṇā, in Cuttack as Bhadrakālī and in Ahmedabad as Bhadrā. Thus in different places she is known by different names. Her devotees are known as śāktas, or worshipers of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas worshipers of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself are called Vaiṣṇavas. Vaiṣṇavas are destined to return home, back to Godhead, in the spiritual world, whereas the śāktas are destined to live within this material world to enjoy different types of material happiness. In the material world, the living entity must accept different types of bodies. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (B.G.18:61). According to the living entity's desire, Yogamāyā, or Māyā, the goddess Durgā, gives him a particular type of body, which is mentioned as yantra, a machine.
(Srimad Bhagavatam----10:4:13----translation and purport).
Replies
I have seen too many times this type of post . So I am here to clear all confusion from Shastras.
𝗤𝘂𝗲 1 - 𝗜𝘀 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗿𝗶 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘁𝘃𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 ?
𝗔𝗡𝗦-
𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 ( 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 )-
◉ऋतेऽर्थं यत्प्रतीयेत न प्रतीयेत चात्मनि ।
तद्विद्यादात्मनो मायां यथाभासो यथा तमः ॥३४॥
(Śrimad Bhāgavatam 2:9:34)
Translitration :
ṛte 'rthaṃ yat pratīyeta na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṃ yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ
English translation: O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My māyā, My illusory energy that reflection which appears in darkness.
Hindi Translation : हे ब्रह्मा, जो भी सारयुक्त प्रतीत होता है, यदि वह मुझसे सम्बन्धित नहीं है, तो उसमें कोई वास्तविकता नहीं है। इसे मेरी माया जानो, इसे ऐसा प्रतिबिम्ब मानो जो अन्धकार में प्रकट होता है।
𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗮 /𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗸𝗮 -
◉सृष्टि-स्थिति-प्रलय-साधन-शक्तिरेका
छायेव यस्य भुवनानि विभर्ति दुर्गा ।
इच्छानुरूपमपि यस्य च चेष्टते सा
गोविन्दमादि-पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥
(Brahmā-Saṃhitā 5:44)
Transliteration:
sṛṣṭhi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir-ekā
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā
govindam ādi puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi
English Translation : The external energy, māyā, is of the nature of the shadow of the cit potency. She is worshiped as Durgā the agent of the Lord who is responsible for creating, preserving, and destroying the mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself.
Hindi Translation : बाह्य शक्ति माया, सित् शक्ति की छाया के समान है। वह प्रभु की कार्यकारी अधिकारी दुर्गा के रूप में पूजित होती है । जो प्रभु सृष्टि, स्थिति और प्रलय की जिम्मेदार है। मैं मूल प्रभु गोविन्द/श्रीहरि को नमन करता हूं, जिसकी इच्छा के अनुसार दुर्गा अपने कार्य को निभाती है।
𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 (𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐚)-
◉ अत्रैव मायाधमनावतारे ह्यस्य प्रपञ्चस्य बहि: स्फुटस्य।
कृत्स्नस्य चान्तर्जठरे जनन्या मायात्वमेव प्रकटीकृतं ते ॥ १६ ॥
(Śrimad Bhagvatam 10:14:16)
Transliteration :
atraiva māyā-dhamanāvatāre
hy asya prapañcasya bahiḥ sphuṭasya
kṛtsnasya cāntar jaṭhare jananyā
māyātvam eva prakaṭī-kṛtaṁ te
English Translation: My dear Lord, in this incarnation You have proved that You are the supreme controller of Māyā. Although You are now within this universe, the whole universal creation is within Your transcendental body — a fact You demonstrated by exhibiting the universe within Your abdomen before Your mother, Yaśodā.
Hindi Translation: हे प्रभु, आपने इसी अवतार में यह सिद्ध कर दिया है कि आप माया के परम नियंत्रक हैं। यद्यपि आप अब इस ब्रह्माण्ड के भीतर हैं किन्तु सारा ब्रह्माण्ड आपके दिव्य शरीर के भीतर है—आपने इस तथ्य को माता यशोदा के समक्ष अपने उदर के भीतर ब्रह्माण्ड दिखलाकर प्रदर्शित कर दिया है।
ʘ There is only 10 primal Upnishad among 108 which is considered as Shruti Shastra , Swetasvara Upnishada is from them , So the Shruti Shastra claim the same -
◉ मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं च महेश्वरम्।
(Swetasvara Upnishada 4:10)
Transliteration: māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ vidyānmāyinaṁ ca maheśvaram |
Translation : Maya is the Prakriti and know the Supreme Lord as the master of Prakruti .
Hindi Translation: माया प्रकृति है और वह महान ईश्वर प्रकृति का स्वामी हैं।
𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐯𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐌ā𝐲ā 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐢 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐭-
◉ दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया।
मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते।।
(Bhagvad Gita 7:14)
Transliteration: Daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā.
Mām-eva ye prapadyante māyāmetāṃ taranti te.
English Translation : This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
Hindi Translation : मेरी यह त्रिगुणमयी दैवी माया बड़ी दुरत्यय है अर्थात् इससे पार पाना बड़ा कठिन है। जो केवल मेरे ही शरण होते हैं, वे इस माया को तर जाते हैं।
𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗮
प्रवर्तते यत्र रजस्तमस्तयोः सत्त्वं च मिश्रं न च कालविक्रमः ।
न यत्र माया किमुतापरे हरेरनुव्रता यत्र सुरासुरार्चिताः ॥१०॥
(Śrimad Bhāgavatam 2:9:10)
Transliteration:
pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ
sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ
na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer
anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ
English Translation : There is no influence of the mode of passion, ignorance, or even the mixed mode of goodness in that place. Time does not make any mistakes there, and Maya cannot even step there , then how Maya illusion entered that place ? That not possible. The associates of the Lord reside there, and both the gods and demons worship them.
Hindi Translation : वहाँ रजोगुण, तमोगुण और इनसे मिला हुआ सत्त्वगुण भी नहीं है। वहाँ न काल की दाल गलती है और न माया ही कदम रख सकती है; फिर माया के बाल-बच्चे तो जा ही कैसे सकते हैं। वहाँ भगवान्के वे पार्षद निवास करते हैं, जिनका पूजन देवता और दैत्य दोनों ही करते हैं ॥ १० ॥
𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵
Brahmavaivarta Purana : Brahma Khanda, Sauti and Shaunaka conversasation : Third chapter -
अहं प्रकृतिरीशाना सर्वेशा सर्वरूपिणी।
सर्वशक्तिस्वरूपा च मया च शक्तिमज्जगत्॥
त्वया सृष्टान स्वतन्त्रा त्वमेव जगतां पतिः।
गतिश्च पाता स्रष्टा च संहर्त्ता च पुनर्विधिः॥
चराचरांश्च विश्वेषु देवान्ब्रह्मपुरोगमान्।
मद्विधाः कति वा देवीः स्रष्टुं शक्तश्च लीलया॥
वेदाश्च विदुषां श्रेष्ठाः स्तोतुं शक्ताश्च न क्षमाः।
निर्लक्ष्यं कः क्षमः स्तोतुंतं निरीहं नमाम्यहम्॥
इत्येवमुक्त्वा सा दुर्गा रत्नसिंहासने वरे।
उवास नत्वा श्रीकृष्णं तुष्टुवुस्तां सुरेश्वराः॥
Translation - "Devi Durga said - I am Prakriti, the controller of all, the embodiment of all forms, and the supreme power. Through my power alone, this world is sustained. Yet I am not independent, for you are the creator, protector, destroyer, and recreator of the three worlds.You can create countless deities like me and animate and inanimate beings in this universe. Even the Vedas and the most knowledgeable scholars cannot praise you properly, but I, the insignificant one, offer my humble obeisance to you, the Supreme Being. Saying thus, Durga Devi bowed to Lord Krishna and sat on the throne of precious stones, as the gods looked on with satisfaction."
𝗤𝘂𝗲 2 - 𝗜𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘀 ?
𝗔𝗻𝘀- I already answered this question many times, Swami Prabhupad uses Demigod for Devas and Demigoddess for Devi as Durga is a Devi so she is Demigoddess as per Swami Prabhupad English translation word for Devi .
He also uses airplane for vimana as there is no exact word in English for that....
English don't have separate words for Bhagvan and Devta so God and Demigod is best for better understanding for those who don't know anything about Sanskrit and you have to explain them ....