In Hinduism, Mother Durga represents the embodiment of shakti, the divine feminine force that governs all cosmic creation, existence and change.
It is held that Durga emerged from the collective energies of all of the gods, including Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, to vanquish the demon Mahishasura
who could not be defeated by any god or man. She is thus the compassionate savior of all of the gods and the universe. Durga exists in a complete
state of self-sufficiency and independence from the universe and everyone and everything in it (in Sanskrit, Durga means "the impenetrable" or "the
inaccessible"). At the same time, she is also regarded as the mother of Ganesha and Kartikeya, and is thus seen as the demon-fighting form of Shiva's
wife, Parvati.
