Durga Mantra
Salutations to Durga
ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नमः
Oṃ duṃ durgāyai namaḥ
A seed mantra of Durgā, recited through the nine nights of Navarātri. Short, and built around a single syllable that belongs to the Goddess as a sound rather than as a word.
The count shown here is Japa's suggestion, not a rule of the tradition. Follow the form and number you were taught.
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ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नमः
Oṃ duṃ durgāyai namaḥ
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What the words say
Duṃ is a bīja: a seed syllable with no lexical meaning, not a contraction of anything. Durgāyai is the dative of Durgā: 'to Durgā'. Namaḥ is homage. The whole is address, and the working part of it is the syllable rather than the sentence.
Where it comes from
The mantra belongs to Śākta practice and to the Durgā Saptaśatī tradition of Navarātri worship. Forms and seed syllables differ between lineages and between the Bengali and other regional observances; this is one common form.
How it is practised
Counted on a mala through the nine nights. Navarātri worship varies a great deal by region and by household, and a mantra count is one part of a much larger observance this app does not attempt to reproduce.
References
- Śākta mantra tradition; Durgā Saptaśatī as the ritual context
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