Sri Rama worships Goddess Durga in Ramayana

“Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Shakti-rupen Samsthita Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namaha” – Devi Mahatmya

In the vast universe of Sanatan Dharma, every action, every moment and every season has divine symbolism. But sometimes, a profound event rewrites the script of eternity, marking the beginning of a new spiritual tradition. One such epochal moment occurred in the Ramayana, not in its more familiar narration by Valmiki, but in the deeper, more devotional streams of regional and tantric retellings – where the eternal roles of the divine masculine and the divine feminine intersect in intriguing ways.

This is the story of Akal Bodhan, the untimely invocation of Goddess Durga by Sri Rama, and how it changed the religious fabric of India forever.

When the war in Lanka reached its climax, a lesser known but profoundly symbolic event unfolded. Ravana, the mighty emperor of Lanka, desperate to avoid defeat, hatches a secret plan. He calls upon his brother Mahiravana, the sorcerer king of Patala Loka, to kidnap Sri Rama and Lakshmana in the darkness of the night.

Mahiravana, a master of illusion and tantric arts, succeeds. Sri Rama and Lakshmana disappear. But Hanuman, ever vigilant, pursues him into Patala Loka. In a dramatic sequence, Hanuman slays Mahiravana, rescues the divine brothers, and wipes out the last shadow of deception in Ravana’s arsenal.

The news of Mahiravana’s death reaches Ravana. The indomitable king, for the first time, feels the cold breath of fate on his shoulder. In his desperation, he abandons pride and ego and does the unthinkable – he calls out to the Divine Mother herself.

The battlefield falls silent as Ravana, wounded in both body and spirit, stands alone. Bloodied but defiant, he raises his eyes to the sky and cries out:

“O Jagat Janani! Even Mahadev has forsaken me. O Mother, it is only you who never abandons her children. You are my last refuge!”

And then, something miraculous happens. The Divine Mother replies.

In a moment that stuns the universe, Goddess Durga descends, radiant and terrifying, her compassion matched by her rage. Seeing the once proud Ravana now crying like a child, she rushes forward and picks him up in her lap.

“Do not be afraid, my child,” she whispers. “I will protect you. Even if the world turns against you, I will not.”

The gods are startled. Rama, Lakshmana, Indra, Brahma – all are stunned. How can Ravana be defeated now? With the power of Shakti behind him, Ravana has become invincible.

Brahma’s Advice

The gods turn to Brahma, the creator, for a solution. Brahma, deep in meditation, sees the threads of fate. He tells Sri Rama:

“There is only one way. You must worship the Mother herself. Only her grace can balance Ravana’s defense. You must invoke her through the ritual of Akaal Bodhana – worshiping the Goddess out of season.”

Rama is puzzled. “But the Mother is worshiped during the month of Chaitra (spring), and that time has passed. Can I truly invoke her now in Ashvin?”

Brahma smiles. “Her compassion is such that she will respond to true devotion even outside her normal season. That is Akaal Bodhana – untimely invocation. Do it now, and you will see her grace flow like the Ganges in flood.”

Preparation: A worship never performed before

Determined, Rama agrees. The battlefield turns into a mandala of devotion. The goddess is to be worshipped with 108 neela pankaja (blue lotuses) – a rare flower that symbolizes intense devotion.

Hanuman, ever faithful, leaps across lakes and forests, collecting the lotuses one by one. But as the puja begins, it is discovered that only 107 are present. One is missing.

The goddess herself had hidden it – to test Rama’s devotion.

Without hesitation, Rama agrees to offer something no one expected – his own eye.

“I am called Padma Lochan – the lotus-eyed one,” he says. “Let me offer this eye in place of the missing lotus.”

Just as he is about to pierce her eye with an arrow, the sky roars with thunder.

The goddess Durga appears.

Divine intervention and the mystery of Ravana

Impressed by Rama’s devotion, the goddess stops him and appears in her full splendor.

“O Rama, your devotion pierces even my eternal heart. I hid the lotus to test your love. You have proved that your devotion is complete.”

She then unveils the great cosmic drama behind Ravana’s existence.

“Ravana is not just a king; he is one of the two gatekeepers of Vaikuntha, cursed to be born as a mortal. This war is merely the manifestation of a divine curse. Only on the Dashami tithi of the month of Ashvin can he be freed. That is the destined moment of his end.”

On the Dashami tithi, Rama returns to the battle. Armed with the goddess’ blessings, he finally slays Ravana, cutting off his ten heads one by one with the invincible Brahmastra.

The sky resounds with shouts of “Jai Shri Ram!” and “Durga Mata ki Jai!”