Having been born and raised in an urban Bengali Shakta Hindu society, I have always envisioned Divinity as a three-eyed multi-armed lion-riding warrior princess impaling a buffalo-demon while rocking the most combat-unfriendly finery in the universe. Although the number of arms as well as the name of the buffalo-slaying form of the Mother Goddess varies across written scriptural sources, oral traditions, and artistic portrayals, her canonical depiction in Bengal has ten arms and is called Durga (based on near-identical descriptions in the Matsya and Kalika Puranas). Moreover, despite their starkly different appearances, Durga is often identified with Shiva's mild-natured wife Uma. But why does Durga have exactly ten arms? Obviously, mythographers and exegetes have come up with interesting answers to this question, but those answers are not what this post is about; this post is about a couple of mildly amusing 'fan theories' on the purpose that her ten arms are actually meant to serve.
संगायन् यदशेषकौतुककथाः पञ्चाननः पञ्चभि-
र्वक्त्रैर्वाद्यविशालकैर्डमरुकोत्थानैश्च संनृत्यति|
या तस्मिन् दशबाहुभिर्दशभुजा तालं विधातुं गता
सा दुर्गा दशदिक्षु वः कलयतु श्रेयांसि नः श्रेयसे||
र्वक्त्रैर्वाद्यविशालकैर्डमरुकोत्थानैश्च संनृत्यति|
या तस्मिन् दशबाहुभिर्दशभुजा तालं विधातुं गता
सा दुर्गा दशदिक्षु वः कलयतु श्रेयांसि नः श्रेयसे||
– रायगुणाकरोपाधिकभारतचन्द्र
saMgAyan yadazesAkautukakathAH paJcAnanaH paJcabhi-
rvaktrairvAdyavizAlakairDamarukotthAnaizca saMnRtyati|
rvaktrairvAdyavizAlakairDamarukotthAnaizca saMnRtyati|
yA tasmin dazabAhubhirdazabhujA tAlaM vidhAtuM gatA
sA durgA dazadikSu vaH kalayatu zreyAMsi naH zreyase||
sA durgA dazadikSu vaH kalayatu zreyAMsi naH zreyase||
– Bharat Chandra Ray-Gunakar
Loose translation: As the five-faced Shiva started dancing while singing amusing ballads non-stop to the accompaniment of the loud bangs of his double-headed drum, she appeared on the scene to clap (in appreciation or encouragement, or to keep time) with all ten hands of hers -- may that ten-armed Durga bestow welfare upon you 'in all ten cardinal directions' (i.e. everywhere you go), and hence upon us.
Source: Prefatory benediction of the unfinished multilingual play Chandi Nataka (চণ্ডীনাটক; चण्डीनाटक) by Bharat Chandra Ray-Gunakar (ভারতচন্দ্র রায়গুণাকর), the last medieval (or first modern) poet of Bengali literature. Although mainly remembered for his magnum opus Annada Mangal (অন্নদামঙ্গল), he also dabbled in poetry in multiple languages. Bharat Chandra's dates are 1712-1760, so it is safe to place this composition in the mid-18th century.
Notes: I think the author's import here is that Durga needed her five pairs of hands, one for each face of her husband.
The last quarter suggests that this benediction was meant specifically for Bharat Chandra's patron Raja Krishnachandra -- the poet wishes the Goddess to be favorable to the unnamed person(s) to whom the snippet is addressed, which would, in turn, be conducive to the poet's own well-being.
Source: Prefatory benediction of the unfinished multilingual play Chandi Nataka (চণ্ডীনাটক; चण्डीनाटक) by Bharat Chandra Ray-Gunakar (ভারতচন্দ্র রায়গুণাকর), the last medieval (or first modern) poet of Bengali literature. Although mainly remembered for his magnum opus Annada Mangal (অন্নদামঙ্গল), he also dabbled in poetry in multiple languages. Bharat Chandra's dates are 1712-1760, so it is safe to place this composition in the mid-18th century.
Notes: I think the author's import here is that Durga needed her five pairs of hands, one for each face of her husband.
The last quarter suggests that this benediction was meant specifically for Bharat Chandra's patron Raja Krishnachandra -- the poet wishes the Goddess to be favorable to the unnamed person(s) to whom the snippet is addressed, which would, in turn, be conducive to the poet's own well-being.
पशुपतेरखिलेषु गलेषु सा युगपदर्पयितुं कुसुमस्रजम्|
परिणये द्विभुजा हिमशैलजा दशभुजा किमभूदपि लीलया||
परिणये द्विभुजा हिमशैलजा दशभुजा किमभूदपि लीलया||
pazupaterakhileSu galeSu sA yugapadarpayituM kusumasrajam|
pariNaye dvibhujA himazailajA dazabhujA kimabhUdapi lIlayA||
– Anonymous
Loose translation: Could it be that the two-armed daughter of the Snowy Mountains playfully assumed a ten-armed form on her wedding day just so that she could place a floral garland around each of the (five) necks of the Lord of Creatures (i.e. Shiva) all at once?
Source: 1993 edition of Udbhata Sagara (उद्भटसागर), "an ocean of epigrams", Part II (द्वितीयप्रवाहः) Verse 49: first verse of the chapter entitled zaktilIlA (शक्तिलीला), "the mirabilia of Shakti". This modern anthology was compiled by Purnachandra De Kabyaratna (1857-1946) over his lifetime.
Notes: You could view each of the above snippets either as an allegorical tribute to a multitasker who somehow always manages to make things work with the hopeless eccentric she chose to marry, or as the product of a patriarchal society where every aspect of a woman's life must be attributed to or associated with her husband. In either case, the Durga in these snippets appears to me to act completely out of character because, in Bengali folk mythology, almost all stories about the Mother Goddess and her husband revolve around their quarrels which she invariably wins in the end.
Source: 1993 edition of Udbhata Sagara (उद्भटसागर), "an ocean of epigrams", Part II (द्वितीयप्रवाहः) Verse 49: first verse of the chapter entitled zaktilIlA (शक्तिलीला), "the mirabilia of Shakti". This modern anthology was compiled by Purnachandra De Kabyaratna (1857-1946) over his lifetime.
Notes: You could view each of the above snippets either as an allegorical tribute to a multitasker who somehow always manages to make things work with the hopeless eccentric she chose to marry, or as the product of a patriarchal society where every aspect of a woman's life must be attributed to or associated with her husband. In either case, the Durga in these snippets appears to me to act completely out of character because, in Bengali folk mythology, almost all stories about the Mother Goddess and her husband revolve around their quarrels which she invariably wins in the end.
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