Meditation on Mars

dharaṇī garbha sambhūtaṃ vidyutkānti samaprabham ।

kumāraṃ śaktihastaṃ taṃ maṅgaḻaṃ praṇamāmyaham ॥

“Born of the Earth’s womb, as brilliant as glorious lightning; Youthful One, with spear (Shakti) in his hand, salutations to you O Mangal.”

~ Hymns to the Navagraha

Lately I find my contemplations drawn inexplicably to Mangal, the planet Mars. Which is strange because I don’t work directly with its planetary energies. At least, not on a personal level.

But then again. I shouldn’t be surprised. Durga, after all, is THE warrior goddess. The divine protectress. Her bija DUM invokes the feeling of war drums being struck, calling upon the fiery passions from inside the earth.

Mangal’s other name is Kuja, which means ‘born from the earth’. The planetary hymn reaffirms that — so eloquently, I might add. Yet, perhaps there is a little more beneath the surface.

“Born of the earth, as brilliant as glorious lightning.”

Vidyut, or lightning, in yogic understanding refers to the electrical currents that flow through the Nadis. These are strong fiery currents, generated when Prana is churned and alchemized. But if the Nadis are not strong enough or sufficiently purified to hold and conduct these currents, then the nervous system will sustain damage as lightning flows through it. Short-circuit. Fried. This damage has both physical and psychological — and psychic — implications.

“Youthful One, with Shakti in hand…” would refer to one who is strong and proficient enough to be able to hold and contain Shakti, the awakened kundalini, under conscious control.

“On a higher level, Mars directs us to the yogas of knowledge and energy, and gives self-discipline and asceticism. A strong and spiritual Mars is good for the practice of rituals and yogic technique, methods of directing occult and spiritual energies. We find such a Mars in the charts of those who are drawn to energetic yogas or Tantric practices…” (~ P. Vamadevaji)

This of course, has to be balanced by strong Jupiter or other Sattvic qualities in the chart, without which, raw Mars energy is selfish, destructive, and volatile.

In her 5th manifestation of the 9 Nava Durga, she is Skandamata, the Mother of Skanda. He is the powerful General of the Celestial Army, synonymous as Mars itself. Born of the pure fire of Shiva, only the Goddess could calm his raging force, and merge his 6 heads into one. Finally, it is She who gifts him is weapon to vanquish evil, the divine spear Vel (shaktihasta).

Spiritualizing the powers of Mars is one of the key outcomes of Durga Puja or sadhana. With practice and dedication, Durga guides us internally in conquering our inner demons, fear-based limitations, and self-sabotaging patterns. Like Mars, she brings us discipline, focus, and clarity to propel our spiritual growth while being in the mundane world.

Om Dum Durgaye Namaha.

S.

22/1/2025