Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in Australia
Sri Durga Temple, Rockbank, Melbourne, Australia
Sri Durga Arts/Cultural and Educational Centre (Inc)
705-715 Neale Road, Rockbank, 3335, Victoria,
Melbourne, Australia
~Temple Timings~
MONDAY – FRIDAY
8:00AM to 12:00 PM 4:00PM to 08:30
PM
SATURDAY, SUNDAY & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
8:00AM – 8:30PM Aarti Timings 8:30
AM & 7:00 PM
Weekly Sunday Gathering Kirtan 11:30 am Onwards
Sunday Aarti 1:30 PM Sunday Bhandara After Aarti
About us
Sri
Durga temple is Australia’s biggest Durga Mata temple situated in lush green
surrundings and is 30 minutes drive from city centre.
It is a friendly place for religious and social meets. We welcome
devotees without any distinction of cast and creed. The organisation is an
incorporated entity run by elected management team. More than 200 life members.
Our Mission
1.To encourage and foster the co-development of
religious, cultural and community service
values. 2.To
undertake charitable welfare work such as food to the needy, clothing, medicine
etc. 3.To associate with similar mission organizations for the execution of
charitable tasks. 4.To
organize events for mythological discussions, Vedic education, meditation and
chanting. 5.To
help coordinate national and international pilgrimages for the needy. 6.To provide the special facilities to meet the
needs of senior citizens of the community of
Indian origin.
Our Purpose
1.To establish, develop and maintain a temple cum
community center/centers in Melbourne or its suburbs. 2.To carry our activities in such centers befitting
the mission of the association. 3.To co-ordinate donations and all help from similar organizations so
that the centers are developed with the express purpose of
carrying out the association's mission. 4.To establish such facilities and to do all such other lawful activities
as are incidental or
conducive to the attainment of the purpose of the organization
Divine Mother
The word Shakti means divine feminine; energy/
force/ power, and Durga is the warrior
aspect of the Divine Mother. As a goddess, Durga's feminine power
contains the combined energies of all the gods. Each of her weapons was given to her by
various gods: Rudra's trident, Vishnu's discus, Indra's thunderbolt, Brahma's kamandalu,
Kuber's Ratnahar, etc. According to a narrative in the Devi
Mahatmya story of the Markandeya Purana text, Durga was created as a warrior
goddess to fight an asura (an inhuman force/demon) named
Mahishasura. He had unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether
worlds, and he could not be defeated by any man or god, anywhere. The gods went
to Brahma, who had given Mahishasura the power not to be defeated by a man. Brahma
could do nothing. They made Brahma their leader and
went to Vaikuntha—the place where Vishnu lay on Ananta Naag. They found both
Vishnu and Shiva, and Brahma eloquently related
the reign of terror Mahishasur had unleashed on the three worlds. Hearing this
Vishnu, Shiva and all of the gods became very angry and beams of
fierce light emerged from their bodies. The blinding sea of light met at the
Ashram of a priest named Katyayan and Durga emerged from this
pool of light. The goddess Durga took the name Katyaayani from the priest and
emerged from the sea of light. She introduced herself
in the language of the Rig-Veda, saying she was the form of the supreme Brahman
who had created all the gods. Now she had come to fight the
demon to save the gods. They did not create her; it was her lila that she
emerged from their combined energy. The gods were blessed with her compassion
aspect of the Divine Mother. As a goddess, Durga's feminine power
contains the combined energies of all the gods. Each of her weapons was given to her by
various gods: Rudra's trident, Vishnu's discus, Indra's thunderbolt, Brahma's kamandalu,
Kuber's Ratnahar, etc. According to a narrative in the Devi
Mahatmya story of the Markandeya Purana text, Durga was created as a warrior
goddess to fight an asura (an inhuman force/demon) named
Mahishasura. He had unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether
worlds, and he could not be defeated by any man or god, anywhere. The gods went
to Brahma, who had given Mahishasura the power not to be defeated by a man. Brahma
could do nothing. They made Brahma their leader and
went to Vaikuntha—the place where Vishnu lay on Ananta Naag. They found both
Vishnu and Shiva, and Brahma eloquently related
the reign of terror Mahishasur had unleashed on the three worlds. Hearing this
Vishnu, Shiva and all of the gods became very angry and beams of
fierce light emerged from their bodies. The blinding sea of light met at the
Ashram of a priest named Katyayan and Durga emerged from this
pool of light. The goddess Durga took the name Katyaayani from the priest and
emerged from the sea of light. She introduced herself
in the language of the Rig-Veda, saying she was the form of the supreme Brahman
who had created all the gods. Now she had come to fight the
demon to save the gods. They did not create her; it was her lila that she
emerged from their combined energy. The gods were blessed with her compassion
What are the Nine Names of Durga?
1. Shailaputri 2. Brahmacharini 3. Chandraghanta 4.
Kushmanda 5. Skandhamata 6. Kaatyayani 7. Kalaratri 8. Mahagauri 9. Siddhiratri
The Nava-Durga
Shailaputri - Goddess Durga's first form in the
Nava-Durga series of divine forms, amongst the nine, is Shailaputri. She was
nomenclatured as Shailaputri after being born in the house of the king of the
mountains, Himalaya . In this mold the mother is seen holding a trident in her
right hand and a lotus in her left and she is mounted on an ox. In the past
life she was the daughter of Daksha, the son of Lord Brahma. She was known as
Sati then. As the daughter of Daksha she was married to the God of Gods, Mahadeva.
Daksha once arranged for a ceremony of the holy fire (Yagna), and chose not to
invite his daughter and son-in-law. Sati was restless to join the ceremony at
her father's place and even defied her husband's advice of not attending the
Yagna without an invitation. On going uninvited to the ceremony, she felt that
everyone was giving her a cold shoulder except her mother who greeted her with
a hug. Her siblings too were no exception and were sarcastic in their remarks.
The guests too present in the function were uttering disrespectful comments
about her husband. To her surprise her father too was harsh and rude in his
approach. She was dejected and was so heart broken that she burnt herself to
ash in the holy fire. Shiva, on hearing this incident was enraged and ordered
his followers to immediately demolish the Daksha Yagna. After burning herself
to death, Sati was reborn as the daughter of the king of the mountains,
Himalaya and became known as Shailaputri. Thus amongst all the nine forms of
Devi Durga, Shailaputri is the most powerful and glorified of all. She is
worshiped in the first day of the Navratri celebrations. According to the
Upanishads this form of Durga broke the pride of the Gods by assuming the mold
of Haimabati.
Brahmacharini - Durga's second appearance is in the
form of Brahmacharini. Here "Brahma" means meditation. That is, the
Goddess is the meditator or a practitioner of penance. She is seen here holding
a string of rosary beads in her right hand and a Kamandalu (an urn containing
holy water) in her left hand. In her previous life, when she was reborn as the
daughter of Himalaya , she performed severe penance to have Mahadeva as her
husband. The sage God Narada advised her to take up meditation to win Shiva.
For undergoing strict meditation she was known as Brahmacharini or
Tapasyacharini. Ignoring the beating sun and thundershowers, she began a three
hundred year meditation living only leaves that fell on the forest floor. She
furthered her penance making it even stricter by relinquishing food and water
for another few hundred years. As she gave up eating leaves she is also
referred to as "Aparna". Practicing this painstaking contemplation
she became weak and skinny. Unable to withstand the plight of her daughter her
mother, Manoka requested her to give up her resolution. Shocked at the sight of
Durga she exclaimed "u" and "ma". In Sanskrit 'u' is a word
of address, and 'ma' means 'don't' or 'not wanted'). That is why Durga is also
called "Uma". On the other hand overwhelmed by Durga's devotion and
perseverance, all the Gods and sages in the heaven were placated. At last,
grandfather Brahma, pleased with devi's austerities made an oracle, "O
maiden! No one could achieve or endure the penance you have performed till
date. I am captivated by your meditation and devotion. Your wish will be
fulfilled and you will certainly have Shiva as your husband. You may now return
home and rest. Your father will come soon to take you". This form of Durga
gives the devotees everlasting success. Worship of this appearance enriches the
faculties of sacrifice, honesty and self-discipline. In times of utter distress
the worship of this form gives success and the willpower to come out
victorious. This form of Durga is worshiped in the second day of the Durga puja.
Chandraghanta - Mother Durga's third form is known
as Chandraghanta. This name finds its justification in the half moon seen on
the temple of the Goddess that resembles a bell. The deity has ten arms. The
ten hands of the Goddess brandish ten different weapons. Mounted on a lion this
form of the mother is worshiped on the third day of the Navratri celebration.
It is believed that a devotee who manages to earn the devi's blessings can set
himself free from his sins and hazards that he has committed or may face in his
life. The devotee gains the power to sense the supernatural, to see it and even
smell the eternal fragrance. He is also able to distinguish the otherwise
inaudible celestial sounds. This is the time when the devotee should be alert.
Although the deity is always envisaged in the fearsome mood of demolishing the
evil, her appearance always spreads a calm and eternal peace all round. Mother
Chandraghanta's devotees spread peace and happiness wherever they go. We should
all whole-heartedly worship the mother with a devoted soul. Worship of the
deity helps one eliminate the sorrow, hazards and dangers in ones life.
Kushmanda - The fourth appearance of the devi is in
the form of Kushmanda. The mother gets the name as she created the universe
with a smile. When there was darkness everywhere and there was no existence of
the universe she created the universe with a smile. She is believed to be the
source of eternal power. The Goddess has eight arms and that is why she is also
known as "Ashtabhuja". The deity's seven hands hold the holy urn
(Kamandul), a bow, an arrow, a lotus, a pot containing wine, a disc and a club.
The eighth hand holds a string of rosary beads that is believed to provide
success and prudence. Pumpkin is termed as "Kushmandam" in Sanskrit.
Amongst the sacrificial vegetables that are offered in the worship of the
Goddess (naibidhya), pumpkin is the most important vegetable with which Devi
Kushmanda is most placated. That is why she is named "Kushmanda". She
is worshiped on the fourth day of the Navratri celebration abiding by the
rituals that are described in the Sashtra and the Purans. Worship of this form
of the Devi exterminates sorrow and diseases and augments life, fame and
strength. Mother Goddess is appeased with the slightest of devotion and if any
one whole-heartedly worships the deity he will certainly gain her favour.
Skandamata - Fifth form of the mother is known as
Skandamata. Kumar Kartik's other name is Skanda. As devi Durga is the mother of
Kartik, she is referred to as "Skandamata". This form of the deity
has four arms. The mother is seen holding her son Skanda with the top right
hand and she is holding a lotus in her lower hand. The top left hand is
positioned in a blessing gesture and the other hand holds a lotus. The goddess
is fair and sits on a lotus. That is why the devi is also known as
"Padmasana". Here she is seen mounted on a lion. If anyone worships
her whole-heartedly, she fulfills the wish of the devotee.
Katyaayani Katyaayani is the sixth form of Devi Durga.
Sage Katyaayan was the son of the great sage Kat. Sage Kattayan was born in the
"Katya" clan. He was engaged in rigorous penance and worship of
"Bhagavati Paramba". His prayer was all about requesting the mother
to appear in his house-hold as his daughter. Mother Bhagavati obliged him.
After some time, when, the world was terrorized of Mahishasura, Lord Brahma,
Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva with their divine powers gave form to a Goddess to
combat asura and destroy him. Katyaayan was the first to worship her and that
is why she is known as "Devi Kattayani". It is mentioned in the
Shastra that Katyaayani was born as the daughter of the sage Kattayan. Taking
birth on the fourteenth day of the new moon in "Aashwin"
(September-October), she accepted the worship of the sage Kattayan on Saptami,
Astami and Navami and ultimately slew Mahishasura on Dashami. The deity's
complexion is as bright as gold. She has four hands. The top right hand is
positioned in a gesture of providing courage and the other hand is positioned
in a gesture of rendering a boon. The top left hand is holding a sword and the
other holding a lotus. The Goddess is mounted on a lion and she is worshiped on
the sixth day of the Durga puja. If one worships the deity with a pure soul he
attains success in religion, wealth, passion and salvation. Disease, sorrow and
fear are eliminated. Worship of this deity helps one to emancipate himself from
the sin he may have committed over the cycle of his births and rebirths. We
should all devote our prayers to the mother to lead a better life.
Kaalratri - Mother Goddess's seventh form is
"Kaalratri". Her complexion is as dark as the night. Her cascading
hair is let loose and she is seen wearing a garland that radiates light as
bright as lightning. She is fearsome with her menacing three eyes, radiating
fire. She is mounted on an ass. She has four hands, of which, the top right
hand is in a gesture of rendering boon to all. The other hand on her right is
rendering fearlessness. The top left hand is holding an iron dagger and the
other hand is holding a sickle. Although she has a menacing appearance, she
always delivers favorable results and her devotees need not fear her
manifestations is holding an iron dagger and the other hand is holding a
sickle. Although she has a menacing appearance, she always delivers favorable
results and her devotees need not fear her manifestations. She is worshiped on
the seventh day of the Durga puja. Devi Kaalratri destroys the evil. If anyone
whole-heartedly pleads of saving him from any impending danger, she protects
him. As and when the Goddess is called, the evils instantaneously disappear
from the place. By the Goddess's grace, the devotees overcome their fear of
fire, water, animals and foes.
Mahagouri - The Mother's eighth form is known as
"Mahagouri". Her complexion is totally white. Her garments are also
white. She is mounted on an ox and has four hands. Her top right hand is
rendering fearlessness and the hand below holds a trident. The top left hand
holds a "Damru" and the hand below is in a gesture of giving a boon.
To have Shiva as her husband she went through a rigorous penance in the form of
"Parvati". As a result of this arduous meditation her complexion
turned dark. Lord Shiva, pleased with the devotion of Parvati, bathed her in
the holy water of the Ganges . As she bathed in the holy water she turned fair.
From then onwards she became known as "Mahagouri". She is worshiped
on the eighth day of the Durga puja. The devotee is benefited on all fronts as
he worships the deity. Due to the Goddess's grace the devotee attains
supernatural salvation, he is relieved from all his pains and fatigue and can
set himself free from his previous sins. He is never faced with sorrow and
poverty and never commits any sin. The devotee wins pure and endless virtue.
Siddhidatri - Durga's ninth mold is the form of
"Siddhidatri". She delivers success. According to "Markendeo
Puran" there are eight types of success, such as "Anima",
"Laghima", "Prapti", "Prakashya",
"Mahima", "Ishhattya", "Bashittya",
"Sarvakaam bashayita" and "Sarvagyata". But in the
"SriKrishna Janmakhanda" of the "Brahmavaivarta Puran",
there are another ten types of success such as "Doorsravan",
"Parakayaprabeshan", "Baksiddhi",
"Kalpavrikshattwa", "Srishti", "Samharkaransamartha",
"Amarattwa", "Sarvanaykattwa", "Bhavna" and
"Siddhi". Thus there are eighteen types of successes. Mother
Siddhidatri is capable of rendering all these forms of successes to her
devotees. According to the Purans, Lord Shiva achieved salvation by the grace
of this deity. The deity is seen sometimes sitting on a lotus and sometimes
mounted on a lion. She is four armed. The lower right hand of the Goddess holds
a disc and the upper right hand holds a club. The lower left hand holds a conch
shell and the upper hand holds a lotus. She is worshipped on the ninth day of
the Durga puja. She is the ultimate form of the Goddess among the Navadurga.
After having performed the worship of the other forms of the Goddess according
to the rituals mentioned in the Sashtra, the devotee can then start the worship
of this deity. Those who worship the Goddess with full devotion are bestowed
with all the success. She has been unified with the forces of sustenance and
salvation of the great Lord Vishnu.
Temple Management:
President : Mr Kulwant Joshi General administration, site services , co-ordination with other organisations, profile uplift
Vice president : Mr Shankar Chawla Public contact , transport services for members/public
Treasurer : Mr. Gautam Prabhakar Traffic
management and site emergency services, co-ordination with government
organisations.
Secretary : Mr. Hari Julka Assett
protection, asset development , technical and all sub-committee
co-ordination and company profile enhancement.
Members:
Mr. Gian Gupta – Financial advisor Mr. Pradeep Mehdiratta – education , cultural and
arts Mr.
Vinod malhotra – Festival committee leader and religious group leader- mahant
ji Mr.
Surinder Marwaha – Food services Mr. Ramesh Vazirani – Business development
officer Mr.
Rajan Sharma – youth Group team Leader Mr. Gurpreet Verma – internal auditor and marketing services.
Volunteer group leaders:
Technical committee – Chairman Sh. Sunil Bhalla --
development of assets. Ram
Lila group Festivities
group Religious
lectures group Bhajan
Kirtan group
EVERY DAY MATA BHOG
SPONSERSHIP AVAILABLE $51.00 Contact
Pandit Ji in Temple
MONDAY – FRIDAY 8:00AM to 12:00 PM 4:00PM to 08:30 PM SATURDAY, SUNDAY & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 8:00AM – 8:30PM Aarti Timings 8:30
AM & 7:00 PM Bhandara
Timings Every Sunday, at 1:30pm, Bhandara is provided at Temple. Each week it is sponsored by a devotee, of Sri Durga
Temple
Contact us
Sri Durga Arts/Cultural and Educational Centre (Inc)
705-715 Neale Road, Rockbank, 3335, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia 9747 1628
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the great devotees
, wikisources and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the
collection)
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