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All stories about gods and goddesses are myths by definition because gods and goddesses are spiritual entities and are non-material.The purpose of these stories is not to give historical of materially factual information, their purpose is to teach and to convey values for assimilation and application.The stories of Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati) are told by Sage Markandeya.He relates that one king called Suradha, who was driven out of his kingdom by his own people met one Vaishya (merchant) called Samadhi who was also disowned and driven out of his home by his wife and sons, in the forest at Sumedha’s ashram.They discover that though their own people have disowned then and cruelly evicted them, they are still deeply attached to their kith and kin and are both worried about their welfare. It appears to them that this attachment and concern for those that have rejected and abused them is deeply disconcerting.So they approach Sage Sumedhas and ask him about this mystery and then the sage tells them that all this is the illusion (māyā) created by the great Goddess called Vishnu Māyā. They became curious and wanted to know about this great mother Goddess.He then relates to them the myth of Durga Devi, which consists of three stories in all of which the mother Goddess kills the Asuras - enemies of Gods.Each and every story has deep and profound allegorical significance. For an excellent explanation of this story please download the book - God As Mother - by Swami Chidananda.P.S. Many people are getting confused by the use of the term MYTH. Here is a definition which should clarify things.Mythology is a collection of narratives of the gods, kings and heroes, provides a religious account of the beginning of the world, the creation and time cycles. Retells legends about the cosmic struggle between the gods (forces of Order) and the antigods (forces of Chaos) as a result of which the world, nature and culture were created together with all parts thereof and given their order, which still obtains. A myth expresses and confirms a society's religious values and norms, it provides a pattern of behaviour to be imitated, provides the reason for fasts and festivals and testifies to the efficacy of ritual with its practical ends and establishes the sanctity of temples and pilgrimage sites.

Dear FriendYou see we are outrageously arrogant when it comes to small things, we are so fond of claiming that which we do not have, but we are absurdly humble when it comes to claiming that which we really have. You don’t have a large house but you would not feel shy of boasting it to others that I have a large house and so much money. But it terrifies you no end to admit that you already have enlightenment. There you want to act humble. Why don’t you just admit?Question by a Listener: There have been different definitions of the way the enlightened people behave. Others may think that if we are enlightened then why we are not behaving in that way.That we should have some followers behind us or we should give discourses, activities which enlightened people do.Do all of that, go ahead. How will that help? You can give as many discourses as you want. How will that help? Or you can dance like Meera. You can even try getting crucified like Jesus. Just as a hobby, you know.Obviously you can get resurrected, so there is no real danger. Try all that. Or get your tongue cut-off or eyes gorged out like Mansoor, that is what happens to enlightened people. So, it’s cool.No, obviously one cannot leave what we call as duties. One surely cannot leave them. What does one leave? When do you leave, anything or anybody? Leaving something is one thing and getting it snatched away from you is another. Right? When do you say that leaving is an act of free-will? When can one drop anything? When does that happen? You must have dropped a few things at some point of time, somewhere. When does that dropping happen? When do you leave voluntarily, out of free will? When does that happen?When you are better-off without it, and then, it just drops. So obviously dropping cannot happen till the point you see that this is all that you have, and this is of tremendous significance to you. Now who is this ‘you’? To whom this is tremendously significant? Who is this ‘you’?Let us put it this way. ‘There is something that I am terribly attached to, I cannot drop it.’ Who is this fellow who cannot drop? Who cannot leave? Who is this fellow?This ‘me’ mistakenly eats some pills and now has a memory lapse. The same object that this ‘me’ was so terribly attached to is now lying by my bedside. Will I still be attached? The memory is gone and with memory the identity is gone. Will I still be attached? Yesterday I was saying, ‘I will die if this thing or this body or this person is taken away from my life’, yesterday I was saying, ‘I would collapse if I do not fulfil my duties’, and today the same thing or the same person is there right beside me. Does he mean anything to me anymore?Alright, so who is this ‘me’ who cannot drop? Is it a physical entity? The physical entity is the same. Who is this ‘me’ who cannot leave? Is it a physical entity? Who is this ‘me’ ?The ‘identity’ which is just a thought. With that thought no more arising, that same thing or that same person who use to mean so much to you is irrelevant now, he has already been dropped. So it is just a thought. Do you see that? It has no other substance to it. That thought is arising from your past memory, cultivated identity. You are the one who cultivated that identity so surely, it is within your power to change it, provided you are eager enough. And if you are not eager enough then no big deal, one can always wait.One can always wait, but please be cautious when you say that we cannot drop something. You cannot drop something till the point you think of yourself as you think of yourself right now. It depends upon your self-image- ‘Who am I’? The answer to that question. And one need not feel uneasy about it, because there is no compulsion.Dropping is not a matter of duty, dropping is something that happens. Do you remember, we were talking about that ripe and luscious mango?It drops on its own. Its dropping is maturity, it is a product of ripeness. When the mango is ripe and mature, it drops, it just drops. Even in the case of coconut, do you see how easy it is to separate the shell from the fruit within when it is mature? And till the time the coconut is not ripe, what happens? You cannot separate them.Separation comes with maturity. When the mind is mature, then it does not remain attached anymore. Non-attachment is the fruit of maturity, otherwise it cannot come.This side or that side – there is only freedom. There is no compulsion. You have chosen to act in a particular identity, welcome. And you are the one who will decide that it is the time to move on, welcome again. Enlightenment is not an obligation. Because you are already enlightened, so how can it be an obligation? Nobody is obliged to act like the Buddha- leave the home, leave the family and wander to the jungle. Nobody is obliged to do any of that. It happens and it happens upon ripeness. It just happens. Just happens.Have you heard of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbhkam’? It means that the world is my family. So what is your family? That definition changes. The one who is a mother to one or two will definitely divide and separate and will want to promote her one or two, at the cost of the rest of the world. I often ask this question to mothers, we have so many mothers here, they take great care of their children. What about the beggars on the streets?Obviously you do not feel the same way for them. Right?You may throw a few used clothes at them, but that is not the same thing as taking care of your own kids. So you are a mother of two, your family is of five members or ten members maybe, and that is the limit of your ego. Do you see that there is a lot of violence involved in that? When ‘my’ family consists of five people then the rest of the universe is directly or indirectly antagonistic to me. Then I have to have an explicit or implicit hostility towards the rest of the universe. So the definition of the family has to change.And remember, this fragmentation does not have anything to do with other persons. This is primarily a fragmentation in the mind, because the mind is narrow, petty and small. Hence, the family remains narrow and small because my mind is so small that it can have space for only five people. So my family remains limited for five people. When the mind widens, when the expanse of the heart increases, then there is enough space in it to accommodate the entire world. So family remains, but the size of the family changes.We are related to everyone. But in what sense? You see, you are related in the sense that mind versus the other. You too are related, there is no doubt about it. Left to yourself, you would want to be related to all people in the world. How?‘Let everybody in the world pay rupees ten to me, rupees ten from each would make me a billionaire.’ You are related in the sense of exploitation. You are related in the sense that this is ‘my’ circle and I am related to them as an insider and the rest of the world is outside ‘my’ circle and I am related to them as an outsider. So you are related, but you are related in a very violent way.That is not the way a Krishna is related. Krishna is related by the way of oneness. The entire world is his. There is no ‘other’ for him.Most of the content of this answer is coming from a very meaningful blog 'Words Into Silence'.Do visit it for further clarity on this and any other unresolved questions you may have regarding life.

There is a saying from Buddhism* :Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.As in anything Zen, it can be interpreted in many ways, depending upon your needs of the moment.Basically in this case, I mean it to say:While you still believe in a god who has a personal relationship to and looks after you, you do the tedious and difficult daily work of this life because it pleases him and because you hope to be rewarded for your labour in heaven, after you have died.After you have realised that the possibility there is a giant entity who knows all 7 billion of our names is so remote as to be functionally impossible, you have to learn to do the tedious and difficult work of daily life for different reasons. You have to learn to expect your reward here and now rather than later.It's not easy. Many people fall into a deep depression when they realise there is no-one in the sky protecting them specifically. It's frightening. It's daunting. It all seems so futile if there is no-one up there with a greater plan that explains all the heartache of life.But in fact, if you are willing to do the difficult emotional work of honesty and acceptance, once you have passed this milestone you can begin to be freed from the terrible demands of your ego . No, you are not an irreplaceable part of some god's plan. In a hundred years, nobody will know who you were. You are free to do whatever you like according to your own moral code which you are now free to invent for yourself.Yes, some people will probably invent a personal code which includes the idea that killing and eating other people is fine, but so have those who profess faith in a god. Your morals are not tied to a list of rules from god; they are tied to your character.* a group of related philosophies with rituals and traditions attached, often mistakenly referred to as a religion