Bombe Habba has so many meanings. One of them is all aboutDevi and her manifestations. In this post the manifestations of Devi are detailed.
Devi, Durga, Gauri, Parvati, Uma there are so many names, so many forms of the goddess. She gets worshipped in numerous ways and Navaratri is the festival that belongs to her. Here is a brief attempt to explain about her divinity through a photo story.
During Navaratri, the temples in the city are buzzing with energy. So many people, chants, prayers, flowers and lamps. The glow and energy is tremendous. Devi is worshipped in many forms right from her popular figure of Mahishasuramardini, Adi Shakti to village dieties and the saptamatrikas or the seven mothers. The picture above shows this. While the extreme left is the image of Mahishasuramardini where Durga with ten arms, riding a lion, weapons in hand, kills the buffalo demon named Mahishasura, the next is the very image of creation where Devi gets worshipped as Primordial Power-the Adi Shakthi, then there are saptamatrikas- the extensions of Durga and according to Devi Mahatmya text, the Mātṛkās are said to arise from Durga’s own energy and finally a utsav Murthy or the chariot image of Devi with her hand in the Abhaya pose or in blessings.
All these images, iconography can be confusing for a person seeking to know the reality. While I am a novice in this area, there is a very interesting take of Devi, her meaning, significance in the book ‘ Glorious Alchemy’ by Kavitha Chinnaiyan. This post is a summary of a part of this book.
The Unmanifest
Who is Devi?Is she Adi Shakti the cosmic energy? Or Durga/Mahishasuramardini a fierce protector? Or is she a collective power like the saptamatrikas, both nurturing and fierce? Is she goddess Saraswathi, a giver of knowledge or Lakshmi-the goddess of wealth?
What begins is just the Divine! Call it Reality , the Supreme Consciousness , God anything. But in the non dualistic philosophy of looking at things there is only One. Nothing else. The One is the ultimate reality — pure existence, beyond form, name, or attributes.It is One, unmanifest, undivided, silent potential.
This Divinity or the supreme power has absolute freedom to be anything. It is unbounded, unlimited, formless. It has no form, no names, no attributes, no gender. Yet if it wishes it can manifest itself into forms; then it can be masculine/feminine and have names, play different roles. It can play out as small, & minute like the thoughts and emotions in us or it can be as large & infinite as the universe. In other words Reality can be nothing, anything and everything all at once says the author.
The Manifest
When this Reality begins to express itself (manifestation), the first “movement” happens.The one Reality becomes two.
These two aspects of Reality are named as Shiva and Shakti.
- Śhiva is Pure Consciousness, still, unchanging, the witness.
- Śhakti is Creative Power, dynamic, ever-moving, the energy that makes things happen.
These two Shiva & Shakti are inseparable like fire and heat quotes the author. So to sum up Reality is not just consciousness, but consciousness + energy (Śhiva + Śhakti) — inseparable.They are the very first expression of the Unmanifest, and there is nothing “prior” outside of this union.Reality is their inseparable union.
So when the consciousness focusses on itself , it is still. There is no manifestation, no creation. When it decides to become many then energy flows into consciousness and creation happens.
The creative power of Shiva is Shakti who is dynamic. When the One wants to become many, the creation arises, the cosmos comes into being. So this creative energy of Shiva is Shakti. She is the one with the attributes. she is the one who is sacred, auspicious, beautiful, lovely and all other adjectives you can think of. She is the cosmos with all the beings-full of form, and energy.
Another beautiful way of looking at it is this.
When Shakti closes her eyes, in other words she becomes still or turns towards Shiva the entire cosmos gets absorbed back into her. When she opens her eyes, and turns away from consciousness ,she is in motion and the cosmos arises. The world is real, sacred, and a play (līlā) of the Goddess, not mere illusion.
If you’re looking through non-dual Vedanta , Reality is beyond both names, and Shiva-Shakti are poetic ways to describe how the One becomes Many.
Bombe Habba and Devi
The Navaratri doll arrangement depicts this. This is another version of what the Bombe Habba or Golu means. For other versions of how Navaratri golu dolls are arranged check out this article here . Here in this picture at the top is Devi, four armed carrying noose,goad, sugracane bow and five flower arrows.
When you look through a Shakta lens, the Unmanifest itself is Adi Shakti, and Shiva is her still counterpart.The Goddess is seen as both the manifest and the unmanifest, or rather Her being includes unity of both. She is the Great Mother, the divine feminine power, the union of Shiva and Shakti in the non-dual sense. And so all the lower levels are her creation. The arrangement above depicts this with different gods, saints, animals and birds, humans occupying the layers below. Everything submerges into her and she sits on top.
The Truth Unseen
So why then is this truth not seen? Why do humans suffer? That is because when the Divine limits itself , into forms and boundaries, it also becomes absorbed in its own stories and egos. The Divine is becoming many for fun. And so the ‘many’ fail to realise their true nature.
There are three ways why the ego is unable to identify its unlimited nature. And these are known as Malas. The first is AnavaMala. Whatever you do, you find a void within you. It is unfulfilled, and constantly in search of that completeness. So this is an obstacle in your path of searching for truth.Āṇava Mala is the sense of incompleteness, smallness, or lack. It makes the infinite Self (Śiva-Śakti) experience itself as a limited individual — fragile, needy, cut off from the whole.
The second Mala is Mayiya which is the ‘me story’. Everything is about me. My home, my relationships, my life. The world and me are two different separate entities. the sense of difference: “this is me, that is you, this is mine, that is not. This again is an obstacle to your journey.When we see everything as separate, we lose sight of the fact that the universe is one fabric of Śiva-Śakti.This leads to attachments, aversions, judgments
The third Mala is Karma Mala. This is the act of ownership about everything. It is the web of actions and reactions that binds us into cycles.It is the sense of doership — “I am the one acting, I am responsible, I am bound by what I do. When seen from non-dual awareness, action is no longer “mine.” It is the play of Śakti within Śiva — energy moving within consciousness.
So karma no longer binds.
Āṇava Mala is considered the deepest impurity, the starting point of bondage. From this sense of limitation – Māyīya Mala arises (we start dividing the world into me vs. others).Karma Mala arises (we act from that sense of incompleteness, creating karmic bonds).
Whichever state you are in , whether you believe Shiva is everything or the Mother goddess is or whatever state you are in -be it a lack of worth, a lack of fulfilment, devotion to the higher powers is a way to get into the right path. You may be walking without a sense of purpose but I believe that the Devi is always there looking out for you. Just turn the focus towards her and start walking. You will soon move in the right direction!
Notes for Educators & Parents:
This post was primarily written for women who are a great source of strength. But it can still be used as an experiential learning tool for children. The ideas of the Unmanifest and Manifest Mother connect closely with NCERT themes.
- In Class 6, students explore the Upanishads and the search for the ultimate truth.
- In Class 7, the Bhakti traditions reveal the worship of the Goddess in many forms.
- At the senior level (Class 12), Puranic traditions show how the divine reality was expressed through Shakti worship and temple art. Together, these lessons help us see how the philosophical idea of truth beyond form shaped India’s cultural and spiritual heritage.