God's portraits
We know that the gods’ portraits with various animals, birds and other divine features. In nature, each life form has its own character and powers, imbibed strength, and specialized skill sets. These characteristics and capabilities of cosmic energy in such animal and bird forms can be obtained by people when they worship the gods’ idols along with various animals and birds. The powers of animals like tigers, elephants, lions, horses, etc., have always symbolized amazing skills and qualities. We cannot worship animals and birds directly. But when their portraits and statuses are kept in our environment, cosmic energy around such objects may induce some energy in us due to reflection characteristics. Such cosmic energy inducement may be mild.
The gods (eternal human souls) are depicted with various animals and birds, which the devotees believe as their Vahanas. Vahana means vehicle. It is believed that gods use such vahanas for their cosmic travel from one place to another place. The different gods are depicted with various animals and birds as their vahanas. Skilled gods’ souls can travel from one place to another location without any such vahanas’ help. It does not mean that the gods use such Vahanas for their travel. It is just a symbolic representation.
Skilled godly souls know the cosmic secrets and can travel via air in their soul energy form from one place to another without any such vahanas’ help. This skill is referred to as the “Ashtama siddhi.” One of such siddhis is known as “Prapthi,” i.e., the capacity to enter all the worlds (places). This is possible for the gods due to their mental powers. Thus, the divine representations of animals and birds as Vahanas (i.e., vehicles) with the gods in the temples as idols or in their portraits are not meant for the traveling purposes of the gods.
We have seen that the free-roaming cosmic energy particles (atoms) can reflect similar characteristics of the portraits and objects onto their viewers. The cosmic energies around the gods’ idols and portraits reflect the respective god’s characteristics and skills. To develop certain characteristics and abilities of various animals and birds, the saints and rishis worshipped those animals and birds along with the gods. Thus, one can obtain those animals’ and birds’ cosmic skills.
Sri Durga Devi or any other goddess with a lion:
The goddess Sri Durga Devi represents and blesses a devotee with courage. Sri Durga Devi is a divine title, and many courageous female souls are worshipped in this divine title. There are nine different forms of Durga Devi, referred to as Nava Durga (Nava means nine). Each form of Durga Devi primarily represents the aspects of courage and specific other blessing characteristics. Durga Devi rules a particular cosmic region around their temple bravely like a lion. Sri Durga Devi can bless the devotee with auspicious aspects required for human life and the courage to fight and solve problems. Sri Durga Devi is generally depicted with a lion. Thus, while worshipping, a devotee can obtain divine energy from Durga Devi. Additionally, he/she receives the cosmic powers of the lion, which is depicted as a Vahana of Sri Durga Devi. The characteristics and powers of a lion are courage, strength, fearlessness, bravery, royalty, leadership, power, pride, dignity, authority, etc.
When Durga Devi is worshipped along with a lion, the devotees imbibe such courageous powers in their character, strengthening their mind power or self-confidence level. The lions always hunt in a group. Hence, when Durga Devi is worshipped with the lion, the entire family members of a devotee imbibe courage to face any inconvenient situation with unity instead of blaming each other for the problems that arose. When a family faces any problem, the worship of Durga Devi with a lion gives them the courage and power to face and overcome the problems.
Sri Durga Devi or any other gods with a tiger:
Some of the Durga Devi titled goddesses are depicted with tigers. The goddess Sri Durga Devi has the cosmic powers to bless with courage, character, and intense mental abilities. By worshipping Durga Mata, depicted with a tiger, the devotees can develop skills to face any challenging problems in their life individually. The tiger is a solitary animal that hunts alone and is famous for its strength, willpower, and courage. No animal can defeat a tiger in a one-to-one battle. Lions will hunt as a group. But the tiger will hunt alone. So, when Sri Durga Devi is worshipped with a tiger in portraits, the worshippers develop a courageous attitude and can face any problematic situation alone. They do not wait for any support.
The cosmic energies (atom particles) encircling the portraits of such animals with gods gradually increase one’s mind power during the worship of such postures. Lord Sri Ayyappa in Kerala state is worshipped with a tiger. His temple is located in a mountain called Sabari Mala. The worshippers visit his temple through deep forest. To visit such places, one must need courage. By worshipping his portrait with a tiger, a devotee develops courage which is useful for his temple visit without any fear. Such memory helps a person to develop courage needed for his soul’s afterlife.
Some people keep the skin, nails, and teeth of a tiger which can also induce courageous characters. Most worshippers do not have much courage. They forgot one basic aspect worshipping a god with brave characters will increase their courage which is mandatory in the afterlife. A human soul needs the courage to exist as an intact soul and to protect oneself from evil souls. Thus, the gods are worshiped with courageous animals and symbols to boost the brave characters of the worshippers and their souls. In life, at least one such brave god must be worshiped by everybody to help their souls to withstand a brave soul.
Read more ….. The True Divinity Volume III