Shailputri
The first form of the goddess Mahadurga is worshipped as the goddess Shailputri. She is the first of the nine forms of the goddess. The word Shail means mountain and putri means daughter hence the literal translation of the word Shailputri means “Daughter of the Mountain”. She is also called Shailaija. The goddess is seated on a bull that is her vehicle, she is wearing a green sari (in some representations she is seen as wearing a pink or even a red sari) and is holding a trident in one hand and a lotus in the other. She is considered to be “prakriti” or nature. It is said that whatever exists in creation is due to her. There are three stages in the world. These are creation, preservation and destruction. In all the three forms the goddess Shailputri is worshipped. It is she who does the work of expanding the Universe, then she maintains it and when ones time is due awards death also. The goddess is seen as a power of the Supreme lord of the Universe Shiv. Lord Shiv is the god of benefaction and the goddess is the benefactress. The entire world runs due to the Power and the Power Holder. That is why the goddess is seen as nature. The emotion is that nature gives a person life, nature sustains a person and nature becomes the cause of the person’s death when the time comes to end. The Mantra to worship the goddess is