Durga दुर्गा | Riding Out to Battle | Museum Poster

दुर्गा | The bow is drawn, child. The arrow is on the string. The lion is in full stride. Look at her face — calm as a still lake even as the wind tears at her hair. The eight hands hold what each one needs to hold: bow, sword, trident, mace, conch, chakra, lotus, the gesture that says fear not. The marigolds fly past her. The demon does not yet know she has set out. By the time he turns to look, the arrow will already have left the string. She rides not because she loves the fight, but because the world needs her to.