Listen & Chant Along
Meaning & Translation
Sanskrit
हे मा दुर्गा
Transliteration
He Ma Durga
Deity / Quality Invoked
Durga
Word by Word
Pronunciation
hey mah DOOR-gah
Full Translation
The simplest of prayers: "O Mother Durga!" Calling the Mother by name — He Ma! — is itself the practice, a cry of longing and trust to the goddess who rides the lion and guards her children through every difficulty.
Spiritual Significance
Durga's name means "she who is difficult to conquer" — the invincible protectress. Calling to her as Ma, Mother, softens the warrior goddess into intimacy: her fierceness is understood as compassion in action, cutting away fear and defending the tender heart of her devotee.
Cultural Context & History
"Hey Ma Durga (Compassion)" is a signature chant of Sean Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band from their album Devaloka (2009). Formed in New Orleans in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the band pours gospel, rock, and second-line soul into mantra — music they describe as flowing from the confluence of the Ganges and the Mississippi Delta.
Terms in the Glossary
Words from this page, explained in our A–Z reference.