Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi fiercely protects Dharma and destroys Adharma. She does not help even Her devotees if the cause is not just and Dharmic. This aspect of the Devi is unmistakeably noticeable in the Hindu epic Ramayana.
Nikumbala Yaga is a sacred ritual to worship Pratyangira Devi. One of the Devi's names is Aparajita, which means undefeatable. It is said that one who performs the Nikumbala Yaga takes on the attributes of Pratyangira Devi and becomes an Aparajita themselves.
In the Ramayana, Lord Rama was fighting for Dharma with Ravana who was Adharmic. Ravana's son Indrajit was adept at performing Nikumbala Yaga. He did not necessarily agree with the cause of his father. But he mistakenly felt that his Dharma was to be on the side of his father. When the war was at its pinnacle, Indrajit undertook the Nikumbala Yaga to gain the powers needed to defeat Lord Rama.
Lakshmana and Hanuman came down to stop this ritual because they knew if Indrajit completed it, they could not defeat him. Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi bestowed Her strength and intelligence to them to stop Indrajit from completing the Nikumbala Yaga. Because Indrajit was on the side of Adharma, Pratyangira Devi let him die on the battlefield even though he was Her devotee.
We can internalize this story within our being. All of us have negative aspects within us which are our real enemies, symbolized by Indirajit in the story. Pratyangira Devi is the Goddess and energy to stop and destroy these negative aspects within ourselves so that we can walk towards Mukti, liberation.
Read more: Conquer Your Internal Enemies
