Thread by @jeysundhar_d

Does Durga Saptasati of Markandeya Purana qualify as a “Brahminical, patriarchal, casteist, and racist rewrite”?

What about Devi Bhagavatam? Does it fall under the same category?
#ShortThread

https://twitter.com/SJSindu/status/1653375074441805834

The Durga Saptasati clearly states
दुर्गायै दुर्गपारायै सारायै सर्वकारिण्यै
ख्यात्यै तथैव कृष्णायै धूम्रायै सततं नमः

Offering salutations to Durga who is dark as smoke in complexion.

To Durga who carries one across difficulties, and is the essence and cause of everything.

Devi Bhagavatam says about Her appearance

"नीलाञ्जन समप्रख्यम् नीलपद्मायतेक्षणम्”

Not just that she is dark, but that she is dark as collyrium (kajal).

Using tags like “Brahminical, patriarchal, casteist, and racist rewrite” seems to have become standard practice, with complete disregard for what the Pauranic descriptions are.

It's quite intriguing to see depictions of the Goddess, more or less in line with the Puranas, and yet be told that this is some sort of "reclaiming"?

What are you reclaiming? And what from?
Are such buzzwords sufficient to lull discerning readers?
I wonder.

Of course, this is just to show that the "reclaimed" description is not at odds with that in the Puranas.

But, the larger point is that Devi is beyond such binaries or limitations of complexion or any attribute for that matter.