Newsletter Archives

TEN MAHAVIDYAS :
MANIFESTATIONS OF COSMIC
FEMALE ENERGY

The material contained in this newsletter/article is owned by ExoticIndiaArt Pvt Ltd.

Reproduction of any part of the contents of this document, by any means, needs the prior permission of the owners.

Copyright © 2010 ExoticIndiaArt

 TEN M AH AVI D YAS : M AN I FESTATI ON S OF
COSM I C FEM ALE EN ERGY

Ar t icle of t he M ont h – M a r ch 2 0 1 0

Ten Mahavidyas, t he charism at ic goddesses of Hindu pant heon looked at wit h great
curiosit y world over, m ore t han any ot her group of divinit ies, are rat her t he lat e
ent rant s int o rit ual- religio- cult ural st ream of I ndian t hought and t heology. I dent ically
conceived in m any t hings, as a group of divinit ies having bizarre form s and exot ic
charact er, and pregnant wit h st range m agical powers, t hese goddesses, invariably
num bering t en, m ake a debut at t heir earliest in around elevent h- t welft h cent uries,
t hough it is rat her in fourt eent h cent ury Shakt a t ext s t hat t heir em ergence is m ore
decisive and it is here t hat t hey are ident ified as Mahavidyas in unam biguous t erm s.

These Shakt a t ext s, 'upa' or subordinat e 'puranas' as t hey are called in t he script ural
t radit ion, are largely t he collect ions of hym ns – 'nam a- st rot as', dedicat ed t o each of
t hese goddesses and recit ed t o invoke t hem for accom plishing a desired obj ect ive.
These early 'nam a- st rot a' t ext s reveal iconographic form and basic nat ure of each of
t he t en Mahavidyas, and som et im es each one's power t o fulfill a prayer. However, in
t hese t ext s or rat her in t he ent ire body of t he Mahavidyas- relat ed lit erat ure, barring
a few narrat ives in regard t o t heir origin or allusions t o t heir exploit s in various fields
appearing here and t here, an effort at exploring t heir concept ual aspect ,
m et aphysical m eaning, sym bolic dim ensions or even t heological st at us, hardly ever
reveals.

SOM E EARLY GOD D ESSES I N TH EI R ROLE AS M AH AVI D YAS

Not t hat all goddesses of t he group had

lat e em ergence, t he black goddess Kali,
lot us goddess Kam ala, or even Tara, had
very early presence in religious st ream s
of I ndia and were widely worshipped.
Kam ala is rat her a Rig- Vedic deit y and as
Shri a full Rig- Vedic Sukt a has been
devot ed t o her. However, in t heir role as
Mahavidyas, individually and as a group,
t hey m ake t heir presence felt from
around fourt eent h cent ury, or a lit t le
early. Wit h a different role and form ,
som et hing like a post - puranic
proliferat ion of t he cult , even Kali,
Kam ala or Tara em erge as t heir own ant i-
m odels. As a m at t er of fact , at least in
t heir visual represent at ions t he post -
Mahavidya iconographic form s of Kali and
Tara – horror- st riking naked figures
st anding on Shiva's supine body, so
M a h avidya Godde ss Ta r a w it h a Pa ir of overwhelm ed t he scenario t hat t heir pre-
Scissor s in H e r H a n d Mahavidya form s were only rarely seen.
Miniat ure Paint ing on Paper ( Art ist - Kailash Raj )

Page 2
I n t heir Puranic m odels m aint aining cosm ic order was t he prim ary role of Kali,
Kam ala, or even Tara; in t heir form s as Mahavidyas such role in regard t o t hem
becom es subsidiary or rat her insignificant . I n her Mahavidya form Kam ala, Vishnu's
consort in Puranic t radit ion, is rarely invoked or visually represent ed wit h Vishnu,
her spouse. I n her Mahavidya- t ransform t his Vaishnavit e goddess of t he Vedas, and
Puranas in t he Vedic line, seem s t o t ilt , at least in her bearing, t o Shaivit e side. I n
t heir relat ed hym ns ot her Mahavidyas are also lauded as spouses of m ale gods;
however, t his spousal aspect in case of t hem all is weak and insignificant . Too
independent t o be in a wife's fram e, besides gender t hey have in t hem lit t le which is
consort - like; t hey all are rat her st ubborn and over- dom inat ing possessed of, or
rat her obsessed by, a desire t o bend t heir m ale part ners t o t heir will and t o have a
final say in everyt hing.

M AH AVI D YAS : APPEARAN CE, N ATURE AN D M ETAPH YSI CAL

M EAN I N G

The goddesses of unusual

t ype, all of t hem are
conceived wit h fearful
dem eanour and agit at ing
m ind, and as dest ruct ion-
loving, t hough at t im es t hey
are also am orous and
benevolent , and peacefully
poised. I n som e of t hem , as in
Tripura- Sundari who has been
conceived t riply, as Tripura-
bala – t he virgin, as Tripura-
Sundari – t he beaut eous, and
as Tripura- Bhairavi – t he
t errible, such diversit y bet t er
m anifest s.

Shoda sh i a s Tr ipu r asun da r i

Miniat ure Paint ing on Paper

Page 3
 Collect ively t hey seem t o represent
st ages in a wom an's life cycle except
her m ot herhood. They are hardly ever
lauded or visually represent ed as
m ot hers or wit h m ot herly at t ribut es – a
child in arm s as have Mat rikas, or wit h
breast s filled wit h m ilk as has Am bika,
Annapurna or Mot her- goddess.

Par va t i w it h Ga n esh a in h e r Lap

Miniat ure Paint ing on Paper

Met aphysically int erpret ed,

Mahavidyas represent cosm ic
realit y, bot h it s dynam ic and
st at ic form s prevailing over
all seen and unseen spaces,
all direct ions, as also all
elem ent al regions, sum m ed
up as t en. Mahavidyas, t en
m anifest at ions of t he Divine
Fem ale, preside over t en
elem ent al regions of t his
cosm ic realit y, as also it s
absolut e nat ure – dynam ic as
well as st at ic. In
m et aphysical t erm s, Kali,
Tara, Bagala, Bhairavi,
Tripura- Sundari, and
som et im es Chinnam ast a Th e Ten M ah a vidya s w it h Ya n t r a s
represent it s dynam ics while Madhubani Paint ing on Hand Made Paper t reat ed wit h Cow Dung
Dhum avat i, Mat angi, Kam ala Art ist Vidya Devi and Dhirendra Jha
and Bhuwaneshvari, it s
st at ics.

Page 4
SH AI VI TE AN D TAN TRI KA LI N KS OF M AH AVI D YAS

Mahavidyas, t he product of
Shakt ism , m ore especially of
Tant rika Shakt ism , wit h t heir
st rong links wit h Sat i, Parvat i
and Kali – all Shiva's
spouses, are Shaivit e in
nat ure, t hough cont rarily, in
m yt hs, as well as
concept ually, t radit ion
subordinat es Shiva t o t hem ,
not t hem t o Shiva. As a rule
t hey are represent ed as
Shiva's superior. The cult of
Shiva's subordinat ion t o t hem
has it s root s in various m yt hs
relat ed t o Mahavidyas' origin.
I n Sat i- relat ed m yt h Sat i's
One W h o I ll Tr e a t s H is W ife is Pu n ish e d by t he Gr e at
will prevails over Shiva, while
Godde ss
Madhubani Paint ing on Hand Made Paper ( Art ist : Lalit a Devi) in Kali- relat ed m yt h Shiva,
fed up wit h Kali's unt idy
habit s, t ries t o flee from her but wit h all exit s blocked by her he helplessly subm it s
t o her will. Mahavidyas have fierce form s, unt idy habit s, dest ruct ive nat ure, m yst ic
dim ensions and st range m agical, m edit at ive and Yogik powers. I n m ost Tant ras t hey
are t he presiding deit ies of t he Tant rika rit uals. Though Mahavidyas are endowed
wit h m asculine build t oo rough and t ough for a wom an, t hey oft en m anifest a
fem inine m ind agit at ing against every t ype of m asculine arrogance, part icularly
when a m ale, whet her a fat her or husband, abuses, ignores, slight s, or even t ries t o
dom inat e t hem . This agit at ion oft en t ransform s int o dreadful wrat h, which t ruly
defines all Mahavidyas.

M AH AVI D YAS : TH EI R OW N CON TRAD I CTI ON S

Mahavidyas have st range cont radict ions. They are

individualist ic in nat ure, yet t heir ident it y bet t er
reveals as a group. Many form s wit h diverse nat ure
as t he Mahavidyas are, t hey are essent ially t he
m anifest at ions of one Divine Being. They are t ruly
t he concret e expression of t he idea of m any form s of
t he One. Som e of t he Mahavidyas wit h t heir
associat ion wit h crem at ion ground, corpses and
dest ruct ion represent deat h on one hand, and wit h
t heir naked figures som et im es engaged in copulat ion
wit h an inert body lying under t hem represent sex
and fert ilit y on t he ot her, and t hus a st range
synt hesis of opposit es, t he deat h and t he sex –
cessat ion and creat ion. I n an am bience where deat h
and dest ruct ion reigns, Mahavidyas represent what
defines t he life, t he t im eless yout h, t he body's
kinet ic energy and t he desire t o produce, of which
sex is t he incessant source, and t he creat ion. The
benevolent ones, Mahavidyas bless an adept but
oft en by dest roying or harm ing som eone, one of M ah a vidya Ba gala m u k h i
t heir adept 's enem ies or opponent s, t hus dest ruct ion Brass Sculpt ure ( Art ist : Kishore )
being oft en Mahavidyas' m ode of blessing.

Page 5
M AH AVI D YAS : TH E M EAN I N G OF TH E TERM

The broad m eaning of t he t erm 'Mahavidya' is

'great knowledge'. I n it s wider sense t he t erm
m ight be t aken t o m ean com plet e, suprem e,
absolut e, or ult im at e knowledge. Tant rikas claim
t hat t en Mahavidyas st and for 't en great
m ant ras', for a 'm ant ra' and 'vidya' are t he sam e.
They assert t hat a m ant ra is t he deit y m anifest
as t he deit y, at least in Tant rika way, does not
em erge unless invoked t hrough a m ant ra. They
claim t hat t he deit y em erges from t he m ant ra if it
is correct ly pronounced. Not m erely t he deit y's
vehicle, m ant ra is her body, being and essence.
Thus, even if t he deit y exist s beyond it , it is in
t he m ant ra dedicat ed t o her, defining her form ,
at t ribut es and powers, t hat she becom es
m anifest and is realised.

M yst ica l For m ulae ( Pa r t 1 - M a nt r a s)

Book

Hence, t en m ant ras are t en m anifest at ions of t he deit y – t he Divine Fem ale. Such
Tant rika t hesis is j ust t he ext ension of t he ancient I ndian cult of t he 'shabda-
brahm a' which claim s 'shabda' – sound, t o be t he essence of t he t ot al realit y – t he
Ult im at e t hat t he t erm 'Brahm a' defines. The m ant ra – t he sound condensed int o
sacred syllabic ut t erance, m anifest s t hus an aspect of t he Ult im at e, and t en
m ant ras, Ult im at e's all t en dim ensions. Under anot her sound- based I ndian t heory of
Sphot a – explosion of sound, which claim s sound t o be t he m anifest at ion of cosm ic
power, t his Tant rika assum pt ion is int erpret ed in a slight ly different way. I f a
Mahavidya is a m ant ra, t he m ost int ense condensat ion of sound, and as m ant ra she
m anifest s one aspect of cosm ic power, t en Mahavidyas – t he t en m ant ras, m anifest
cosm ic power in aggregat e. Under yet anot her t heory, Mahavidyas are som et im es
seen as t he source of ult im at e knowledge – all t hat is t o be known. I t views
Mahavidyas as represent ing t ranscendent al knowledge, sum m ed up int o t en st ages
or obj ect s, each of which one Mahavidya represent s.

ORI GI N OF M AH AVI D YAS

As regards t he origin of Mahavidyas, t he t radit ion has five m yt hs in prevalence;

however, am ong t hem t he one t hat relat es t o Sat i, Shiva's consort and t he daught er
of Daksha Praj apat i, one of t he Brahm a's sons, is t he m ain and m ore widely known.
Ot her four relat e t o Parvat i, Kali, Durga and Sharakshi, ident ified also as
Shakam bhari. The Sat i- relat ed m yt h em erges wit h pre- em inence in Brahaddharm a
Purana and Mahabhagavat a Purana. Myt h's versions appearing in lat er t ext s are
alm ost ident ical t o t hem .

Sat i, t he daught er of Daksha Praj apat i, had m arried Shiva against t he will of her
fat her who had great dislike for Shiva. For such act of Sat i Daksha was as m uch
annoyed wit h his daught er and had split all t ies wit h her. Once, Daksha Praj apat i
organised a great yaj na – sacrifice. He invit ed people from far and wide but t o slight
Shiva and Sat i did not invit e t hem . Shiva felt insult ed but was indifferent t o it .
However, Sat i, not in a m ood t o forgive her fat her for t he insult , decided t o go t o her

Page 6
fat her's house and disrupt t he yaj na. Her anguish was so deep t hat when Shiva
forbade her from doing it , her wrat h t urned from her fat her t o him . Besides accusing
him of neglect ing her and t hrust ing his decisions upon her, in fury her lim bs began
t rem bling and eyes – t urned red and bright as if em it t ing fire.

Fright ened Shiva closed his eyes but when he opened t hem , he was dism ayed t o see
st anding before him a wom an wit h a fierce form . The m om ent he looked at her, she
began growing old. Her fem inine charm s began disappearing, and her arm s,
branching int o four. She had disheveled hair, fiery com plexion and a lolling t ongue
m oving from one side t o ot her over sweat - sm eared lips. She wore a crescent as her
crown. Except what a garland of severed hands covered her figure was naked. Her
form blazed and from it em it t ed brilliance of a m illion rising suns. Wit h her laught er
she shat t ered t he eart h and filled wit h awe t he world from one end t o ot her.
Fright ened Shiva t ried t o flee from one direct ion t o ot her but a burst of laught er
obst ruct ed him on every side, and dism ayed and fright ened he subm it t ed. To furt her
ensure t hat he did not slip t he wom an, obviously Sat i's t ransform , filled all direct ions
around him wit h t en different form s. These t en form s of Sat i were t en Mahavidyas.
On his query Shiva was revealed t heir nam es and also t heir ident it y by Sat i herself
in som e versions of t he m yt h as Sat i's friends, and in ot her, as her own form s. A
fright ened Shiva allowed her t o j oin her fat her's yaj na and do as she chose. The rest
of t he m yt h is t he sam e as in ot her cont ext s. I n annoyance an insult ed and
disgraced Sat i j um ped int o Daksha's yaj na and dest royed herself as well as t he
yaj na.

Parvat i- relat ed m yt h is largely t he

creat ion of oral t radit ion prevalent in
Tant rika world. Parvat i was Sat i in her
re- birt h aft er she had killed herself in t he
course of t he yaj na t hat her fat her
Daksha Praj apat i had organised. Broken
by Sat i's deat h Shiva had decided not t o
m arry again. However, Parvat i, by her
great penance, subdued him t o m arry
her. She was t hus his second wife. One
day Shiva decided t o leave Parvat i.
Parvat i prayed him not t o go away from
her but he did not concede. Finally,
Parvat i t ransform ed herself int o t en
form s and wit h t hem blocked all t he t en
doors of t he house and foiled his at t em pt
t o leave. I nt erpret ed in Tant rika way t he
allegory suggest s t hat t he body is t he
house, Shiva, t he self, t en doors, body's
t en openings – t wo eyes, t wo ears, t wo
nost rils, m out h, anus, penis or vagina,
and 'brahm arandhra' – an apert ure at
t he t op of t he head, and Parvat i's t en Th e Bir t h of Te n M a h avidya s w it h Shiva
form s wit h which t hese t en doors were Pa r va t i a nd Se r pe nt Coile d Shr i Ch a k r a
blocked, t he t en Mahavidyas. Madhubani Paint ing on Hand Made Paper Treat ed
Allegorically, wit h t he help of Mahavidyas wit h Cow Dung
Art ist s: Shri Dhirendra Jha and Shrim at i Vidya
t he adept can lock self int o t he body Devi
ensuring long life.

Kali- relat ed m yt h is a m ore recent t radit ion appearing in a sect ion of cont em porary
vernacular Tant rika lit erat ure. As t he m yt h goes, in Sat a or Sat ya- yuga, Shiva lived
wit h Kali. One day Shiva declared t hat he was t ired of Kali's unt idy habit s and would
not live wit h her anym ore. Kali did not react nor st opped him from doing so. Shiva

Page 7
went away and roam ed from one place t o ot her; however, wherever he went he
found a form of Kali facing him . Not Kali alone, nine ot her form s, m any of t hem
ident ical t o Kali, encount ered him . The Shakt a t radit ion acclaim s t hat from his
encount er wit h t hese form s Shiva at t ained ult im at e knowledge – 'm aha vidya' in it s
t en form s. He realised t hat in one form or t he ot her t he Great Goddess was present
everywhere and at all t im es. These form s t hus becam e known as Mahavidyas.

Som e iconographic represent at ions, in m any of which t he cent rally locat ed Devi,
usually Mahishasuram ardini Durga, has Mahavidyas surrounding her, link t he origin
of Mahavidyas wit h Mahadevi's bat t le against dem ons. I n one set of illust rat ions
such dem on is Mahisha, and in ot her, t hese are Shum bha and Nishum bha. As
various m yt hs cont ained in t he Devi- Mahat m ya and ot her early Puranas have it ,
once t he m ight y dem on Mahisha, or ident ically t he dem ons Shum bha and
Nishum bha, defeat ed gods and oust ed t hem from t heir land. Unable t o confront
t hem gods approached Brahm a who disclosed t hat no m ale shall ever be able t o kill
t hese dem ons. Thereupon gods approached Mahadevi and prayed her for rescuing
t hem and t heir land from t he not orious dem ons. Mahadevi prom ised t hem t o help
and waged a war against dem ons. As t he t hird Cant o of t he Devi- Mahat m ya has it ,
t oo form idable t o defeat , Mahadevi creat ed her own different form s, m ainly Sapt a-
Mat rikas and Nava Durgas for confront ing t hem . Shum bha challenged Mahadevi t o
com bat him singly which she accept ed adding t hat her bat t le com panions were j ust
her different form s. The t hird Cant o also m ent ions creat ion of a group of goddesses
having resem blance wit h Mahavidyas, t hough t he t ext does not nam e t hem as such.
However, t he t radit ion developed from various iconographic represent at ions of
Mahavidyas cont ends t hat it is eit her from Nava ( nine) Durgas, t hat is, nine plus
one, or from t he group of goddesses m ent ioned in t he t hird Cant o t hat t he concept
of Mahavidyas evolved.

I n yet anot her m yt h t he origin of

Mahavidyas is linked wit h Shat akshi,
t he goddess having one hundred
eyes. Shat akshi and dem on Durgam a
relat ed m yt h occurs in t he Devi-
Bhagavat a Purana. Once upon a t im e,
dem on Durgam a gained cont rol over
t he universe and forced gods int o
subservience. They appealed to
Mahadevi t o redeem t hem from
Durgam a's clut ches. On t heir prayer
Mahadevi appeared in a fem ale form
having one hundred eyes. The
pit iable plight of gods, hum an beings
and t he eart h m oved her t o t ears.
She produced from her body fruit s
and veget ables and dist ribut ed t hem
am ong t he st arving beings suffering
from drought . This gave her
Shakam bhari nam e. Aft er so relieving
t he m ankind, gods and all beings she
resort ed t o arm s against dem ons and
a fierce bat t le ensued. I n it s course
t he goddess creat ed several groups
of subsidiary goddesses, Mahavidyas
Sha t a k sh i D evi - The Godde ss w it h I nn um e r a ble being am ong t hem . Around it s
Eye s ( Shr im a d D e vi Bha ga va t a m , Book Se ve n , concluding part t he t ext alludes t o
Ch a pt e r 2 8 ) Mahadevi as Durga, obviously for
Wat er Color Paint ing On Cot t on Fabric
defeat ing dem on Durgam a.

Page 8
N UM BER, N AM ES AN D N ATURE OF M AH AVI D YAS

The num ber and nam es of Mahavidyas

appearing in t he Brahaddharm a Purana and
Maha Bhagavat a Purana are alm ost
unanim ously accept ed. Accordingly,
Mahavidyas are t en in num ber and t heir
nam es, as appear in t hese t ext s, are Kali,
Tara, Chinnam ast a, Bhuwaneshvari, Bagala,
Dhum avat i, Kam ala, Mat angi, Sodashi and
Bhairavi. The t radit ion also has som e
variant s. Nirut t ara Tant ra t alks of eight een
Mahavidyas, and Narada Pancharat na speaks
of t heir innum erable form s, at least sevent y
lacs. Devi Bhagavat a also deviat es from
Maha Bhagavat a Purana and Brahaddharm a
Purana. Devi Bhagavat a cont ends t heir
num ber t o be t hirt een and t heir nam es as
Kalika, Tarini, Tripura, Bhairavi, Kam ala,
Bagala, Mat angi, Tripura- Sundari,
Kam aksha, Tulej a- devi, Jam bhini, Mohini,
and Chinnam ast a. Sr im ad D evibha ga vat a m ( San sk r it Te x t
w it h En glish Tr a n sla t ion ) ( I n Tw o
Volum e s) - Book

KALI

Kali, t he forem ost of Mahavidyas, is not

m erely t he first of t hem but also t he
prot ot ype of t he group. Ot her Mahavidyas
are som et im es considered as only Kali's
form s. I n general, Kali is perceived as having
awful appearance wit h a figure j et black in
com plexion, gaunt , wrinkled and ugly-
looking. She has repulsive fangs, shakes t he
world wit h her laught er, dances m adly,
wears garlands of corpses, sit s or st ands on
a dead body, usually Shiva's supine figure,
feeds herself on fresh hum an blood and lives
in crem at ion ground. She t akes delight in
im part ing dest ruct ion and working for
inst abilit y.

The Te n M a ha vidya s - Ka li
Wat er Color Paint ing On Cot t on Fabric

Page 9
However, despit e her ugly appearance Kali has not
been for cent uries t he favorit e deit y m erely of
violence- edict warriors, t hieves, plunderers,
insensit ive t ribes and charm ers but also of poet s,
dram at ist s, sculpt ors and ot hers all over t he land.
By one nam e or ot her she feat ures in Kadam bari, a
play by t he sevent h cent ury dram at ist Banabhat t a,
in anot her sevent h cent ury work Gaudavaho by
Vakpat i, and in Malat i- Madhava, a Sanskrit classic
by t he eight h cent ury poet Bhavabhut i.

Bha va bh ut i's M a la t im adha va

W it h t h e Com m e n t ar y of
Ja ga ddha r a ( Edit ed w it h a lit e r a l
En glish Tr an sla t ion, N ot es a nd
I n t r odu ct ion ) - Book

The elevent h cent ury t em ple at Padaoli in Morena dist rict of Madhya Pradesh has a
large size sculpt ural panel devot ed t o her, and t he Sikhs' t ent h guru Guru Gobind
Singh dedicat ed t o her a long narrat ive poem . The Kali- cult em erged so powerfully
in Bengal t hat it com plet ely t ransform ed it s art , t ext ile designing and t he charact er
of rit uals.

The t radit ion perceives black goddess

Kali as t he power of t im e for it is her
who releases and wit hdraws it . She
signifies abyssal darkness which
cont ains all unknown, all known and
all t hat can be known, and t hus she is
t he ult im at e knowledge; it is from t his
abyssal darkness t hat all form s rise
and int o which t hey disappear and
t hus she is t he ult im at e realit y. She
m anifest s t he t rut h of cont rast s, t he
deat h and t he sex, t he ugly and t he
beaut eous, t he t im ed and t he
t im eless. Kali is personified wrat h,
whet her Sat i's or t hat of Durga,
Parvat i or of ot her goddesses. Wrat h
is not m erely her inst rum ent for
undoing a wrong. She herself is t he
wrat h, t he cosm ic rage against a
wrong, and t his is t ruly Kali's essence.
She does not at t em pt at winning over
The D a nce of Sh iva a nd Ka li t he m ale, his ego, arrogance or
Miniat ure Paint ing on Paper wrong, by any bewit ching fem ale
Art ist : Kailash Raj charm s or grace but by obst ruct ing,
t errifying and undoing him .

Page 10
The unpredict able Kali st ands on a point ahead of which on one side is t he accept ed,
and on t he ot her, 'not accept able', loat hsom e, pollut ing, feared or forbidden. While
she challenges and shat t ers t he accept ed, she em bodies int o her being t he pollut ed,
loat hed and feared and t hus, when m edit at ed on, releases t he adept from clut ches
of convent ionalit y, all t hat is worn out , has rot t ed or is rot t ing, and prepares his
m ind t o accept t he realit y as a whole, ugly and fierce in special. When invoked and
pleased, she endows t he Tant rika wit h such powers as undo every kind of wrong,
whet her affect ed by m an or by nat ure in any form what ever.

TARA

Tara, who as a rule is list ed as num ber

t wo am ong Mahavidyas, is second t o
none am ong t hem except Kali. Not so
m uch in Hindu or Brahm anical pant heon
as in t he Buddhist , Tara has a m uch
wider presence out side t he Mahavidya-
periphery. Alike she has an early
presence dat able t o around t he fourt h-
fift h cent uries of t he Com m on Era and
em erges t hus m uch before t he
Mahavidya- cult evolved. Wit h an
appearance ident ical t o Kali she has
always enj oyed considerable popularit y
and im port ance in Hindu pant heon,
especially am ong Tant rika deit ies. I n
iconographic m anifest at ions, like Kali,
t he naked bodied Tara is also associat ed
wit h Shiva and is oft en represent ed as
st anding on his supine body, and
som et im es as copulat ing. Of t he Tant ra
Tara is as pot ent ial a deit y as Kali.
Besides her place in Hindu t radit ion she
is t he cent ral deit y of t he Buddhism ,
especially t he Tibet an, where she is
worshipped alm ost like a nat ional deit y.
Tara also occupies a significant posit ion Ta r a in H induism : St u dy w it h Te x t ua l a n d
and wields considerable influence in I con ogr a ph ica l D ocum e nt at ion - Book
Jainism . She has st rong Vaishnava links
and is claim ed t o have been creat ed t o defeat t he t housand headed Ravana.

Not m erely in t he Buddhist m yt hs t hat port ray Tara as t he goddess of t em pest uous
seas helping t he m asses wade t heir pat h t o safet y and redem pt ion, even in Hindu
and Jain t radit ions she is revered as t he goddess who guides out of t roubles and all
kinds of t urm oil. Alm ost all t heologies equat e sea wit h life, m iseries, m isfort unes and
t rials wit h sea's uncert aint ies and upheavals, and a being, wit h t he sailor paddling a
boat across it . Thus, allegorically Tara, t he goddess of t em pest uous oceans, is also
t he goddess who helps t he being wade across all difficult ies and m isfort unes
occurring in life and at t ain salvat ion. I n som e t ext s, Tara is also seen as t he
pot ent ial of re- creat ion, which equat es her wit h Saraswat i possessing such pot ent ial
in Hindu t radit ion. I n Jain t radit ion Tara and Saraswat i m erge int o each ot her. Here
Tara has highly diversified role and form . Brahaddharm a purana perceives Tara as
represent ing t im e, t he sam e as does Kali.

Page 11
 Apart such sim ilarit ies, t he Buddhist Tara is
som ewhat different from t he Tara in Hindu
t radit ion, part icularly t he Tant rika. Except rarely,
in Buddhism , Tara has been conceived as a
benevolent , com passionat e, gent le and spirit ed
young wom an eager t o help her devot ees and t o
prot ect t hem from every harm .

Th e Sa vior Godde ss Gr e e n Ta r a
Tibet an Thangka Paint ing

On t he cont rary, as one of t he Mahavidyas, which is essent ially a Hindu cont ext ,
Tara is always fierce, oft en having a form which st rikes wit h horror, and as
except ionally m oody and harm ful. Wrat h is not unknown t o Buddhist Tara. She
som et im es get s angry and plunders harm . I n t he like way, t hough rarely, Hindu Tara
is benevolent and com passionat e.

CH I N N AM ASTA

Chinnam ast a, one of t he t hree m ost popular

deit ies of Tant rism , ot her t wo being Kali and
Tara, seem s t o have developed out of
Vaj rayogini cult of Tibet an Buddhism .
Vaj rayogini, an early Tant rika deit y of t he
Tibet an Buddhism , has a form exact ly
ident ical t o Chinnam ast a. Chinnam ast a is a
creat ion of shocking im agery – gruesom e
decapit at ion of her own being represent ing
life's cessat ion for feeding furt her life,
copulat ing couple under her feet perceived as
feeding t he goddess wit h life's energy, blood-
consum ing nude fem ales and crem at ion
ground all around. I n her form she com bines
life, sex and deat h, and all in a dram at ic and
st unning m anner m anifest ing t he ages- old
idea t hat t hey – life, sex and deat h, are
inseparably ent wined and are part s of a
unified syst em . Chinnam ast a m anifest s t he
t rut h t hat it is in dest ruct ion of life t hat t he
life is nourished, t hat life necessit at es deat h,
and t hat sex is t he ult im at e inst rum ent of
perpet uat ing m ore life; and furt her, t hat t his Th e Ta n t r ik Sadha n a of M a ha vidya
life would decay and pave t he way for deat h, Ch inn a m a st a
Miniat ure Paint ing on Paper
and t hen again from deat h t o life.

Page 12
Chinnam ast a is t hus t he sym bol of t he process of recycle from life t o deat h and back
and all in unceasing cont inuit y.

Various Tant rika hym ns invoke Chinnam ast a as Digam bari – nude, sym bolically t he
one wit h no coverings of illusion, and as full- breast ed, suggest ive of t he m ot herhood
being ceaseless in her and of her role as t he et ernal preserver. She wears a garland
of severed hum an heads sym bolising wisdom and power and som et im es a pair of
shears or a sword. Text s have prescribed for her blood red com plexion wit h which
she sym bolises life in it s incessant flow. I n her usual iconography she holds her
severed head in her left hand. One of t he t hree j et s of blood t hat spurt from her
neck st ream s back int o t he m out h of her own severed head, and ot her t wo, int o
t hose of t he yoginis – Dakini and Varnini, all suggest ing t hat deat h nourishes life and
t hus t he process of recycle cont inues. The copulat ing couple under t he feet of t he
goddess is usually Kam adeva, t he personified sexual desire, and his wife Rat i.
Chinnam ast a, st anding on t heir backs draws from t he couple, as also from t he lot us
on which t he couple lies, life's energy and channels it for perpet uat ing m ore life.

Am ongst all Devi form s, even Durga and Kali who sust ain and prom ot e life from t he
sacrifice offered t o t hem by t heir devot ees, Chinnam ast a dest roys her own life t o
sust ain and prom ot e it beyond her in form s ot her t han her. More t han Annapurna or
Shat akshi who only gives, Chinnam ast a is one who receives life from t he copulat ing
couple and wit h far great er vigour passes it on t o ot hers and is t hus a great er giver
and m ore accom plished m odel of cosm ic unit y – t he life t hat t he lovem aking couple
represent s, t he deat h which reveals in decapit at ing herself and t he nourishm ent
which m anifest s in feeding t he flanking yoginis.

OTH ER M AH AVI D YAS

Ot her seven Mahavidyas, nam ely, Sodashi or Tripura- Sundari, Bhuwaneshvari,

Bhairavi, Dhum avat i, Bagala, Mat angi and Kam ala, have relat ively lim it ed role and
significance bot h in Tant rika pract ices as well as worship t radit ions.

Sodashi, also alluded t o in som e t ext s

as Tripura Sundari, t he m ost beaut eous
in t hree worlds, and as such having
t hree form s defining t hree st ages –
Tripura- bala, t he virgin, Tripura-
Sundari, t he beaut eous, and Tripura
Bhairavi, t he t errible, is perceived as
one wit h t im eless yout h and beaut y,
t hough not wit hout frowns or angry
looks. She is som et im es seen as t he
em bodim ent of sixt een m odificat ions of
desire and at ot her t im e as one creat ed
t o arouse Shiva t o sexual act ivit y so
t hat his creat ive powers could st im ulat e
t he world. I n Hindu pant heon she
seem s t o have em erged in around
elevent h- t welft h cent uries and had
perhaps a few t em ples t oo, wit h one at
Tehara near Bheraghat , Jabalpur, in
Madhya Pradesh, devot ed t o her. Like
Kali and Tara, Tripura- Sundari is also
perceived as swaying all gods, t hough
Tr ipu r a Su nda r i perhaps wit h her param ount beaut y,
Miniat ure Paint ing on Pape, Art ist : Kailash Raj not by Kali- like superior power. This

Page 13
superior posit ion of Sodashi reflect s in her iconography in which Brahm a, Vishnu,
Rudra and I ndra or Yam a are represent ed as support ing on t hem t he t hrone on
which she sit s as it s four legs.

The lot us goddess Kam ala as Shri m akes a

debut in t he Shri Sukt a in t he Rig- Veda; as
Lakshm i she has considerable presence in
Buddhist sculpt ures dat able t o t hird- second
cent ury B. C. t o second cent ury A. D. and in
Hindu pant heon and Puranas all t hrough
from fift h- sixt h cent ury onwards. The Devi-
Mahat m ya part of t he Markandeya Purana
has devot ed t o her a full Cant o by t he nam e
Mahalakshm i. As Mahavidya she does not
enj oy t he sam e prest ige as she enj oys as
Lakshm i in worship t radit ion. As in Vaishnava
t radit ion, Kam ala is invoked in Tant rika
rit uals for riches, especially t he hidden
t reasures of bygone days.

M a ha la k sh m i ( Ka m a la ) t h e La st bu t N ot
t he Le a st ( Te n M ah avidya Ser ie s)
Wat er color Paint ing on Pat t i Paper
Art ist : Rabi Behera

Like Chinnam ast a Bagalam ukhi, Dhum avat i and

Mat angi are rarely m ent ioned except as
Mahavidyas. They are broadly Tant rika deit ies
and are seen m ost ly in Tant rika cont ext s.
Except t hat in som e of t he Tant rika pit has –
seat s, such as at t he Pit am bara Pit ha, Dat ia, in
Madhya Pradesh, where Dhum avat i has her
independent shrine, an individual st ruct ure
devot ed t o any of t hem , or even a sm aller one
of t he st at us of a sub- shrine, is a rarit y. At
som e Tant rika pit has t hese goddesses along
wit h ot her Mahavidyas are carved or paint ed,
inside or out side, on t he sanct um walls of t he
m ain deit y shrine. I n Him alayan regions such
represent at ions are m ore com m on. Bagala, t he
goddess wit h a crane- like face, gold-
com plexioned and elegant ly at t ired and
bej ewelled, is a powerful Tant rika deit y who
paralyses and t hus dest roys all negat ive forces
t hat obst ruct s adept 's progress or well being.
Toot hless Dhum avat i wit h long pendulous
D hum a w a t i t h e Godde ss w ho w idow s breast s, having pale com plexion, wearing whit e
H e r se lf ( Te n M a ha vidya Se r ie s) but m udded at t ire, and riding a crow- driven
Wat er color Paint ing on Pat t i Paper cart , m anifest s unsat isfied desires and hence
Art ist : Rabi Behera has been conceived as a widow. She has a large

Page 14
crooked nose and quarrelsom e nat ure and uses diseases as her weapon t o punish
t he wicked.

Mat angi, usually a beaut iful young wom an

wit h dark or black com plexion, spreads
m usic and educat ion enabling hum an
beings t o acquire liberat ing wisdom . She
m anifest ed t he power of dom inat ion.

M a t an gi - The Out ca st e Godde ss ( Te n

M a ha vidya Se r ies)
Wat er color Paint ing on Pat t i Paper
Art ist : Rabi Behera

The t radit ion considers her as an out cast e goddess.

Bhairavi, capable of
m ult iplying herself
int o infinit y of beings
and form s and broadly
a fierce goddess, t he
consort of Bhairava,
has been conceived
ident ically to
Bhairava, bot h in form
as well as m ent al
fram e. She has
com plexion as bright
as a t housand rising
suns. She wears
garland of skulls and
garm ent s m ade from
skins of dem ons she
Goddess Shr i Bha ir a vi D e vi killed and she has her
Miniat ure Paint ing on Paper feet and breast s
Art ist : Kailash Raj covered wit h blood.

Page 15
Though bet t er known as t he goddess
of t he Mahavidya group,
Bhuwaneshvari is also known in
cont ext t o Vishnu's boar incarnat ion
and a few ot her m yt hs. Broadly, t he
large breast ed and pleasant ly sm iling
Bhuwaneshvari represent s
subst ant ial forces of t he m at erial
world and is revered as one t he
world is whose ext ension.

M a ha vidya Godde ss Bhuw a ne shva r i

Miniat ure Paint ing on Paper
Art ist : Kailash Raj

W ORSH I P OF M AH AVI D YAS

Except Kali, Tara and Tripura- Sundari, as also Kam akhya, a Mahavidya in som e
t ext s, who are in worship from early t im es t he t radit ion of Mahavidyas' t em ple
worship has never been not in prevalence. The Mahavidyas are usually t he obj ect s of
Tant rika worship of which t here are m any m et hods, t he m ore popular am ong t hem
being Vam achara pat h charact erised prim arily by t he Pancha t at t va, or pancha
m akara – t he rit ual perform ed by five forbidden or highly pollut ing t hings, nam ely,
m eat , fish, wine, 'm udra', a t ype of grain t hat has hallucinogenic propert ies, and
int ercourse wit h a wom an.

FOR FURTH ER STUD Y:

• Tant rasara
• Shakt apram oda
• Shakt isangam a- t ant ra
• Guhyat iguhya- Tant ra
• Cham unda- t ant ra
• Shrim ad Devi Bhagavat a, Chaukham bha Sanskrit Prat isht han, Delhi
• Devim ahat m yam , t r. By Devadat t a Kali, Delhi
• Dahej ia, Vidya : Devi, The Great Goddess, Washingt on D.C.

Page 16
 • Menzies, Jackie : Goddess, Divine Energy, Art Gallery, NSW
• Kinsley, David : Hindu Goddesses, Delhi
• Hawley, J. S. & Wulff, Monna Marie ( ed) : Devi, Goddesses of I ndia, Delhi
• Rosen, St even J. ( ed) : Vaishnavi, Delhi
• Mookarj ee, Aj it & Khanna, Madhu : The Tant rika Way, Bost on
• Kanwar Lal : Kanya and t he Yogi, Delhi
• Dalj eet Dr., and Jain, P. C. : I ndian Miniat ure Paint ing, New Delhi
• Jain, P. C. : The Magic Makers, New Delhi
• Upadhyaya, Padm a : Fem ale I m ages in Museum s of Ut t ar Pradesh and Their
Social Background, Delhi

Th is a r t icle by D r . P. C. JAI N AN D D R. D ALJEET.

We hope you have enj oyed reading t he art icle. Any com m ent s
you m ay have will be great ly appreciat ed. Please send your feedback t o
feedback@exot icindia.com .

Copyr igh t © 2 0 1 0 , Ex ot icI n dia Ar t

Page 17