Mahavidya

Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi,

Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi & Kamala .
Consort - Shiva.

Mahavidyas (Great Wisdoms) or Dasha-Mahavidyas are

a group of ten aspects of devi Parvati or Goddess Shakti
in Hinduism. The 10 Mahavidyas are Wisdom Goddesses, aspects of devi Parvati, who represents a spectrum
of feminine divinity, from horric goddesses at one end,
to the gentle at the other.[1]
The development of Mahavidyas represents an important turning point in the history of Shaktism as it marks
the rise of Bhakti aspect in Shaktism, which reached its Kali The rst of the Ten Mahavidyas
zenith in 1700 CE. First sprung forth in the post-Puranic
age, around 6th century C.E., it was a new theistic movement in which the supreme being was envisioned as fe1. Kali The ultimate form of Brahman, Devourer of
male. A fact epitomized by texts like Devi-Bhagavata
Time (Supreme Deity of Kalikula systems)
Purana, especially its last nine chapters (31-40) of the
2. Tara The Goddess as Guide and Protector, or Who
seventh skandha, which are known as the Devi Gita, and
Saves.Who oers the ultimate knowledge which
soon became central texts of Shaktism.[2]
gives salvation (also known as Neel Saraswati).

3. Tripura Sundari (Shodashi) The Goddess Who is

Beautiful in the Three Worlds (Supreme Deity of
Srikula systems); the Tantric Parvati or the Moksha Mukta.

Etymology

The name Mahavidyas comes from the Sanskrit roots,

with maha meaning 'great' and vidya meaning, 'revelation, manifestation, knowledge, or wisdom.[2]

4. Bhuvaneshvari The Goddess as World Mother, or

Whose Body is the Cosmos
5. Bhairavi The Fierce Goddess

Names

6. Chhinnamasta The self-decapitated Goddess[5]

Shaktas believe, the one Truth is sensed in ten dierent facets; the Divine Mother is adored and approached
as ten cosmic personalities, the Dasa-Mahavidya (tenMahavidyas).[3] The Mahavidyas are considered Tantric
in nature, and are usually identied as:[4]

7. Dhumavati The Widow Goddess, or the Goddess

of death.
8. Bagalamukhi The Goddess Who Paralyzes Enemies
1

4
9. Matangi the Prime Minister of Lalita (in Srikula
systems)

10. Kamala The Lotus Goddess; the Tantric Lakshmi

The Mahabhagavata Purana and Brhaddharma Purana
however, list Shodashi (Sodasi) as Tripura Sundari, her
another name.[1] The Guhyatiguyha-tantra associates the
Mahavidyas with the ten Avatars of Vishnu, and states
that the Mahavidyas are the source from which the
avatars of Vishnu arose. All ten forms of the Goddess,
whether gentle or terrifying, are worshiped as the universal Mother.All ten forms of the Goddess is concluded
and worshipped in the Sri Chakra and Tripura Sundari is
considered as the Adi Para Sakthi.

References

[1] Kinsley, David R (1987). Hindu Goddesses: Vision of

the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition.
Motilal Banarsidass Publication. pp. 161165. ISBN
9788120803947.
[2] Brown, Charles Mackenzie (1998). The Dev Gt: The
Song of the Goddess. SUNY Press. p. 23. ISBN
9780791439401.
[3] Shankarnarayanan, S (1972). The Ten Great Cosmic Powers: Dasa Mahavidyas (4 ed.). Chennai: Samata Books.
pp. 45. ISBN 9788185208381.
[4] Kinsley, David R (1997). Tantric Visions of the Divine
Feminine: The Ten Mahavidyas. Berkeley: University of
California Press. p. 302. ISBN 9780520204997.
[5] Danilou, Alain (1991). The Myths and Gods of India:
The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton
Bollingen Series. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. pp. 284
290. ISBN 978-0-89281-354-4.

External links

EXTERNAL LINKS

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

5.1

Text

Mahavidya Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahavidya?oldid=686944113 Contributors: TUF-KAT, Rossami, Secretlondon, Carlossuarez46, Sam Spade, BrianStanley, Hooperbloob, Wiki-uk, Dangerous-Boy, BD2412, Bhadani, FlaBot, Sonicforest, DaGizza, Priyanath,
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5.2

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5.3

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