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ABHISHEK JAGUESSAR
MAHAVIDYAS
A Publication of Dynastar Company
This is the eighth book that Dynastar Web Design Company has
published together with the collaboration of other high publishing
company.
@Copyright - 2016
ISBN: 9780000979155
My Sisters
Ganistha Bhoyrub
&
Fatemah Deelawor
My Friends
Sanya Munoruth
&
Vimi Sahye
CONTENT
Acknowlegement
Introduction
Kali Mata
Tara Mata
16
Shodashi Mata
23
Bhairavi Mata
28
Bhuvaneshvari Mata
31
Chhinnamasta Mata
34
Dhumavati Mata
37
Bagalamukhi Mata
40
Matangi Mata
44
Kamala Mata
48
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****END*****
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my gratitude to the many people
who saw me through this mantras book; to all those who
provided support, talked things over, read, wrote, offered
comments, allowed me to quote their remarks and
assisted in the editing, proofreading and design.
Last and not least: I beg forgiveness of all those who have
been with me over the course of the years and whose
names I have failed to mention."
INTRODUCTION
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 horrific goddesses at one end, to
the gentle at the other.
Kali Mata
Her form was fearful, her hair untied and loose, her body
the color of a dark cloud. She had deep set eyes and
eyebrows shaped like curved swords. She stood on a
corpse, wore a garland of skulls, and earrings made from
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15
Tara Mata
Unlike Kali, whose hair flows loose and wild, Tara wears
hers in a carefully coiffed topknot (jata). Whereas Kalis
hair represents absolute freedom from constraint, Taras is
a symbol of yogic asceticism that is to say, of the yogic
ability to manage and direct the movement of the mind, to
achieve Self-knowledge through self-mastery.
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20
Both Kali and Tara are strongly associated with death and
dissolution. Whereas Kali is often said to be the power of
time (kala) that inexorably causes all created things to
perish, Tara is more often associated with fire, and
particularly the fires of the cremation ground. One of her
names is Smasanabhairavi, the terrible one of the
cremation ground. It is important to remember that fire
represents not only destruction but also purification and
transformation.
Much of Taras symbolism can be related to deathbut in
its broadest perspective. The death it refers to is the death
of the ego, the false idea of selfhood that keeps the
individual in bondage, ever reactive and in thralldom to all
of lifes ups and downs. Like Kali, Tara is sometimes shown
wearing a girdle of severed human arms, a symbol of her
ability to relieve us of the burdens of karma. The scissors
and sword, rather than being understood as agents of
death, should be thought of as tools to dismantle and
remove the ego, the sense of mistaken identity that
defines, limits, and binds. Taras name is derived from tri,
which means to cross. One of her epithets is
Samsaratarini, she who takes across the ocean of worldly
existence.Tara is thus the all-gracious liberator.
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Shodashi Mata
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DEPICTION:
The word Shodashi literally means sixteen in Sanskrit. She
is thus visualized as a sweet girl of sixteen. She is depicted
in several ways. As Kali, she sits naked and shares the
features of the ferocious mother. She has four hands and
three eyes. Otherwise She is also shown seated on the
lotus, which is placed on the supine body of Shiva who is
lying in a peaceful posture, who in turn lies on a throne
supported by legs in the form of Lord Brahma, Vishnu,
Shiva and Rudra. She holds a noose, a goad, a bow and an
arrow in each of her hands. Symbolically the noose
represents attachment; the goad represents repulsion; the
sugarcane bow represents the mind and desires and the
flowery arrows are the five sense objects. The bow
significantly is made of sugarcane, so it is also a symbol of
sweetness. Her darts thus are sweetness personified. Her
appearance is completely sober and gentle, her heart is
full of compassion and she is ravishingly beautiful and of
unsurpassed splendor.
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MYTHOLOGY:
Sixteen is a sweet age. In human life it represents an age
of accomplished perfection. Goddess Shodasi is visualized
as a sweet girl of sixteen with an interesting story behind
her supreme beauty. According to that story, Once Lord
Shiva referred to his consort, Kali by her name in front of
some heavenly aspara damsels of exquisite beauty with
fair and shining complexion who had come to visit, calling
her Kali, Kali implying blackie, blackie in jest. The Tamil
version of this karupayee, karupayee which has the same
purport. Karupayee is the rural name for a Kali deity and
karuppu means black. This remark by Shiva was uncalled
for especially when done so in front of third parties. Kali
took to be a slur against her dark complexion.
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Lord Shiva smiled at her and advised that she look more
carefully, this time with the eye of jnana, knowledge. Then
she would see what she is supposed to see. What Kali then
saw in Shivas heart was her own reflection.
27
Bhairavi Mata
her neck, has red breasts and has four hands in which She
holds a japa mala, pustak, and displays the mudras of
blessing and freedom from fear. She has three eyes that
are red in color and wears a moon on her forehead.
Bhairavi is the form of Kali that killed Chanda and Munda.
She is free from all fear and frees us from all fear
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Bhuvaneswari Mata
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Chinnamasta Mata
On the left hand, She carries her own severed head (in a
platter or a skull-bowl). On the right hand, She holds a
35
Story:
There are many stories about the birth of Chinnamasta
Devi. One legends of Narada-pancharatra narrates this
story- Once while having bath in Mandakini river, Goddess
Parvati got sexually excited and turned black. Meanwhile
Her two attendants Dakini and Varnini (also called Jaya
and Vijaya) get hungry and ask the goddess to satisfy their
hunger. Goddess Parvati looks around but couldn't find
anything to eat. So She severes her head and the blood
flows in 3 directions; one in Jaya's mouth, other in Vijaya's
mouth and the third in Parvati's mouth.
Another story shows Chinnamasta who is standing over a
naked couple which is said to be Rati and Kama. Standing
on the body, the goddess masters the physical body, and
to free her mind from this, Chinnamasta cuts her head.
Dhumavati Mata
Story of Dhumavati
There are many versions of the story of Goddess
Dhumavati. One of them says that once the Goddess
Parvati felt very hungry. But there was no food available.
So, She asked Her husband Lord Shiva to provide some
food for Her. Shiva asked Her to wait for some time and
went into meditation. Unable to control Her hunger,
Goddess Parvati became furious, took the form of Kali and
ate up Lord Shiva. Her extreme hunger is satisfied only by
consuming Lord Shiva.
However, when Lord Shiva realised that Parvati has
devoured Him, He becomes angry. As the third eye of
Shiva opens, the Goddess is unable to contain the extreme
energy. So, She turns smoky due to the burning energy of
Shiva. She soon realises Her mistake and asks Lord Shiva
for forgiveness. She disgorges Lord Shiva, who curses Her
to wander like a widow.
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Bagalamukhi Mata
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Matangi Mata
44
that he even made love with her. While making love Shiva
was himself turned into Chandala and realized that the
Chandala was his wife Parvati. The goddess requested to
Shiva that as they made love in the form of a Chandalini,
this form would last forever and will be named as UccistaChandalini.
The third myth has been derived from the SvatantraTantra. According to legend once Matanga assumed
austerities to achieve the power to suppress all creatures.
He practiced his asceticism for thousands of years. Finally
Goddess Tripura Sundari appeared and emitted rays from
her eyes from which Goddess Kali emerged. Kali put on a
greenish complexion and took the form of Raja-Matangini.
With the help of the goddess Matanga fulfilled his desire
to control all creatures.
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Kamala Mata
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Even more so, as the Mahavidya Kamala she is allpowerful. Kamala is not a divine consort but the
independent and all-supreme Divine Mother. She is not
the spouse of any male deity. Interestingly, she is rarely
identified with the other female forms found in orthodox
Vaisnavism, such as Sita, Radha, or Rukmini. If any consort
names are ever applied to her as epithets, they are Saiva
names such as Siva (the auspicious one) and Gauri (she
who is gently radiant). However, Kamala is not
completely auspicious or one-sided. Sometimes she is
called Rudra (the howling one), Ghora or Bhima (the
terrifying one), or Tamasi (the dark one). Like Kali, the
Tantric Kamala embraces the light and the darkness, for
she is the totality.
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END
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THANK YOU
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