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Mahavidyas
The ''Mahavidya'' (, , lit. ''Great Wisdoms'') are a group of ten Hinduism, Hindu Tantra, Tantric Devi, goddesses. The ten Mahavidyas are usually named in the following sequence: Kali, Tara (Devi), Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. Nevertheless, the formation of this group encompass divergent and varied religious traditions that include ''yogini'' worship, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Vajrayana Buddhism. The development of the Mahavidyas represents an important turning point in the history of Shaktism as it marks the rise of the Bhakti aspect in Shaktism, which reached its zenith in 1700 CE. First sprung forth in the post-Puranic age, around 6th century CE, it was a new theistic movement in which the supreme being was envisioned as female. A fact epitomized by texts like ''Devi-Bhagavata Purana'', especially its last nine chapters (31–40) of the seventh ''skandha'', which are known as the ''Devi Gita'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chhinnamasta
Chhinnamasta (, :"She whose head is severed"), often spelled Chinnamasta, and also called Chhinnamastika, Chhinnamasta Kali, Prachanda Chandika and Jogani Maa (in western states of India), is a Hindu goddess ( Devi). She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten goddesses from the esoteric tradition of Tantra, and a ferocious aspect of Mahadevi, the Hindu Mother goddess. The self-decapitated nude goddess, usually standing or seated on a divine copulating couple, holding her own severed head in one hand and a scimitar in another. Three jets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck and are drunk by her severed head and two attendants. Chhinnamasta is a goddess of contradictions. She symbolises both aspects of Devi: a life-giver and a life-taker. She is considered both a symbol of sexual self-control and an embodiment of sexual energy, depending upon interpretation. She represents death, temporality, and destruction as well as life, immortality, and recreation. The goddess conveys spir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahavidyas
The ''Mahavidya'' (, , lit. ''Great Wisdoms'') are a group of ten Hinduism, Hindu Tantra, Tantric Devi, goddesses. The ten Mahavidyas are usually named in the following sequence: Kali, Tara (Devi), Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. Nevertheless, the formation of this group encompass divergent and varied religious traditions that include ''yogini'' worship, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Vajrayana Buddhism. The development of the Mahavidyas represents an important turning point in the history of Shaktism as it marks the rise of the Bhakti aspect in Shaktism, which reached its zenith in 1700 CE. First sprung forth in the post-Puranic age, around 6th century CE, it was a new theistic movement in which the supreme being was envisioned as female. A fact epitomized by texts like ''Devi-Bhagavata Purana'', especially its last nine chapters (31–40) of the seventh ''skandha'', which are known as the ''Devi Gita'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matangi
Matangi (, ) is a Hindu goddess. She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten Tantric goddesses and an aspect of the Hindu Divine Mother. She is considered to be the Tantric form of Sarasvati, the goddess of music and learning. Matangi governs speech, music, knowledge and the arts. Her worship is prescribed to acquire supernatural powers, especially gaining control over enemies, attracting people to oneself, acquiring mastery over the arts and gaining supreme knowledge. Matangi is often associated with pollution, inauspiciousness and the periphery of Hindu society, which is embodied in her most popular form, known as Uchchhishta-Chandalini or Uchchhishta-Matangini. She is described as an outcaste ( Chandalini) and offered left-over or partially eaten food (''Uchchhishta'') with unwashed hands or food after eating, both of which are considered to be impure in classical Hinduism. Matangi is represented as emerald green in colour. While Uchchhishta-Matangini carries a noose, sword, goa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dhumavati
Dhumavati (, , literally "the smoky one") is one of the Mahavidyas, a group of ten Hindu Tantric goddesses. Dhumavati represents the fearsome aspect of Mahadevi, the supreme goddess in Hindu traditions such as Shaktism. She is often portrayed as an old, ugly widow, and is associated with things considered inauspicious and unattractive in Hinduism, such as the crow and the ''chaturmasya'' period. The goddess is often depicted carrying a winnowing basket on a horseless chariot or riding a crow, usually in a cremation ground. Dhumavati is said to manifest herself at the time of cosmic dissolution (pralaya) and is "the Void" that exists before creation and after dissolution. While Dhumavati is generally associated with only inauspicious qualities, her thousand-name hymn relates her positive aspects as well as her negative ones. She is often called tender-hearted and a bestower of boons. Dhumavati is described as a great teacher, one who reveals ultimate knowledge of the universe, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adi Parashakti
Mahadevi (, , IPA: / mɐɦɑd̪eʋiː/), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, and Mahamaya, is the supreme goddess in Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of this great goddess, who is considered as the '' Para Brahman'' or the ultimate reality. Shaktas often worship her as Durga, also believing her to have many other forms. Mahadevi is mentioned as the ''Mulaprakriti'' (Primordial Goddess) in Shakta texts, having five primary forms—Parvati, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Gayatri and Radha—collectively referred to as ''Panchaprakriti''. Besides these, Goddess Tripura Sundari, a form of Devi, is often identified with the supreme goddess Mahadevi in Shaktism. Author Helen T. Boursier says: "In Hindu philosophy, both Lakshmi (primary goddess in Vaishnavism) and Parvati (primary goddess of Shaivism) are identified as manifestations of this great goddess—Mahadevi—and the Shakti or divine power". Ep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bagalamukhi
Baglamukhi or Bagalā () is the female form of a personification of the mahavidyas (great wisdom/science), a group of ten Tantra, Tantric deities in Hinduism. Bagalamukhi is one of the ten forms of the Devi, symbolising potent female, primeval force. The main temples dedicated to Bagalamukhi or Bagala Devi temples are located at Shri Bagalamukhee Shakthi Peetham, Shivampet, Narsapur, Telangana State ,Bagalamukhi Temple, Datia Madhya Pradesh, Bugiladhar, Ghuttu Uttarakhand, Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam, Baglamukhi temple of Lalitpur, Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal and of Banghandi, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. Iconography Another interpretation translates her name as "Kalyani". In Kubjika Tantra there is a reference to yet another interpretation of the meaning of the name ‘Bagala’. In the initial chapter of the text, there is a verse – ‘Bakare Baruni Devi Gakare Siddhida Smrita. Lakare Prithivi Chaiba Chaitanya Prakrirtita’ (‘Ba’, the first letter of the name – ‘Baga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tripura Sundari
Tripura Sundari (Sanskrit: त्रिपुरसुन्दरी, IAST: Tripura Sundarī), also known as Lalita, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Rajarajeshvari, is a Hindu goddess, revered primarily within the Shaktism tradition and recognized as one of the ten Mahavidyas. She embodies the essence of the supreme goddess Mahadevi. Central to the Shakta texts, she is widely praised in the ''Lalita Sahasranama'' and '' Saundarya Lahari''. In the Lalitopakhyana of the '' Brahmanda Purana'', she is referred to as Adi Parashakti. The term "Tripura" conveys the concept of three cities or worlds, while "Sundari" translates to "beautiful woman." She signifies the most beautiful woman across the three realms, with associations to the yoni symbol and the powers of creation, preservation, and destruction. According to the Srikula tradition in Shaktism, Tripura Sundari is the foremost of the Mahavidyas, the supreme divinity of Hinduism and also the primary goddess of Sri Vidya. The '' Tripu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kali
Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who provide liberating knowledge. Of the numerous Hindu goddesses, Kali is held as the most famous. She is the preeminent deity in the Hindu tantric and the Kalikula worship traditions, and is a central figure in the goddess-centric sects of Hinduism as well as in Shaivism. Kali is chiefly worshipped as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, and Divine feminine energy. The origins of Kali can be traced to the pre-Vedic and Vedic era goddess worship traditions in the Indian subcontinent. Etymologically, the term ''Kali'' refers to one who governs time or is black. The first major appearance of Kali in the Sanskrit literature was in the sixth-century CE text '' Devi Mahatmya''. Kali appears in many stories, with the most popular one bein ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tara (Devi)
In the Shaivism and Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, the goddess Tara (, ) is the second of the ten Mahavidyas. She is considered a form of Adishakti, the tantric manifestation of Parvati. Her three most famous forms are Ekajaṭā, Ugratara, and Nīlasarasvatī (also spelled Neelasaraswati, Neela Saraswati, or Neelsaraswati). Her most famous centre of worship is the temple and the cremation ground of Tarapith in West Bengal, India. Legends The commonly known origin of Tara is from the 17th chapter of the '' Rudrayāmala'' which describes the initial unsuccessful attempts of the sage Vasiṣṭha in worshipping Tara, and the subsequent meeting with the god Vishnu in the form of Buddha in the region called Mahācīna (Tibet) and his eventual success by the means of '' kaula'' rites. She is also described as the form of the ''Atharvaveda''. Her Bhairava is named Akṣobhya. According to the ''Svatantratantra'', Tara protects her devotees from difficult (ugra) dangers and so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhuvaneshvari
Bhuvaneshvari (Sanskrit: भुवनेश्वरी, IAST: ''Bhuvaneśvarī'') is a Hindu goddess. She is the fourth amongst the ten Mahavidya goddesses in Shaktism, and one of the highest aspects of Mahadevi. She is identified as form of Adi Parashakti in the ''Devi Bhagavata Purana''. Etymology The word Bhuvaneshvari is a compound of the words ''Bhuvana Iśwari'', meaning "Goddess of the world" or "Queen of the universe", where the worlds are the ''tri-bhuvana'' or three regions of ''bhūḥ'' (Earth), ''bhuvaḥ'' (atmosphere) and ''svaḥ'' (Heavens). Legends According to David Kinsley, there is an origin myth from a contemporary Hindi-language source that states that Surya created the three worlds after being offered Soma by Rishis and being empowered by Tripura Sundari, the main Shakti of that time. After having empowered Surya to create the worlds, the goddess "assumed an appropriate form and pervaded and directed the triple world". This form of her became known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhairavi
Bhairavi () is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava ( a form of Shiva). Etymology The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terrifying" or "awe-inspiring". Iconography Her dhyana shloka in the Devi Mahatmya describes her form. She wears red garments and wears a garland of severed heads around her neck. She has three eyes and her head is adorned with a crescent moon. Tripura Sundari and Tripura Bhairavi are closely associated but different. Legend Bhairavi is also a title for a female adept in Kundalini, Tantra. A yogini is a student of Tantra or an aspirant. A ''Bhairavi'' has succeeded in Tantra with the help of 64 yoginis. Yogini or Jogini are 64 in number. Yoginis, female supporting deities of Bhairavi. Bhairavi is the supreme leader of all 64 yoginis. Bhairav also has 52 supporting powers called ''52 Bhairav''. Bhairavi is the consort of Bhairava according to the Puranas and Tantras. In Tant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahakali
Mahakali () is the Hindu goddess of time and death in the goddess-centric tradition of Shaktism. She is also known as the supreme being in various tantras and Puranas. Similar to Kali, Mahakali is a fierce goddess associated with universal power, time, life, death, and both rebirth and liberation. She is the consort of Bhairava, the god of consciousness, the basis of reality and existence. Mahakali, in Sanskrit, is etymologically the feminised variant of Mahakala, or ''Great Time'' (which is also interpreted as ''Death''), Shiva in Hinduism. Meaning Mahakali's origin is found in various Puranic and Tantric Hindu scriptures (Shastras). In the texts of Shaktism, she is variously portrayed as the Adi-Shakti, the Primeval Force of the Universe, identical with the Ultimate Reality, or Brahman. She is also known as the (female) Prakriti or the world as opposed to the (male) Purusha or the consciousness, or as one of three manifestations of Mahadevi (The Great Goddess) that re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
