The Mahavidyas
While Durga is the strong form of the goddess consort to Shiva (Kali is even more powerful), the sweet version of his mate is Parvati.7 Parvati is a goddess of the harvest and a protector of women. Always depicted as beautiful, she is also a goddess of love and lust. In fact, her matings with Shiva at times become so wild and intense that the entire universe shakes, frightening even the rest of the gods and goddesses. Although not a warrior, Parvati is no meek and mild little lady. She can appear calm and discreet, but behind closed doors with Shiva, she is a wild woman who revels in her power and sexuality.
As with all the symbolism of these deities, even their wild couplings have meaning. This indicates that, like humans, Parvati and Shiva could become overpowered by their emotions and feelings. There is a Bengali account of Parvati calling Shiva an irresponsible dope smoker who is incapable of looking after himself! After one fight, Shiva threatened to leave. So Parvati made ten different forms of herself to guard each of the directions: the four cardinal points, the four cross-quarters, plus above and below. As a result, no matter which direction he turned, there was a form of Parvati. Each of the ten would block his way by revealing important spiritual truths (which is why they are called “wisdom goddesses”). He was so entranced by their wisdom and his resulting spiritual enlightenment that he stayed. The Dasa (ten) Mahavidyas are ten fundamental aspects of the ultimate cosmic mother goddess.
Another way of looking at the Dasa Mahavidyas is that they are a way in which the pure energy of creation, the Shakti energy, manifests itself in seven developmental stages that correspond with the chakras. The final three aspects represent the way Parvati withdraws creation back into herself.
Kali: She Who Is the Eternal Night
The first Mahavidya created is Kali. Each of the ten has a two-dimensional image known as a yantra. In the West, we are likely to think of a yantra as a symbol representing the goddess. The word yantra is actually Sanskrit for “machine” or “device.” The Tantric interpretation, however, is that this is not a symbol at all. A yantra is the goddess in a two-dimensional linear form. As such, it is worthy not just of great honor, but of actual worship. Some may think that worshiping geometric images is a silly, archaic concept. But since deity is everywhere, why not see it in a linear diagram?
How should we worship Kali and the other Mahavidyas? If you have ever seen a real Hindu or Tantric ritual (puja), you may have seen such things as giving flowers, milk, or clothes or waving a flame in front of an image of the goddess or god. These techniques are a good way to start. But the ultimate form of worship is not to do something with, for, or to the deity, but to understand that you and the deity are not separate, are not two different things. Such a form of devotion can be experienced and performed anytime and anywhere.
But why do this? Very simply, worship of this sort leads to knowledge of the deity. By better understanding a deity, we better understand ourselves and our place in the universe. Perhaps no form of wisdom can be a higher form of worship. This gives new meaning to the words over the ancient temples: “Know Thyself.”
The name Kali is derived from the word kala, which means “time” and “blackness.” Kali is frequently shown as having dark blue or black skin. The color white reflects all wavelengths of light, while black absorbs them all. Thus, it could be said that Kali has absorbed within her the potential of everything, including everything unknown, everything known, and everything that can be known.
Since we humans are not eternal (eternal originally did not mean “lives forever,” it meant “is outside of time”), we experience everything through time. To do that, we must have life and the energy that allows life to continue. Thus, as “time,” Kali is also the life force energy.
All things that live have certain qualities. Specifically, they are born, they mature, and they die. Kali has been called the Goddess of Yogic Transformation. But the transformations in life, alchemic in their nature, include such concepts as putrefaction and destruction/change. Such things can be terrifying to us, so the image of Kali is that of a terrifying woman. Perhaps she is terrifying to men because she is totally in her power.
When we see things as being terrifying, we generally think of them as being evil. But Kali is above and beyond all concepts of good and evil, positive and negative. She is pure ecstasy that provides perfect satisfaction.
To mentally focus or meditate on Kali, visualize her image. Kali is usually pictured as being black or blue in color. Around her neck is a mala, a set of 108 prayer beads. Kali’s mala is made of human skulls rather than beads, however, indicating all of the problems she has slain. Her skirt is made of human arms, and her earrings are corpses. Her own arms show her carrying things such as Shiva’s trident, a flaming bowl, a curved sword, and a head that she has just removed with the sword—transformation, indeed! Some versions show her making gestures (mudras) that indicate her giving favors and dispelling fear.
When working with her yantra, you may follow this format. Start by drawing your yantra (from the center triangle out) or obtain a copy of any size, and put it in a frame of some sort so that it can have water sprinkled on it. Place it on an altar or on the cleaned floor so when you look at it you will be facing east. Cover it with a cloth, or turn it upside down. Also for the altar you will need a candle or oil lamp, some incense and an incense holder, a small pot or bowl to hold water, a leaf from any living plant to sprinkle the water, a flower, and a piece of fresh fruit. You may add anything else you want to the altar. There are no dogmatic rules.
- Prepare yourself by taking a bath or shower and putting on clean clothes. Some may prefer to remain digambara (clothed with the directions of space), or naked. As you do this, listen to pleasant music that will help you adopt a positive state of mind.
- Go to your altar and sit down, facing the east.
- Light the candle or oil lamp (you may have several if you wish) and the incense. Reveal the yantra by uncovering it or turning it over so you can see it.
- Focus on the yantra as you do the following:
- Dip the leaf in the water in the bowl or pot and sprinkle yourself with it to purify yourself. Sprinkle the yantra to purify it, too, with the element of water.
- Wave the incense in front of the yantra as an offering of scent and the element of air.
- Do the same with the candle or lamp as an offering of light and the element of fire.
- Hold up the fruit as an offering of the element of earth.
- Hold up the flower as an offering of the element of akasha (“ah-kash” or “ah-kash-uh”), or spirit.
- Allow yourself to surrender completely to the will of the deity. Chant or simply repeat the deity’s mantra 108 times. You can do this very quickly.
- Close your eyes (if they’re not already closed) and ask that the deity bless you. Ask for any desires you wish to be granted. Be specific and make sure that the deity can work with your wishes.
- When you are ready, thank the deity in your own words, bid the deity goodbye, then cover the yantra again or turn it over.
According to tradition, Shiva told Parvati that working with yantras is very powerful and is as essential to the gods as oil is to oil lamps.
Kali’s simplest mantra, or bija mantra, is krim (sounds like “cream”). Repeating it helps you uncover the essence of Kali. It is also said to help you attain physical strength and health, remove black magick, and find success as well as the solution to difficult problems. Saturday is Kali’s special day.
Tara: She Who Is the
Starry Goddess of Compassion
The second Mahavidya, Tara (Sanskrit for “Star”), is also important as the Buddhist goddess of compassion. Her name means “deliverer” or “savior.” She is not a redeemer or savior in the way Christians think of Jesus. Rather, she delivers and saves knowledge and wisdom. She willingly provides the wisdom that allows us to save ourselves. Another of her titles, appropriately, is “The Saving Word.”
That Tara and Kali are close is indicated by their appearances. Both are naked or wear a limited amount of clothing. Both have necklaces of heads that have been freshly cut, representing the destruction of the false ego. Both have tongues sticking out. They both dance on a body. But while Kali is pure, undifferentiated energy (which can sometimes be experienced as chaotic), Tara brings some order and the first concept of positivity to that undifferentiated energy, for Tara is the power of the incoming and outgoing breath, the power that allows us to control universal life energy, or prana (“prawn-yah”). The first sound we make, the sound of the breath, is also sacred. As described earlier, it automatically forms “ham” on the inhalation and “sah” on the exhalation. This forms the sacred mantra of hamsa, the Divine Swan, or the equally famous Tibetan version, so-hum.
Thus, it is from Tara that comes sound—and with sound come words, with words comes communication, with communication comes knowledge, with knowledge comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes enlightenment.
In Tibetan Buddhism, Tara is worshiped as the manifestation of compassion.
To meditate on Tara, you can focus on her yantra or on her image. Tara, as an evolution of Kali, is deep blue in color, albeit not as dark as Kali. Also like Kali, Tara has matted hair, indicating that she has used energy in the passion of love. Around her neck she has a garland of human heads, indicating the wisdom she will offer, and she has several serpents for ornaments, indicating that her consort is Shiva. Again like Kali, Tara is often depicted dancing on a corpse, indicating her focus on the spiritual rather than the physical, and that she destroys all that is negative. Sometimes she stands within a burning funeral pyre, again indicating that she can help you destroy all negativity and everything that is negative. She has four arms and carries a sword or head chopper and a scissors, as well as a severed head. These indicate that she can help you remove your false ego, which prevents you from accepting the wisdom she offers. The scissors, specifically, indicate that she cuts away the attachments that keep you from finding happiness. She also holds a lotus. The lotus grows up from the muck at the bottom of a lake to produce a magnificent flower. It represents the potential of the soul.
Tara’s bija mantra is trim (sounds like “treem”). Repeating it helps you uncover the essence of Tara. Tara is known as the Goddess of Tempestuous Seas, and since seas, or water, metaphorically relate to life, it is Tara who helps us over rough seas and through life’s difficulties. Her bija mantra is also said to help you attain wealth and fame, happiness and success.
A longer mantra is om hreem streem hum phat. Hreem is a sound of purification and transformation. Streem is a sound of the archetypal feminine and is used to develop strength for new births and sustaining those new creations. Hum is for protection and knowledge and gives spiritual perception. Phat (pronounced like “top hat” with the leading “to-” removed) protects and removes obstacles, and is also known as the thunderbolt mantra. Thursday is Tara’s special day.
Tripura Sundari: She
Who Is Sixteen Years Old
Tripura Sundari (“Try-poor-uh Soon-dah-ree”) is also known as Lalita (“Lah-lee-tuh”), “she who plays.” Her yantra is the famous Sri Yantra, described in more detail in the next chapter. She is known as the Beauty of the Three Worlds (mental, physical, spiritual). The beauty results from the light of the vibratory energy that comes through her, and through all things. By understanding the source of her beauty, we are better able to understand and find the beauty that exists in all things.
There is a story that Shiva made fun of Kali’s dark skin, so she ran off to meditate until her skin lightened. A wise man found her and told her that Shiva was going to marry another goddess. Not knowing she had achieved her goal, she ran home and saw a reflection of herself, now with light skin, in Shiva’s heart. Thinking it was another goddess, she flew into an angry rage.
Shiva told her to look again. What she saw was a reflection of herself. Her light skin (representing spirituality) was always there, just beneath the dark (representing physicality). He said that she was beautiful in the three worlds, so she was Tripura Sundari. But he would also call her Sodashi because she was like a sixteen-year-old woman. This represents the culmination of a period of growth.
Unfortunately, many people are too caught up in just one of the worlds—the physical—to understand where beauty really comes from and that the very concept of beauty is dependent solely on our personal perceptions. We can truly appreciate and understand the beauty in other people and things only when we appreciate and understand the beauty within ourselves. It comes from our own inner light that is charged by universal energy from Tara. When we see beauty, we are seeing a reflection of ourselves. If we see ugliness in things or people, it is also a reflection or our perception of our own ugliness. As above, so below. As within, so without.
“She who plays” is a mother goddess. She invites our playing and love, but we often fail to understand and get caught up in the physical world, attached to people and things, resulting in our being locked in suffering and sorrow. From her, though, we learn that such things are misunderstandings of reality and, at most, only temporary. She awakens the joy in our lives and awakens us to the bliss that is really the basis of all things.
There is an entire mode of working with the Sri Yantra that is discussed in chapter Six. For now, for the purpose of focus and meditation, you can use that yantra or Tripura Sundari’s image, which is that of a young girl of sixteen. She is also known simply as “sixteen” (Sodashi) or as “The Young Girl” (Bala). Tripura Sundari combines the power of Kali with the knowledge of Tara and her own blissful self from her spiritual understandings. She takes the Shakti energy and moves it from merely existing in our physical world and allows it to move through our five senses. Visually, she is a young girl sitting on a lotus, which itself is on the body of Shiva. Shiva is lying on a wide throne. Sometimes the throne is shown as being made of five gods (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Indra, Sadashiva) representing the five senses. She holds a bow made of sugarcane. Its arrows are the personification of sweetness. She is gorgeous and beautiful. It is she who gives shape to our desires. Desires descend through our five senses of perception: sound, touch, vision, smell, and taste.
As the first part of her name, Tripura, implies, she takes on three forms: physical, subtle, and transcendent. Therefore, Tripura Sundari’s bija mantra is threefold: aim klim sauah (sounds like “aim kleem sau-uhm,” where the “sau” sounds like the “sou” in sour). Aim is for the power of wisdom, klim is for beauty and delight, and sauah is for spiritual transformation and transcendence. Repeating this mantra helps you achieve deep levels of spirituality and victory over personal demons. Tripura Sundari is popularly worshiped by women seeking to marry.
Bhuvaneshvari: She Who Is
the Creatrix of the World
Bhuvaneshvari (“Bhoo-vah-nesh-vah-ri”) is the “Queen of the Universe,” the true mother of all worlds, the cosmic womb. Kali is time, and Bhuvaneshvari is space, into which all things manifest. Before her, there was energy. Now, matter and physicality finally emerge.
Worshiping this Divine Mother promotes a broader vision of the universe. She helps us transcend concepts of nationality, race, gender, religion, class, and so on. In short, she allows us to manifest the understanding of Tripura Sundari, allowing us to have perfect mercy for all.
Another name for Bhuvaneshvari is Maya, the goddess of illusion. Her dance makes those who have not achieved understanding become locked in meaningless prejudices. But with understanding we see her for what she is, just doing her part in the larger dance of reality. Thus, we find her divine love, which gives everything and everyone the space to be just what they are.
Bhuvaneshvari represents the Shakti energy that moves out to take on names and forms, the forces and powers that manifest as our physical world. As such, she is also the goddess of physical phenomena.
As with the other Mahavidyas, you can meditate on Bhuvaneshvari’s yantra or her image. The image of Bhuvaneshvari is as beautiful as that of Sundari, but her skin is the color of the rising sun, filled with reds, oranges, and yellows merged in power. She has flowing black hair, and her lips are red and full. The crescent moon crowns her head, and she possesses three eyes. As usual, the central eye relates to the third eye, which opens as your understanding of the universe opens. Two of Bhuvaneshvari’s four hands traditionally hold a noose, to trap illusions and carry them away from you. One may also hold a goad, to drive you on your spiritual path. Her other hands form mudras indicating the granting of favors (fingertips down, showing the palm) and the dispelling of fears (fingertips up, again showing the palm).
Bhuvaneshvari is said to have a slim waist and thighs below beautiful, firm breasts smeared with the scents of sandalwood and saffron. Her arms are made for embracing. Yes, this description is overtly sexual. That is only natural, as Bhuvaneshvari is the Queen of the Physical Universe and the created world. This also should remind you of the Tantric concept that the physical world is not something terrible, a place to escape from or a “veil of woe.” Rather, it is a wonderful place of joy and bliss. With the gift of seeing through the maya, Bhuvaneshvari lets us completely appreciate the world she has created, including all of its beauty.
Bhuvaneshvari’s bija mantra is hrim (sounds like “hreem”). Repeating it helps you uncover her very essence. This mantra, related to the heart, is also said to help you prepare for all spiritual practices and increase kundalini energy. Friday is Bhuvaneshvari’s special day.
Chhinnamasta: She Who
Cuts Off Her Own Head
If you thought the image of Kali was frightening, you haven’t met Chhinnamasta! The name, pronounced “Ch’heen-uh-mast-uh,” means “a severed head,” and her image is that of a naked woman who has cut off her own head. But wait, it gets even more weird!
Chhinnamasta holds her own severed head in one of her hands. From her neck are spurting streams of blood. Out of the mouth of the severed head is stretched a long tongue. The head seems to be ecstatically drinking one of the streams of her own blood.
There is something very strange about this image (well, besides the obvious). The appearance on the face of Chhinnamasta is not one of horror, terror, or pain. Instead, she appears to be happy or even in a state of bliss. This reminds me very strongly of the image of the Hanged Man in the tarot.
The Hanged Man is shown hanging by his ankle, not his throat. He is blissful, even though items are falling, or have fallen, from his pockets. He is a willing sacrifice, giving up something in order to be open to something even better. It’s the letting go of the old to make way for the new.
Similarly, Chhinnamasta is seen as the power of sacrifice and courage. Being a willing sacrifice, even when you know that you will get something better, requires a great deal of courage, and Chhinnamasta has it.
Another story as to Chhinnamasta’s creation is that the gentler form of Kali, Parvati, heard her two attendants asking for food because they were starving. Always willing to share, Parvati cut off her head and let them drink from the streams of blood, so some images show two others drinking with her.
If we do not give things up when it is time, nature decrees that we will suffer. Many animals sacrifice their winter coats for lighter summer coats. It’s the giving up of one thing for another. If you don’t sacrifice what you need to give up, if you don’t let go of your baggage, you will suffer. That’s simply the way it is, even though it may seem like a severe punishment.
Use either Chhinnamasta’s yantra or her image for meditation or focus. As with the previous forms of the Mahavidyas, Chhinnamasta’s body is that of a sixteen-year-old adorned with a garland of severed heads. The age, of course, is symbolic and is not meant to represent a pedophile’s obsession—assuming pedophiles are also into headless, auto-cannibalistic victims. Chhinnamasta’s age is a code. It is related to the cycles of the moon and menstrual cycles—specifically, a period of sixteen days from the beginning of the new moon cycle.
Chhinnamasta’s large, firm breasts are covered with lotus petals, and her hair is matted and spread out to look like bolts of lightning. At her feet are the bodies of Kamadeva (“Kah-mah Dey-vah”), the god of love, and Rati (“Rah-tee”), his consort and the goddess of love, entwined in intercourse. This symbolizes the sexual and kundalini energy that Chhinnamasta embodies.
It is also the first time in this pattern that we see a form of the goddess standing on two people rather than one. They are making love, showing that Chhinnamasta is bringing the kundalini energy into the physical universe. Also, because the goddess of love, Rati, is above the god of love, it indicates that she is in control. This shows that although Tantric adepts are encouraged to enjoy the bliss of sex, they should be in control of their urges rather than letting those urges control them.
Chhinnamasta’s bija mantra is hum. Repeating it helps you uncover her essence. It is also believed that it will help you overcome sorrow and disappointment, as well as demolish the false ego (a main cause of suffering). It can help you master your senses. Saturday is Chhinnamasta’s special day.
Bhairavi: She Who Is
the Goddess of Decay
Bhairavi (“Bye-rah-vee”) is known as the Warrior Goddess.8 The divine wrath and anger she represents is specifically focused against impurities that are within us. Inwardly she helps us destroy problems that keep us from spiritual evolution. Externally she gives us the strength and insight to defeat anything ranging from bad vibes to people who work against our spiritual well-being while we traverse our individual paths to enlightenment. So in a very real sense, Bhairavi helps give us rebirth and resurrection as we quit the dark and seek the day.
According to one source, Bhairavi’s name is a composite of three Sanskrit words: bharana (to create), ramana (to protect), and yamana (to disgorge). Thus, she is more than a goddess of destruction; she also is a goddess of creation and maintenance.
The Christian Bible uses the concept of the Word to represent Christ, the resurrection deity. In John 1:1, it says, “In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If, however, we look at this strictly from the wording (no pun intended), it is clear that the concept of words and speech are important to the notion of creation. This is reflected in Genesis 1:3 where it says, “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light.” In the practice of magick—as in the working of a “spell”—this is also true.
Unfortunately, this has resulted in horrible misconceptions of magick. In so many novels, films, TV shows, and comic books, there is the image of a power-hungry dabbler mumbling and poorly pronouncing a few special words, resulting in demons jumping out of the ground or popping out of the air to do this person’s bidding. If this were true, every book on magick in the US would be banned under the Patriot Act! Obviously, there is far more to magick than just speaking the words. They must be backed with some sort of power or energy.
Bhairavi not only is a warrior goddess, but is also the goddess of the power of speech when it is filled with raw potential energy (i.e., possesses the element of fire). It is said that she can use her empowered words to eliminate all opposition (to spiritual evolution). Her image often shows her enraged, riding a donkey, and her mouth filled with the blood of demons. She holds a sword in one hand while giving blessings and removing fears with two others. Her fourth hand holds weapons such as a thunderbolt or trident.
One of the best-known forms of Bhairavi as a warrior is that of Durga, described earlier. Durga is shown riding a lion, a symbol of the fire element. Astride the lion she carries and uses her weapons to save us from all difficulties and blockages to our personal spiritual growth. These blockages can be our own internal demons, but they can also include external forces such as disease and death. She may not be able to eliminate those outer forces, but she can help change our understanding of them so we learn from them rather than merely suffer from them. Bhairavi is also seen as the ultimate warrior goddess, Chandi (“Chahn-dee”), the destroyer of opposition. Chandi would assist Kali in the destruction of demons.
Bhairavi is a goddess who helps bring change. Perhaps the ultimate form of this change is when the pure Shakti energy evolves into energy that can change us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The old and unneeded decays to leave room for a new creation. This energy that has the potential to change us is known as kundalini.
If you don’t use Bhairavi’s yantra for meditation/concentration, focus on her image. As usual, she is very beautiful. Her head has a garland of flowers, and she is smeared with red paste, although her skin already is said to look like the red rays of a thousand suns. She has three eyes and a beautiful face, with the type of smile that is said to slowly appear. She wears white gems, and sometimes her hands are shown holding milk, which nurtures our bodies, and a book, which nurtures our minds.
Like Tripura Sundari, Bhairavi is said to rule over three worlds. Therefore, her bija mantra is threefold: hsraim hskrim hsrsauh (sounds like “sraym” with a leading breath, “skreem” with a leading breath, and “srr-sau-uh” with a leading breath). Repeating this helps you uncover the essence of Bhairavi. It is also said to help you attain excellence in speech, as well as dynamism and drive to accomplish goals. It will allow you to discover your true goals and move toward them without being interrupted by attachments to minor things. It helps you discover hidden inner negative energy, discharge it, and release your spiritual fire. Bhairavi’s special day is Wednesday.
Dhumavati: She Who Is the
Goddess Who Widows Herself
The seventh Mahavidya is Dhumavati (“Doo-mah-vah-tee”). Dhumavati is the oldest of the Mahavidyas. She is a grandmother goddess, giving honor and respect to the wisdom that comes with age. To have lived this long, she has overcome all of her failures and realized that each failure had within it one or more things to learn. Combined, these learnings have given her knowledge and wisdom she can share so we can become victors in life.
The word dhuma means “smoke,” and Dhumavati’s name means that she is composed of smoke. So her nature is to obscure things. How, then, can she share her long lifetime of earned wisdom? The answer is that in order to obscure one thing, you must reveal another. When you obscure superficial desires, you reveal inner needs and can develop spiritual goals. Those superficial desires can take your focus away from your true spiritual goals. Dhumavati’s obscuration actually helps you to focus and achieve your goals. She is worshiped by those who think of themselves as helpless, afflicted with hunger, and suffering the terrible pangs that accompany birth … and death.
The other nine Mahavidyas have consorts. Dhumavati, however, is the Widow Goddess. This means she is pure, feminine energy, with no aspect of the masculine. Nothing in our physical world is purely male or female, positive or negative, electric or magnetic, yang or yin, etc. Everything is blended. As part of this metaphor, in most Western teachings, the masculine/positive/electric concept represents pure energy, while the feminine/negative/magnetic concept represents pure form. As I’ve already pointed out, in Tantric traditions the opposite is true. The female is considered pure energy and the male is considered pure form. There is a saying that exemplifies this concept: “Shiva is a corpse without Shakti.”
While for some people, not having a partner indicates freedom and independence, it can also have the opposite effect. Some people need a partner. Dhumavati can be generalized into the sensation of wanting what one doesn’t have, being a beggar eternally and desiring physical things.
Use Dhumavati’s yantra or her image for concentration and/or meditation. She is usually shown as an old woman, tall and very thin, the color of smoke. She is wrinkled and unattractive, with long, uneven teeth, several of which are missing. Her hair is a matted mess. Picture Kali as an old, weakened woman. She wears old, dirty clothes (taken from a corpse in a cremation ground) that don’t hide her sagging breasts. In one hand she holds a winnowing basket that is used to separate usable grain from the grain’s husks or chaff by tossing the harvest in the air. It represents the ability to separate what is bad and unusable from what is good and practical. Dhumavati rides in a type of chariot or cart that has a crow, a symbol of death, on it. She is seen to be sad, quarrelsome, and angry and is associated with ignorance. Can you get past those blockages, often in the form of physical things, to find your spiritual way?
Dhumavati’s bija mantra is dhum (sounds like “doom”). Repeating it helps you to uncover her essence. It is also said to help you eliminate anything blocking your spiritual path, your adversaries, and to attain health, wealth, strength, and good fortune. Using this mantra creates a sort of protective spiritual smoke that hides you from any type of negativity, even hiding you from death. Dhumavati’s special day is Saturday.
Bagalamukhi:
She Who Grasps the Tongue
When pure, undifferentiated sound (represented by Tara) manifests as light, Tara becomes Bagalamukhi (“Bah-gah-lah-moo-kee”). This light is stunning, effulgent, ultimately powerful and glorious, making Bagalamukhi a wonderful and powerful goddess. To look at the evolution of the Mahavidyas, consider the concept of sound (Tara) made manifest as speech (Bhairavi) that becomes so stunningly powerful (as Bagalamukhi) that it silences all others. Bagalamukhi represents the hypnotic powers of the Goddess that instantaneously stop others in their tracks. Symbolically she helps you quiet the voice that constantly goes on in your head and allows the inner voice from your higher self to come through. It is here that the Shakti energy has turned inward. It changes individuals who have lived in ignorance and misery by allowing them to achieve a state of bliss. With Dhumavati,
people yearn for relief from the pains of life. With Bagalamukhi, people rediscover that they are divine and are encouraged to seek spirituality.
Whenever you have to debate others or simply present your position to others, Bagalamukhi is the goddess to call on for support. Sometimes that “other” person is an aspect of yourself that keeps you from your spiritual path.
Because of this stunning, hypnotic power, Bagalamukhi can be considered an “inverter.” If people would speak against you, she inverts their speech into silence. She reveals their “knowledge” for the ignorance it truly is. She makes the powerful powerless and turns your defeats into victories and your opponent’s victories into defeats.
Dhumavati represents a focus on physical things. Bagalamukhi shows the power of the non-physical, helping you to refocus on the spiritual and the understanding that there is a part of you that is divine.
Meditate or focus your devotion on Bagalamukhi’s yantra or her image to gain her graces. Many images show her skin as yellow, and her clothing may be depicted in a similar color. She sometimes wears trinkets that are yellow and has yellow flowers in her hair. She may sit on a throne made of the yellow metal gold. Around her throne are red lotuses. With one hand she is reaching out to grab the tongue of her demonic foe. With her other hand she holds a mace so after she has him by the tongue, she can smack him on the head.
Bagalamukhi’s bija mantra is hlim (sounds like “leem” with a leading breath). Repeating it helps you to uncover her essence. It is also said to protect you from enemies, especially fierce ones. Therefore, it will help you achieve victory, fame, and success. Some people pronounce it “hrim.” Bagalamukhi’s special day is Tuesday.
Matangi: She Who Loves Pollution
Matangi (“Mah-tahn-gee,” with the “g” as in “goose”) is the goddess of articulating or communicating inner knowledge and is therefore the goddess of art, music, and dance, a Tantric goddess similar to Brahma’s consort, Saraswati. Both play a veena (“vee-nuh”), a stringed musical instrument about four feet long. Both are symbolized by rain clouds, thunder, and rivers. However, Matangi is focused on inner knowledge and bestows talent and expertise, whereas Saraswati offers more common learnings. Saraswati rules the ordinary, while Matangi rules the extraordinary. Matangi shares in the transformative power of Kali and Shiva. She is also the goddess of teaching and counseling.
Matangi is the color of dark green emeralds, like the color of the deep sea. She has three eyes and is said to be radiant, like the moon. However, when she walks, her steps are said to be like those of an infuriated elephant. Her eyes are shown as rolling under the influence of alcohol. She carries weapons that are used to fascinate and subdue her enemies. She may hold in her hand a parrot, representing speech and the fact that humans are unique because of our broad and innate natural ability to speak. She is sometimes called the Mantrashakti, the goddess of words. Her throne is covered or perhaps is made of gems with the symbolism of a lion. You can use this image or Matangi’s yantra for focus and/or meditation. Matangi is “the giver of results.”
In a story about Parvati, the goddess assumes the form of a human in the lowest class of people, those who are associated with death, impurity, and pollution. In this form she is known as Matangi, a symbol of how intention can make anything sacred.
Matangi’s bija mantra is aim, a mantra also sacred to Saraswati. Repeating it helps you uncover the essence of Matangi. It is claimed that it will help you gain wisdom and lead to perfection. It may also lead to marriage and a happy married life. Matangi’s special day is Sunday.
Kamala: She Who Is
the Last But Not the Least
The tenth of the Dasa Mahavidyas is Kamala (“Kah-mah-lah”) or Kamalatmika (“Kah-mah-laht-mee-kah”), the Lotus Goddess of Delight and the power of perfect happiness. Delight and happiness, especially in our physical world, may seem out of place or at least not very attainable. However, as I pointed out earlier, the Tantric concept does not view the physical world as something terrible, a place to leave, or a “veil of woe.” Rather, it is a wonderful place of joy and bliss. Kamala represents true self-awareness.
Kamala is a Sanskrit word for lotus. In this, she is like the goddess of the lotus, Lakshmi (“Lahk-shmee”), the consort of Vishnu the preserver deity. Lakshmi is also the goddess of wealth, beauty, and love. Some say Kamala is Lakshmi, but she is never shown with Vishnu, so there are differences. For example, Kamala is not dominated by Vishnu, as is Lakshmi. Kamala is independent and liberated.
Kamala, as ruler of love, beauty, and bliss, is also similar to Tripura Sundari, but Sundari deals with a more subtle form of love, beauty, and bliss, based on a positive self-image. Kamala deals with the outer form of beauty as a manifestation of the inner. It’s a subtle difference, but it is there. Because of the focus on the outer, Kamala is directly related to the earth, as the earth contains the full physical manifestation of the Divine.
Kamala will aid you in whatever you wish to do and help you achieve your goals. This is not for spiritual goals, but for worldly ones: financial success and security, family and loved ones, etc. However, these goals should be outward manifestations of your spiritual life and not merely temporary desires based on supposed needs or wants caused by attachments, egotistical wishes, or even what could be considered fetishes or neurotic desires.
As with the other Mahavidyas, you can meditate on Kamala’s yantra or on her image. Kamala is beautiful, and her skin tone is the yellow of Bagalamukhi combined with the browns of the earth, yielding a golden tone. Kamala is shown wearing beautiful silks and has a crown of gems. Two of her hands form the mudras of granting favors and eliminating fears. Four pure white elephants—the largest animals on land—bathe her by pouring jars of water or the earth’s nectars over her. The nectars represent unity with the Divine (yoga), virtue, wealth, and knowledge—a union of the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical worlds. In her other hands Kamala holds lotus flowers, representative of life and fertility on the physical plane. She stands on a lotus herself. You can meditate/focus on this image or on Kamala’s yantra to seek her wisdom and favors.
Kamala’s bija mantra is shrim (sounds like “shreem”), the same as that of Lakshmi. Repeating it helps you to uncover the essence of Kamala. It is also said to enhance creativity and help you become more aware of physical beauty as a manifestation of the Divine. It can help you achieve gracefulness and fertility in thought and deed. It is said to grant all of life’s highest goals. Monday is Kamala’s special day.
In the images of the Mahavidyas, you may have noticed that they don’t completely match the descriptions. Such images are almost always incomplete. Artists will focus more on one aspect than another, stressing that aspect of the particular goddess. If you were drawing images of the goddesses, which aspects would you emphasize? Also, artists may come from traditions that use different descriptions of the goddesses than those given here. They’re not wrong, they’re just different.
Because the Dasa Mahavidyas are guardians of the ten directions of space, some Tantrics use them for banishings. Here is one I created a few years ago and have used successfully many times:
Banishing by the Mahavidyas
- Begin by chanting Om until you feel centered and calm.
- Walk or turn to the east. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Chhinnamasta, goddess of divine satisfaction, watch over the eastern gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn to the south. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Kali, goddess of spiritual transformation, watch over the southern gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn to the west. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Bhuvaneshvari, goddess who rules the universe, watch over the western gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn to the north. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Bagalamukhi, goddess of communication, watch over the northern gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn past the east, completing your first circumambulation. Continue on to the southeast. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Dhumavati, great grandmother, watch over the southeastern gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn to the southwest. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Tripura Sundari, threefold goddess of beauty and bliss, watch over the southwestern gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn to the northwest. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Matangi [shout her name], goddess of sound and energy, watch over the northwestern gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn to the northeast. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Kamala, great goddess of unfoldment, watch over the northeastern gate of this chakra of bliss.
- Walk or turn to the southeast to complete the circle. Then walk or turn to the west of your area and face east. If you are moving as opposed to just turning, walk to the center of your area. Look up. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Tara, great goddess who brings hope and help when all seems lost, watch over the gate above this chakra of bliss.
- Look down while still in the center of your area. Offer incense, a flame waved in this direction, the thunderbolt mantra, and/or something similar. Say: Bhairavi, great warrior goddess, watch over the gate below this chakra of bliss.
- Again, chant Om. Inhale deeply and sound this mantra using your full and slow exhalation. Allow your senses to reach out and make sure that your area is banished. Repeat the chant until you feel balanced.
In closing this section, I think it is interesting to look at the message that underlies the ten great powers: They are all dangerous women. They do not stand on convention. They’re associated with death and transformation. None of them are subservient to males.
To quote historian and Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” The Mahavidyas are the driving force behind lots of history.
These women, these goddesses, are subversive. They share the Tantric concept that living according to social norms forced upon you by society, friends, custom, religions, etc., does not lead to liberation and spiritual freedom. Tantrics often appear to be the same as those who have been marginalized by society: the misfits, the improper, the outsiders, the unique. It is by cutting through the boundaries of what is allowed or accepted, by doing what is unexpected or frowned upon, that the Tantric discovers new approaches to the world and to spiritual development.
One learns techniques so that, when mastered, they can be abandoned. This is what leads to true freedom.
7. Note: The first part of this chapter was derived, in part, from an article I wrote entitled “Dasa Mahavidyas and the Tree of Life” for the online journal Hermetic Virtues.
8. Note: Some writers switch the order of Chhinnamasta and Bhairavi in the evolution of the Dasa Mahavidyas. The order presented here is the one given in the classic text known as the Todala Tantra.