Dashmahavidya | Dashmahavidya Sketch | दशमहाविद्या | দশমহাবিদ্যা

Dashmahavidya | Dashmahavidya Sketch | दशमहाविद्या | দশমহাবিদ্যা | Dasamahavidya Sketch | ArnabLHT Sketch

Story of the Origin of the Das Mahavidyas

Sati, the consort of Shiva was the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, a descendant of Brahma. Sati had married Shiva against the wishes of her father. The vain Daksha performed a great yajna (with the sole aim of insulting Shiva), to which he invited all of the gods and goddesses except his son-in-law, Lord Shiva.

Sati learned about her father’s yajna from Narad Muni. She asked Shiva’s permission to attend the yajna, saying that a daughter did not need an invitation from her father. Shiva said that Daksha was trying to insult him, and so even if Sati attended the yajna, the fruit of the sacrifice would not be auspicious. Therefore he bade Sati not to attend the yajna.

Sati became furious – She thought that Shiva was treating her like an ignorant lady and not as the mother of the Universe. So to show Shiva who she really was, she assumed a different form – the one of the Divine Mother. The oceans raged, the mountains shook, and the atmosphere was filled with the wonder of her form.

Shiva began to shake and tried to flee. But in every direction that he tried to flee, the Divine mother stopped him. The Divine Mother had multiplied herself into ten different forms, guarding each of the ten directions, and try as Shiva might, he could not escape from her, as she had blocked every escape route.

These ten forms of Divine Mother are known as the Das Mahavidyas. Each form has her own name, story, quality, and mantras.

The Das Mahavidyas are Wisdom Goddesses. Das means ten, maha means great, and vidya means wisdom. The Das Mahavidyas are considered forms of Divine Mother Kali, who is the first of the then Mahavidyas. Each Wisdom Goddess has her own name, story, quality, and mantras.

1. Kali – The ultimate form of Brahman, "Devourer of Time" (Supreme Deity of Kalikula systems). Mahakali is of a pitch-black complexion, darkest than the dark of the Death-Night. She had three eyes, representing the past, present, and future. She has shining white, fang-like teeth, a gaping mouth, and her red, bloody tongue hanging from there. She has unbound, disheveled hairs. She was wearing tiger skins as her garments, a garland of skulls and a garland of rosy-red flowers around her neck, and on her belt, she was adorned with skeletal bones, skeletal hands as well as severed arms and hands as her ornamentation. She has four hands, two of them were empty and two others carried a sword and demon head.
2. Tara – The Goddess as Guide and Protector, or Who Saves. Who offers the ultimate knowledge which gives salvation. She is the goddess of all sources of energy. The energy of the sun is also a grant from her. She manifested as the mother of Lord Shiva after the incident of Samudramanthan to heal him as her child. Tara is of a light blue complexion. She has disheveled hairs, wearing a crown decorated with the digit of the half-moon. She has three eyes, a snake coiled comfortably around her throat, wearing the skins of tigers, ornamented with a garland of skulls. She is also seen wearing a belt, supporting her skirt made of tiger-skin. Her four hands carried a lotus, scimitar, demon head and scissor. She had her left foot rested on the corpse of Shiva
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". She is the head of manidweep. Shodashi is seen with a molten gold complexion, three placid eyes, a calm mien, wearing red and pink vestments, adorned with ornaments on her divine limbs and four hands, each holding a goad, lotus, bow, and arrow. She is seated on a throne.
4. Bhuvaneshvari – The Goddess as World Mother, or Whose Body is all 14 lokas (whole cosmos). Bhuvaneshwari is of a fair, golden complexion, with three content eyes as well as a calm mien. She wears red and yellow garments, decorated with ornaments on her limbs and has four hands. Two of her four hands hold a goad and noose while her other two hands are open. She is seated on a divine, celestial throne.
5. Bhairavi – The Fierce Goddess. The female version of Bhairav. Bhairavi is of a fiery, volcanic red complexion, with three, furious eyes, and disheveled hairs. Her hair was matted and was tied up in a bun, decorated by a crescent moon as well as two devil horns sticking out from each side. She has two protruding tusks hanging out from the ends of her bloody mouth. She wears red and blue garments and is adorned with a garland of skulls around her neck. She also wears a belt decorated with severed hands and bones attached to it. She is also decked with snakes and serpents too as her ornamentation, rarely she is seen wearing any jewelry on her limbs. She has four hands, two of which are open and two of which hold a rosary and book.
6. Chhinnamasta – The self-decapitated Goddess^[5]. She chopped her own head off in order to satisfy Jaya and Vijaya (metaphors of Rajas and Tamas - part of the trigunas). Chinnamasta is of a red complexion, embodied with a frightful appearance. She had disheveled hairs. She has four hands, two of which held a sword and another handheld her own severed head, with three blazing eyes with a frightful mien, wearing a crown, and two of her other hands held a lasso and drinking bowl. She is a partially clothed lady, adorned with ornaments on her limbs and wearing a garland of skulls on her body. She is mounted upon the back of a ferocious lion.
7. Dhumavati – The Widow Goddess. Dhumavati is of a very smoky dark brown complexion, her skin is wrinkled, her mouth is dry, some of her teeth have fallen out, her long disheveled hairs are gray, her eyes are seen as bloodshot and she has a frightening mien, which is seen as a combined source of anger, misery, fear, exhaustion, restlessness, constant hunger and thirst. She wears white clothes, donned in the attire of a widow. She is sitting in a horseless chariot as her vehicle of transportation and on top of the chariot, there is an emblem of a crow as well as a banner. She has two trembling hands, her one hand bestows boons and/or knowledge and the other holds a winnowing basket.
8. Bagalamukhi – The Goddess Who Paralyzes Enemies. Goddess Bagalamukhi has a molten gold complexion with three bright eyes, lush black hair, and a benign mien. She is seen wearing yellow garments and apparel. She is decked with yellow ornaments on her limbs. Her two hands held a mace and the tongue of demon Madanasur, as he's in paralysis. She is depicted seated on either a throne or on the back of a crane.
9. Matangi – the Prime Minister of Lalita (in Srikula systems), sometimes called the "Tantric Saraswati". Matangi is depicted as emerald green in complexion, with lush, disheveled black hairs, three placid eyes and a calm look on her face. She is seen wearing red garments and apparels and bedecked with various types of ornaments all over her delicate limbs. She is seated on a royal throne and she has four hands, three of which hold a sword or scimitar, a skull, and a veena as a musical instrument. Her one hand bestows boons to her devotees.
10. Kamala ( Kamalatmika) – The Lotus Goddess; sometimes called the "Tantric Lakshmi". Kamala is of a molten gold complexion with lush black hair, three bright, placid eyes, and a benevolent mien on her face. She is seen wearing red and pink garments and apparels and bedecked with various types of ornaments and lotuses all over her limbs. She is seated on a fully bloomed lotus and has four hands, two of which held lotuses while two others granted her devotees' wishes and assure protection from fear.