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D. Jagannatha Rao

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Ya Devi Sarva Bhuteshu Matru Rupena Samsthitha lNamastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Nomo Namah ll

[To Devi, the Divine Goddess who resides in all existence in the form of the Universal Mother, We bow again, and again and again. DM Chapter 5: 71-73]

Almost all religions in the world consider God, the Supreme Being as male. Hinduism is perhaps the only religion, where God is also worshipped in the female form as the ‘Mother Goddess’ or ‘the Divine Mother’, since ancient times. As the Divine Mother, she represents the very essence of life and love. She, as the Mother Goddess is also considered as the fi rst manifestation of power ‘Adi Shakti’, a concept higher than that of the Father. To call the Divine Mother as ‘Para Brahman’ – the ‘Supreme Power’, is a unique characteristic of Hinduism, which is also not found in any other religion.

Th is has been possible as the culture and tradition of India, from times immemorial, has given women, the highest place of respect and recognition. Th is has led to identify several important Hindu concepts like – ‘Knowledge’ with the female deity ‘Saraswati’, ‘Wealth’ with ‘Lakshmi’, the sacred river ‘Ganga’, as ‘Ganga Ma’, the Bhagavad Gita as ‘Gita Maata’, etc.

Worship of the Divine Mother

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Adi Shakti the Mother Goddess

Goddess as the Divine Mother

All of us owe our existence to our mothers. One’s relationship with one’s mother is the dearest and sweetest of all human relations. A child is more familiar with its mother than its father, because mother is kind, loving and aff ectionate, and looks aft er the needs of the child. It is the mother who protects, nourishes and consoles her child. She sacrifi ces her all, for the sake of her child. Even a grown up adult thinks of his mother or cries for his mother, when in diffi culty. According to ‘Adi Shankara’, ‘there can be a bad son but never a bad mother’. Hence it is easy for a devotee to worship God as his own mother (maata).

Devi as the ‘Divine Mother’ represents

1. Strength (she is seen seated on a lion or a tiger, which represents strength and power),

2. Morality (her feminine form invokes respect, as we would respect our own mother),

3. Power and Protection (she is seen as a destroyer of enemies and evil forces).

From this concept, emerged the philosophy of the supremacy of the ‘Divine Mother’– Devi, also termed as the ‘Mother Goddess’. In fact the ‘Lalita Sahasranama’ starts with the divine invocation of the thousand names to Goddess ‘Lalita Tripura Sundari’ with the very fi rst name as ‘Sri Maata’ (LS 1). SHE is also termed as ‘Shakti’ or ‘Th e Supreme Power’ to which all gods bow in reverence.

Shakti – the Divine Power

Goddess, as the Divine Mother is usually referred as Devi or Mahadevi in all the Indian languages and is synonymous with ‘Shakti’ (divine power/energy manifest as life-force). ‘Shakti’ the power takes a wide variety of meanings and connotations – nature, creation, life force, movement, mind, intellect, power and strength.

Th is Shakti also takes the form of health and healing from diseases, auspicious growth of plants and human life, abundance of food, marital

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Worship of the Divine Mother

happiness, reproductive health and birth and growth of children, wealth and success in various activities, intellectual and other skills, and victory over evil forces and one’s enemies.

Philosophic View

If Brahman, the Supreme Being has to perform its functions, it needs energy (Shakti). When it creates it is ‘Vaak’ (Saraswati), when it preserves it is ‘Lakshmi’ and when it destroys it is ‘Parvati or Durga’. Hence Shakti can be considered as source, support and end of all existence and life.

Soundarya Lahari says that – ‘Shiva is able to create when He is united with Shakti, or otherwise He is unable to even move’ (SL 1). Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says: ‘Brahman and Shakti are inseparable. If you accept the one, then you must accept the other. It is like fi re and its power to burn… We cannot imagine one without the other’. Th ere are also other philosophical points of view, with regard to Shakti, which are discussed in detail in Chapter 3 (Shaakta Sidhanta).

The Goddess Tradition

Th e Goddess tradition in India has a rich and vibrant history. Th ere is some distinction between Devi, the Divine Mother and the pantheon of goddesses that exist within the Hindu religious tradition. Many of these goddesses are identifi ed with Devi, as she is seen to manifest in various names and forms, while she herself always remains as Para Brahman – the ‘Supreme Being’.

EVOLUTION OF GODDESS WORSHIP IN HINDUISM

Goddess worship in India is a living tradition, practiced for the past several millennia and is considered to pre-date even the Vedic religion. Th is is probably because the primitive man lived in a matriarchal society and the worship of one’s own mother as the divine mother came into practice. In fact in India, in every village, there is a village temple (Grama Devi) dedicated to some form of the goddess.

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Sindhuuraaruna vigrahaam trinayanaam maanikya moulisphurat lTaara naayaka sekharaam smita mukheem aapeena vakshoruhaam lPaanibhyam ali purna ratna chashakam raktotpalam bibhrateem llSoumyaam ratna ghatastha rakta charanaam dhyayet paraam ambikaam ll

[Let us meditate on the Divine Mother, who is eternal, saff ron-red in hue, wearing the crown embedded with gems, with Moon as an adornment over the head, three eyed, ever smiling, having high breasts, with hands holding jewelled wine cup and red fl owers, ever soft and peaceful, with Her red lotus feet rested on a gem-decked pedestal – Dhyana Sloka of LS]

Th e worship of Lalita Tripura Sundari, popularly known as Sri Vidya, is considered as the highest form of worship of the Divine Mother by followers of ‘Dakshinachara’ and other ‘Samayachara’ methods. In Shaakta Sidhanta, ‘Sri Vidyopasana’ is considered the pinnacle of one’s spiritual achievement. It is believed that ‘Sri Vidyopasana’ comes to the sadhaka in his last and fi nal life before salvation.

Sri Vidya is a highly systematic and comprehensive discipline, which combines precise spiritual knowledge, immense devotion to the goddess, and correct and systematic steps in the prescribed rituals to be followed by the sadhaka. Sri Vidya is also known as ‘Yoga-Sahasra’. Th e Kaula practitioners of Sri Vidya diff erentiate their method of worship

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as ‘Sri Kula Tantra’ where as ‘Sri Vidya’ is the general name given to the method of worship of the goddess by all Sri Vidya practitioners.

Origins of Sri Vidya

Sri Vidya is believed to have evolved into an independent system of worship of the Divine Mother, during the early centuries of the Christian era. Several works relating to Sri Vidya appeared during the period in Kashmir. Th e most popular work appears to be ‘Vamakeswara tantra’ which has attracted several important commentaries. Another important work relating to Sri Vidya is ‘Lalita Sahasranama’. A reference to Sri Vidya Mantra is found in the Tamil work ‘Tirumantiram’ by Tirumalar, who lived in the 7th Century CE. By the seventh century, Sri Vidya had become a very popular cult in South India as is evident from the work ‘Soundarya Lahari’ which is attributed to Adi Shankara.

As a tradition, Sri Chakra came to be installed in front of the goddesses of most of the major Indian temples identifying them with Lalita Tripura Sundari. By the thirteenth century the cult of Sri Vidya had greatly expanded both in Kashmir and South India and several notable commentaries came to be written on the earlier works. Th e cult also became popular in Bengal with northern variations. Now her cult and worship is spread throughout India.

Types of Sri Vidya

It is believed that there are 12 diff erent schools, according to the 12 famous Rishis (Upasakas) who practiced Sri Vidya – Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Lopamudra, Manmatha, Agastya, Agni, Surya, Indra, Skanda, Shiva and Durvasa. Th e order of the syllables in Panchadasi Mantra also varies in each school of Sri Vidya.

Out of these schools, the school of Manmatha (Ka-adi Vidya – the Panchadasi Mantra starts from Ka) and the school of Agastya (Ha-adi Vidya – the Panchadasi Mantra starts from Ha) are widely prevalent. Th ese are in turn considered as ‘Classical forms of Sri Vidya’. Guru mandalas, and Anga Devatas vary for each form of Sri Vidya. Devotees

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Adi Shakti the Mother Goddess

of ‘Ka-adi Vidya’ worship the Sri Chakra from the perimeter to the Centre, where as devotees of ‘Ha-adi’ Vidya worship Sri Chakra from the Centre to the perimeter.

‘Ka-adi’ Vidya is the most popular form of Sri Vidya. It is also considered as the supreme form of Sri Vidya as ‘Lalita Trishati’ follows the ‘aksharas’ of ‘Ka-adi’ Vidya in its enumeration of the 300 names of Lalita Tripura Sundari. Another reason for its supremacy is that only ‘Ka-adi’ form of Panchadasi Mantra’ becomes ‘Shodasi Mantra’ when the fourth part ‘Turiya Kuta’ is added to it.

‘Ka-ha di’ Vidya as ‘Mishra Vidya’ (the school of Durvasa, also known as ‘Sa-di’ Vidya) is practiced by a few people. Some of the other schools are believed to have become extinct. Th e mantras used by all these schools are variations of Panchadasi mantra.

Traditions of Sri Vidya Practice

The three traditions followed in Sri Vidya are – Dakshinamurti, Hayagreeva and Aananda Bhairava. These Sampradayas are not contradictory but only complementary to each other. The main diff erences are in the construction of Sri Chakra, Guru Mandala, Patra sthapana, and procedures of worship. In Dakshinamurti and Hayagreeva Sampradayas, the procedure of worship is Samayachara. In Aananda Bhairava Sampradaya, the procedure of worship is either through Kaula Marga or Vama marga.

Th ere is also a (rather secret and rare) tradition of worshipping the goddess Lalita Tripura Sundari using ‘Ka-adi Vidya’ through Samayachara during the day and worshipping the goddess using ‘Ha-adi’ Vidya through Kulachara during night.

Lalita Tripura Sundari, in the form of the Divine Mother, is said to have three forms: physical, mental and cognitive. Th e fi rst is represented by ‘Mudra’, the second by ‘Yantra’ and the third by ‘Mantra’. Th ere are also several variations of Sri Vidya depending on the combinations of the ‘beejaksharas’ in the moola Panchadasi mantra.

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Characteristics of Sri Vidya

The subtle form of the Divine Mother is manifested in its three aspects – Sookshma, Sookshma-tara, and Sookshma-tama. These are also respectively known as – Panchadasi Vidya, Kama Kala and Kundalini. Panchadasi mantra/vidya represents the fi rst three parts of Sri Vidya Mantra.

Sri Vidya Mantra which is the subtle representation of Lalita, refl ects her diff erent aspects too. It is again divided into four parts – Agni Khanda, Surya Khanda, Chandra Khanda and Kala Khanda. Th ese four parts also known as Kutas – Vagbhava Kuta, Kamaraja Kuta, Shakti Kuta and Turiya Kuta. Between these parts/Kutas, there are the three granthis – Brahma granthi, Vishnu granthi and Rudra granthi (each represented by the bija mantra ‘Hreem’).

Panchadasi mantra has close relation with the six chakras of the human body. Kundalini Shakti, residing in Muladhara aft er arousal will have to be taken through the six chakras and three granthis to reach Sahasraara (For details see Chapter 9 Shakti Yoga).

Importance of Sri Vidya

‘Sri Vidya’ refers to the spiritual knowledge and worship of the ‘Divine Mother’ in the form of ‘Lalita Tripurasundari’ – the ‘Beauty of the three worlds’. She is also envisioned as ‘Rajarajeswari’ – the Queen of the Universe, who holds the key to all knowledge and powers. Sri means auspiciousness, prosperity and divinity. Lalita Sahasranama addresses ‘Her’ in its very fi rst name as ‘Sri Maata’, the Divine Mother.

Sri Vidya through its tantric practices aims to unite all aspects in the worship of the goddess. It aims to attain well-being in this world, spiritual knowledge, attainment of Para Brahman, the Supreme Being and ultimate liberation for the soul. Another important fact to be noted is that Sri Vidya does not distinguish caste, creed, colour, religion or sex of the worshipper. Th e sadhaka has to adhere to certain restrictions if he/she has to take up the practicing of Sri Vidya in all earnestness.

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‘Maha Tantra, Maha Mantra, Maha Yantra, Mahasana…’

[Devi is Maha Tantra (like Kularnava, Jnanrnava, etc.), Devi is Maha Mantra (like Sri Vidya, Baala, Bagala, etc.), Devi is Maha Yantra (like Puja Chakra, Padma Chakra, Sri Chakra, etc.), Mahasana – the 36 Tatvas including the Earth, form the seat of Devi, … LS 226, 227, 228]

Historical Background

From the very early times, Tantric practices seem to have developed as a part of the worship of tribal gods and goddesses. Th ere is also a view that the tantric rituals developed as a reaction to the strict Vedic practices and exclusion of people of other varnas (people of lower castes) as also women from performing religious rituals and worship.

Tantrism as such has its roots in the ‘Karma-kanda’ of the Vedas. Vishnu Purana was the fi rst Sanskrit text to use the term ‘Tantra’ to mean ‘a set of practices and rituals in speaking of cults related to Vishnu, Shakti and Durga’. Buddhist texts also use the same term to mean a ‘set of doctrines and practices for obtaining spiritual enlightenment’. Th ere are historical evidences to show that many kings and rulers provided royal support to tantric practices and also maintained tantric practitioners in their courts.

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Adi Shakti the Mother Goddess

Many of the followers of the Tantric rituals did not have race, gender or caste exclusions. Th is was in a way an attempt to throw away the Brahmanical hegemony in devotional worship of gods. For example, in the practice of a tantric method like Kaula marga, there is no restriction on caste or gender for the sadhaka. Th e only condition is that he/she is required to be initiated in to the tantric system by a qualifi ed Guru, who may be male or female and may belong to any caste.

Schools of Tantra

Rather than a single coherent system, Tantra has evolved over a period of time as an accumulation of diff erent sets of religious practices. Divergent forms of tantric practices have been in existence in diff erent regions of the country for more than two thousand years. A few of them were Satvic but many of them were also Tamasic in nature. Kashmira, Gaudiya, Shaiva, Ganapatya, Vaishnava and Shaakta were some of the prominent Tantric schools. Shaakta in turn had two diff erent systems of tantric practices – known as Kulachara and Dakshinachara.

Tantra also gave freedom of worship to women and people of all castes and categories. Th us the tantric traditions became popular among the masses and played a crucial role in the development of the religious and social life of the country for over three millennia.

Absorption of Several Tantric Practices by Vedic Religion

Th e signifi cance of tantra is that it reduced and liberalised the elaborate rites and rituals prescribed by the Vedic and Brahmanical systems of worship. Even though, Tantra is believed to have evolved in opposition to Vedic systems of worship, the Vedic systems gradually absorbed several tantric practices over a period of time.

Many of the methods and practices in ‘Astanga Yoga’ as well as ‘Shakti (Kundalini) Yoga’ are derived from Tantric sources. Various components of Tantra like mandala, yantra, mudra, and other mystical symbols were later incorporated into the traditional modes of worship. Now even orthodox temple priests profess to follow the respective tantric

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texts in the performance of elaborate rituals in worshipping their temple deities – ‘Shaiva Agamas’ in respect of Shiva temples and ‘Pancharatra Agama’ in respect of Vishnu temples. (Some Tantras are also called ‘Agamas’). Besides temple worship, Tantric Practices are widely followed in varying degrees by individuals and various Hindu religious sects to attain specifi c objectives.

Development of Tantric Practices in Buddhism

Tantric practices also simultaneously developed in the ‘Vajrayana’ (Th e Diamond Path) form of Buddhism. Th ese practices include teachings, mantras, mudras, visualisations, mandalas, off erings, and practiced individually or in a group and include both internal, external as well as secret tantric methods. Tantric Buddhism teaches the worship of Hindu goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati and Hindu gods like Ganesha and Kubera. Th e deity ‘Maha Kala’ of Tibetan Buddhism is the same deity Shiva (as ‘Maha Kala’) in Hinduism.

‘Tara’ one of the Goddesses of ‘Dasha Maha Vidya’ in Hinduism is also the most important of the Buddhist goddesses and is considered as the Buddhist form of the ‘Divine Mother’. Th e Bodhisatva – Tara is the consort of the great ‘Buddha Avalokiteswara’, the Lord who looks down upon living beings in compassion. Th e Hindu and Tibetan versions of the ‘Tara mantra’ are identical. In Buddhism, Tara appears in various colours, with distinctive characteristics.

Yoginis exist in both Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, the yoginis like Bodhisattvas are spirits who guide in the practice of yoga. In Hinduism, yoginis appear at several levels – as the presiding deities of various chakras in Sri Chakra and Shakti yoga, as spiritual guides in yoga practice, and also as wisdom goddesses (as various forms of Kaali) of Dasha Maha Vidya.

The most prominent yogini common to both Hinduism and Buddhism is ‘Vajra Yogini’ – the main deity of ‘Vajrayana’ path of Buddhism – known in Hinduism, as a Dasha Maha Vidya Goddess – Chinnamasta, who is also called ‘Vajra Vairochani’.

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Th e development of the concept of ‘Maha Vidya’, during the post ‘Puranic period’ represents a turning point in Shaaktism and female divine worship. It also represents an important stage in breaking out of rigid Vedic stipulations in worship. Th is eventually led to the rise in the importance of tantric rituals in Shaaktism.

It is probable that the Maha Vidya cult originated outside the traditional (and many times) outside the existing Vedic practices, but (as is with most of the traditions), it was assimilated into the mainstream religion (in this case Shaaktism) over a period of time. Much later, attempts were made by tantric texts, to provide mythological background, theological status, mystical meanings, and symbolic representations to each of these goddesses.

Th e aim for this type of tantric worship, appears to be to stretch one’s consciousness beyond the conventional (at that time, the Vedic forms of worship) and breaking the then prevalent social norms and prejudices, and allow all people (irrespective of caste, creed and sex) to take part in the worship of the Divine Mother. Th e objective seems to be to enable a sadhaka to experience spirituality in all that is forbidden by established (Vedic) social orders.

Dasha Maha Vidya(Worship of the Ten Wisdom Goddesses)

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Adi Shakti the Mother Goddess

Maha Vidya

In Tantra, worship of Devi as Para Brahman and also as Shakti (and her Yantra, Mantra as well as the procedure laid down for her worship) is referred to as a Vidya. But this knowledge is rather basic, mechanical, bookish and rather incomplete as the goddess represents a state – beyond the comprehension of the ordinary human mind – that which is hidden, secret, subtle and sensitive and it is for the Sadhaka to discover this knowledge. Realisation of this knowledge leads to realisation of her awesome powers leading to understanding of her nature as ‘pure consciousness’ and fi nally Supreme Bliss for the Sadhaka. Hence, the spiritual disciplines leading to the understanding of the manifestations of the Divine Mother have come to be called as ‘Maha Vidyas’.

Of the hundreds of Tantric practices involving the worship of Devi, the worship of the ten major forms of Devi is called ‘Dasha Maha Vidya’. Each ‘Dasha Maha Vidya’ can be considered a Brahma Vidya, as it is a spiritual path leading to the knowledge of (a unique aspect of) Devi as a facet of Para Brahman herself.

According to scriptures, Th e Divine Mother has the tendency to manifest and reveal herself in a variety of forms and aspects, according to the needs. Th is has also a very close resemblance to ‘Dashavatara’ of Vishnu (See Table 8.1).

Dasha Maha Vidya

Even though knowledge is one, it is felt and understood by an individual in diff erent ways through the ten senses (skin, eye, ear, tongue, nose, mouth, foot, hand, anus, and genital). Likewise one ‘Truth’ (Devi, the Divine Mother) is sensed in ten diff erent facets in ‘Dasha Maha Vidya’.

Dasha Maha Vidya relates to the ten great paths relating to the spiritual knowledge of ten ‘Tantric’ forms of Mahadevi or Kaali. Th ese ten facets of the divine mother are also considered as ten wisdom goddesses, and they represent a spectrum of female divinity ranging from the most beautiful to the most fearful in appearance. Even though they are quite distinct and diff erent from each other, they have an

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underlying unity as they represent the diff erent facets of ‘Mother Nature’ (as Moola Prakriti). Th ese goddesses represent the celestial forms of the Divine Mother, representing the most awesome forces of Nature in the Universe.

These ten forms of the goddesses and procedures of worship are described in Todala Tantra and several other tantric texts. As representatives of the powerful cosmic forces, these goddesses are also worshipped for wealth, health, fame and such other ordinary goals of life. However, they can be powerful vehicles to reach the higher goals of existence also.

Each of these ten forms represents a particular approach to self-realisation, (that which transcends all known forms of knowledge). Even this knowledge has many levels and layers, which has to be perceived by the Sadhaka during the course of his intense Sadhana.

Origins of Dasha Maha Vidya

Even before the idea of Dasha Maha Vidya took shape, there were powerful female divinities being worshipped at the time – Sati, Parvati, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Durga, Chamunda, the matrika devis, etc. However it is surprising to note that none of these goddesses has found a place in the group of the goddesses of Dasha Maha Vidya. Th e reasons are not clear at this distant point of time.

Th e concept of a group of ten female divinities (known as ‘Dasha Maha Vidya’) is comparatively of later day origin (but defi nitively earlier to 10th Century CE). In the third episode of Devi Mahatmyam, Durga brings forth Kaali, while fi ghting the demons ‘Chanda’ and ‘Munda’ and again while fi ghting ‘Rakta-bijasura’. She also creates the seven matrika devis to fi ght the demons. Th is has been used by several tantric texts to give an impression that ‘the group of goddesses of Dasha Maha Vidya’ also fought in this battle. Th ere is also some iconographic support to this story as in many Durga temples, the central image of Durga, is shown as surrounded by the ten goddesses of Dasha Maha Vidya. In fact the Sahasranamas of quite a few goddesses of Dasha Maha Vidya contain the names of all the matrika devis with some variations.

Dasha Maha Vidya