Das Maha Vidya -Ten Wisdom Goddesses

Adi-Shakti Sati is the embodiment of Das Maha Vidya, ten wisdom Goddesses which she manifested to Mahadev before she ended her life in form as Sati.  Adi-Shakti Sati is revered not so much in her embodied human form as Sati but in her manifestations as Das Maha Vidyas, the ten primal absolute cosmic manifestation of Adi-shakti.  The ten wisdom manifestations of Adi Shakti Sati are:

1...Kali

Goddess Kali represents time.  She is Mahakal who represents both, the creative and destructive aspects of Mother Nature.  Goddess Kali represents Bhava Nature -the attitude, intention, and emotion.  If she is approached seeing her as the source of motherly love, she assumes the form of Goddess Laxmi.  If she is approached revering her as the supreme teacher, embodying knowledge and wisdom, she assumes the form of Goddess Saraswati.  Those who approach her with evil intension; she assumes the destructive force in them and get them destroyed.

2...Tara

Goddess Tara is the embodiment of all protective qualities, loving kindness and compassion.  Literarily Tara means to ferry across.  Goddess Tara is Tarini, the Samsar-tarini, who ferries her devotees cross the ocean of physical and psychological world –the Samsara.  She is benevolent illuminator of our attitude and behavior.  She is the Goddess of liberation who removes ignorance that ties us to Samsara and obstacles that make us suffer.

Goddess Tara is the saviouress whom we pray to overcome distress or when we are at the crossroad where we require guidance.  She guides us along the creative path as guiding star of our aspiration.  She protects her devotees from trio-miseries; the Daihieka –relating to body, Daivieka –relating to destiny, and Bhautieka –relating to worldly affairs. 

Goddess Tara constantly liberates the distressed souls wandering in different Yonis –life forms, passing through the cycle of birth and death.  She is “Brahma Sukhati Taran Kurtri”, so designated as Tara.  She saves humanity from Ugra –radical dangers and unforeseen miseries, so named as Ugra-Tara.  In her manifestation as Nila Saraswati, she imparts Jnana -knowledge.  She is Ek-Jata, the one who unites the beings with absolute. 

Whoever take refuse in Goddess Tara enable them to realize all four Purusarth: Dharma –righteousness, Artha –wealth, Kama –desires and Moktsa –liberation, and master all the Siddhis -perfections.

3...Tripur Sundari

Tripur Sundari embodies beauties of pure perception, compassion and knowledge.  She symbolizes body, mind and consciousness, and the three fold process of creation, sustenance and destruction.  She shares her attributes with Goddess Saraswati.  She is also called Sodashi as she possesses sixteen super natural powers.  She represents Swaha –the life beyond all fallacies, thoughts and descriptions.

4...Bhuvaneswari

Goddess Bhuvaneswari is the Cosmic Mother of all existence.  She resides at Shiva’s heart.  She is the embodiment of the phenomenal world.  She is Prakriti -the divine energy underlying all creations, the primordial power by which the phenomenal world comes into existence.  Being involved in creation, she lends every creation its distinctive character and does the welfare of her creation. 

She promotes cosmic vision of having right understanding and liberates from having wrong perceptions leading to negative Karmic actions.  She is the perceptive power leading to knowledge. 

She represents the space concept of creation.  In the vast expanse of space, she creates the myriad primordial worlds, sustains them and nourishes them.  She permeates the whole fabric of creation.

Goddess Bhuvaneswari resides in the space of our heart and constantly reminds us not to fall into illusions and wrong perception, but see across and beyond to oneness among all beings. 

With her compassion, she bestows her divine blessings for equanimity and assists us connecting the little space within our heart with the infinite space outside, the vast immensities, the Param Brahmn.

5...Bhairavi

Goddess Bhairavi destroys impediments to victory and successes.  She embodies the principle of destruction.  She personifies light and heat that burns the imperfections in our soul.  Her power of spiritual fire eliminates obstacles and unfolds the true awareness. 

Creation cannot continue without destruction and destruction is not always negative.  The inner meaning of Bhairavi connotes cosmic functions of creation.  It implies to transformation that comes with destruction, which is not necessarily negative.  

Goddess Bhairavi is Kalaratri, the fiercest forms of Goddess Durga.  It is Goddess Bhairavi who assumed the form of Goddess Kali and killed the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha.  As she killed the demons Chanda and Munda, Goddess Durga named her Chamundeshwari. 

6...Chinnamasta

Goddess Chinnamasta, in a single frame, makes a stunning presentation of varying and conflicting aspects of life and death; the joy of transcending the body, and not the pain of losing it; and of giving up the Ego to attain wisdom and freedom.  

Goddess Chinnamasta unfolds the entire multiplicity of life and symbolizes self-control and the spirit of self-sacrifice and the courage to face death without fear.  She is the embodiment of rare courage needed to make highest sacrifice.

Goddess Chinnamasta depicts consciousness beyond mind.  Her manifestation conveys that consciousness alone is absolute and all else is elementary and thus secondary.  The ultimate consciousness is beyond limitation of body and mind.  It is simply awareness devoid of subjectivity and objectivity.  It is a total act, the transcendence. 

Goddess Chinnnamasta holding her decapitated head in her hand yet happy and smiling signifies discarding Ego and all its identities on the way to spiritual awakening.  The depiction symbolizes ridding false notions and limitations by which we are bound and it expresses freedom. 

Chinnamasta has no significant presence or known outside the Das Maha Vidya. 

7...Dhumavati

Goddess Dhumavati personifies an array of extreme sorrows, ills, evils, troubles and tribulations one may potentially encounter in life.  Her depiction points out the negative aspects of life.  With her power of discriminating awareness she tells us to look beyond all negativities and develop a sense of detachment as all things eventually get destroyed.  

She reminds us on being aware of potential extremes and signifies the importance of awareness and being mindful of negative Karmic forces. 

She represents knowledge that comes with experience and guides sentient beings along the spiritual path and rescues from extreme imaginable ill fates.

Just as Chinnamasta, Dhumavati is also has no significance or known outside the Das Maha Vidya. 

8...Bagalamukhi

Goddess Bagalamukhi is the manifestation of divine speech.  She is the power of speech that paralyses the enemies.  She symbolizes the removal of impurities associated with speech and the tongue involved in telling lies or concealing the truth.  The tongue therefore could unwittingly get caught up with mischief, vanity and deceit.

She represents the knowledge whereby each thing in time become its opposite, the failure hidden in success, the death hidden in life, the joy hidden in sorrow, and vice versa.  

She is the secret presence of the opposites and signifies that everything dissolved back into its un-manifest state.

Just as Chinnamasta and Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi is also not known outside the Das Maha Vidya.

9...Matangi

Goddess Matangi is the embodiment of thought, talent and expertise.  She is Siddha Vidya, the Tantra personified.  She brings focus on the notions of distinctions between purity and impurity; auspicious and inauspicious; and puritanical notions and unrestrained indulgence with sense objects. 

Matangi is the embodiment of transcendence of apparent dualities in the existence and emphasizes the importance of inner purity over external cleanliness.  

She enables us to sever attachment to Samsara of which we have limited understanding and instills faith that all existence is pervaded by the Supreme Being and there is nothing that is outside. 

10…Kamala

Goddess Kamala is the embodiment of both inner and outer prosperity.  She is the goddess of prosperity and good luck, and she shares her attributes with Goddess Laximi.  She is bountiful in unfolding of divine nature and its manifestation in the physical world as well as inner consciousness. 

Goddess Kamala, besides prosperity and good luck, bestows Moktsa -liberation, the ultimate goal of life.  Her greatest benevolence is the removal of poverty, both material and spiritual. 

Goddess Kamala grants divine supports for successes on worldly activities and aspirations.  However, the pursuit of material wealth and success should be part of seeking divinity within our ‘self.’ 

Goddess Kamala expounds an atmosphere of divine happiness; spiritual satisfaction and prosperity.