Orissa Review September - 2009 Dasa Mahavidya Umakanta Mishra Mahavidya Tattwa with its intrinsic value over Tara super conscious thought has got a special Tara is known as Nilasaravai and significance in Tantra Vidya. It covers a wide Ugratara. She is of dark blue complexion. She gamut of procedures of places her left leg on the worship of the ten chest of Siva, who lies goddesses. The worship like a corpse. She is of leads to mantra short stature and she chaitanya or mantra appears in a tiger skin vidya meaning divine and puts on a garland of knowledge. The severed demon heads. meaning of mantra She is in the prime of her cannot be understood by youth and adorned with reasoning. The inherent pancha mudra. She has meaning of mantras are four hands with the revealed to deserving tongue spread out of the Sadhakas. Mantra mouth. She wears a sakti opens the gate of single braid of matted truth revealing the true hair on her head. She is nature and essence of the endowed with three eyes universe. This is the and she stands in the underlying principle midst of funeral pyre. behind all the She laughs, engrossed in Mahavidya upasana. her emotion and is decked with valuable The ten devis of ornaments including a Mahavidya pantheon are Tara, Sodasi, blue lotus in one hand, a kartri and a khadga in Bhubaneswari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, her other two hands and a vessel of skull in the Dhumavati, Bagala, Matangini, Kamalatmika and third. There are snakes covering her body. She is Kali. also known as Tarani and her dhyana mantra 48 Orissa Review September - 2009 occurs in a number of Tantric texts to gain power Vamana or release by way of either destruction over spirit, wealth, education and so on. The Jains or liberation. She resembles the luster of a and Buddhists also worship her with slight thousand rising suns. Her three eyes resemble red modifications in terms of appearance, colour and lotus and the moon shines in her bejewelled crown. ayudhas in their respective temples. Her garment is red. She has a garland of heads Sodasi round her neck. Her breasts are covered with blood. She holds a rosary and manuscript in her Sodasi is identified as Tripura Sundari in two hands. She is believed to be a kin of Bhairavi the Sodasi Tantra. She has four arms and she of Buddhist Tantric religion. holds a noose, an elephant hook, an arrow and a bow. Her colour is red. This goddess is extremely Chinnamasta beautiful and of dazzling brilliance. She is also She is endowed with three gunas-Satwa, described as standing in the orbit of Sun. She has Raja and Tama. She is also known as four hands; she holds a book, a rosary in two Trigunamayi, bright as tens of millions of suns hands, the other two hands are in Abhaya and shining together. Her mouth is expansive. He hair Varada poses. She is worshipped as Para and is dishovelled and adorned with varieties of Apara. fragrant flowers. In her right hand, she holds a Bhubaneswari sword and wears a garland of human heads around her neck. She is naked and of fearful Her complexion is that of a rising sun. She wears a crescent on her forehead and crown over appearance. Her right leg is in front while her left head. Her breasts are full. She is three eyed and leg is a little behind. She wears a serpent as a her face is ever lit up with a smile. In her two sacred thread. She is on a standing posture with hands, she holds the noose and the goad and in Rati and Kama embracing each other in the other two, the pose of granting boons and enjoyment. This means that when the Kundalini assurance to her devotees to alley their fears. This in Muladhara is united with Siva in Sahsrara, is known as Varada and Abhaya mudras. She realization or liberation flows, which is not other adorns herself with valuable ornaments. She seats than the Swarupa of Devi herself. Yoginis like on a lotus throne. She is the goddess having the Dakini and Sakini are beside her. moon diadem, large breasts and three eyes. She Dhumabati is also described in two forms as Saubhagya Bhubaneswari and Maya Bhubaneswari, in red Goddess Dhumabati is to be invoked for and blue colour respectively. One can come purpose of destroying enemies. She is pale, across excellent icons in Srimandira, Puri. She is tremultous and angry. She is rough, her robes are the protectress of the world. Her three eyes unclean and her hair is united. She is a widow represent icha, kriya and jnana sakti. and has only four teeth. She rides a chariot on which the banner depicts a crow. She is tall and Bhairavi has hanging breasts; she is harsh looking with a Bhairavi or Tripura Bhairavi wipes out all big nose. She holds a winnowing fan in one hand types of distress of Sadhakas, The letter Bha and shows Varada pose in the other. She is symbolizes Bharana or maintenance, Ra stands always hungry and thirsty, terrifying and for Ramana or sport like creation and Va for quarrelsome. 49 Orissa Review September - 2009 Bagala by four white elephants holding golden jars of According to the Sri Tatwanidhi, she is nectar in their upraised trunks. She holds two of yellow complexion and is three-eyed. In her lotuses in her two upper hands. She wears a crown four hands she holds a trident, a cup, a mace and sparkling with gems. Her perfectly comely body the tongue of the enemy. She has the features of a radiates the highest degree of eroticism. beautiful woman so far as her lips, neck and Kali breasts are concerned. She is According to adorned all over with Kali Stotra, at the garlands and time of meditation, she ornaments. Bagala is in a state of eternal symbolizes cessation bliss playing on the of all dualities or bosom of Siva. The dwandas, at the sorrounding is a realization of which cremation ground. there would be no She is black in colour enemy and pure because it is the seed consciousness would stage of all colours emerge. and it represents Tamoguna. She Matangini appears cool and Matangini is appealing as the light the goddess of royalty. of million moons She is the deity for brought together. Her defeating demons and teeth is terrible but she Durga Temple, Bolangir establishing peace, is the benign mother tranquility and prosperity. In the Matangini conferring boon on all by raising her arm in Varada Tantra, she is described as dark, with a white mudra. Her mouth is wide open. She is endowed crescent in her garland. She sits on a dazzling with three eyes, representing Trikala. She wears jewelled throne. She holds a noose, a sword, a a necklace of demon heads. She is the shield and an elephant nook. Her head is adorned embodiment of sakti, budhi, ridhi and sidhi. She with the moon. There are various forms of is known as Dakshinakali, Shyamakali, Matangini:Ucchista Matangini, Raja Matangini, Hrudayakali and Rakshyakali. The sun and moon Sumukhi Matangini, Vasya Matangini and Karna are her earrings. Matangini. Kamalatmika She is the incarnation of Mahalaxmi also Qr.No.IV R-93, known as Sri. She is of golden complexion, bathed Unit-6, Bhubaneswar. 50.