Mother Divine and Grahas

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~~

Namaste,

Many in their sādhanā find Śrī Devī, Śakti, or Śiva's consort at the core of their practice. Śrī Devī is Śiva's own energy and is not apart from His nature. This some call Rudra yāmala or the pair. Yet to think there is two is to think light is separate from a flame. If we were talking of kaśmir śaivism, Abninavagupta also calls this Rudra-yāmala visarga ( or the two bindu-s that resemble a colon mark : and is the aspirated ḥ ).

In Jyotish, Śrī Devī is also reflected in the graha-s. We recognize 9 graha-s and also the lagna¹ (or the ascendant) and hence we have 10 forms of Mother Divine in the planets.


I thought there would be interest in the 10 forms of Mother Divine, or the daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great ( Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā). I have outlined in other posts¹ the 10 graha's as they relate to Śrī Viṣṇu, Śrī Rām, etc.

I would like to cover this subject in 3 ways ( trika) in the next few posts:

The grahas associated with the daśa mahāvidyā
What are some of the qualities and groupings of the daśa mahāvidyā?
Other interesting observations and insights

The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna¹ or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)

When the Supreme , Śivabhaṭṭāraka, (anuttara) chooses to play, to make things manifest, He subjects Himself to boundaries. These first two boundaries are time and space - kāla & ākāśa This is why Kālī (Saturn) & Tara (Jupiter) are first on the list.
Yet we will find in a future post that Bhuvaneshvarī (associated with the Moon) plays the key alignment position with ākāśa.

Lets talk a bit about Kālī. She is associated with time and with death yet in a very positive way ( to me). Death, and Saturn are known by the name yama, or restraint.

What does time do? It's a 'restraint' on the Infinity of Now, of eternity. Time is a method to demarcate the Infinite to a place-point i.e. past, present or future. So this time has the ability to restrain or terminate.

Kālī who is unbounded by any condition has this ability; Her energy, this kāla śakti, can restrain to any point, including termination. The ultimate constraint to the expansion of life is death. Hence a most appropriate name give to Her, as Kālī. We will talk of this death in a second. Lets take a look at Kālī as a word.

Kālī we know as black, dark in color ( same as śani or Saturn). Yet if we look at Her name it is made up of Kā + lī . Kā is to seek , desire , yearn, love and also to like , enjoy , to please. And lī is to dissolve , to melt away, disappear , vanish. So we have Kālī , the one that is dark which has the desire ( and to enjoy) the notion of vanquishing.

Yet one may think that Kālī is only associated with the death of the individual and viewed somewhat negatively. This is the beauty of this knowledge - Kālī can be viewed and experienced as Dakṣiṇa Kālī and as Bhadra Kālī.
Dakṣiṇa is defined as the right ,straightforward , candid , sincere , pleasing , i.e. right action or right facing. So Dakṣiṇa Kālī is that śakti that brings the delight of vanquishing that is right action, straight forward.
Mother Divine's actions here are uplifting, evolutionary in nature, upholding ( dharma) for the individual or society. One can see the 'death' of bad habits, the ending of negative attributes, the removal of obstacles. She is seen as the might of the Supreme no doubt, but this might is done with discernment - right action , skill.
Without something being destroyed, consumed, there is no room for creation or advancement to occur. Even during ones meditation, one comes back from turiya anew, fresh. Something was given up, destroyed - fatigue, stress, etc.

And what of Bhadra Kālī ? Bhadra is defined as blessed , auspicious , fortunate , prosperous , happy. She , the one that is dark, that destroys in order to create to bring prosperity and happiness. She is the transformer due to owning time. She owns and wields kāla śakti. With time all things are transformed.

How many lives has one gone through in the measurement of eternity? Kālī as the orchestrator can tell, yet we cannot. Her time is based in eternity, ours is measured and metered out one life at a time.
Since she owns and wields time, She can see the evolutionary progress as the individual unfolds the SELF. Hence Her power in us is that of transformation. The same as śani as he provides the restraints of yama¹.
So we have Kālī who brings forth dakṣiṇa and bhadra. She is adored by vīra ( the brave, the chief, the strong); the weak are in awe of Her might and power.

praṇām

posted on Saturday, 9th tithi, navami, Krsna pakśa
(dark half of the month); tithi is owned Durgā ;
Saturday is owned by śani , hence owned by Kālī
and forming a favorable siddha yoga


words and references

Graha avatarā and iśtadevatā can be found in the following HDF Posts: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=746 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=746)
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=748 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=748)
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=609&highlight=maha+vidya (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=609&highlight=maha+vidya)
Śiva-bhaṭṭāra Śivabhaṭṭāraka - Bhaṭṭāra - the great lord , venerable or worshipful; bhaṭ भट् - nourish , maintain
kāla काल - time or the measure of time
yama यम - act of checking or curbing, suppression, restraint; a twin, one of a pair or couple; one who presides and rules the spirits of the dead
More on yama at this HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2949 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2949) - there are 4 to 5 posts on yama and niyama.
dakṣiṇa दक् Kālī काली the right ;straightforward , candid , sincere, pleasing + right action; right or southern, black colour
bhadra भद्र Kālī काली blessed , auspicious , fortunate , prosperous , happy + right action ; right or southern,- black colour
lagna or lagnam - attached to - that is the rising sign is attached to the horizon, attached to the native
from lag लग् - cling or attach one's self ; to meet , come in contact ; to take affect on + nam नम् to bow to , subject or submit , one's self

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~



The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)
Namaste,

As mentioned in the 1st post Tara from a graha orientation is Jupiter, or Guru. Guru is most auspicious and rules the tattva of ākāśa or pure space, pure void. Guru is also aligned with knowledge, wisdom, vāc ( some write vāk), etc. As Tara aligns with Jupiter, She seems to take on more of the knowledge quality of Jupiter then the ākāśa or space quality. That is with the acquisition of knowledge, attainment of powerful speech and the qualities of learning. We will discuss in a later post Bhuvaneshvari as she owns this ākāśa or vastness in full.

Tara's name comes from the root tṛṛ to traverse, carry over, or to save. And Tara is then surpassing, conquering, crossing , passing. Lets include one more step: Tārā is a fixed star, some call asterism and symbolizes light. And a boat is called tarī, used for carrying and crossing. So when we add this up we have Tara as light that guides, that carries over, crossing ( traverses) and conquering. But what is this Tara carrying and crossing over to?

Tara takes the individual and carries him/her over saṁsāra (sṛ= to flow + saṁ = join together) or life-after-life, birth-after-birth. The process of returning to this good earth again and again until mokśa is considered and experienced. She is the light that guides, the one that assists in crossing or carrying over.
And what does Guru do (Jupiter) ? As Guru he too takes actions to bring a bridge to the sādhaka and sādhika (male & female practitioner). That bridge is to take the practitioners from anga to angi ( from the part - the individual, to the whole - anuttara).

We also find the saṃketa (symbol) of carrying-over via a boat in the Rig Veda (ṛgveda) - The 1st mandala, 97th sūkta says the following.
(Out of tradition and respect it is proper to list the ṛṣi, meter, etc.) The rishi (ṛṣi) is Kutsaḥ Añgirasaḥ , the meter is gāyatri and the deva is Agni.
1.97.7
dvisho no vishvatomukka ati nāveva pāraya
O agni whose face is on all sides ( face turned everywhere), take us beyond the foes like a ship (across a river)
1.97.8
sa naḥ sindhumiva nāvayā ati parṣhā svastaye
you lead us like a ship across the ocean, to the supreme station that lies beyond our foes.

Now what I find extremely interesting is the notion of being carried across saṁsāra (birth-after-birth) and how it relates to the deva in this sūkta. Agni is also known as jātavedas¹. That means he knows all births. He knows the births in all the worlds or levels of existence i.e. life, mind, matter, spirit, etc.
Hence he knows of all the saṁsāra-s of all beings. And He then also knows as the individual goes from one level of Being to another. As it is a new 'birth' to a new level of existence i.e. from avidya (ignorance) to svasaṃvedana (Self-consciousness).

And Tara like Kālī has other personalities, they are:

Ugra Tara - ugra means formidable, terrible, fierce , ferocious , savage. In this form it is her vehement vibration that rustles any stubborn stillness ( inertness) in creation. 'She gathers all of the ignorance from the triple worlds in her bowl made of a the human cranium and then destroys it in one sweep'¹.
Nīla Sarasvati - nīla is deep blue, indigo. We know Sarasvatī¹ and the deva of knowledge. In this form She is the power of the word, knowledge that pierces through ignorance.
Ekajāta - eka is solitary or single; jāta is brought into existence, born. This is the śakti of creation. Recall agni's other name jātavedas? Perhaps in a later post we can more firmly establish the relationship of the two.Since Tara is connected with knowledge & with space (as a quality of Jupiter), She is connected with sound, vibration, as space is the home of sound-vibration. We all know of this most auspicious sound Aum, Om औम् (some prefer ॐ) and is called praṇava¹. This is the bījā sound for Tara. Hence Tara is the eternal word or nityā (constant and indispensable) vak (speech or voice, sound).

I finish this post with a Taraka-mantra (vac) that vehicle (boat) which allows one to cross the ocean of saṁsāra. Are there mantra-s specific for Tara? Yes, absolutely. Yet I thought for this post many would be familiar with the following. It includes Tara + Agni + Śrī Rām + Nārāyāṅya + Maha. Oṁ Raṁ Ramāyā Nāmaḥ


praṇām

words used and references

tṛṛ तॄ - to surpass , overcome , subdue , to carry through or over , save ; to fulfil , accomplish , perform
tara तर surpassing , conquering ; crossing , passage
tāra तार - carrying across, a saviour, protector
tārā तारा - a fixed star , asterism ; a kind of meteor ; the pupil of the eye
saṁsāra संसार - going or wandering through , undergoing transmigration ; course , passage , passing through a succession of states , circuit of mundane existence
saṁsāra = sṛ सृ to run , flow , speed , glide , move + sam सम् to join together ; with , together with , along with , together
mokśa मोक्ष - release from worldly existence or transmigration; liberation
anuttara अनुत्तर - the Supreme, unsurpassable; chief, principle
saṃketa संकेत - hint , allusion ; intimation; sign or signal or gesture
sūkta सूक्त - well or properly said or recited
ṛṣi ऋषि - the seer cognizer of the mantra; a singer (kavi) of sacred hymns , sage, a Being of enlightened vision.
ṛṣi-s are also called kavi, brahmán, kāru, kīri, vāghat, vipra etc. all in respect of their enlightened vision.
jāta जात - born; brought into existence, produced , arisen , caused.
vac वच् - to speak, repeat or to answer , reply ; to cause anything written or printed to speak i.e. to read out loud
jātavedas जातवेदस् - knowing [or known by] all created beings; all-possessor
praṇava प्रणव the mystical or sacred syllable; Aum , Om औम् some like ॐ; for more discussion on this see HDF post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18487&postcount=8 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18487&postcount=8)
ugra उग्र - cruel , fierce , ferocious , savage angry , passionate , wrathful
Ugra Tara - verse from The 10 Great Cosmic Powers by S.Shankaranarayanan, Samata Books,
nila नील - dark-blue, deep blue like a sapphire, indigo.
bījā बीजा - seed
Sarasvati HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=574&highlight=saraswati (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=574&highlight=saraswati)

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~


The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)
Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Tripurasundarī. She aligns with Mercury.
As we mentioned in the first post when Śivabhaṭṭāraka, the Supreme , chooses to to manifest creation there is the notion of vimarśa or delibation, consideration. This is also called vimṛiśa or reflection.
The point I am driving to is Self-Awareness. Śiva curving back onto Himself, there is this Self-referral property¹. This then unfolds as an impulse to crate, some like to call it a desire, kama, yet it is just this slight intent to create ( Says my teacher) and everything comes about automatically.
This impulse then , this slight intent of the Supreme is called kāmakalā ( Kamā = desire + Kalā =small potion, a digit) and this is Tripurasusundari. Lets take a look at her name.

Tri-pura-sundarī is :

Tri- the three fold division we see throughout creation; The highest is Sat-Chit-Ananda , as Truth (pure) Consciousness and Bliss. The Taittrīya Upaniṣad is all food (anna) is made of this triad – Tejas ( fire) , ap or jala (water or fluid) and prithvī (or earth) – She is found in all 3.
She is found in the triad of the famous vyahrti’s of bhu, buvaha suvaḥ, the second of janaḥ, tapaḥ and satyam, and the connection between the two or mahaḥ given by rishi (ṛṣi) Mahacamasya.
We see this trika in waking ( jagrat), dream (swapna) and deep sleep (suṣupti). Yet we see Tripurasuundarī transcending all ( turīyam) so She can encompass all or be the root of all. She is mentioned as 'certainly the 4th' ( turīyam svid).
We have also talked of this trika on onter HDF Posts discussing Śiva's triśula¹...if interested you may want to take a look in rounding out the notion of 3's.
Pura or puri for city – and call our body the city of the divine that has 9 gates. The nine is 3 squared ( again trika based) – or 9 entry points to the body. Yet pura is a field of action ( like our bodies) and the triads mentioned above are the fields of wake , dream, sleep, etc.
sundarī – a beautiful womanWhat is key here Tripurasundarī is apparent/immanent in all triad's - in all 3's. The 3 worlds, the 3 śakti's of icchā (will), jñāna (knowledge) and kriyā (actions), and the 3's mentioned above.
If she is part of all 3's she them must be part of the Seer, the method of seeing and that being seen or experienced - our own experince of viewing the world. This whole concept is a beautiful body of work offered by ādi Śaṅkara (the 1st Śaṅkarācārya, himself) called dṛg-dṛśya-viveka or the inquiry into the distinction (viveka) of the Seer (dṛg) and the seen (dṛśya). Here we will find Tripurasundarī never mentioned once, yet inferred throughout the triad of discussion.

Tripurasundarī is considered lohita or red in color. Red we know is the color associated with passion, rāga. It is mentioned in the Upaniṣads that ājam ekām lohita śukla kṛṣṇām- The One (ekām) is unborn (ājam) red (lohita) , white (śukla) and black (kṛṣṇām). From a tantric point of view we can see this as Tripurasuundarī as red, Kālī as black (kṛṣṇām) and Tara as white.

Tripurasundarī is known as the Mother of Beauty, sundara. This is one loose connection to Mercury or Budha. Mercury is of earth tattva. Mercury is considered expressive, sensitive in nature; light, subtle, responsive. Budha is also considered the graha of communication and commerce.
Yet we also find the beauty of Tripurasundarī expressed in the qualities of Venus, that of the arts, of creativity and expressiveness.

For me, Venus is more on the emotional/passionate extension of beauty, where Mercury is more visual, yet I would not argue the point one way or the other.

Mercury is considered a very youthful planet and influences our lives in the naisargika dasa period ( the natural dasa system) between the ages of 3 to 12 years of age. That time of all possibilities, unfolding more creativity daily, in play, at home and at school. A very imaginative time of one's life.

The dis-connect I have with Tripurasundarī and Mercury/Budha is Mercury's color is green. I would have suspected Tripurasundarī aligning with Mars if just based upon color alone. Perhaps I will find the answer to this difference and be able to report my findings.

Like the other forms of Śrī Devī that were reviewed, Tripurasundarī is known by other names:
sundarī – Mother of Beauty, as we just reviewed
lalitā - Mother of Grace ( innocent , soft , gentle , charming , lovely)
kāmeśwarī- Mother of Love (love , affection, enjoyment)
kāmakalā - the impulse (or digit) of Divine Desire that brings sṛṣṭi¹ or manifest creation
Since Tripurasundarī is all about trika, Her bījā or seed sound must be made of 3: aiṃ klīṃ sauḥ. Much can be said about these potent bījā-s, but would not be part of the jyotiṣa conversation. We can leave this for another post.

praṇām

words and references

vimarśa विमर्श - knowledge , intelligence ; also vimṛiśa - considered reflection, consideration; this mṛiśita is reflected on or considered; vi by itself as a root is moksh - to set free, liberate. Hense we arive at Self-Awareness. Some say a name of Śiva.
For more in this Self-Referral idea, see HDF Post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3220 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3220)
kala कला - a small portion of anything; a digit; any single part or portion of a whole; most notablely 1/16th part. This 1/16 division plays a role in understing Śaivism.
lohita लोहित - the color red; also made of copper.
Śiva's triśula - see HDF Post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=23124&postcount=5 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=23124&postcount=5)
sundra सुन्दर - beautiful , handsome , lovely , charming , agreeable
trika त्रिक - triple , threefold , forming a triad
bījā बीजा - seed
lalita ललित - innocent , soft , gentle , charming , lovely
kāma काम - love , affection , object of desire or of love or of pleasure
sṛṣṭi सृष्टि - production , procreation , creation , the creation of the world
More can be found on Tripurasundarī at this HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=609 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=609)

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~




The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)namaste,

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Bhuvaneshvarī . She aligns with Chandra or Soma we know as the Moon.

She is associated with and owns ākāśa¹ yet there is more to Her then space. As mentioned in the post on Tara, who aligns with Jupiter (Guru) - Jupiter is most often aligned with ākāśa. Yet from a mahāvidyā orientation Bhuvaneshvarī is associated with vastness, space, and hence ākāśa. Lets look just a bit deeper on this matter.

We know that the Supreme is associated with effulgence, brilliance, pure light , some call this prakāśa¹. When this Absolute, anuttara manifests prakāśa becomes ākāśa. This is the 1st of the pañca mahābhūta-s (or the 5 great elements) Without space, there is no container for creation to exist in. It is the most ubiquitous and suble element that is open to our awareness.
Who cannot see or comprehend space? Even those who lack eye-sight are well aware of the space things reside in. The space , ākāśa, is the medium through which light (prakāśa) moves.

It said sṛṣṭi¹ (creation) proceeds from dṛṣṭi¹ (vision or sight), fueled by prakāśa. Why do mention this? Bhuvaneshvarī is also this power of perception. The Divine turns towards Creation and sees (dṛṣṭi) Himself. This Self-referral we talked of in the above posts called vimṛiśa, self reflection, leads to vastness or ākāśa.
For the Supreme to look upon, dṛṣṭi, Him-Her-Self (Śrī Devī + Śiva) S/he can only see vastness, unboundedness. And in the relative level of life (vs. the pure Absolute) this brings ākāśa, fueled by the śakti of perception, Bhuvaneshvarī.

Now that we know that , we can have a better appreciation for her name Bhuvaneshvarī. We look to the core of her name bhuvana. This word means the world i.e. creation, from the root bhū, becoming or come into being , exist. And eshvarī is from īśvara - Lord or īś = to rule¹. Since Bhuvaneshvarī is female śakti this is then īśvarī, still the ruler or Lord, yet feminine gender.
So Bhuvaneshvarī is Mother Divine that provides the space for bhū (becoming) to occur, and this becoming is sṛṣṭi (creation). Because this ākāśa is everywhere She then is everywhere, part of Her Creation.

From a vedic POV the experts recognize Bhuvaneshvarī as Aditi. A+diti is a=not + didi=division or split. Hence Aditi is wholeness, fullness, bhuma. Another name for this fullness is bṛhat. It is said when one talks of Reality, the Supreme, this fullness, it is called satyam ṛtam bṛhat. That is the Truth, the Right and the Vast.
Since Bhuvaneshvarī is the vast, she is bṛhat and aligned to ākāśa. Hence Aditi has no division or split just like ākāśa and hence is considered Bhuvaneshvarī.

For me, then when I look at the graha-s it is time or Kālī (Saturn) + space or Bhuvaneshvarī ( Moon) that provides the fabric for name and form to occur. It is also interesting that Saturn (śani) owns vāyu (air) tattva. It is the 2nd tattva arising after ākāśa. It is through these tatva's ( vāyu + ākāśa) that names are able to be voiced (sabhā¹ - speech , language) and form (rūpa¹) can come into existence and make human beings possible i.e. name and form or all of creation.

Where else do we see this vastness called out? As Viṣṇu - the all pervading (vastness) Being. We find him called out in the Rig Veda (ṛgveda) 1st mandala 1.22 as Viṣṇu's stride¹ (his steps) are the cause/birth of the universe. All this is the vastness of Bhuvaneshvarī as Viṣṇu is married to Aditi a.k.a. Bhuvaneshvarī and other times is the son of Aditi , mother of 8 Adityas including Vishnu and other shining ones.

So when I think of this ākāśa & the principles of Bhuvaneshvarī I have a greater appreciation why many call it the Body Of Brahman, the Supreme, or para-vyoman¹.

praṇām


words and references

prakāśa प्रकाश - clearness , brightness , splendour , lustre ; universally noted , famous , celebrated ;shining , bright
ākāśa आकाश- free or open space , vacuity ; the ether , sky or atmosphere ; some times this is associated with antarikṣa अन्तरिक्ष or the intermediate space between heaven and earth; the middle of the three regions of life; the atmosphere or sky
para पर- exceeding (in number or degree) , more than ; beyond
vyoman व्योमन् - space, ether, heaven , sky
sṛṣṭi सृष्टि- production , procreation , creation , the creation of the world
dṛṣṭi दृष्टि- seeing , viewing , beholding (also with the mental eye) sight , the faculty of seeing; wisdom , intelligence
vimarśa विमर्श- knowledge , intelligence ; also vimṛiśa - considered reflection, consideration; this mṛiśita is reflected on or considered; vi by itself as a root is moksh - to set free, liberate. Hence we arive at Self-Awareness. Some say a name of Śiva.
bhuvana भुवन- the world , which means 'creation' in general; phycial existence. It also means a being , living creature , man , mankind
bhū भू - to manifest; becoming , being , come into being , arising ; animate , enliven , refresh , encourage , promote
bṛhat बृहत् - vast, great, large, wide, abundant; extended or bright (as a luminous body)
īś ईश् means to rule , reign; to be master of; , command; and īśa ईष is a servant of Śiva शिव
ambara अम्बर - sky , atmosphere, ether ; circumference , compass, neighbourhood
ambā अम्बा - a mother , good woman (as a title of respect); of a daughter of a king
śabda शब्द- speech , language ; to utter a sound , raise the voice
rūpa रूप - form , shape , figure ; any outward appearance or phenomenon or colour ; having the form or appearance or colour of - " formed or composed of " or "consisting of "
Viṣṇu विष्णु - 3 steps pace out bhu ( earth) , antarikśa ( mid region) and dyu or heaven; also as Vāmana वामन dwarfish , small or short in stature who takes 3 steps.

[yajvan]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~


The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā
Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)

Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Tripura Bhairavi . She aligns with the native's lagna¹. It is the lagna + Sun + moon that forms the tripod of life. The body (lagna) + the ātma ( Sun) + manaḥ, the mind/faculties (moon) that bring one into this loka of existence.

Let me offer a quick perspective to start this post off. It is based upon Śrī Śaṅkaranārayānan's work found in in the Ten Great Cosmic Powers. We talked about the Supreme and his Self-Referral ability, this reflection of vimarśa or deliberation, consideration. This is also called vimṛiśa or reflection. This desire to manifest ( this impulse or slight intention) is icchā śakti. Some like to call this Divine Will and we discussed this as Tripurasundarī.

From here there was this perception of curving back onto Himself and this accounted for prakāśa becoming ākāśa. This was Bhuvaneshvarī's quality and this is jñāna śakti. This perception and space results in knowledge (jñāna) force or energy (śakti). Now the 3rd in line from this point, according to Śrī Śaṅkaranārayānan, is tapas¹ or sa tapo tapyata - (He) energized Himself (tap+yata is tap=to make hot or warm , heat , shine + yata =held in , held forth).

According to Śrī Aurobindo this tapas found in the Veda is Agni or as he calls it cid-Agni the flame of consciousness that burns in every being on this good earth. Śrī Aurobindo says this Agni, Tripura Bhairavi, is the power or śakti that leads one to the Divine.
This tapas or energy is that of kriyā¹ śakti i.e. this is Tripura Bhairavi. It makes sense to me from a jyotiṣh perspective of why this aligns with the lagna. The lagna is that position that brings life-śakti to the body.
Her name , Tripura Bhairavi is of great interest. She is eminent in trika , in the 3 as we have reviewed with Tripurasundarī...no need to review this again as one can look to the post on Tripurasundarī. But this next word Bhairavi, is the female version of Bhairava, His śakti.

At first blush of Bhairava is defined as 'the terrible'. Lets take a closer look. Bhairava is found in the Tantrāloka by Abhinavagupta muni which includes, the contents of all the three branches of Kaśmir Śaivism (Trika-Shastra), i.e. āgama, spanda and pratyabhijña, in a summarized form. If one looks in the first chapter (ahnika), God is called Mahā-bhairava, or Lord (pati) and Supreme Śiva (chapt 1, 95th stotra). We then find Bhairava related to his activities (Chapt 1, 96th stotra) :
viśvam bibharti pūraṇa
dhāranayogena tena ca bhriyate
savimarśatayā rava-
rūpataśca saṃsārabhīruhitakṛcca

He who carries the whole universe, who nourishes and supports it, and who is carried by it (bha) , He is the sound (rava) who by His power of awareness protects those who are frightened by the world of transmigration (bhīru).

Now this fear bhī, is to fear or to be afraid. Fear of what? Saṃsāra is one view as mentioned in the stotra saṃsārabhīruhitakṛcca.
And He illumines everything with His bhā - bhā means to shine or to be bright or luminous, or to shine forth, per sarabhanga's HDF Post.
This bhā is of key import as it is Divine illumination that takes away the darkness of ignorance, of avidya. More central to this Śaivism, Bhairava eliminates abuddaha.
This abuddha = a or 'not' + bhu 'to become or exist' or budh ' to enlighten, to know'. So abuddha is without the knowledge of enlightenment or SELF referral. Kaśmir Śaivism points to this as absolute unawareness of the SELF, completely lost in the field of prakṛiti with no sense of Aham. This is the most dense ignorance.

Another view of this ignorance (avidyā) is not as chronic. Some call it out as īṣat ūna vidyā or a deficient ( blemish) of knowledge, partial or incomplete knowledge. Many on the path can say to have this blemish. That is, there is the understanding of the Supreme, but it is not a personal experience as yet. This is the blemish. Due to this blemish, the fullness (bhuma) is not experienced. Hence duality continues to be experienced.

The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1st Kanda, Puruṣāvidya, 2nd śloka or chapter1.4.ii) says the following dvitīyāt vai bhayam bhavati or fear certainly arises from a second, duality i.e. not from oneself, it is born of the sense of 2, of multiplicity. This essence is also repeated in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, Brahmānanda vallī, 7th stotra (or anuvaka).

So , you ask why are you spending this time on ignorance and fear? It is because Bhairavi destroys ( burns up, tapas, heat) this fear. For those that wish to move forward in their sādhana, tapas is one component of saṃskṛti (or purification). She is there to remove fear. But She is dreadful to those that cling to duality; this is the wisdom found in both views of her name.

When She reserves Her energy, remains passive, she is considered Tripura Bhairavi. When she unfolds Her energy, rises up, She becomes Tripurasundarī. She has gone from the terrible (Bhairavi) to the beautiful (sundarī).

It is said Bhairavi sits at the base posed in the mulādhara , and Sundarī is seated in sahasrāra or the top/crown of the head. Sundarī pours and Bhairavi burns-up, purifies. But what is being poured and what is being burned?
What is being burned via tapas is the blemishes we discussed above. What is being poured is the rasa or soma, the delight that occurs from this saṃskṛti (purification). The pouring results in amṛta¹ or immortality we know as the realization of the SELF (svātman¹).

So, this is notion of Bhairavi. On the surface one may see terrible and frightening, yet when one views Her name a bit further we find the hidden intent, the blessing behind the name.

praṇām

words and references

lagna लग्नor lagnam - attached to - that is, the rising sign is attached to the horizon, attached to the native from lag लग् - cling or attach one's self; to meet , come in contact; to take affect on + nam नम् to bow to , subject or submit, one's self
prakāśa प्रकाश- clearness, brightness, splendour, lustre; universally noted , famous, celebrated; shining, bright
ākāśa आकाश - free or open space, vacuity; the ether, sky or atmosphere; some times this is associated with antarikṣa अन्तरिक्ष or the intermediate space between heaven and earth; the middle of the three regions of life; the atmosphere or sky
tapas तपस् - warmth, heat ; we also know this as rigor, practice, religious austerity
kriyā क्रिया - is action; doing , performing , performance
śakti शक्ति - energy, power, strength, might , effort; the creative power or imagination; the power or force or most effective word
bhairava भैरव- frightful, terrible, horrible, formidable - yet by viewing the components we arrive and the insightful understanding of this name given in the content of this post.
āgama आगम - handed down and fixed by tradition; coming near , approaching; acquisition of knowledge, science
spanda स्पन्द- vibration, throbbing, throb, quiver, pulse
pratyabhijña - is re-recogntion; this comes from pratiprasava प्रतिप्रसवcounter-order, suspension of a general prohibition in a particular ; rooted in prati and pra; prati प्रतिopposite, before back, again, in return; pra प्रbefore, in front
Aham अहम् - 'I'.
īṣat ईषत् - a little, slightly; attacking or hurting
ūna ऊन deficient, defective, short of the right quantity, less than the right number, not sufficient
vidyā विद्या - knowledge
sādhana साधन - leading straight to a goal, guiding well, furthering; bringing about, carrying out, accomplishment
sundra सुन्दर- beautiful, handsome, lovely, charming, agreeable
soma सोम - extract, juice; nectar; another name for the Moon; it is the delight of existence
rasa रस- the best or finest or prime part of anything , essence; the sap or juice of plants , Juice of fruit , any liquid or fluid
amṛta [ a+mṛta] - a= not + the root mṛ मृ - to cause to die; death; hense amṛta is immortality; the realization of the SELF.
svātman स्वात्मन् - one's own self; one's own nature

[yajvan]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~



The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)
Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Chinnamasta. She aligns with rāhu¹. There are many posts on rāhu and ketu if you wish to take a look. I have listed a few in the footnotes.

We will bring the alignment between Chinnamasta & rāhu within this post, yet some foundation is needed. Lets start with Her name.
Chinnamasta is Chinna to cut off, or sever + masta or the head. Chinnamasta then cut off her own head.
This also happened to rāhu and there are many different stories how rāhu's head was severed while the Churning of the Ocean¹ occurred. A head was also lost by Ganeṣa if you recall, as Ganeṣa aligns with ketu ( the south or descending node of the moon).
There are a few stories¹ of how Chinnamasta chose to do this:
Chinnamasta, having severed her own head with her own sword, holds her severed head in one of her hands. Three jets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck, and one streams into her own mouth of her severed head, while the other two streams into the mouths of her two female associates. The names change as to who drinks the streams of blood e.g, Jaya and Vijaya, her two attendants -or- Rati and Manmatha (or Kamadeva), a couple in close physical embrace.

Yet in trika tradition 3 streams of blood come out from Her neck. She drinks from the middle stream Her head held in Her left hand, as the other two streams of blood are fed to the 2 others and nourished.

Chinnamasta has been thought of as a grāma devatā or village devā; one for the commoners or uncultured. Due to this, some called Chinnamasta a dur-devatā or wicked devā due to this visualization of Her cutting off Her head and drinking blood, all that.

It's time to understand the symbolism (saṃketa) that is involved here.
If we look to Śrī Devī + Śiva ( one and the same) we are viewing wholeness of the Supreme. This wholeness then wishes to become many in creation; going from one to many, yet never loosing this wholeness value. Śrī Devī + Śiva is the original source, Consciousness (the head). The body (varṣma) is the extension of this Consciousness, the limbs (aṅga). Creation happens with aṅga (the body) appears separate from the whole (aṅgī). So by Chinnamasta severing Her head is the saṃketa (symbol) of this body of creation ( the limbs) as the offshoot of Consciousness, the head.

But what of this force of Hers, the cutting? She is considered vajra (might) of Virochana¹ ( the Supreme) and Her power is this vajra (thunderbolt, might, hardness). From a Vedic perspective we are aware of Indra (as the ruler of the gods) and he wields the thunderbolt. He is the Lord of svar (heaven) and Chinnamasta is the śakti of Indra (vajra). Hence She can be considered the tool of Indra, of Virochana, for destroying all the anti-divine impulses ( forces if you will).

She works behind our senses - the organs of action and the organs of knowledge. These senses are called indriya-s. We see the connection then to Indra as he is the ruler over all the senses ( the gods) - the indriya-s.¹
Now is the time to click down one level - the most powerful sense-activity is that of physical touch and sensuous play. All the senses indriya-s are engaged. And with the story of Chinnamasta she is depicted as trampling over Rati and Manmatha (or Kamadeva) that are in close physical embrace i.e. amorous union.
What is the saṃketa (symbol) being offer here? From a tantric orientation the worship or adoration of Chinnamasta is that force that will give the native mastery and control over the outward-focused impulses of the senses, including the amorous desires of the native.

There is one last point I think is relevant to this conversation. We have noted there seems to be some overlap in the various natures of the mahāvidyā-s called out so far. It seems with Chinnamasta there is an overlap with Kālī. We described Kālī as that śakti that brings the delight of vanquishing. She is that power of the Supreme to bring right action, correction.
How is Chinnamasta different then Kālī? Kālī wields her force, her changes are over time (kāla =time or the measure of time); She works with eternity. Remember Her energy is also expressed as śani? Śani is defined is the slow moving one. Change and improvement with time, as Kālī has 'forever' - yet this does not infer procrastination.

Compare this to Chinnamasta, She is the śakti of vajra, the thunderbolt. She is 'now' immediate, swift and with full power. How many times does thunder crack and people jump! One's full attention goes to the power of the light, and the crack of this force. This is Chinnamasta. Her change to the native, society, it swift, within the present.

We know another name for Kālī's name is Caṇḍī (Chandi or caNDi) - this world is rooted in Caṇ - to injure. Yet if we look at Can we find "to delight in, be satisfied with". Chinnamasta's other name is Pracaṇḍa Caṇḍī. We know what Caṇḍī is from the definition just offered. Pracaṇḍa = pra+caṇḍa. Caṇḍa¹ (chanda or caNDa) is violent or cruel , and passionate. Adding the prefix pra means excessively, very much or great. So Chinnamasta as Pracaṇḍa Caṇḍī is extremely violent or cruel. This means again she does not take time to transform, it happens instantaneously, now - just like a bolt of lightening; transformation, destruction, change done in milliseconds.

This in effect is the alignment to the work of rāhu. He is quick, some say unpredictable, but things happen instantly with rāhu's influence, the śakti of Chinnamasta or Pracaṇḍa Caṇḍī.

praṇām
words and references

rāhu राहु - the Seizer ; a daitya who seizes the sun and moon and thus cause eclipses
chinna छिन्न - cut off, cut, divided, torn, cut through, perforated
chidaka छिदक- is a thunderbolt also a diamond… we think of Indra इन्द्र and his thunderbolt.
masta मस्त - is the head; it is means measured from mas मस् to measure or meter
dur दुर्- wicked; very bad or difficult
vāmā वामा- any woman or wife
vāmācārā वामाचार - behaving badly or in the wrong way ; the left-hand practices or doctrines of the tantras
varṣma वर्ष्म - body, form
saṃketa संकेत- hint, allusion, sign or signal or gesture
Caṇḍī (Chandi or caNDi) Caṇḍī चण्डि- one more level with Can is to delight; also this word is; caṇḍa चण्ड- fierce, violent, cruel, impetuous, hot, ardent with passion, passionate, angry
pra प्र- excessively, very, much
grāma ग्राम- a village, hamlet; an inhabited place
vajra वज्र " the hard or mighty one". We know this word also as thunderbolt and as a (hard) diamond.
vīra वीर - a brave or eminent man, hero, chief
vaira वैर - hostile, inimical, revengeful
virocana - विरोचन- shining upon, illuminating; the Lord of the sun
svar स्वर् - heaven, bright space; We call this the luminious world (loka) or Divine mind
indriya-s are karmendriya-s and jñānendriya-s - the organs of action- speech, waling , grasping, etc. and the organs of (gaining) knowledge or cognition i.e. the eyes for seeing, ear for hearing, tougue for tasting, the skin for touch, feel and sense and the nose for smelling
Śaniशनि - slow-moving; Saturn
śakti शक्ति-energy, power, strength, might, effort; the creative power or imagination; the power or force or most effective
Churning the Ocean - HDF Post and conversation: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2846&highlight=churning (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2846&highlight=churning)
Chinnamasta severing her head reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhinnamasta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhinnamasta)
HDF Posts on rāhu http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3052 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3052)
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=13043&postcount=2 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=13043&postcount=2) ( there are many more, please search on Rahu for additions)

[yajvan]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~


The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)

Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Dhūmavatī. If rāhu has just been defined ketu must not be far behind, as ketu is associated with Dhūmavatī.

From a tantric point of view Dhūmāvatī, She is the one in the very beginning, the state before creation occurs, which makes Her jyeṣṭhā¹. That is, she is the root, first, or the eldest.

If we look at her name Dhūmāvatī we see Dhūmā+vatī. Like ketu in color she is dhūmra or smoke-colored, smoky, dark-colored, grey. And vatī we can look at two ways: vāti is considered the moon and/or even the sun. The moon is associated with Devī, as is rāhu and ketu as the nodes of the moon (or sensitive points). So we can take vāti as the moon. If we look to vatī and its roots it brings me back to vaṭa which means a small shell, globule or a lump. This vaṭa¹ then would be the equivalent to ~ embryo and takes us to the next part of Dhūmāvatī's name, where this embryo notion makes sense.

Dhūmāvatī is also called dhūmra varahi. This varahi is vara+hi: vara is enclosing, circumference, space + hi - is to send forth or set in motion. So the notion of varahi is enclosing, capturing (embryo) to send forth. Hence dhūmra varahi is considered the smoked colored one that captures and swallows ( from vara+hi) the universe. She brings it back to jyeṣṭhā, the root, the original cause; dissolution of the manifest back to the unmanifest condition. Some call this action pralaya - dissolution , re-absorption, destruction, annihilation.

Dhūmāvatī is seen as the interim between successive new creations. Perhaps the example of a dormant seed before it becomes a tree would be a reasonable metaphor for Dhūmāvatī.

The state of Dhūmāvatī may also be known as the cosmic night (rātri¹) when there is full rest, even for the Creator. We find this night + womb or embryo of all creation alluded to in the Rig Veda (ṛgveda). The 1st mandala, 35th sūkta says the following.
The rishi (ṛṣi) is Hiraṇyastūpaḥ Añgirasaḥ, the meter is jagatī and the deva is Savitṛ
1.35.1, second stanza
hvayāmi rātrīm jagato niveshanīm
hvayāmi devam savitāram ūtaye

invoke night mobile world support of
invoke deva Savitṛ ( our) increase
-or-
I invoke the night the support of the mobile world
I invoke Savitṛ for our increase

This night (rātrīm) is the womb or embryo of all creation; It is the foundation/structure of all that is unmanifest - this state of perfect rest, even for the Supreme. If you look at the definition of rātri it is defined as the season of rest.

Dhūmāvatī represents inactivity, to such an extent she is a widow (vidhavā). When all is asleep, there is non-existence, there is no place for śakta¹ or an equivalent, a husband.
We, experience this inactivity via rātrī ( the season of rest) in our sleep… all beings sleep. This experience of inactivity is also the period inconscience (without consciousness). Dhūmāvatī is considered the Mother of Inconscience, of this inertness.
Yet to the worshiper of Dhūmāvatī inertness is turned to trance; sleep becomes śama ( tranquility, calmness) and this turns into samādhi - that śama held together ( from dhā to hold), samatva this state of perfect equal-ness. We can see then that Dhūmāvatī holds in the potential of the evolving person; On a grander scale She holds the potential of creation.

These are some of the same qualities we see with ketu in terms of opposites . On one end ketu may contribute to lunacy as he affects the mind ( moon) yet on the other end ketu is the moksha-kāraka¹, the indicator of liberation. On one end ketu may be the contributing factor to imprisonment but on the other side he brings salvation. He goes from the fallen-in-rank and status to that of be detached and philosophical principles of the deepest kind.

The differences, as you have seen here and in the other devatā of Śrī Devī, is that of worship or admiration. On one end the śakti power can give the native grief, yet with the correct upacāra (or approach) these śakti-s can be befriended. This is the same notion for jyotiṣh - which graha-s are causing mischief and what can the native do to win their favor.

praṇām


words and references

jyeṣṭhā ज्येष्ठ eldest, most excellent , pre-eminent, first, chief, best, greatest, root
dhūmraधूम्र smoke-coloured , smoky , dark-coloured , grey , dark-red , ; dim , obscured ; a mixture of red and black , purple
vari वर- enclosing, stopping , checking + hi हि is to to send forth or set in motion
pralaya प्रलय- dissolution , reabsorption , destruction , annihilation
vaṭa वट- surrounded , covered ;a small lump , globule ; ~ embryo
rātri रात्रि- season of rest; the darkenss or stillness of night
śakta शक्त- an equal, capible of, competent
śakti शक्ति - energy, power, strength, might , effort; the creative power or imagination; the power or force or most effective word
duṣṭā दुष्टा- a bad or unchaste woman
vidhavā विधवाa - husbandless woman , widow
dhā धा - to seize , take hold of , hold , bear , support . hold together
samatva समत्व- perfect equalness
upacāra उपचार- approach , service , attendance ; act of civility , obliging or polite behaviour , reverence
rāhu राहु- the Seizer ; a daitya who seizes the sun and moon and thus cause eclipses ; northern node of the moon
ketu केतु- intellect , judgement , discernment ; bright appearance , clearness , brightness 'rays of light' . Ketu is the sourthen node of the moon - a sensitive point.
karaka कारक - instrumental in bringing about the action;
hari oṁ हरिॐ

[Srikantha]

Jaya Ho Yajvan,

I find your posts to be very informative although with respect to Dhumavati, I have only found references to her as being Jyestha by Frawley [would you be able to provide any further sources to this idea]. Most Tantras I have come across speak of Kali as being the principle Maha Vidya [Brihannila for instance] that she stands before time, I believe this may be consistent with the Puranas that mention the Maha Vidya system too [i.e. Vishnu Purana, guessing here].

There is also a theory that suggests that the vidhva was perhaps a mistaken when passing down the secret worship of Dhumavati. Since there is a relatively archaic Vedic Sukta [I will post on request] which gives praise to a fierce Goddess and uses the term - Vadhumiva. I am guessing the Young Wife notion was twisted to the Widow idea. This same Sukta is where Pratyangira's mantra is generally believed to have been derived from.

[yAM kalpayantIM norayaH krurAM krutyAM vadhumiva tAM]

A similar argument was made with Bagalamukhi where Bagala was refuted and Vagala/Valga was being established; you will find this in Dakshinamurti's Uddharakosha as well when the author is deciphering the mantra of Bagala.

[chakrura rAme valgAM]

It would be very interesting to see whether Jyotisha can successfully integrate Pluto, Neptune etc in its consideration of astrological implications on life. If done correctly, it may give a better resolution to the system.

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~


Jaya Ho Yajvan,

I find your posts to be very informative although with respect to Dhumavati, I have only found references to her as being Jyestha by Frawley [would you be able to provide any further sources to this idea]. Most Tantras I have come across speak of Kali as being the principle Maha Vidya [Brihannila for instance] that she stands before time, I believe this may be consistent with the Puranas that mention the Maha Vidya system too [i.e. Vishnu Purana, guessing here].
.

Namaste Srikantha,
Yes I will be happy to give you a few references. I am using a few. Let me collect the 3 books and I will post them as references.

You write,
A similar argument was made with Bagalamukhi where Bagala was refuted and Vagala/Valga was being established Note my next post on Bagalāmukhi , perhaps there is some insights to her name and we can discuss it further.


praṇām

[yajvan]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~



The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)

Bagalamukhi (Mars)

Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)

namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Bagalāmukhi. She aligns with Mars.

Mars is aligned with fire ( tejas or agni) as on of the 5 pañca mahābhūtas. I mention this because agni aligns with our speech. This is the subject matter of the pañchāgni vidyā found in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad¹ , 5th Kanda, 19th valli, (some write Chāndogyopaniṣad):

oṁ apānāya svāhā - apanaya been satisfied, speech (vac or vak) becomes satisfied; speech satisfied agni becomes satisfied; with agni satisfied the earth become satisfied; Earth being satisfied that which underlies agni become satisfied; Its satisfaction is accompanied by the offerer becoming satisfied with good progeny, cattle, food, and the like and with brightness and luster of wisdom.

Why is this relevant to Bagalāmukhi? Her śakti is vāk stambhanakari¹ i.e. paralysis or stupefaction over speech. She is tied to Mars via agni and vāk.

Lets take Her name, Bagalāmukhi, apart and see where this leads us in this conversation. Some say that Bagalā is derived from valgā. I have seen this B sound mixed regularly with V, as in Bṛhaspati (Brihaspiti). It is also written Vṛhaspiti; that is this vṛh and bṛh sound are quite close as it exits the mouth.

So what is this valgā mean? It's a bridle or rein. And we know mukhi is mukhya , belonging to the mouth or face. So Bagalāmukhi is one who puts a bridle on the mouth i.e. Her śakti is vāk stambhanakari¹ i.e. paralysis or stupefaction over speech.

She also is called bakamukhi - this baka is a crane ( the bird); It is suggested that this also means making the opponent duck-faced. This suggests incessant 'quacking' from the opponents mouth i.e. gibberish or less then intelligent responses.
If you look at a picture of Bagalāmukhi it is not unusual to see her holding her opponents tongue with her left hand and in her right hand holding a mace to strike the offender. She is this stoppage and striking force (śakti) of Śrī Devī.

While Dhūmavatī has this stoppage we discussed in the last post, Bagalāmukhi is the immobility & consciousness; Dhūmavatī was immobility and unconscious. That is Bagalāmukhi's śakti strike can halt activity after it has been begun. She restrains speech after it has begun, but ending it ( forever). She has this śakti to stop the forward motion.

Interesting, yet how does this apply on a greater scale then stopping speech? When this halting of momentum occurs, say like a river flowing and it is stopped what occurs? Whirls and eddies, new flow directions begin to occur and more momentum is built up ( I think this is kinetic energy) and new channels are created.

This is also a recommendation for speech. If one is in discussions of great import or of a debating ( or even jalpa) nature… stop before responding. Do not go to the next set of words; Allow a few seconds to pass. This allows Bagalāmukhi to take affect. What will come out (with calm restored) are more appropriate words for communication and the situation at hand. Try it a few times and see if it works. What then is happening? oṁ apānāya svāhā - we are settling down speech. This is from the pañchāgni vidyā above.

More can be said with this notion of halting this forward motion:

as it applies to prānayāma and the halting of the breath, called kumbhaka;
Patañjali’s yogadarśana (the yoga sutras of Patañjali), chapter two Sādhana Pada, calls out the 8 limbs of yoga. Within these 8 limbs he outlines yama & niyama
There are HDF posts¹ on this information if the reader wishes to take a look, reviewing it fully here would take us off course.Bagalāmukhi is associated with the color yellow. Her complextion and garments are said to yellow. The follower/worshiper of Bagalāmukhi also subscribes to yellow clothing and to beads ( rosary or mālā's ) made of or colored by turmeric. It is inferred that the worship of Bagalāmukhi is to alter ones existing behaviors to those that are more life supporting, to those that allow the ultimate destination ( the Supreme) to be realized.

praṇām

words and references

stambhanakari - stambhana स्तम्भन stopping, arresting, checking, restraining + kari करि causing or accomplishment;
Also note stamba स्तम्ब is stupidity , insensibility.
vāk or vāc वाच् - speech , voice , talk , language
Bṛhaspati बृहस्पति- is also Guru graha (Jupiter) ; lord of prayer or devotion.
valgā वल्गा- a bridle or rein; and also means 'of a woman'
mukhya मुख्य- being in or coming from or belonging to the mouth or face;
mālā माला- string of beads , necklace , rosary; also a collection of words arrayed in a series
jalpa जल्प- talk , discussion; also a kind of dispute and perhaps an overbearing reply
Kumbhaka कुम्भक- a pot; also a part of prānayāma technique: HDF Post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18381&postcount=7 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18381&postcount=7)
Patañjali’s yogadarśana yama & niyama HDF Postings : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2949 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2949)
pañchāgni vidyā HDF post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=17474&postcount=9 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=17474&postcount=9)

[yajvan]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~~



The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā
Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)
Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Mātangi. She aligns with Surya, ( some say Savitṛi) the sun, some call Ravi. Lets take a look at her name Mātangi.
There are multiple meanings suggested in Her name.
mā मा - is mother. Who has not heard of Mother Sun? This mā also means to measure. It is by the sun, Surya, that that day, a rasi or sign of the zodiac, and year is measured out. It is by the sun we measure the day and our activities 'Oh! we only have a few more hours of light to finish the project'' we hear people say.

This mā also means light. When this mā is connected with yā we come to the familiar name of māyā - with is the Infinite measured out - that is the illusion of this māyā. The illusion ( some say deception ) the Infinite, Supreme can be measured, can be throttled down to finite things.

mata मत - is a thought, an idea or an opinion and mati is the thinking mind where these thoughts take place. So we have Mātangi as that which goes to ( rises up) to the thought. That is, the unmanifest word ( the impulse) perceives itself for manifestation and rises it to the thinking mind for expression. Some would call this impulse paśyantī - the first pre-articulated aspect of sound. This state of the word is matanga.

Now according to upon Śrī Śaṅkaranārayānan, when this impulse is fashioned by the heart and then formulated by the mind and is expressed, it has become mātangi. So these impulses of perfect purity become colored ( varṇa) during expression. This is articulated speech.

Mātangi is also known as śyāmala - dark in color or complexion. Her complexion is dark as a green emerald and other times she is seen as nīla which is dark-blue (and again another name for a fig tree).

In the Mahabharata its mentioned Mātangi was born of the sage Matanga who initially was a cāṇdāla (some write chandala) -a term fora less then desirable caste or class of people. Since Mātangi was born of this sage as cāṇdāla She also has been come to be known as Cāṇdāli ( or Chandali).
To go even deeper at times she is referred to as ucchiṣṭa cāṇdāli; this ucchiṣṭa means left over, spit out. So not only is Cāṇdāli from a class that are considered despised, the name goes further to suggest even spit out.
Here is a quick story¹ about this:
It is said once Viṣṇu and Lakṣmī went to visit Śiva and Pārvatī. Viṣṇu and Lakṣmī offered Śiva and Pārvatī fine foods, and some pieces dropped to the ground. From these remains arose a maiden endowed with fair qualities. She asked for leftover food (ucchiṣṭa). The four deities offered her their leftovers as prasāda - food made sacred by having been tasted by deities). Śiva then said to the attractive maiden: "Those who repeat your mantra and worship you, their activities will be fruitful. They will be able to control their enemies and obtain the objects of their desires." From then on this maiden became known as Ucchiṣṭa-Mātangi. She is the bestower of all boons.

The indicates Mātangi's association with leftover food, which is normally considered highly polluting. Indeed, she herself actually arises or emerges from Śiva and Pārvatī's table scraps. And the first thing she asks for is sustenance in the form of leftover food (ucchiṣṭa).
Texts describing her worship specify that devotees should offer her ucchiṣṭa with their hands and mouths stained with leftover food; that is, worshippers should be in a state of pollution, having eaten and not washed.

What then is the insight here? Here is my best effort on this matter: Śrī Śaṅkaranārayānan writes, cakśuśmanto' nu paśyantī. Those that have the vision to see though (cakśuśmanto) will have the faculties to appreciate and comprehend the knowledge (as represented by paśyantī - the pre-articulated ( unmanifest) sound. This paśyantī is used interchangeably with parā the highest, madhya the central point or turya; I this post calling it parā vāk (or vāc) would be appropriate as paśyantī is defined as that pre-articulated ( dormant ) sound ready to manifest.

So what did I just say? if the person gets beyond the visual or the notion of ucchiṣṭa, spit out, or repulsive and is able to see beyond that, then this native is fit for the knowledge of understanding the Supreme; the others will be happy on the periphery.

Mātangi, as she is associated with unmanifest word becoming manifest, is the Goddess who gives vāgvilāsa , grace and elegance to speech. We can then call Her Vāgvadini, or the Power (śakti) of Expression.
Hence accomplished writers, musicians, skilled speech makers, singers that have excelled in their talent have been able to touch and express the śakti of Mātangi, Vāgvadini, the Power (śakti) of Expression.

praṇām
posted on Sunday, ravi-vāra, owned by Surya, hence Mātangi;
Hora of the Sun; tithi is sukla tritiya ( bright half of the month)
and tithi is owned by Gauri (Pārvatī), Śiva's consort.

words and references

ravi रवि- the sun; also considered one of the 12 Adityas
māyā माया- illusion, unreality, deception; māyā, illusion personified is also another name for Bhuvaneshvarī, connected with ākāśa.
varṇa वर्ण - color, tint, dye, pigment; we also know this varṇa as it relates to caste, tribe, or order.
śyāmala श्यामल - dark-colored, even black; this is also another name for the fig tree
ucchiṣṭa उच्छिष्ट - left, rejected, stale; spit out of the mouth (as remnants of food); leavings , fragments
cāṇdāla चाण्डाल - a lower caste or class;
Story http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Matangi (http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Matangi)
prasāda प्रसाद- clearness, brightness, purity; a propitiatory offering or gift (of food); blessing
paśyantī पश्यन्ती - sound; the first pre-articulated aspect of sound.
cakśuśmanto- cakśu चक्षु is to see or behold ; the organ of seeing, the eye ; śmanto? I could use some help on this derivation.
nu नु - indeed , certainly , surely
vāgvilāsa वाग्विलास - grace and fluency; elegant speech.
Mātangi is also worshipped as the minister to Rājarājeśvari, the great Goddess Lalita, discussed in our posts above as Tripurasundarī.

[Srikantha]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~
Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Bagalāmukhi. She aligns with Mars.


The Bagala Sukta which adores her as Valga is found in the Atharva Veda, 5 kandah, 8th anuvakah.

[yajvan]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~~

The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā
Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)


Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Kamalatmika. She aligns with Venus, or Śukla.

Lets take a look at her name . Kamala is wealth and prosperity, the lotus-flower that pale-red , rose-colored i.e. pink. She is depicted sitting on a pink lotus (see image below) , a symbol of purity, comes the name Kamala. And this lotus is also the symbol for unfoldment of one's full potential.
Inside this Kamala is ka, indicating the head, water, happiness , joy, pleasure and splendor. Kamala is associated with water the symbol for consciousness. Many pictures of Kamalatmika show her being showered by white elephants, the flow of consciousness, as She is one who wears water as a robe i.e. apovasana - apo +vasana : ap or apa is the waters + vasana or garment, apparel, attire. Thus the divine giving waters āpo daivīḥ.
She is born of the waters, ambuja¹. It's is also another point of interest that Kamalā is another name for Lakṣmī¹, the one many associate with wealth and prosperity.

Also the choice of being the 10th devata discussed is meaningful. the number 10 suggests the fullness (bhuma) of the absolute (0) + the fullness of the manifest field of creation (1). together they offer 10 , the number used to reflect the fullness of Brahman. It's said in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad 'He fills the space 10 fingers wide' - this is talking of Puruṣa's Vastness, Greatness. For more regarding this idea you may consider the HDF post¹ that reviews this.

When we think of graha-s and beauty Venus (Śukla) is always identified. She is associated with beauty, art, fine ornaments, dance , music i.e. the arts, comforts, the vital fluids, flowers i.e. the pleasures of the senses. So this notion of beauty and balance comes to mind, as Śukla + Kamalatmika + Lakṣmī are the śakti of this beauty.

And what makes things beautiful or suśamā? I think it is in the name suśamā which means very beautiful, splendid. Yet if you look at its components su+śamā; su is to possess supremacy + sama is same, equal, similar, like, equivalent. So we have beautiful or suśamā as something that is supremely equal, balanced. I have found and observed we as humans tend to favor and find beauty in proportions, in symmetry.

Plato wrote¹ of the so called 'golden proportions' in which, amongst other things, the width of an ideal face would be two-thirds its length, while a nose would be no longer than the distance between the eyes. Plato's golden proportions, however, haven't quite held up to the rigors of modern psychological research. Symmetry ( balance) has been proven to be inherently attractive to the human eye. It has been defined not with proportions, but rather with similarity between the left and right sides of the face Thus, the Plato Greeks were headed in the right direction.

Another way of looking at Kamala (and I am taking liberties here) could be Ka+mālā. This ka as mentioned has multiple meanings, yet let me off the ones that fit: Ka is the head, splendor, light, happiness , joy & pleasure . This mālā is a string of beads , necklace, rosary, and is also a series of offerings for obtaining any object of desire. So we the can surmise Kamalatmika wears as a garland (rosary or mālā) the splendor of joy and happiness, and by her blessings and the native's adoration; She gives the śakti for gaining objects of one's desires, The highest being the Supreme.

The 1st stotra From Śrī Suktām. This is a khila rik or an addendum to the Rig Veda (ṛgveda) - if some one knows the ṛṣi and chandas or meter please add to the post.
oṁ||
Hiraņya varnám hariņīm suvarna-rajata-srajám
Chandrám hiranmayīm lakshmīm jatavedo ma avaha|
Tám ma ávaha játavedo lakśhmīm anapa gáminīm
Yasyám hiraņyam vindeyam gám aśvam puruśhán aham||
Invoke for you O Agni, the Goddess Lakshmi, who shines like gold, yellow in hue, wearing gold and silver garlands, blooming like the moon, the embodiment of wealth. O Agni! Invoke for me that unfailing Lakshmi, blessed by whom, shall win wealth, cattle, horses and men.


praṇām

posted on Monday owned by Candra (Chandra) the Moon;
tithi is śukla Caturthi owned by Ganeṣa, son of Pārvatī

words and references

ka क- the first consonant of the alphabet; the head, water, happiness, joy, pleasure, sound, king, a comet, splendor.
kamala कमल- a lotus , lotus-flower; pale-red , rose-colored; wealth, prosperity
Lakṣmī लक्ष्मी- beauty, loveliness, grace , charm, splendor, luster; the goddess of fortune and beauty
apovasana - apa+vasana : ap अप् the Waters considered as divinities + vasana वसन or garment , apparel; clothed in, surrounded by, engrossed in
ambuja अम्बुज - produced in water, water born
Śukla शुक्ल - pure , spotless , unsullied; a name for the graha Venus; the bright half of a lunar month or any day in it
Candra चन्द्र- the moon; glittering , shining (as gold) , having the brilliancy or hue of light; Gauri
HDF post 10 fingers wide : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=13877&postcount=6 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=13877&postcount=6)
Web site reference on Plato and proportions http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume6/issue6/features/feng.html (http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume6/issue6/features/feng.html)

[yajvan]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~

Namaste

If we step back we are looking at Śrī Devī in her various forms we can see some groupings and commonalities.
Since it is Śrī Devī we're viewing it makes sense that there's overlap. The 10 Qualities of Śrī Devī are not rigid walls where one starts
and the other stops. I think this will help:

Kālī + Chinnamasta + Dhūmāvatīi+ Bagalamukhi share the characteristics of Power and Force - either manifest or unmanifest.
Tripurasundarī + Bhuvaneshvarī + Tripura Bhairavi + Matangi + Kamalatmika share the charisticis of Beauty, Light and Delight.
Tripura Bhairavi + Bagalāmukhi + Mātangi has the characteristics of the Force-of-Sound, either expressed and unfolding or impeded and controlled.It's noted by observation that Tara takes on certain characteristics of Kālī and Tripurasundarī.

Another observation is that of perception name and form become possible with prakāśa ( light) +nāda (sound). We can leave for a later post, yet a most interesting subject.

Looking at it from another view I found this grouping to be quite useful (provided by David Frawley¹).

Kālī (Saturn) + Chinnamasta (Rahu) = Time and transformation
Tara (Jupiter) + Mātangi (Sun) = The Word, manifest and unmanifest
Tripurasundarī (Mercury) + Kamalatmika (Venus) = Beauty/suśamā, Unmanifest and Manifest
Bhuvaneshvarī (Moon) + Dhūmāvatī (Ketu) = Space/ ākāśa, manifest and unmanifest
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna or one's ascendant) + Bagalāmukhi (Mars) =Energy, in stillness and in motionIf we looked just at a word or two for each devatā, it perhaps would look like this:


Kālī (Saturn) - Time -kalā
Tara (Jupiter) - wisdom- jñāna
Tripurasundarī (Mercury) - light - prakāśa
Bhuvaneshvarī (Moon) - space, ākāśa ( the space for existence to exist)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna) - śakti/energy of tapasya for burning up blemishes and weakness
Chinnamasta (Rahu) - power or śakti of striking for the Supreme
Dhūmāvatī (Ketu) - void or sūnyata
Bagalāmukhi ( Mars) - śakti of restraint; vāk stambhanakari i.e. paralysis or stupefaction over speech
Mātangi (Sun) - śakti of expression; vāgvilāsa , grace and elegance to speech
Kamalatmika (Venus) - Delight, joy, Fullness of Being - ka (splendor and light)Yet one could ask , what is the overall goal or intent of the devatā-s? Nothing less then svasaṃvedana ( self-consciousness) in its fullest.
And what is that? Pratyabhijñā or the re-recognition of the SELF (svātman).
This begins, says Abhinavagupta, by the individual becoming sahṛdaya - possessed of the heart, full of feeling. What is Abhinavagupta alluding to here? He is suggesting that the individual open one's self the finer levels of existence, of Being. This has been called the 'heart', consciousness, Supreme Consciousness, anuttara, the un-passable. We can talk more on this if there is interest, yet it would be best to have the strong start on the meditation folder on this subject.

But why then the review of the daśa mahāvidyā-s ? how does this fit in. This is the wisdom Śiva offers - He says Śaivī mukhaṃ Ihocyate - Śakti ( Śrī Devī) is the entrance door ( mukhaṃ or mouth, opening ) to Śiva. This is said in Vijñāna Bhairava , the 20th and 21st kārikā, Śiva is known through Śakti.

Last, I will list out the various books I used as reference material for the posts on the daśa mahāvidyā-s in the foot notes below.

hari oṁ हरिॐ

praṇām


words and references

sahṛdaya सहृदय - possessed of the heart, full of feeling , sensible , intelligent
svātman स्वात्मन् - one's own SELF or nature
The 10 Great Cosmic powers (daśa mahāvidyās) - Śrī Śaṅkaranārayānan
Vedic Remedies in Astrology - Sanjay Rath
Tools for Tantra - Harish Johari
Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses - David Frawley
Secrets of the Rig Veda - first 121 suktā-s - R.L. Kashyap
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad - Svāmi Śivanānda
Chāndogya Upaniṣad - Svāmi Muni Nārāyaṇa Prāsad
10 Principle Upaniṣads - Svāmi Śivanānda
The Triadic Heart of Śiva - Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta - Paul Eduardo Muller-Ortega ( this is a study of Parātrīśikālaghu-vṛttiḥ written by Abhinavagupti-ji)
Definitions rooted in the works and offerings of Sanskṛit-Engligh Dictionary 2002 Edition - M.F. Monier-Williams ( first published 1872)
Abhinavagupta-ji , his tradition.
From my studies, svāmī Lakmanjoo's guru was svāmī mahatābakak and his was svāmī Rām… the lineage is traced back to durvāsā ṛiṣi.

It is said durvāsā ṛiṣi received knowledge of bhairava tantra from śrikaṇṭhanathā (śiva) Himself. Accordingly durvāsā ṛiṣi was instructed by śrikaṇṭhanathā to expand the thought of bhairava tantra in all the universe with no restriction to varna or jāti, male or female.

The first to receive his dīkṣā was Tryambakanātha, his son. What is of special note this sisya (śiṣya) was a mind-born son. He also created two more mind born sons and a mind born daughter for the upliftment of the family of man. Her name was ardhatryambakā.
Why did durvāsā ṛiṣi pursue this venue? He was a brahhmacārī and therefore ūrdhvaretah or one preserving ones sexual energy and no displacement of sukra.

From father to mind born son and daughter, some of the children also created mind born śiṣya-s. It's said that 15 siddhas were created in this manner. It was this 15th siddha that was unsuccessful in creating mind born śiṣyas.
For this he searched for a female with all sattvic qualities to produce his children and śiṣyas. Up to this point it was always father-to-son initiation.

Yet starting with somānandanātha muni the dīkṣā began from Master to disciple. It is from this lineage that Abhinavagupta came to be initiated into this great knowledge of kaśmir śaivism.

[Jade]

The graha-s associated with the daśa mahāvidyā

Kālī (Saturn)
Tara (Jupiter)
Tripurasundari (Mercury)
Bhuvaneshvari (Moon)
Tripura Bhairavi (Lagna� or one's ascendant)
Chinnamasta (Rahu)
Dhumavati (Ketu)
Bagalamukhi ( Mars)
Matangi (Sun)
Kamalatmika (Venus)
Excuse me, but according to my information Tripura Sundari = Sun and Matangi under the name of Mantrini is her counsellor = Mercury.
I also read somewhere that Dhumavati stands for both, Rahu & Ketu, and Kali = Moon.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namast� jade

Please note that there may be differences associated with the names of the grāhaka associated with the daśa mahāvidyā. How can this be?

It can be influenced by the waxing and waning of the moon i.e. śukla pakṣa and kṛṣṇa pakṣa . It is my opinion this affects a tithi's� prada - the giving , yielding , offering , granting , bestowing , causing , effecting , uttering, influence.

There are some jyotiṣa's that view Kālī (Saturn) and Tara (Jupiter) as the full expression of mahāvidyā. The other devatā are then their śakti forms ( expressions of energy) considered vidya ( 4 of them) and siddhi vidya ( the remaining 4) for a total of 10 (2+4+4) that define the daśa mahāvidyā. I do not take this position as my studies suggest all 10 are complete in themselves.

The Moon in jyotiṣ is considered the symbol for mother; In śukla pakṣa moon is considered Durgā (durgatināśinī); in kṛṣṇa pakṣa moon may be called Kālī. As you can see there is flexibility.

The permutations on Matangi-ma that I see is Śrī Matangi and Raj Matangi. Some view Matangi-ma as Mīnākṣi ( some write Meenakshi).

Now that said I have not seen Tripurasundari (Mercury) described as the Sun; I would be happy to read/review and consider any references you offer. My references are offered in post 14 above.

praṇām

words

tithi - a lunar day = the 30th part of a whole lunation
pakṣa - the half of a lunar month. The first half from new moon to full moon some call pūrva or apūryamāṇa , yet now we call it śukla (some call śuddha) ; the other half apara or apa-kṣīyamāṇa , we now call kṛṣṇa ( some still call this tāmisra) ; each fortnight or 1/2 lunar month consists of 15 tithi-s or lunar days called prathamā.

[Jade]

I would have sworn that I had read about Tripurasundari being associated with the sun in David Frawley's book about the Mahavidyas (Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses).
But I was wrong, he associates her with the moon instead and Matangi with Mercury (p. 142).

[Jade]

Hari Oṁ
~~~~~


Namaste

Next in the list of daśa mahāvidyā-s or the 10 great (Maha) forms of power or knowledge (vidyā) is Bagalāmukhi. She aligns with Mars.

Mars is aligned with fire ( tejas or agni) as on of the 5 pa�ca mahābhūtas. I mention this because agni aligns with our speech. This is the subject matter of the pa�chāgni vidyā found in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad� , 5th Kanda, 19th valli, (some write Chāndogyopaniṣad):


oṁ apānāya svāhā - apanaya been satisfied, speech (vac or vak) becomes satisfied; speech satisfied agni becomes satisfied; with agni satisfied the earth become satisfied; Earth being satisfied that which underlies agni become satisfied; Its satisfaction is accompanied by the offerer becoming satisfied with good progeny, cattle, food, and the like and with brightness and luster of wisdom.

Why is this relevant to Bagalāmukhi? Her śakti is vāk stambhanakari� i.e. paralysis or stupefaction over speech. She is tied to Mars via agni and vāk.

Lets take Her name, Bagalāmukhi, apart and see where this leads us in this conversation. Some say that Bagalā is derived from valgā. I have seen this B sound mixed regularly with V, as in Bṛhaspati (Brihaspiti). It is also written Vṛhaspiti; that is this vṛh and bṛh sound are quite close as it exits the mouth.

So what is this valgā mean? It's a bridle or rein. And we know mukhi is mukhya , belonging to the mouth or face. So Bagalāmukhi is one who puts a bridle on the mouth i.e. Her śakti is vāk stambhanakari� i.e. paralysis or stupefaction over speech.

She also is called bakamukhi - this baka is a crane ( the bird); It is suggested that this also means making the opponent duck-faced. This suggests incessant 'quacking' from the opponents mouth i.e. gibberish or less then intelligent responses.
If you look at a picture of Bagalāmukhi it is not unusual to see her holding her opponents tongue with her left hand and in her right hand holding a mace to strike the offender. She is this stoppage and striking force (śakti) of Śrī Devī.

While Dhūmavatī has this stoppage we discussed in the last post, Bagalāmukhi is the immobility & consciousness; Dhūmavatī was immobility and unconscious. That is Bagalāmukhi's śakti strike can halt activity after it has been begun. She restrains speech after it has begun, but ending it ( forever). She has this śakti to stop the forward motion.

Interesting, yet how does this apply on a greater scale then stopping speech? When this halting of momentum occurs, say like a river flowing and it is stopped what occurs? Whirls and eddies, new flow directions begin to occur and more momentum is built up ( I think this is kinetic energy) and new channels are created.

This is also a recommendation for speech. If one is in discussions of great import or of a debating ( or even jalpa) nature� stop before responding. Do not go to the next set of words; Allow a few seconds to pass. This allows Bagalāmukhi to take affect. What will come out (with calm restored) are more appropriate words for communication and the situation at hand. Try it a few times and see if it works. What then is happening? oṁ apānāya svāhā - we are settling down speech. This is from the pa�chāgni vidyā above.

More can be said with this notion of halting this forward motion:

as it applies to prānayāma and the halting of the breath, called kumbhaka;
Pata�jali�s yogadarśana (the yoga sutras of Pata�jali), chapter two Sādhana Pada, calls out the 8 limbs of yoga. Within these 8 limbs he outlines yama & niyama
There are HDF posts� on this information if the reader wishes to take a look, reviewing it fully here would take us off course.Bagalāmukhi is associated with the color yellow. Her complextion and garments are said to yellow. The follower/worshiper of Bagalāmukhi also subscribes to yellow clothing and to beads ( rosary or mālā's ) made of or colored by turmeric. It is inferred that the worship of Bagalāmukhi is to alter ones existing behaviors to those that are more life supporting, to those that allow the ultimate destination ( the Supreme) to be realized.

pranams

words and references

stambhanakari - stambhana स्तम्भन stopping, arresting, checking, restraining + kari करि causing or accomplishment;
Also note stamba स्तम्ब is stupidity , insensibility.
vāk or vāc वाच् - speech , voice , talk , language
Bṛhaspati बृहस्पति- is also Guru graha (Jupiter) ; lord of prayer or devotion.
valgā वल्गा- a bridle or rein; and also means 'of a woman'
mukhya मुख्य- being in or coming from or belonging to the mouth or face;
mālā माला- string of beads , necklace , rosary; also a collection of words arrayed in a series
jalpa जल्प- talk , discussion; also a kind of dispute and perhaps an overbearing reply
Kumbhaka कुम्भक- a pot; also a part of prānayāma technique: HDF Post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18381&postcount=7 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18381&postcount=7)
Pata�jali�s yogadarśana yama & niyama HDF Postings : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2949 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2949)
pa�chāgni vidyā HDF post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=17474&postcount=9 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=17474&postcount=9)
Is there a Mantra for Bagalamukhi that can be used for Bhakti Yoga?

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté


Is there a Mantra for Bagalamukhi that can be used for Bhakti Yoga?

Her bīja (seed) sound is hlrīm or hlrīṃ ( hlreem).
As mentioned above,

Lets take Her name, Bagalāmukhi, apart and see where this leads us in this conversation. Some say that Bagalā is derived from valgā. I have seen this B sound mixed regularly with V, as in Bṛhaspati (Brihaspiti). It is also written Vṛhaspiti; that is this vṛh and bṛh sound are quite close as it exits the mouth.

So what is this valgā mean? It's a bridle or rein. And we know mukhi is mukhya , belonging to the mouth or face. So Bagalāmukhi is one who puts a bridle on the mouth i.e. Her śakti is vāk stambhanakari¹ i.e. paralysis or stupefaction over speech

Note the notion of stambhana स्तम्भन stopping, arresting, checking, restraining. This is a very important idea for yama ( restraints) ; This can also be the restraint of the mind and miscellaneous thought ( wandering mind).

It would seem that the use of this bīja (seed) sound hlrīm, one will quiet the mind, steady the mind. From this, expansion and peace will come. The bhakta ( devotee ) becomes aligned to Bagalamukti's śakti of stillness.

oṁ śrī hlrīm

praṇām

1. stambhanakari - stambhana स्तम्भन stopping, arresting, checking, restraining + kari करि causing or accomplishment

[Ra K Sankar]

Thanks a lot for the info on the plantes associated with the 10 Goddess Forces...:Cool: