The Kamakhya Temple is a Sati Pith temple situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India. It is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to different forms of the mother goddess as the Dasa Mahavidya, including Bhuvaneshvari, Bagalamukhi, Chinnamasta, Tripura Sundari and Tara. It is an important pilgrimage destination for general Hindu and Tantric worshipers.
One of the most persistent mythologies concerning the origin of worship at the site is associated with the myth of Sati, who was the wife of the ascetic god Shiva and daughter of the Puranic god-king Daksha. Daksha was unhappy with his daughter's choice of husband, and when he performed a grand Vedic sacrifice for all the deities, he did not invite Shiva or Sati. In a rage, Sati threw herself onto the fire, knowing that this would make the sacrifice impure. Because she was the all-powerful mother goddess, Sati left her body in that moment to be reborn as the goddess Parvati. Meanwhile, Shiva was striken with grief and rage at the loss of his wife. He put Sati's body over his shoulder and began his tandava (dance of cosmic destruction) throughout the heavens, and vowed not to stop until the body was completely rotted away. The other Gods, afraid of their annihilation, implored Vishnu to pacify Shiva. Thus, wherever Shiva wandered while dancing, Vishnu followed. He sent his discus Sudarshana to destroy the corpse of Sati. Pieces of her body fell until Shiva was left without a body to carry. Seeing this, Shiva sat down to do Mahatapasya (great penance). Despite the similarity in name, scholars do not generally believe that this legend gave rise to the practice of sati, or widow burning. According to various myths and traditions, there are 51 pieces of Sati's body scattered across the Indian subcontinent. These places are called shakti peethas and are dedicated to various powerful goddesses. Kamarupa ("form of desire") is the region in which the yoni ("vulva," "womb," or "source") is said to have fallen to earth, and the Kamakhya temple was said to have been constructed on this spot. THE LEGEND OF KAMADEVA AND KAMAKHYA TEMPLE Another tradition has it that the Kamakhya Temple was built by Kamadeva, the God of Love. According to this tradition, when Lord Shiva went into deep meditation upon Sati’s death at the yagna performed by her father Daksha, the Gods grew very worried and anxious about the uncertain future of the world. They came to the conclusion that further creation would only be possible if the divine UNION between the Holy Mother and the Divine Father is made possible once again. In order to bring about this UNION, they sent Kama to shake Lord Shiva out of his Yogic State of trance and thus make him fall for Parvathi, the daughter of Himavan who was the very reincarnation of Sati. Kama let his arrows fly from his bow. They struck Shiva and woke him up from his trance. Furious with the disturbance, Shiva burnt Kamadeva alive with a single glance. Later at the instance of all the Gods, Lord Shiva brought Kama back to life. Unfortunately, Kama lost all his charm and good looks. Lord Shiva however comforted him with these words: “Don’t worry Manmadha. It was all a part of my divine act. You will regain your good looks once you build a temple for my beloved Sati at the spot where her vagina fell.” The entire Kamakhya Temple Complex also contains other major temples—Temples for Devi, for Kali, for Tara, for Bagala, for Chinnamasta, for Bhuvanesvari, for Bhairavi and for Dhumavati, for Sitala, for Lalita Kanta, for Jaya Durga, for Vana Durga, for Rajarajesvari, for Smasanakali and for Sankhesvari. Likewise there are five temples of Lord Shiva in the Kamakhya complex depicting different forms of Lord Shiva---- Kamesvara (Umananda), Siddhesvara, Amratokesvara (Heruka), Aghpra, and Kotilinga (Tatpurusa). The Kamakhya Temple Complex also contains three temples of Lord Visnu. They are the Kedara (Kamalesvara) Temple, situated near the northern side of the main temple; the Gadadhara Temple, situated in the north-western direction of the Kamakhya Temple; and Pandunath Temple, situated in the eastern foothills of Nilachal also known as Pandu. One more Legend The evolution of Yoni in Kamakhya Temple has its origins in the mists of unknown history and antiquity. The Kalika Purana refers a dialogue between Devi and Shiva, where Devi asks Shiva about the yoni worship and the legend of Kamakhya. Shiva replies to her questions with a short explanation on the origins of Kamakhya. According to hallowed tradition, Lord Brahma after having created the Universe, prided himself on his great accomplishment as a shining symbol of the supreme force of primordial creation. The Supreme Goddess was put off by the overweening arrogance of Lord Brahma. In order to suppress the pride of Lord Brahma, SHE created a demon out of herself and named him Kesi. Kesi chased Lord Brahma around the four corners of the universe, with his mouth wide open and ready to swallow Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma fled and absconded from the universe. Kesi then built a city named Kesi Puri from which the ever reverberant sounds of “Brahma Kunjah” (Kill Brahma) came out. Lord Brahma, realising his original mistake, retraced his steps and after giving up his vain pride, offered his fervent prayers to Mahashakthi in these words “Divine Mother, I am a fool to have deluded myself with the omnipotence of my superlative powers, particularly when YOU are indeed the ORIGIN, SOURCE, BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END OF IT ALL. Please forgive this sinner for this grievous act OF MISDEMEANOUR. I pray that YOU understand that Kesi has to be put down for the sake of the larger good of the world. Have grace on us, Oh Supreme Goddess.” Shakthi took pity on Lord Brahma and destroyed Demon Kesi with a simple blow from her mouth ending in ‘hum’ (the syllable of destruction). In order to atone for his sins Lord Brahma had to create a mountain out of Kesi’s ashes and cover it with grass for the cattle. Accordingly Lord Brahma created a mountain. The Gods and Goddesses offered their salutations to Mahashakthi from atop the Govardhana Mountain created by Lord Brahma. Maha Sakthi pleased with their prayers burst forth as a spring from an opening atop the hill, and commanded Lord Brahma to know and understand that this place indeed would be the very Centre of Creation and the Eternal Source of his Creative Power. Devi had placed the yoni in Kamarupa essentially for the good of the world.After he was absolved of all his sins, Lord Brahma brought down a luminous ray of light from the heavens and placed it on the yoni circle. The yoni is the quintessence of feminity and is a yantra for many Shaktha-based Tantric Cults in India. Represented as a downward pointing triangle, it stands for the sacred feminine womb, from which all life springs. The worship of the Goddes at Kamakhya is in this form of her creative power. She is venerated as a life giver. KAMAKHYA TEMPLE HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THE VERY FEW HINDU SHRINES WHERE THE GODDESS MAHA SHAKTI IS WORSHIPPED IN HER REPRODUCTIVE ASPECT AS THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH. Another legend The Demon Narakasura fell in love with Goddess Kamakhya once and he wanted to marry her. But as a Goddess cannot marry a Demon or Asura, Goddess Kamakhya played a trick to save herself. She laid a condition that she would marry him only if he builds a temple for her within one night. Narakasura agreed to it and almost finished building the temple overnight. This scared Goddess Kamakhya and before the final steps of the temple were completed, a cock was sent to announce the arrival of dawn by crowing, very much before the due time for the birth of dawn. Angered by the crowing of the cock, Narakasura killed the cock on that spot. But according to the condition Narakasura couldn't marry Goddess Kamakhya after that. It is said that the present Kamakhya temple is the same that Narakasura had constructed for the Goddess. I am presenting below the full Sanskrit text of the Shakti Peeta Stotram of Adi Shankara with the beautiful English translation. Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure / Pradyumne Shrinkhala devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane // Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika / Kolha pure Maha lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika // Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika / Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike // Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari / Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika // Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati / Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham // Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatri vinashanam / Sarva roga haram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham // How to reach Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati Railway Station Guwahati Junction Railway Station, located at the center of the town, is well connected to other major cities and towns in India with express and passenger trains. The Avadh Assam Express, Brahmaputra Mail (also spelt Brahmputra Mail), Rajdhani Express, Ernakulam Guwahati Express, Kamrup Express, and North East Express are some of the main trains that passes through Guwahati. Airport The nearest international airport is the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport situated around 18 km towards the east from Guwahati. By Road National Highways 31, NH 37 and NH 40 connect Guwahati to other major cities in India by road.y Copied from Maa Kamahkya https://www.facebook.com/pages/MAA-Kamakhya/234329656687351 Tantric Goddess, Mother Renuka by Baba Rampuri Mother Renuka is an incarnation of the Great God Shiva’s consort, Parvati, the Lady of the Mountain. She was born out of the fire of a sacrifice performed at a Prayag Kumbh Mela in the Treta Age by the rishi-sage Agastya, and coming of age, married the rishi-sage Jamadagni. She reflects a complement to Mother Lakshmi, the Earth Mother, who is the consort of the God Vishnu, The Maintainer. While Mother Lakshmi is Fecundity and Her daughter, Prosperity, Renuka is Enigma and Her daughter, Transformation. Two main stories about Mother Renuka find their telling, performance, and appearance in folk arts wherever there are devotees of this mother. They are both tales from which the Traditions of the Mysteries, Tantra, and Magic find a surface reflection. For many tantriks and other devotees, these stories are a hook, a beginning, that take the adept into deep subterranean caverns, below the surface of the world. In the first story, the virtuous Renuka’s husband, rishi-sage Jamadagni questions her thought-chastity. Angry at her response, he orders his sons in then order of their age to kill their mother. They refuse their father, all except the youngest son, Parshuram, Axe-wielder, who happened to be an incarnation of God Vishnu. Following the order of his father without hesitation, he lopped off his mother’s head with his handy axe. Seeing his son in such a distraught state, having committed such an atrocious act, he offered Parshuram a boon, a wish, as a reward for his unswerving duty to his father. With salty tears running down his face, the fourteen year old boy told his father that he wanted his mother back. “That’s it?” his father questioned him. “No Victory Over Enemies, World Empire, Victory Over The Gods, or Immortality? You name it!” Parshuram was never one to mince his words. He was a very serious character, didn’t joke around; he was all business. “No, give me my mother back,” he said. For Jamadagni, the Knower of All Things, this was not a major problem. Taking care that her head was in exactly the right position, facing straight forward on the shoulders of her headless body (for once attached, the head would be fixed permanently in that posture), he fastened his wife’s head back on her body and she came back to life. This very basic story is reflected in thousands of similar stories carrying similar themes. One of the most modern of these manifestations comes from, of all places, Germany, from the hand of Thomas Mann. He tells the story of a young woman, in The Transposed Heads, whose husband and husband’s best friend sliced off their own heads as an offering to the Mother Goddess. She beseeched the Goddess to restore them to life as they were sinless, good men, and certainly devoted, as their sacrifice proved. The Goddess granted her wish, warning her to attach the heads carefully, as Jamadagni had done. But the careless woman, in her haste, attached her husbands head to his friend’s body, and the friend’s head to her husband’s body. The riddle was thus posed: which person was now her husband? Is the man his head or his body? In the second story, a great emperor, Kartaviryarjuna, came to pay respects to the rishi-sage Jamadagni, with his entourage and army of thousands. Jamadagni insisted they all stay for lunch. To the kings great disbelief, in a matter of minutes, Jamadagni, having only a small simple hut that he shared with Renuka, produced a multi course meal for the king and all his men. “You have even greater powers than I imagined!” said the king to the great and famous Jamadagni. “What, you think I produced this feast?” the rishi-sage laughed, for he was an honest man and could not take credit for what he didn’t do. “You are mistaken, great king. It was prepared by my cow, behind the hut.” When the king understood that the cow was indeed Kamadhenu, The Wish Fulfilling Cow, The Cow of All Desires, he wanted it very badly in a way that someone who has always got all and everything he ever desired, might really want something, and, in his entire life, has never heard the word ‘no’ to any of his requests. Offers of fifty times a hundred thousand cows and half of the kingdom meant nothing to Jamadagni, who was devoid of attachment, so, when the negotiation process came to a fruitless end for the king, he just grabbed the magic cow but her snout-ring, and the royal entourage quickly departed, leaving the forest hermitage in a cloud of dust. But Jamadagni ran after the king. When he didn’t return, Renuka went looking for him in the forest and found his lifeless body in a pool of blood. Wailing, beating her chest, she broke her bangles, rubbed off her red tika from her third eye, both marks of her fidelity to her husband, as her sons prepared her husband’s funeral pyre. The corpse of Jamadagni did not decay as his sons delayed the funeral for thirty days that they promised their mother, who went to find the rishi-sage Agastya, who had performed the sacrifice that brought her into the world. Rishi-sage Agastya knew what to do in situations like that. He brought with him the sanjivani herb, that restores life to the dead. The same sanjivani herb that later Hanuman later procured to bring Lakshman and the Monkey Army back to life. Having the herb sprinkled on the dead body of the rishi-sage brought Jamadagni back to life. by Baba Rampuri DUS MAHA VIDYA दस महाविद्या The ten great learnings are related with Sati, Shiva and Parvati, all synonymous of the same Shakti (power). She is also known as Nav Durga, Chamunda, Vishnupriya etc and is worshipped. The origin of this ten great knowledge is as follows. Daksha Prajapati, the father of Sati, once performed a religious sacrifice (Yagya) in which he invited all the deities and sages, except his own Son-in-law lord Shiva, because of his jealousy towards him. Sati wanted to be present at that occasion but Lord Shiva refused to give permission, thinking it was improper for her to go without the invitation. But she was unmoved: . She said "I will certainly got to the Yagya performed by Daksha Prajapati, I would either get the fortune of that religious sacrifice for my dearest, deity of the deities, husband or else I would destroy that religious sacrifice itself." Sati's eyes became red. She looked at Lord Shiva violently, her lips began to flutter, and her complexion became dark. The fire of her anger made her appearance look frightened and violent. Such an appearance of Sati was frightening even for Lord Shiva. Her appearance, which had the blaze and radiance of crores of mid-noon-suns, made her so fearful that he just ran away. To stop Lord Shiva from running away in all the possible ten directions, Sati manifested herself in to ten different forms. These ten Shaktis (powers) of Sati are known as the ten great knowledge's. They are:- 1) KALI 2) TARA 3) CHHINNAMASTA 4) SHODASHI 5) BHUVANESHWARI 6) TRIPURA - BHAIRAVI 7) DHUMAVATI 8) BAGLAMUKHI 9) MATANGI 10) KAMALA Among all the ten great learning’s, Kali is the main. All the other nine are nothing but the violent and somber appearances of Kali. These ten appearances of Mahakali are called the ten great learning’s. These are considered as the powers of Lord Shiva, the Lord of all the knowledge’s. Though these ten great learning’s are worshipped in many other forms and appearance, but these ten forms mentioned above are the main. The method of worship of all these ten forms is different. KALI, TARA, CHHINNAMASTA, BAGALAMUKHI AND DHOOMAVATI are apparently violent but in reality they are most merciful, where as BHUVANESHWARI, SHODASHI, TRIPUR, BHAIRAVI, MATANGI and KAMALA are the somber appearances. These ten great learnings are the most valuable wealth of the Sadhakas (accomplishers), which give infinite accomplishments and also are capable of introducing the infinity to them. Maa Kamakhya is a shakti of Shiva and she is a goddess of tantra. All tantric in this world devotee her. She gave him power of Tantra and meditation. She is Adhi Vidhya and Mahashakti. Her temple is situated in Assam.Maa Kamakhya, temple is situated on Nilachal Hill in Guwahati, which is away from eight km west of the city. This temple honour the Mother Goddess Kamakhya, the essence of female energy. It is one of the 108 Shakti Peethas of Maa Aadishakti. Legend has it that Kamakhya came into existence when Lord Shiva was carrying the corpse of his wife Sati, and her “yoni” (female genitalia) fell to the ground at the spot where the temple now stands. The temple is a natural cave with a spring. Down a flight of steps to the bowel of earth, is located a dark, mysterious chamber. Here, draped with a silk sari and covered with flowers, is kept the “mantra yoni”. The most Important three days festival observed here is the Ambuvaci (Amite) fertility festival where in it is believed that the Goddess (mother Earth) undergoes her menstrual period. It’s happen every year last week of June that’s called Ambuvachi. It’s a great tantric festival for Maa Kamakhya devotee. The ten great learning’s are related with Sati, Shiva, Guri, Parvati, all synonymous of the same Adi Shakti (eternal power). She is also known as Navdurga, Chamunda, Vishnupriya etc and is worshipped. The origin of this ten great knowledge is as follows. They are;- (1) KALI (2) TARA (3) SHODASHI (4) BHUVANESHWARI (5) TRIPURSUNDARI (6) CHHINNMASTA (7) DHOOMAVATI (8) BAGLAMUKHI (9) MATANGI (10) KAMALA . The worship of these is also prescribed as an astrological remedy – for the 9 planets and the Lagna as follows: Kali for Saturn, Tara for Jupiter, Maha Tripura Sundari (or Shodasi-Sri Vidya) for Mercury, Bhuvaneshvari for Moon, Chinnamasta for Rahu, Bhairavi for Lagna, Dhumavati for Ketu, Baglamukhi for Mars, Matangi for Sun, and Kamala for Venus.( The tantrik worship of these most powerful Vidyas must be practiced only under the guidence of a siddha Guru. ) Daksha Prajapati,the first ruler of our mortal world and the father of Sati, once performed a Yagna (religious sacrifice) in which he invited all the deities and sages, except his own Son-in-law Lord Shiva, because of his jealousy towards him.Sati wanted to be present at that occasion but Lord Shiva refused to give permission, thinking it was improper for her to go without the invitation. But she was unmoved. She said “I will certainly go to the Yajna, I would either get the fortune of that religious sacrifice for my dearest, deity of the deities, husband (Lord Shiva) or else I would destroy that religious sacrifice itself.” Sati’s eyes became red. She looked at Lord Shiva violently, her lips began to flutter, and her complexion became dark. The fire of her anger made her appearance look frightened and violent.Such an appearance of Sati was frightening even for Lord Shiva. Her appearance, which had the blaze and radiance of Crores of mid-noon-suns, made her so fearful that he just ran away.To stop Lord Shiva from running away in all the possible ten directions, Sati manifested herself in to ten different forms. These ten Shaktis (powers) of Sati are known as the ten great knowledge’s or 10 great learning’s or ten Mahavidhya. These ten Mahavidyas provide knowledge of all possible sciences. Maa Kamkhya on facebook GODDESS KUSHMANDA. She is the fourth form of the Mother Durga. Thus she is also glorified by the ten different aspects of the power of Shakti known as Dasa Mahavidyas. Durga’s nine different aspects are Nava Durga. Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped on the fourth day of Navaratri. This day is called Chaturthi Thithi or Chavithi. The meaning of the name ‘Ku-shm-anda’ is as follows: ‘Ku’ means little; ‘ushma’ means ‘warmth’ and ‘anda’ means ‘the cosmic egg’. Therefore, the word Kushmanda means the Goddess represents the cosmic egg which created the Universe. Or it can also be said as ‘that is from whose fraction of warmth the universe has been emanated’. Mother is considered to have created the universe when even Kala or time was not there. Before her advent there was neither Sat nor Asat. The universe was no more than a void full of darkness. She created the universe with her Sankalpa as her mental projection. Her light spreads in all directions like rays from the sun. It is said that Goddess Kushmanda created the Anda with her divine smile. She is therefore also known as Adi Shakti. The core of the Sun is the residence of the Goddess. Thus She is controls the functioning of Suryalokha. Indeed she was the only one who could occupy the inner portion of Surya Loka and live there. Goddess Kushmanda has the power and strength to live the core of Suryalokha. So the Sun is also the recipient of her smile. DEPICTION: Goddess Kushmanda shines like the glowing sun. Indeed the hue and luster of her body also is just like that if the Sun glowing and incomparable with any other God or Goddess to match. All the ten quarters of the lokhas are illuminated with her effluence. Whatever brilliance is observed in the world or in living beings or objects, is the simple a reflection of her splendour. Often she is depicted as having eight or ten hands. ‘Ashtabhuja’ is a reference to her having eight arms. She holds weapons such as bow, arrow, discuss and mace. In the remaining hands she holds a lotus, a rosary and a kamandal. She also carries a Jar of Nectar which is symbolical prasada for bhaktas health and long life. The Rosary represents Kushmanda’s powers to bless her bhaktas with Astasiddhi, meaning eight types of wisdoms and Navanidhi meaning nine types of wealth. Her vahana is a lion representing, courage and dharma. PUJA: Ailments and sorrows are eliminated on worshipping her and longevity, name, strength and health are improved. The puja rituals pertaining to Kushmanda are somewhat similar to that of Goddess Chandraghanta and Brahmacharini. The kalash is worshiped right after Lord Ganesha is venerated and invoked. The Kalasha puja is an invitation for the Goddess and her family to reside in it. One keeps flowers in the hands for offering. The chant is ‘Surasampurnakalasham Rudhiraplutmeva Cha; Dadhana Hastpadhyabhayam Kushmanda Shubhdastu Me’. As with the previous two Goddesses, Lord Shiva and Brahma are also worshiped after the Kushmanda puja. Lord Vishnu is to worshipped along with the Mother Lakshmi. Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped according to Shastras and the Puranas. Generally Goddess Durga is worshipped in this form as she eradicates sorrow and diseases and augments life, fame and strength. But one is not stopped from praying to Mother in his or her own way. Mother means Love. Goddess Kushmanda is pacified with the slightest devotion and if anyone whole heartedly worships the deity, the bhakta is certain of a blessing. If there is going to be a sacrifice then it is the kushmandam. This is a vegetable pumpkin termed ‘kushmandam’ because in Sanskrit, Kushmanda means pumpkin. Offerings to Goddess is called naivaidhya or naibidhya. CHAKRA: The pooja of Devi Kushmanda on the fourth day of Navratri in Durga Pooja has a great significance. Yogis, Sadhakas and other dedicated devotees meditate their mind for Anahata Chakra. The devotees should perform the Pooja of the goddess with pure and calm mind. While worshipping, the aspirant should keep in mind the purest form of the goddess. Kushmanda pooja during Navratri increases one’s health and strength and the person gets freedom from all kinds of fears. The life span, name, strength and health would increase. Mother Kushmanda is easy to propitiate. If the bhakta surrenders guilelessly, he or she is sure to reach her Supreme abode. MANTRA: Devi Kushmanda Mantra : Ya devi Sarvabhuteshu Ma Kushmanda Rupen Sansthita; Namastaseya Namastaseya Namastaseya Namoh Namah Yogi Ananda Saraswathi || Śākta || Shakti is Power, Energy—the active principle of the universe which is personified as a goddess. Every form of activity—however it be named—proceeds from the primordial Shakti. Shakti pervades the entire universe. It is worshiped as Devi, or the Divine Mother. This worship is popularly known as Shakti Puja; people have been performing Shakti Puja from time immemorial. It can be seen through the different phenomena of life itself. Durgā Sapta Śati says, ‘yā devī sarvabhūtesu śakti rūpena samsthitā’, meaning "every one of us has the inherent power called Śakti, which is a part and manifestation of Parā Śakti, the Supreme Goddess." The powers of gods came to be known and worshiped by different names and epithets—the Vaisnavī Śaktis like Laksmī, Śrī, Prthivī etcetra, and Śaiva Śaktis like Durgā, Pārvatī, Kālī, and so on. The trinity of Brahmā, Visnu and Śiva work through their Śaktis for the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the world.[1] The Divine Mother commands as much respect and worship as the other gods and incarnations. There are numerous shrines across the country dedicated to the various forms of the Divine Mother. Feasts and festivities in her honor are an important component of the calendar. :: Śāktism and the Śākta :: The worshipers of Shakti are called Śāktas. The Śāktas have their own beliefs, doctrines, tradition, symbols, cult, myths and rituals. These constitute Saktism, the tradition of the Śāktas. According to this tradition, the highest reality is the Divine Mother, the personification of primordial energy, the controller of all forces, the power behind divine and cosmic evolution, and the source of all that exists. Śāktism is based on Vedic mantras and Upanishadic philosophy. It has been propagated by Advaita Vedantins, including prominent ones like Shankara Acharya. According to this tradition, Shakti is identical with Brahman. Shakti and śaktimān (the locus of shakti) are one. The Puranas mention the prevalence of Śāktism during various historical periods, beginning with Vedic times. But it gained prominence in the epic period. The origin of Śāktism was spontaneous. It is said to have evolved out of the pre-historic Mother Goddess concept, symbolizing the facts of primitive life. But its development was manifold—not through any one particular channel, but several—like a lot of streams, some big some small, issuing from a single source. The tribal cults of the female deities were woven in the texture of the intellectual and rational scheme of the doctrine upheld by the higher religions. Śākta literature was written by many great saints, sadhakas, and scholars in different languages in Bengal, Assam, Kashmir, the sub-Himalayan region, and South India. Much of this literature is in Sanskrit, and gives a vivid description of the Śākta religion. It is commonly held that Śāktism is synonymous with Tantra. Tantric ideas profoundly influenced different sects and radically changed their views as well as their practices. But some scholars hold the opinion that Śāktism and Tantra are two separate entities. The term Śākta has a wider import than the appellation Tantric. Also, Śākta literature may be traced back to the Vedas, whereas Tantric literature has a different origin.Dr Winternitz says, ‘When we speak of Tantra, we think primarily of the sacred books of the Śāktas.’ Sri Ramakrishna explains the issue thus: ‘The Śāktas follow the Tantra, and the Vaishnavas the Purāna. There is no harm for the Vaishnavas in speaking publicly of their spiritual practices. But the Śāktas maintain secrecy about theirs. For this reason, it is difficult to understand a Śākta.’ :: The Śākta Philosophy :: Śākta teachings were originally passed on from teacher to student, or guru to śisya, in an esoteric manner; as a result, these teachings remained uncodified for long. Over the last several centuries, many Śākta sadhakas and scholars have contributed to the progress of the Śākta philosophy. The ‘knowledge portion’ of Tripura-rahasya throws much light on the Śākta philosophy. The Sri-vidya-ratna-sutra, attributed to Acharya Gaudapada, is also a useful Śākta text. Abhinavagupta’s works established Śākta philosophy on a firm foundation. Punyananda’s Kamakala-vilasa is an authoritative work on Śākta philosophy. The best exposition of Śākta philosophy is probably Bhaskararaya’s Setubandha, dated to the eighteenth century. Sir John Woodrofe and his associates elaborately expounded the Śākta philosophy during the first three decades of twentieth century. In 1937, Panchanan Tarkaratna expounded the Brahma Sutra and Isha Upanishad from the Śākta viewpoint. This attempt was furthered by Mahamahopadhyaya Gopinath Kaviraj. Though originally based on Sāmkhya philosophy, Śākta philosophy has been deeply influenced by the non-dualistic school of Vedanta. It however shares its terminology with the other schools of philosophy. In Śākta philosophy, the ultimate reality is pure Consciousness, known as Samvit. It is an independent entity, and its power is responsible for all activity. It has both static and dynamic aspects: prakāśa and vimarśa. It is both immanent and transcendent. Samvit remains as pure cit-śakti (consciousness power)—also termed Parā-Prakrti—at the time of dissolution of the universe. Shakti manifests itself as avidyā or material prakrti when material entities evolve. The evolution of the material world from pure Consciousness has been conceived as taking place in three stages—the seed stage, the mixed stage and the final stage. This evolution involves four categories—Parameshvara, Shakti, Para-nāda, and Parā-bindu. Parameshvara is the Supreme Being with whom Shakti is in inseparable relation. The appearance of Shakti causes an unmanifested sound called Para-nāda which concentrates itself to a point called Parā-bindu. This Parā-bindu evolves into three parts—Aparā-bindu, Bīja, and Aparanāda. The Shiva element dominates in the Aparābindu and the Shakti element in the Bīja. In Aparanāda, Shiva-Shakti are in equilibrium. The sound caused by the division of Parā-bindu is called Śabda Brahman. The inseparable Shakti of the Supreme Being in the modes of icchā (will) and kriyā (functioning) is responsible for these transformations. Shakti first manifests as icchā, the desire to create. Subsequently, it works through its two aspects: vidyā-śakti and avidyā-śakti or māyā-śakti. Both of these are conscious principles—the former is illuminating consciousness, the latter, veiled consciousness. Māyā-śakti is composed of the three gunas -- sattva, rajas, and tamas. It is therefore known as trigunā-śakti or kāmakalā, and is symbolized by a triangle. The māyā-śakti is the cause of the material world. Maya is not an unconscious principle; it is consciousness veiling itself as the shakti of the Supreme Being. Sri Ramakrishna has explained this with analogy: ‘He whom you address as Brahma[n] is none other than She whom I call Śakti, the Primal Energy’. ‘Thus Brahman and Śakti are identical. If you accept the one, you must accept the other. It is like fire and its power to burn. If you see the fire, you must recognize its power to burn also. You cannot think of fire without its power to burn, nor can you think of the power to burn without fire. You cannot conceive of the sun’s rays without the sun, nor can you conceive of the sun without its rays’ . Shivachandra Vidyarnava, Gopinath Kaviraj, and John Woodrofe have extensively interpreted the Śākta Philosophy. Narendra Nath Bhattacharya has summed them up succinctly: The Supreme Being of Shaktism is not a personal God. In its own nature, it is more than that. The Shakta point of view considers the reality of God as the cause of the universe. But it holds that while the effect as effect is the cause modified, the cause as cause remains what it was, what it is, and what it will be. It holds that the Supreme Being is manifested in one of its aspects in an infinity of relations, and though involving all relations within itself, is neither their sum total nor exhausted by them. Shakti, which is its functional aspect, works by negation, contraction, and finitisation. As a Mother Power, she upholds herself into the world and again withdraws the world into herself. The purpose of her worship is to attain unity with her forms and this is the experience of liberation—a state of great bliss (anandaghana). In the natural order of development, Shakti is developed in worldly things but it is controlled by religious sadhana, which both prevents an excess of worldliness and molds the mind and disposition (bhava) into a form which develops the knowledge of dispassion and non-attachment. Sadhana is a means whereby bondage becomes liberation. By Veda Vijnan Rishikulam https://www.facebook.com/pages/Veda-Vijnan-Rishikulam/210311139057272 |
Trishula Sandra Das
Practitioner of Jyotish, Yoga Tantra, Ayurveda, Shakti Sadhana for 40 years. ~ VedicAstrologer ~ ~ Researcher East & Western Wisdom, Past Life Regression, Mysticism ~ ~ Mind Body Soul~ Believer in Love, Humanity, Peace, freedom & Soul Mates ~ Baul Scholar ~ ~ Qigong Master ~ ~ MOTHER ~ ~Photographer~ Archive
May 2022
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