CHATUHSASTHI YOGINI.
Charuhsasthi, Chausanth or Chausati means sixty four referring to 64 Yoginis. This was a mystical female cult of the 9nth century. It is a popular belief that the yoginis had their origins in animistic traditions of Adivasis or aboriginal people. They worshipped grama devatis. They are mentioned in the Skanda Purana variously as yoginis, dakinis, shaktis or bhairavis. Dakini is a term used to describe a ‘sky dancer’, female messenger or attendant with supernatural abilities practicing various forms of secret tantras.
Later, the term yogini, as used in the Chandi Purana referred to the form of Devi, the Supreme Goddess. Each of the yogini was seen as a different part of Devi’s body. Around the 7th century, the belief seems to have blended with Shakti cult and tantrism. The term dakini is still retained in the Buddhist tradition. In literature it even refers to sorceress, witch or even ghoul. It is said that they were a secret organisation with a secret communication called sandhya bhasa.
The purpose of the cult was to develop supernatural powers. They considered themselves as servants of Mother Divine. They were devotional in nature. It is said that they had tremendous supernatural abilities. These yoginis are linked to black tantrism using the destructive energies of Kali and Bhairavi but that hardly makes them witches! The saddhaka or practioner aspires to control body and mind to regulate the panchabhutas for material gains and also to acquire destructive powers. Their central focus of worship was Bhairavi, Kali and Shiva Bhairava. They used destructive energies of Kali or Bhairavi with a positive goal.
SIXTY-FOUR:
There are various theories as to the number 64. But they are also enumerated as 60, 64 or 65 and even 81. The number 64 correlates to the currents or wind of human body as type of unproductive tendency. 64 also has its mystical use in Tantric rituals and numerology to get magical powers. The Matrikas are aspects of Devi. Ashta Matrikas are the eight mothers who arrive with their eight attendants. The Sapta Matrikas are seven Mothers. With a leading goddess in every group, making it eight the whole group counted to 64 yoginis.
TANTRIK WORSHIP:
In Yogini worship, the Tantrik symbol is a chakra with 64 spokes in the wheel. Each spoke represents a Yogini form of Mother Devi. In the Buddhist Kalachakra tantric system, the navel chakra or the Wheel of Emanation, the 64 channels are the 64 goddesses of the Speech Mandala. In Kaula Marga Tantric system, eight chakras or lotus with eight petals each was taught by Matsyendranath.
Kaula Marga siddhas was a sub-sect of Kashmiri Shaivism. Matsyendranath is said to be the progenitor of the Kaula school of Tantra. Bhairavi is experienced in her wrathful form in a practice known as Bhairava Chakra. In the 9th chapter of the Kaulajnana Nirnaya attributed to Matsyendranath presents the 8 chakra system stating that the 64 yoginis are Kama-rupa. This means desire form, a way of referring to this reality where forms are born out of desire.
Apparently in sandhya bhasa of the siddhas, the word also refers to the female organ – trikona or triangle as used to depict the Muladhara or root chakra of the subtle body. By meditating on each of the 64 petals on induces the resident yogini to grant a boon in the form of siddhi. In the Kaula tradition, secrets of bodily perfection lie in the 64 fold complex matrices. The sadhana or ritual involves the 5 M’s: Matsya – dish, Mamsa – meast, Mudra – parched grain, Madya – alchoholic drink and Maithuna – sexual intercourse. Maithuna here is usually misquoted; so is Tantra wrongly attributed to black magic. Tantra goes beyond the naked eyes and weekly periodicals.
In a wider context Yoginis are women who practice yoga. Some of them possess supernatural powers such as transcending the aging process by internalization of their reproductive powers. Urdhva-retas are the upward refinement of the seed force. Many females have attained mastery of modern yoga asanas and meditation tradition through their feminine Shakti sensations. In Shaktam, creation myths place the Divine Feminine at their centre, taking the view that the nature of the Cosmos or Macrocosm is reflected in the human body or Microcosm and it is the female who the giver of life. In Shakta belief it is the female who can awakens the muladhara chakra, the seat of the kundalini shakti via fertility and sexuality while males must achieve that through kriya yoga.
In Tantra yoga, the Mahavidyas, the Ten Wisdom Goddesses, serve as models for a yogini’s disposition and behaviour. Bhairavi dwells in the Muladhara or Root chakra, and is the same as Kundalini. Bhairavi represents the successful aspirant of Tantra. Thus the title Bhairavi is bestowed upon a Kundalini Tantra Yogini. It presupposes that the yogini is beyond fear. In Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika, Bhairavis are yoginis who preserved their genital emissions or their rajas and contain the bindu, the male semen in a practice called Vajroli-mudra. Its reverse is practiced by the yogis.
TEMPLES:
Stone inscriptions indicate dakini rituals well into the 16th century. But the cult seems to have diminished and the temples abandoned. Yogini temples are in dilapidated condition and neglected. These are found in Hirakud, Ranipur Jharial, Pheraghat near Jabalpur and Khajuraho. They are said to be scary, especially the one in Khajuraho which does not even attract tourists. The sculptures are intact. It was the cult’s belief that sex is not a path to self-discovery and none of the sculptures are erotic.
HIRAPUR:
The ancient Yogini Temple at Hirapur was discovered only in 1953. Here, the principal Goddess of the Yoginis was Mahamaya, as referred in the Devi Bhagavatam. It is a hypaethral or roofless temple. While people leave the offerings at the foot of the deities, the presiding deity, Mahamaya, is still regularly adorned with ted cloth and vermillion. Mahamaya or Great Illusion is also Buddha’s name. The difference between Kali and Bhairavi is that Lord Shiva is extremely wrathful as Bhairavi’s consort but his wrathfulness is not seen so tremendous as the Kali’s consort. Thus it brings a notion that Bhairavi is thus the fiercest form of Mother Divine.
The iconography of the yoginis differ from place to place. In Haripur, the yogini deities are carved from a fine, black chlorite, each form or rupa represents a voluptuous woman wearing a kilt or skirt held around her hips by an ornate girdle. Besides the belt, she wears the other seven symbolic ornaments: bracelets, armlets, anklets, earrings, necklace, garland and headdress. Their hairstyles include the most common one which is a cluster or bun worn to one side, or else a coronet of tight curls. Some are depicted as warriors or huntresses with bows and arrows, others balance on a pair of wheels, or play a drum. Most have two arms but a few have four.
The yoginis in Hirapur are Bahurupa, Tara, Narmada, Yamuna, Shanti, Varuni, Kshemankari, Aindri, Varahi, Ranveera, Vanara-Mukhi, Vaishnavi, Kalaratri, Vaidyaroopa , Charchika, Betali, Chnnamastika, Vrishabahana, Jwala Kamini, Ghatavara, Karakali, Saraswati, Birupa, Kauveri, Bhaluka, Narasimhi, Biraja,Vikatanna, Mahalakshmi, Kaumari, Maha Maya, Rati, Karkari, Sarpashya, Yakshini, Aghora, Bhadrakali, Vinayaki,Vindya Balini, Veera Kumari. Maheswari, Ambika, Kamiyani, Ghatabari, Stutee, Kali, Uma, Narayani,Samudraa, Brahmini, Jwala Mukhi, Agneyei, Aditi, Chandrakanti, Vayubega, Chamunda, Murati, Ganga, Dhumavati, Gandhari, Sarva Mangala, Ajita,Surya Putri, Vayu Veena.
The vahana or mount of the dakini includes animals such as the fish, parrot, turtle, frog, snake, scorpion, rat, while some appear with a decapitated male head, an archer, or other representation at their feet. Several of the dakinis have animal faces.
SHAVA CHHEDAN:
In Yogini temples Devi also manifests as the fearsome Chamunda. She has the form of an emaciating crone standing on a corpse. Shava Chhedan is a symbolic ceremony of beheading a dead body. This is the ultimate symbol of detachment from earthly desires. Yoginis do not harm living beings or human sacrifice as popularly stigmatised. They are known to have asked for corpses from poor families in exchange for a grand funeral after their rituals. With the coming of the Shakta bhakti movement preaching love as the finest path to self realisation, the practice seems to have died together with the cult.
Hari Om
by Yogi Ananda Saraswathi
64 Tantric Yoginis
१. काली &न(य &स+माता
1. kālī nitya siddhamātā
Eternal Dark Goddess Mother of Perfected Yogis
२. कपिलनी नागल2मी
2. kapalinī nāgalakṣmī
Snake Goddess of Prosperity who Wears a Garland of Skulls
३. क4ला 5वी 7वण95हा
3. kulā devī svarṇadehā
Illumined Tribal Goddess of Golden Body
४. क4<क4=ला रसनाथा
4. kurukullā rasanāthā
Cause of Knowledge, Ruler of Nectar
५. &रो&धनी &वला&सनी
5. virodhinī vilāsinī
Enjoys Paradox ५. &CिचEा रFत&Cया
6. vipracittā raktāpriyā
Inspires the Heart for the Passionate Beloved
७. उI रFत भोग Kपा
7. ugra rakta bhoga rūpā
Form of Enjoyment in Untamable Passion
८. उICभा शNOनाथा
8. ugraprabhā śukranāthā
Ruler of Clarity & Wonder, and Commander of the Untamable
९. दीपा मNिFतः रFता 5हा
9. dīpā muktiḥ raktā dehā
Lights the Lamp of Freedom through the Body of Passion
१०. नीला भNिFत रFत 7पशT
10. nīlā bhūkti rakta sparśa
Enjoys the Beautiful Illusion of Space through the Touch of Passion.
११. घना महा जगदWबा
11. ghanā mahā jagadambhā
Fullness of being the Great Mother of the World
१२. बलाका काम Y&वता
12. balākā kāma sevitā
Youthful Lady Served through Pleasure
१३. मातZ 5वी आ(म&व\ा
13. mātṛ devī ātmavidyā
Illumined Goddess Mother who Reveals the Wisdom of the Soul
१४. मN]ा प^णT रजतक_पा
14. mudrā pūrṇā rajatkṛpā
Fully Demonstrates the Mercy of Passion
१५. &ता त`a कौला दीcा
15. mitā tantra kaulā dīkṣā
Initiator into the Tribal Circle of Tantric Practitioners
१६. महाकाली &स+efरी
16. mahākālī siddheśvarī
Great Dark Goddess Empress of Yogic Powers
१७. काgfरी सव9शिFत
17. kāmeśvarī sarvaśakti
Empress of Desire Who is All Potency
१८. भगमािलनी ता&रणी
18. bhagamālinī tāriṇī
Savior who Wears the Garland of Fertile Prosperity
१९. ि(यकलhना त`aाiपता
19. nityakalīnā tantrāpṛitā
Eternal Dark Goddess who is Pleased through Tantra
२०. भj<kड तmव उEमा
20. bhairuṇḍa tattva uttamā
The Power of the Naked and Vulnerable Crescent Moon Goddess is the Highest Principle
२१. विnवा&सनी शा&स&न
21. vahnivāsinī śāsini
Fiery Glow of the Crescent Moon
२२. महवoefरी रFत 5वी
22. mahavajreśvarī rakta devī
Illumined Goddess who is the Great Diamond Thunderbolt of Passion
२३. िशवpती आ&द शिFत
23. śivadūtī ādi śakti
Primal Energy Carried by Shiva
२४. (व&रता ऊrव9sतादा
24. tvaritā ūrḍhvaretādā
Swiftly Raises Energy Upwards
२५. क4लसN`दरी कािमनी
25. kulasundarī kāminī
Lustful Tribal Beauty
२६. नीलपताका &सि+दा
26. nīlapatākā siddhidā
Perfected One bearing the Flag of the Transformative Void
२७. &न(य tान 7वK&पणी
27. nitya jñāna svarūpiṇī
Intrinsic Form of Eternal Wisdom
२८. &वजया 5वी वसNदा
28. vijayā devī vasudā
Glorious Illumined Goddess of Earth
२९. सव9मuगला तvaदा
29. sarvamaṇgalā tantradā
Entirely Auspicious Bestower of Tantra
३०. wवालामािलनी ना&गनी
30. jvālāmālinī nāginī
Snake Goddess Wearing a Garland of Flames
३१. िच&aा 5वी रFतप^जा
31. citrā devī raktapūjā
Prismatic Illumined Goddess Worshipped by Passion
३२. लिलता कvया शNOदा
32. lalitā kanyā śukradā
Resplendent Playful Maiden
३३. डा&कनी मदशािलनी
33. ḍākinī madaśālinī
Primal Wild Dancer Whose Beauty is Maddening
३४. रा&कनी पापरािशनी
34. rākinī pāparāśinī
Goddess of Watery Sensuality who Destroys the Sins of Destiny
३५. ला&कनी सव9तvaeसी
35. lākinī sarvatantresī
Goddess of Personal Power who is the Empress of All Tantra
३६. का&कनी नागनाiतकी
36. kākinī nāganārtikī
Compassionate Snake Dancer
३७. शा&कनी िमaK&पणी
37. śākinī mitrarūpiṇī
Evocative Goddess in the Form of a Friend
३८. हा&कनी मनोहा&रणी
38. hākinī manohāriṇī
Inner Guide who Bewitches the Mind
३९. तारा योग रFता प^णT
39. tārā yoga raktā pūrṇā
Through the Fullness of Passion comes Union with The Maternal Goddess of Unquenchable Yearning
४०. षोडशी ल&तका 5वी
40. ṣoḍaśī latikā devī
Illumined Goddess who Sprouts Sixteen Vines of Beautiful Desires
४१. भNवyfरी म`&aणी
41. bhuvaneśvarī mantriṇī
Empress of the Worlds and Corresponding Three Mantras
४२. िशvनम7ता यो&नzगा
42. chinnamastā yonivegā
Severs Her Head to Stimulate Her Vagina
४३. भjरवी स(य शु&Oणी
43. bhairavī satya śukriṇī
Awe-Inspiring Eternally Fertile Goddess
४४. ध^मावती क4kडिलनी
44. ḍhūmāvatī kuṇḍalinī
Tender-Hearted Unsanctioned Energy of Higher Consciousness
४५. बगलामNखी गN< म^iत
45. bagalāmukhī guru mūrti
Guru Personified as the Beauty of Her Face is Hypnotic
४६. मात`गी काvत यNवती
46. mātangī kāntā yuvatī
Youthful Lover who Disregards Social Conventions
४७. कमला शN} स`ि7थता
47. kamalā śukla saṁsthitā
Abides like a Pure Lotus
४८. Cक_&त ~ev]ी 5वी
48. prakṛti brahmendrī devī
Illumined Goddess Who is the Pinnacle of Nature
४९. गायaी &न(यिच&aणी
49. gāyatrī nityacitriṇī
Mother Endowed with Eternal Hymns
५०. मो&हनी माता यो&गनी
50. mohinī mātā yoginī
Enchanting Yogini Mother
५१. सर7वती 7वग95वी
51. sarasvatī svargadevī
Illumined Creatress Goddess of Heaven
५२. अvनप^णÅ िशवस`गी
52. annapūrṇī śivasangī
Beauty of Shiva who Feeds All Beings
५३. नारÇसही वाम5वी
53. nārasimhī vāmadevī
Illumined Beloved Woman-Lion Goddess
५४. ग`गा यो&न 7वK&पणी
54. gangā yoni svarūpiṇī
The Divine River of Heaven descends through Her Vagina Revealing Her Essential Form
५५. अपरािजता समािÉतदा
55. aparājitā samāptiḍhā
Everything Culminates with Her as Victor
५६. चामN`डा प&र अ`गनाथा
56. cāmunḍā pari anganāthā
Ruling Woman Skilled at Destroying Imbalances
५७. वाराही स(Ñका&कनी
57. vārāhī satyekākinī
Unearths the Oneness of Truth
५८. कौमारी &Oया शिFत&न
58. kaumārī kriyā śaktini
Virginal Energy of Spontaneous Movement
५९. इv]ाणी मNिFत &नयिvaणी
59. indrāṇī mukti niyantriṇī
She Rules, Controls, and Liberates
६०. ~ाणी आनvदा म^तÅ
60. brahmāṇī ānandā mūrtī
Goddess of Creation who is Bliss Personified
६१. वjÜणवी स(य K&पणी
61. vaiṣṇavī satya rūpiṇī
Nurturing Goddess whose Form is Truth
६२. माáfरी पराशिFत
62. māheśvarī parāśakti
Great Empress who is the Supreme Energy
६३. ल2मी मनोरमायो&न
63. lakṣhmī manoramāyoni
Goddess of Prosperity whose Vagina Charms the Mind
६४. àगT सिâचदान`द
64. dūrgā saccidānanda
Lion-Riding Goddess who Removes Confusion to Reveal the Eternal Consciousness of Divine Bliss
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The Shakti Peeths
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