Chinnamasta - The Self decapitating goddess

[Guest guest]

Who is she? What is her origin? What does she symbolizes? What

teachings does she embody?

 

To answer these questions I have to not only studied her legends,

iconography and rituals, but also go into meditation, so that I am

able to fully grasp and feel Chinnamasta in my heart and mind.

 

We did have a short discussion about Chinnamasta ( see message 1117,

1122, 1124, 1125, 1127, 1133, 1138,1139 and 1223) but did not cover

it

in great detail. So this is the best time for us to bring Chinnamasta

back ( thanks to daminic monk ) and hopefully we will be able to have

more than fruitful discussion but also greater understanding into

Tara

and Kali. In this post I will discuss Chinnamasta from a Hindu

perspective. Perhaps in later discussion we will be able to compare

it

with the Buddhist approach.

 

Who is she?

 

She is Siva's Consort and also one ( the fifth) of the Dasa

Mahavidyas

( the Ten great Knowledge ). The word Mahavidyas is a combination of

two component namely :

1. Maha : meaning the great or supreme

2. Vidya : of which the verbal root is vid meaning to learn, to

knoe, to ascertain , to experience,

Thus by combining the two words, it can be translated as supreme

knowledge, refers to knowledge which reveals the way of releasing

oneself from the bonds of cyclic existence or samsara. This is the

ultimate goal of all hindus , the ultimate liberation from the snares

of samsara.

 

What is her origin?

In message 1117, I have written about the origins of Chinnamasta as

in

Pranatrosini-Tantra. However there are several other versions to this

story.

 

1. From the Svatantra-Tantra. The story told by Siva

" I shall tell you of the emergence of Chinnamasta, Tara and Kalika.

In the Krta Yuga on Mt. Kailasa, the best of mountains, Mahamaya was

engaged in Mahavara with me. At the time of my seminal emission, she

appeared fierce and from her body two saktis emerged who became her

two attendants known as Daksini and Varini. One day Candanayika with

her two attendants went to the bank of the Puspabhadra river. When it

was noon, her hungry attendants asked candika : " please give us

food"

Hearing this, the smiling and auspicious candika looked in all

directions and severed her head. With the left blood streams, she

satisfied daksini, with the right one, she satisfied Varini and from

the central one, she drank her own blood. After playing in this

way,

she replaced her head on her body and assumed her original form. At

dusk, they returned home. When I saw he pale appearance, I suspected

that she was abused by another. This infuriates me. From the anger a

portion of me arose and become known as Krodha Bhairava. This happen

on the day of Viraratri, Thus chinnamasta was born on Viraratri.

 

2. Another version is a verbal account by a Tantaric Sadhaka

".. In a war between the gods and demons, the gods realized they

could

not win, and so they prayed to Mahasakti, The great Goddess for help.

She was pleased with their prayer and asked Pracandacandika to help

them. After killing all the demons, Pracandacandika remained enraged

and cut off her own head and drank her own blood. Pracandacandika is

the first name given to Chinnamasta in her thousand names hymn in the

Sakta-pramoda.

 

3. By Swami Sadhananda sastri, a sakta practioner in Varanasi

" .. Chinnamasta appeared after the curning of the ocean. Chinnamasta

took the demons' share of the resulting nectar of immortality and

drank it herself. The she killed herself by cutting her head off, to

deprived the demons of their share of immortality. This is how she

enable the gods to achieve their superiority.

 

What does she Symbolises?

 

HEADS AND THE SEVERING OF THE HEAD

 

As I have stated in my previous post on Camunda { see message

) importance of head in the Hindu thoughts and literature is

indisputable. Theres several symbolism about head such as the head

symbolizes supremacy, the ruler or the leader. The head is considered

as the best part of the human body, the highest and the best member.

It houses the person essential being. Without the head, the person

loses its identity.

 

Theres several accounts of devotees offering their head to the

Goddess

especially to Kali. Kali and Tara and others too often wears garland

of severed heads or skulls.

 

As for Chinnamasta, her uniqueness is not about her severing her

head,

( as we have seen in the Tara iconography, Tara too severed her head

)

but what makes Chinnamasta different is that she decapitates herself

in order to feed her attendants, herself and then replaces her head

on

her body after the act is completed.

 

In Mahabhagavata Purana : "… to your right ( in the east ) the

very

frightening goddess with the severed head is Chinnamasta"

 

In Hinduism the eastern region or direction is an auspicious one. The

eastern direction have several symbolic connotation one of which is

regeneration and renewal. The Sun rises from the east. A new day

begins from the eastern region. Chinnamasta in her association with

the eastern region or direction thus represents the symbolism of

renewal and being beyond death.

 

In examining this unique aspect of Chinnamasta, we can further

expounded her other closely related characteristics :

 

1) The ability of being "neither this or that". This evidence

from her ability to remain alive yet decapitated, therefore

displaying

her abililty to be beyond the cycle of death and birth. The constant

alternating movement between death and alive causes the pivot line

between actual death and alive to be eliminated. She can therefore

help others to overcome or break the cyclic existence. She defies

death but remain a potent force in the universe.

 

2) Having the power to transcend space and time.

In Svatantra-tantra, the story states that " After playing this way

….

She replaced her head on her body and assumed her original form. "

Also she looked in all direction and continued to smile as she

severed

her head. This act itself, expounded two ideas :

 

a) the divinity of Chinnamasta. More of a 'divine play" for her.

She was not affected at all except for temporary paleness

b) in this act of decapitating herself, feeding her attendant and

herself, the process of creation, destruction and re- creation occurs

simultaneously. In this state, the role of the receiver and the giver

are merged into one. She is the sacrificier, the sacrified and the

recieptient of the sacrifices.

The sacrificier = by decapitating her self

The Sacrified = by the act of beheading herself

The recieptient = by drinking her own blood.

She thus embodies the complete sacrifial process.

 

The severing of ones head symbolically represents liberation. The

realization that one is not separate from others but part of the

great

self. Nevertheless severing the head is not just the end of it, the

ability to restore one's head is the completion of the "sacrificial"

process in which marked not of death but of immortality.

 

BLOOD AS VITAL FLUID

 

A) destructive vital fluid

 

Drinking her own blood, is an indication of self- transformation of

potential negativity and by external transmutation, external

negativities are also transformed.

In the devi Mahatmaya episode, Durga's battle with Asuar Raktabika,

whenever Durga pierce Asura's body and a drop of his blood fell on

the

ground, a new asura appears. Durga thus asked Kali and other wrathful

manifestation to open their mouths very wide and to drink the blood

of

the asuras before it touched the ground. Thus by opening her mouth

wide and drinking the blood, the goddess indicates her ability to

transmute a potentially negatively charged force into a positively

charged force.

 

B) beneficial vital fluid

 

Upon severing her head, blood spurs in three direction. With the left

blood stream, Dakini drank the blood, while varini drank from the

right blood stream. Chinnamasta herself drink form the central blood

stream. The act of drinking the blood which spurs from the central

aspect an illustrations that she has achieved the goal of awakening

the kundalini in order to unite with Paratman via the tantaric

method.

The central blood can be interpreted as the amrta ( the nectar of

immortality )

 

In hinduism, there are five major subtle winds in the body. Two of

the

most important are the prana and apana. As long as the subtle winds

circulate in the subtle veins ( nadi ) the consciousness is

preoccupied with the external world. There are two nadis namely the

ida nadi and pingala nadi. These two are of opposite in nature and

situated in the left and right side respectively of the main subtle

channel. When the consciousness travels to the ida nadi, the

consciouness is introverted but when it travels to the pingala nadi,

the opposite occurs. The main aim of a practitioner is to prevent the

transverse of these two channels by retaining the breath thus forces

the subtle winds to the entrance the central channel which is located

of the spine where the Kundalini, hypostatized as the female serpent

sleeps. By ejecting the subtle winds into the base, the Kundalini is

aroused and thereafter ascends the fontanelle, where the sahasara

cakra which symbolizes the Supreme self ( pratman) is situated. It is

in this state that one is said to have released from the fetters of

cyclinic existence and achieving immortality.

 

The position of the two attendant represents an important

association.

Even though they are not interwined and are free standing, their

feets

are interlocked with each other, thus an indication that the three

subtle channel are connected at the naval cakra. Daksini represent

the

ida nadi and vamini represents the pingala nadi. Since they two drink

the blood from Chinnamasta severed throat thereby indication of their

dependence of on Chinnamasta. The two attendant cannot become

independent until they have mastered and manipulate the subtle winds

in entering and remaining in the central subtle channel. So

Chinnamasta represents the master yogin who have the power to

manipulate these subtle winds.

 

The two attendants too still have their head intact which also means

that they have not the yoganic ability to sever their heads, thus

representing the clinging to the Self. The two attendant thus

represents a spiritually "immature" person who is not liberated

because she has not realized the relativity of duality.

 

There are another interpretation to this iconography of the two

attendant.

Daksini = the tamas gunas = the power of the maya= the initial subtle

distinction which appears between the subject and object in pure

consciousness.

Vamini = the rajas guna.= the power of action = the reflective

awareness of consciousness.

Chinnamasta = sattva guna= siva's power of knowledge= the light of

consciousness

 

According to the doctrine of vibration the liberated soul recognizes

the interaction of these three gunas. Since Chinnamasta is in the

middle, drinking her own blood and feeding her attendants with her

blood, its an indication that she is liberated soul whereas her two

attendants are not because they still drink from chinnamasta's blood

and not their own. In short chinnamasta have severed the sense of

duality while the others have not.

 

 

THE COPULTION COUPLE

 

" She stands on Kama and Rati who are join in sexual intercourse "

Rati is shown as being on top, the same position as Kali assumes in

Siva, indicating superiority.

 

Two interpretation to this sexual iconography

1) a symbol of control sexual desire

2) embodiment of sexual energy.

 

A symbol of control sexual desire

Rama and Rati represents sexual desires, sexual energy, sexual force.

Chinnamasta thus symbolizes self control which must be achieved

before

one undertake yogic practices. Her control of lust is represented by

her standing on Kama and Rati and her perfection to self surrender,

fearless to death and self sacrifice.

 

Embodiment of sexual energy or sexual vitality

The copulation couple too can symbolically represent the rhymatically

flow of energy via sex and blood. The sexual aspect convey the vital

energy that pumps up through Chinnamasta, having her blood spurs from

the severed head, life force leaving the body but instead stream into

the mouth of her devotees and into her own mouth too.

This cycle portrayed the typical image of life itself :

a) life and living = the copulationg couple

b) death = the decapitated goddess

c) nourishment = the two attendants.

 

 

THE THREE EYES

 

The eyes have prominence importance in hindus. The eyes of the diety

informs us that it is not only us looking at the diety, but the diety

is looking back at us. Therefore the eye contact between the dvotees

and deity is exchanged through the eyes.

 

Chinnamasta is said to have three eyes : right, left and a center

which is also known as the third eye or the eye of transcendent

knowledge. These three eyes represents : the moon, the sun and the

fire.

 

In Abhinavagupta Tantraloka states that the Absolute flow out from

the

orifices. The Absolute can be found in the heart, within an

individual

thereby implying the importance of needing to find the Absolute. In

order to find this Absolute, one should not look the externals, which

creates the illusion of duality and multiplicity but instead to draw

the sense to oneself.

 

Chinnamasta does not look directly at her devotees. In most

iconography her eyes are transfixed at herself. This is a message to

tells us that we should within ourselves before we look at the deity.

 

THE IMPLEMENTS : THE KARTR ( THE SACRIFICE KNIFE )

 

Which is held over her right hand and her left hand holding the

severed head. In this she sacrifices the illusory concept of the

individual "I". The concept of self must be severed in order for one

to merge with Brahman thus becoming liberated.

 

The sword represents

1) that destroys ignorance which is a major impediment to

enlightment.

2) Her wisdom that cuts all reasoning and destroys all fiends and

defilement.

 

 

THE SERPENT AS SACRED CORD

The serpent sacred cord that chinnamasta wears around her are symbols

of life and death itself. Life and death are human constructions

which

binds to cyclical existence. The serpent symbolizes immortality and

temporality. The serpent have this ability to slought off and old

skin

without dying.

 

 

Throughout this study I have tried to answers to some of the

symbolism

of Chinnamasta Iconography. Chinnamasta. Chinnamasta pushes my sense

of unconditional reality to the limit. In the beginning this study, I

was filled with intial fear but subsequently I am filled with awed

and

overwhelmed with her power to transmit a very powerful message and

lesson in a very simplistic way. She uses the ordinary in a very

extraordinarily way. She is indeed a paramount Tantaric goddess who

inspires awe and fascination.