The Seven Mothers

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The best-known mythological accounts of the seven goddess are found

in

the third episode of the Devi Mahatmya.

 

There are the demon Sumbha and Nisumbha, who have usurped thegods

from

their positions, are confronted in battle by the Devi. Whenthe demon

armies approach her, the male gods, who are watchingfrom the

sidelines, create sakhtis, female counterparts of themselves, to help

the Devi on the battle field. Seven such shaktis are created, and in

appearance they closely resemble the male gods from whom they are

said

to arise. ( see previous post ). Charging into the fray, this group

of

sakthis collectively called the Matrkas tears into the demon army and

begins to slaughter them. Along with Kali ( who is called Camunda),

Sivaduti ( a goddess formed from the sakti of the Devi) and the Devi

herself, the Matrkas devastate the demons. After the battle the

Matrkas dance, drunk with the blood of their victims.

 

In Devi Mahatmya and Devi- Bhagavata-purana, these Goddess

are understood not primarily as the divine consorts or the saktis of

the male deities but rather as extensions or forms of the Devi

herself. In the later episode of the Devi Mahatmya, after Nisumbha

has

been killed by the Devi and her female cohorts, the demon

Sumbha challenges the Devi to single combat, in effect complaining

about her many female allies. In response to his challenge, she

absorbs into herself all the Matrkas. She refers to them as just so

many of her different forms.

 

In the Vamana-purana, it was accounted that the Matrkas arises from

the Devi herself and not from the Male gods at all even though they

are described and named after the male deities.

 

By and large these seven goddess act as a group and share the same

characteristics : they fight ferociously and get drunk on blood.They

are effective warriors who protect the stability of the world by

combating demons.

 

In the Matsya-purana account, the Matrkas being described in

different context. They are created by Siva to combat the demon

Andhaka, who has the ability to duplicate himself from each drop of

blood that spills from him when he is wounded. The Matrkas

are instructed to drink up his blood and thus defeat him. After the

battle the Matrkas announce that they will now proceed to devour all

the gods, demons and people of the world. Siva commands them not to

do

this, but they ignore him and begin a rampage of destruction. Siva

summonds Narasimha, Vishnu man-lion avatara, who creates a host of

benign goddesses, they in turn calm down the terrible Matrkas and

stop

their destruction. At the end of the episode it is said that Siva's

own terrible form as Bhairava is enshrined with the images of the

Matrkas at the place where the battle took place.

 

In the Varaha-purana, the Devi who is called Vaisnavi is doing

asceticism on Mouont Mandara. At one point she loses her

concentration; from her distracted mind are created several

beautiful female attendants, who later become the Devi's helpmate on

the battlefields when she fights demons. Although the Matrkas are

described as lovely in this account, they are born when the Devi

loses

control of her concentration. This suggests the Matrkas essentially

uncontrolled natures. Born from lack of mental control, they lack

control themselves.

 

 

Om ParaShaktiye Namaha