Dasa Maha Vidyas

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Narrated by Siva to Sage Narada ( From Mahabhagavata Purana )

 

Instantly her eyes reddened with anger. Seeing the goddess with her

lips trembling with anger and her eyes blazing like the conflagration

at the end of the aeon, Siva closed his eyes. Suddenly she displayed

her terrible teeth in her fierce mouth and laughed. Observing this,

Siva became very afraid and trembled with an averted face. With much

difficulty, he reopened his eyes and beheld the terrible form.

Abandoning her golden clothes, Sati's skin became discoloured.

She

was nude with disheveled hair, a lolling tongue and four arms, her

black body was covered with sweat. Decorated with a garland of

skulls, she was exceedingly fierce and a frightful roar. On her head

was a crescent moon and a crown as luminous as the rising sun. In

this form blazing with her own effulgence, she roared and stood in

all her glory before Siva. Bewildered with fright, Siva forsook her

and trembling with an averted face, he fled in all direction as if

deluded. With a terrific laugh, Sati roared and said to him, "

don't

be afraid" Hearing those sounds, terrified Siva swiftly fled in

all

directions. Seeing her husband overpowered by fear, Sati becomes

merciful and having only the desire to restrain him, she appeared in

a transcendent form in each of the ten directions. In whichever

directions Siva fled, she was there. Seeing one terrible form, Siva

ran in another direction in order to escape but he was always

confronted by another one. Siva remained still and shut his eyes.

When he reopened them, he saw before him the dark one (syama which is

another name for Kali ) whose smiling face was like a fully-opened

lotus. Nude with large breasts, with fierce, wide eyes, disheveled

hair and four arms, she blazed like ten million suns as she stood in

the southern direction. Seeing Syama, Siva overcome with fear

asked, " who are you, O dark One? Where is my beloved Sati?"

 

Sati replied, "Siva, do you not see that I am Sati who is before

you,

Kali, Tara, Lokesikamala, Bhuvanesvari, Chinnamasta, Sodasi,

Tripurasundari, Bagalamukhi, Dhumavati and Matangi are my forms"

 

Siva spoke, "if you are satisfied with me, O Supportress of the

world

( Jagaddhatri ), please tell me clearly which form is whose?"

 

Sati replied, "The Black one with the fierce eyes who is infront

of

you is Kali. In the zenith is the dark green Mahavidya Tara whose

nature is Mahakala ( the great Black one ). To your right ( in the

east ) the very frightening goddess with the severed head is

Chinnamasta. O Magnanimous one. To your left ( in the west ) is

Bhuvanesvari. The one behind you ( in the north ) is the destroyer of

foes, Bagalamukhi. In the southeast corner in the widow's form is

Mahavidya Dhumavati. O Mahesvara, and in the southwest is

tripurasundari. In the Northwest corner is the Mahavidya Matangi, in

the northeast is the Mahavidya Sodasi, and at the nadir is Bhairavi.

 

O Siva, do not be afraid, these are my supreme forms and pervade

within all my other forms.

 

Sati said " I am your dearest and you are my dear husband. I

shall go

to my father's sacrifice in order to destroy pride."

 

Siva spoke to Sage Narada " Hearing her words, I was paralysed

with

fear and said to fierce-eyes Kali, " I know that you are

Paramesvari

( Supreme Goddess ), the best and complete Prakrti. Please forgive me

for what I uttered in delusion You are the primordial, supreme

knowledge which exist in everything. You are abiding in every

particle, autonomous and you are the supreme power ( Sakti) You are

beyond all correct and incorrect actions. If you wish to go, O Sati,

in order to destroy the sacrifice, what power do I have to prevent

you!"

 

All the forms of Mahavidya Tara in the zenith merged into the form of

Kali. The Sati in the form of Kali went in a bejeweled chariot drawn

by 10,000 lions to her father's sacrfice.

 

 

 

Om ParaShaktiye Namaha