Divine Feminine : Multiplicity

[Guest guest]

One of the unique features of the Divine Feminine especially in the

Hindu Religion is the concept of Multiplicity. The Goddess seems to

function as a group :

 

1. Para Shakti - The seven/Six mothers

 

2. Durga - The Nine Navdurga

 

3. Lakshmi - The Eight Astalakshmi

 

4. Aboriginal/Dravidians seven sisters/virgins

 

5. The Yoginis

 

6. The Saptamatrkas

 

7. The Vedic Female heptas

 

8. The Deities of the Sri- Chakras

 

9. The Twelve Kalis

 

10. The Ten MahaVidyas

 

11. The Matrkas ( also known as letters )

 

The worship of the Seven Mother Goddess and The Saptamatrks have been

in existence over a millennia and it is a pan-Indian Phenomenon. These

concept of worshipping has come to have varied ideational, literary

visual and ritualistic manifestation, which is not just interconnected

with the totality of the Brahminical and non-brahminical religious

traditions, but are integral components of the diverse historical

processes of Indian Society.

 

Its interesting to explore into this unique features of the Divine

Mother. Several questions arises :

a) what is the meaning and the significant of the multiplicity of the

Divine Feminine?

 

b) Is feminine multiplicity demeaning?

 

c) IS it because of the power and complexity of the Divine Feminine

that leads to this multiplicity?

 

 

 

 

devi_bhakta

 

Nora has asked about the meaning and the significance of the Divine

Feminine's multiplicity of forms. And since my last post on Lajja

Gauri got me thinking about the Six Gauris, I couldn't help but notice

that they didn't make her list of the various "goddess groupings"! And

you know, I'll bet other members could name many other groupings that

we've never heard of. No matter what form She may take, Devi seems to

multiply!

 

Anyway, the "Six Gauris" I mention are Parvati, Uma, Rambha, Totala,

Tripura and Sri. Sri is an alternative form of Lakshmi, and is

sometimes called Gauri herself. In a way that makes sense, as Parvati

is supposed to be the supreme form of Devi -- from whom Kali,

Saraswati, Lakshmi, the Mahavidyas, and all other forms spring and to

whom they all return. In other words, Parvati is Supreme Shakti, who,

with Shiva, constitutes Supreme Reality.

 

And that gets to the heart of the "multiplicity" issue. Nora asks, "Is

feminine multiplicity demeaning?" or does it rather denote "the power

and complexity of the Divine Feminine"?

 

I certainly don't think it's demeaning to Devi to be subdivided and

re-subdived into manageable groups of deities. She is simply far too

vast for the human mind to comprehend as a single unity. We could

spend lifetimes contemplating any one aspect! In the same way, Tantra

and Shakta says that every human woman refects a facet of Shakti; but

even all womankind taken together would still only account for a small

part of Her supreme mystery.

 

So we all tend to concentrate on one aspect of the Goddess that

appeals to us -- perhaps, depending on the individual, that form is

Durga, or perhaps Kali, or perhaps Lakshmi, upon whom the devotee

concentrates over all other forms.

 

But Devi's all-encompassing nature really can't be totally captured

even in these all-powerful forms. Her depth is too great; the human

mind begins to subdivide Her once again in an attempt to grasp Her

essence.

 

As a result the Kali devotee eventually finds her/himself worshipping

12 Kalis, each of which "showcases" a particular aspect of the

Goddess. During Navratri, Durga's festival, we all find ourselves

praising not just one Durga but Nine Durgas. The Lakshmi bhakta

likewise has her/his Eight Lakshmis. And so on, for Ten Mahavidyas,

Six Gauris ... whatever the case may be.

 

While each of these groupings have their own history and iconographic

meaning and ritual -- too rich and complex to dismiss out of hand - I

think the "big picture" these multiplicities of forms pose is simply

that of a limited human mind trying to grasp an Infinite Goddess.

 

Aum Maatangyai Namaha