Conception and Evolution of The Mother Goddess in India

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Conception and Evolution of The Mother Goddess in India

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The Devi as Mother

 

Devi, the Divine Female, revered by all, as is revered a mother,

is better and universally known as the Mother Goddess. Reverence

for 'mother' is inherent in any one born, a beast or a man, and

is the first pious impulse in a child, which shapes the flesh to

a human face. The first man, it seems, while contemplating the

idea of the unseen Divine, looked at the face of the woman who

bore him, the protective, caring and loving mother, and

discovered in her the ultimate 'divinity' and the manifest form

of the unseen Divine. Devi, the Goddess, thus, transformed as

mother and is now since ages the Mother Goddess. The Mother

Goddess is India's supreme Divinity. Myriad are her shrines and

unending her boons. Centuries long tradition of worship has woven

around her innumerable myths and the devotional mind has

discovered in her oceans of mercy. In fury or in frown, she is

always the same protective, caring, loving Mother with a benign

face and a blessing hand.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/wd29.jpg

 

 

Mother Goddess in the Indus Valley

 

This impulse seeking to combine the Divine with mother seems to

have been man's earliest spiritual experience. At some point of

time and perhaps for an effective performance of worship rites,

which a believing or fearing mind necessitated, this perception

of mind was transformed into a material medium. The Indus dweller

further magnified it when, for realizing his idea of the Supreme

Divinity, he elevated the Mother to the Mother Earth that blessed

him with grain, water, air, fire and afforded for him a dwelling.

The terracotta figurines of the Mother Goddess, recovered in

excavations at various Indus sites (now mostly in Pakistan), are

not only the ever known earliest manifestations of the Divine

Power in any medium but are also suggestive of a well evolved

Mother Goddess worship cult. As appears from the so far recovered

figurines of the Goddess datable from 3000 B. C. to the 1st

century B. C., this primitive manifestation of the proto Mother

in terracotta idols seems to have continued to prevail till

almost the beginning of the Christian era.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/mother.jpg

 

These figurines, being made of clay and thus defining their

kinship with the earth, of which they are cast, represented the

Mother Goddess as Mother Earth. As significant and suggestive is

her iconography- the large breasts filled with milk, uncovered

genital organs, beautifully dressed hair and a good number of

bangles on her wrists.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/dancinglady.jpg

 

This is the iconic perception of the Being who bears, feeds, takes

all calamities on her head and covers the born one under her

protective umbrella and, at the same time, defines in the modeling of

her form an absolute aesthetic beauty. As suggest her bangles, the

traditional emblem of marital state, besides a mother she is also a

consort. Thus, in her material manifestation, She represents, with

absolute motherhood, also the absolute womanhood. She causes life and

sustains it, and is also the cause of life, its inspiration and

aspiration, and the reason to live.

 

 

Mother Goddess in the Vedas and Other Early Texts

 

In its contemplation, the Rigveda, which seems to have conceded

to the idea of the Divine Female, takes two different lines, one

mystic and the other traditional. The traditional line was the

same as prevailed amongst the primitive Indus community, which

perceived the Divine Female as Mother Goddess. The Rigveda calls

the Female power Mahimata (R.V. 1.164.33), a term which literally

means Mother Earth. At places, the Vedic literature alludes to

Her as Viraj, the universal mother, as Aditi, the mother of gods,

and as Ambhrini, the one born of Primeval Ocean.

 

The Rigveda takes a mystic line, when it perceives the Proto

Female as Vak or Vani, which, as the creative speech, manifests

the cosmos and all existing things. In Vedic mysticism the cosmos

and all things pre-exist but are unmanifest. The Vak, or Vani

makes them manifest.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/op26.jpg

 

The Proto Female has been perceived also as Ushas, the glowing

Light of early morning. What the darkness of night makes

unmanifest, Ushas makes manifest. In metaphysical theorization,

which Vedic literature enunciates, 'all things exist but become

manifest in Her, that is, in the Proto Female'. The Upanishadas

elucidate this Vedic proposition with greater clarity. In their

contemplation, the Upanishadas identify this Vedic Proto Female

as Prakriti, the manifest nature, which is the material aspect of

the Creation. The Upanishadas suggest that She is the

all-pervasive cosmic energy inherent in all existing things.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zl39.jpg

 

The Vedas and Upanishadas weave around Devi a body of mysticism,

but, in popular tradition, as suggests Harivansha Purana, a

4th-5th century religious treatise, when it alludes Her as the

Goddess of jungle and hill tribes, She was yet the same simple

unmystified puritan Mother Goddess. Her ties with the primitive

man were emotional and relatively strong. However, there also

emerged, in simultaneity to this worship cult, and obviously

inspired by Upanishadas' mysticism, a body of metaphysics, which

perceived the Divine Female as Shakti, the guided cosmic energy

and the transcendental source and support of all creatures and

all created things. The Mahabharata, keeping in line with the

Vedic mysticism, alludes Her as the source of all things, the

spiritual as well as material. The epic enunciates that all

things, material and abstract, manifest and unmanifest, are only

the manifestations of the Divine Female. According to the

Mahabharata, this metaphysical Being, the Mother Goddess of the

primitive man, is the basis, the root and the root cause of

everything. She is the eternal upholder of Dharma and truth, the

promoter of happiness and the giver of salvation and prosperity

but also of sorrows, grief and pain. She removes obstacles and

worries and renders Her devotees' path detriment free.

 

 

Devi in Puranic literature

 

During the period after the Mahabharata to the emergence of the

Puranic era around the 4th-5th century A.D., the Devi is only the

little quoted theme in literature and art of the elite. The

worship of Devi was those days a wide spread phenomenon, yet till

her elevation to the status of a Puranic deity, such worship was

confined to only, or mostly, around the remoter corners of the

primitive world of tribes. The tribes like Santhal, Bhumia and

others of Bihar, Orissa and Bastar yet have a live convention of

announcing their lineage at the time of wedding of their sons as

well as daughters. Both sides begin with their origin, which is

usually from one of the nature gods and commit themselves to

Shiva, the Yogi of hills and their protector, and Mahimata, the

Mother Earth, as their Dharini, the upholder. Quite

interestingly, it depicts the five thousand year long continuity

of the cult of worshipping Shiva, as the Mahayogi, representing

the Divine Male and Mahimata, the Mother Earth or Mother Goddess,

representing the Divine Female. It was only after She was

accommodated into the Brahmanical pantheon, that the Mother

Goddess was an object of worship in the world of elite also.

 

The Devi theme, once it becomes a part of the Brahmanical

pantheon around the 5th century A.D., almost explodes the entire

body of Puranic literature, with each Purana text coming out with

one of Her aspects or the other. Here, She not only occupies the

thinking mind but also its the altar. She is invoked not only as

the Supreme Power reigning the cosmos and reigning above all

gods, but as the cosmic energy incarnate, She is invoked also

with greater thrust : "Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu shaktirupen

sansthita, Namastasye namastasye namastasye namo namah", that is,

'O yea, the Goddess who in the entire cosmos stands for energy

form, we make our salutations to Thee, over and over we salute

Thee' (Markandeya Purana).

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/ha37.jpg

 

Of all texts, the Markandeya Purana is most elaborate in its Devi

concept and related rites and is considered as yet the most

authentic document on the cult of Devi. It contains a full book,

known as the Devi Mahatmya, conceptualizing and adoring Devi. She

has been identified in Markandeya Purana primarily as Durga. On

the face of it, the Markandeya Purana seems to move away from the

prior manifestation of Devi as Mother Goddess, or Mother Earth,

but in reality it is only a continuity of the Indus valley

tradition. It is, at the most, a departure from the iconic

manifestation of the passive Indus Mother Goddess to the

operative personified representation of the Divine Mother who

abounds with myths of Her origin and exploits, but She is yet the

same Mother Earth or the Divine Mother. The Devi Mahatmya part of

the Markandeya Purana is narrated by sage Markandeya to king

Suratha and merchant Samadhi, who, having lost respectively their

kingdom and business, approach the sage for knowing from him how

to regain their prior status. After having narrated the

significance of the Divine Mother and Her unique power, sage

Markandeya asks them to prepare an earthen image of the Divine

Mother and worship it. Obviously, even during Puranic era, She

best manifested as Earth and in an earthen medium.

 

 

Devi in Metaphysical Perception

 

In Puranic literature, religious conventions, anthropomorphic

iconography and ritual practices, the Mother Goddess has been

diversely conceived and variedly named. There is, however, a

wondrous unanimity in Her metaphysical visualization and cosmic

perception. In Her metaphysical perception, whether it occurs in

myths or legends, rituals or rhetoric, classics or folk

traditions, or to the eye of a worshipper, painter, sculptor or

poet, She is the Adi Shakti, the proto energy including in it all

forms of vitality, strength, might, power, force, proficiency,

dynamism and all operative faculties. As Adi Shakti, She

represents Prakriti, which operates in and on all things, the

manifest or otherwise, materially present or abstract. She is the

dynamic factor of the cosmos, and at the same time She is Dhatri,

the holder of all things, whether static or moving, and is thus

also constant and firm. She is manifest nature and is thus

materially present, yet She is also the absolute Consciousness,

the thinking Mind, the universal Intellect and the Controller of

senses. She is thus the sleep, thirst, hunger, as also the light,

brilliance, shadow and darkness. Modesty, contentment,

compassion, mercy, beauty, charm, faith, patience, quietude,

activity, movement as also vengeance, or even violence are Her

aspects. And, above all, She is the Universal Mother.

 

Devi's cosmic perception is a mix of metaphysics and mythology.

In India's metaphysical perception the Creation has been

perceived as comprising of two factors, variedly named as

Prakriti and Purusha, Matter and Self, Male and Female and the

like. Mythology identifies them as Shiva and Shakti.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zz03.jpg

 

Prakriti or Matter, which in metaphysical equation Female

represents, is the manifest aspect of Creation while Purusha or

Self its unmanifest aspect. In mythological perception this

equation undergoes a change. Here Shiva is Shava, the inanimate

Being and Shakti, the energy incarnate, His enlivening and

operative power. Without Shakti Shiva is the dead mass.

Symbolically Shakti is the inherent energy of all things, whether

manifest or unmanifest. This Shakti factor, a concept of

metaphysics, is perceived in mythological contemplation as Devi

and in primitive vision as the Divine Female.

 

 

Other Dimensions of Devi Related Mythology

 

The primitive concept of the Divine Female seems to be that of a

non-operative boon giver votive deity who the primitive man

realized iconically but did not humanize. The Puranic Devi, or

the Mother Goddess, despite the related metaphysics, is more a

humanized Being with an abundance of mythology woven around Her.

After the Puranas vested in Her operative attributes, they

conceived Her not only in various roles but also with innumerable

personality aspects and in different manifestations. There grew

around Her theories of Her origin, myths of Her manifest and

incarnate forms, fables of Her various exploits and annals of Her

acts of charity and benevolence.

 

As to Her origin, there prevail innumerable myths, although only

two of them are more quoted and have greater relevance to the

over-all Devi cult. One of them points out towards Her exploits

against evil and restoring righteousness and in the other She is

conceived as preceding all of the Gods-Trio (Brahma, Vishnu and

Shiva).

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/hc21.jpg

 

In one case, She was created out of the gods' celestial powers

with all their attributes vested in Her. In the other, She had

always existed but appeared as and when required.

 

As the tradition has it, a buffalo demon Mahishasura ruled the

earth. The tyrannous demon inflicted upon all creatures great

atrocities and rendered life miserable. He even invaded heaven,

the seat of Indra and other gods and drove them out of the holy

place. Under a sanction from Brahma Mahishasura was invincible

against any male, a beast or human born. After Brahma made the

disclosure of his boon, gods decided to seek a female warrior for

eliminating the buffalo demon. When they found none capable to

accomplish their object, they decided to create such one out of

themselves and by their own powers. They decided to create a

female warrior, who was unique in might and unparalleled in

beauty and charm, as she could be required to bewitch and beguile

the demon also by them. Accordingly, her head was formed by the

powers of Shiva, her hair by those of Yama and her arms, breasts,

waist, feet, toe-nails, fingernails, nose, teeth, eyes, brows and

ears respectively with those of Vishnu, Moon, Indra, Brahma, Sun,

Vasu, Kuber, Prajapati, Agni, Twilight and Vayu. Her glittering

jewels and ornaments were Ocean's gift and her necklace inlaid

with celestial gems that of the great Serpent Shesh.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/hc79.jpg

 

The Devi emerged with three eyes and eighteen hands carrying in

them various celestial weapons, the instruments of war and

destruction- Shiva's trident, Vishnu's disc, Varuna's conch,

Vayu's bow, Agni's dart, Yama's iron rod, Surya's quiver, Indra's

thunderbolt, Kuber's mace, Brahma's rosary and water pot, Kala's

sword and shield, Vishwakarma's battle axe and many others.

Himvana gave her a lion to ride. The enthused gods rejoiced and

in gratitude prostrated before Mahadevi, as they called Her.

Mahamuni Narada then narrated to Her the plight of gods, hearing

which She proceeded to annihilate Mahishasura and killed him in

no time.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/hc89.jpg

 

As significant is Her other cult. The text called Devi Bhagawat

was the first to propound it. After the Great Deluge Vishnu

emerged as a child floating upon a fig leaf.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/wb39.jpg

 

In dismay, he asked himself as to who he was, who created him and

why he was there. Suddenly there emerged a celestial voice that

announced- all that is, it is me. Me alone is eternal. Puzzled he

looked around and saw a celestial female with four hands emerging

before him. She carried a conch, disc, club and lotus, wore

divine clothes and jewels and was attended by twenty-one powers,

more important ones being Rati, the goddess of love and erotic,

Bhuti, the goddess of riches and prosperity, Buddhi, the goddess

of wisdom, Kirti, the goddess of credibility, Smriti, the memory,

Nidra, the sleep, Daya, the compassion, Gati, the movement and

pace, Tusti, the contentment, Pusti, the growth and affirmation,

Kshama, the forbearance, Lajja, the grace and Tandra, the

lethargy. Vishnu realized that She was the Adi Shakti Mahadevi

and bowed to Her in reverence.

 

 

Devi's Symbolism

 

In one mythological tradition, Devi's emergence has been linked

with Mahishasura. Mahishasura is not the beast in man but rather

the human face taking to the face of a beast, and that too, to

none else but to that of a buffalo, the most insensitive,

self-contained epitome of evil. This suggests total human

failure, which none of the gods, equipped only with this or that

attribute or representing just this or that virtue, could repair.

Only Devi, the supreme virtue equipped with all weapons and means

of war, the Divine Totality, could change such state of affairs.

 

The other myth suggests that Devi preceded Gods Trio. She not

only annihilated evil and paved the way for virtue and good to

prevail but also revealed cosmic mystery. Her multi-arms suggest

Her multi-fold protective umbrella and role. When Mahishasura,

the male, contains energy, it leads to evil, the self-centered

unguided might breeding ego, greed to acquire and possess more,

an ambition to conquer and rule, but when contained in a female

frame, it is only the guided power eradicating evil, perpetuating

good and virtue and despite that She held arms and resorted to

killing, She has attending upon Her only virtues and celestial

attributes. She is multi-armed but has a single head, that is,

whatever the number of operative organs, the guiding faculty that

breeds determination, is just one and single.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/pd13.jpg

 

 

The Manifest Forms of the Divine Female

 

This Devi form, irrespective of Her origin-cult and evolution,

has multiple manifestations, the prime ones being three. The

Markandeya Purana and almost all other Puranas perceive Devi, the

Universal Mother, primarily in Her role as warrior or destroyer,

sustainer and creator, three aspects of cosmic act which vest

with Trinity. As warrior, She is Mahakali, the Destroyer who

eradicates evil, evil doers and wrongs and restores good and

righteousness. As sustainer, She is Mahalakshmi, who bestows

bliss, prosperity, wealth and material happiness and yields good

crop and abundant grain. And, finally, as supreme wisdom and all

knowing intellect, She is Mahasaraswati, who nourishes all

creative faculties, arts, music, dance and creativity. In

anthropomorphic visualization Mahakali, is the Shaktirupa, the

energy incarnate and is hence multi-armed, their number varying

from four to eighteen or even more, and carries in each of them

an instrument of destruction. She also grants abhaya and varada

and thus, on one hand eradicates evil and on the other protects

good ones.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/de77.jpg

 

The four-armed Mahalakshmi carries primarily the lotus, which

rises from the earth, routes across and above the water and

sprouts into the air and sky.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/pc74.jpg

 

It pervades with its glow and fragrance all three worlds. The

four-armed shubhra-vasana, Mahasaraswati, the Goddess clad in

white, rides a lotus, and subsequently a swan, both symbolizing

purity, chastity and detached knowledge.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/wc43.jpg

 

The Puranas thus begin personifying Her in various aspects and

initiate Her variedly conceived iconic and anthropomorphic

formations. The warrior and demon slayer Mahakali is perceived

also as Durga who for accomplishing Her object takes to other

forms and creates for Her aid subordinate powers as Mahavidyas

and Matrikas. Different from the black complexioned Mahakali, who

wears a ferocious look, Durga, though still the same demon

slayer, has golden complexion, a benign face and feminine

softness.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/hc24.jpg

 

The Puranas disapproved renunciation and discovered in family

life itself means of salvation. They hence perceived their

Divinities not as recluses or mendicants but as householders, as

the Divine couples. They perceived the abstract Supreme Being of

the Vedas manifest as Gods-Trio, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and

associated with each of the Trio one of Devi's manifest form,

Durga or Mahakali with Shiva, Mahalakshmi with Vishnu and

Mahasaraswati with Brahma.

 

Shiva is also the proto lover and then Durga, his consort,

manifests as the humble domestic Parvati. Parvati, the white

complexioned daughter of Himalaya, is also Shiva's loving Gauri.

While in exile from Baikuntha to hills of South, Vishnu takes to

Venkatesh as his name. Here his consort Lakshmi, or Mahalakshmi

emerges as Padmavati. When Vishnu incarnates as Rama his consort

Lakshmi emerges as Sita and when he incarnates as Krishna,

Lakshmi incarnates as Radha. Brahma's consort Mahasaraswati is

better known as Sharada and most of her ancient shrines are

devoted to her only in her name as Sharada. The ancient

sculptures of Sharada follow Durga's iconic norms.

 

 

Matrikas and Mahavidyas

 

The Puranas like Skandapurana, Devipurana, Brahmavaivartapurana,

Devibhagawata, Prapanchasaratantra, Lingapurana etceteras, have

conceived of other forms of Shakti to couple other important male

gods. The more widely accepted number of such manifestations of

Shakti is seven, though in some of these and other Puranas it is

eight and even more. They are better known as the Saptamatrikas,

or Seven Mothers. In Matrika cult, Brahma's consort is known as

Brahmani, Shiva's as Maheshvari, Raudri or Rudrani and Vishnu's

as Vaishnavi. In his Varah incarnation, Vishnu's consort is

Varahi and in Narsimha incarnation Narsimhi. The consort of

Shiva's son Karttikeya is Kaumari, or Karttikeyani, that of Indra

Indrani or Mahendri and of Yama Chamunda or Chamundi.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/hc05.jpg

 

There prevail two myths in relation to Saptamatrikas. A demon

Andhaka had the boon to get every drop of his blood that fell on

earth transformed into yet another Andhaka. The demon thus

multiplied himself in the battlefield rendering his opponent

impossible to eliminate him. Once he attempted to take away

Shiva's consort Parvati. Shiva shot an arrow at him. The blood

gushed from his body but only to create many more Andhakas.

Finally gods sent their Shaktis to assist Shiva. These Shaktis

licked each drop of demon's blood before it fell on earth.

Another version of the myth is almost similar to it except that

demon's name was this time Raktabija and instead of Shiva his

consort Durga confronted him. Durga created Saptamatrikas by her

own power to assist her in eliminating the demon.

 

Other significant manifestations of Devi have been perceived in

ritual tradition as Ten Mahavidyas. Though a late cult,

individually some of the Mahavidyas, say Kali, have quite an

early origin. Their number coincides with Vishnu's ten

incarnations and is, hence, interpreted as the Shakta or Shaivite

version of ten-incarnation Vaishnava cult. In Devi theology,

Devi, like Vishnu, has been revered as the creator and maintainer

of the cosmic order. Sometimes Vishnu's incarnations are

considered as arising from these Mahavidyas, as Kali becoming

Krishna, Chinnamasta becoming Narsimha and so on. These

Mahavidyas are Kali, Tara, Chinnamasta, Bhuvaneshwari, Bagala,

Dhumavati, Kamala, Matangi, Sodasi and Bhairavi, and are more or

less the tantrika innovations of the Divine Female.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/de41.jpg

 

 

Devi in Popular Tradition

 

The tradition of worshipping the Mother Goddess, in whatever

name, thus, has very early beginning. It is believed Rama invoked

Devi when he felt that without her blessings he would not be able

to eliminate Ravana. Sikhs' tenth Guru Gobind Singh and the great

Maratha warrior Shivaji invoked her to assist them in

accomplishing their object.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/hb71.jpg

 

During India's struggle for freedom her sons resorted to Devi and

perceived their land as Bharat-Mata. Reciting Vande Mataram, that

is, salutation to Thee, Mother, they laid their lives for her

freedom. She is now India's most widely worshipped deity and has

associated with her more festivals and events than has any other

Divinity.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/wc81.jpg

 

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This article by Prof. P.C. Jain.

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References and Further Reading:

 

Aitareya-brahmana (the Rigveda Brahmana) translated by Arthur B.

Keith, Delhi

 

Bhattacharya, N.N. The History of Sakta Religion, New Delhi

 

Bhattacharya, N.N. Indian Mother Goddess, Calcutta

 

Brown, Cheever Mackenzie. God is Mother: A feminine Theology in

India, Hartford

 

Coburn Thomas B. Consort of None, Sakti of All: The vision of the

Devi Mahatmya In The Divine Consort: Radha and Goddesses of

India, edited by John Stratton Hawley and Donna Marie Wulff,

Berkeley, California.

 

Devi Bhagavata Purana, Banaras

 

(Devi Mahatmya) The Glorification of the Great Goddess edited and

translated by Vasodeva Sharan Agrawal, Banaras

 

Dehejia, Vidya. Devi : the Great Goddess, Washington D.C. &

Ahmedabad

 

Hymns to Kali (Karpuradi Stotra), edited and translated by Arthur

Avalon, Madras

 

Kinsley, David. Hindu Goddesses, Delhi

 

Kumar Pushpendra. Shakti Cutl in Ancient India, Banaras

 

Mahabharata. Edited by Vishnu S. Sukthankar, Poona

 

Marshall, Sir John (edited) Mohenjo-dara and Indus Civilization

(3 vols.), London.

 

Rg-veda with commentary of Sayan. Edited by Sontakke and C.G.

Kashikar, Poona.

 

The Sakta Upanishads, translated by A.G. Krishna Warrier, Madras

 

Skanda Purana. (3 vols) Calcutta.

 

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Nitin G.