Yogini: Unfolding the Goddess Within

May 16, 2007

From the book, Yogini, Unfolding the Goddess Within, by Shambhavi Lorain

Chopra

(Wisdom Tree Books, www.wisdomtreeindia.com

<http://www.wisdomtreeindia.com> )

Yogini, the Enlightened Woman

" Aham Prema "

I am Divine Love

In the Bhavani-nama-sahasra (the Thousand Names of the Goddess Bhavani)

as beautifully explained by Pandit Jankinath Kaul, " A Yogini is one who

is possessed of magical powers.'' Para Shakti, the Supreme Shakti, in

the form of Durga is given the name Yogini. She assumes various forms

and takes on different divine energies to maintain harmony in the

Universe, to combat evil and uphold the good. A woman who gains a

transcendental state in sadhana comes back as a celestial Yogini or

Bhairavi, a female adept at Yoga. She carries the energy of Durga

within her.

A true Yogini is an enlightened woman with exuberant passion, spiritual

powers and deep insight. Yoginis communicate a sense of freedom, a sheer

mastery in whatever they do. With their compelling gazes, they can

hypnotize even a great yogi and are capable of changing their shapes at

will. Tantric scholars have written about Yoginis as independent,

outspoken, forthright women with a gracefulness of spirit. Without them,

yoga can fail in its purpose and remain sterile.

Shakta texts honor both women and the Earth alike as sources of energy,

vitality, physical and spiritual well-being. Noting this analogy between

a Yogini and the earth, an eleventh-century Tibetan Cakrasamvara

commentary states: " Having recognized a Yogini who will delight and

transmit energy and power to him, and feeling passionately attracted to

her, if the male aspirant does not worship that Yogini, she will not

bless the yogi, and spiritual attainments will not arise.'' Miranda

Shaw's book, Passionate Enlightenment, which was introduced to me by

Lokesh Chandraji, first exposed the world of the Yogini to me from a

Buddhist perspective.

In Hindu thought, the Yogini represents the Yoga Shakti herself, the

Kundalini, as well as the resident powers or female deities of the

different chakras. The Yogini possesses the power of Yoga herself and

can awaken that in others, not only generally but at any point or place

in the body or mind. A man's ability to achieve the higher states of

Yoga can be facilitated by his association with such a female companion

who reflects this energy.

Just as a Goddess blesses and benefits her devotees, and the Shakti

vivifies all biological, cultural, and religious practices, so a woman

can channel this life force or spiritual energy to her consort-devotee.

A woman is no more depleted by providing this spiritual nourishment than

a mother by nursing her child. In fact, it causes deeper energies to

well up from within her.

This spiritual energy is not something that a man can extract or take

from a Yogini at will. She chooses when and on whom to bestow her

blessings. Her ability to enhance a man's spiritual development depends

upon her innate divinity as awakened and brought to fruition by her own

yogic practices, which include envisioning herself in the forms of

various Goddesses and investing herself with Their appearances and

ornaments, tender and wrathful expressions, and supernatural powers for

liberating beings. By conferring energy and grace upon a man -

''blessing '' or ''empowering'' him - she is not weakening herself but

rather sharing her energy voluntarily with one who has won her favour by

meeting the various requirements that she may impose.

This relationship parallels human-divine relationships in so far as the

deity is the benefactor and the human devotee is the beneficiary.

Although the Deity may derive some gratification from the relationship,

the devotee has much more to gain than does the sovereign object of his

devotion. What supplicants ultimately want from their deity is supreme

deliverance or liberation, and this is what male Tantrics should seek to

gain from their relationships with spiritual women. Tantric texts

reiterate that a man cannot gain enlightenment without respecting women

and allying himself inwardly with a woman. The woman's beneficence is a

gracious, yet voluntary response to her devotee's supplication, homage

and worship.

The Goddess is a great Yogini, devoted to Shiva, yet matching His

powers. She is the embodiment of pure energy, the Mother and matrix of

all manifestation, the source of all time, space and creation. As they

practiced Yoga together, Shakti accepted Shiva as her Guru, and he

taught her the ways of transcendent being to guide her to her ultimate

liberation. Shiva in turn also accepted Shakti as his Guru, and she

initiated him into his ultimate liberation through putting him in touch

with the supreme power of consciousness.

The Goddess Chhinnamasta, the deity who cuts off her own head,

symbolizes the great Yogini, the wonderful consciousness beyond the

mind. She represents the opened Third Eye from which flashes forth the

lightening of direct perception that destroys all duality and

negativity. She is the Yoga Shakti or power of Yoga in its most dramatic

action of granting enlightenment. Hence she is also known as Vajra

Yogini. The Vajra is the supreme lightning force of the inner Self.

Chhinnamasta is the Para-Dakini, the supreme or foremost of the Dakinis,

the attendant Goddesses on the yogic path, who are the yoginis as the

powers of the chakras. Sadhakas seeking the path of occult or yogic

powers should worship her, as reiterated by David Frawley in his book

Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses, invoking her through the mantra

based on her name as Vajra Vairochani. This facilitates all inner

transformations in a dramatic way.

The Yogini is also Bhairavi or the Goddess of Fire below in the

muladhara or root chakra. It is she who becomes Chhinnamasta as she

reaches the third eye and opens the crown chakra beyond. Her blood is

light that illumines everything.

Mary Magdalene was such a Yogini, manifesting her Shakti through the

flow of light from her heart and soul. Her Divine love was unconditional

and independent of external situations and dogmas. Yet Divine love is

not limited to the ascetic. In my understanding of Tantra, if two

spiritually evolved beings come together in unconditional love, they

also can create an energy field that is most positive and rare, exuding

high vibrational levels of peace and love into the universe.

The ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, Tibet and India have esoteric

traditions glorifying the initiatory power of the woman. She is

considered to be the high priestess who unfolds all higher knowledge and

powers for us. She is Sophia, the source and font of wisdom or Prajna,

the deepest insight into the nature of things. Tantric teachings stress

the importance of physical beauty in a companion but only to initially

stimulate and then elevate passion from the sensual to the spiritual

plane. The beauty of the soul surpasses physical beauty.

The `initiatory' power of woman is tremendous, providing the

force of passion that is necessary for developing experiential

mysticism. By sharing the secrets of love, a woman can bestow

transcendental power on her lover. The highest form of Shakti is the

direct expression of the wisdom-energy she releases, creating a joyful

transformation. A woman can initiate her partner into such mystical

experiences through trust, surrender to higher ideals and spontaneity.

It is the Goddess within each woman who really initiates.

To be a Yogini is the highest spiritual goal for all women. It is the

way to become one with the Goddess within and to bring her out in

expression to uplift the world that is really her creation. Yet it is

not an outer appearance but a state of inner energy and ecstasy that

makes the Yogini. She cannot be manipulated, defined or even ever

entirely known.

May 16, 2007

hello, very nice article

hope all Das Mahavidhya artciles should be brought here

" C. P. Kumar " <cpkumar wrote:

From the book, Yogini, Unfolding the Goddess Within, by Shambhavi Lorain Chopra