Musique, rose et bleu II

The ten Mahavidyas Water Color Painting on Paper. Artist: Kailash Raj

Mahavidyas (Great Wisdoms) or Dasha-Mahavidyas are a group of ten aspects of the Divine Mother Durga or Kali herself or Devi in Hinduism. The 10 Mahavidyas are Wisdom Goddesses, who represent a spectrum of feminine divinity, from horrific goddesses at one end, to the gentle at the other.

Shaktas believe, “the one Truth is sensed in ten different facets; the Divine Mother is adored and approached as ten cosmic personalities,” the Dasa-Mahavidya (“ten-Mahavidyas”).

The Mahavidyas are considered Tantric in nature, and are usually identified as:

Kali – The ultimate form of Brahman, “Devourer of Time” (Supreme Deity of Kalikula systems).

Tara – The Goddess as Guide and Protector, or Who Saves. Who offers the ultimate knowledge which gives salvation (also known as Neel Saraswati).

Tripura Sundari (Shodashi) – The Goddess Who is “Beautiful in the Three Worlds” (Supreme Deity of Srikula systems); the “Tantric Parvati” or the “Moksha Mukta”.

Bhuvaneshvari – The Goddess as World Mother, or Whose Body is the Cosmos.

Bhairavi – The Fierce Goddess.

Chhinnamasta – The self-decapitated Goddess.

Dhumavati – The Widow Goddess,or the Goddess of death.

Bagalamukhi – The Goddess Who Paralyzes Enemies

Matangi – the Prime Minister of Lalita (in Srikula systems); the “Tantric Saraswati”.

Kamala – The Lotus Goddess; the “Tantric Lakshmi”.