To spread the original, universal and eternal truth, path or law of yoga, which remains forever the same in essence, yet always adapts to the time and place.
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To spread the original, universal and eternal truth, path or law of yoga, which remains forever the same in essence, yet always adapts to the time and place. |
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Das Mahavidya means the 10 Mahavidyas. Maha-Vidya means great knowledge. The Mahavidyas are thus ten insights covered by ten mysteries about 10 essential energies, that are also 10 goddesses. Their worship is a main path in Tantra Yoga.
For example, the first and foremost Mahavidya is Kali, which is the energy of Time. The related avidya or mystery is that Time, which is life, seems temporary. The truth or vidya is that time and life are never-ending. Death, the apperent end to life and time, is an illusion. To conquer the fear of death, worship of Kali is very effective, using the Kali mantra, yantra and an image of the goddess. However, one should never worship a Mahavidya lightly. Worship of Kali should only happen if one is ready to give up attachment to the body.
Following is an overview of these 10 wisdom goddesses, their mysteries, their truth, mantra and what it means to worship them :
Name |
KALI (Time) |
Mahavidya |
Eternity of time |
Worship means |
To die daily, detach from body consciousness and the impermanence of all things, transforming into the eternal unborn being. |
Mantra |
KRING KRING KRING HING HRING DAKSHINE KALIKE KRING KRING KRING HRING HRING HUNG HUNG SWAHA |
Enhances |
Kumbaka, self-knowledge, samadhi. |
Name |
TARA (Star) |
Mahavidya |
The power of silence |
Worship means |
To move accross the pond of mind & emotion, guided by the savior star that is silence, the void, nada, the primordial sound. |
Mantra |
AING AUNG HRING KRING HUM PHAT |
Enhances |
Hearing the silence of nada (or Aum) behind all sound, inner peace. |
Name |
TRIPUR SUNDARI (beauty of the 3 worlds) |
Mahavidya |
The beauty of pure perception |
Worship means |
To move beyond the perception of form into the delightful union of seen and seer, the divine beauty in everything. |
Mantra |
HRING KA AE EE LA HRING HA SA KA HA LA HRING SA KA LA HRING |
Enhances |
Witness consciousness |
Name |
BHUVANESHWARI (queen of the universe) |
Mahavidya |
The love of infinite space |
Worship means |
To let the fullness of inner space merge with the cosmic womb of outer space, with the divine mother, and join the play of loving union with everything. |
Mantra |
HRING |
Enhances |
Universal love |
Name |
TRIPUR BHAIRAVI (terror of the 3 worlds) |
Mahavidya |
The fire of truth |
Worship means |
To let the awesome power of truth destroy all impediments to spiritual growth by burning them in the fire of tapas (ascetism). |
Mantra |
HASAIN HASKARING HASAIN |
Enhances |
Inner light, removal of the 9 impediments of mind |
Name |
CHINNAMASTA (chopped off head) |
Mahavidya |
To stop mind is liberation |
Worship means |
To liberate yourself from the desire for sensory input, cutting off the source of the movements of mind and reaching deep meditation (samadhi). |
Mantra |
SHRING HRING KLING AING |
Enhances |
Willpower, vision, meditation, sexual abstinence, kundalini yoga, samadhi |
Name |
DHUMAVATI (beholder of smoke) |
Mahavidya |
The blessing of suffering |
Worship means |
To let the unreal become obscured by the smoke of suffering, revealing the hidden potential behind pain, uglyness and old age, grasping the opportunity for learning, embracing the wisdom of forgetting the past. |
Mantra |
DHUNG DHUNG DHUMAVATI THAH THAH |
Enhances |
Enjoyment of sorrow, spiritual insight, compassion, mental health |
Name |
BAGLA MUKHI (power to stop speech) |
Mahavidya |
All opposites are one |
Worship means |
To apply the stunning power of the truth of complementarity upon all negativity, silencing confusion and doubt. |
Mantra |
AUM HRING BAGLAMUKHI SARVA DUSHTANAM VAVACHAMUKHAM ISTAMBHAY JIVHAMKEELAY BUDDHINASHAY HRING AUM SWAHA |
Enhances |
Inner silence, stillness of asana, kumbhaka, willpower |
Name |
MATANGI (power of intellect) |
Mahavidya |
Speaking truth purifies |
Worship means |
To speak truth, teach truth, sing of truth, paint truth, even if it makes us outcasts, even if we feel unsuited, and thus invoke its purifying power. |
Mantra |
AUM HRING KLING HUM MATANGAIYE PHAT SWAHA |
Enhances |
Creativity, harmony, mantra meditation, teaching |
Name |
KAMLA (lotus, clad in water) |
Mahavidya |
Sharing brings wealth |
Worship means |
To share wealth, beauty and enjoyment in order to obey the magic law of karma, thus providing a peaceful background for spiritual growth. |
Mantra |
AUM AING HING SHRING KLING |
Enhances |
Wealth, sharing, peace, devotion |
This article on the Mahavidyas was written by Peter Marchand, who also wrote these books : "The Yoga of the Nine Emotions" and "The Yoga of Truth". Also browse our yoga video section for online classes by Peter Marchand.
Related video : Mahavidya Mysteries - Session 1 : Kali - Time (70')
Sanatan Society is an international networking association of students of the late Harish Johari, joining efforts to promote his teachings of yoga philosophy, tantra, worship, art and love. Sanatan Society stands
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