Chapter 12 - The Dhyānas (supports for the meditation) of the Goddess

The entire twelfth chapter contains the various dhyānas (supports for the meditation) of the Goddess.

The first Goddess here described^[1] is portrayed shining as the fire of destruction; her body is as red as sindūr and she resembles a pomegranate flower or the blossom of bandhūka (Terminalia Tormentosa); she has three beautiful eyes and her jaṭas are adorned by a half-moon; she looks wrathful, having a dreadful face with fangs and pendant breasts; she is covered by ornaments of bones and she is dressed with a human skin; when she is contemplated upon with six arms, she holds a skull cup (kapāla), a curved knife (karttṛkā), a sword (khaḍga) and a shield (keṭaka) and shows the mudrās of granting boons (varamudrā) and dispelling fear (abhayamudrā); when she is meditated with eight arms she bears also a noose (pāśa) and a hook (aṅkusha) (vv.1-8').

Then, Tripurā is described with three eyes and a moon on the crown of her head; she has two arms, with which she holds a lotus and a rosary (vv.8"-9).

The third Goddess, Pratyāṅgirā, is described in her universal form: resembling a wild black fire, she rises on the lotus of the universe; she has a vulture as her emblem and a dead body as her seat; she has long hair, long teeth and a mouth full of human intestines; she has five faces and eighteen arms, with which she holds a kapāla, a club (khaṭvāṅga), a human skull (naramuṇḍā), a thunderbolt (vajra), a khaḍga, etc. (vv.10-20').

There are two dhyānās of Kubjikā, one gross (sthūla) and the other subtle (sūkṣma): in the sthūladhyāna the Goddess is depicted with one face adorned by the moon, three eyes and two arms while she sits on the leg of Śiva, who has five faces and ten arms; here each face is described in length (vv.20"-35'). In the sūkṣmadhyāna, Kubjikā is contemplated as the Goddess Kuṇḍalinī (vv.35"-40).

Then come two dhyānas of Siddhilakṣmī: in the first one she is envisioned as having as many forms as do appear in the universe; when she takes the shape of a woman, she shows the mudras of bestowing boons and dispelling fears; she is brilliant as the white moon and she has five faces, each one with three eyes; she stands on five pretas^[2] and she holds many weapons together with ten sticks (daśadordaṇḍasahitā)^[3] (vv.41-44). In the second dhyāna, she stands on a lotus and on a preta; she resembles a crystal and she has five faces, each one with three eyes; her limbs are covered by divine clothes and all three worlds are delighted by her appearance; she has ten arms holding a kapāla, a spear (śūla), a bow-string (tāvara), a big hook (mahāpaśa), a muṇḍa, a bell (ghaṇṭā), a kaṭvāṅga, a khaḍga, a scorpion (ālaya) and an elephant-goad (sṛṇi) (v. 45).

The dhyāna of Mahākālī is then given: she has three faces, the right one yellow and the left one of the colour of a serpent, and nine eyes; her upper garment is red and she is adorned with all the ornaments; she holds with her right hands a trident (triśūla), an aṅkuśa, a head (vaktra)^[4] and a mallet (mudgara), while with the left ones she carries a kapāla, a pāśa, a khaṭvāṅga and the head of a child (mṛtabālamastakaṃ) (vv.46-50).

When the Goddess appears in her more gross form, she is called Viśvalakṣmī and she is described with a thousand faces, a thousand eyes, a thousand necks,^[5] a thousand arms, a thousand legs and wearing a rosary with a thousand beads. Her dhyānā is given at length in verses 51-81.

The following dhyāna is probably of Aghoreśvarī: she resembles a blue cloud and she looks emaciated; she is giver of long life; she has long hair standing on end, and she appears wrathful; she holds a khaḍga, a keṭaka, a khaṭvāṅga and a drum (ḍamaru); she is embellished by showing vara and abhaya mudrās; she also bears pāśa, aṅkuśa, triśūla, ghaṇṭa, a scimitar (karttṛ), a kapāla, a club (gadā), a disc (cakra), a vajra, a muṇḍa, sugarcane (ikṣu) and a bow (cāpa); adorned by serpents, she wears a human skin, a tiger skin on her hips and a garland of skulls around her neck (vv.82-86).

Śiva then gives the dhyāna of Dakṣiṇakālī, by the memory of which one realizes the state of Śiva: she has a dreadful mouth and she is wrathful, with loose hair and four arms; Dakṣinakālī has a divine form and she is adorned with a garland of skulls; with the lower left hand she holds a freshly cut human head and with the upper one a curved sword (khaḍga), while with the lower right hand she shows the abhayamudrā and with the upper one the varadamudrā; she is dark as a dense cloud and naked (digambarā, lit. "having

¹⁵⁷ The text says “ten thousand and ten” (sahasradaśa).

space as a garment"); around her neck she wears a garland of skulls from which blood drips down, covering her body; from her ears, the terrible corpses of children hang as ornaments; her mouth is terrifying, with dreadful fangs, and her breasts are corpulent and high; she wears a girdle made from the hands of corpses tied together; she is smiling, and from the borders of the mouth blood drips down, making her lips glitter; her voice is dreadful; she is very wrathful and she resides in the cremation ground (vv.87-92).

The next dhyāna is probably of Tripurasundarī: she is as radiant as the rising sun, she has three eyes and a gentle smile emerges on her face; she is adorned by a digit of moon and by many flowers with bees; her forehead is marked by a paste made of the hibiscus flower and her breasts are generous; with her lotus-shaped hands she holds a pāśa, an aṅkuśa, a bow made of bamboo and arrows of flowers (v. 93).

Bhuvaneśvarī is then described as resembling a bandhūka blossom; she has three eyes and a half-moon on the crown of her head; she holds a vessel made of gems (ratnapātra) with her left hand and a lotus (padma) with her right one; she has prominent breasts (stanonnatām) (v. 94).

Vartālī stands on a dead body, which lies on the pericarp of a red lotus; around her neck she wears a muṇḍamālā and she is blue of colour (nīlābhā); with her hands she shows the abhayamudrā and the varamudrā, and wields a mace (muśala) and a blade (phala); she has a boar's face, prominent breasts (tuṅgakucāṃ) and three most excellent reddish eyes (vv.95-96).

Then, Svapnavārāhī is to be meditated upon as being dark as a dense cloud (ghanaśyāmām), with three eyes and prominent breasts (unnatastanīm); she has a boar's face and on her forehead is the moon; she bears the earth on her tusk; with the right hands she holds both khaḍga and aṅkuśa, and with the left ones she bears pāśa and a shield (carma); she stands on a horse and she is adorned with many ornaments (vv.97-98).

The Fire Deities (agnidevatāḥ) are then described as having blazing hair and mouths, with fearful teeth; they ward against fear; these deities are born from the senses (indriyotpannāḥ) and are said to be looking upwards; they stay at the feet of beings, and they have crooked faces (vv.99-100').

Lokeśvarī is pictured with a gentle stare. She is sitting on a white lotus atop a lion; she stands below a golden wish-fulfilling tree (kalpataru) between fallen branches made of jewels; she is adorned with earrings of precious gems, beautiful bracelets, a charming crown and anklets; she holds two lotuses, a pāṣa, an aṅkuśa, an ikṣu, a bow, a shield (śarāsane), and arrows of flowers (puṣpabāṇāṃśca), and makes both varamudrā and abhayamudrā; she is shining as gold and she is surrounded by seven youthful lady-messengers, who hold a fly-whisk (cāmara),^[6] a mirror, betel leaf (tāmbūla) and a jar (kalaṣa) (vv.100"-105').

Kaumārī holds a spear (śakti) and a sacrificial ladle (sruk), and makes varamudrā and abhayamudrā; she resembles a bandhūka flower; she has a peacock as her eemblem and she wears a red dress; she stands below a Ficus tree (uḍumbara), and her upper garment is yellow; she is beautiful and she is adorned with various ornaments (vv.105"-106).

Mahākālī is extremely wrathful; she has five faces, each one with three eyes; with her right and left hands she carries a śakti, a śūla, a bow (dhanu), a bāṇa, a club (kheṭa) and a khaḍga, and makes varamudrā and abhayamūdrā; she is adorned by serpents (vv.107-108').

Nīlavārāhikā stands on a dead body and she holds with her four hands a karttṛ, a kapāla, a vaṣaka and a triśūla; she wears a garland of skulls and has three eyes (vv.108"-109).

Jyeṣṭalakṣmī is described as reddish, with a reddish dress and standing on a lotus; her eyes are like kuṅkuma and her limbs are anointed; her eyes are as open as a blooming lotus; her mouth shows a gentle smile; she holds a jar full of ambrosia and another full of money, a sṛṇī (an elephant-goad) and a pāśa (vv.110-111).

Sundarīkālī is depicted as the Goddess Bālā: she is shining as the disk of a newly-risen sun, she has three eyes, and with her four arms she holds a pāśa, an aṅkuśa, a bow and arrows; she is herself Lalitā and she is the chief of the thirty-three kror gods (112-113).

Then Siddhikālī is described: her limbs are bathed by the ambrosia which flows from the lunar disk which has been cut open by a sword; she has three eyes; with her left hand she holds a kapāla and she drinks the blood which falls from it; she has loose hair; she wear a chained girdle and a diadem of precious stones; her tongue is blazing and she resembles a water blue utpala (Nymphaea); her ears are adorned by the sun and the moon; she stays in the ālīḍha posture^[7] (v. 114).

Nīśākālī is visualized as being black of colour, having four hands and being adorned by a garland of skulls; with her two right hands she holds a khaḍga and two blue lotuses while with the left ones she bears a karttṛ and a skull (kharpara); on her head^[8] she has two jaṭas, one touching the sky (dyāṃlikhantī);^[9] she wears two garlands, one on her head and one around her neck; on her chest she wears a charming snake; her eyes are red; she wears a black garment and on the hip she bears a tiger skin; she is in union with Śiva;^[10] she stands with her left foot on the heart of a dead body and with her right on the back of the lion; her tongue lolls out; she is wrathful, with a loud laughter and with a dreadful voice (vv.115-119).

Guhyakālī shines like a dense cloud and she wears black clothes; she is lolling her tongue; she has dreadful fangs, sunken eyes and she is smiling; her breasts are adorned by a charming serpent and her head is embellished with a half-moon; she has one jaṭa which touches the sky; the serpent Ananta with a thousand hoods protects her head; she is surrounded by serpents in every direction; Takṣaka, the prince of the nagas, adorns her left wrist, and on her right wrist the god of nagas Ananta is her bracelet; she wears anklets made of precious gems; she has two arms and a serpent as sacred thread; her ears are adorned with earrings made of human corpses; she is gentle and she has a kind face; she is bedecked by the nine precious stones; as the wife of Śiva, she is followed by Nārada and the other ṛṣis; she is very wrathful, and has a loud laugh; she fulfills every desire of the sādhaka (practitioner) (vv.120-127).

Again Dakṣiṇakālī is described with the above mentioned dhyāna; in addition, it is said that the Goddess has large teeth and loose hair spreading out to the right; she is standing on the heart of Mahādeva who took the form of a dead body; she is surrounded by Śivās^[11] roaring in every direction; she has a gentle and pleased face and her mouth, akin to a lotus, is smiling; in this way the Goddess who resides in the cremation ground should be contemplated (vv.128-134).

The last dhyāna is of Kālī: she has dark limbs, large teeth and a lolling tongue; she has jaṭas and she holds a muṇḍa and a glittering scimitar; she is dreadful and she stands on a corpse (v. 135).

The chapter ends with some indications on the use of the mantra of Mahākālī, with the dhyānā mentioned above (vv.136-143).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

We couldn’t identify the Goddess; the text calls her Raudrī (the “Dreadful One”) and Kuleśvarī (“the Mistress of Kula”), but these might refer to her qualities and not specifically to her name. Professor Shitala Upadhyaya suggested that it might be a dhyāna of Tārā.

[2]:

The gods Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Īśa and Sadāśiva form the seat of the Goddess and are together called “pañcapreta”.

[3]:

Maybe here should be read “together with a noose and a stick” (pāśadordaṇḍasahitā).

[4]:

The word “vaktra” means more “face”, or “mouth” than “head”; maybe it has been mistaken for “cakra”, which indicates a “disc”, i.e. a sharp circular projectile weapon.

[5]:

The text says “ten thousand and ten” (sahasradaśa).

[6]:

A fly whisk made from a yak's tail, a symbol of royalty.

[7]:

The ālīḍha posture is with the right leg forward and the left leg drawn back.

[8]:

The Vārāhī Tantra mentions two heads (śirasādvayaṃ), while in the Viśvasāratantra only one head is mentioned (śirasā svayaṃ). We chose the Viśvasāratantra version.

[9]:

We kept here the version of the Viśvasāratantra, while in Vārāhī Tantra is said “maunikhantī” (lit. “piercing the ones who have take vow of silence”), the meaning of which is not clear.

[10]:

Or, as it is said in manuscript kha. and in the Viśvasāratantra, "she is in union with Buddha (Jinasamānvitā)".

[11]:

Śivās are the attendants of the Goddess. This could also mean that she is surrounded by jackals.