The Saptamatrkas, An Exploration of Narratives Part 1
This article is an exploration into the tradition of the Saptamatrkas - the mother-like goddesses who hold symbolic relevance in both worship and Indian sculptural art.
From the narratives across the Puranas, Tantra-shastras, Yoga and folk cultures, one derives a multifaceted understanding of the nature and functions of the Saptamatrkas. At the center lies the narrative of evolving consciousness.
The 7 mother-like goddesses trace their origins to the Puranas and the Devi Mahatmya, where they emerge as Shaktis from their male counterparts as ferocious aids in divine battles. In the Devi Mahatmyam they emerge to aid Mahadevi in her battle against the demons, Shumbha and Nishumbha, while according to another popular legend this happens when Shiva is battling the dreadful Andhakasura. Nevertheless, the Matrkas are the inherent Shaktis of these Devatas, yet remain independently powerful.
- Brahmani - from Brahma
- Vaishnavi - from Vishnu
- Maheshwari - from Maheshwara
- Kaumari - from Skanda or Karthikeya
- Varahi - from Varaha
- Indrani - from Indra
- And Chamunda who personifies the primordial feminine principle.
In another ancient tribal tradition called the Balagraha and in references from the Mahabharata as well, the Matrkas are curiously seen as terrifying female forces whose mission is to harm children and other beings. They are symbolic of the destructive, primal and untamed essence of Prakriti.
With continuous evolution over the Kushana and Gupta periods and growing prominence of Skanda or Karthikeya who eventually accords the Saptamatrkas the position of being his foster mothers, the Saptamatrkas acquire greater importance in the artistic and spiritual realms.
In sculpture, the Matrkas are depicted as nurturing figures with great emotional depth, where their weapons symbolize the protective destruction they are capable of. They are usually flanked on either side by Karthikeya and Shiva as Virabhadra. Interestingly, the Brihat-Samhita gives detailed descriptions of how the Matrkas must be sculpted similar to their male counterparts.
With the expansion of Tantra and concretization of Shakta philosophy, the Matrkas have assumed a central position as creative energies of Shakti and protectors of Sadhakas of Tantra and Yoga. Particularly, in the Sri Vidya tradition they are seen as guardians of the Sri Chakra and remove the obstructions caused by the eight enemies such as anger, delusion, desire and so on for the Sadhaka who worships them with devotion and seeks to attain the Divine.
In the Yogic tradition, each Matrka represents the continuous refinement of a Sadhaka’s consciousness as he moves from one Chakra to the next, finally reaching the Sahasrara whereby he gains the goal of every Yogi.
Next we come to a fascinating link between the Saptamatrkas and the evolution of language. While Kashmiri Shaiva tradition tells us that the Matrkas are the creative energy that binds all words and symbols together in the form of language. They are the subtle force behind thought and words and we must release ourselves from the bindings of the material realm to recognize the force that supports it all.
Lakshmi Tantra, a tantric text tells us that a Matrka is the power of sound in the cosmos and manifests as the letters of the alphabet while Shakta tradition links each Matrka to each of the seven bijas or seed sounds of the universe.
Matrkas are thus both feared and revered. They represent the center point in a tapestry that weaves together the regional and the universal, the fearsome and the benevolent, the destroyer and the nurturer, the masculine and feminine, the artistic and the spiritual and the creative and sustaining forces.
Who is Brahmani?
As the first Matrka, she is the Shakti of Brahma, therefore symbolizing creation. She rides the celestial swan and she is golden in complexion. She carries the kamandalu and akshamala in two hands with the other two in Varada and Abhaya mudra. Adorned in the pitambara, various ornaments and the Karana Mukuta, she is seated under the Palasha tree upon a red lotus.
In the Tantric tradition, the Matrkas are associated with the eight inauspicious emotions that a Sadhaka must overcome in his pursuit of wisdom. Brahmani rules over desire, the very seed of all other emotions a seeker experiences. When a sadhaka worships her, he receives the ability to regulate and then neutralize his desires and effectively his volatile relationship with the material world. In the Khadgamala tradition of Srividya where they guard the City of Tripura with Brahmani in the West.
In Yogic tradition, her energy is concentrated in the Sahasrara Chakra. She then becomes that aspect of the Mother Goddess who liberates the sadhaka as well veils his power to knowledge through her creation and its deluding nature.
We also find each Matrka ruling each of the Sapta-dhatus that provide nourishment and growth to our psycho-somatic structures as per the Ayurvedic tradition. Brahmani is the energy that rules over rasa dhatu which is that fluid which circulates essential nutrients and hormones through the body and is formed from the essence of the food that we take in.
We earlier saw that the force of the Matrikas manifests as letters of the alphabet as per the Lakshmi Tantra. The letters are thus thought to emanate from Matrika-Shakti. According to the devanagari script, Brahmani is associated with the ka-varga out of the seven consonant groups.
Interestingly, Verse 13 to 21 of the Narayani Stuti that we find in Chapter 11 of the Devi Mahatmyam is dedicated to praise of the Saptamatrkas as seven aspects of Shri Narayani, the all-pervading Mother. Devi Brahmani here is praised as the radiant one who rides the celestial chariot yoked by pure, white swans thus representing the brilliance of a discriminative intellect that can help us overcome the overpowering nature of desires.
Thus, if we take a look at each symbolism of Brahmani, it is clearly related to the creative, nourishing and even liberating aspects of the Divine Shakti.
She is the Shakti of Vishnu and therefore the embodiment of creative sustenance. Adorned in bright yellow garments and ornaments identical to those of Vishnu's, she rides the mighty Garuda. Two of her hands carry the Shankha and Chakra and two are in the Abhaya and Varada Mudra.
On her banner too resides Shri Garuda and the kirita-mukuta adorns her head while her neck sports the beautiful Vanamala that is Mahavishnu’s characteristic. When we speak about the symbolism of the cyclic process of creation and destruction we have, Vaishnavi is the preserver. In the sculpting of the Saptamtrikas too, she is in the center flanked on two sides by three Matrikas each.
As per Tantra-shastras, Vaishnavi rules over moha or delusion which obstructs the seeker’s vision of reality. Her energy sustains this fascinating creation and keeps us glued to its plays in our lives. However, when a Sadhaka worships her, she bestows upon him the grace that breaks all delusion and rips away the attachments it causes. When Brahmani destroys desire and Vaishnavi breaks our delusion, two most powerful obstacles are cleared in the seeker’s journey to the Divine Mother - Shri Lalita Ambika.
According to the Yogic tradition, she rules over the Anahata Chakra and her energy pervades up to the Muladhara. This is where the three upper and three lower chakras meet. Here she bestows great spiritual prowess upon the seeker. Only, he needs to be prepared and earnest in order to enter the dimension of the Anahata. For this once again, the quality of discerning between what is real and unreal is essential. Only then delusion ends!
In Ayurveda, Devi Vashnavi rules over medha or fat which is the source of nourishment and protection from wear and tear for the body. It also incorporates the stabilizing and grounding aspects of earth alongside the fluidity of water which sustains the living being.
In the alphabets of the Devanagari, Vaishnavi is associated with the Tha-varga and she guards the city of Tripura in the south.
Devi Vaishnavi is thus the embodiment of abundance and sustenance like Devi Mahalakshmi and in the Narayani Stuti, she is hailed as the most excellent and abundant one, sporting the glorious shankha, chakra, the mace and the dhanu.
Authored by Lakshmi Sivaraman. Published by Brhat.