"Shakti is both Maya, that by which the Brahman creating the universe is able to make itself appear to be different from what it really is, and mula prakriti, or the unmanifested state of that which, when manifest, is the universe of name and form." - Introduction to the Mahanirvana Tantra, Sir John Woodroffe.
There is no Shiva without Shakti nor Shakti without Shiva. She has different
name-adjectives but still remains herself, though taking different forms according
to the preponderance of the three qualities. Here you will find
yantra, tantra, dhyana and puja relating to different aspects of the Devi.
Dakshina Kalika is the most famous of the tantrik Devis and first
of the ten Mahavidyas. She is viewed with fear by the ignorant but with love by those
who wish to conquer their fears. View her
yantra, see the first chapter of the
Kulachudamani Tantra. See the Kali Nitya Yantras with
descriptions and mantras. Read about Vira Sadhana from the Brihad Nila Tantra.
Study the Kali Hridayam hymn. You can also
download chapters of The Magic of Kali in Adobe Acrobat format from this site.
The Triple Goddess. Lalita (Tripurasundari) has three aspects
as virgin (Bala), mother (Tripurasundari) and crone (Tripura Bhairavi) and is the waxing Moon
as Kali is the waning Moon. She represents love and sexuality while Kali
represents death. Read the Bhavana Upanishad and the
ritual application of the words. Lalita means "She who Plays". She dwells on
a paradise island in a sea of nectar. Her yantra is
the famous Shri Yantra, which has
nine mandalas. See her daily puja.Or view her 15
Nityas. View the Five Limbs of Bala, containing mantra, puja, amulet, 1,000 names and hymn. Turn
to Mahashodha Nyasa, a translation of the great ritual which equates time with a sadhvini or a sadhaka. And here you
will find a translation of the great Subhagodaya, which gives the daily
puja of 108 Lalita Tripurasundari.
The Goddess Jvalamukhi. While Kali is dark and Lalita
is bright, Jvalamukhi is both and neither. Surrounded by Her 10 flames, the
kalas of Fire, She unites the two and is the Devi of the sadhus, the goddess
21,600. Turn to her
yantra.
Mahavidya Bagalamukhi. The crane-headed devi is a cruel
(krura) aspect of the goddess and this hymn is used to paralyse the prattling
speech of enemies, or disconnected parts of the psycho-physical complex.
The Goddess Varahi. This devi (goddess) is an aspect
of Tripurasundari. In the Tantrarajatantra, Kurukulla is the mother of
the devi while Varahi is the father aspect.
Goddess Shoshika. This goddess obliterates waste left
at the end of puja.She is also known as Ucchishta Chandali and is
worshipped as such by adherents of Shri Vidya.
Goddess Chinnamasta. Her name means "beheaded" and
she is the fifth of the famous ten Mahavidyas.
Artwork is © John Falgate, 1996. Translations are © Mike Magee 1995. For more information, send e-mail to ac70@cityscape.co.uk