Table Of Content
What is one to make of a group of
goddesses that includes a goddess who
cuts her own head off, a goddess who sits
on a corpse while pulling the tongue of a
demon, or a goddess who prefers sex with
corpses? Tantric Visions of the Divine
Feminine deals with a group of ten Hindu
, tantric goddesses, the Mahavidyas, who
embody habits, attributes, or identities
usually considered repulsive or socially
subversive. It is within the context of
tantric worship that devotees seek to
identify themselves with these forbidding
goddesses. The Mahavidyas seem to
function as "awakeners"—symbols that
help to project one's consciousness
beyond the socially acceptable or predict
able.
Kinsley not only describes the eccen
tric qualities of each of these goddesses,
but seeks to interpret the Mahavidyas as a
group and to explain their importance
for understanding Tantra and the Hindu
tradition.
This is a far-ranging and impressively
comprehensive book... Kinsley's book will
set a new standard for the kind of
thorough scholarship that can and ideally
should be brought to bear upon the
interpretation of Hindu goddesses and
Tantric deities."
MIRANDA SHAW
"A wonderful study of these fascinating
and colorful goddessess...Readable and
engaging...this is a very important work."
KATHLEEN ERNDL
ISBN: 81-208-1522-x (Cloth) Rs. 295
ISBN: 81-208-1523-8 (Paper) Rs. 195
Tantric Visions
of the Divine
Feminine
The Ten Mahavidyas
DAVID K I N S L EY
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS
PRIVATE LIMITED • DELHI
This page intentionaly left blank
First Indian Edition: Delhi, 1998
© 1997 The Regents of the University of California
Published by arrangement with the University of California Press
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 81-208-1522-x (Cloth)
ISBN: 81-208-1523-8 (Paper)
Abo available at:
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This edition may not be sold outside India,
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PRINTED IN INDIA
BY JAINENDRA PRAKASH JAIN AT SHRI JAINENDRA PRESS,
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AND PUBLISHED BY NARENDRA PRAKASH JAIN FOR
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PRIVATE LIMITED,
BUNGALOW ROAD, DELHI 110 007
To my friends and teachers
Om Prakash Sharma and Virendra Singh
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
Introduction i
PART I. THE MAHAVIDYAS AS A GROUP
The Ten Mahavidyas 9; Typical Literary and Iconographic
Contexts 14; The Mahavidyas as Forms of the Mahadevi 18;
Mahavidya Origin Myths 22; Interrelationships among the
Mahavidyas 38; Worship of the Mahavidyas 49; The
Mahavidyas and Magical Powers 55; The Significance of the
Term Mahavidya 57; Concluding Observations 61
PART II. THE INDIVIDUAL MAHAVIDYAS
Kali: The Black Goddess 67
Tara: The Goddess Who Guides through Troubles 92
Tripura-sundari: She Who Is Lovely in the Three Worlds 112
Bhuvanesvari: She Whose Body Is the World 129
Chinnamasta: The Self-Decapitated Goddess 144
Bhairavi: The Fierce One 167
Dhumavati: The Widow Goddess 176
Bagalamukhl: The Paralyzer 193
Vlll CONTENTS
Matarigi: The Outcaste Goddess 209
Kamala: The Lotus Goddess 223
PART III. CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS
Corpses and Cremation Grounds 233; Skulls and Severed
Heads 238; Sexuality and Awakened Consciousness 241; The
Conjunction of Death and Sexual Imagery 244; The Roles of
Women and Reverence for Women 246; The Potentially
Liberating Nature of Social Antimodels 251
NOTES 253
GLOSSARY
BIBLIOGRAPHY 289
INDEX 299
Acknowledgments
I first became aware of the group of Hindu goddesses
known as the ten Mahavidyas while conducting research on the goddess
Kali in Calcutta during the academic year 1968-69. Kali is nearly always
listed as the first of this group of ten unusual goddesses and in many ways
is the exemplary Mahavidya. It was not until 1983-84 in Varanasi, how
ever, that I began to undertake detailed research on this group. With the
help of a fellowship from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council, I investigated literary sources and did field research
on Mahavidya temples, iconography, and worship. I returned to Varanasi
in 1992-93 to continue my research, this time with the help of a grant
from McMaster University Arts Research Board.
During my research in Varanasi I was fortunate to have the assistance
of many people. Om Prakash Sharma was indispensable in helping me
locate several Mahavidya temples and paintings, putting me in touch with
many knowledgeable people, and finding relevant texts. Virendra Singh,
who patiently attempted to teach me Hindi, was always encouraging about
my work. Mahant Sri Rama Shankar Tripathi of the Kashi Vishvanath
temple held frequent useful discussions with me during 1983-84 and
translated several relevant Sanskrit texts about the Mahavidyas for me.
Hemendra Nath Chakravarty was especially important in helping me think
through the meaning of several of the Mahavidyas and in locating and
translating for me several crucial passages relating to the Mahavidyas as
a group and to individual Mahavidyas. I also appreciated the many dis
cussions I had with Mark Dyczkowski at his home overlooking Assi Ghat.
I remember these chats as a pleasant blend of sober scholarly inquiry and
