Chhinnamasta as depicted on a book cover In Hinduism, Chinnamasta (also called Chinnamastaka, is one of the mahavidyas, and an aspect of Devi. The literal meaning of the word Chinnamasta is one with a severed head. She is traditionally portrayed as a naked or scantly dressed woman astride the bodies, in intimate position, of Kama (Hindu god of love and sexual lust), and his wife Rati. Chinnamasta, having severed her own head with her own sword, holds her severed head on one of her hands. Three jets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck, and one streams into her own mouth of her severed head, while the other two streams into the mouths of her two female associates. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixels Full resolution (1000 × 1500 pixel, file size: 219 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Goddess Chhinnamasta depicted on the cover of a book named Hindu Goddesses:Visine of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Reigious Tradition (ISBN 8120803795) - the...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixels Full resolution (1000 × 1500 pixel, file size: 219 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Goddess Chhinnamasta depicted on the cover of a book named Hindu Goddesses:Visine of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Reigious Tradition (ISBN 8120803795) - the...
Hinduism (known as in some modern Indian languages[1]) is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ...
In Hinduism, the ten mahavidyas (Great Wisdoms) are aspects of Devi. ...
For other uses see Devi (disambiguation). ...
Kama may refer to several things Kama, a Hindu god, the God of Love, son of Lakshmi. ...
This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ...
In Hinduism, Rati is the goddess of passion and lust, and a daughter of Daksha. ...
She is the goddess of courage and discernment.
Origin It is said that one day Parvati went to bathe in the Mandakini River with her two attendants, Jaya and Vijaya. After bathing, the great goddess's color became black because she was sexually aroused. After some time, her two attendants asked her, "Give us some food. We are hungry." She replied, "I shall give you food but please wait." After awhile, again they asked her. She replied, "Please wait, I am thinking about some matters." Waiting awhile, they implored her, "You are the mother of the universe. A child asks everything from her mother. The mother gives her children not only food but also coverings for the body. So that is why we are praying to you for food. You are known for your mercy; please give us food." Hearing this, the consort of Shiva told them that she would give anything when they reached home. But again her two attendants begged her, "We are overpowered with hunger, O Mother of the Universe. Give us food so we may be satisfied, O Merciful One, Bestower of Boons and Fulfiller of Desires." To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...
Mandakini (Hindi मंदाकिनी) (born 1969, as Janki Roy) is a former Bollywood actress. ...
Hearing this true statement, the merciful goddess smiled and severed her own head. As soon as she severed her head, it fell on the palm of her left hand. Three bloodstreams emerged from her throat; the left and right fell respectively into the mouths of her flanking attendants and the center one fell into her mouth.
After performing this, all were satisfied and later returned home. (From this act) Parvati became known as Chinnamasta.
Symbolism In visual imagery, Chinnamasta is shown standing on the copulating couple of Kamadeva and Rati, with Rati on the top. They are shown lying on a lotus. In Hinduism, Kamadeva (Kama - carnal pleasure, deva - god), also known just as Kama(The love) and Ananga (the bodyless), is the god of love and a son of Lakshmi. ...
In Hinduism, Rati is the goddess of passion and lust, and a daughter of Daksha. ...
There are two different interpretations of this aspect of Chinnamasta's iconography. One understands it as a symbol of control of sexual desire, the other as a symbol of the goddess's embodiment of sexual energy.
The most common interpretation is one where she is believed to be defeating what Kamadeva and Rati represent, namely sexual desire and energy. In this school of thought she signifies self-control, believed to be the hallmark of a successful yogi.
The other, quite different interpretation states that the presence of the copulating couple is a symbol of the goddess being charged by their sexual energy. Just as a lotus seat is believed to confer upon the deity seated atop its qualities of auspiciousness and purity, Kamadeva and Rati impart to the Goddess standing over them the power and energy generated by their lovemaking. Gushing up through her body, this energy spouts out of her headless torso to feed her devotees and also replenish herself. Significantly here the mating couple is not opposed to the goddess, but an integral part of the rhythmic flow of energy making up the Chinnamasta icon.
The image of Chinnamasta is a composite one, conveying reality as an amalgamation of sex, death, creation, destruction and regeneration. It is stunning representation of the fact that life, sex, and death are an intrinsic part of the grand unified scheme that makes up the manifested universe. The stark contrasts in this iconographic scenario-the gruesome decapitation, the copulating couple, the drinking of fresh blood, all arranged in a delicate, harmonious pattern - jolt the viewer into an awareness of the truths that life feeds on death, is nourished by death, and necessitates death and that the ultimate destiny of sex is to perpetuate more life, which in turn will decay and die in order to feed more life. As arranged in most renditions of the icon, the lotus and the pairing couple appear to channel a powerful life force into the goddess. The couple enjoying sex convey an insistent, vital urge to the goddess; they seem to pump her with energy. And at the top, like an overflowing fountain, her blood spurts from her severed neck, the life force leaving her, but streaming into the mouths of her devotees (and into her own mouth as well) to nourish and sustain them. The cycle is starkly portrayed: life (the couple making love), death (the decapitated goddess), and nourishment (the flanking yoginis drinking her blood). Lotus has many definitions. ...
The most famous temple of Chinnamasta is at Rajrappa, located in the Indian state of Jharkhand, and the place is one of the Shakti Peethas.Chinna Masta is Great Rajrappa is a project under Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited. ...
India is subdivided into twenty-eight states and seven union territories; the states and territories are themselves further subdivided. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The Shakti Peethas (places of strength) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. ...
See also Goddesses are an integral part of Hinduism, and the worship of goddesses is a significant aspect of Hindu religion. ...
Vajrayogini or Vajravarahi (Tibetan: dor je phag mo, English: the Vajra Sow) is a tantric Buddhist deity whose sadhana (practice) originated in India between the 10th and 12th century. ...
Medusa, by Arnold Böcklin (1878) In Greek mythology, Medusa (Greek: ÎœÎδουσα, Médousa, guardian, protectress[1]), was a monstrous chthonic female character, essentially an extension of an apotropaic mask, gazing upon whom could turn onlookers to stone. ...
References - Hindu Goddesses:Visine of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Reigious Tradition (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David Kinsley
- The Mahavidya Chinnamasta
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