colour and hold a skull and a lotus. Some authorities like the Silpasangraha state that as representing the active energy of Brahmā, Mahēsvara, Kumāra, Vishnu, etc., they have the same vehicles as their lords and hold the same weapons. Brāhmī (also called Brahmānī) consequently has four faces, six arms [1] and the swan vehicle, and she is of yellow hue. Māhēsvarī (Bhairavī) rides on a bull, has five faces, three eyes and ten arms, and is decorated with the crescent. Kaumārī has six faces and twelve arms and rides on a peacock. Vaishnavī is of blue colour and rides on Garuda, has six arms and the garland of flowers called vanamālā (peculiar to Vishnu). Vārāhī has the face of a sow, [2] is black in colour, has a big protruding belly and rides on a buffalo. [3] Māhēndrī (Indrānī) has a thousand eyes, like her consort Indra, is of pleasing appearance and of golden hue, and rides on an elephant. She has apparently also six arms and displays the symbols varada, noose and thunderbolt in her right arms and the abhaya, vessel and lotus in her left. Chāmundā [4] is black and fearful with protruding teeth, long tongue, erect hair, emaciated body, sunken red eyes and a withered belly. It is stated that she can change her appearance at will. She rides on a corpse, wears a garland of skulls and has jewels of serpents. In her ten arms she holds the shield, noose, bow, staff and spear on the left side, and the pestle, disc, fly-whisk, goad and sword on the right. The Mayamata adds that she wears a tiger's skin, has red hair glowing like fire, and the banner of a kite. She may have four, eight or ten hands. According to the same authority these Seven Mothers are to be flanked by Vīrabhadra and Vināyaka on either side (fig. 122). In front of the Saptamātrikās the god Siva may be seated on a lotus flower under the banyan tree Some of these goddesses are
- ↑ The illustration in the Ellura Cave Temples shows only four hands.
- ↑ In the panel of Saptamātrikās (ibid, Plate XXXIV, No. l) Vārāhī is represented with a fine human face and the usual ornaments but has the sow-vehicle. In No. 3 on the same plate, however, the goddess has the face of a sow.
- ↑ The Silpasangraha says that Vārāhi was born of Yāma, the God of Death. According to Hēmadri the goddess Yāmyā, evidently identical with Vārāhi, rides on the buffalo, holds a staff and drinks blood from a skull. Three other goddesses with sow-face are mentioned in the Lalitōpākhyāna and the Vārāhikalpa. Dandanātha-Vārāhi is one, seated on the golden lotus. She has eight arms and a staff by her side. Svapna-Vārāhi has the gleaming tusks of a sow and four arms. She rides on a horse. Suddha- Varahi has also tusks and four arms. It may be noted that Bārtālī (Battālī) is a Buddhist goddess of similar description, sometimes also referred to in the Hindu Tantras (Mayūrabhanja, Introduction, p. xcv).
- ↑ This image has perhaps to be distinguished from Mahishāsuramardini Chāmundā described below.
