The ten Mahavidyas are the Tantric forms of Adi Shakti, they cannot be worshipped by us without Diksha from Guru. Their sadhna requires initiation. But we can obviously talk about her forms. It is also said that Goddess Sati (the previous incarnation of Bhavani) showed her 10 forms to Shiva.
These tantric forms of Shakti are 👇
- Mahakali
Mahakali is the absolute raw and unfiltered form of Adi Shakti. She is the first Mahavidya because she is that naked truth which cannot adored and accepted by everyone. Perhaps none other form of the Ultimate Power is as intense as Kali, the unstoppable force. In order to calm her most intense energy, Bhagwan Shiva had to lie down beneath her. Shiva represents that static consciousness, stillness that holds Shakti, the dynamic, intense raw force.
Her consort is Mahakaal, the Ultimate Consciousness, the one who is beyond the concept of time, space everything, the Parabrahman.
Rest 9 Mahavidyas are also Goddess Kali along with associated forms of Shiva, they are inseparable from the Adya Kali and Mahakaal but in different forms. Some of those forms are very gentle while some fierce like her Kali form.
2. Tara
The second Mahavidya is Tara, she looks very much like Kali, but slightly calmer. She is often depicted with scissors ✂️ in her hand as it represents that Maa Tara cuts the problems of her devotees.
Here Tara in the image she is shown standing on a devotee who is the state of a corpse, she standing on a corpse depict the mastery over death, fear and ego. She is also known Tarini, the one who guides the devotees across the ocean of existence (sansaar) 🌊 and she cuts away the attachments and illusions.
Tara’s connection with Samudra Manthan
Tara is often associated with the story of Samudra Manthan where Shiva consumed the poison in order to save everyone.
Goddess Parvati then held God Shiva’s throat because while Shiva was saving the material creation, his body itself had the Universe within (the connection of internal and external world). So Shiva got the name Neelkantha (the God with blue throat) depicting that the poison is situated there, the throat is somewhat like an empty space or void.
It is a bit like the black hole sort out..
Despite Shiva being eternal, he was doing the play (lila) and so the intensity of the Halahal poison caused a lot of heat in his body and to calm that heat, the Great Goddess took the form Tara and showed motherly affection to her consort Shiva.
In fact, some traditions also mention that Shiva himself liked that kind of love from his Shakti that he turned into a child. This depiction shows Tara like a mother rather than the wife of Shiva. Bhagwan Shiva being unborn and eternal God, he doesn’t have parents and so his consort is fully capable of providing him that affection whenever Shiva wants.
In fact, Batuk Bhairava is also a child form of Shiva where he enjoys the motherly affection of his own Shakti (Kali) rather than acting as her husband in that particular form. So Tara is full of motherly love for everyone.
Though Shiva being the eternal consort of Shakti is known as Akshobhya Bhairava with Maa Tara. Maa Tara is also known as Neel Saraswati, the blue coloured Goddess Parvati who is like Saraswati.
In some traditions, Goddess Tara is also associated with Uchhishta Ganapati (not her son Ganpati) but the Tantric manifestation of Shiva the Ultimate Consciousness who is like Ganapati.
3. Lalita Tripurasundari
The third among Mahavidyas, Lalita is a completely different version of Kali. Usually Kali is depicted in a very aggressive form, Tara too is many a times shown as Ugra. But Lalita Tripurasundari is the sweetest form of the same Adi Shakti.
Lalita means playful, the entire creation is Shakti’s play with her consort Kameshwar Mahadev. Tripurasundari means the one who is the most beautiful in the three worlds. The source of entire beauty is Lalita Tripurasundari. She can be understood as the depiction of the very own inner beauty of Adya Shakti.
Her form is so attractive that it captivates the Param Vairagi Shiva, so much so that Jagatguru Adi Shankaracharya wrote “Saundarya Lahiri” on her, which means the ocean of beauty.
She is known as Rajrajeshwari, the Ultimate Queen of the entire creation where all the deities be male or female forms (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Ganesh, Kartikeya, Lakshmi, Saraswati etc.) are shown as her devotees, and Sadashiva himself serves as her aasana (seat) upon which she sits and rules.
She is known as Shodashi, who is youthful like a sixteen year old. She holds a sugarcane bow which is the perfect depiction of her sweetness.
In fact, Shiva is in multiple forms with her, as her consort, Kameshwara Mahadeva who is the Ultimate King. Then as Sadashiva, he acts as her throne upon which she sits with him, then as Rudra, Bhairava etc. he serves her and holds her along with other deities.
4. Bhuvneshwari
Goddess Bhuvneshwari is the fourth Mahavidya. She is also a very gentle form of Adi Shakti just like Maa Tripurasundari.
She is depicted with a radiant, smiling face, three eyes, and a crown adorned with the moon.
Her consort is Bhuvneshwar Mahadev, another benevolent form of Shiva.While Goddess Kali represents Time, Bhuvaneshwari represents infinite Space—the stage upon which life and creation unfold.
5. Tripur Bhairavi
Bhairavi is another fierce form of Shakti. As her nature Bhairavi suggests, her consort is Kaal Bhairava, the one who controls Kaal (time and death).
She shines with the brightness of a thousand rising suns, featuring three eyes and a crescent moon on her jeweled crown. She wears red silk garments, has blood-smeared breasts, and wears a garland of severed human heads.
Bhairava and Bhairavi are often associated with the cremation grounds.
6. Chinnamasta
The sixth Mahavidya is Chinnamasta, also known as Chinnamastika. This form of Adi Shakti can be worshipped by almost no one. It requires absolute celibacy, otherwise the person would go crazy with lust. As her form itself depicts her standing on Kamadeva (God of infatuation) and Devi Rati (Goddess of sensual pleasure).
This is a form of sacrifice as it has a story associated with Goddess Parvati cutting her own head to feed her friends Jaya and Vijaya. Her standing on Kama and Rati shows the absolute control over desire and lust. The consort of Chinnamasta is Kabandha Bhairava (a very fierce form of Shiva).
7. Dhumavati
This is the most unique Mahavidya as all other forms of Mahadevi are shown as beautiful or fierce but none of those forms are depicted as old, poor and unattractive. This shows the very other side of life, which is often seen as negative. Dhumavati is depicted like a widow. A story associated with her is that once Sati swallowed Shiva out of hunger (lila obviously) and so her appearance became like this. But then Shiva is eternal, so no problem as such.
Dhumavati sits on a horseless chariot with crows. Her face looks pale unlike other forms where she is depicted as youthful, beautiful or fierce yet radiant and attractive like Kali but this particular form of Kali is very very different. She represents destruction, void and dark aspects of life.
8. Baglamukhi
One of the most active forms of Shakti, the most worshipped Mahavidya in recent times, Baglamukhi. Her original name is said to Valgamukhi. She symbolizes power to control destructive energies and destroy the false speech, and harmful actions. Dressed in a beautiful yellow dress, she is often called Pitambari Devi.
Her consort is Mrityunjaya Shiva, also known as Ekvaktra Mahā Rudra or Ekvaktra Bhairava. Goddess Bagalamukhi, the eighth Mahavidya, known for the power to paralyze, silence, and immobilize enemies.
Her story is associated with Bhagwan Narayan. God Vishnu was once involved in a sadhna, worshipping Goddess Parvati on shore of Haridra Sarovar, the lake of turmeric. However, a great storm was destroying the creation and was disturbing Vishnu in his sadhna, as he is the protection of the world. Soon Goddess Shakti in her manifestation as Bagalamukhi from the lake. Bagalamukhi calmed the storm, restoring order in the universe.
Another story is that once an asura named Madan acquired Vak-siddhi, by which whatever he said came true. He misused it to trouble people and so Bagalamukhi came to stop him. The Goddess grabbed the demon's tongue and immobilized his power.
I was fortunate to visit the temple of Maa Baglamukhi on my 19th birthday back in 2024. The temple situated in Nalkheda, near Ujjain is a very nice temple which is considered as a very very sacred place for Shakti Upasana and Tantric practices. Maa Baglamukhi is there along with Maa Lakshmi and Maa Saraswati.
9. Matangi
Matangi the nine Mahavidya is also sometimes depicted like Saraswati, the Tantric manifestation.
She is that form of Shakti which is also associated with Uchhishta (impure) or left over, it is said that she eats the left over food. This tantric practice breaks the traditional approach of Bhoga where we serve the fresh food or sweet to God and then eat it, but in case of Uchhishta Devi, she consumes the already eaten food.
Her consort is Matanga Bhairava. Some tantric texts mention that the relationship of Shiva and Shakti is very passionate. In that view, the intimacy is considered as a divine force. The love of Shiva and Shakti in Tantra is the blissful union or the sacred romance.
As per one of the stories, once Goddess Parvati took the form of Uchhishta Chandalini or huntress. Even in her fierce form, Shiva the destroyer of Kama was attracted towards her (obviously out of his own will). Bhagwan Shiva then takes up the form of Chandala for Maa Parvati.
10. Kamala
The Tenth Mahavidya Kamala or Kamalatmika is that form of Shakti who is like Goddess Lakshmi, she is depicted in the similar way as Gaja Lakshmi, she has elephants around her. The name Kamala is often associated with Maa Lakshmi.
Her consort is Kamal Bhairava, a form of Sadashiva who is like Vishnu. Basically in Tantra, the non-dual nature of Shiva and Shakti is like that, they themselves take the form of all deities. All male forms are considered as Shiva and all females are considered Parvati. Even several Puranas and Upanishads say that while doing the stuti of Uma Maheshwara.
Sometimes Swarnaksharan Bhairava, also known as Narayan Bhairava, is also considered as her consort. So basically in this view, Bhairava (Shiva) is in the form of Narayan and Bhairavi (Shakti) is in the form of Kamla. Bhairava being called Swarnakarshan itself proves that he is not just the God of Shamshan. He is the Ultimate Provider of wealth, luxury etc.
So Kali being the first Mahavidya, all the nine Mahavidyas are her expansions. All the Mahavidyas are complete and Supreme Adi Shakti.
I mean expansion her doesn't mean that only Kali is Supreme and rest all are Demi Gods and Demi Goddesses like some organizations interpret the term expansion in that way when they talk about some Puranic texts and interpret a particular divine form of Almighty as Supreme Personality of Godhead while other Devas as Demi Gods.. But that is not the case here, this philosophy of Mahavidyas is quite practical and the interpretation done by Tantra experts are very mature, it establishes the non-duality and the greatness of Goddess Kali as the primordial Mahavidya in Kali Kula.
Jai Mahakali 🙏