Chinnamasta Moola Mantra, Upasana And Yantra
Who is Goddess Chhinnamasta:
Chhinnamasta is the sixth of the ten Mahavidya Goddesses and She is known as the self-decapitated Goddess. She is also known as Prachanda Chandika. Chhinnamasta allows the devotee to gain a consciousness that transcends the bonds of physical attachment, the body, and the mind by her self-sacrifice. One interpretation suggests that her three eyes represent the sun, the moon, and fire while another links the third eye to transcendental knowledge.
Chinnamasta Devi has five forms:
vajra vairochani, prachanda chandika, trikaya vajrayogini, chinnamasta and ardhamasta.
Chhinnamasta Origin:
There are several legends about the origin of Goddess Chhinnamasta. However most of them suggest that Goddess beheaded herself due to accomplish a greater and noble cause. The Pranatoshini Tantra (18th century) narrates two tales of Chhinnamasta’s birth.
One legend, attributed to the Narada-pancharatra, tells how once, while bathing in Mandakini river, Parvati becomes excited, and turns black. At the same time, her two female attendants Dakini and Varnini (also called Jaya and Vijaya) become extremely hungry and beg for food. Though Parvati initially promises to give them food once they return home, the merciful goddess beheads herself with her nails and gives her blood to satisfy their hunger. Later, they return home after Parvati rejoins her head.
The other version, from the Pranatoshini Tantra and attributed to Svatantra Tantra, is narrated by Shiva. He recounts that his consort Chandika (identified with Parvati) was engrossed in coitus with him in reverse posture, but became enraged at his seminal emission. Her attendants Dakini and Varnini rose from her body. The rest of the tale is similar to the earlier version, although the river is called Pushpabhadra, the day of Chhinnamasta’s birth is called Viraratri, and upon seeing the pale Parvati, Shiva becomes infuriated and assumes the form of Krodha Bhairava. This version is retold in the Shaktisamgama Tantra (c. 16th century), in which Chhinnamasta forms a triad with Kali and Tara.
An oral legend tells how the goddess Prachanda Chandika appeared to aid the gods in the god-demon war, when the gods prayed to the Great Goddess Mahashakti. After slaying all demons, the enraged goddess cut off her own head and drank her own blood. The name Prachanda Chandika also appears as a synonym of Chhinnamasta in her hundred-name hymn in the Shakta Pramoda (19th century).
Another oral legend relates her to the Samudra manthan (Churning of the Ocean) episode, where the gods and demons churned the milk ocean to acquire the amrita (the elixir of immortality). Chhinnamasta drank the demons’ share of the elixir and then beheaded herself to prevent them from acquiring it.
Chhinnamasta Iconography:
The iconography of Chhinnamasta is fearsome. The self-decapitated Goddess holds her own severed head in one hand and holds a scimitar in the other hand. Three streams of blood spring from her neck, one entering her own mouth, while the others are drunk by her female yogini companions, who flank her.
A decapitated, red-complexioned, nude woman stands on a copulating couple inside a large lotus. She holds her severed head and a scissor-like weapon. Three streams of blood from her neck feed her head and two blue-coloured nude women holding a scissor-like object and a skull-cup, who flank her. All three stand above a copulating couple.
Both of the attendants Dakini to her left and Varnini to her right are depicted nude, with matted or dishevelled hair, three-eyed, full-breasted, wearing the serpentine sacred thread and the mundamala, and carrying the skull-bowl in the left hand and the knife in the right. Sometimes, the attendants also hold severed heads (not their own). While Dakini is fair, Varnini is red-complexioned. In other depictions, both are depicted blue-grey. Sometimes, her attendants are depicted as skeletons and drinking the dripping blood from Chhinnamasta’s severed head, rather than her neck.The attendants are absent in some depictions.
With her right leg held straight and her left leg bent a little , Chhinnamasta stands in a fighting posture on the love-deity couple of Kamadeva a symbol of love/lust and his wife Rati, who are engaged in copulation with the latter usually on the top. Kamadeva is generally blue-complexioned, while Rati is white. Below the couple is a lotus with an inverted triangle, and in the background is a cremation ground.The Chhinnamasta Tantra describes the goddess sitting on the couple, rather than standing on them.Sometimes, Kamadeva-Rati is replaced by the divine couple of Krishna and Radha.
The lotus beneath the couple is sometimes replaced by a cremation pyre. The coupling couple is sometimes omitted entirely. Sometimes Shiva the goddess’s consort is depicted lying beneath Chhinnamasta, who is seated squatting on him and copulating with him.Dogs or jackals drinking the blood sometimes appear in the scene. Sometimes Chhinnamasta is depicted standing on a lotus, a grass patch, or the ground.
Chhinnamasta is depicted wearing a serpent as the sacred thread and a mundamala (garland of skulls or severed heads and bones), along with other various gold or pearl ornaments around her neck. Bangles and waist-belt ornaments may be also depicted. She may also wear a snake around her neck and serpentine earrings.
Chhinnamasta complexion is as red as the flower of hibiscus or Gudahala (गुड़हल). She possesses the brightness of million suns. She is depicted nude and with disheveled hair. She is described to be a sixteen years old girl, having a blue lotus near her heart. Chhinnamasta wears a serpent as a sacred thread and a garland of skulls or severed heads around her neck along with other ornaments.
Chinnamasta icon Symbolism and Associations:
The Chhinnamasta icon is also understood as a representation of the awakening of the kundalini spiritual energy. The copulating couple represent the awakening in the Muladhara chakra, which corresponds to the last bone in the spinal column. The kundalini flows through the central passage in the body the Sushumna nadi and hits the topmost chakra, the Sahasrara at the top of head with such force that it blows her head off. The blood spilling from the throat represents the upward-flowing kundalini, breaking all knots (granthis) -those things which make a person sad, ignorant and weak of the chakras. The severed head is “transcendent consciousness”. The three blood streams represent the flow of nectar when the kundalini unites with Shiva, who resides in the Sahasrara. The serpent in her iconography is also a symbol of the kundalini.
Another interpretation associates Daknini, Varnini, and Chhinnamasta with the three main nadis- Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna, respectively-flowing free.The goddess is generally said to be visualised in one’s navel, the location of the Manipura chakra where the three nadis unite, and symbolises consciousness as well as the duality of creation and dissolution.Another tradition associates her with the Ajna chakra, the location of the “third eye” of wisdom between the eyebrows, the other meeting point of the three nadis.
The ability to remain alive despite the beheading is associated with supernatural powers and the awakening of the kundalini.
Chhinnamasta Sadhana:
Chhinnamasta Sadhana is limited to Tantrikas, Yogis and world renouncers due to her ferocious nature and her reputation of being dangerous to approach and worship. However, Chhinnamasta Sadhana is done to destroy the enemy. She is worshiped to get rid of court cases, to seek government favors, to get stronghold in business and to gain good health.
Chhinnamasta Mool Mantra:
श्रीं ह्रीं क्लीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीयै हूं हूं फट् स्वाहा॥
Shreem Hreem Kleem Aim Vajra Vairochaniyai Hum Hum Phat Svaha॥
Upasana of the Divine Mother Chinnamasta:
Samaya tradition is an internal tradition, there is no external worship. In the Samaya tradition, the symbols unveil themselves to the meditator through direct experience. The Samaya tradition of the Divine Mother, is related to the Raja, Kundalini, Laya and Srividya Tantra traditions. The symbol of Chhinnamasta is an unique and exceptional symbol unveiling the greatest of all mysteries. What appears to the worldly one as life is in fact death.The Goddess, standing on the symbol of duality, has mastered this world of opposites. She, who has beheaded herself and appears to be death is in fact life itself. She is red, the colour of blood, the symbol of life. Why does the Goddess behead herself? Why this violence and self-destruction?
Meditation is inherently a violent process. The process of getting to know oneself, can only occur by “destroying” the petty little self-identities or ahamkara leading to the expansion of the conscious mind. The head represents logic and ego.The process of meditation is not for wimps! It requires great courage to face the self identities that limit us and prevent us from evolving in to sages. Only with the destruction of all limitations does the seeker evolve and grow beyond the dualities. Going beyond dualities means being a Witness. Chhinnamasta is the symbol of the final destruction of the limitations created by ahamkara. Such an adept becomes more and more conscious, until he expands his consciousness to universal consciousness. Thus what seems to be death is in fact eternal life.
The Samaya tradition is about understanding and realizing the symbolism behind the deities. It is not about bhakti, worship and external rituals of the goddess.In Excellent observation, indeed, in the Chhinnamasta visual there is no death, only life. One truly begins to understand and experience life only when one has consciously or unconsciously raised the kundalini.
The modern term for kundalini, is unconscious mind. The two blood streams are ida and Pingala. The central blood stream is sushumna. If one observes carefully the head is drinking blood from sushumna. The adept is completely balanced and in sync with the rhythms of life.
Who will worship Goddess Chinnamasta /Benefits of worshiping Goddess Chinnamasta:
Tantric practitioners worship Chhinnamasta for acquiring siddhis or supernatural powers. Chhinnamasta’s mantra (a sacred chant that is repeated by a devotee) is to be invoked to attract and subjugate women. Her mantra associates her with syllables denoting beauty, light, fire, spiritual self-realization, and destruction of delusion. The Shakta Pramoda and the Rudrayamala recommend the use of her mantra to obtain wealth and auspiciousness.
Another goal of Chhinnamasta’s worship is to cast spells and cause harm to someone. She is prescribed to be worshipped for subjugation or enchantment of men and women (vasikarana), annihilation of foes (uchchatana), someone’s death (marana) and causing hatred or hostilities between friends (vidveshana).
Acarya Ananda Jha, the author of the Chinnamasta Tattva, prescribes her worship by soldiers as she embodies self-control of lust, heroic self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, and fearlessness in the face of death. In a collective prayer to the Mahavidyas in the Shakta Maha-bhagavata Purana, the devotee prays to emulate Chhinnamasta in her generosity to others.
Other goals common to worship of all Mahavidyas are: poetic speech, well-being, control of one’s foes, removal of obstacles, ability to sway kings, ability to attract others, conquest over other kings, and, finally, moksha (salvation).
How to Worship Chinnamasta Devi:
Chhinnamasta’s image or her yantra is worshiped, along with her attendants.
Public and private worship of Chinnamasta is not popular due to her aggressive nature and worshiping her is viewed as dangerous. It is said that those who worship her are of three types: yogis, world renouncers, or heroic in nature.
Tantric practices allow a practitioner to develop siddhis (super normal powers) and achieve the ultimate goal of liberation. The Sakta Pramoda, Tantrasara, and Sri Chinnamasta Nityarcana outline the worship rituals for Chinnamasta. There are nine sections of practice prescribed by the Sakta Pramoda including visualized meditation, drawing of the yantra (sacred diagram), and explication of the mantra.
Recitation of Chinnamasta’s 108 names is also included in her worship rituals. Not surprisingly, the majority of her names are fierce sounding. For example, she is referred to as Mahabhima (great terrible one), Chandamata (mother of fierce beings), Krodhini (wrathful one), and Kopatura (afflicted with rage).
Chhinnamasta Yantra:
Chhinnamasta Yantra- Chhinnamasta Yantra along with its Mool Mantra is considered very effective medium to fulfil Chhinnamasta Sadhana.
Another form of the goddess in the Tantrasara describes her seated in her own navel, formless and invisible. This form is said to be realised only via a trance. Another aniconic representation of the goddess is her yantra , which figures the inverted triangle and lotus found in her iconography.
List of other Chhinnamasta Mantra:
Ekakshar Chhinnamasta Mantra (1 Syllable Mantra):
हूं॥
Hum॥
Tryakshar Chhinnamasta Mantra (3 Syllables Mantra):
ॐ हूं ॐ॥
Om Hum Om॥
Chaturakshar Chhinnamasta Mantra (4 Syllables Mantra):
ॐ हूं स्वाहा॥
Om Hum Svaha॥
Panchakshar Chhinnamasta Mantra (5 Syllables Mantra):
ॐ हूं स्वाहा ॐ॥
Om Hum Svaha Om॥
Shadakshar Chhinnamasta Mantra (6 Syllables Mantra):
ह्रीं क्लीं श्रीं ऐं हूं फट्॥
Hreem Kleem Shreem Aim Hum Phat॥
More Mantras with beejakṣaras are placed in different positions:
(In these three mantras prefixed beejaksaras are placed in different positions)
ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं ह्रीं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥
om śrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||
ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं ह्रीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥
om śrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||
ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं ह्रीं क्लीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥
om śrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ klīṁ aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||
The following four mantras are known as प्रचण्डचण्डिका pracaṇḍacaṇḍikā mantras:
(In these four mantras prefixed beejaksaras are placed in different positions)
ॐ श्रीं क्लीं ह्रीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥
om śrīṁ klīṁ hrīṁ aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||
ॐ क्लीं श्रीं ह्रीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥
om klīṁ śrīṁ hrīṁ aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||
ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं क्लीं ह्रीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥
om hrīṁ śrīṁ klīṁ hrīṁ aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||
ॐ ऐं श्रीं क्लीं ह्रीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥
om aiṁ śrīṁ klīṁ hrīṁ aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||
Chhinnamasta Gayatri Mantra:
ॐ वैरोचन्ये विद्महे छिन्नमस्तायै धीमहि तन्नो देवी प्रचोदयात्॥
Om Vairochanye Vidmahe Chhinnamastayai Dhimahi Tanno Devi Prachodayat॥
Note:
श्रीं Srim: This is known as Lakṣmi beeja and mostly placed along with ह्रीं (hrim). Apart from causing auspiciousness, this beeja produces enough solar energy within the body and makes the mind calm and tranquil. If this bija is added to Panchadai mantra at the end, we get Laghu Ṣodasi mantra. This bija works along with sauḥ (सौः) in offering Liberation. Again श्रीं (srim) consists of three letters sa, ra and i and nada and bindu. Sa refers to Goddess of wealth Lakṣmi and ra is wealth itself, I refers to satisfaction, nada is apara (having nothing beyond or after, having no rival or superior) and bindu dispels sorrow. This clearly explains that Mahasodasi Mantra not only gives Liberation, but also gives material prosperity, peace of mind and satisfaction in life.
ह्रीं hrim: This is known as maya bija. ह्रीं (hrim) and श्रीं (srim) are often placed together. Ha means Siva, ra means Prakṛti, I means mahamaya (She is Prakasa-vimarsa- mahamaya- svarupini). Nada is Divine Mother (mother of universe) and bindu is the dispeller of sorrow. (Interpretations always vary according to bija-s. For example, it is said in Sriṁ that ra is wealth, whereas here it is explained that ra isPrakṛti. It all depends upon context and conjunction.) It is also said that hrim produces solar energy within the body. This bija causes Bliss (There are six ह्रीं (hrim) in Mahaṣodasi Mantra). Siva speaks a lot about usage of ह्रीं (hrim) in Mahanirvana Tantra, particularly in kali yuga.
ऐं aim: This is known as Sarasvati bija. ai (ऐ) refers to Sarasvati and bindu as usual is the dispeller of sorrow and miseries. It is sometimes called Guru bija, which implies that this bija endows knowledge. This bija establishes a strong connection between the deity and mantra, as this bija works on buddhi (intellect).
क्लीं klim: This is known as kama beeja. It is the bija for attraction. This bija in fact promotes the potency of other bija-s and the mantra as a whole. It works on heart chakra and kindles love for fellow beings. This helps us to achieve our material desires, when placed with other bija-s. Ka refers to Manmatha, also known as Kamadeva. There are references that ka also refers to Lord Kṛṣṇa; la refers to Indra, the chief gods and goddesses, I refers to contentment and satisfaction and the bindu here gives both happiness and sorrow. This is the effect of materialistic desires, which consists of both happiness and sorrow. This bija acts in a strange way. It induces desires and at the same time if one is not satisfied with what is given, it also causes miseries.
FAQs:
Why did Chinnamasta cut her head?
The head is celebrated as a mark of identity as well as source of the seed.Thus, the self-decapitation represents removal of maya (illusion or delusion), physical attachment, false notions, ignorance, and egoism. The scimitar also signifies severance of these obstacles to moksha (emancipation), jnana (wisdom), and self-realization.
What is the story behind Chinnamasta?
There is an origin story of Chinnamasta, the goddess with the severed head, in the Pranatoshini Tantra. Source One day, while taking a bath in Mandakini river with her attendants, Dakini and Varnini, Parvati was admiring the wonders of creation and life. The creation of life made her remember Shiva.What is Chinnamasta Yantra?
Chinnmasta Pujan Yantra is the incarnation of Mother Goddess Shakti that appeared before the Devas, or Demi-Gods, who sought for a wife for Shiva. Chinnamasta is one of the Dasa Mahavidyas – the ten goddesses. Chhinnamasta means ‘She whose head is severed.
What does Chinnamasta Symbolize?
Chhinnamasta, “She whose head is severed”, often spelled Chinnamasta, and also called Chinnamastika and Prachanda Chandika and Jogani Maa (in western states of India), is a Hindu goddess (Devi). She symbolizes both aspects of Devi: a life-giver and a life-taker.
What are the Benefits of Worshiping Chhinnamasta?
Chinamasta is a great benefactor, who recognizes and rewards true devotion. Once pleased, she can protect and bless the devotees with all her heart. She can help to overcome various problems like poverty, debt, misfortune, childlessness, mental disturbances and untimely death, and protect them from the ill effects of planet Rahu. She can also bestow knowledge, success, health, wealth and a sense of fulfillment in life.
Chhinnamasta Ashtottara Shatanamavali:
check here 108 Names of Goddess Chhinnamasta
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