Mother-goddesses in the yoginı̄ typology of early

Śākta tantras: dates, attributes and adaptations

Āgama and Tantra Section, 16th World Sanskrit Conference
Bangkok, 1 July, 2015
Judit Törzsök

1. Preliminaries
The cult of seven mothers (an identifiable heptad by the 5th cent. CE, manifes-
tations of the śaktis of male divinities) in the tantric yoginı̄ cult. Questions of
origin and transformation (Hatley The Brahmayāmalatantra and Early Śaiva
Cult of Yoginı̄s, PhD 2007; and “From Mātr. to Yoginı̄: Continuity and Tranfor-
mation in the South Asian Cult of Mother Goddesses” in Transformations and
Transfer of Tantra in Asia and Beyond, ed. I. Keul, pp. 99-129, Berlin, 2012).
8 alphabet goddesses or identified with other goddesses/yoginı̄s in Tantras.
The typology of human yoginı̄s (who belong to 7 clans/kula) is based on
the characteristics of the seven mothers. (Brahmayāmala [=BY], chapter 74,
Siddhayogeśvarı̄mata [=SYM] chapter 29; 6th-8th cent.)
The attributes (āyudhas) of images become parts of the secret sign language:
mudrās to be shown and drawings to be made on the house of the yoginı̄.

2. Order and identity: Vārāhı̄

The standard order of images, already in the fifth century CE:
Brahmān.ı̄, Māheśvarı̄, Kaumārı̄, Vais.n.avı̄, Vārāhı̄, Aindrı̄ and Cāmun.d.ā.
In tantric texts, Vārāhı̄ is often replaced by Vivasvatı̄/Yāmyā (in e.g. BY
4). The standard order is sometimes maintained (in e.g. BY 68.53-56ab), but
Brāhmı̄ and Māheśvarı̄ often swap places, so that Māheśvarı̄ heads the group
(in e.g. BY 4.265 ff); and there are other variations (SYM 16.41-43).

The yoginı̄ typology of the SYM is incomplete: Brāhman.ı̄, Māheśvarı̄,

Kaumārı̄, Vais.n.avı̄, and a fifth type. Is it Yāmyā or Cāmun.d.ā? 29.47-51.
romaśā sarvagātres.u kr.s.n.apiṅgalalocanā /
karālavikr.tākārā ghorā ca sthūladam . śanā // 47 //
lambos..thı̄ kr.s.n.avarn.ā ca kolāks.ı̄ bhagnanāsikā /
nr.tyagāndharvakuśalā meghavarn.ā mahādyutih. // 48 //

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ı̄dr.śı̄m
. pramadām . dr.s.t.vā dam. .s.trām
. tasya pradarśayet /
dan.d.am . vāpi tatas tasyā darśayed aviśaṅkit[ah.] // 49 //
– – – – – – – – varadā sādhakasya tu /
nayate śivasāyojyam . kalpānte daks.an.āśanı̄ // 50 //
parivartanam . tu vāmena mudrā tāsām . na sam . śayah. /
laks.an.[ı̄yās] tu tā nityam . bhūrloke krı̄d
. ayanti ca // 51 //
The BY has a similar passage with all the seven types, which follows the
order of the Mothers. See BY 74.61-65, describing Vārāhı̄. (Ed. Hatley 2007.)
lambos..thı̄ ca viśālāks.ı̄ piṅgalāgrāgrakeśinı̄ // 61 //
citrakarmapriyā nityam . nr.tyagandharvvapeśalā /
mām . sāsavapriyā nityam . lolupā sarvasāttvikā // 62 //
svagr.he dam st
. .. ramudrā tu dan.d.aśr.ṅkhalam eva vā /
likhate ca tathā ghon.am . kon.am vātha śmaśānakam . // 63 //
padmam vā karparañ caiva ubhe paks.e tu parvan.ı̄ /
dvādaśı̄ tu vijānı̄yā[t] tasyā sā varavarn.ini // 64 //
vārāhı̄ vais.n.avı̄ caiva ekaparvaratā sadā //
jñātavyā sādhakendren.a mantrāvis.t.ena cetasā // 65 //

(Cf. BY 71ab Cāmun.d.ā: śus.kāṅgı̄ bhagnanāsā ca kot.arāks.ı̄ ca dam

. s.t.in.ı̄, with
kapāla and pat.t.iśa.)

3. Attributes and dates: Brahmān.ı̄

Brahmān.ı̄ in SYM 29.22-26. Attributes: padma, ūrdhva (?), ajina, kaman.d.alu
mukham . yasyā[s] tu dr.śyeta samantāt pariman.d.alam /
vaktre śmaśru bhruvau dı̄rghe locane ca suśobhane // 22 //
śuklavastrapriyā saumyā aks.obhyā satyavādinı̄ /
brahmaghos.apriyā nityam . brāhman.ı̄ ca prakı̄rtitā // 23 //
padmamudrā pradātavyā ūrdhvamudrātha vā punah. /
ajinam . kaman.d.alum . caiva pratimudrā vidhı̄yate // 24 //
daśamı̄ parvan.ı̄ tāsām. padmam . ca likhyate gr.he /
brāhman.ı̄kulajātānām . yogeśı̄nām
. varānane // 25 //
brahmeśānām . ca ghorān.ām . sidhyate sā na sam . śayah. /
māsamātram . vidhim . yāvat tadā kāmānugā bhavet // 26 //
BY 74.44–46. (ed. Hatley 2012:16) Attributes: dan.d.a, kaman.d.alu, ajina,
yogapat.t.aka, srucı̄, darbha, upavı̄ta, padma
tisro rekhā lalāt.e tu ūrdhvası̄mantam āśritāh. /
gaurı̄ campakagandhı̄ ca brahmacaryaratā sadā // 44 //
vedaghos.apriyā nityam aks.obhyā satyavādinı̄ /
dan.d.am . kaman.d.aluñ caiva ajinam . yogapat.t.akam // 45 //
srucı̄darbhopavı̄tam . tu padmañ ca likhitam . gr.he /
laks.itavyā prayatnena brahmān.yam . śā varānane // 46 //
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Figure 1: Brahmān.ı̄, Mun.d.eśvarı̄ (Bihar), 6th cent.

Pl. 53 from Panikkar 1997.

Seated on a lotus, she has the antilope skin (ajina)

and the yogapat..ta, and probably held a kaman.d.alu
in her left hand. Panikkar 1997 points out that the
ajina/mr.gacarman only occurs on mātr. images of the
6th and 7th centuries. The yogapat..ta is also a rare
attribute.

4. Attributes and dates: Aindrı̄

The sixth mother of the Rāvan.a Phad.i cave, Aihole. Gupte 1967, Meister
1986, and Panikkar 1997 tentatively identify it as Kaumārı̄ because of the
peacock feathers in her crown, but that does not fit the usual order. Kaumārı̄
swapped here with Aindrı̄?

Figure 2: Rāvan.a Phad.i cave, Aihole, around 560.

Vārāhı̄, Aindrı̄/Kaumārı̄?, and Cāmun.d.ā. For the
dating, see e.g. Tartakov 1970, 1980; Soundara
Rajan 1981.

BY 74.66-70 on Aindrı̄ (Ed. Hatley 2007)

śyām[ā] vaigandhinı̄ caiva dı̄rghagrı̄vāṅgulı̄ tathā /

daśanā[ś] cātikāntābhā nayane cātivarttule // 66 //
raktavastrapriyā nityam . skandhavastrāvalambinı̄ /
gandhapus.papriyā nityam . dhanād.hyā ca prajāyate // 67 //
hasate ramate caiva yog[ā]yogānusāratah. /
vajramudrā likhet sā tu gr.he tu svayam eva hi // 68 //
śūrpapiñcchapat.añ caiva likhate ’nyam . mahāyudham . /
indrān.ı̄kulajātānām etad bhavati laks.an.am . // 69 //
s.an.māsārādhanenaiva siddhā dāsyanti melakam . /
vicaraty akhilam . lokān sarvāścaryapravartakah. // 70 //
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Why would Aindrı̄ wear peacock feathers?

Hatley 2007: winnowing basket, tail, (¿) or cloth (?) MSS read sūrppa.

Tentative conjecture: morapiñcchapat.am

. (-put.am
. ?). ‘A veil/mass of pea-
cock feathers’

Rāmāyan.a 7.18.4-5ab, 19-22: dr.s.t.vā devās tu tadraks.o varadānena dur-

jayam / tām. tām
. yonim. samāpannās tasya dhars.an.abhı̄ravah. // indro mayūrah.
samvr.tto dharmarājas tu vāyasah. /... rāvan.e tu gate devāh. sendrāś caiva
divaukasah. / tatah. svām . yonim . āsādya tāni sattvāny athābruvan // hars.āt
tadābravı̄d indro mayūram . nı̄labarhin . am / prı̄to ’smi tava dharmajna upakārād
viham. gama // mama netrasahasram yat tat te barhe bhavis.yati / vars.amān.e
mayi mudam . prāpsyase prı̄tilaksan
. . am // nı̄lāh. kila purā barhā mayūrān.ām
.
narādhipa / surādhipād varam . prāpya gatāh
. sarve vicitratām //

Figure 3: Aindrı̄’s crown of peacock feathers,

Rāvan.a Phad.i cave, Aihole.
The feathers represent Indra’s thousand eyes.

5. Telling attributes: from Śaivism to Buddhism

One of the borrowings pointed out in Sanderson 2001: 43.
Yoginı̄laks.an.a/Lāmālaks.an.a:
Siddhayogeśvarı̄mata 29. → Laghuśam
. varatantra 19 = Abhidhānottaratantra 38.
Metrical → unmetrical, with simplified closing lines (etad bhavati laks.an.am).

Brahmān.ı̄: padma, ūrdhva (?), ajina, kaman.d.alu → Strı̄: padma, kūrma,

ajina, kaman.d.alu
Māheśvarı̄: śūla, trirekhā, dhanus → Lokeśvarı̄: śūla, trirekhā, nr.tya
Kaumārı̄: śakti, ghan.t.ā → ???: śakti, ghan.t.ā
Vais.n.avı̄: śaṅkha, cakra → Śrı̄herukā: śaṅkha, cakra + vajra
Vārāhı̄: dam . s.t.rā, dan.d.a → Vārāhı̄: nāga, śakti, dam
. s.t.ra

Conclusion
Dating texts through images... (Yokochi 1999. Mahis.āsuramardinı̄.) Standard-
ization of mātr. attributes in the 8th century. SYM, BY 6th-7th cent. Tantra
and mainstream. The special case of the Rāvan.a Phad.i cave.